Review: McCain gets a "Free Ride"
Here’s one "Mythbuster” that you won’t find on television, or in most other media for that matter. In their new book “Free Ride: John McCain and the Media”, authors David Brock and Paul Waldman shatter the national media’s heroic, larger-than-life portrait of Senator John McCain.
Examining an important topic in this election year, “Free Ride” documents the various storylines the media has spun and blended together to become the McCain myth. The authors explore the traditional media’s infatuation with McCain and also expose his uglier sides that the media choose to ignore.
“Free Ride’s” message is that McCain has carefully crafted a public self-image that sets him apart from other politicians.
His former prisoner of war status, his very visible break with his party on campaign finance reform and his chummy relationship with reporters have earned him a permanent get-out-of-jail-free card with the media.
As noted unapologetically on the front cover of the book, “The press loves McCain. We’re his base.” (Chris Matthews, MSNBC)
Unfortunately, Matthews’ attitude is the norm for reporters covering McCain.
Brock and Waldman serve up quote after quote of uncritical, adoring press coverage of the senator. The authors also have numbers to back up their claim of preferential treatment. Not surprisingly, in the years leading up to the 2008 election McCain has lead all politicians in mentions in the press and in coveted appearances on Sunday morning talk shows.
“Free Ride” delves into the impact that McCain’s Vietnam experience has on his image. It notes that McCain is not the first veteran in politics to be lauded for his military service, but the media’s regard for McCain’s experience takes admiration to a whole new level. Part of this appreciation comes from the media’s belief that McCain modestly avoids mentioning his Vietnam service, although Brock and Waldman are able to find numerous examples of McCain doing just that.
In fact, McCain built his 2000 presidential campaign around his military history. As the authors write, even if McCain didn’t mention his POW experience, “reporters would do it for him.”
It is obvious from quotes in the book and independent research that the authors are spot on in their analysis of the value of McCain’s military service.
McCain uses it for all it’s worth without being blamed for exploiting it. He has discovered that it’s a useful tool for getting out of tricky situations: a well positioned prisoner of war reference will stop most opponents in their tracks.
Campaign finance reform provided the perfect opportunity for McCain to make a very public break with his party.
According to “Free Ride”, the press saw the co-sponsor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill as a principled reformer who wanted to rid Washington of dirty money and would even split with his party to do so.
Brock and Waldman contend that supporting campaign finance was actually not a risky move for McCain because it was popular with the public, and even more importantly, it was popular with the media.
We’ve been told repeatedly by the media that McCain is a maverick and been given so many reverent examples of this that it is hard to distinguish whether this description is actually fact or opinion.
The authors make a strong argument that McCain is “neither a moderate nor a maverick”, but a loyal and “stout conservative.”
They argue that most politicians occasionally vote and write legislation with the other party, but when John McCain does it makes national headlines, solidifying his “maverick” reputation.
In fact, McCain’s voting record has earned him consistently strong ratings from conservative organizations like the American Conservative Union, but low ratings from progressive groups such as the People for the American Way and the League of Conservation Voters. Are these groups reading the same news as the rest of us?
The most powerful point that “Free Ride” makes is that McCain has cultivated a special relationship with the press.
This relationship is the key to his glowing media portrayal. McCain has turned the typical reporter-candidate relationship upside down. Instead of carefully parsing his words, giving each journalist the same stale talking points and limiting his accessibility, McCain “give(s) reporters exactly what they want.”
He is never off the record and he doesn’t censor himself.
His off-color and self-deprecating remarks show the press how human and “authentic” he is. After spending time on McCain’s campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express, Tucker Carlson, said, “The average journalist inevitably concluded that John McCain was about the coolest guy who ever ran for president.”
This makes me wonder if the media is asking the coolest guy the really tough questions and if they are capable of criticizing his mistakes:
Their background makes them especially fit to explore the topic of John McCain’s media free ride and they do a thorough job of citing their evidence.
David Brock is well acquainted with the conservative media since he was active in it in the 1990s. After writing a best-selling attack book on Anita Hill and an inflammatory magazine article on the Clintons he did a philosophical turnaround, eventually recanting his right-wing reporting methods and exposing the right-wing echo chamber in his 2004 book, The Republican Noise Machine. Other journalists have cast doubt on his veracity in the past, but the well-cited text and the contribution of Paul Waldman give “Free Ride” plenty of credibility.
“Free Ride” is an interesting look at the McCain-media relationship. It creates concern about how much of the real McCain Americans will see in the mainstream media during the 2008 presidential election.
Voters need the facts not warm and fuzzy cheerleading. As Brock and Waldman point out, “There may be no greater influence on the coverage a presidential candidate receives than what kind of guy reporters think he is.” Reporters, put down your pom-poms and concentrate on seeking truth and writing about it.
Examining an important topic in this election year, “Free Ride” documents the various storylines the media has spun and blended together to become the McCain myth. The authors explore the traditional media’s infatuation with McCain and also expose his uglier sides that the media choose to ignore.
“Free Ride’s” message is that McCain has carefully crafted a public self-image that sets him apart from other politicians.
His former prisoner of war status, his very visible break with his party on campaign finance reform and his chummy relationship with reporters have earned him a permanent get-out-of-jail-free card with the media.
As noted unapologetically on the front cover of the book, “The press loves McCain. We’re his base.” (Chris Matthews, MSNBC)
Unfortunately, Matthews’ attitude is the norm for reporters covering McCain.
Brock and Waldman serve up quote after quote of uncritical, adoring press coverage of the senator. The authors also have numbers to back up their claim of preferential treatment. Not surprisingly, in the years leading up to the 2008 election McCain has lead all politicians in mentions in the press and in coveted appearances on Sunday morning talk shows.
“Free Ride” delves into the impact that McCain’s Vietnam experience has on his image. It notes that McCain is not the first veteran in politics to be lauded for his military service, but the media’s regard for McCain’s experience takes admiration to a whole new level. Part of this appreciation comes from the media’s belief that McCain modestly avoids mentioning his Vietnam service, although Brock and Waldman are able to find numerous examples of McCain doing just that.
In fact, McCain built his 2000 presidential campaign around his military history. As the authors write, even if McCain didn’t mention his POW experience, “reporters would do it for him.”
It is obvious from quotes in the book and independent research that the authors are spot on in their analysis of the value of McCain’s military service.
McCain uses it for all it’s worth without being blamed for exploiting it. He has discovered that it’s a useful tool for getting out of tricky situations: a well positioned prisoner of war reference will stop most opponents in their tracks.
Campaign finance reform provided the perfect opportunity for McCain to make a very public break with his party.
According to “Free Ride”, the press saw the co-sponsor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill as a principled reformer who wanted to rid Washington of dirty money and would even split with his party to do so.
Brock and Waldman contend that supporting campaign finance was actually not a risky move for McCain because it was popular with the public, and even more importantly, it was popular with the media.
We’ve been told repeatedly by the media that McCain is a maverick and been given so many reverent examples of this that it is hard to distinguish whether this description is actually fact or opinion.
The authors make a strong argument that McCain is “neither a moderate nor a maverick”, but a loyal and “stout conservative.”
They argue that most politicians occasionally vote and write legislation with the other party, but when John McCain does it makes national headlines, solidifying his “maverick” reputation.
In fact, McCain’s voting record has earned him consistently strong ratings from conservative organizations like the American Conservative Union, but low ratings from progressive groups such as the People for the American Way and the League of Conservation Voters. Are these groups reading the same news as the rest of us?
The most powerful point that “Free Ride” makes is that McCain has cultivated a special relationship with the press.
This relationship is the key to his glowing media portrayal. McCain has turned the typical reporter-candidate relationship upside down. Instead of carefully parsing his words, giving each journalist the same stale talking points and limiting his accessibility, McCain “give(s) reporters exactly what they want.”
He is never off the record and he doesn’t censor himself.
His off-color and self-deprecating remarks show the press how human and “authentic” he is. After spending time on McCain’s campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express, Tucker Carlson, said, “The average journalist inevitably concluded that John McCain was about the coolest guy who ever ran for president.”
This makes me wonder if the media is asking the coolest guy the really tough questions and if they are capable of criticizing his mistakes:
Among the many benefits for McCain is that when he does say something problematic, reporters brush it off, to a degree they would never do with other politicians. McCain’s friendly relationship with the press functions as a protective cloak, shielding him from potentially damaging stories.Authors Brock and Waldman are CEO and senior fellow respectively, at Media Matters, a progressive research center dedicated to monitoring Republican misinformation in the media.
Brock and Waldman provide plenty of evidence of this cozy relationship and they sprinkle it throughout the book, inspiring plenty of jaw-dropping amazement.
Their background makes them especially fit to explore the topic of John McCain’s media free ride and they do a thorough job of citing their evidence.
David Brock is well acquainted with the conservative media since he was active in it in the 1990s. After writing a best-selling attack book on Anita Hill and an inflammatory magazine article on the Clintons he did a philosophical turnaround, eventually recanting his right-wing reporting methods and exposing the right-wing echo chamber in his 2004 book, The Republican Noise Machine. Other journalists have cast doubt on his veracity in the past, but the well-cited text and the contribution of Paul Waldman give “Free Ride” plenty of credibility.
“Free Ride” is an interesting look at the McCain-media relationship. It creates concern about how much of the real McCain Americans will see in the mainstream media during the 2008 presidential election.
Voters need the facts not warm and fuzzy cheerleading. As Brock and Waldman point out, “There may be no greater influence on the coverage a presidential candidate receives than what kind of guy reporters think he is.” Reporters, put down your pom-poms and concentrate on seeking truth and writing about it.
# Posted by Kathleen : 8:00 AM
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