Channeling Richard Nixon

[H2O Man]

There was a classic moment on MSNBC's Mourning Show today, when Senator John McCain made a snide remark to Mika. It was an ugly moment, considering that Mika is about as strong a character as Sherman from the old cartoon "Peabody's Improbable History." (This is not intended to imply that Joe Scarborough is as intelligent as Mr. Peabody, or as trustworthy as any dog.)

It seems evident that John McCain is literally channeling the spirit of Richard Nixon. I am confident that older DUers will assure others that Nixon's bitterness towards the press is not a myth. Even when it was in his best interests to attempt to treat journalists with a bit of respect, Nixon's character pathology made this impossible.

Consider the backward "progress" that McCain is making: at one time, his campaign was called the Straight Talk Express, and as a presidential candidate in the 2000 republican primaries, he provided frequent access to reporters. Today, that access no longer available at the same level.

Recently, McCain attacked MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. His campaign has been engaged in efforts to change the tone of MSNBC's reporting on the contest between him and Barack Obama. The debates between him and Obama are already being predicted ro be similar visually to Nixon debating Kennedy. And now he snarls as poor Mika.

There are, of course, a few journalists on the network and cable news, and in the print media, who like John McCain. But they are becoming fewer and fewer. This is a good thing.

[goodgd_yall]

1. I mentioned the Nixon administration in another post today

The OP was about CNN getting tough on Palin and McCain. I wrote that the McCain campaign seems to have forgotten the lessons learned from the years of Nixon. Inaccessibility is something the media does not like or respect. Of course Nixon and his VP Spiro Agnew especially engaged in regular verbal attacks against the media too.