McCain’s ‘Free Ride’ - new book coming out about McCain's cozy relationship with the press

[Poiuyt]

This week the New York Times made news with a front-page story on John McCain's relationship with a telecommunications lobbyist. The story hinted at a possible romantic entanglement and raised questions about the propriety of McCain's dealings with the lobbyist and her clients at a time when the Arizona lawmaker was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. The story, which McCain's campaign has vigorously disputed, marked a rare incidence of bad press for a politician who has enjoyed a remarkably amicable relationship with the establishment media over the course of his 25-year career. Other than a flurry of critical stories surrounding his involvement in a savings-and-loan scandal in the late 1980s, McCain has enjoyed such positive coverage he sometimes jokingly refers to the press as his base.

It's hardly a coincidence, says Paul Waldman, a senior fellow at Media Matters for America, a left-leaning nonprofit research center that analyzes conservative "misinformation" in the media. Along with founder David Brock, Waldman has spent the last three years studying the relationship between the press and politicians. Waldman and Brock were so struck by McCain's cozy relationship with the press corps that they decided to write a book about it. "Free Ride: John McCain and the Media" (due out next month) holds that McCain has managed to ingratiate himself with the national media to an extent almost unheard of in modern politics. As a result, says Waldman, McCain has been able to create a glossy image untarnished by what he sees as some damning facts. In the aftermath of the Times piece, Waldman spoke with NEWSWEEK's Matthew Philips. Excerpts:

==

Why has that maverick label stuck?
Well, for one because we've been told the story so often. Everyone in Congress goes against party at some point. But when McCain does, something different happens. If moderates defect from the Republican cause on an issue, it's still presented as a conflict between the Democrats and the Republicans. But when McCain does, the story becomes McCain against the Republicans. He becomes the central actor on those rare occasions, and it gets much more press. But when you look at it, almost every one of those times he does go against the Republicans, it's when their position is unpopular with voters. He puts himself on the popular side. If his ambition was to be majority or minority leader in the Senate, that would be a bad idea. But he wants to be president, so it becomes very good politics to find those places where your party is out of step with the public and break with them. You get the double benefit.

In your book you chart the number of appearances he's made over the years on Sunday talk shows and how many times the terms "straight talk" and "maverick" have been mentioned within 10 words of McCain. In 2000 that number was 2,114. That's a lot.
It is, and that's usually all we get. And in terms of talk show appearances, he's by far the leader over the last several years. People see him as a great guest, a politician who's not being political.

==

Are there any members of the national media who are particular offenders when it comes to doling out love for McCain?
Chris Matthews I think is his biggest fan. It's his tone more than frequency. There's an embarrassing amount of adulation for McCain with him.

more -

http://www.newsweek.com/id/114548/page/1

[speedoo]

1. Heh. Tweety called out for his adulation of McCain.

Who'd a thunk it?

K&R, thanks for posting. (edit - spell)

[OHdem10]

2. The Media has been in an absolute swoon and made themselves

look like fools over Obama.

So the Media has two favorites.

[UTUSN]

3. K&R n/t

[WFF]

4. I've always wondered why McCain gets the benefit of the doubt from the MSM

He seems to be just as corrupt and two-faced as any other Republican politician.