ProgressOhio

While the Democratic primary remains in play, two authors with close ProgressOhio ties have launched books on presumptive GOP nominee, Senator John McCain, that take probing looks at key aspects of McCain’s political psyche.

Ohio’s own Cliff Schecter has launched a book that has quickly climbed to the third most requested political book on Amazon.com which chronicles the vast inconsistencies of McCain’s policy positions. Schecter can often be found at ProgressOhio events and later this month will launch a regular ProgressOhio Editorial column alternating at times with Brian Rothenberg’s Shadows On High.

Also, David Brock and Paul Waldman from the media tracking organization Media Matters For America have launched a book reviewing the way the press has defined (and given a pass) to Sen. McCain. ProgressOhio is a partner of Media Matters and you can often see the work of Brock and his staff on the ProgressOhio site

• Free Ride: John McCain and the Media
  By David Brock and Paul Waldman (Anchorbooks $13.95)

Brock and Waldman put together a fascinating read of the complicated contradictions in McCain’s relationship with the press.

[Excerpt] “E. J. Montini (a columnist for the Arizona Republic) says that Arizona reporters were once like the national media, smitten by the dynamic new lawmaker in the 1980s. But as with most love affairs, the passion cooled. “Over the years, though, the contradictions surfaced,” he wrote. The campaign reformer cozied up to bigwigs he’s supposed to regulate. The iconoclast trashed Big Tobacco but not Big Alcohol, financing his wife’s family. As the Arizona Republic noted during his first presidential run, McCain “has romanced the national press while warring with Arizona reporters.”

Other gems in the book include how the Washingtonian published a story on McCain in 1997 titled “Senator Hothead” but instead of ridiculing his temper problems, it was used as proof of his passion. Passion and the press’ explaining away of McCain’s temper flares as a theme in the book as examples of a flare up with former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, former Phoenix City GOP Councilwomen Kathy Dubs, former Arizona Attorney General and McCain staffer Grant Woods, former Maricopa County Schools Superintendent Sandra Dowling and even an admiring constituent who was lambasted after setting up a lectern too high for the short-statured McCain.

Media Matters has an excellent reputation for painstakingly reviewing “pack journalism” and dissecting media image from factual image in American politics. Regardless of McCain’s status as presumptive nominee, Free Ride is a fascinating look at media pandering versus factual contradiction. Well worth a read – especially for those of us who find themselves talking back to inanimate television talking heads in the evening.

You can find Free Ride on the ProgressOhio bookshelf at Powell's Books.

• The Real McCain: Why Conservatives Don't Trust Him and Why Independents Shouldn't
  By Cliff Schecter (Polipoint Press $10.17)

Central Ohio’s own Cliff Schecter, a nationally known blogger, and frequent friend and visitor at ProgressOhio’s offices, launched his book a week ago and it has quickly jumped to the third highest selling political book on Amazon.com’s listings.

Schecter takes a look at McCain from the angle of his political image versus his factual behavior and it is a fascinating glimpse at a politicians’ politician whose limelight over the past year will show many contradictions in his political demeanor.

Schecter’s book has already made national news this year as the mainstream media has reported on tidbits  from U.S. News & World Report to Fox, breaking stories on McCain's calling his wife a very naughty word to a fist fight he engaged in with a fellow member of Congress (U.S Rep. Rick Renzi).

[Excerpt] “Given all the talk about his moderate views, McCain has a long list of right-wing extremist friends. In the 2006 Republican primary for Ohio governor, McCain endorsed Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell over the more moderate Attorney General Jim Petro. Blackwell is a hard-core conservative; he campaigned (successfully) for a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, is a big-time pro-gun politician, and is against abortion unless the mother’s life is threatened.

There are also questions of voter suppression in Blackwell’s background, particularly in light of the sparse number of voting machines in liberal Ohio districts on election day in 2004. These questions were complicated by Blackwell’s investment in Diebold, the company that supplied the touch-screen machines on Blackwell’s orders. Blackwell is also closely tied to Reverend Rod Parsely of Columbus, Ohio; together they have worked with the Ohio Restoration Project, which calls for “tearing down the boundaries between church and state.”13 In the end, Blackwell lost the general election in a landslide. But it wasn’t for lack of support on McCain’s part.

Then there’s Falwell. When McCain decided to visit Falwell’s university, Jon Stewart asked McCain on the Daily Show if he was entering “crazy base land.” McCain sheepishly admitted he was doing just that.14 This is how the actual exchange went.

Stewart: I feel it’s a condoning of Falwell’s crazy making, to some extent, to have you go down there. It strikes me as something you wouldn’t normally do.

McCain: I’m going there to speak to the students at his invitation. I can assure you that the message will be the same as I give everywhere.

Stewart: You don’t think it helps reassert Falwell as the voice for a certain group of people — say evangelicals of the Christian Right. Isn’t it the kind of thing if you don’t go there it helps keep marginalizing guys like that? Or do I misunderstand politics? Why do I feel I’m about to get grounded?

McCain: Listen, I love coming on your show. Young people all over America watch it. I love to travel around the country and speak at colleges and universities. They’re all parts of the Republican Party. I respect them. I may disagree with them.

Stewart: Are you going into crazy base world?

McCain: I’m afraid so.

Stewart: When you see Falwell, do you feel vomit in the back of your throat? . . . What does it feel like?

McCain: I’ll give him your love.

That was slightly different than what McCain told Larry King less than a year earlier: “I admire the religious right for the dedication and zeal they put into the political process.” 16 McCain’s broad acceptance of the Christian Right as “having a legitimate role to play in the Republican Party” stands in stark opposition to his earlier claims that the Christian Right had a “corrupting influence” on the GOP.

For those who have read Cliff’s blog – he’s a hard-hitting fact-based pundit who pulls no punches dissecting the many contradictory faces of John McCain. For the GOP it’s a primer on what to expect next fall.  For Democrats it’s a detailed study of a master juggler politician who is a very nimble and shifty campaigner. It’s a must read for insiders of either party.

You can find The Real McCain at the ProgressOhio bookshelf at Amazon here.