Reply #2: Of course they push this narrative. . .

[Journeyman]

it moves forward their "horse race" concept and establishes a seeming dynamic of Democratic loss and Republican resurgence, a useful concept when the primary purpose of their effort is to sell soap and other commercial commodities. A secondary benefit (for them) may be seen in the political value of such a misleading headline, and the scenario they are attempting to establish of a Republican party on the mend, rebuilding itself in preparation for the 2010 midterms.

The challenge for us -- as citizens, not as partisan political operatives -- is to find a means to turn the media away from this schoolyard emphasis and move it toward a more responsive and responsible approach. My personal effort involves rarely watching television news but alway writing them with the ideas I believe would draw me back to their audience. Maybe it will work. I can't say. But I do know the level of my knowledge and the degree of my serenity are inversely proportional to the number of hours I do not spend watching television news.