McCain: "I'm very pleased with the relationship that I've had with the media over many years"
On the April 16 edition of MSNBC Live, Andrea Mitchell asked Sen. John McCain, "What question would you like to see asked" of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at that night's Democratic presidential debate. McCain replied: "I'll leave that up to the media. And, frankly, I'm very pleased with the relationship that I've had with the media over many years."
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On the April 16 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent and host Andrea Mitchell told Sen. John McCain, "[T]onight, there's a big Democratic debate," and asked McCain, "What question would you like to see asked" of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. In response, McCain stated: "I'll leave that up to the media. And, frankly, I'm very pleased with the relationship that I've had with the media over many years. And of course we've had differences, and I haven't liked every story. But I think the media plays a key and vital role. And I'll let them ask those questions. We'll have plenty of time when one of them becomes the candidate of the Democrat Party -- Democratic Party."
In an April 15 "Washington Sketch" column, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank reported that at the Associated Press Annual Meeting and Luncheon, "McCain got a standing ovation -- an honor Obama did not receive when his turn came two hours later." From Milbank's column:
McCain's moderators, the AP's Ron Fournier and Liz Sidoti, greeted McCain with a box of Dunkin' Donuts. "We spend quite a bit of time with you on the back of the Straight Talk Express asking you questions, and what we've decided to do today was invite everyone else along on the ride," Sidoti explained. "We even brought you your favorite treat."
McCain opened the offering. "Oh, yes, with sprinkles!" he said.
Sidoti passed him a cup. "A little coffee with a little cream and a little sugar," she said.
[...]
McCain was indeed in high spirits as he entered the ballroom and invited the editors' "questions, comments or insults." Reading from a teleprompter, McCain said he was among friends. "I made a decision to be as accessible to the press as the press would prefer me to be, and perhaps even more than they would prefer."
As Media Matters for America noted, on the September 10, 2006, edition of The Chris Matthews Show, host Chris Matthews asserted: "The press loves McCain. We're his base."
From the 1 p.m. ET hour of MSNBC Live on April 16:
MITCHELL: Senator, tonight, there's a big Democratic debate and I know, you know, you've had some differences with the way the press has covered things over the years. Put yourself in the role of questioner. What question would you like to see asked of Hillary Clinton? What question would you ask Barack Obama?
McCAIN: I'll leave that up to the media. And, frankly, I'm very pleased with the relationship that I've had with the media over many years. And of course we've had differences, and I haven't liked every story. But I think the media plays a key and vital role. And I'll let them ask those questions. We'll have plenty of time when one of them becomes the candidate of the Democrat Party -- Democratic Party.
Will SNL do a skit about this?
I doubt it.
WITH? I thought it wasn't in the mission statement to correct, or even critique what politicians say about anything, but rather the way the media covers it?
That inconvenient "about us" page, whoever thought that up?
No but he was on MSNBC, which I'm guessing qualifies
Ah yes.
I forgot the ol' MSM mantra: "Clinton did it."
WITH? Easy to figure out. With 12 articles on McCain in the last two days you can see that Brock is taking is new duty seriously...chairman of Prgressive Media USA.
From the Politico:
-- Wealthy Democrats are preparing a four-month, $40 million media campaign centered on attacks on Sen. John McCain. And it will be led by David Brock... The planned campaign is the product of a shakeup in the top ranks of the struggling independent Democratic groups...to be the main vehicle for independent Democratic attacks on McCain, now called Progressive Media USA...
after a dinner Tuesday night at the Manhattan apartment of liberal megadonor George Soros, at which Brock and consultant Paul Begala laid out the group's plans...
Yes, and how the moniker "Mcsame" focused group so darn well.
Lest we forget those nasty swiftboaters back in 2004. Boys, meet your match.
Hi Tommy,
I hope, unlike the Swift Boats, their campaign sticks to the truth. If they don't, I'm outta here :).
Fried,
I am skeptical of any political advocacy group that sets out as a negative in the first place.......a group that focus tests names like "Mcsame" for affect.
It isn't about the truth or setting the record straight with integrity and honesty, it's about smears, innuendoes, and slime and slur and twist the truth to avoid the candidate you don't like from getting elected, at pretty much any cost.
It doesn't sit too well with my stomach, from anyone, toward anyone.
Tell me about your candidate and how good he or she is......and leave the crap out. If you can't, I am not impressed.
Tommy,
I completely agree, I wish we could make that happen!
It isn't about the truth or setting the record straight with integrity and honesty, it's about smears, innuendoes, and slime and slur and twist the truth to avoid the candidate you don't like from getting elected, at pretty much any cost.
So... it's about politics then? ;)
WITH? Easy to figure out. With 12 articles on McCain in the last two days you can see that Brock is taking is new duty seriously...chairman of Prgressive Media USA.
Geez, I hope Brock doesn't use this site to do his dirty work, McCain is boring...endless McCain threads are boring. What we don't need is 500 threads between now & the election about how someone else in the media called McCain a Maverick. Yawn.
Come on Brock, there must be other Cons out there up to no good ;-)
Ha! Good one Rick!
Hi Wesley,
I remember we talked about the GI Bill on a previous thread, I thought I would share my latest find on the issue and offer it up to you for your perusal:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4652517&page=1
Two responses:
1. McCain: "I'm very pleased with the relationship that I've had with the media over many years."
That will change in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...
2. Obama must be very pleased, also. Has any candidate ever gotten a bigger pass, more adulation, more cheerleading than Barack Obama has? No way.
Has any candidate ever gotten a bigger pass, more adulation, more cheerleading than Barack Obama has?
You must be joking. Please, do inform us all which channels and shows you've been watching. Is it cold on your planet? What's the gravity like?
(To answer your question: Yes. And that candidate's name is John McCain. Perhaps Obama should invite the press corps to a barbecue at his house...)
The only time, and the only way, the press really loves John McCain is when he has stood up to and bucked his own party. The press loved the ole' maverick then, whatta guy, you go Johnny!
Wait until the fall when he embraces his party, he'll be mainstream media toast.
berg,
The American Conservative Union would disagree. Their ratings have shown that McCain has become steadily less conservative since 1990...I'll repost his conservative rating from the ACU...
1990 - 94 = 87
1995 - 99 = 82
2000 - 04 = 75
2005 - 06 = 73
His 2006 rating was 65...which ranked 46 republican senators more conservative than McCain. We can agree on his change...and it has been less and less supportive of conservative values.
The ACU rating for McCain in 06 was 88 his lifetime rating is 83 which puts him close to Bill Frist
http://www.conservative.org/archive2/2008potus.asp
Perhaps or perhaps the GOP has been leaving the traditional conservative values as they embrace the radical statism of the Bush type Republicans and McCain hasnt. The man is my Senator and he is a conservative
You're still wrong...read your own link to the ACU...McCain's ratings:
2005 - 80
2006 - 65
Hi Wesley,
Interesting ratings. Did you see my link about McCain not supporting the new GI Bill?
Anyway, on the main policy questions for me, McCain has become more supportive of Bush/conservatives:
1) The Iraq War, maybe the war isn't conservative, but he has been in lockstep with the Republicans here.
2) Taxes-his flip on this as well as his rationales for his flips have certainly toed the conservative line.
3) Gay Marriage/Religious Right/Abortion-complete flip-flop to the extreme right. Spoke at Liberty and Bob Jones recently.
4) Immigration-the way he voted is not, supposedly, the way he feels.
5) Campaign Finance reform-sponsored a measure that he is trying to get out from under.
6) Interrogation techniques-spoken out against waterboarding, voted for a measure allowing what Bush wanted.
7) He seems to be in favor of privatizing social security now as well.
8) Ethics reform-he supported accountability in fund raising then changed his mind on it. (Meet the Press clip): http://mccain.bravenewfilms.org/blog/576-john-mccain-flip-flops-on-ethics-reform
9) I do agree with him on climate change, but that's about it. The above are in no particular order of my priorities, but show where I really disagree with McCain
These are the issues that McCain has changed to the right that are important to me. The ACU rating doesn't mean much
Wesley,
Do those ratings correct for the changes in position that McCain has demonstrated over the past year and a half? His rhetoric and his voting record have been two different things lately (i.e. immigration, taxes, etc.).
Deeznuts, let me answer your question this way:
1. Which candidate was incessantly called a "rock star" even long before he announced his candidacy? (Here's one from the Los Angeles Times in 2005: link )
2. About which candidate did Chris Matthews say he got "a thrill up his leg" after hearing his speech?
3. Which candidate have MSM folks compared to Abraham Lincoln? (here and here)
4. About which candidate was an NBC reporter so enthralled he said, "It's hard to stay objective about this guy"? (link w/ video)
The answer to all of them, of course, is Barack Obama. The list could go on and on ... (example)
As far as bias goes, it's not even close. The MSM is absolutely head-over-heels in love with Barack Obama!
They may be "in love" with Obama, but they're sleeping with McCain.
They love Obama, because they hate Hillary Clinton, and the made-for-Hollywood narrative of a young, charismatic, biracial "Washington outsider" coming along and toppling her is too juicy to pass up.
And in any case their love for Obama didn't stop them from circulating smears about his attending a madrassa (completely false, as this site has pointed out).
Nor did it stop them from praising Obama's famed speech on race in one breath, then in the next re-running clips of Rev. Wright's inflammatory sermon over and over again. I mean, you'd think if the media felt that Obama's speech had adequately addressed the issue, they'd stop playing the clip and regard the issue as settled. But apparently not--all they care about is titillation.
Once Obama is nominated, the knives will come out. Already of McCain's people have started to put together Youtube clips attacking Obama, including footage of Wright. As with Kerry and the SBVT, we'll suddenly see groups of "concerned citizens" running smear ads on TV, resorting to the filthiest kind of race-baiting.
And the media will smile and give "equal time" to lies and truth, while praising McCain as a nonpartisan "maverick".
Nothing has changed.
How about this one, Shoes? Whose voting record is more skewed towards "mainstream" by the media?
"The likely Republican presidential nominee is much more conservative than voters appear to realize."
"People see him as a centrist. They don't see him as a conservative," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press."
"In fact, they put him pretty close to themselves, in terms of ideology, and put President Bush way to the right of themselves," Kohut said.
"In a national Pew survey earlier this year, voters placed McCain in the middle, where they placed themselves, when asked to judge the ideology of Bush and the presidential candidates. They placed Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama far to the left."
See how many errors you can find in this AP article, its staggering!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24107084/
And? So? What's the gripe here?
McCain said: And, frankly, I'm very pleased with the relationship that I've had with the media over many years. And of course we've had differences, and I haven't liked every story. But I think the media plays a key and vital role...
Obama has had a pretty smooth ride with the media for the most part. So have other politicans past & present.
"Obama has had a pretty smooth ride with the media"
Jeter, are you out of touch with reality or just not following the news reports recently?
"out of touch with reality" is pretty harsh. I just call Jeter a reality maverick.
[hey Jeter -------------------> ;0) ]
Werner,
Please don't even go there. Obama has been the teflon candidate up until Wright & this latest controversy. And even then he skated by without too much damage where others would have been crushed by the media.
And he's basically been untouched by the MSM. Oh sure FOX might not treat him with kid gloves, but the rest of the media has been pretty kind.
Just because the Wright thing (and that "elitism" nonsense) didn't do much damage doesn't mean the MSM ("Media Supporting McCain") didn't do their damnedest to try and bring Obama down.
You're out of your frickin' mind if you think Obama is getting a pass of any kind.
McCain can do no wrong in the eyes of the media. It's a fact.
Deez,
The media has been gushing over Obama & had it not been for Wright & this latest dustup, I think even you'd be hard pressed to name another example of Obama being treated as anything but a rock star by the media.
I don't deny the media has been kind to McCain for the most part, but the SAME can be said of Obama.
I generally agree, Jeter, but there has been the dust-up over Wright and the "eliteism." Maybe I am forgetting something, but has there been a McCain dust up?
It came out yesterday that McCain is against the new GI Bill (he apparently is coming up with something else): http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4652517&page=1
He also doesn't seem to know what Petraeus's role is:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_mccain_petraeus_041408w/
but I have not heard these stories on TV (entirely possible they have been).
To me, these are far bigger stories than "elitism" or a preacher, but no dustups and hardly and mentions of these "incidents" (is misstep a better term here?).
Any idea why?
Of course they are bigger stories but the mainstream media doesn't care about that.
I'm glad that some people in the army know that McCain is out to lunch and ignorant about the military as shown by your link to the Army Times. It's mind boggling. He preens and postures but votes against veteran's benefits, and doesn't even know what Gen. Paetraeus' role is.
I don't think Obama has been dragged through the mud the way Hillary has. He's don an excellent job deflecting the few incidents he's had to weather.
McCain ? No argument here. He doesn't have to be teflon if there's nothing thown at him. The press has been giving him a free ride, complete with chauffer, in a Rolls Royce.
Jeter,
What about McCain's non-support for the GI Bill and not actually knowing Petraeus's role? Why aren't those stories yet? Personally, I want to see if he comes up with an alternative for the GI Bill before judging, but time is running out on that end.
I am still waiting for the MSM to adorn McCain with the flip-flop label he so richly deserves. I am waiting for them to ask him about his role in the Keating 5 scandal and cheating on his wife only to marry a much younger rich heiress. I am waiting for the MSM to ask him if he has figured out the differences in the sects of Islam. Since Obama's faith has been such an issue, maybe someone in the MSM will ask McCain why he switched religions at the end of the 20th century.
I think McCain has gotten a free ride on the war too. His rhetoric at the start was similar to Cheney's:
Script of Video:
"Day at the Beach"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h-a5T0HsJpw
August 2006: "We had not told the American people how tough and
difficult this could be. It has contributed enormously to the frustration
that Americans feel today because they were led to believe this could be
some kind of day at the beach." [McCain in Columbus Ohio, Press Conference,
aired on CNN, 8/22/2006, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14475828/ ]
McCain: "And I believe that the success will be fairly easy." [CNN,
Larry King Live, 9/24/02]
2007: Russert: "Go back, Senator, to 2002 - the administration saying
we'd be greeted as liberators." [MSNBC, 1/10/2007]
2003: McCain: "There's no doubt in my mind that once these people are
gone that we will be welcomed as liberators." [MSNBC, Hardball,
3/24/03]
McCain: "I believe that we can win an overwhelming victory in a very
short period of time." [CNN Late Edition, 9/29/02]
How is the media not asking him any of this?
Thomp,
I agree for the most part, but the magnitude of this "elitism" controversey is amazing to me. Wouldn't you think they would ask McCain why he does not plan to support the new GI Bill?
As far as the issues go, I would love to see the media do its job and press all three of the candidates much harder and not worry about the stuff that only tars a candidate's reputation. I want to hear proposed solutions and media scrutiny as to their viability.
McCain seem to be doing the impossible.
If I'm a unpatriotic for supporting the troops but not this war, then what would you call someone who supports the war but not those fighting it?
Better yet, what do you call a physically fit, able-bodied, pro-war, surge cheerleading under-42 male who doesn't enlist?