You are dead on right about kingmaker/breaker role.
But why would the media ‘make’ a king of someone who wants to fully control and subjugate them?
The pitifulness of the media makes ordinary Americans look on them with disgust.
The media needs to live up to its role in the equation.
The media have their own internal contradictions. That’s why they would make a king of someone who wants to control them. Because the person who wants to control them is liberal, and the media are liberal, they are okay with it.
The liberals are ok with control over people’s lives, as long as the ones doing the controlling are liberal.
They do not see it that way. They believe that they are the ones in control. They see establishing "kings" like Obama and Clinton as investments in their own agenda. They don't worry overmuch about losing control because they have power over the "kings" image and message. If he gets too far out of line, they believe that a few days of bad coverage is all it takes to make him dance to thier tune again.
IMHO they are unwise and presume much. At the end of the day the only thing protecting them from thier king is the little bit of parchment that the First Amendment is written on. They have elevated a man who cares nothing for that document, or any other. I think they are going to live to regret it. Part of me hopes that they do.