The media and John McCain

[BobcatJH]

Greg Sargent points us to the latest example of the media's ongoing tug job of John McCain (R-Heaven), this time courtesy Eleanor Clift in Newsweek:

McCain was clearly squirming when ABC's George Stephanopoulos pressed him on "This Week" last weekend about whether he supports civil unions, a loaded term among social conservatives who see it as a fig leaf for gay marriage. McCain avoided the phrase but said he supported various partnerships to facilitate hospital visits and the like. His home state of Arizona just voted down an anti-gay marriage initiative that also would have banned domestic partnerships even among heterosexual couples. ...

McCain gets more latitude on this subject because we sense that in his heart, he's a Goldwater libertarian. Social issues are not what drive him in public life. He's playing to his party's conservative base as newly defined by the religious right, but if elected president, he's not going to be beholden to them the way Bush has been... The voters may be less inclined to give Romney a pass if he goes overboard with his fealty to the right.

Shorter Clift: I know that he abuses me ... but you should hear what he tells me! Expect stories like these to grow in number headed into 2008. McCain's base isn't the rank-and-file Republican voter - it's the press. But the Beltway media hasn't yet shown a distaste for being a catcher, so long as the right is on the mound. Nor will they, even as more and more Americans realize how disastrous a McCain presidency would be.

[JI7]

1. fuck her

i'm tired of these phony so called Dem pundits and commentators who kiss McCain's ass.

[wisteria]

2. Clift is as phony and people like her and the magazine she appears in need to be

called out for their bias and favoritism.

[snowbear]

3. The same media who loves you dearly, will eventually try to take you down.

And especially when you're the darling of the media this far out!!

They'll come the time when it's no longer fun to sucker up to these bozos and the wheels will start coming off.

"We can make you" ---- -- "And we can take you down"


Old man McCain peaked too soon --- He'll eventually crash and burn.

[Theduckno2]

6. I agree, his best days (chances) are behind him.

I see most of his current conduct as a rather pitiful attempt to bolster his continually dwindling chances at the Presidency. His active support of the Bush Administration will cause him significant harm with a large portion of the electorate.

;)

[blm]

8. Not as long as big media needs to keep down certain Dems targetting FCC

rulling that advantages them.

Not to mention keep dragging down credibility of that same chair who will oversee net neutrality issue. Corpmedia is pretty transparent that way. As long as they need Kerry dragged down, they will concentrate on him and even use Democrats to hound him as they already do on a regular basis. McCain will be safe for a long time.

Kerry Seeks to Reverse FCC's "Wrongheaded Vote"

Commission Decision May Violate Laws Protecting Small Businesses; Kerry to File Resolution of Disapproval

Monday, June 2, 2003

WASHINGTON - Senator John Kerry today announced plans to file a "Resolution of Disapproval" as a means to overturn today's decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise media ownership caps and loosen various media cross-ownership rules.
Kerry will soon introduce the resolution seeking to reverse this action under the Congressional Review Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act on the grounds that the decision may violate the laws intended to protect America's small businesses and allow them an opportunity to compete.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerry expressed concern that the FCC's decision will hurt localism, reduce diversity, and will allow media monopolies to flourish. This raises significant concerns about the potential negative impacts the decision will have on small businesses and their ability to compete in today's media marketplace.

In a statement released earlier today regarding the FCC's decision, Kerry said:

"Nothing is more important in a democracy than public access to debates and information, which lift up our discourse and give Americans an opportunity to make honest informed choices. Today's wrongheaded vote by the Republican members of the FCC to loosen media ownership rules shows a dangerous indifference to the consolidation of power in the hands of a few large entities rather than promoting diversity and independence at the local level. The FCC should do more than rubber stamp the business plans of narrow economic interests.

"Today's vote is a complete dereliction of duty. The Commissioners are well aware that these rules greatly influence the competitive structure of the industry and protect the public's access to multiple sources of information and media. It is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that the rules serve our national goals of diversity, competition, and localism in media. With today's vote, they shirked that responsibility and have dismissed any serious discussion about the impact of media consolidation on our own democracy."

[BlueStater]

4. Sellout McCain is protected by the media almost as much as Bush

Now that the Shrubmonkey's pitiful presidency is going down in flames, the media has found a new politician to whore for.

[Poiuyt]

5. So the media likes McCain because they think he's lying to them?

[blm]

7. No silly - because they KNOW he's lying to them and find it 'endearing' just like Bush.

.

[NastyRiffraff]

9. There they go again

Remember the 2000 primaries? Remember how the media just luved the "Straight Talk Express"? The media bared their collective ass and Saint McCain kissed it. Oh, it was a heady time! He's so honest! He says what he means! See? His bus has "Straight Talk Express" emblazoned on it! What more proof do you need?

Problem for the media was: McCain lost. NOW what?

They hated Al Gore and did all they could to trash him, calling him dishonest, phony, etc. And there was the earthtones! And the three-button suit jacket! What to do, what to do, when your saintly candidate lost the primary to a lightweight?

Simple. Take all the McCain talking points related to "Straight Talk" and transfer them to George W. Bush. But there's still unrequited love, and now the media gets a second chance with Mr. "Straight Talk." They'll be putting on the sexy lingerie and lighting romantic candles, slavering over his "honesty," even as some of them (Clift as an example) know he's lying. It's like the person whose lover left him (or her) high and dry, but welcomes the cad back, even when it's well known he's a dishonest, dishonerable cad.

[blm]

10. Silly Nancy - only Dems like Gore and Kerry are not viable to BushInc's corpmedia.

For everyone else it's more the merrier, as long as you promise to be a Bush-Republican or a coverup Democrat.

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. I'm just hoping the media Dean's him (or Gore's him)

but since he's a Republican, I'm not holding my breath.