Coverage of Election Now Lacks Suspense

Cable news and network anchors are not saying point-blank that the election is over. Instead they are saying, "We're not saying it's over ..." with a "but" that speaks volumes. One week away from the election news anchors and commentators have the taut, self-conscious demeanor they don on election nights when the exit polls are in, but when they are duty-bound not to declare a winner. Sometimes, however, they can't quite stifle the blue-stained maps in their minds. It's not over, but terms like "highly favored," "touchdown favorite," "comfortable lead" and even "a near-insurmountable lead" are bouncing all over television these days. They fill many viewers, regardless of their party affiliation, with opposite but parallel forms of dread: inevitability, or the illusion of it, breeds complacency on one side, and defeatism on the other.