When It Comes To John McCain, Some Journalists Will Never, Ever Learn

[turbinetree]

Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) voted yesterday to proceed to debate on an unknown Republican health care bill (or bills) written in unprecedented partisan fashion outside of the normal legislative process. Then he stood in the well of the Senate and decried partisanship and legislative hijinks. Many political journalists applauded his words and scoffed at liberals who pointed out the inconsistency with his actions, even generating convoluted, nonsensical explanations that he was setting himself up to oppose the eventual bill. Hours later, McCain proved the liberals right by supporting a proxy vote for a partisan bill written outside of the legislative process that had not been fully reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office.

It’s not a coincidence that political reporters missed the story on McCain in their rush to canonize him. They’ve been wrong about him for decades.

Political journalists love to tell the legend of John McCain, the noble, straight-talking maverick who says what he means and means what he says. The reality is much less interesting: McCain is a standard-issue Republican senator with few legislative accomplishments but an immense talent for press relations.

http://www.nationalmemo.com/comes-john-mccain-journalists-will-never-ever-learn/

[still_one]

1. Senator Hirono from Hawaii was the real hero yesterday

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141830727

[turbinetree]

2. Yes, she was.........................and still is .................

[karynnj]

3. Great points made, but there is a core of noble heroism that seems to always fail

There is something about him that earns him the respect and affection of peers beyond that for others who do similar things. Obviously, it centers on his core story of having turned down release as a POW, but it seems more than that. His speech on the Senate floor this week is an example of that.

Imagine he flew back asking for time BEFORE the MTP vote, gave that speech and ended by saying that as we had no bill prepared in the way it should have been, it made no sense to procede. Then his returning wouls be to move the process to open hearings, bills that are scored as they are worked on - and tweeked if they do not meet the goals. (Admittedly, the first question is what are the goals.) The speech was aspirational, but to give it after voting yes on the MTP makes it hollow - especially as he was the key vote.

[still_one]

4. Hollow is right, but except with a few exerpts from written editorials, the bitter irony of his

actions was essentially missed by the MSM

[karynnj]

7. Even worse, on MSNBC, Pete Williams argued that he voted "yes" on two procedural bills - then No

on the only health care bill. In reality, the second vote was for McConnell's preferred bill, that was never going to happen as it needed 60 votes.

The other thing that infuriates me is that if the media wanted a man, with incredible integrity and morality, who was a genuine hero, who really did do things because he believed in them and thought they were the right thing to do -- there was a Senator who reaally was the real deal. Yet they refused to believe he was authentic and bought the smear that he was an opportunist. (If he was he was the dumbest Senator ever - as his actions were more often taken at the risk of destroying his own viability. ) In personality, he had the calm temper and both the desire and ability to see the other side -- neither strengthens of McCain. Need I say that this hero is John Kerry.

[rufus dog]

5. It is a perfect example of the power of the media

McCain as the Maverick has been promoted by the media for years. So people see what they are told to see when he makes his bullshit appearances and speeches.

Hell, I have a buddy who is a 911 truther AND believes everything that comes out of McCain's mouth.

[joeybee12]

6. Big knr