McCain the GOP and the press

By Ron Beasley

Joe Klien talks about McCain's deteriorating relationship with those he made him a "Maverick."

So what's going on here? Two things. McCain is just plain angry at us. By the evidence presented in the utterly revealing Time interview, he's ballistic. This is a politician who needs to see himself as the man on the white horse, boldly traversing a muddy field...any intimations that he's gotten muddied in the process, or has decided to throw mud, are intolerable.

The second thing is more insidious: Steve Schmidt has decided, for tactical reasons, to slime the press. He wants the public to believe that there is an unfair--sexist (you gotta love it)--personal assault going on against Palin and her family. This is a smokescreen, intended to divert attention from the very real and responsible vetting that is taking place in the media--about the substance of Palin's record as mayor and governor. Sure, there are a few outliers--and the tabloid press--who have fixed on baby stories. That was inevitable....the flip side of the personal stories that the McCain team thought would work to their advantage--Palin's moose-hunting and wolf-shooting, and her admirable decision to have a Down Syndrome baby. And yes, when we all fix on the same story, whether it's a hurricane or a little-known politician, a zoo ensues. But the media coverage of the Palin story has been well within the bounds of responsibility. Schmidt is trying to make it seem otherwise, a desperate tactic.

My friend Joe Gandelman had a post on the same subject this morning.  Now Joe points out that attacks on the press have worked before but will it work this time.

As someone who was in the news media for a while (TMV has several writers who also worked in it in the U.S. and in India) it is a fact that when a news source — particularly one who wants something from the news media (i.e. coverage that explains a certain viewpoint) — decides not to talk or to go on the offensive to turn the press into the issue editors will view that as meaning the source has things he/she wants to hide. That conclusion usually begets more scrutiny, and tougher questions. Not a pullback.

Towards the end of Joe's post he says this:

Many Americans hate reporters but the mainstream media still is the key information gate keeper: note how blogs (such as this) quote and link to it all the time.

Man cannot live on bread alone; candidates cannot thrive by Fox News alone.

Well guess what?  Not even FOX is on board.  I was just listening to FOX - yes I do so you don't have to - and Chris Wallace ripped Palin a new one on earmarks and the bridge to no where.  He gave her entire earmark history and said that if she mentions earmarks tonight the media should be all over her.

Update

Too much even for the AP

Huh? The Republican message about the Palin offspring comes across as contradictory: Hey, media, leave those kids alone — so we can use them as we see fit.

If you doubt this scenario, consider this: On Wednesday morning, a teenage boy from Alaska stood in a receiving line on an airport tarmac, being glad-handed by the potential next president of the United States — because he got his girlfriend pregnant. TV cameras were lined up in advance. The mind boggles.

Comments

[Steve Hynd]

Hi Ron,

I posted about Joe Klein's comments over at C&L. Boy, those commenters bear grudges for a long time :-)

But...this was one comment made me laugh aloud.

"Obama punked McCain by announcing he will chat with Bill O’Really a couple hours before McCain’s acceptance speech. You see, unlike John “War Hero” McCain, Obama isn’t afraid to talk with hostile leaders."

Regards, C