McCain’s Press Game
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James Joyner | Monday, June 9, 2008 |
Alex Massie offers an interesting explanation for John McCain’s popularity with — and occasional kid gloves treatment by — the press corps.
In some ways he is a very unAmerican politician. At his best McCain recognises and mocks the rules of the game, the absurd hoops that candidates are expected to leap through and the dizzyingly facile nature of the modern campaign.
Unlike say Hillary Clinton, he’s fond of the knowing wink that acknowledges the daftness of the media-political vortex. I know this is a game, he slyly suggests, and I also know that you like the fact that you know that I know and appreciate the ridiculousness of the game. But I didn’t make the rules and, heck, I’m not sure you can remember insisting upon them either. But we’re in it together so let’s make as merry as we can and do our best to forget the degrading lunacy of the contest.
So when McCain makes a joke such as his “Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” refrain, the press is willing to concede that this is indeed actually a joke. When McCain panders, the press forgives him because he’s winked at them – and at the entire process – as if to say Watch me do this, see how much fun opportunism can be – especially when you know that I know that I don’t really mean it or, heavens above, take it seriously.
Campaign reporters spend long, tedious days for months on end with the candidates. A little good humor goes a long way in making that time more bearable. But, of course, the reporters have to know that you’re joking.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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