NBC Washington bureau chief discussed McCain campaign's, but not media's, ability to "driv[e] the news cycle"*
SUMMARY: NBC News Washington bureau chief Mark Whitaker said that the controversy over Sen. Barack Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment "seems like a frivolous story" but it is "important to watch" because it's an example of "how good the McCain campaign is at ... driving the news cycle day after day." He did not acknowledge the media's responsibility in choosing what they cover.*
Commenting on what NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell described -- on the September 10 edition of MSNBC Live -- as the "latest controversy over [Sen.] Barack Obama's use of a common expression about putting lipstick on a pig," NBC News Washington bureau chief Mark Whitaker said that "on one level, this seems like a frivolous story" but it is "important to watch" because it's an example of "how good the [Sen. John] McCain campaign is at ... driving the news cycle day after day." But while Whitaker did not acknowledge media responsibility in determining what they cover*, NBC News political director Chuck Todd said earlier the same day on MSNBC's Morning Joe that the story was "a faux controversy" and that the media had "taken the bait on this lipstick thing" which he called "a joke" and "laughable."
From the 1 p.m. ET hour of the September 10 edition of MSNBC Live:
MITCHELL: With less than two months before the election, there are plenty of personal and political attacks, accusations, negative political ads out there, on the web, on television, and especially this latest controversy over Barack Obama's use of a common expression about putting lipstick on a pig. How did we get here? How effective is negative campaigning, and how risky is it? What about the backlash?
I'm joined now by Mark Whitaker, NBC's Washington bureau chief. Mark, let's take it back and try to put this into some context. It all started with Barack Obama making a comment he did or did not think is innocuous, he's said it before, but immediately, the response -- and I was watching it happen, live, on television, and then within 15 minutes we were called to a conference call by the McCain camp.
WHITAKER: I keep waiting to see what animal we're going to find -- put lipstick on tomorrow. You know, we've had pit bulls, we've had pigs. It's turning into a very campy version of Noah's Ark. But, yeah -- look, I think, on one level, this seems like a frivolous story, but I think it does tell us two things that I think are important to watch. One is how good the McCain campaign is at hand-to-hand combat, at basically driving the news cycle day after day. Obviously, it's true that they don't really want to talk about the state of the economy, they don't want to talk about George Bush's record, so they've got to get other things to talk about, and they're very good at that. But, I think it's also -- people are looking to see how Obama is going to respond, you know. And, the fact is that, as we discovered in '04 with Kerry, people take how a candidate responds to these kinds of attacks, and whether they're willing to fight for themselves, as a proxy for whether they're going to be fighters for the American people on other issues.
MITCHELL: Now, the Obama campaign responded very quickly, because 10 minutes after we got off this conference call with the McCain people, the Obama people already had all of these citations of how often John McCain had used "lipstick on a pig." In fact, it is the title of the book written by his former press secretary, Torie Clarke. That said, they didn't put anyone out immediately. Did Obama show his toughness today when he said, "I may not throw the first punch, but I will throw the last punch?"
It’s not so much that McCain has some ability that obama doesn’t have, it’s that obama is in a constant state of defense where McCain is simply able to move forward with the day-to-day tasks of running for president.
With regard to obama’s ability a news cycle; if he’s not having to explain William Ayers (America hater), he’s having to explain Rev. Jeremiah Wright (America hater). And if he’s not having to explain why he doesn’t think he should have to wear an American flag pin on his lapel, he’s having to explain why his wife is proud of America for the first time.
Yeah, it’s no wonder Obama can’t drive his campaign like McCain.
Max wrote:
>>It’s not so much that McCain has some ability that obama doesn’t have, it’s that obama is in a constant state of defense where McCain is simply able to move forward with the day-to-day tasks of running for president.
Yes, and the inability of Palin to explain why she was really for the bridge to nowhere, why she really is for earmarks, why she courted a seccesionist group, why why is under investigation for abusing her power (which she now refuses to cooperate with)--all these issues that Palin has to answer?
Oh, that's right. McCain simply hides her from press conferences.
And this is all you guys have? Haha!
It’s hope against hope that you can snag-her. Do you realize how utterly weak that sounds?
It really does sound funny .. she’s been in the public’s eye for what, two weeks and you guys are like “OMG! SHE WON’T ANSWER QUESTIONS. SHE MUST BE HIDING SOMETHING.”
The Obama ticket is in big trouble and the ONLY hope you have is finding some dirt on the republican ticket. You cannot win on ideas.
How very sad for you guys.
Hope? Nah, it's too easy. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that right wingers will brush off any facts brought to light against Palin. Preggie daughter, vindictive firings, using taxpayers' money to pay yourself per-diem to stay at home, violating every single "family values" code, right wingers couldn't care less, she is against abortion in all instances which can translate to "kill RvW". They'll elect satan if they can get that goal.
Nah, who cares what the right wing response to these truths about Palin is? If you're so stupid that you think we're trying to change your mind, you're sadly mistaken (and just a little bit arrogant). This argument is for the moderates, the independants who have not chosen yet. As long as the truth we have exposed trumps your side's blatant attempts to bury it in a mud fight we'll win the election. So far, we're winning that fight...
True liberal hypocrisy.
Please remember you actually said this.
Oh, I did say it. Daughter? Pregnant. Facts? Proven. Denial by you? Shown. Now what are ya gonna do, show my post to your friends and say "oh, look! Snoopy dissed Palin's family! What a typical lib!"
Go for it. O'Reilly recently made a big stink about Spear's sister being pregnant, used the old parental supervision argument to claim "poor lib'rul values". Must suck having the annointed "virgin mary" getting knocked up by a redneck while her righteous christian mom supervised her life so much better than Spears parents ever did their daughters.
and allegedly a grand son she is trying to palm off as her own.
allegedly.
"OMG! SHE WON’T ANSWER QUESTIONS. SHE MUST BE HIDING SOMETHING."--Max
So you are fine with the potential next president of the US just saying whatever she wants on the stump and not having to answer ANY questions from the media regarding their apparent lack of basis in reality?
I guess that is the attitude that has gotten us in the mess we are currently in. It is sad there are so many apparent slackers out there who seemingly just don't care much about our country's future and are only consumed with playing games and the "horse race" aspect of it all. Are there any decent conservatives left these days? Where have they gone?
You mean like that Gov Sarah Palin has way more executive experience than obama?
Or perhaps how obama is dogged by his anti-American/anti-patriotic extreme left associations?
Yes, I believe that.
See your post above if you need "for instance[s]." Fine, you believe what you say. I also believe things. I believe that no one can be as dumb as you appear to be. Yet you continue to provide evidence to the contrary. In this respect, you are very persuasive.
Good job ONIONHEAD! now fill that onion with brains and maybe we can talk about something substantive.
PS. substantive: having practical importance, value, or effect
I may not know the meaning of "substantive"(or so you assume), but I know a complete ass when I meet one.
This poster has poor troll skills at best. Crude invectives and clearly unsophisticated arguments poorly written and designed to get a rise out of people are the best he/she/it can do.
I sometimes long for the days of the more inventive trolls (they gave a capital "T" to the title "Troll"). How far things have fallen when the best they can do is what is being demonstrated on this site.
Sigh....
Yeah, Max is is entertaining only because he's the breed of troll that doesn't realize he's doing self-parody.
Like his first post, where the "negatives" are all about Obama having to "explain" things. I'm guessing he's in that group that needs all of these things explained.
Sorta like that slow kid in school making fun of the teacher for having to repeat everything three times for his benefit.
What do you expect? They were probably home schooled.
(ok..left wing troller...exits)
This was Russerts replacement?
A lot of us used to complain about Tim Russert - we didn't know what we had until we lost it.....
Are you kidding me...
This Whitaker weenie has now taken Russert's post? Russert was bad enough, but this Whitaker is a real white-bread, corporate weenie.
This Whitaker weenie has now taken Russert's post?
One of them. Tim Russert was NBC's Washington Bureau Chief AND host of "Meet The Press". Whitaker has one of his old jobs - Tom Brokaw has the other one for the time being.
It is a trivial story ...
And one the press will let the McCain campaign push as they have no spine to serve the country's and truth's better interest. The MSM is a meat puppet for the conservative sound machine because of their being own by large corporations.
Powerless -- the press is officially the but of its own joke at this point.
It is a trivial story ...
And one the press will let the McCain campaign push as they have no spine to serve the country's and truth's better interest. The MSM is a meat puppet for the conservative sound machine because of their being own by large corporations.
Powerless -- the press is officially the but of its own joke at this point.
The press bears 99% of the responsibility for this. McCain isn't driving the news cycle. He's throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks. Of course if Obama used that expression McCain would demand he apologize for saying Gov. Palin looks like a monkey.
I wish they would just pony up and admit that they work for rich Republicans who keep them on a tight leash.
how good the [Sen. John] McCain campaign is at ... driving the news cycle day after day."
Liberal media? Yeah, right. The corporate media whores are the ones who ALLOW Gramps to drive the news cycle with their tabloid addiction.
Ever see the movie "The Insider"? There's a pivotal scene where Mike Wallace caves in to the Corporate Lawyers and kills the story... leaving the Tobacco Company whistleblower to twist in the wind. I think that was a profound illustration of what happened to journalism in this country.
If the reference was made toward a man we wouldn't hear "BOO!"
The McCain camp is really abusing the gender card. Palin is a disgrace to all feminists. I'm ashamed of her. If you want to play with the big boys, you need to learn to roll with it.
Tonight (Wed.) on BBC World News they reported Obama saying the lip-pig statement, but did not cite he was referring to McCain's economic plan. There was NO MENTION of the McCain negative ad portraying Obama as pedophile. Everyone is interested if Obama will fight back, as that correlates in their collective minds how he will fight for them as President. No one cares about the truth or falseness of the charges and counter-charges. The American people want a Ruthless Leader, and the two Republicans fit that parameter. Palin smiles when she attacks. She loves it. So does McCain. In fact, McCain is more than slightly jealous that his running mate is getting all this celebrity attention, the same celebrity attention he criticised Obama for per-Palin. Watch him nervously stand behind her as she's at the podium, twisting his wedding ring, checking out her ass.
The one thing that the trolls who are so giddy now cannot take away from Obama and his team is that they have consistently displayed an uncanny ability to think creatively, to be ahead of the curve. The McCain smear campaign is not creative; it's a rehash of Lee Atwater/Karl Rove strategy. It's nothing new. It's simply ruthless. If you vote for ruthless, remember that they will be as uncaring and ruthless with their constituency as they are to their opponents. Ruthless thinking is paranoid by definition. Control by any means.
"But, yeah -- look, I think, on one level, this seems like a frivolous story, but I think it does tell us two things that I think are important to watch. One is how good the McCain campaign is at hand-to-hand combat, at basically driving the news cycle day after day. Obviously, it's true that they don't really want to talk about the state of the economy, they don't want to talk about George Bush's record, so they've got to get other things to talk about, and they're very good at that. But, I think it's also -- people are looking to see how Obama is going to respond, you know. And, the fact is that, as we discovered in '04 with Kerry, people take how a candidate responds to these kinds of attacks, and whether they're willing to fight for themselves, as a proxy for whether they're going to be fighters for the American people on other issues."
So the media has to cover a story to show how good McCain is at getting them to cover stories. That is circular. They could also ignore it, because then McCain wouldn't be good at getting them to cover the story anymore. Oh, and then you could talk about all the things that McCain doesn't want you to, things which the American people are probably better served in understanding. That would work out just great, wouldn't it?
And if we're admitting that it's "frivolous", why should a candidate have to dignify the charge by addressing it? Let's pump up this phony controversy because people want to see how he'll handle it. And what does responding to dishonest and petty swipes have to do with the duties of representing the American people, exactly?
HEY I DON'T GET MAD AT THE PRESS ANYMORE BECAUSE THE PRESS IS DOING AND SAYING WHAT THE BRAIN DEAD PEOPLE WHAT TOO HEAR. THEY CLOSED THERE EYES WITH BUSH WHEN HE WAS DOING HIS DIRT AND NOW THEY ARE DURING IT WITH MCCAIN AND PALIN. BUT AS SOON AS IT AFFECTS THERE LIFE LIKE IT'S NOW WITH BUSH THEN THEY WILL OPEN THERE EYES ON MCCAIN AND PALIN.
Even Rachel Maddow, whom I respect a lot, mentioned it on her show on MSNBC simply to say she wouldn't talk about it, then proceeded to talk about it.
It's really sad. I do believe there are journalists out there who truly, truly want to be independent enough to go after garbage like this but are kept on a tight leash by their corporate bosses to not upset the advertising revenue generating tabloid pap they pass off as news these days.
Of all the material the 24-hour news cycle has to potentially cover, they spend the entire day discussing the phony outrage of McCain's campaign as if it's real and genuine, and then how amazing it is that John McCain has them all on puppet strings.
Of course if you are a regular Faux News watcher you wouldn't know about the problems Palin has about telling the TRUTH . The Abuse of power investigation authorized by both parties in Alaska , the continuous lies about selling the airplane on Ebay , the bridge to Nowhere , asking for the pork and then keep the pork and several other issues she has going .
Now the MSM frames silly distracting issues like lipstick on pigs, not that it's a flat out LIE , but how " people are looking how Obama Responds " " is he tough enough " as if the onus in on him and not the media to stop the disingenuous political theater , that is harming the American people . NBC and the rest of the infotainers SHOULD be ashamed of themselves for the garbage they hype on a daily bases, the lack of NEWS they present and the pathetic job they are doing , informing the American people .