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The press doesn't pick who will be president but it does have a tremendous influence on public opinion. This is both good and bad essentially because if it weren't for the press many people might not have the attention span to watch the political race closely through the long primary process; on the other hand, the press does play favorites.

Case in point: the Democratic Primary for the 2008 nomination. I truly believe that if the press wasn't so enamored of Barack Obama since the night he gave his speech at the last national Democratic Convention, he wouldn't be the front runner today. Time and again they have given him a pass. The first thing that comes to mind are his lackluster performances at the first few debates. Had the press not liked him as much as they did he may have become just another blip in history. On the other hand, people themselves have been caught up in his charisma factor. He has been able to divert the public's attention from problems that have arose in his campaign. He also has captured the imagination of the youth vote. So we cannot blame the press for his astounding popularity.

The same can be said for Hillary Clinton. In the beginning, the press gave her all the kudos and she was the front runner. Unfortunately for her once they turned against her she plummeted in the polls. Once again though, voters took matters into their own hands. I don't think we can blame this entirely on the press. While they may have played a part, I think anyone who was paying attention can point to some major faux pas on the part of her campaign staff and the former President Clinton.

On the other side, McCain was a goner for a good deal of the Republican Primary Race. He had everything going against him particularly a lack of campaign funds. I suppose the press may have influenced donors but not directly. For certain Mitt Romney looked better on television and the press gave him a good deal of slack in the beginning. Ultimately however, the press aside, the people who voted in the primaries made the decision and McCain prevailed.

Do I think the press has influence? Yes it does. However, as the process continues voters, the campaigns and their ability to show their candidate in the best light, and the candidates themselves have the most to do with who becomes president. This is how the system, however flawed it may seem at times, was designed.

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