Cognitive Illusions And The Press

National Review's Rich Lowry makes two solid points I have a hard time arguing with:

Grading Problems I: In his excellent First Read for NBC, Chuck Todd asks today, "Why does McCain score better among those of us in the media than he did in either of two focus groups we know about?" (Both that he referred to showed Rudy winning.) Clearly, because the media does agree with McCain on immigration and because it doesn't have the long-standing animosity toward McCain that a lot of Republicans do—that's the prism through which a lot of conservatives are going to view McCain.

Grading Problem II—This one is my problem. I take it for granted Romney is going to be polished and make a good impression, so I may discount it and judge him in a more niggling way. But most voters won't do this. This is probably why Frank Luntz's focus group thought Romney won. (Incidentally, they thought McCain lost.)