It seems to us that Althouse is on to something in suggesting that part of the reason Obama conducts himself in such an unseemly way is that the mainstream media are largely Democratic partisans, inclined to give their man a pass. True, there are plenty of alternative media voices now, but it’s relatively easy for a leftist president to dismiss them and continue to enjoy the adulation of the so-called mainstreamers, who have also been suggesting lately that Obama is a shoo-in for re-election because he is so likable.

The McLaughlin findings point to the risk that that isn’t the case. Obama could end up losing because sycophantic media encouraged him to act in such an unseemly way.

There’s a parallel in the way the media have strained to play down bad economic news. A couple of hilarious examples come from NPR’s website today: A homepage title asked: “Is Slow Growth Actually Good for the Economy?” (The actual story, which has a less risible title, pretty much answers in the negative.) And an NPR “Special Series” is titled “Looking Up: Pockets of Economic Strength.”