On the 6/27/08 McLaughlin Group show, John McLaughlin introduced an interesting topic for debate amongst the group (video clip below). For those who are unfamiliar with McLauglin Group, here's a brief description:
The McLaughlin Group is a syndicated half-hour weekly public affairs television program in the United States, where a group of five pundits discuss current political issues in a round table format. It has been broadcast since 1982, and is sponsored by MetLife. Moderator John McLaughlin, along with three of the four commentators — Monica Crowley, Pat Buchanan, and Eleanor Clift — are usually present alongside one "guest" commentator. A typical episode focuses on three or four issues. Each issue is introduced and briefly explained by McLaughlin, and then an open debate begins. The conversation is usually sedate at the beginning of each program, but as opposing viewpoints emerge there is more verbal rough-housing, good-natured gamesmanship and loud crosstalk, which are the show's trademarks. The lively give-and-take gives the show much energy, and the participants are quite knowledgeable about the mechanics of politics, which adds a bit of "insider" weight to their opinions.
I've been watching the show the last several years, and John has his moments. He was a staunch anti-Iraq war opponent even when such a stance was unpopular. He did irritate me quite a bit during the primaries because he was less than neutral in his support of Hillary, often at the expense of painting Obama with Republican talking points (one show comes to mind where he tried to paint Obama as unpatriotic with the flag pin and pledge of allegiance crap).
Now that we're in general election mode, I'm hoping John McLaughlin starts calling out the mainstream media's bias in favor of McCain more often as he did in this segment:
I loved the quotes he used to portray the mainstream media's love affair with McCain--I just wished he provided the sources for the quotes. "Kind of like a Martin Luther" was my favorite. More interesting was the reaction of some of the panel members who thought these were old quotes, when in reality they were from recent press statements. In addition, Pat Buchanan was pretty strident when he insisted the media's "love affair" with McCain is "dead" and "over." I couldn't tell if Buchanan was trying to generate sympathy for McCain or whether he was having one of his rare moments of truth telling.
It's not hard to believe that media still gives Mcain a free ride in the press, especially after we see this stupid hit piece in today's Washington Post about Obama's home loan. This media bias in favor of McCain at least goes back to 1998 when Salon Magazine reported that the media was not openly reporting the cruel joke McCain told about Chelsea Clinton:
The fact that McCain had made the tasteless joke was reported in major newspapers, as was the vain attempt by his press secretary to initially deny what McCain had done. But in several major newspapers, the joke itself was kept a secret. When McCain subsequently apologized to President Clinton, the Washington Post, in its personality section, noted the apology but said the joke "was too vicious to print."
But the joke revealed more than a mean streak in a man who would be president. It also exposed how the Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times play favorites when reporting the foibles of our leading politicians.
There's also (thankfully) been a recent book written about this, appropriately entitled "Free Ride: John McCain and the Media." Some excerpts from this book were posted on Huffington Post. Just check the similarity of some the quotes from the media during McCain's 2000 presidential run and the ones that John McLaughlin had on his show this week:
But calling McCain's coverage positive does not begin to convey the complexity of his singular status in the media. In a hundred ways, the rules are simply different for McCain. Indeed, when writing about McCain, journalists offer a unique brand of praise. Here are a few of the things hard-bitten reporters said about McCain during his 2000 run for the presidency:
"A man of unshakable character, willing to stand up for his convictions." (R.W. Apple, New York Times)
"An original, imaginative, and at times inspiring candidate." ( Jacob Weisberg, Slate)
"Mr. McCain is running as the blunt anti-politician who won't lie, who won't spin." (Alison Mitchell, New York Times)
"While most candidates talk up their chances, McCain engages in anti-spin." (Howard Kurtz, Washington Post)
"He rises above the pack in admitting it's not all the other party's fault. He's eloquent, as only a prisoner of war can be." (David Nyhan, Boston Globe)
"McCain conveys a great sense of vigor, a sense that anything can happen on his campaign." ( Roger Simon, U.S. News & World Report)
"There's something authentic about this man." (Mike Wallace, 60 Minutes)
"Basically just a cool dude." ( Jake Tapper, Salon)
Sound familiar? According to the authors of this book, there is a "myth" mystique about McCain that the media promotes:
Even as his 2008 campaign experienced some early stumbles and he did things that seemed to call into question the foundations of his image, the Myth of McCain remained intact. The myth consists of the following ideas:
John McCain is a maverick.
John McCain is a moderate.
John McCain is a straight talker.
John McCain is a reformer.
John McCain doesn't do things just because they're politically expedient.
Just about all you need to know about John McCain's character is that he showed courage as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
John McCain has too much integrity to use his war record to his political advantage.
I'm glad that members of Dailykos are acting as myth busters, but we need to continue to hold the mainstream media accountable as much as possible.