All Politics Is Local Politics

To me, this means that the most important eyes in the life of a politician - and therefore a political writer - are those of his or her electorate.

This means that everything a politician does, they must not first thing about what Glenn Beck or Keith Olbermann will say about them, though rest assured these voices are important (as they can manipulate the thought process of the voter) or what any media outlet says about them. At the end of the day, it matters most what the voter thinks of them. If they cannot endear themselves to the voter, they cannot get reelected, and therefore cannot do what they want in their political office.

Now, it's wrong to think that a negative story on CNN or local news won't change the voters mind. This is where the politician has to be mindful of their portrayal in media. The media can go far to destroy a politician's reputation, even if he or she is well liked by their voters. Anthony Weiner's recent scandal comes to mind here. The pressures of the media microscope can do wonders to destroy a person's good standing in the community, and thereby ruin them.