The media bemoans, but Kerry cashes in

The Burnt Orange Report posts some interesting Kerry numbers which underscore the validity of Jon Stewart's "product launch" characterization of the Boston convention. According to the BOR, Kerry's speech had about a half-million bucks worth of polling and focus grouping in it, and Kerry's press release seems to indicate it was worth it: they topped $5.6 million in online donations on the day of Kerry's acceptance speech alone. His two-day total for Wednesday and Thursday? $8.9 million.

In the battle for the final verdict on last week's conventioneering, the major media's pessimism about the scripted nature of the convention can't outshine the cash. The truth is, the Democrats got the coverage, the money, and 5,000 web hits per second during Kerry's speech. The media got to opine at length about the pageantry and yearn for yesteryear, when conventions meant something more. Maybe it's a tie.