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Macaca, Sarah Palin, GOP Media 'Strategery' and the Republican Road to Dunkirk

By Robert Stacy McCain on 8.13.09 @ 9:45PM

After years of watching the Republican Party try -- and fail -- to deal effectively with liberal media bias, conservatives may be tempted to throw up their hands in despair. However, my campaign-trail excursions last year brought me into direct contact with a major cause of this chronic problem:

To say that Republican political operatives treat reporters like dirt would be to suggest that Republican political operatives have an unusually fanatical hatred of dirt, because in more than two decades of journalism, I have never experienced the kind of frigid hostility I encountered when I went out and tried to cover the McCain campaign. ("Tried" being the key word, since it's very difficult to cover candidates who almost never hold press conferences and instruct their campaign staff not to talk to you.)
Republican leaders habitually blame media bias for all their woes, but rank-and-file Republicans need to start asking to what extent this media bias is fomented and exacerbated by the cluelessness of GOP leadership and the insulting arrogance of GOP political operatives.
H.L. Mencken once said that the only way a journalist should ever look at a politician is down. Imagine, then, a reporter's reaction when he goes out on the road to cover a candidate and finds himself being bossed around by some rudely superior-acting 23-year-old punk fresh out of a College Republican club. . . .

It's long -- 3,800 words -- but I urge conservatives to read the whole thing, if you want to know why the Republican Party's media "strategery" so often backfires disastrously.

View all comments (17) | Leave a comment

Kenn| 8.13.09 @ 10:08PM

When the media are hostile, it makes sense to avoid them.

whynot| 8.13.09 @ 10:21PM

Sarah Palin quit blogging all day long and pickup an book and educate yourself.

You truly are an embarrassment to the Republican party

FightTheSmears| 8.13.09 @ 10:44PM

To: Whynot

Perhaps you need to pick up a grammar book yourself. It's "...pickup a book", not "an book."

Fool.

Aaron| 8.13.09 @ 11:00PM

Its a good thing I have never worked closely with a campaign, on the occasion that I come in contact with the media its not worked out well in their favor. I suppose in order to fix the situation, either we conservatives could follow someone's idea of sound advice or just continue to let the left media drown themselves in their own ego driven stupidity. Look at the ratings, Fox News vs everyone else. Look at print... er... what print? Radio - no contest, locked that up years ago. My only real question is, Why hasn't Fox dominated network news like they have cable? Seems very odd to me.

Hank Archer| 8.13.09 @ 11:01PM

Actually, it's "pick up a book." Pickup is a sort of truck.

However, Republicans do have difficulties with the media and the fault is not all theirs -- I majored in journalism and most of my fellow students were ardent leftists and approached everything from that viewpoint. They easily understood and accepted Democratic positions but were confused and hostile to Republican ones.

Tina| 8.13.09 @ 11:04PM

Whynot, what a moron, no wonder our country is in such a mess.

Kenn, you're right but we hurt ourselves if we walk around with a chip on our shoulder. It makes us look like losers, too.

Solo| 8.13.09 @ 11:32PM

I seem to recall another McCain who was once the ultimate Media darling. Oh how they beamed with giddy anticipation as ole John strode onto their studio sets to poke his own party in the eye at every opportunity. Yep...real "Mavericky" he was!

Then...along came the campaign of 2008 and guess what?......they tossed him to the dogs faster than you can say "media bias".

In Benard Goldberg's book, "Bias", he documents the surveys taken of the Washington Press corps editors for the major media outlets. For every election since the Kennedy era, the media has voted democrat by margins of 89%. 89%!

As Bernie stated in his book: "...only politicians named Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro enjoy numbers like that...". Right you are, Bernie....unless you're a democrat in America with the media in your hip pocket.

It doesn't make a damn bit of difference how nice or accessible you are to these mind-numbed robots. If you're a republican, they'll cut you to pieces at every opportunity. That's why they're there.

The closer you let them get, the more dirt they'll try to 'spin' on you. The more quotes you offer them, they more they'll mis-quote you.

It never changes. The only way a republican candidate will get positive coverage from a "legacy media" reporter is to go on record claiming that you plan to vote democrat.

After all....when John McCain stop saying that, they suddenly stopped liking him. Didn't they?

Basil Plumley| 8.13.09 @ 11:43PM

@ RS McCain

That is truly an exceptional piece of work. I enjoyed it very much. It answers some of the questions that have bothered me of the last 2 election cycles.

I think Palin understands your premise quite well. I think she is doing an end run around the establishment GOP. She is using herself to get the message out instead of surrogates.
Is it working?
Hmmm ..... look at the responses in the Palin thread below. Most of the anti-Palin rhetoric is being posted by a couple of hysterical nuts. They are outnumbered yet they seem worried and continue to post.

I remember reading something Robert Novak wrote some time ago. He said that the last President to do an inpromptu interview with the media without any handlers present was Gerald Ford. That always struck me as odd.
I think Palin will be refreshing in that regard.

Your opus puts it all into proper context. Good job!

Angel| 8.14.09 @ 12:10AM

Basil, did President Ford hold the impromptu interview BEFORE or AFTER he fell down that flight of stairs?

Just askin'.

G. A. Kevis| 8.14.09 @ 12:38AM

" ... after years of watching the Republican Party try -- and fail -- to deal effectively with liberal media bias, conservatives may be tempted to throw up their hands in despair ...."

Lead sentence should have been:

" ... after years of watching the Republican Party try -- and fail -- to deal effectively with liberal media bias and RINOs, conservatives may be tempted to throw up their hands in despair ...."

Radio Free America can eclipse LMSM media bias
and primaries can weed out RINOs.

Missy| 8.14.09 @ 1:19AM

GA Kevis, so true! Imagine no RINOs in our party. What a concept.

Basil Plumley| 8.14.09 @ 1:34AM

@ Angel

You said- did President Ford hold the impromptu interview BEFORE or AFTER he fell down that flight of stairs?

I don't know but according to Novak, it was common practice in DC (pre-Carter) to have a President accessible to the media.
Not all media mind you but politicians were approachable before they became royalty.

Angel| 8.14.09 @ 1:47AM

That joke went over like a lead balloon. Oh well.

Aaron| 8.14.09 @ 10:06AM

Angle, as soon as I read the Ford comment I thought the same thing. We think alike. Thats funny. Too bad that humor is often lost on those who follow politics. Now I can't get the image of Ford tumbling out my head... and have you noticed that Obama rarely uses the handrails on the stairs? He just bounds up and down those things, may be a repeat in our future.

Tim| 8.14.09 @ 10:38AM

I think you are on to something. Come to think of it, it wasn't just the press. The only person the McCain treated with deference and respect was ...Obama.

Angel| 8.14.09 @ 2:54PM

Aaron, it was that d@mn SNL. They tick me off but I still think Chevy Chase's antics were hilarious. I've read CC sustained permanent back injuries from those skits--serves him right.

Pete| 8.16.09 @ 12:00PM

Glad I am an Independent conservative and can watch both sides make such fools of themselves. it is too bad we all loose. Palin has gone to bat and getting blasted for honesty and truth so if you don't like it, don't look, as we are being taken down the path of socialism.