McCain Freezing Out Press On Campaign Trail

John McCain has historically courted and cultivated relationships with reporters of the traveling press corps, so much so that BBC's Katty Kay once referred to the press as McCain's "base." That may be changing, according to a report from Michael Shear of the Washington Post, who observes that McCain's "new press strategy" is to "avoid them":

McCain today held a 10-minute press conference, complete with podium, microphones for the questioners, network-quality audio and a camera for a local television station, which allowed CNN to carry it live.

And where was the national press corps?

Sitting on the runway 27 miles away, having been ferried to McCain's charter plane, totally unaware that a press availability was about to take place until one of the handful of "pool reporters" sent an e-mail alert.

Shear speculates that McCain's shift in his stance toward the press may have something to do with his campaign's recent acquisition: "The new approach may reflect the growing influence of the newly-powerful Steve Schmidt, a top adviser and protege of Bush political guru Karl Rove, who was famous for his desire to control the press's access to his candidate."

But! If you are willing to be a dedicated flack for the McCain campaign, it's a different story entirely. David Corn explains:

During a July 1 McCain campaign call featuring Senator Lindsey Graham and Orson Swindle (who was a Vietnam POW with McCain), only two questions were taken--both from conservative bloggers. The first came from Ed Morrissey, who asked Graham and Swindle, "Can you explain the significance of John McCain's command experience in the Navy...as well as whatever leadership he has shown in the Senate....and can you address...that Barack Obama doesn't have any executive experience at all?" The next query came from Matt Lewis. Referencing retired General Wesley Clark's recent comment that McCain's military service and POW experience did not qualify him to be president, Lewis asked Graham and Swindle if Clark's remark was part of "a concerted effort by the Obama campaign, or can liberals simply not keep themselves from attacking the military?" Then the call was over.

Corn asks: "Had it been merely a coincidence that the only questioners had been rightwing bloggers who had served up soft balls?" Naturally, we have no idea! But that trademarked "straight talk" is becoming a notably scarce commodity.

Comments

[Strywever]

Let us hope that McCain's new tactics result in fewer members of the MSM simply rubber-stamping his press releases. Perhaps if they no longer perceive him as their best friend, they will get off their lazy behinds to do some honest reporting about his campaign.

[thepoliticalcat]

No they won't, because their bosses are old white Republican men who want a president who will help them destroy the last vestiges of constitutional freedoms.

[JJeff88]

Til now, the commonly accepted reason for press scrutiny on Obama compared to little if any scrutiny of McCain was that McCain had, over many years, built up a huge reservoir of goodwill among members of the media.

Maybe this latest move by the McCain people will help level the playing field.

I wonder whether the press people on the Fake Talk Express will get as grumpy as the folks covering the Obama campaign were reported to have been recently.

Partial Obama solution was said to be "pizza."

Gotta hope the McCain response will be the proverbial ruler across the proverbial knuckles of the media.

Whatever happened to simply (1) covering the candidates and (2) telling the people (a) what they said, (b) why they said it, (c) what it might mean and (d) why we should care?

Pizza and rulers be damned.

[Cilantro33309]

My friends, I would like to thank Mr Rove and his cronies for assisting me in re-directing my ailing campaign. They will put me in the White House, win or not. So don't worry, I will be surrounded by the biggest and the best of the GOP. That of course means more of exactly the last 7 years.

I hope you have enjoyed it, my friends. And that's straight talk!


McCain/Rove '08!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean McCain/Romney....

[southernfried]

McGrandpa is old

[bikerdude]

Old isn't the problem. Being mean as a snake and dumb as a rock is....

[gettysburg]

I'm a liberal Democrat who two years ago might have voted for Mc Hypocrite. However, he has proven that his "straight talk express" BS was just that, BS. Now, I wouldn't go into my backyard to listen to him if he had pitched a tent there. He is obviously a vote chaser who will say anything to get a vote. He has turned out to be a shameless fraud who even most clear thinking conservatives see thru. If you can't trust someone during the campaign, how can you trust them if the are elected? .............Yes, I realize that "clear thinking conservatives" is an oxymoron.

[thepoliticalcat]

Once upon a time, he used to be someone you could admire, even if only for his quirky sense of humour and willingness to kick the GOP hypocrites' collective bootum.

Now, not so much.

[01202009]

You may bet that McMummy is listening to the Karl Rove opera entitled Fake ‘Em Out because they’re too stupid to get real. It’s the truth. How can McCain even be taken seriously after seven years of Shrub? But he is. America America!
It will really hit the fan when McCain meets Obama in a debate. I wouldn’t be surprised if McCain doesn’t just stamp off of the stage screaming invectives!
And what about his military records? He collects almost 60 grand tax free because he’s 100% disabled. Do we want a 100% disabled president? I think not! If he’s not 100% disabled how come he still takes the money? While he gets his, he wants to shrink Medicare and Social Security. Think about it.

[Cilantro33309]

He is another bush...would never have amounted to anything except for daddy. Once in congress McSame has been slightly more effective than shrub ever was (nearly everything shrub ever did failed, including his presidency) but I call McCain "McSame" not just because he wills ay anything to get elected, but primarily because he will be surrounded by the GOP when in office. That means we would be doomed to at least 4 more years just like our last 7.

Look at who his advisers are!!

Obama '08. If you love America, he's the only answer.

[doofmann02]

Despite the MSM boneheads like Mitchell on MSNBC and Schieffer on CBS, he is not getting cut any slack from the millions of Vets and their families who have any objectivity. It used to be a slam dunk after Vietnam that a vet would vote Repub...those days are gone, despite what you hear from the arrogant Vets for Freedom, and how they like to portray themselves as the arbiters of all Vet opinion and smear Vets who question McCain's leadership qualities with the far out left label:

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-military-voices

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2008-releases/iraq-veterans-care-poll.html

[DRaymond]

Clearly this is Schmidt's influence and Rove's trademark use of access as leverage. Unfortunately it has been shown to work. It used to be that in order to get press coverage you had to get in front of real reporters with real hardnosed attitudes. Now you can cherry-pick the softball interviewers or even outright fanboy bloggers and get almost as much coverage.

[Raymondf]

Smartest move John boy has ever made.

[robodweeb]

Wow, that's a low bar.

[doctorwang]

Even smarter than dumping his first wife and marrying the multi-million dollar beer distribution heiress that he was doing on the side while still married to his first wife?

[RichardD]

I marvel how McCain has so quickly adopted the Bush play book. Boy... he is clever.
Also, he shows all of the 'competency acumen' that Bush displayed so often.
I am sure he will win over a few more gun rights activists before the November vote.
God bless America. What a 'leader' !! What a country !!

[Mauiloa]

Ahhh, yes. The old Republican strategy to avoid the tough questions: avoid the press altogether.

Well, It's certainly worked well for the past eight years!

[ThePodiumIsMine]

Well hold on there little 'tard; the press is supposed to be in the pockets of the Republicans according to you idiots. How does that jive with avoiding the press?

Gawd you gluehuffers are stupid.

[marignymitch]

Speaking of 'tards': the word is 'jibe'.

[bikerdude]

Well hold on there yourownself DaPod. The major chains and broadcast outlets are very closely tied to the Bush admin, the republican party (you) and the corporatists. A few of us read other news outlets that tend to show what a stupid, self-centered, bush-lovin' jerk he really is. He is trying to ignore us and talk to the people who know the repug talking points and will give him favorable interviews. Now you got it?

[kkuate]

I would be happy if the press totally ignored McCain for the next 120 days.

The gravest danger America faces right now is not radical terrorism, but electing John Mccain to the White House and having him extend an irrevocable pardon to Bush, Cheney, and Rice for their war crimes....These folks intentionally lied to the world to force a war in Iraq in which they knew American soldiers and Iraqi citizens would die in a 1:40 ratio.

Every person who lost his/her life is a innocent victim to the premeditated actions of Bush's war....This was not a self-defense war, it was not a war to take WMD out of Saddam's hands.

"Saddam Hussein must disarm himself, or, for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition to disarm him. He is a great danger to our nation...We refuse to live in fear, (so) we will secure our nation, protect our freedom". - George Bush, 10/07/2002.

[emmav70]

I don't buy it !

MSM has been in love with this so called maverick from day one. The feeling is mutual .

before it was donuts with sprinkles and little bit of sugar

tomorrow --- heart shaped chocolate box.

Just watch !

[bikerdude]

But when he firmly puts his foot in his mouth, they do report it.

[Beelzebul]

And since when is a war hero obligated to talk with the press or anyone else?

Sheesh! Such bulls**t.

McCain / Giuliani '08

[LiberalBuzz]

He isn't obligated to talk to anyone, but he decides to go into "ignore the press" mode, he will soon find himself with no, REPEAT, NO PRESS COVERAGE, which is the death knell for his campaign.

So if you are a true believer in the Rovian tactic of only allowing stupid questions like the ones posed above (Really stupid one about attacking the military since the last dem candidate had a military history complete with citations and medals).

Sort of like the idiotic questions the Bushies would only allow at their stops?

Those don't work anymore sparky. The people are catching on to phony campaign tactics of allowing stupid questions that just give the candidate a woody and make everyone else laugh at them.

Remember your old buddy Jeff Gannon?

[Strywever]

He isn't, and no one says he is. But he himself has made a big deal about how much the press loves him. Apparently the love is not returned, and he might find himself with a new set of problems as a result. We can only hope that his latest media-relations tactic will ultimately result in more honest reporting. ("McCain doesn't like to talk about his days in the POW camp." Puh-leeze!)

[oldwiseone]

War hero? How come the other soldiers who broke under pressure were given dishonorable discharges?

[doctorwang]

When that war hero is running to be President of the United States.........

Other then that, he can keep his mouth shut.

[Zoolie]

McCain rewards reporters who write positive things about him. Those who do, get invited to sit with him on the plane. Others are shunned.