In recent days, there have been signs that John McCain’s free ride with the media was ending. When the press discovered the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had not been vetted by McCain’s campaign, despite their claims, the game was on. Her pregnant daughter, the state trooper investigation, her connection to the Bridge to Nowhere – a normally deferential press core has begun to aggressively pursue the details.
McCain’s media free ride has served him well over the years, and especially well this campaign season. The phrase “Keating Five” has yet to be uttered by a single pundit, though word “maverick” is said hundreds of times daily. It goes back to the days when his “Straight Talk Express” was a place of good ‘ol boy and girl camaraderie, and the genuine admiration of his POW days by the national press reporters who covered him. McCain once even called the press corp “his base.”
All of that is on the line now. Sarah Palin’s presence has nearly eclipsed McCain. Her fact-free acceptance speech is undergoing scrutiny, as are the details of her personal life in a way that any high profile politician should expect under the circumstances, especially if she’s planning to be president if John McCain were to become incapacitated.
While such an experience must be hard for anyone, it’s been a shocker for the McCain campaign, which has reacted by blaming the media for sexism (true in some cases) and bias (no way.) They canceled a Larry King interview, and sent out surrogates to rile up their base and claim their victim status. “I don’t remember Rudolf Guiliani claiming the press was biased when we used to call him America’s mayor,’’ Tom Brokaw said during one convention interlude.
Reviews of McCain’s speech, watched by 38 million people, has been described as “flat,’’’ “shockingly bad,’’ ‘tired, recycled Republican rhetoric,’’ by pundits and newspapers. And the pressure to have Palin do interviews is building, though the McCain campaign continues to ignore those requests. So is the media love-affair with McCain finally over, and will the press begin to hold McCain accountable for his record and past statements? At this point, McCain’s POW stories from 40 years ago are still told far more often than fact that he voted against the 2008 G.I. Bill. It’s going to be tough, but the press may finally have to start doing its job.
McCain’s media free ride has served him well over the years, and especially well this campaign season. The phrase “Keating Five” has yet to be uttered by a single pundit, though word “maverick” is said hundreds of times daily. It goes back to the days when his “Straight Talk Express” was a place of good ‘ol boy and girl camaraderie, and the genuine admiration of his POW days by the national press reporters who covered him. McCain once even called the press corp “his base.”
All of that is on the line now. Sarah Palin’s presence has nearly eclipsed McCain. Her fact-free acceptance speech is undergoing scrutiny, as are the details of her personal life in a way that any high profile politician should expect under the circumstances, especially if she’s planning to be president if John McCain were to become incapacitated.
While such an experience must be hard for anyone, it’s been a shocker for the McCain campaign, which has reacted by blaming the media for sexism (true in some cases) and bias (no way.) They canceled a Larry King interview, and sent out surrogates to rile up their base and claim their victim status. “I don’t remember Rudolf Guiliani claiming the press was biased when we used to call him America’s mayor,’’ Tom Brokaw said during one convention interlude.
Reviews of McCain’s speech, watched by 38 million people, has been described as “flat,’’’ “shockingly bad,’’ ‘tired, recycled Republican rhetoric,’’ by pundits and newspapers. And the pressure to have Palin do interviews is building, though the McCain campaign continues to ignore those requests. So is the media love-affair with McCain finally over, and will the press begin to hold McCain accountable for his record and past statements? At this point, McCain’s POW stories from 40 years ago are still told far more often than fact that he voted against the 2008 G.I. Bill. It’s going to be tough, but the press may finally have to start doing its job.
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