New Hampshire is Excited for Bernie!

[CoffeeCat]

46. Things are starting to change in Iowa for Bernie

I've been watching Iowa media very closely since the summer (I live in Iowa).

Bernie has been pretty much blacked out. I knew that his rally numbers were in the 2000+ range, because I spoke with people who attended. I could not find anything on his Dubuque rally or on his other rallies in Waterloo that drew 1,500+ supporters. Clinton's rallies were only drawing on average 200 people.

Here's video from a Clinton Ft. Dodge rally. Low attendance and you can see that the back rows of chairs are not filled.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/supporters-rally-hillary-clinton-iowa-town-hall-35588843

It's debatable what rally attendance means and if that translates into more caucus supporters for Sanders. Setting that aside, it is apparent that Sanders is drawing large, enthusiastic crowds and Clinton, in general, is not. Isn't that interesting?

I also noticed that Hillary had pool reporters from Politico, ABC, CBS, NYTimes and other outlets following her campaign and reporting Stories. Sanders had no one. I could barely find an article on him in the Des Moines Register. When they did cover his Waterloo events, they didn't report on his crowd numbers. All was downplayed.

I've noticed a shift in the last week or so in Iowa. He's got pool reporters with him now during his campaign events. The Des Moines Register has a reporter covering Bernie and his events. Jennifer Jacobs has been covering all of Hillary's events for the Register since early fall.

I noticed more articles about Bernie in local Iowa media and some are also starting to sprout from national outlets.

Although Bernie's blackout was worse than what Obama experienced in 2008, I can tell you that the media scales were definitely tipped in favor of Hillary in 2008. She was "inevitable" and was touted as such in the Des Moines Register and in other Iowa broadcast and print outlets. She had more coverage than Obama. As Obama's crowds and enthusiasm grew, it was as if all bets were off and the media just began covering him. I see the same thing with Sanders. His crowds and the excitement for him is a great story. Reporters are going to be all over the state, and they are looking for cool stories.

They'll be reporting on Bernie.

Like it or not--Hillary gets the blackouts she wants in the beginning phases of the caucus. I've witnessed this happen in 2008 and now in 2016. However, during the last month before the caucuses, the reporters just start doing their jobs and reporting on the cool stuff happening. They'll be reporting on Bernie quite a bit.

He's got great optics with those large crowds That won't be hidden any longer. Not in Iowa anyway. And that's important because the coverage can help him win the caucuses.

My 2 cents.