Reading The Pictures: The McCain Buffalo Chip (Un-)Cover-Up

Only the wildly hypocritical McCain could have made the scene at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at the Buffalo Chip campground in Sturgis, S.D. and escaped any blowback from the wild debauchery and female exploitation that characterized the event.

And, as an act of collusion, the media totally blinked, particularly the visual media.

Out of the measly eight AP photos made available on the wire, four were rather distant crowd shots, one was a thoroughly romanticized shot of the McCain bus pulling out of the dusty fairgrounds at sunset, and another offered John and Cindy walking alongside their bus, an American flag soaking up more than half of the scene.

But then, I'm sure John and Cindy had no idea when they were posing in front of this t-shirt rack that the front of one of the shirts was showing -- although I did appreciate this attempt at a coded allusion to the ambiance offered by AP, via CBS:

McCain and his wife, Cindy, paused at several points to examine the products and their labels, with Cindy McCain quipping that the entourage could use some to cure campaign trail ills.

Certainly this is one of those instances where a photographer, in a discreet way, in a photo almost guaranteed not to run anywhere, records at least one picture in order to call bullshit on how the media fails to cover (or uncover) McCain.

For more of the visual, visit BAGnewsNotes.com.

(image: Mary Altaffer/AP. August 4, 2008, Sturgis, S.D.)

Follow Michael Shaw on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bagnewsnotes

Comments

[UltraClassic]

Jesus H Christ folks, it's a friggen bike rally for Christ's sake! Folks, drink, chicks flash and a good time is had by all. It is no different than a weekend in the French Quarter in New Orleas.

For a group of people that are supposed to be enlightened, I sure see a lot of liberals and leftist democats who are "shocked, I tell you, shocked." Is it because a fair number of these people will vote McCain? Are some of you people going to get your noses so bent out of shape at the next "gay pride parade?"

Get over it and find something else to harnag this man over.

[Herekitty]

This is what goes on at motorcycle rallies, this one was in the Austin, TX area in June.
http://urbangrounds.com/2007/06/04/rot-07-pictures/
This is not something I would want my President to attend.

[lady49]

EXACTLY!!!
I don't begrudge ANYONE A LITTLE FUN.........
Mind you, this trip was INTENTIONAL...THE SCRIPT McCAIN read from was INTENTIONAL.....


BUT would McCAin garner a crowd of over 200,000 people in Berlin looking to him to represent America and her respect around the world? What would the world leaders think of McCain after this?


Especially after the "Buffallo chip" comment?

[hrayovac]

I agree with UltraClassic. This is the US, not Vienna, Austria. And a brief note on Harley-D..It's great American company that treats its workers with dignity and generous union benefits and sharing options.
Now, for the benefit of those of you who never venture out of the big, supposedly sophisticated cities, naked girl contests is who we are (or who we've become)..mad beer-guzzlers who cheer hoarsly at just the sight of a naked person, regardless of their actual virtues, wisdom or character. And it costs to be rowdy, by the way. Owning a bike, maintenance and storing ain't cheap. What you have is what's left of the middle-income weekender folks who are obsessed with their machines and their booze because it somehow eases the pain of life. It's America. And I have no problem with it. Let's hire Obama to get our boys and girls back home from Asia so that they too can kick back a bit now and then. McCain doesn't give a crap for you or me ..just ask any veteran.

[donaldw6]

I'm not shocked at all. I just think it's pathetic that it felt like this was such a big deal to John, his big chance to be in front of lots of people, even if they were really only there to ogle, and that he even offered up his wife to be part of the ogling. I'm not disgusted by the event, or by his attendance. I'm disgusted by him.

[bayside]

Can you imagine the double standerd if Obama had been there. We would have heard about this for weeks.

[in4success]

and why shouldn't they blink when journalists like yourself side-step around the truth: the MSM is owned and operated by the fascist, corporate media. the fascist corporate media is in the bag for john mccain so they can continue to run the country and the world with the corrupt world bank and the greedy, treasonous bastards in the oil and wall street sectors.

mccain's their stooge . . . a major dysfunctioning puppet just like bush. a myth. a facade.

speak truth to power and stop acting like it's an enigma why the media gives him such passes. it will serve america and the world far better.

[MsDoc]

I am perplexed.

First we have the endless purient interest in the "biker extravagana" at Sturgis. I'd bet most of these participants go home, put their hogs in the garage, and go to work... doctors, lawyers, accountants, and the guys who fix things that don't work. Surely the Woodstock generation can understand THAT.

Had John McC not shown up ( deliberately, I'm sure ) and made a total mysoginistic idiot of himself, the MSM wouldn't have paid any attention at all.

The issue is certainly not O'bama. He wasn't there, he wouldn't have been there...fini.

So the issue comes down to the same thing it has been all along. Why does it appear the MSM gives McC so many passes on so many blatant blunders? I would think that he would be being pilloried by the press and this just doesn't seem to be generally happening. I suspect that they really want to have a political horse race, and if there isn't really going to be one, they'll do their level best to create one.

THIS is dangerous. McC's comments concerning his wife are revolting and inappropriate, and his lapses frightening in a presidential prospect, but the selective blindness of the press could eventually shift the voting populace who count on them for a fair and balanced presentation of the facts. We seem to get more direct news from the comedians than we do from the nightly news.

So why do we let them get away with it?

[JonW]

Great to see Johnny McCain perform at the Dakota bikers rally. His ribald humor and stage presence
demonstrates that "he is ready" to be MC at HOOTERS come January!!

[SamBrown]

CNN did cover McCain's big Sturgis rally and I thought "Hmm, the 'family values' folks are going to LOVE those pictures."
CBS on the same evening showed McCain walking through a factory in Ohio and didn't mention the biker rally at all. I thought that a little odd.
Can any semi-objective person really believe that if Obama was at a biker rally that every single network wouldn't have shown the images of bikers and their scantily-clad "old ladies" extensively?

[banderasbay]

After seeing and hearing John McC at the Buffalo Chip Festival; I cannot understand anyone voting for him.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Which is exacty why Corporate Media buried this story.

[tjconkster]

If I referred to my ex wife or my current wife by the C word, not only would I be slapped and deservingly so, I would end up sleeping outside. Then compound that with offering them up to a topless beauty contest and a rape joke, I know that I would be heading to divorce court.

But, McCain just skates along, the media laughs, the audience laughs and women's groups give him a pass. I can't see the logic! This guy is running for the highest office in the land and is supposed to be held to a higher standard. Bill was impeached for a sex act, Obama is called out for playing the race card.

When will we see the "Old white haired dude" called out for sexism, bigotry and his other gaffes?

Oh I forgot he's the original "Maverick" .

[kravitz]

I guess Hillary's supporters want to be that topless and bottomless biker babe of every man's dreams, so they're not that upset.

NYT downplayed it and missed it was a prepared remark.

Like I said, there is much more in McCain's tank than Hess Gasoline.

[NKR]

"And, as an act of collusion, the media totally blinked, particularly the visual media."

CNN covered this event & McCain's comments about Cindy. MSNBC (obviously) covered it.

[Ramirez]

I saw it on CNN.

They didn't do closeups of T-shirts though.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Did they show him pimping his wife for the topless contest?
(Hint: no)

Would they have done so if it was Obama?
(Hint:YES)

[DanniD]

I'm wondering why HRC is not all over this. Being one of the few remaining First Ladies, I just knew she'd have taken offense to the remark and hammered him on it by now. Being the devoted Dem that she is.

[cbates]

I thank you for this article and your observations. I see some of the samethings you are publishing. The question is how do you get the media to publicise this double standard. Sure I'm a Barack supporter and at the same time he should have a level playing field provided by the media. Let Barack go to the million man march, or some other event that is not attended by the majority population he will be labeld a racist or extremist.

I'm happy that he pushed back on ABC and hopefully others who are saying to each and every minority keep your place and do not try and participate in the mainstream of American life.

[theplaintrutho1]

By the end of the day, I expect to see most, if not all, of those HillBot PUMAss types going crazy that MAC. misogynist His wife or any women to that extent. Sure, I believe in any persons rights to choose foolishness while degrading themselves. You all remember, the husband that gets drunk and puts the lampshade on his head at the neighbors party.
But now we're talking about a potential "First-Lady" here. Or any lady, matter of fact.

So where are all the PUMA's and Hill-Bots now?

What happen to the Jackie, Ellenor & Elizabeth's etc?

I guess the PUMA's have no use for those ladies, because the didn't get a chance to vote for their girl.

[TrooAmerican]

Remember when the Former Mrs. McCain was dumped by her hubby while in the hospital for Cindy?
and her answer was later on that Johnny didnt want to be a 40 yr old, he wanted to be a 25 yr old again.
Maybe thats why he seems to have an obsession with Hot chicks in his 70s. Britney, Paris, Cindy in a topless debauchery contest that includes Domestic violence daily....???!!??
Maybe he wants to go back to his days as a drunken fighting, swearing, womanizing punk at age 25 again.

[gdenco]

And Barack is vilified for eating Arugula.

[FirstShirt]

I hae no idea what Arugula is but I defend to the death his right to eat it.