NPR allowed ex-McCain aide to claim that McCain's fundraising has lagged because he doesn't like it
On the April 25 broadcast of National Public Radio's Morning Edition, while discussing Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) official entry into the 2008 presidential race, host Steve Inskeep asked former McCain campaign manager Mike Murphy: "Does John McCain like doing all the things that you have to do to run for president?" Murphy replied: "He doesn't particularly like beating contributors out of money." Murphy said that this might be "one reason" McCain has had "some trouble" in his campaign, and added, "In some ways, I think that's a compliment to him."
Others in the past have also explained McCain's poor fundraising performance by claiming that he simply doesn't like it. As Media Matters for America noted, on-screen text shown during the March 28 edition of MSNBC News Live read: "How Will McCain's Dislike of Fundraising Affect His Campaign?" Other on-screen text displayed during the same segment emphasized other candidates' fundraising success -- "Mitt Romney Raised $6.5 Million in One Day," "Rudy Giuliani Has Held 57 Fundraisers So Far," and "Edwards Campaign Received Half a Million in Last 5 Days" -- leaving the impression that McCain, alone among the presidential candidates, happens to "dislike" fundraising. Furthermore, on March 25, the Associated Press quoted McCain asserting that he enjoys campaigning "more than I enjoy raising money," but the article added that McCain's campaign "said he has about 40 [fundraisers] scheduled before the start of May."
From the April 25 broadcast of National Public Radio's Morning Edition:
MURPHY: I think he's kind of getting boxed into the corner of being portrayed as a single-note supporter of a war that's had a lot of failures in it, which I think loses some context.
The final point I'd make about it, and it's the most, kind of, inside political one, is the early McCain strategy was to become to traditional front-runner -- the guy with the most money, the most endorsements, the most everything. And I'm not sure that campaign really fit John McCain. He's not a front-runner kind of guy. Rudy Giuliani based on name ID and popularity, Mitt Romney based on fundraising and early state organization have both broken through, so there's no front-runner now. But I think it could be an opportunity for McCain now to be what he's best at: the scrappy, come-from-behind guy. I think that's an easier campaign for him, and I think if he finds himself in those roots, he may have a comeback.
INSKEEP: Does John McCain like doing all the things that you have to do to run for president?
MURPHY: He doesn't particularly like beating contributors out of money. And I think that's one reason he has some trouble. In some ways, I think that's a compliment to him, but the reality of running for president is you've got to be good at raising money because money buys speech, advertising, message.
McCain's a fighter. So he likes finding a bully or somebody who's wrong and abusive about it, and fighting them -- whether it's political or from a policy basis. And that's why I think being a little behind in the polls now, and not being kind of the cruising front-runner, you know, "man in the gray suit" organizational candidate. I think this new situation, while at first glance it looks rougher for him, is better terrain for the real McCain to do what he does well, which is go out and connect with people and take the sharp side of issues that people may not agree with him on, but he earns some respect for telling the truth.
So what is the problem here. MBB documentation only support the claim.
What doesa matter any way Obama will be the next President. Who caresa bout an also ran like McCain
Whatsa matta you?
Aaah, shaddupa you face, Val.
MMFA does nothing to dispute what McCain's aide is saying, they offer no evidence to the contrary....nothing.
Then, Why is this here?
I mentioned this yesterday, MMFA now posts anything they don't agree with. Aparently, in MMFA's opinion, McCain loves fundraising.
In MMFA's defense, I could not defend any of the other right wing nonsense that they posted today.
It is amazing, I get accused here all the time of my warped mind reading abilities......yet this website clearly is clairvoyant enough to satisfy their liberal posters.
And I agree with you on the other right wing nuttery posted today.....for the most part, it couldn't be refuted. It's all good.
Tommy... Murphy is the mind reader- 'I think...' AND full of it... So McCain doesn't like to ask people for money to help him win the presidency..??? Then he must not think he is a good candidate because he NEEDS to get money to win- maybe he is a McCain hater, or worse, A TERRORIST who doesn't want a republican to win the Riiighthouse!!!
As a former campaign manager, Murphy would have been in a good position to judge McCain's like or dislike for fund raising. His comment hardly makes him a "mind-reader." Of course, whether Murphy's comment is truthful or not is another matter.
As for whether McCain really dislikes asking for the money, there seems to be alot in McCain's record to suggest it possibly is an issue for him relative to other candidates. Otherwise, he's been using this as an excuse for a while, at least since 2000.
Giving McCain the benefit of the doubt, I think the reason for McCain's dislike of fund-raising becomes important. I.e., is it on account of ethics - as implied by Murphy - or on account of reluctance to ask for the order? Based on his campaigns recent adoption of techniques he once derided as "overly-agressive," I have doubts about the former. Considering the alternative, do we want a relucatant salesman as president?
The reason it's misinformation is because it's a bogus reason.
1) Candidates asking for money is the rule, not the exception. It's an ugly truth about politics.
2) Every candidate I've heard talk about it, hates it. Without exception. They SAY at least they they'd rather be talking to constituents, talking issues, or otherwise doing the business of the people.
3) Therefore, it must not be the only reason McCain is lagging in fundraising.
So, the question needs to be asked again until it's actually answered: "Everyone hates fund raising. But what are the reason reasons McCain is behind in getting dough?" The answer that McCain supporters don't want to acknowledge is "because contributors are looking elsewhere." Then it's a question of why. Too broad of a field? Better candidates? Conservatives aren't buying McCain's bull anymore? Just not contributing to conservatives? Or contributing yet?
Perhaps some sort of analysis of how much time McCain is spending fund-raising is in order. If he really isn't doing as much of it as others, then perhaps the "he hates it [more than the rest]" is a reasonable answer. But if that is the case, at this point and time in politics, he's toast.
McCain also liked fundraising enough to hire Bush's old campaign fundraising crew. Now that they've failed? Suddenly, McCain isn't getting the support he was looking for because he must not LIKE fundraising! There's the spin!
"MMFA does nothing to dispute what McCain's aide is saying..."
Because McCain's downward spiral is self-evident. McCain's aide suggests that McCain is lagging behind in fund raising simply because McCain has not asked for money. You believe that? A seasoned politician like McCain whose visible ambition to become President has led him to abandon whatever integrity he once had, even so far as to kiss the butt of Jerry Falwell whom he previously denounced, and McCain doesn't ask for contributions to support his campaign because he doesn't like to do it? That type of spin is so preposterous it speaks for itself... no further explanation needed.
WHEN IT SUITS the "mainstream" Rightwing Ideological Media's (RIM) purposes, they track Fundraising as if it's a leading indicator of popularity. The RIM went batcrap a short while ago, when Obama's fundraising week PULLED UP EVEN with Hillary's. ALERT! ALERT! they claimed: Hillary's popularity is fading! Voters are moving to Obama!
Now, here we have McCain, his fundraising is dropping. Is he losing support? Are his followers abandoning him? After all, not a week ago, the RIM was ASSURING us that fundraising was a great way to tell how well each candidate is doing with the voters over time.
No, that doesn't fit the McCain lovefest the RIM has with this candidate they HOPE will win, and thus continue Bush's policies in Iraq and elsewhere. So he CANNOT be said to be losing support. But what to do? He's losing FUNDRAISING, and the RIM's audience has been told THAT means lost support. Oh, bother. What to do?
AH! What we'll do is pull a whammy, a misdirection, a classic case of MISINFORMATION which tells the people that McCain is an EXCEPTION to this "funding = support" rule we have assured them is a NEWSWORTHY indicator. We will say McCain is LOSING funding because he just "doesn't like" fundraising. THEN, his popularity can STILL be said to be soaring, and his strength cannot be judged by how little funding he's bringing in.
If we just SAY that, our audience will be FOOLED into believing that fundtracking is a reliable indicator with EVERY OTHER CANDIDATE except McCain.
"Are our audience that STUPID??", thinks the RIM. Sure they are ...
Wow! Nobody can spin a conspiratorial, convaluted, irrational scenario like you Tex, how long did it take you to come up with that? And I love your new initials "RIM" - get that on a bumpersticker or a T-shirt fast!
And please tell us who said that fund-raising equals popularity? If that is some prevailing wisdom, it exists only in your mind. Fund raising at this point comes mostly from the candidate's own states and is no indication of anything this early. Look at Romney, he has raised a ton of money yet he is lanquishing in all the polls - just how does your post above square with that? It doesn't.
But it's entertaining left wing paranoid drivel nonetheless, and we thank you.
Then, Why is this here?
" Media Matters....dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media."
Don't you get it? The spin on McCain is that he gets less money donated because he doesn't like doing it. Then, logically:
A. If he enjoyed it, he would raise more.
or
B. Others have raised more, therefore they enjoy raising money.
Neither statement is true, but the problem is with the media just nodding their collective heads and going, "yep, that must be true.." it couldn't be that he has less support, therefore less money? naw... they can't ask that, it would be rude.
Had I read further, I'd have seen you said it much better than I did.
i think it would be probably more true to say that a lot of the conventional money sources are saying "that dog won't hunt". mccain has done himself little good with his "maverick" stands like supporting bush's foolishness, and his idiotic statements about how safe iraq is. not to mention his recent "bomb iran" "joke". why would anyone think he has the temperment to be president.
ok. i'll give mccain a little bit of credit. he did not go along with guiliani's comment that america is risking another terrorist attack by electing a democrat. i guess rudy didn't read the 9-ll report, because it makes clear that bush did nothing about terrorist threats. in fact he deemphasized them in favor of attacking iraq and missile defense. richard clarke made the comment that he felt the bush people were "frozen in amber", because after eight years out of power they came back in with the same concerns as before.
Mefirst, I respectfully say that what Mccain's stance on Guilianni's statement is not relevant to this discussion. This article cover Mccain's financing woes. And the spin that seeks to justify it.
The problem is that every negative about McCain is spun as a positive.
Flip-flops? He's decisive.
Supports an unpopular war? A brave maverick.
Can't raise money? It's because he doesn't like raising money.
I have to agree with Tommy here, that there is no blatant misinformation. At most, a lack of analysis and a good example of the media letting the subject tell them what the story is.
But when you're dealing with a maverick, you don't ask a lot of questions.
Thanks for finally going after NPR on something. I hope Media Matters will pay more attention to them.
In particular, what's up with their 5-minute on-the-hour news summaries? Most of the time they sound practically dictated by Tony Snow. It's true that their longer programs (All Things Considered, etc) tend to be a bit more balanced, but those NPR affiliates that play music most of the time rely on their news summaries, and usually they just say "the president said xyz".
I suggest looking at how often they quote Democrats vs. Republicans at the top of the hour.
Come on! Most if not all of NPR's reporting is just that, reporting.
I like Inskeep as well as the other reporters. The are smart and articulate. as a "liberal" I appreciate news that NPR does a fairly decent (not perfect) job not to delberatley spin a story for the advantage of one party or the other. Still can't figure out wht Juan WIlliams shows up on Fox though.
Only OBVIOUS but not SUBTLE or NUANCED misinformation suddenly seems to be the new standard here. Why? Misinformation is a broad and subjective term. I would think spin in it of itself could be categorized as misinformation. Not ALL instances but some. Further, media figures allowing the spin to go unquestioned is an enabler of this spin. Clearly, the ExMccain aide had a vested interest in spinning Mccain's campaigns apparent limp fundraising ability. I think its a worthy example of media allowing spin when the obvious is right in front of them. Mccain's message is not resonating with the American people.
On a side note. Did anyone catch the McCain/Stewart interview?
I think J.S. handed McC his a$$. Many folks are complaining saying Stewart wasn't respectful enough to McCain (bunk if you ask me). It's time for the left to stop being polite and to start demanding straight answers. The same goes for Rice today refusing the subpoenas.
This whole issue of McC not liking soliciting campaign contributions is bull. He's not getting money because many havelost faith in the man. I used to really like McCain, regardless of the fact that I don't agree with him. he started kissing major a$$ big time and somehow stopped seeing reality for what it was. THE POW thing can buy you tons of cred on both sides, but it won't save you al the time.
I've got to agree. I voted for McCain in the primaries in 2000, and was deeply disappointed when he didn't win. I don't doubt that he wants what is best for the troops, but I do doubt that he would actually do what IS best for the troops because his political ambitions have become too strong.
By the way, I just pulled up the two segments on TDS on YouTube - I was up to watch it, but when I heard his guest was McCain, I stopped watching - just didn't want to deal with the BS Express. My opinion of and disappointment in McCain hasn't changed - he's exactly what I thought he was, apparently.
I listened to this report (more than once, because of my listening habits), and have to say that this struck me even more:
So he likes finding a bully or somebody who's wrong and abusive about it, and fighting them -- whether it's political or from a policy basis.
He likes finding and fighting bullies, but he wholeheartedly supports our President, who tries to bully Congress, has been bullying Iraq, and even bullied McCain in SC through lies and deceit? Yyyyyyyeah.