26 Things for Political Reporters to Remember, from ABC's "The Note"

By: E&P Staff From today's popular and influential ABC News online feature "The Note":

The twenty-five toughest things for every political reporter in America, now through Tuesday:

1. Figure out which sources to believe about state polling.

2. Figure out how to locate and evaluate last-minute TV and radio ads.

3. Simultaneously go to planning meetings, make reporting calls, make baggage call, and eat something besides cold sandwiches.

4. In-box maintenance.

5. Read any newspapers.

6. Fairly integrate elements of the news cycle into daily political coverage.

7. Determine "what would Tom Edsall do?" when trying to solve problems.

8. Study exit poll questionnaires -- since studying the polls is a useless endeavor.

9. Learn how to manage caffeine intake to avoid being weird, wired, and tired.

10. Remember that dry cleaning left over thirty days is no longer the responsibility of the establishment.

11. Set aside an hour a day (minimum) to review your Electoral College flashcards.

12. Keep in mind that no matter who wins, the Republic always survives.

13. Take good care to keep internal body temperature regulated on the Florida-to-Wisconsin express; it is nearly November after all.

14. Take a moment to review hotel reward program account balances and adjust reservations accordingly; remember to check cancellation/refund policies for any post-election day vacation plans that you may have made a month ago.

15. Don't try to judge the mood of campaign aides simply by the tone of their voices; they're as tired of you as you are of them.

16. Field constant calls from friends and relatives demanding to know who is going to win/can they get polls numbers early/can they get help figuring out where to vote.

17. Whether it is better to get an extra 20 minutes of sleep or do that 2 mile run.

18. Whether it is okay to eat a box of cookies when your energy is flagging after nineteen straight hours of reporting.

19. To determine what is real news and what is hysterical, gossipy October-surprise-wannabe dreck.
20. To differentiate between hearty confidence and determined desperation when talking to campaign staffers.

21. Don't stress about figuring out the West Virginia surprise of this race; you can't.

22. Forget the fact that you once wrote a story saying Security Moms are pivotal.

23. Forget the fact that you once wrote that John Edwards is a killer debater.

24. When the Red and Blue states mix up wildly, forget all the lame pieces you wrote about a divided nation.

25. When exit polls show the economy as important as terror, forget all the times you wrote that "9/11 changed everything."

Oh, one more:

Don't let yourself think for a minute, for better or worse, that nothing -- not the candidates, the TV ads, the ground game, even voters, really -- nothing matters more in determining the outcome of the presidential election than the major American media. You're just along for the ride, boys and girls.