From the front lines on the War on McCain

[whometense]

Some good stuff here: http://mediamatters.org/items/200602110001#3

Media ♥ McCain

Has any political figure ever been the beneficiary of the kind of relentlessly positive, often-sycophantic media coverage Republican Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has enjoyed for as long as we can remember?

McCain's favorable treatment is particularly glaring whenever ethics and government reform come up. While other politicians face regular media second-guessing and cynicism about their motives and consistency, McCain is presented as a paragon of virtue, tirelessly and selflessly toiling away to make America a better place...

...But McCain's uniformly positive press extends beyond mere questions of policy. Media figures like MSNBC's Chris Matthews genuinely appear to swoon whenever he walks in the room; news organizations make editorial decisions that amount to an in-kind contribution to his prospective 2008 presidential campaign.

During a McCain interview with Matt Lauer, NBC plastered McCain's 2000 presidential campaign slogan across the screen, declaring: "Straight Talk from John McCain." Try to imagine an NBC interview with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) that included an onscreen graphic blaring "John Kerry: A Stronger America." Yet when it comes to McCain, this sort of media treatment -- which would be inconceivable in the case of nearly any other candidate, Democrat or Republican -- is the norm...

[whometense]

1. More

from Eric Alterman, witrh whom I disagree a whole lot lately. He's way too cozy with the Clintonians for my taste, to start. But I agree with this. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11327173/#060213

The Real McCain

If you read Joe Lelyveld’s 8400 word profile of Chuck Hagel, here, you’ll see that Hagel is everything John MCain pretends to be—and what his suck-up fan club in the press corps build him up to be. Hagel does what he thinks is right and accepts the consequences. He does not do what he knows is wrong and then apologize afterwards to show what a regular guy he is. He does not brown-nose the people who cut him off at the knees and he does not attack honest legislators like Barack Obama to curry favor with the racist and/or regressive elements of his party. If only he had had the nerve to vote against the war which he now, at least, has the courage to oppose.

Now look at McCain, here. It’s pathetic that this is the media’s idea of a heroically plain-spoken politician. As Media Matters points out, McCain couldn’t get better press from the insider media if he had pictures of all of them having sex with, well, matters of taste preclude from finishing that sentence. They ask, “Has any political figure ever been the beneficiary of the kind of relentlessly positive, often-sycophantic media coverage Republican Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has enjoyed for as long as we can remember?”

[TayTay]

2. I agree Whome

May I even hope that at least some of the media is going to notice that they tend to bend over and kiss McCain's butt everytime he goes on air? (I hope so.)

Nice catch.

[karynnj]

3. Yet, even with this he imploded in 2000 after Bush & co

did their first smearing effort. Kerry, with the media largely against him, proudly kept his head high and pervailed. That's why the, he didn't fight back meme fails.

Why do you think McCain resonates so well with all the media people. I don't think it's the hero stuff because he is a very flawed hero - whose status as a hero is solely based on the time he was a POW. He had an early chance to get out and didn't - which is amazing, but that is one unique moment of preferring honor to comfort. Kerry was a hero because he did things better than others courageously. Could that threaten the largely male press core more. (Given age/background. most of the now senior press core were likely anti-war, so I doubt it was the protests.)

[TayTay]

4. Just wait. McCain's temper will be his undoing.

Can't you just see it happening. There will be something that will happen that will trigger a full blown McCain tantrum and there will be no one around to run interference for him. The media will then begin to cover him much more critically and he will start to lose some of his sheen. His age will come up as a factor and his temperamental nature which just might make him unappetizing.

I can see this happening. The media giveth, but the media also taketh away.

[whometense]

6. You may be right -

but can I pleeeaaassseee help????? Please?

That little interaction with Obama last week was an eyeopener. Obama really got the better of McCain in that one (at least until he f***ing apologized, that is :grr:)

And that was a very unflattering view of McCain with his temper exposed. I thought Obama made him look like a lunatic.

The bigger question to me is the media free ride. What will it take to get the media to see McCain as he is in real life? I can barely imagine the circumstances.

[whometense]

5. That's a great question.

I'm not sure I have a working theory about this yet.

A large part of their worship of him seems to me to be more about laziness than anything else. At some point in the past (and I haven't followed him closely enough to know all the history as to when it started. Maybe Tay knows.) he picked up the "Straight Talker" label in the press-approved storyline, and now no matter what actions he takes they have never revisited it.

Just as in Matthews-speak Bush is a "Popular President," McCain is a "Straight Talker," and I won't even bother to repeat Kerry's label here; we all know it all too well. (except for when Matthews is face-to-face with Kerry, interviewing him. :eyes:)

I'm on a mission to try to help kill McCain's label in my own little way. I see him and Allen as the most dangerous of the repugs, and any little thing we can do to help trip them up is all to the good of the country.

[wisteria]

7. I don't think it will take much to get the real McCain to surface and

for people to take notice. I bought into his routine until I actually listened to him and realized he is nothing other than a schemer and a media savvy self-serving politician. He picks and chooses what he wants to take on and them makes sure everyone knows about it. He toots his own horn and has somehow gotten the media to chime in.
IMO, he would actually be a bad President, he is in it for himself and not for the reasons he should be.
I have come to loath him even more because I have found him out and feel like I was taken advantage of.

[ProSense]

8. McCain,

the biggest fraud since....

[whometense]

9. A beautiful McCain takedown

by the Rude Pundit here: http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2006/02/re-niggering-of-barack-obama-watching.html

MUCH too rude to even quote here, but a must read.

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. OMG

:rofl:

[ProSense]

11. Thanks. Nothing wrong with a taste

Obama's reaction letter to McCain's spittle-ridden bit of enragement...is so classy....

Rude is one of my favorites.

[ProSense]

12. Dupe. n/t