Fickle Times

I'm scared of becoming fickle. It's very hard to not be influenced by the constant press and spin surrounding the American Election - they've been at it since February for god's sake! The constant reinvention of each candidate, the magnifying of the smallest development or change; I find myself so engrossed in it, but I wonder if it only blinds me from seeing the truth. Every word, camera angle or smile is cultivated, just look at Sarah Palin.

For example today, it seems as if the press have suddenly turned on Obama again. When McCain looked strong five weeks ago, Obama was the unseeded underdog; a role he seemed to relish. The press foresaw a depressing vision of isolated America, turning it on itself, continuing the Bush administration.

Cut to five weeks later, and Obama is riding high on the back of the economic crisis. McCain is presented as alienated from Bush, as the most 'democratic' Republican President America could ever hope for and Obama is rendered with a double page spread in the Times examining his 'terrorist filled past.'

This evaluation is at least what my tutors at Westminster would be proud of. A constant analysis and criticism of the media is required for a distinction I'm sure.

So the power of the press can change the outcome of an election? Of course, turning to British politics as an example, when Jonathan Aitken was revealed to be accepting gifts from a Saudi business man, his political career was ruined by the Guardian and he failed to become the Prime Minister.

Or perhaps Obama is leading in the polls because of his relentless campaigning? Let's compare the facts:

1. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have made 95 appearances in the battleground states over the past five weeks. John McCain and Sarah Palin have made only 55.

2. Ohio and Pennsylvania have received 14 visits each from the Democrats' 'big Three' compared with only nine each from the Republicans.'