So Long, Cowboys

On September 29, 2008, Howard Fineman - writing for MSNBC - declared that "the Obama administration began at midnight Sunday."

Over that weekend, the deal had been struck for a $700 billion federal takeover of "the carcass of Wall Street." Noting that regardless of whom were to win the election, Fineman predicted that years of greed-fueled capitalism would no doubt be replaced by regulation and government intervention in the markets. He also pointed out that Obama "believes it is the role of government to help people and regulate the markets. ... He doesn't frankly, know much about economics or the profits - those were not his specialties in law or life."

In February 2012, the Christian Science Monitor reported: "Not since the Roaring '20s has the income gap between rich and poor been as wide as it is today in America."

Bickering and Bouncing

On September 8, 2008, David Remnick of The New Yorker wrote of the historic significance of the Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton Democratic Primary campaign: "No banality of cable news commentary - not even the mad bickering among the anchors on MSNBC - could eclipse the meaning and the emotion of their prolonged race, the Party's dramatic reconciliation, and Obama's fiercely eloquent acceptance speech."

In 2012, the Dem and GOP campaigns and party nominations are less historically significant, MSNBC had no bickering anchors (although Chris Matthews made some news), GOP presenters promoted themselves more than their candidate, and the media is abuzz with charges that President Obama's speech was "flat."

Post-convention poll numbers are already rolling in, and as of Friday, September 7, Gallup shows President Obama with a 4-point lead over Mitt Romney, 49% to 45%.