This week represented a fabulous example of this assertion as media member after media member gushed over Barack Obama's performance in Philadelphia on Tuesday while a majority of citizens in a recent poll said that they were less likely to vote for the junior senator from Illinois as result of this speech.
As announced Thursday by Southern Political Report (emphasis added, h/t Protein Wisdom):
Barack Obama’s speech about race on Tuesday impressed many who witnessed it or read it. But most of America did neither, and many of them -- white and black -- were less persuaded of the speech’s capacity to heal racial wounds, or to put the issue of race behind Obama as he continues his quest for the White House.
That’s according to a new poll by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion. [...]
Of those who knew about the controversy and the speech, we asked, “Taking all this into account, are you more or less likely to support Obama for president?”
Less likely (52%)
More likely (19%)
About the same (27%)
No opinion (2%) [...]
[T]he poll displays no numbers flattering to Obama. Most startling is that blacks by 56% to 31% said the speech made them less likely to vote for him. [...]
Democrats disapproved 48% to 28%, which looks sobering for Obama on first glance, but might portend otherwise. [...]
The disturbing numbers for Obama are the independent voters. By 56% to 13%, they said they’re less likely to vote for him because of the speech.
This finding might explain media's errancy:
And Democratic whites were more sympathetic with the speech’s message than black ones.
As most press members are "Democratic whites," this explains a lot, doesn't it?
