McCain Favoring Local Reporters As National Press Sour On One-Time Straight Talker

Washington Post:

KANSAS CITY While the traveling press corps was shipped off to a barbecue restaurant here, John McCain charmed his way through an interview with a local TV reporter. Surae Chinn of KCTV posed such less-than-penetrating questions as "How important is Missouri?" and "Have you chosen a running mate?" and -- addressing the candidate's wife, Cindy -- "How do you make your marriage work?"

Moments later, though, the Republican candidate seemed to grow annoyed with the Kansas City Star's Steve Kraske, who pressed him on his recent comment that "nothing is off the table" when it comes to strengthening Social Security.

When Kraske said that McCain presumably wasn't ruling out a payroll tax hike, McCain interrupted: "That's presuming wrong." When the reporter rephrased the question, McCain said: "If you want to keep asking me over and over again, you're welcome to."

It was a brief moment of friction that highlighted how the captain of the Straight Talk Express is having a bumpier ride with journalists than when he ran for president eight years ago. The popular image of the campaign -- McCain bantering with national journalists in the back of his bus -- has, in reality, all but vanished. The traveling press is now routinely stiffed in favor of five-minute sit-downs with local reporters.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Big0725]

Kinda funny to say this when his henchmen tossed a local reporter out of a function last Friday in Florida.

[glesslib]

Well, McCain certainly wasn't "favoring" the local reporters when he had the local black reporter in Florida sent packing. The name of the reporter's newpaper was the Tallahassee Democrat. I'm thinking some staffer thought it was a campaign button and gave the guy the boot.

As Bugs Bunny always say, "What a maroon!".

[brwnizofmine]

HIS BASE - THE MSM

[bayside]

Heard MCCain told the national press what do you want ,you little jerks.. And after they covered up his forgetful and nasty statements. Thats MCCain..National reporters, tell us the truth about MCCain. We are counting on you to help us make a critical judgement here..We depend on you..

[nellie]

"While the traveling press corps was shipped off to a barbecue restaurant here, John McCain charmed his way through an interview with a local TV reporter."

What a wonderful opening line. Barbecue—the official food of the McCain campaign.

[TeriMcCarthy]

Wait, unless you are a black reporter from Tallahasee and then you are summarily dismissed from the press gaggle, them you are not welcome at a McCain event.

[Raymondf]

Don't blame him.

[Big0725]

Why not? Doesn't the buck stop with the straight shooter?

[sosplendid]

The story starts: While the traveling press corps was shipped off to a barbecue restaurant here, John McCain charmed his way through an interview with a local TV reporter...

This is really getting out of hand. The American public deseves better than the "BBQ media" aka MSM. We need to take action. HuffPo, what can do? Write an article on that.

[gage]

Also from the article:

"Obama doesn't mingle much with his press corps either -- he made an exception on his recent world tour -- but that has never been a core part of his strategy."

[ObamAtomic]

Doug MacKinnon is a former Applebee's Restaurant executive, fired for reasons Doug believed unfair.
or
Douglas MacKinnon was press secretary to former Senator Bob Dole

Who are you? which one?

[CharlesJ]

Awwwww, McCain feels left out by the national media. I have no idea as to why he feels this way, they have been very nice to him by not holding him accountable for his own words, flipflops, omission of true facts, distortions of fact and what I see as out right lies. Heck If I were him I would be running to the National Media, of course maybe he knows the honey moon as a war hero is over.

[tedbear]

Next McCain will get a press secretary to do his double talking. McCain doesn't even have the intelligence to lie convincingly.

[robodweeb]

Republican spokesman Doug Mackinnon: "I'm not quite sure he (O b a m a) graduated from high school".

[findingthetruth]

Wait a sec ----- are these universities offering the course "Spin 101" for journalism majors now?

[DavidMG]

Soon it will be High School papers.

[AtlantaBill]

anyone not understanding why the MSM is not giving us an accurate description of McBush only needs to understand who controls the MSM: Robert Iger - Disney/ABC; Jeffrey Immelt of GE/NBC; Sumner Redstone - CBS; and Rupert Murdoch - Fox News. It's very simple when we understand that these 4 corporate icons controls what we hear and see on these networks. It is equally interesting to delve into the ownership of radio networks throughout the country. here in the south we get right-wing talk on a 24/7 basis. not being able to take the right-wing bull any longer, i recently subscribed to sat radio so that i could hear an alternative point of view when driving. that helps but the right-wing nuts dominate there as well.

[demfriend]

The saddest part of this is that even though there is the claim of the national press not being so happy with Mac they still give him passes daily and never call him on lies!! His most famous one about the raising taxes Obama "plans' on doing. Mac has said he will not raise any taxes then he has said he will on social security. His numbers on the Obama taxes is the amount after they have taken the tax breaks off of the amount that brings it down to 32,000 approx instead of starting at that number so Mac lies and gets away with it over and over. MSM may not love him but they must fear him or they are just lax in their jobs. I have little respect for what MSM has done with Mac anyway. They show his lying ads over and over for free then discuss it with their guests until it's barf time then the next show takes over and does the same. No one corrects the lies they just talk about the ad. Truth and MSM are not even related and I do miss the days when journalist cared about finding the truth instead of reporting what they are told to say.