ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:

According to NPR, "Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee succeeded in large measure because they mastered the media game. Each in his own way charmed the public through the news and entertainment media."

Follow this link to the original source: "Obama, Huckabee Have Media Mastery in Common"

COMMENTARY:

Why did Huckabee and Obama win in Iowa?

According to NPR, they have something in common. They are both media favorites.

On January 4, NPR reporter David Folkenflik said: "No one loves an underdog more than the press. For very different reasons, it's given a one-term senator and a folksy weight-dropping former governor an awfully gentle ride."

"Until around November, Huckabee made little impact on the media radar," said Folkenflik. "But he gravitated to just about every microphone that would have him."

And his keen sense of humor made him a welcome guest. About foreign affairs, Huckabee said: "You know, I may not be the expert of some people on foreign policy, but I did stay in the Holiday Inn Express last night."

How can we take this candidate seriously when he makes comments like that?

Before Iowa, he scored big with two craftily handled media events.

One, a commercial, had him giving a Christmas greeting. Very sincere, it was covered heavily by the news media and on YouTube because it was so different than the usual political messages we are getting this political season.

The second event was much more subtle, but equally effective. With Huckabee's rise in the polls prior to the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney struck back with commercials that were meant to set straight the Huckabee record. Huckabee, in turn, developed an anti-Romney commercial.

However, rather than put the attack commercial on the air, Huckabee called a press conference, showed it to the media, and said he decided he wouldn't stoop to such lowness. He got his message out and the commercial aired without paying a cent. And the media gave him a pass on his hypocrisy.

So, what are we to conclude? The media have a major role in making or breaking candidates. And Mike Huckabee is a natural player — as is Barack Obama. Both owe their success to the media. And the media can just as easily end their political careers.