George McGovern, the anti-war stalwart from South Dakota who suffered a historic defeat at the hands of Richard M. Nixon, said the following in his speech accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 1972:

Thus far this debate season, more important than any line uttered by the candidates or any folly committed by the moderator has been how political media chose to frame the ultimate outcome.

This is a guest post by Michael Tracey. He is a journalist in Brooklyn, New York. *** You may have heard that Mitt Romney “won” the first presidential debate last week. This unmitigated truth was proclaimed far and wide by journalists, pundits, PR strategists, and the rest of the characters who comprise America’s Chattering Class. [...]