When a story breaks our way and we all get hopeful that it has legs, I like to go check the news shows and see how they are placing it and what they are talking about in it. I like this as a reality check to my own wishful thinking.
I did this the last two nights (Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday) and it was very popular so I am doing it again. I will keep doing it until the story dies down or the number of recommender's drops.
Yesterday was a good day, bouncing back to first place across the board. So here is how it is playing right now on the websites of the MSM. This is websites only because I don't watch broadcast news. (I'm not opposed to TV, I'm just too busy.) I did see it on The Daily Show - hilarious!
ABC News - Top Story Hastert Knew About Foley for at Least Three Years. Fordham and Reynolds both saying Hastert himself was told and pages saying they were warned by Republican staff to be careful around Foley. Second is Miss You Lots Since San Diego. About Foley meeting with an underage page in San Diego. Lets face it, Brian Ross is awesome.
CBS News - Top Story Death Squads in Iraq Hospitals. Second story Ex-GOP Aide: Hastert Knew 3 Years Ago. Also about Fordham's statement and then gets in to the fact that Fordham is gay and supposedly Foley was "that a group of high-level gay Republican staffers were protecting a gay Republican congressman" - apparently being gay is wrong unless you're a really really good political operative. Also lists that Rep. Ron Lewis canceled a fundraiser featuring Hastert. A really strong story.
CNN - Foley concerns allegedly raised before 2005. Both sides of the argument over Fordham's statement and statements for other Republican reps, both for and against. The story's writing style is not as boring as yesterday's but it's still sort of blah. It's like they are afraid to run with it. The picture they have of Hastert is very unflattering - I think the guy may be feeling a bit of stress right now for some reason.
FOX News - OMG! OMG! OMG! The second story is House GOP Asks for Probe Into Alleged Drunken Foley Dorm Visit. The story then in paragraph 3 talks about how John Boehner tried to hush up the info in Republican members-only conference call. It then goes on to discuss how Capitol Police stopped a drunken Foley from trying to enter the Page dorm several times. AND THIS IS ON FOX! Can it get worse better than this? Top Story is I Sent Foley Alert to Hastert Office Years Ago. I think Fox has decided to back the Democrats. Same story as the other networks but longer, very well written where you don't want to stop reading, and full quotes from Nancy Pelosi among others. ABC may have the most breaking news but Fox definitely is playing it up the most.
MSNBC - Top story Hastert fighting for political life in Foley e-mail sex scandal. It has Blunt, Boehner, and Reynolds all blaming Hastert for the problem. What good friends they all must be... And a good quote from John Laesch who now has a good chance to beat Hastert. Second story is Former page shares instant messages. This is a gigantic story - Foley has been hitting on pages since 1997 (that's 9 years for the math challenged) and this guy is testifying to being hit on that entire time. Foley is not only a sexual predator, but apparently cannot understand the meaning of the words "not interested." Wow.
So where are we? Still clearly the number 1 story in the country. Yes CBS has it at number 2 but they had a significant exclusive in Iraq and since they are a me-too player in this story, I can see them pushing their exclusive. That may be CNN's problem too, they seem to have nothing original on this story and so may be in a snit that all they get to do is repeat what ABC and NBC are finding.
The big story right now is Hastert was clearly told awhile ago and did nothing. And the entire country is thinking Liar, Liar every time they see him. So most of the Republicans want him out of there thinking that will take the story with him. And a few are backing him up - probably because he is their route to riches in the legislature.
I do hope Hastert goes in a day or two. Because as soon as he does, then I think it will be open season on Boehner, Reynolds, and Shimkus. And I can't think of three more deserving pedophile protectors to get the treatment next. Boy are they going to be surprised when the exit of Hastert puts them in the spotlight.
Once again I think this story has at least 2 more days as the top story. And depending on what else happens (Hastert resigning, Foley throwing a toga party), who knows the maximum. My guess is still 4 - 6 for the maximum number of remaining days as the top story.
And where is Bush in the top stories? Nowhere - not a single story. He went from Bush: Dems Can't Be Trusted to Run Congress yesterday (at number 7) to gone today. He was beat out by this tidbit. It's basically 1 month to the election and Bush can't make the home page of any major network.
You know, things might be breaking our way for once <g>.