McCain will draw media scrutiny — someday

May 13, 2008

At this point, reporters really are building up expectations for the media firestorm that John McCain will face. Eventually.

During a Washington Post online discussion today, a questioner wondered why Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is running close to Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in polling despite “discontent” with the direction of the country and President Bush “at an all time high.” Post reporter Dan Balz cited McCain’s “maverick identity,” and — echoing one of his colleague’s sentiments — added that press scrutiny of McCain will come in time:

“It’s been said repeatedly that McCain may be the only Republican who could win the White House, given the public’s disaffection with the president and the GOP. Both he and the Democratic nominee will get renewed scrutiny once the general election really begins.”

We’ve been hearing this quite a bit lately, haven’t we? The Washington Post’s Shailagh Murray seemed to concede a couple of weeks ago that that McCain has largely been getting a free ride, but concluded, “This is driving Democrats crazy right now, but just wait. Once the primary battle is over, Sen. McCain will get his fair share of scrutiny.”

Tim Russert, meanwhile, has also said McCain is skating now, but this favorable treatment won’t go on forever.

In a New York Times/CBS News poll released earlier this week, 28% of Americans said that the media have been “easier” on Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) compared to just 12% and 22% who believe they have been “easier” on Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL), respectively. A new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism shows that McCain has received significantly less media coverage than the Democratic candidates.

During MSNBC’s primary coverage last night, Hardball host Chris Matthews described the “way the media works,” saying that the media “block the sun” and “completely ignore John McCain’s problems” while the Democratic primary campaign continues. Matthews’s colleague, Tim Russert, defended the media’s performance, saying that it is a “long campaign” and the media will get to McCain’s problems “in time.”

Russert told Imus that McCain has been given a “grace period” to get his campaign together.

I continue to find all of this rather odd. Reporters will scrutinize Republican candidates once the primary campaign begins in earnest. Scratch that, once there’s a GOP frontrunner. Or maybe once there’s a GOP nominee. Or perhaps after there’s a Democratic nominee. Definitely once McCain is inaugurated.

I realize that the Clinton-Obama race has plenty of drama and personality, but major news outlets have plenty of reporters covering McCain every day. This is the point at which candidates are defined with impressions that will remain with voters for the rest of the year. Why not start scrutinizing him now? Isn’t that what this period is for?

Instead, we’re told, voters should “just wait.” Once the Dems have a nominee, reporters will start to scrutinize McCain — as if the Democratic nomination fight has some relevance to the media’s ability to question McCain’s mistakes, gaffes, and woefully ridiculous policy proposals.

It’s one of the more frustrating side losses of the prolonged Democratic fight — the media allows the Clinton-Obama confrontation to suck up all the oxygen, leaving McCain to screw up with impunity.

Though, I have a sinking suspicion that once the Democratic race officially, news outlets will find some other excuse to give McCain a pass.

The final Friedman will begin six months from now.

  • I have a sinking suspicion that once the Democratic race officially, news outlets will find some other excuse to give McCain a pass.

    McCain had better hope so, because I don’t think there are enough arugula dinners and “bitter” gaffes to offset the avalanche of flip-flops, lobbyist connections, and moments of confusion that are just teetering at the top of that mountain.

  • It’s one of the more frustrating side losses of the prolonged Democratic fight — the media allows the Clinton-Obama confrontation to suck up all the oxygen, leaving McCain to screw up with impunity.

    Now, CB 🙂

    I seem to recall you hypothesizing several months ago (I know you changed your mind as the race got longer) that a long Democratic primary season actually was a good thing precisely because the Dems drew all of the oxygen, meaning McCain got no play.

    I am not trying to cover for the media; I think they do a singularly awful job re McCain, and it has nothing to do with timing – they have some weird, co-dependent relationship with him in total violation of any concept of journalistic ethics. But our side does have to be careful of looking like we want it both ways: we thought it might be cool to have a lock on the press for 6 months, but it turns out we only felt that way if it unambiguously helped us.

    My personal guess as to why there is no scrutiny on McCain now (and the bonus of my theory is it holds out some hope there will be some later) is that reporters egos and promotions live and die by by-lines and readership. As a result, the main political reporters don’t want to “waste” their efforts while the Dems still get all of the oxygen, filing their best McCain stories only to post a by-lined story that gets 12 hits (or, for the Luddites, moves 12 copies of Time).

    Sadly, it may be that what they are saving are “isn’t this old maverick of a POW amazing?” stories. I’m not entirely optimistic.

  • Once the Dems have a nominee, reporters will start to scrutinize McCain — as if the Democratic nomination fight has some relevance to the media’s ability to question McCain’s mistakes, gaffes, and woefully ridiculous policy proposals.

    I think once the Democratic primary is over we will be treated to a whole slew of media crapola about the horse race. If you want the media to ask questions about issues, you need to move to another country. This is America, and we like horserace data, and polls, and talking heads, not information that we would need to think about.

  • I forgot to add that we like our horse races close, dammit. No blowouts. If anyone gets way ahead, the other one needs to be helped until it’s close again. McLame will be given as many passes as it takes to make this interesting, because otherwise what will the bobbleheads talk about and how will they ever sell enough ads?

  • Sadly, it may be that what they are saving are “isn’t this old maverick of a POW amazing?” stories. I’m not entirely optimistic.

    Those stories sit on hard drives already written.

    It’s now easier to change the government than to change The Master Narrative.

    They’ll carry St. John Maverick™ over the finish line if it kills them. Whatever it costs, it’s still cheaper and less effort than changing the narrative.

    “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” Max Planck

  • Obama needs 33 delegates to win the pledged delegate count.

    Ohioan’s Projected Pledged Delegate Split:
    (Primary State, Obama-Clinton)
    West Virginia 10-18
    Oregon 28-24
    Kentucky 20-31

    He will cross the 33-to-go mark on 5/20 in Oregon, and will announce himself as the Democratic voters’ nominee.

    Will THAT help the media end the “McCain Grace Period”???

  • Actually, I like the idea that he’s getting a free ride now. Beating him to a lifeless pulp today still gives those filthy little GOPer gremlins a last-ditch chance to throw McPhony under the bus and find a replacement.

    Once September rolls around, they’re stuck to him like barnacles to the bottom of a sunken ship

    Let the vermin all drown….

  • Saturday Night Live are you listening, “McCain has gotten a totally free ride from the press thus far, even Russert and Matthews agree”.

    It took a nano-second for the press to go bananas after the “Obama Darling” skit ? I know that had a lot for to do with Tina Fey’s appearance and love of HRC, but come on guys, they just don’t listen to blogs.

  • “Will THAT help the media end the “McCain Grace Period”???”

    No.

    We will need a post-mortem for the Hillary campaign, endless interviews with women who won’t vote for Obama, hicks who won’t vote for Obama, college professors who won’t vote for Obama….

    Get it?

    The Republican-owned Corporate Media will skate on McBush and will smear Obama every way that it can. That’s my prediction.

  • “I have personally scrutinized McCain’s bearings, and I’m telling you there’s nothing there.” JL

    Hmmm, I recollect the old days in baseball, when Dizzy Dean, the great Cardinal pitcher, got hit in the head with a line drive. The following headline confirmed a lot of people’s views of Ol’ Diz: “X-rays of Dean’s Head Show Nothing.” Lieberman seems to have found the same thing about McCain.

  • There is still a very strong candidate that the MSM is still ignoring, even though his popularity is growing daily. Ron Paul. Check out what the New York Times is saying, not to mention that his book The Revolution, a Manifesto is number 1 on Amazon and the NYTimes Best seller list

    Check this out if you are sick of McCainhttp://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/no-chance-no-problem-says-paul/#comment-991211

    Also, http://www.whotheworldwouldelect.com

  • wow, i am impressed. there are still Paulbots about.
    guess i can get more use out of this handle I created for the MI/FL issue.

  • To brush one thing out of the way, Paul is a conservative, anti-abortion, anti-gay rights candidate whose ideas, if put into practice, would give corporations such free reign (since government regulation would be scrapped) that we’d think Bush was FDR in comparison. He’s also made incredibly racist comments — which he claims were included in his self-named newsletter when he wasn’t paying attention. He’s ferociously anti-immigrant (check out Lew rockwell’s site to get an idea of the tenor of them, since Rockwell was his Chief of Staff and by most reports made the comments Paul is trying to disavow).

    He also has the support of the CofCC (the successor to the White Citizens Councils from the Civil Rights era) and every main neo-Nazi group around. (Some of whom show up at his rallies in full regalia.)

    As I said in another thread, the only reason he got the bump of support was because of his anti-war stand and that was only because it looked like the Democrats were going to nominate Hillary.

  • Once the Dem primaries are over, Obama will get more scrutiny. McCain will get more press coverage. Not the same thing at all.

  • It’s funny how two people who agree on so many things can read the same quotes and react so differently. I read the same quotes and went “WOW! They’re finally getting it.” (I almost broke out the miniature bottle of Bushmills that I’ve been saving for my birthday.)

    They aren’t saying “McCain’s problems? What problems? He’s St. John.” They are saying that McCain has many important problems that they will get to when the time is right.

    It hasn’t been, up till now. The irony is that while McCain was winning the nomination, he’s never been the big story even among Republicans. The stories there were the collapse of Giuliani, the unexpected rise of Huckabee, Romney’s Mormonism, and the Paul bubble. And the big story overall was “Who is Obama?” and then Hillary turning herself into a national joke.

    And we should be rejoicing that this has been so, that the McCain story hasn’t been the headline yet. “Yesterday’s news” gets stale fast. Nobody is going to care anymore about Wright by the election, because we’ve ‘been there, done that.’

    Does anyone realize how exceptional it is that politics is the Big Story in May? Most years the nominations are settled by March, and the media doesn’t focus on politics again until the conventions — or if they are as snooze-inducing as they have been recently, until after Labor Day. This year we will be seeing politics covered straight through.

    So the later they focus on McCain, the better. And they haven’t been ignoring him, or giving him a free ride so far. Please remember, newspapers aren’t op-ed pages, tv news is not commentators. Every day, Steve, you find new anti-McCain stories, not (mostly) in the blogs, but in the news sections of the newspapers.

    So when a (supposed) ‘media whore’ like Russert or Matthews states that there are plenty of McCain stories to come out, when he does get hammered — lightly — on Hagee, when the Burma lobbyist story comes out, etc., etc, don’t panic. They’ll be out there, and closer to the election, when they won’t be forgotten the way the supposed Rezko connection already has been.

  • B aaaaaaa….. all I can say is that reading this blog is like reading the sequel to Animal Farm. So many of you in here are sheeple. You do and say what the MSM soundbites spew at you. Get your derrieres off the couch, put down the remote, and stop being brainwashed. All three major candidates are owned by major companies, and special interests. There will be NO change other than physical appearance on the boob tube screen.

    A lot of you profess that you are educated. I have a challenge for you. Choose your one major issue, whether it be the ECONOMY , the war, illegal immigration, whatever and go to RonPaul2008.com and see where he stands. I dare you. Then, go buy his book that is number one on the NYTimes best seller list The Revolution, A Manifesto, read it, then compare his intelligence, credibility and honesty to the others. You may realize that you are paddling the wrong boat with no oars.

    There is only ONE conservative in the race. Ron Paul. He is also the ONLY ONE who has been voting the same for 10 terms in office. No flip flops, no propoganda. Just truth and adherence to the Constitution of the USA.

  • Jim Benton:You said on another blog that Ron Paul supports gay rights and is anti abortion. You said several other things that show your lack of education. He is a constitutionalist who does not support gays or abortions, but under the constitution of the USA, he believes that INDIVIDUALS have the right to make their own choices. There is a huge difference. He is also brilliant in Austrian economics and has predicted precisely the downfall of the USA economy for the last 6 years. None of the other three candidates, especially McCain have the knowledge to help return the USA to sound money. You really need to educate yourself a little better in regards to Dr. Paul. I realize some people dont choose to do this because they are afraid they will be catagorized as you so eloquently put it….a Paulbot, but by calling us names, you show more of your ignorance, which is sad and diminishes any point you are trying to make. Have you read The Revolution, A Manifesto? It is number one on the NYTimes best seller list. I dare you. Then come back and try to belittle Dr Paul.

  • hey – Angie. hate to break it to you, but you’re a few months late. feels like a time warp, or like you somehow didn’t get the message that Ron Paul BlogSwarms after March were cancelled.

    yes, yes, in general you’re late because Paul himself has focused on going back to the House, but what I really meant was that this Board is a little ahead of you. We had these discussions – and scintillating length and detail – with our own non-drive-by commenter and resident Paul supporter JKap. Unfortunately for you, folks here aren’t so fond of repeating entire debates just to show their knowledge. But believe me, everyone here is well aware of Paul, his positions, and that impractical if charming gold standard idea.

    been there, argued that, and all (except JKap) decided against Paul.
    run along now, quick! – you’ve got a movement to catch up with that last left here about 2 months ago. Good luck finding them! Write if you find work.

  • Wow, how utterly rude you are! I am laughing! Pompous and Holier Than Thou. You should be very proud oif yourself. I, My friend (as McCain says) will have the last laugh. Having read and listened and studied, I have prepared my family for the inevitable turn of events thats coming. If McCain, clinton or Obama become president, there will be a full blown recession and food shortages. I hope you have put down your remote long enough to plant food for your family, and found work closer to home since gas will be over 5.00 a gallon after the next election. Perhaps you have had these debates, but the issues are still current and I have become self-sufficient and educated. Will Ron Paul be president? Most l;ikely not, but his message is timeless., and you should run along now and read his new book! It’s number one on the NYTimes best seller list. This isn’t two month old news. It’s right now.

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