Repetition

Did you know the Baltimore Orioles have not won a series since June 26th - when they took two of three against Cincinnati?
Or that they haven't won a road series since mid-May?
If you read the Baltimore Sun, it seems every game story mentions that fact.
It's not rubbing it in. It's a filler fact, used by reporters covering breaking news.
Before you know what's going to happen - who wins the game, or the election - these filler facts are written. Writers may not have enough information to fill the needed slot at deadline, so the filler facts provide insurance that there won't be a gap at deadline.
And if the filler facts get deleted, they can always be used another day.
What are the filler facts facing President Obama as he runs for reelection in 2012?

• Rising unemployment
• Soaring debt
• Loss of House in 2010
• Hope and Change dissolving into partisan fights
• Disillusion among his supporters

Every Obama story can feature this information, or expound on one of the themes.
Every story for 16 months.
Like every George W. Bush story talked about the struggles he faced.
Like Bush's popularity dropped, Obama's will too.
Democrats can repeat their talking points on and on. But these filler facts will fill the minds of swing voters.
That's not a pleasant fact for the Obama team to be facing.