Punch Them, Feed Them

by Steve Soto

Taking a page from the Bush/Cheney 2000 playbook, the McCain campaign demonstrated over the weekend how it manages the media: after trashing the campaign reporters for questioning Straight Talk's integrity with their coverage of the Vicki Iseman story, McCain invited 40 reporters to his house for face time and BBQ. As Think Progress noted, treating the media with this punch them/feed them approach led as expected to a return of glowing media coverage for the senator.

As several books have documented, Bush's 2000 effort was aided by a two-track media manipulation effort: Browbeat the media away from unacceptable storylines and narratives (the TANG story) while cultivating positive coverage through candidate face-time, feedings, and message management. McCain will do exactly the same this time around, and once again, the media will play their part as pistol-whipped stenographer of the approved message while they munch the BBQ.

Hopefully the Obama campaign realizes that once they and the media finish vanquishing their common Team Clinton enemy, a whole new and expensive charm offensive will be necessary with the media just to offset McCain's head start.