Russert: ‘In Time,’ McCain Will ‘Receive The Same Scrutiny’ From The Media As Obama And Clinton
Russert: ‘In Time,’ McCain Will ‘Receive The Same Scrutiny’ From The Media As Obama And Clinton
In a New York Times/CBS News poll released earlier this week, 28% of Americans said that the media have been “easier” on Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) compared to just 12% and 22% who believe they have been “easier” on Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL), respectively. A new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism shows that McCain has received significantly less media coverage than the Democratic candidates.
During MSNBC’s primary coverage last night, Hardball host Chris Matthews described the “way the media works,” saying that the media “block the sun” and “completely ignore John McCain’s problems” while the Democratic primary campaign continues. Matthews’s colleague, Tim Russert, defended the media’s performance, saying that it is a “long campaign” and the media will get to McCain’s problems “in time”:
RUSSERT: We get flooded with e-mails, Senator McCain making a mistake on Shia versus Sunni, making mistake about the first Persian Gulf War and the second vis-a-vis oil. His own relationship with Pastor Hagee and why isn’t that talked about and reported on the way Reverend Wright’s relationship with Senator Obama is talked about. But all that in time. I mean, it is only May. This has been going on for some time but it will be a long, long campaign. And when Senator McCain is back in the media’s light, he’ll receive the same scrutiny.
Watch it:
Russert — who recently told Don Imus that McCain has been given a “grace period” to get his campaign in shape — isn’t the only journalist to defend McCain’s soft gloves treatment.
In an online chat last month, the Washington Post’s Shailagh Murray told readers who wanted a greater focus on McCain to “just wait” because he will “will get his fair share of scrutiny” after “the primary battle is over.” Another Post reporter, however, tried to defend the media’s derelict coverage:
ABRAMOWITZ: I don’t think McCain is being cut a break by the press for verbal miscues: When he confused the Sunni and the Shia, the press was on it immediately.
As Media Matters has documented and Russert seemingly acknowledges, major media outlets routinely fail to report on McCain’s “verbal miscues.”
Transcript:
MATTHEWS: Do you think they’re aware the way the media works? I was explaining this to a group of students the other night, that, you know, as long as we focus on the the fight between Hillary and Barack, and perhaps more recently just on Barack’s problems, it blocks the sun — the media, the public’s attention — from the problems that are incipient and coming to be at some point with McCain. His problem with the war, which is unpopular, his problem with the economy, which very unsteady right now. The more we focus on the Jeremiah Wright story, the less we focus on Hillary’s problem with candor and the more we completely ignore John McCain’s problems. Do you think the Democratic war horses know as long as there’s a fire going on in one of the rings, the Barack Obama ring, we’re not going to vote as much on John McCain’s weaknesses.RUSSERT: yes. they believed initially ignoring the McCain campaign was beneficial and helpful to the Democrats. But as this is has gone on, they see in their minds, we get flooded with e-mails, Senator McCain making a mistake on Shia versus Sunni, making mistake about the first Persian Gulf War and the second vis-a-vis oil. His own relationship with pastor hagee and why isn’t that talked about and reported on the way Reverend Wright’s relationship with Senator Obama is talked about. But all that in time. I mean, it is only May. This has been going on for some time but it will be a long, long campaign. And when Senator McCain is back in the media’s light, he’ll receive the same scrutiny.
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Russert: ‘In Time,’ McCain Will ‘Receive The Same Scrutiny’ From The Media As Obama And Clinton
Hey Timmeh
What are you all , too busy to report on the screw-ups that simply define McWalkingCalamity ?
Yeah , too busy bashing Ms Clinton and Obama ……….Tool
May 7th, 2008 at 5:06 pmABRAMOWITZ: I don’t think McCain is being cut a break by the press for verbal miscues: When he confused the Sunni and the Shia, the press was on it immediately.
______________________________________________
Has anyone done a LexisNexis search to find the number of mentions of McCain’s continued Sunni/Shia gaffes and compare it to the number of mentions of Obama’s “bitter” quote? How about comparing the mentions of Hagee to the mentions of Wright? How about comparing the mentions of McCain talking about Iraq and oil to Hillary’s sniper fire story?
Yes, I would like all candidates to get the same scrutiny, and I would like the scrutiny to be fair. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:06 pmDo we really want a resident who cannot tell the difference between Shia and Sunnis? That seems like good information to have if you are trying to play in the ME, doesn’t it? So, if McSame doesn’t know about national security, womens rights, voters rights, economics, the ME, the GI bill, etc…Just what is it that earns him votes? Because he breathes?
May 7th, 2008 at 5:08 pm‘resident’ should be ‘president’. Me types too fast.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:08 pmJust ask Cheney and his people about Russert’s place in the neocon noise machine.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:09 pm“IN TIME” = 12/12/08
May 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pmTim is so full of it. He has attacked Obama and Clinton on behalf of the GOP from the beginning. Yes his friends sit him up with the Libby case but Tim is to far in the Crime Family to get out. When Rev. Wright issue became front page, Tim talk about Obama like a dog and counted him out. Now Tim like a true snake sees Obama is close to winning so he sucks up to Obama as if nothing he said before counted. Tim Russert almost bagged people to believe him during the Libby trial so much that NBC gave a special with Tim’s Dad for support. Now Tim is looking to keep his job and fool the stupid Democrats by sucking up to Obama in hopes of being an insider and keeping his job. Most of the reporters that help spread the Bush propaganda are slowly changing their positions in hopes of sticking around. Tweety is a joke and so is O’Reilly. Tim has shown his viewers he’s a liar and will do/say anything to keep his job. What Tim forgets is there are the video tapes that show what he has said before. Tim showed long ago he’s racist and sexist and now he’s all about the brother. I guess Tim feels the American people feel for the tricks Bush/Cheney have played for 7 years and it worked he can now do the same thing. I’ll be glad when MSNBC/NBC clean house and get honest reporters.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pmAre we sure we want to use up all the good stuff now? Maybe there’s advantage in keeping the McCain baggage fresh for the general election.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pmSince this clip was media interviewing media (gag) Tweety never took the opportunity to ask why the media never took McNutzi to task on any of the stupid things that left his mouth during the Republican debates or any other time before that race was decided. It isn’t as if he started saying stupid things only after he clinched the nomination. It isn’t as if he only started pandering to the religious right after he clinched. It isn’t as if he waited to make his “100 years” comment until after the delegates were in the bag. If you don’t scrutinize the candidates before the nomination you aren’t doing your job Timmy.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:13 pmI saw that last nite and nearly spewed all over my keyboard. This complete abdication of journalistic responsibility is inexcusable. By the time Russert, Murphy and the rest get around to “scrutinizing” McCain his recent multiple acts of complete stupidity will be second hand news. It’s crucial for these “journalists” to be examining McCain past, present and future.
Fer chrisakes this bat shit crazy idiot is running for President!
-AF
May 7th, 2008 at 5:13 pmAndrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
clb72 Says:
——————————————————————————–
Are we sure we want to use up all the good stuff now? Maybe there’s advantage in keeping the McCain baggage fresh for the general election.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
If McScarFace is incompetent now (and he is) , why wait to state that ?
The MSM is not looking to keep it “fresh” ; they are a part of the GOP machine.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:14 pmCLB72; Under no circumstances should anyone pay any attention to the incident in which McIIIrd, in front of a gaggle or reporters, when his wife tousled his thinning pate, he said something to the effect that at least he didn’t trowel his makeup on like a trollop, c*nt! That would not be any indication that he disrespects his family and spouse, nor is it an indication of how easily he loses his temper and control…
May 7th, 2008 at 5:15 pmAfter all, this is only for the Office of the President, its not like its important to keep this on the front burner 24/7 or anything…..
not with American Idol and Survivor almost to their finales and McDreamy doing whatever he does on his show….
May 7th, 2008 at 5:18 pmAmericans usually get the president they deserve, which is why I’m depressed over a McCain administration.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:21 pmwonder when that time might be…Tim?
May 7th, 2008 at 5:25 pmclb72 Says:
——————————————————————————–
Are we sure we want to use up all the good stuff now? Maybe there’s advantage in keeping the McCain baggage fresh for the general election.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
No need to worry about that. There is always a fresh batch coming in. Remember the commercial, “Eat all you want, we’ll make more.” Same for McCainisms.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:28 pmThey have to make sure they SwiftBoat Obama as much as possible before they continue to praise McSame.
We know their game plan and we are not fooled.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:31 pmclb72 Says:
Are we sure we want to use up all the good stuff now? Maybe there’s advantage in keeping the McCain baggage fresh for the general election.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
1. The public always lags behind the reality, so say what is real and happening as it happens over and over again. By November the public will see the picture t5hat the conventional media does not want them to see.
2. “Baggage” is never fresh. It always stinks. Sprinkling perfume on a turd really does not change the smell.
3. The reality of McBush is that he will be continually putting his foot in his mouth about one thing or another. There will be a huge amount of “new” stuff all the time.
The time has come to aggressively attack the neocon cabal with the truth, their failings and their insane behavior. Hanging back passively is a loser’s game!
May 7th, 2008 at 5:33 pmJebus. Gonna need a boxcar to haul away that load of BS…
May 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pmI know, I know…it will be 3 AM and everyone will be asleep.
If the realization that McCain is super incompetent doesn’t sink in, it will because nobody heard that 3 AM scrutiny.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pmanymouse19 Says:
Oops, sorry…. wrong thread. This was meant for the open thread.
I don’t believe TP has an ‘open thread’. Maybe your mistake was not mistaken?
May 7th, 2008 at 5:47 pmDid anyone listen to what he said? I watched that exchange last night and appreciated his comments.
Most of you are missing the point completely.
Right now, the media is justifiably focused on the “contest”, which is Obama v. Clinton.
Obama v. McCain is not the story YET.
Russert indicated that he is aware of those stories, and pretty clearly implied that they will be covered at length once the Dems sort out their nominee.
This is actually good for Sen. Obama. Let’s see his reaction to the Wright story and everything else, so that by the time November rolls around, it will be old news.
Sunni/Shiite, the general incompetence of McCain, and the fact that McCain sought the endorsement of Hagee will be the fresh news. That’s what people will be talking on later on.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:49 pmanymouse19 Says:
Considering Obama never served on a SwiftBoat or otherwise, that will not be possible.
HaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaHaaaaaaa. Another “funny” troll
Oops, sorry…. wrong thread. This was meant for the open thread.
Really. You are obviously on the wrong website completely! Your mind dances and leaps in confusion. Just how many sites are working at one time? With your great “cut and paste” ability it is no wonder you have had nothing thoughtful to say here on TP.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:54 pmNo problem….It’s good news. I am glad that Daimler is considering doing business once again in Iraq. Anything we can do to get their economy up and running is a good thing. Now if we can get the power and sewage issues cleaned up, we just might be on our way.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:55 pmI am ashamed to say I saw it live, and have watched and read the commentary by the two old hands of NBC punditry, that which seems like a bird, and the other that resembles a potato. I see it slightly differently.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:56 pmThey realize that Obama would be the nominee last night. They were overflowing with their pain that Clinton couldn’t pull it out. Keith put both of them in a hole they could never climb out of with a few simple asides that he directed at the “press” in general. The two of them both realized their careers are in for a major makeover due to previous statements of racism and misogyny. They have let slip that their hope for the future is worthless if the idea not was not created by a white male.
They may not find “business as usual” works for them any longer and they would have to attempt to become journalists. Something their work has never qualified them for.
Mister Potato Head is a moron. It’s to the point I wanna barf every time I see his big fat dome on tv.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:57 pmI believe Mr. Russert’s statement is evidence in and of itself that the press is giving McCain a pass. Delaying any critical review of Mr. McCain, his statements, or his actions, is no different than not doing it at all.
There is no time like the present. Go ahead and begin. We’re tired of waiting, and we’ve waited long enough.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:00 pmSomewhat O/T:
Limbaugh comes out for Obama
May 7th, 2008 at 6:01 pmLast night, I noticed that in Indiana Hillary got the majority of those without college degrees. Now, mind you, I do not have a college degree, but, it occurred to me that that was interesting. The more educated a person, the more likely they were to vote for Obama.
Of course, Limp___ is now using that against Obama.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:03 pmOT, but just found on Politico..
Shellshocked House Republicans got warnings from leaders past and present Tuesday: Your party’s message isn’t good enough to prevent disaster in November, and neither is the NRCC’s money.
The double shot of bad news had one veteran Republican House member worrying aloud that the party’s electoral woes — brought into sharp focus by Woody Jenkins’ loss to Don Cazayoux in Louisiana on Saturday — have the House Republican Conference splitting apart in “everybody for himself” mode.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:03 pmFull story Here
Well consider how much of the media and press is owned by the few long standing Republican backers why is anyone surprised? Your language is that of the signature on your paycheck.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:04 pmThe sad thing is that the nonsense on talk radio and FAUX news takes its toll. This morning I read an article in which a man at a diner where Obama was campaigning said that he would never vote for Obama because he was a Muslim and hated America.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:06 pmmary, my parents, both in their 80s brought up the ‘fact’ that Obama was raised as a muslim. Propaganda works. When I countered with the facts, then they went to ‘Michelle Obama is a radical’. Geebutz.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:11 pmI’m going to visit them weekly with passages from “The Audacity of Hope”, and just hope I can get through…
Stupid people shoudn’t be allowed to vote, Mary.
Good grief.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:13 pmRE: Stupid people in 2004 I actually heard people say, “better the devil you know than the one you don’t.” Referring to voting for bush over Kerry. And this from a college professor, so stupid hits all walks of life.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm“But all that in time.
Sure… and in the fall, Timmeh’s excuse will be that it’s old news.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:23 pmRussert is no Lawrence Spivak and “Meet the Press” has become just another right wing spin machine under Russert’s heavy hand and mediocre intellect.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:43 pmRussert looked like the cat that swallowed the canary the whole time he was talking. You’re not as clever as you think Tim, if you’re not careful you’ll be working at Fox News before long.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:45 pmMightymouse0 @ 20: You don’t have a clue do ya? Swiftboating is now a generic term used to describe smearing and lieing about ones political opponent. It’s straight from the KKKarl Rove playbook. There’s ALOT of stupid people in this country that will believe anything.Hence so many dildo-heads and loofa fans.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:36 pmRight. Has anyone checked on ABCs ratings lately? Is Timmeh feeling the heat?
May 7th, 2008 at 9:37 pmRussert: ‘When Hell Freezes Over,’ McCain Will ‘Receive The Same Scrutiny’ From The Media As Obama And Clinton»
May 7th, 2008 at 10:20 pmthis is all bullsh!t; we saw how fast everyone distanced themselves from the nyt piece on McCain’s lobbyist affair.
that is how it will continue to be; the “grace period” will never end.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:15 amWHEN ???????????????
May 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am“Russert: ‘In Time,’ McCain Will ‘Receive The Same Scrutiny’ From The Media As Obama And Clinton”
Rrrrriiiiight
May 8th, 2008 at 11:29 amspecialist f-
May 9th, 2008 at 9:27 amYour’re right about there being ALOT of stupid people out there. How else can you explain Nobama’s support. People actually believe things would change if he’s elected. I can understand the young (18-24) voters falling for this since most of them aren’t out in the real world yet. Plus this age group has never delivered and this year won’t be any different. Remember “Rock the Vote” and “Vote or Die”? That’s basically what happened to John Kerry. His campaign died on election day. Losing to Bush by 3 million votes. How pathetic.
Nobama speaks in such general terms, nobody knows exactly where he stands on any one issue. Ask just about any one of his supporters what will change and how will it be accomplished. Just sit back and wait for the deer in the headlights look. They can’t be blamed though for the look since there are no details out there.
McCain has been getting a free pass while Hilliary trys to make herself the nominee in 2012. Things will get alot tougher for both of them once Hilliary is out of the picture. McCain will get more attention from the networks, papers like the New York Times and MSNBC. (Granted only a handful of people watch MSNBC) Nobama will get a little more attention from these media outlets but not too much since they’ll be cheering him on. He will of course be hammered by FOX and radio talk shows.
Being a member of the Democratic party I think we will keep on losing elections, including this one, as long as we keep on nominating someone from the far left. The farther you go from the middle, the less support you’ll receive. This will actually help McCain since he’s not as conservative as alot of Republicans would like. Moveon.org and other 529 groups are killing this party by supporting only the most liberal candidates. They just don’t get it. It will really be over if/when Michael “Kiss of Death” Moore gives his support to Nobama.
It’s a shame in a country of 300 million (about 285 if you’re counting those here legally) we don’t have any better choices then the 3 stooges.