(What? You were expecting some Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, or Mike Huckabee?)
As Cillizza at the WaPo notes, Drudge made his bones on the Clintons twenty years ago. The problem is that he continues to do so, and the lazy corporate media lets him keep doing it by sniffing his ass like he's a dog in heat. You may need to click over to catch up on the backstory; this news is now a week old, which means it was out there before the rumors broke about Bernie Sanders' announcement on Tuesday, and then Sanders' fairly dominant news cycle (from Thursday, the day he declared, to the coverage about his campaign cash haul, and all the way through to the Sunday talk shows). Because of last week's many other breaking developments -- but particularly due to the Baltimore, Maryland connection -- Drudge's pimping of O'Malley hasn't registered in the plus column yet for the former Terrapin State governor.
As usual you should read it all, but here's the last three grafs.
I think the honeymoon is already over, for reasons previously ascribed. But if it isn't, and you start to see shirtless O'Malley pics on Good Morning America and the like, just know who's behind it.
As Cillizza at the WaPo notes, Drudge made his bones on the Clintons twenty years ago. The problem is that he continues to do so, and the lazy corporate media lets him keep doing it by sniffing his ass like he's a dog in heat. You may need to click over to catch up on the backstory; this news is now a week old, which means it was out there before the rumors broke about Bernie Sanders' announcement on Tuesday, and then Sanders' fairly dominant news cycle (from Thursday, the day he declared, to the coverage about his campaign cash haul, and all the way through to the Sunday talk shows). Because of last week's many other breaking developments -- but particularly due to the Baltimore, Maryland connection -- Drudge's pimping of O'Malley hasn't registered in the plus column yet for the former Terrapin State governor.
As usual you should read it all, but here's the last three grafs.
And it's not just that Drudge is deciding what pieces of content from the biggest media outlets in the country are the ones that get attention/traffic. It's also that he remains extremely influential as a sort of daily booking guide for cable television. Bookers from every network check Drudge religiously to see what stories he's chosen to feature. Often those stories wind up getting airtime.
So, if Drudge promotes Martin O'Malley, then O'Malley will almost certainly get more attention from the media, which should translate to a higher level of interest — or at least recognition — among average voters.
How long will O'Malley's Drudge honeymoon last? Probably up until (or, really, if) Drudge succeeds in helping to make O'Malley a semi-credible Clinton challenger. At which point, if history is any guide, Drudge will turn on him.
I think the honeymoon is already over, for reasons previously ascribed. But if it isn't, and you start to see shirtless O'Malley pics on Good Morning America and the like, just know who's behind it.
