Campaign aides for Sen. John McCain want very much to sell the American public on the "McCain brand" and to pitch the Republican candidate as a sort of stand-alone, untarnished political entity, according to a recent Washington Post article. Full Story »
Posted by Jennifer Hageman
This is a very strong, well-sourced story, because Boehlert is able to show that McCain has been lauded for his "maverick" brand unfoundedly. A problem is that none of the links seem to be working, which brings into question whether the quotes and statements have sources. Also, Boehlert would do well to investigate instances when the press has challenged McCain's attempt to brand himself a maverick in order to balance the article.
Of course, when reporters and pundits fawn over the mighty McCain brand, almost none of them acknowledges the central role they played in building it. In fact, the press is almost entirely responsible for the marketing of McCain. So when admiring the McCain brand, journalists are really just admiring their own handiwork.
Boehlert should complicate his argument by including instances when the mainstream media has challenged McCain’s image as a maverick or chronicled his journey from political indepence to partisanship.
There has been scruitny—albeit minimal—of McCain’s maverick posture. Time Magazine ran a story questioning the Republican presidential nominee’s apostasy in favor of hardline Republicanism. However, the article still wove the story that McCain was a genuine “maverick” and “outsider,” that his change was not reflective of his legitimate beliefs but rather something forced upon him by campaign workers.