Is Drudge on the Wane?

Ever since he broke the Lewinsky scandal, Matt Drudge, founder of the Drudge Report has been an essential player in the setting of the national political agenda. Last election, he pushed the Swift Boat Veterans meme into the mainstream press, but Drudge’s silence has been deafening in recent weeks as, despite his best efforts, he fails to hamper Obama as he did Kerry. Over at Media Matters, Eric Boehlert suggests that the economic crisis has “neutered” Drudge. “Because of the unprecedented economic turmoil, we’re now in serious times,” he writes. “And the Drudge Report doesn’t do serious.” Consequently, Drudge “has been a complete bystander in the closing weeks of the 2008 campaign,” reduced to cherry-picking polls (including one from Nickelodeon) that suggest a McCain comeback.