Interesting headline on a Smart Politics story with a local twist:
Head of the Class: The Most Buzzworthy House Freshmen of the 112th Congress
The article by Eric Ostermeier tells of an analysis of media appearances/mentions on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and NPR.
Joe Walsh is filmed on the balcony of his Fox Lake office for an ABC feature.
The top four are
- Allen West
- Joe Walsh
- Tim Scott
- Sean Duffy
The reporter points out that the top three who have become “media darlings (or fodder)” have gotten over one-third of the coverage given to the whole freshman class.
148 for Walsh. 12% of the total for first-termers.
West had 17.9%. (He and Scott are the only two black Republican congressmen.)
30% for the two of them.
Potential Walsh primary opponent Randy Hultgren appeared on five broadcasts.
The next highest publicized Illinois freshman congressman was Adam Kinzinger. He appeared 22 times. Bobby Shilling scored 11 broadcasts. Robert Dold had four.
The media loves a freak show.