Free Ride:
John McCain and the Media,
by David Brock and Paul Waldman


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

This is an anti-McCain book, but more specifically, it's anti-McCain-and-the-media. The authors' thesis is, as the title implies, that John McCain has been given a free ride by the media, while other presidential candidates have been subject to harsh press scrutiny. The book provides example after example of how McCain is characterized positively for the same things for which other candidates receive negative press. McCain's flip-flopping on abortion, for example, is labeled by the press as a "maverick" or "straight-talking" stance, while Hillary Clinton's consistent stand on abortion is labeled by the press as "pandering to the base."

In summary, as highlighted on the book's cover, "The press loves McCain. We're his base," citing McCain's most enthusiastic press supporter, MSNBC's Chris Matthews. The "base" refers to fact that McCain is considered to have suspect credentials by the neoconservatives and the Christian conservatives, the usual Republican base, but makes up for it with consistently positive press.

The authors explain WHY the press loves McCain, in a chapter entitled "How He Won Their Hearts:", separated into "The Three Foundations":

I found those charts to be typical anti-candidate spin. And by association, since they encapsulate the authors' thesis, I found the entire thesis to be anti-McCain spin. I accept that McCain gets the most TV time and the most TV mentions. But I think the authors are mixing up cause and effect. One could just as easily conclude that McCain makes himself more AVAILABLE to the press, rather than conclude that the press makes itself more available for McCain's use. Certainly here at OnTheIssues we have experienced that directly -- McCain's campaign in the New Hampshire primary in 2000 was the only major-candidate campaign where we could consistently expect to see and speak to the candidate. We assume that is even more true for the major mainstream media than for a website in the days before the web was big.

Nevertheless, the authors make a compelling case that McCain is treated differently -- and treated better -- than just about any other politician. But you won't find any anti-McCain dirt here -- that's not the purpose of this book. The purpose is to point out that the mainstream media has NOT dug sufficiently for anti-McCain dirt. You can read our other anti-McCain book reviews (linked below) to see lots of anti-McCain dirt -- which demonstrates that the press is certainly willing to report anti-McCain dirt!

-- Jesse Gordon, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, April 2008

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Hillary Clinton: Long-held moderate stance focuses on reducing abortions.     Hillary Clinton: Consistently uses Dem. Party line, "safe, legal, and rare".     John McCain: 2000: Pro-lifers attack McCain since CFR limits their power.     John McCain: Intentionally fuzzy on abortion; wants no litmus test.

Budget & Economy     John McCain: 1980s Keating Five: biggest financial scandal in US history.

Civil Rights     John McCain: Supported CA Prop. 209, canceling affirmative action quotas.     John McCain: Pro-Confederacy activist continues as top S.C. adviser.

Drugs     John McCain: Recuses from alcohol votes because wife owns Anheiser-Busch.

Education     John McCain: View has evolved on intelligent design vs. evolution.

Energy & Oil     John McCain: Ethanol subsidy OK at $40/bbl oil; opposed it at $60/bbl.

Foreign Policy     John Kerry: 1994: Worked with John McCain to normalize Vietnam relations.     John McCain: 1994: Worked with John Kerry to normalize Vietnam relations.

Government Reform     John McCain: 5-year struggle for CFR portrayed in press as epic tale.     John McCain: CFR cut soft money & increased hard money; both helped GOP.     John McCain: 1993: Proposed barring campaign funds for personal expenses.

Health Care     John McCain: 1997: Give FDA more regulatory powers over tobacco.

Homeland Security     Hillary Clinton: Long-held pro-defense spending stance; not a move to center.     John McCain: 1973: America is better country than when I left 6 years ago.     Russell Feingold: Sole Senate vote against Patriot Act.

Principles & Values     George W. Bush: 2000: Won SC primary, & killed McCain's run with negatives.     James Webb: Opponent's "macaca" comment won election for Webb.     John McCain: McCain has actively & successfully courted the press.     John McCain: 1980: Second marriage only 3 months after first divorce.     John McCain: 1980s: Paid back $112,000 in donations from Charles Keating.     John McCain: Keating scandal made McCain averse to partisanship.     John McCain: 2000: Positioned himself as anti-establishment underdog.     John McCain: OpEd: Senator Hothead nickname is well-earned.     John McCain: OpEd: McCain's racial slurs are called "candor" by press.     John McCain: OpEd: McCain hustles donations like others; no more; no less.     John McCain: 2004: Press speculated about Kerry-McCain, but McCain didn't.     John McCain: Known as a "staunch conservative" until 1999.     John McCain: Holds record for press mentions & appearances.

Technology     Al Gore: 1991: Pushed funding for first web browser.     John McCain: $686K in donations from telecoms as chair of telecom cmte.

War & Peace     John McCain: Proudest moment: opposing Reagan on Lebanon deployment.     John McCain: 1998: Remove Saddam by force without UN approval.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Al Gore George W. Bush Hillary Clinton James Webb John Kerry John McCain Russell Feingold