Book Review: David Brock's and Paul Waldman's "Free Ride"
Free Ride: John McCain and the Media By David Brock and Paul Waldman Anchor Books, New York, 2008 A love affair took place aboard John McCain's Straight Talk Express during the 2000 presidential primaries, one truly unique in the history of American political journalism. And it has hardly waned in the years since. The media, usually known for their ravenous appetite for scandalous behavior, have conveniently left out the legendary tales of the senatori's hair-trigger temper, his mean and vulgar sense of humor, and his questionable ties to shady characters. While reporters spill gallons of ink on McCain's admirable qualities, they have shoved to the side his unattractive traits, features of the McCain personality and record that he is no doubt all too happy to have the public overlook. The world of politics, with its dueling delusions and realities (and narratives and memes and frames and arcs), can be a bewildering and frustrating one for activists. Nowhere is this more the case than when confronted with the fundamental stories America tells itself about itself--and its leaders, its goals and its destiny. Some bedrock beliefs in this country appear to be almost hard-wired into our nationalistic DNA--"socialized" medicine is horrible, the "heartland" of America is the real America, taxes are bad bad...Full Article @ Daily Kos
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