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MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010


Cable news changes electoral landscape


cable from A1


cuseUniversity. “If there’snostan- dard base line of fact and report- ing, where can the conversation go?” Each party’s message is ampli-


fied by former officeholders and strategists who sign exclusive agreements with the cable net- works as soon as they leave the public payroll. And their celebrity — magnified by their constant screen presence — gives them more influence than most mem- bers ofCongress. On any given night, a parade of


PHOTOS BY MELINA MARA/THE WASHINGTON POST Sen. LisaMurkowski is making headway as a write-in candidate. Polls have her within reach ofGOPnominee JoeMiller or tied with him. Alaska hasn’t written off senator yet murkowski from A1


has been embraced by the estab- lishment. I’ve been kind of booted off, and we’re now the insurgen- cy.” It’s true that Miller beat


Murkowski in part by portraying her as aWashington insider with a too-liberal record who felt enti- tled to her position — a job she was originally appointed to in 2002 by her father, then-Gov. Frank Murkowski. It’s also true that national Republicans dis- couraged her from mounting the write-in bid and have pledged their support forMiller. But it’s strange that a Mur-


kowski could be an underdog in Alaska. And it’s just as odd to characterize her campaign as an insurgency — a campaign that during the primary held a 10 to 1 cash advantage, that is gathering election lawyers and strategists in preparation for a contentious ballot count, that is busy honing the message that this unusual mission belongs to the people and exists solely to “put Alaska first.” In any event, the “insurgency”


is surging. Murkowski, tall and reserved, has bounced back from her defeat with a ferocity that’s almost out of character, remind- ing voters why they like her: She listens intently, she understands Alaskan issues — fishing, infra- structure needs, energy — and she is a native, born inKetchikan, raised in Fairbanks. According to several recent polls, the effort is paying off; Murkowski is either within striking distance ofMiller or in a dead heat with him.


M-u-r-k-o-w-s-k-i


“I was heartbroken when she conceded to JoeMiller,” said Eliz- abethKoutchak, 45, a native Alas- kan of Inupiat and Tlingit heri- tage. Koutchak began volunteer- ing for Murkowski three weeks ago after never before being polit- ically active.“My heart went from broken to high spirits when she announced the write-in cam- paign. I said, ‘Lisa, this hard- working truck driver supports you.’” Koutchak was among hun-


dreds of supporters who sang, danced, chanted and waved signs at the Anchorage rally.The steady flow of passing drivers joined in, honking their horns. But while Murkowski has in-


spired supporters to make plenty of noise, the more pressing ques- tion is whether she can get them to color and spell. Come Election Day, her name


won’t be on the ballot. Instead, voters must look past the list of names they will see — including those of Miller and Democratic nominee Scott McAdams, who is running third in the polls—to the final choice: “Write-in.” But it’s not enough to just write hername on the line.Votersmust also fill in the little bubble next to it. It’s unclearhowaccurately vot-


ers must spell Murkowski. State law indicates only that voters must signify “intent,” but wheth- er “Lisa M.” or some mangled spelling of “Murkowski” counts is unknown. What seems certain is that this


is going to be another one for the lawyers. There are sure to be some ballots with debatable in- tent, possibly enough tomake the difference in a close election. And what about this rumor running through Anchorage that some other “Lisa M.” will declare a write-in candidacy? How will election officials deal with that? All of this explains why me-


chanics are the star of Murkow- ski’s revived campaign. She has ordered 50,000 “Live Strong”- style bracelets—one for every 10 registered voters — imprinted with her full name, an image of the crucial bubble that voters


“It’s fun to be turning the tables. . . . Nowhe has been embraced by the establishment. I’ve been kind of booted off, and we’re now the insurgency.” —Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller


must remember to darken, and the instruction: “Fill it in.Write it in.”


Her team is brainstorming un-


conventional TV ad ideas to en- force the point. And they’re solic- iting ideas from voters to re- inforce the message that it’s all about them. She has even launched a contest to compose a catchy jingle. “This should be something


that Alaskans are going to be humming for the next 12 years— ‘Remember when Lisa Murkow- ski was running that write-in campaign?’ ” Murkowski said. “I’mconvinced that in order for it to work, you’ve got to have this excitement about doing some- thing different.” Another challenge for Mur-


kowski is overcoming the notion that took root during the primary — that she is a Washington-cen- tric incumbent who has lost touch with Alaska. Miller had a lot of help in creating that image. He was backed by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, whose ri- valry with the Murkowski clan dates to her unseating of the senator’s father as governor in 2006. And Sacramento-based Tea Party Express spent $500,000 on Miller’s behalf during the prima- ry; the group is hoping to do the same this month. At a news conference in An-


chorage last week, Tea Party Ex- press Chairwoman Amy Kremer debuted twonewadvertisements, one touting Miller’s military rec- ord and the other characterizing Murkowski as a sore loser whose Senate seat was a “gift her daddy gave her.” Miller won the primary on


the less-government-is-better- government approach that is ral- lying voters nationally. But it’s not clear whether that’s why he won. Relatively fewvoters turned out for the primary, and many whodid were conservatives inter- ested in a ballot initiative on restricting access to abortion. The death of former senator Ted Stevens two weeks before prima- ry day also hurtMurkowski, who was forced to pull two ads with the popular “Uncle Ted” backing her candidacy.


Federal largess Murkowski is betting that the


November electorate will bemore appreciative of her view that Alaska should continue to seek as much federal money as possible. “I firmly believe we need to do


a better job reducing our spend- ing and our deficit,” Murkowski told a small group of voters gath- ered at an inn in Cooper Landing last weekend, some of whom asked her for help securing feder- al money for a nearby trail proj- ect. “This project here would not be funded [without earmarks]. I can just tell you right now that will come to us by way of an earmark.” That message is resonating


with an array of groups. The state’s commercial fishermen are backing her, and so are its fire- fighters. Even some voters who say they were compelled by their own disgust with Washington to vote forMiller are now reconsid- ering. “I think people want to know


more about Joe,” said Steve Ames, 54, an electrician on tiny Kodiak Island. Ames, originally from


Democraticlawmakersandcandi- dates appears on MSNBC, while Republicans flocktoFox—includ- ing some, such asO’Donnell, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and Sharron Angle, who grant few in- terviews elsewhere. CNN has a more balanced guest lineup and no openly partisan shows, but its prime-time ratings have declined substantially. Angle, who is challenging Sen-


ateMajorityLeaderHarryM.Reid inNevada, has said that the bene- fit of appearing on a “friendly press outlet” is that she can ask viewers formoney: “WhenI saidit onSeanHannity’s televisionshow, wemade $40,000 before we even got out of the studio inNewYork.”


‘Hit their base’ The reality, said MSNBC Presi-


dent Phil Griffin, is that “politi- cians want to hit their base.” But “we’re different than Fox,” he add- ed. “We ask for people to come on fromboth parties all the time.We can’t control who comes on. A lot of people choose not to, and they choose to go toFox. . . . “We have so many different


voices. We’re not trying to push Democratic talking points, as somepeople accuseus of.” The White House has clearly


Murkowski’s viewthat Alaska still needs to seek as much federal money as possible resonated with some voters in Cooper Landing, above, despite the anti- spending clamor nationally.


Murkowski is taking a one- vote-at-a-time- approach. At left, she attends at a meet-and- greet coffee at a private home in Anchorage.


Connecticut, voted forMiller and has mixed feelings about how Murkowski was appointed to the Senate by her father. But he isn’t a fan of what he calls “extremism,” either. “Alaskans generally don’t like


government — that’s why they moved here,” Ames said. “But I don’t think they know how much our state gets from the feds.” Murkowski is also no longer


pulling her punches. On Thurs- day, she criticized Miller after he said his family has used Denali KidCare — Alaska’s low-income health program for children — even though he has criticized Murkowski for supporting it. Miller is taking a different approach to the campaign. His strategy in the primary was about being an outsider who was will- ing to rattleWashington. But this week, he is fresh from a fundrais- ing trip inWashington.His public schedule is spare, and his cam- paign is working closely with the National Republican Senatorial Committee to book TV appear- ances and set up phone banks. Miller’s campaign did not re-


spond to repeated requests for an interview. For the senator running from


the outside, it’s about gathering one vote at a time. “We can do this,” Murkowski


told a roomful of senior citizens in Cooper Landing, a tiny village overlooking the emerald-green Kenai River. No group seems too small for


Murkowski; at the Cooper Land- ing inn she met with fewer than 10 people over lunch. “I hope you make it, girl!”


shouted Al Hirschberger, 85, a retiree who saw Murkowski at a cold and rainy pheasant hunt in Soldotna earlier the same day. “Thank you! Thank you!”


Murkowski shot back. And then she got right to the


point of what really matters to her in this oddest of elections. “Do you know how to spell the


name?” gardnera@washpost.com


chosensides.PresidentObama re- cently called Fox News “destruc- tive,” renewing an attack that his administration launched against thenetwork last year,whileWhite House spokesmanBillBurtonsin- gled out MSNBC hosts Keith Ol- bermann and RachelMaddowfor helping to “keep our government honest.” That praise followed a swipe that press secretary Robert Gibbs took at the “professional left,”widely seenas aimedat liber- al commentators andbloggers. The fragmented environment


has forced political strategists to make adjustments. “It requires thepresident toworkhardertoget hismessageout,” saidDanPfeiffer, Obama’s communications direc- tor, including seeking out uncon- ventional venues where his sheer presencewill generate buzz. That explains why Obama


showed up on “TheView,”was the first sitting president to appear with Jay Leno and David Letter- man, and has scheduled town hallswithMTV,CMTandBET. Ina push for his health-caremeasure, he was the first president to blan- ket all five Sunday talk shows — which featuremore sober formats thanprime-time cable. Ari Fleischer, former spokes-


man for President George W. Bush, saidthat thecableshowsare influentialwith partisan audienc- esbut that “ifyou’reonlytalkingto like-minded people, it’s a bad re- flection on that candidate.”When Obama submitted to a lengthy grilling by Fox’s Bill O’Reilly dur- ing the 2008 campaign, Fleischer said, “he knew it sent a signal to non-O’Reilly viewers that Barack Obama has confidence in his ideas.” David Winston, a pollster who


advises the House Republican leadership, said the opinion-driv- en cable shows are so established that “peopleknowwhat to expect” and “sort of filter what they are looking at.” Four in10Republicans say they


regularly watch Fox News, com- pared with 21 percent of Demo- crats, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Demo- crats make up 53 percent of MSNBC’s audience, and Republi- cans just 6percent. FoxNews,which has nearly tri-


ple the audience of MSNBC, has provided a megaphone for three possible 2012 GOP presidential candidates on its payroll: Palin, Mike Huckabee and Newt Ging- rich. Two of its most prominent commentators, Karl Rove and Dick Morris, are actively raising moneyforRepublicancandidates. “I’m helping raise $50 million,


$3million of which we’ve already spent on behalf of Sharron Angle in Nevada,” Rove, a Bush White House official, recently told view- ers.Hannityhasalsoraisedmoney for GOP candidates. Fox execu- tivesdeclinedto be interviewed. Three MSNBC hosts and con-


tributors—Matthews, Ed Schultz and former congressman Harold E. Ford Jr. — considered running for the Senate as Democrats dur- ing this cycle. Howard Dean, the former Democratic Party chair-


man and presidential candidate, is aCNBCcontributor. CNN also employs commenta-


torswho are engaged in the parti- sanwars. James Carville and Paul Begala help raise money for the Democratic Party, while Alex Cas- tellanos returned $12,000 last yearpaidtohis firmby theRepub- lican National Committee. The payment, which he called a mis- take, violatedthenetwork’s rules. “Every time I go on, I’midenti-


fied as a Democrat,” Begala said. “I’mnotpaidtobeneutral,but I’m paid to be truthful. As long as that’s fullydisclosed, the audience is not going to be shocked that a Democratic strategist is trying to helpDemocrats.” Some hosts are more willing


than others to engage the other side. Last week, Republican Na- tionalChairmanMichael Steele— a former Fox contributor — ap- peared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s new MSNBC program, while two prominentDemocrats,Pennsylva- nia Gov. Edward G. Rendell and Ohio Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, were on“TheO’ReillyFactor.” Maddow boasted on Thursday


that “a real liveRepublican candi- dateforofficeisgoingtobeaguest on this show.” But she got into a lengthy and awkward argument withArtRobinson,aHouse candi- date inOregon,whokeptaccusing herof tryingto“throwmudatme” even as she read words he had writteninthepast. In May, after Maddow politely


but doggedly pressed Senate can- didate Rand Paul about his views on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Kentucky Republican vowed not to go back. Maddow’s profile is such that some GOP candidates have attacked her in fundraising letters and used her as a target in their campaignadvertising. Some cable personalities have


gonewell beyond the role ofmere interviewers in stoking political passions. CNBC correspondent RickSantelli’s rantagainstObama financial policies last year helped spark the fledgling movement that came to be known as the tea party. Fox’s Glenn Beck gave the movement a jump start with his so-called “9/12” rallies last fall, whichwere heavily covered by his network, and he drew a huge crowd in August to the Lincoln Memorial — with Palin’s help — for a religious-themedevent. When the U.S. Agriculture De-


partment fired staffer Shirley Sherrod based on a deceptively edited video suggesting she was a racist, a top official told her the administration had feared that Beckwouldjumponthe story. When liberal organizations


heldtheirownrallyat theMall this month,MSNBC’s Schultzwas one of the featured speakers. Even ComedyCentral’s JonStewart and Stephen Colbert are getting into the act, staging a rally aimed at moderates on Oct. 30. Colbert drew both laughs and catcalls for testifying recently at a House im- migrationhearing. Stewart told National Public


Radio lastweekthat, inhis viewat least,heandBeckarenot sodiffer- ent: “He’s a reaction to what he feels like is the news, and so are we.Weactually sharequiteabit in common in terms of, not point of view necessarily, but reason for being.We’re bothinsomeways an op-ed.We consider ourselves edi- torialcartoonistsinsomerespect.”


‘An amazing outlet’ Potential candidates have long


used television and radio as away of staying in the spotlight. In the 1990s, Pat Buchanan alternated between running for president and co-hosting CNN’s “Crossfire.” Huckabee’s 2008 campaign man- ager, Chip Saltsman, said the Fox exposure is priceless if his former boss makes another run for the White House. “That’s what a big percentage of our primary voters watch every day,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s an amazing outlet for a conservative guy to reachconservative voters.” Cable news audiences are rela-


tivelymodest, with O’Reilly’s top- rated Fox programdrawingmore than 3 million viewers at 8 p.m. But cable chatter has a way of driving other news coverage—in blogs, in op-ed columns, on Face- book pages and, ultimately, on network newscasts, creating an echo-chamber effect. The current environment is


reminiscentof anearlier erawhen many newspapers were partisan vehicles with names like Demo- crat and Republican. “This whole notion of objective journalismis a relativelynewinvention,”saidSyr- acuse’s Thompson. “But what we’re seeing on the national cable scene is something on a much grander scale.”


kurtzh@washpost.com tumultyk@washpost.com


Kurtz alsoworks forCNNand hosts its weeklymedia program, “Reliable Sources.”


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