From the ArcaMax Publishing, Politics Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/politics/s-368964-241223
Last month, I wrote about the mainstream media's ongoing membership in
the John McCain Protection Society and its offshoot, the Swift Boat
Media for McCain, and of how their highly motivated efforts are
affecting the presidential race.
The MSM's overheated response to Barack Obama's decision to opt out of
the public campaign finance system was a textbook example.
"Obama chose winning over his word" and "tarnished his carefully honed
image as a different kind of politician," said the AP's Liz Sidoti.
"Your typical politician," said Lou Dobbs.
"No wonder John McCain smelled a flip-flop," said Dean Reynolds on the
CBS Evening News.
"People in this country like to believe that people play on a level
playing field and that a campaign will be about ideas and personality;
if you start with that much more money, is it basically fair?" asked
Charlie Gibson.
Isn't it interesting how, after largely ignoring the issue for the
last 30 years, during which the GOP consistently outfundraised and
outspent Democrats in election after election, the media are suddenly
all atwitter about whether the campaign finance system is "basically
fair"? How dare Obama inspire 1.5 million donors, giving an average of
$197 apiece, to help him raise more money than McCain?
"This is a big deal," said McCain of Obama's decision. "It's a big
deal. He has completely reversed himself and gone back not on his word
to me, but the commitment that he made to the American people. That's
disturbing."
What's actually disturbing is the Swift Boat Media's complete
indifference to McCain's bald-faced hypocrisy on the same issue.
Amidst all the attacks on Obama's "flip-flop," how much have you read
in the MSM about the fact that McCain has "completely reversed
himself" on public financing -- and is currently breaking the law on a
daily basis, making a mockery out of a campaign finance system he
helped create?
In the fall of 2007, McCain opted into the public financing system for
the GOP primaries, which meant he'd later receive just over $5
million in public funds in exchange for agreeing to a fundraising
limit of around $54 million for the entire primary process, which
ends when he accepts the nomination at the Republican National
Convention in September.
By late November, his campaign was practically broke, so McCain took
out a pair of $1 million loans, using the public funds he would
receive as collateral.
Cut to Super Tuesday, when McCain had the Republican nomination all
but wrapped up. Suddenly, he didn't want to be bound by that $54
million limit, so his campaign did a 180 and opted back out of the
public financing system.
But as David Mason, the Republican-appointed chair of the FEC, has
pointed out, you can't just unilaterally opt out -- especially after
securing a loan based on having opted in. The response of the McCain
campaign is quite simply to ignore Mason. And because the FEC
currently lacks a quorum (thanks to stalling tactics by that human
roadblock to reform, Mitch McConnell), that's where things stand,
pending a ruling on a lawsuit filed by the DNC.
Yet few in the Swift Boat Media saw fit to point out this glaring
contradiction in McCain's cries about broken commitments made to the
American people. Indeed, as Media Matters pointed out, the
One notable exception was
But that kind of pushback was rare, even as McCain adviser Sen.
Lindsey Graham painted Obama's decision as a dark day for America:
"This is just really sad for the country. For somebody with this much
ability, this much talent, to fall this far, this soon. . . . This guy
wants to win, he'll do anything to win."
Looking back on the journey McCain has taken, from tireless champion
of campaign finance reform to presidential nominee abusing every
campaign finance loophole possible, Graham's words are actually a
fitting epitaph for the loss of the Old John McCain of 2000. It is
"just really sad for the country" that the man who once vowed "to have
blood all over the floor of the Senate until we accede to the demands
of the people" for meaningful reform has been replace by the John
McCain of 2008.
Some advocates of public financing have found Obama's decision a
disappointment. Others side with Francis Wilkinson who, writing in the
I'm torn. As a longtime supporter of public financing of campaigns,
I'd certainly like to see a system where money no longer dominates the
political process. But given the imperfections of the current system,
including the powerful role independent 527s will likely play in the
'08 race, Obama's decision is the clearly right one.
What's more, because of the revolutionary way his campaign has used
the Internet, Obama, unlike candidates of the past, no longer needs to
spend two-thirds of his time in fundraising dinners with fat cat
donors. And wasn't that the goal of campaign finance reform in the
first place?
So while Obama's decision is a subject open to debate, the mainstream
media should not be allowed to get away with their continued refusal
to accurately report on the fall of John McCain.
This is the very big deal.
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Arianna Huffington's e-mail address is arianna@huffingtonpost.com.