Free Ride: John McCain and the Media (Paperback)

~ (Author), Paul Waldman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

McCain has received more favorable press than other politicians and has been portrayed as a moderate, a maverick, and a reformer. Brock and coauthor Waldman assert that that image is mythical, maintained by an elite national press that is carefully courted by McCain. In fact, McCain is quite politically conservative and has often said so. Moreover, the authors claim that after 25 years in politics, McCain is no maverick either. Even on the campaign reform act that partly bears his name, McCain’s position is less substantively meaningful and less risky than has been portrayed. The authors examine national press coverage versus the coverage of local media in Arizona, where he is better known. They also detail how McCain’s courting of the media has resulted in a bias in his favor. The national press has overlooked McCain’s record as well as his character flaws and shortcomings. The media has found virtue even in his poor performance in the 2000 presidential election, attributing it to the fact that he is not like other politicians. Failure to scrutinize McCain more closely, the authors conclude, is an object lesson in the media’s skewed political coverage. --Vanessa Bush

Review

“The press loves McCain. We're his base.”
—Chris Matthews, MSNBC

“John McCain is clearly the Washington media's favorite Republican.” —Brit Hume, Fox News

“The media, of course, loves John McCain because it seems like he's back to the old John McCain.” —David Shuster, MSNBC

“I think every last one of them [reporters] would move to Massachusetts and marry John McCain if they could.”
—Joe Scarborough, MSNBC


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Advanced Reading Copy edition (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307279405
• ISBN-13: 978-0307279408
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #666,664 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Will the Real John McCain Please Stand Up?, June 9, 2008

By	!Edwin C. Pauzer (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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John McCain is a marketing phenomenon who has been able to project an image that entirely belies his real self according to the authors Brock and Waldman. He sells it to the press who sell it to the rest of the nation.

He is styled as a self-effacing war hero who never likes to bring up his captivity in public, except he continually manages to do so. Phrases like: "I haven't been asked so many questions since I was interrogated in Hanoi," or "I missed Woodstock, I was someplace else," or "Well, the longest place I lived was in Hanoi for five and a half years." (He actually grew up in the suburbs outside of D.C.). Even though the Senate and the House of Representatives are filled with people who served honorably and bravely, their names are never associated with their experience. For John McCain, the press will mention this experience of yesteryear almost as if it is a subtitle every time his name is written or spoken. On the other hand, if John Kerry mentions his service to his country, it won't be long before the media will accuse him of trying to exploit his record for political gain--not so for the Arizona senator.

John McCain is a maverick and a moderate. If a maverick is defined as a person who goes against the grain and is willing to take risks, particularly political ones, he isn't it. John McCain has only bucked his party on issues that have already been popular with the public such as finance reform, immigration, and tobacco. His bill at finance reform was toothless to the point of being ineffectual except in helping republicans. Although against lobbying, McCain has a number of lobbyists who have, and are working on behalf of his campaign.

Real mavericks such as Russ Feingold who was the only one to vote against the Patriot Act, a truly unpopular thing to do shortly after the attack of 9/11, is never referred to in the media as a maverick. Other republicans such as Lincoln Chaffee, Susan Collins, and Olympia Snowe have voted against their own party far more often than the "media-labeled maverick."

McCain, the "moderate" has voted more often with his party than almost anyone else, and that means voting conservative. Over his legislative lifetime, he has averaged 80% voting the party line. The "Christian Coalition of America," as well as "Concerned Women of America," who want to bring "biblical principles into all levels of public policy," gave him high ratings. This is hardly the mark of a centrist. Surprisingly, the media make the excuse that McCain is making these concessions to achieve a worthy goal. According to the media, this is pandering to the party base by other politicians, but since their "intuition" is that it makes McCain "uncomfortable," it is a measure of his strength and character.

He is a straight-shooter. Unfortunately, no one has waffled or flip-flopped more than a large stack, in the past eight years than McCain on tax cuts, ethanol, intelligent design, marriage, and anti-gay discrimination. The only thing he hasn't appeared to change his mind on is Roe v. Wade because no one knows for sure exactly where he stands having flip-flopped from against repeal, to indifference, to for its repeal.

Legislators in both houses frequently work both sides of the aisle to come to agreement and pass laws. When McCain has done it, it was because he was putting principle above party, when it has been others, the media reports how they have been pandering to the right or left e.g. Hillary Clinton said that reducing abortions could happen by providing greater funding for birth control, an issue she has always held. However, it didn't take long for the media to claim that she was pandering to the right, and sacrificing her principles.

The other free ride is that McCain is a man of character, which has been summed up by his experience as a prisoner of war. Nothing is mentioned of McCain's involvement in the Keating Five scandal where he tried to quash an investigation into the savings and loan malfeasance against his good friend and political campaign contributor, John Keating. There was considerable evidence that John McCain's office then leaked information to the press, which made the others involved appear to have played a larger role than McCain. He would later lie about the leaks under oath.

Finally, Brock and Waldman talk about the pack mentality amongst the media. They travel on the same planes and buses. They eat in the same restaurants and sleep in the same hotels. They talk and share notes. A pack mentality begins to form. When new media members hear the adulation of McCain from those who have been with him, the "Halo Effect" begins to form.

Yesterday, I watched Tim Russert mention McCain, the maverick on "Meet the Press." I think these authors might be on to something. See how many times between here and November you will hear or read about John McCain as a maverick, and John McCain, as a former P.O.W."

Brock and Waldman wonder when those in the media will be introspective enough to ask themselves if they are judging candidate McCain by a different standard than others, and if such thinking is a disservice to the public. To quote the authors: "One might even say the reporter who was willing to ask those questions might even be a maverick."

I couldn't have said it better.



Also Recommended:

Welch, Matt, "McCain: the Myth of a Maverick."

Waldman, Glenn, "Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics."

I recommend googling "Pygmalion Effect," or "Halo and Horns Effect" for those of you who might not be familiar with it.

53 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, Eye-Opening, Sad and Scary, March 26, 2008

By	james warren "former axe murderer" (here) - See all my reviews

This book is one more example of a crucial piece of information that helps us to fill in a larger and more troubling picture:

The mainstream media relies on myths, narratives and storylines that so shape our perception of people and events that it becomes a near impossiblity for citizens to stay informed about important national issues.

Waldman and Brock of MediaMatters.org have finally issued a book they have been working on for years and it could not be appearing in print at a more useful time. "Free Ride: John McCain and the Media" peels away the press/political onion and gets to the heart of why McCain is truly getting a pass from the mainstream media.

"Hero," "Patriot," "Maverick," and "Straight Talker"--we've all heard the media's buzzwords in regard to John McCain and this book will tell you first--the truth behind them, and second--why you continue to hear them.

It probably won't surprise you to learn once again that the rock has to be lifted up so the sunshine can start to illuminate everything that grows and wriggles underneath. As Americans we have gone through this sometimes painful process more than once and those who are reluctant to follow truth wherever it may lead them might do well to stop at the period at the end of this sentence and go no further.

For others, this book contains education we all need to have if we are going to keep participating in American democracy. This is an important and readable book. It's not only about John McCain. It's also about our supposedly "liberal media" and how it treats our public figures.

And how we can so easily be misled and left behind if we're not more discerning and critical.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shines a light on media complicity, April 15, 2008

By	Karla Bushway (South Strafford, VT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's a fact: The Media loves them some McCain. What seems apparent at first or second glance becomes nauseatingly obvious and borderline criminal when all the evidence is gathered in once place, as in this book. The phoenix-like rise of McCain's campaign from the ashes is not so bizarre and miraculous when one faces reality and recognizes that the media was pulling for McCain through those dark days, and now that he's the nominee, they can slip into their old habits without making it seem so obvious.

The book is depressing and heartening at the same time - while the media arrogantly goes about preening their favorites, facts be damned, it's long overdue that this Beltway circle jerk is illuminated.