Palin & GOP Attack Media: A Look at The Playbook

Wednesday night's Republican convention was another page out of the GOP/Karl Rove playbook that has brought them victory for decades. Here's an excerpt:

1) Don't talk about your party's disastrous policies and the results: our failing economy, declining national security and domestic infrastructure. Instead, focus on the "toughness" and "character" of your nominee, and the heartwarming personal story of your VP. Be sure to include lots of visuals of your families, especially cute kids.

2) Present yourself as outsiders who are running to clean up Washington and get rid of corruption. Don't ever mention that the unprecedented level of corruption and corporate profiteering has actually been brought by your own party, whose leaders' policies you are embracing.

3) Attack your opponent for his strengths: his charisma, his community service, and his opposition to the unpopular and failed war.

4) Above all, attack the media for questioning your VP's qualifications, and for pointing out your myriad contradictions, omissions and lies.

The last point is the key. It is hard to say who is receiving more criticism and vitriol from the McCain campaign: Barack Obama or the media. In the absence of a legitimate argument, and in the presence of half-truths and outright lies, McCain operatives are fiercely attacking news outlets that ask tough questions and dig up the truth.

During Wednesday night's speeches, Mike Huckabee blasted the "elite media". Sarah Palin said to thunderous applause, "I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone."

Here's the problem: by vetting Palin's record and experience, and asking tough questions, the media are finally doing their job. And it has nothing to do with Palin's standing with the "Washington elite" (though the cozy relationship between media, government and corporate elite is a legitimate-but-separate issue).

This week, CNN's Campbell Brown grilled McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds on Palin's clear lack of foreign policy experience. It was exhibit A of the kind of tough journalism that Americans crave, and democracy requires. Team McCain's response? Cancel a planned interview on Larry King, claiming that Brown was unfairly hard on Bounds. This highly effective strategy, in the words of Leonard Downie Jr., the executive editor of The Washington Post, is designed "to put boundaries on the press's pursuit of the Palin story."

The real question is whether the media will step up and defend their right to practice real journalism, and whether the Obama campaign will learn from the failures of Al Gore and John Kerry, and defend itself as ferociously as it is being attacked.

If history is any guide, the media will quietly ignore the GOP's attacks, while softening their critique and questioning of Team McCain. NBC political director Chuck Todd led things off, weighing in shortly after Palin's speech: "Conservatives have found their Obama." As usual, Fox did their part, with Brit Hume opining, "You see tonight that Sarah Palin has served the cause of uniting this convention quite ably." Fortune's Nina Easton called it a "home run," and Weekly Standard Executive Editor Fred Barnes said, "It's a gift. She's a natural. You can't teach this."

The press corps would do well to remind themselves of George Orwell's timeless words: "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." Fortunately, there are some winning examples of press holding Palin accountable already. Here's a quick list:

AP's Jim Kuhnhenn's superb analysis of Palin's speech.

Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer.

Columbia Journalism Review debunks Palin's environmental record.

Politico's sarcastic and spot-on apology for asking the tough questions.

CNN's Jeff Toobin:

CNN's Roland Martin:

The views expressed in this post are my own. My listed affiliation as Executive Director of Free Press is for identification purposes only and does not reflect any endorsement of these views by the organization.

Comments

[radical1]

Guess you don't like many of my comments, huh? I've seen worse that are printed.
So why do I keep trying to slay draggons? Do I like punnishment? No, I'm a person who is very, very frightened at the results of the past eight years continuing. Bush/McCain policies have effected me financially as well as many others, and it is not amusing. But we need to keep a sense of humor to keep our sanity. So if you don't like my comments, don't print them. I give up, and I should not have answered your survey either.

[Freedomofexpression]

To all those who remember the trials and tribulations black people suffer everyday. Here is your chance to get it right ! Vote for OBAMA He will help black people like no other in history could ever!

[voicemania]

"When a true genius appears, you can know (her) by this sign: that all the dunces are in confederacy against (her)."
J. Swift

[Fez]

Surely you jest. If you want to quote Jonathan Swift in reference to Sarah Palin, use "A Modest Proposal" in which Swift mocks the British policies towards the Irish and suggests that the Irish start eating their own children to deal with famine. THAT'S a theme that Sarah Palin and all the other red-meat Republicans can support.

[wilhelmR]

Thank you for mentioning me and how so many dunces are after me.
Joan, Ohio

[certainot]

the talk radio monopoly, with an avg of 20 stations per state, and limbaugh in front., leads the way.

while defending their monopoly as free speech their uncontested repetition of lies, distortions, and threats make limbaugh and co the biggest political correctness cop and censor in the country. palin is mccain's brdge to limbaugh, and while calling the palin pick brilliant, used it as the excuse to finally flip flop onto the mccain bandwagon and unite the talk radio/GOP base.

real democracy and bipartisanship is impossible in this country as long as that monopoly stands.

[SeeDaddy]

It isn't the MSM that has been asking the tough questions and digging up the truth. It's been thousands of independent bloggers doing the research and discussing what it means. Much of MSM has tapped into those blogs and have taken it from there.

Independent bloggers can find, amass and share newspaper articles, video clips, reports, and witness accounts. This voluntary collaboration on the Internet to has been done faster than the MSM organizations could have done it. A truly historic event.

It feels good to witness the electronic popular uprising againt Palin and McCain. It's much cleaner, faster and more effective than marching in the streets. This is what the First Amendment is all about. The GOP-ers don't like it because they can't pepper spray us, shoot us, arrest us, intimidate us or take pictures. And they hate it.

[roshni]

Excellent point. The MSM knows that it is likely to become extinct if people rely on independent sources for real information.

[ABBYNRML]

The media has been in bed with the McCain camp that they cannot be objective anymore. They all have been shown what they get if they write positive things and shut out of the campaign if they play ball. Yes, the Huffington Post is guilty as well. They know if they don't play ball they will be excluded and their editors will not be happy that another rival got the story. This means that we the people suffer because as they focus on Obama entirely, McCain has had gaffe after gaffe with little or no reporting on them. When the media has asked the tough questions, he continues to give his patented "I've been a POW rant" and the reporters melt away and move on. As a disabled veteran, being a P.O.W deserves respect and admiration but it does not give him a get out of answering the question card with no follow ups done. If the media had done their job, Senator Obama would be up by 20-30 points. The GOP and McCain have brought in a Bush speech writer to put Karl Roves words into her mouth and she is merely the barbie doll in their ventriloquist act. She is not called "Sarah the Baracuda" Palin for nothing and after hearing her below the belt attacks against Obama tells me that Biden needs to knock her out because she isn't going to sit there and cry.

[BorisSnaggle]

What media people can never admit is that they are duped daily by coniving politicians. The financiers of the Republican Party wanted to divert attention from the substantive issues raised by Obama (the economy and failed foreign policy). So they appointed a ditzy minor beauty contestant as VP and all eyes were on her, rather than the real prpoblems of voters.

Then when her abuse of power in the firing of a Dept. of Public Safety manager came to light they trotted out the pregancy of her child, knowing that the press will always run with sex rather than substance.

[Janelynne]

Well Sarah has a lot to answer for.

When the Bridge to nowhere got scrapped, how did Palin get to keep the $233,000,000 so Alaska could have a windfall? Alaska should have returned the money to the US Treasury.

Now that Alaska has a big piggybank provided by us, Palin is cutting a $1200 check for every man, woman, and child in the state. For her family, that is $8400, just for passing GO. That surely will keep her constituancy thankful and giving Palin high approval ratings.

I am sure that Lousianna wishes they had $230 million for extras.

This is Sarah's wasteful spending, and Sarah's hometown version of putting America first.

[Upwit]

This author does not get it and apparently many of you do not get it either. Everyone wants the main stream media to be fair and objective and ask all the questions that they want to. What most people are objecting to is the fact that they had plenty of time to vet Obama and did not. They just gave Obama a free pass and yet they ar nitpicking Sarah Palin and John McCain to death.

Their views no longer represent objective journalism as far as I am concerned. What they do instead is decide on the issues first and then try to brainwash everyone else into believing what they do. It is pretty bad when the Enquirer is more accurate than MSNBC, CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC are. These newshows have lost their credibility and I am sure it is showing up in their ratings. I have been boycotting them all for months now. If I happen to be surfing and catch a commercial on their channel, I make a point, never to buy that product.

[jpnairn]

Tucker Bounds is a spokesman. Talking to the media is his only job. But when he can't answer a simple question, the McCain camp's response is to deny the interviewer's network access to the candidate.
This is the same technique that is keeping us from seeing a lot of what is happening in Iraq. Now they're using it at home for the McCain campaign.
Sad times.

[maryo]

If you don't like what is going on with the GOP...TAKE ACTION... tonight during John McCains speech go to the OBAMA site and donate $15.00.

[SpinDizzy]

As Republicans we are not concerned with truth or accuracy. These are matters for the elitist Democrats and the liberal media. Our concern is with real people and the things that matter to them. Our campaign is not about issues but impressions.

[LeeAnnG]

Spin - I can't tell if you are serious or if this is very clever sarcasm. The part about Republicans not being concerned with truth or accuracy is right-on, as is the final sentence concerning issues and impressions. Those comments would lead me to believe your post is sarcasm, but the line about concern for "real people" leaves me in doubt. Do you actually believe Democrats aren't concerned with real people and that impressions are more important than issues, or are you being ironic here?

[JNagarya]

"Impressions" are not real people.

But we agree: the Republican Party and its drones hate truth and fact and reality. When they accuse others of being "moral relativists," they are looking in the mirror.

[frank438]

This Palin women is the hottest thing to hit the political arena in years. I can't wait for her to get into the white house. I can't wait for you dems reaction when you lose the election.

[radical1]

Ignorance or trying to be funny? I'm not sure. Ya Ya this troubled country with the Bush/McCain scorched economy certainly needs a "hot woman" in the Whitehouse to take our minds off the destruction of eight years.

[JudgeMoonbox]

Considering that McCain is the oldest first-time candidate, you probably wouldn't have to wait long for her to move from the Naval Observatory residence for the Vice President.

[MrCommonSense]

Funny how so many of the commentators seem to ignore that under Bush we did have an exceedingly low interest rate and unemployment rate and the economy was strong until 9/11, Katrina and the Mortgage crisis. The Pre-9/11 and Pre-Iraq days of America were pretty good. How quickly some forget.

[JNagarya]

And who was "in charge" on 9/11? And who LIED the country into illegally invading and illegally occupying a country that was barely a threat even to its neighbors?

And what has happened since then?

And the war crime of torture: cannot be made legal, and effort to make it legal is ALSO illegal.

Destroyed the US's moral standing in the world.

But -- right: the Republican Party isn't concerned with facts, accuracy, or morality -- only with telling the lies that will give the FALSE IMPRESSION that the Party is concerned with those.

[Davwbaird]

poppycock

[CommonSenseRules]

Yeah, like the tough questions Obama has had to deal with, right? What a joke! If you don't think the media not doing anything to find out more information about Aryes or any other friends of Obama's, but going after the stupid rumor about her 5th child really being her daughter's is a perfect example of the media being in the tank for Obama and taking their quesitoning cues from the left wing blogs.

[JNagarya]

What was the story Palin told about travelling from TX to Alaska on a 7-8 hour commercial flight while in labor? And that her baby was delivered by an expert in child sexual abuse?

Don't you find that story just a little bit bizarre? Or at least curious?

[lynettema]

The press went after the rumor to disprove it. The rumor started on the internet, not TV. But then you know that. Obama's campaign is about NO drama and McC's is all about drama. I pray that the American voter will not fall for this charade again. The Republicans have been in charge of our government for too long and our poor nation can't take it much longer.