John McCain’s Love Affair With The Liberal Media Is On The Rocks

by John Hawkins | April 11, 2006 12:22 am

“The mainstream media loves John McCain and they regularly write fawning articles referring to him as a “maverick” and a “straight-talker.” Because of this, McCain polls well among Democrats and Independents.

However, the reason McCain is so well liked by the media is because they’re liberals and they love it when he trashes other Republicans. But, what would happen if John McCain actually became the Republican nominee? The same members of the mainstream media who gush over him today would turn on him in a Minnesota minute and once his great press ended, his poll numbers with Independents and Democrats would start to drop precipitously.” — John Hawkins: March 15, 2006[1]

Actually, the left has started turning on McCain even earlier than I anticipated. From Howard Kurtz’s column in the WAPO[2] yesterday:

“New York Times columnist Paul Krugman: “It’s time for some straight talk about John McCain. He isn’t a moderate. He’s much less of a maverick than you’d think. And he isn’t the straight talker he claims to be.”

Arianna Huffington, the author and blogger, says she “admired” and “loved” McCain. But, she writes, “watching a true American hero hang a For Sale sign on his principles is a profoundly sad thing.”

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne: “If McCain spends the next two years obviously positioning himself to win Republican primary votes, he will start to look like just another politician. Once lost, a maverick’s image is hard to earn back.”

The American Prospect’s Mark Schmitt writes that people should “have no illusions: McCain is a very conservative Republican who has now embarked on the project of reaffirming his position as the rightful heir to Barry Goldwater’s politics as well as his Senate seat.”

This goes to show what a foolish mistake it would be to support McCain because of “electability.” McCain’s popularity is a castle built on sand. He has polled well with Dems & Independents because liberals say nice things about him. They say nice things about him because he attacks other Republicans, which helps Democrats. So, what happens when McCain becomes a threat to Democrats instead of helping them? Liberals start attacking him and the whole daisy chain falls apart.

Here’s some real “straight talk:” Republicans couldn’t make a bigger mistake in 2008 than having John McCain as their candidate….well, OK, Chuck Hagel would be a bigger mistake — but you get the idea.

Endnotes:
  1. John Hawkins: March 15, 2006: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2006_03_12.PHP#005365
  2. WAPO: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040901291_pf.html

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