Christian Science Monitor Breaks Ranks with Media to Offer Fair Clinton Coverage

After the all out assault by the punditry on Hillary Clinton this week, it was almost startling to come across a piece in the Christian Science Monitor by David Cook, the Monitor’s Washington Bureau Chief, that is actually fair to the former first lady and second-term senator from New York.

We offer kudos to Mr. Cook for not chiming in with the good old boys in the media who have felt obligated throughout the Democratic primary to trash Hillary Clinton at regular intervals.

In recapping Friday's Monitor Breakfast with Clinton campaign chief strategist Geoff Garin and communications director Howard Wolfson, Cook acknowledges the media’s abuse of Clinton in his lead paragraph:

“Battered by political pundits saying the Democratic presidential primary race is over, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign toughened its public stance on how long she would continue to battle Sen. Barack Obama for the nomination.”

The article cites the reasons offered by campaign officials as to why Clinton is still competitive in the race for the Democratic nomination:

‘“We do not believe a nominee will be chosen unless or until somebody gets to 2,209 [delegates], which is the number including Florida and Michigan. So if that has happened by June 3, then someone will be the nominee. If that hasn't, then the nomination fight continues,’ Howard Wolfson, Senator Clinton's communications director said.

‘“We are not oblivious to the environment in which we are operating. But this is very much like a tennis match,’ Clinton's chief strategist, Geoff Garin, told reporters at the breakfast. "Sometimes, even when people are down two sets to love and down a couple of games in the third set, they end up winning by the fifth set. So Senator Clinton goes on with the same energy and commitment.’

Cook follows up:

“Mr. Wolfson and Garin offered wavering superdelegates a two-pronged argument. At the top of the ballot, current state polling data show that Clinton would defeat Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, by 42 electoral votes, while the same polls show Obama losing to Senator McCain by 8 electoral votes, they said.

“The Clinton strategists also came armed with charts looking at 20 House districts where freshmen Democrats won but which also voted for George Bush in 2004. Clinton defeated Obama in 16 of those 20 districts. Their argument: Clinton would help vulnerable House members more than Obama. Asked about the breakdown of endorsements from those 16 freshmen, Wolfson said that five had so far backed her and four, Obama.”

According to Cook, Clinton officials also did not fail to mention the punditry’s treatment of Clinton:

‘“At several points in the session, the Clinton officials implied that the press had not been fair to their candidate. ‘As I kind of watch what is going on right now, I am reminded of the days when the media – television networks – were chastised for calling the election before the polls closed. I think we have a little of that going on now,’ Garin said.”