Former McCain Blogger Guru Helping Out Michael Steele « The Washington Independent
Jul 31, 2020302 Shares301.7K Views
I noticed that Patrick Hynes, a Republican consultant who previously worked as the liaison to bloggers for Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, was sending out e-mails with good news (or “in case you missed it” minor news) about Michael Steele, candidate for Republican National Committee chairman.
“I am helping him,” Hynes confirmed to me. “He is a friend from my days in Maryland and DC.” He’s been helping out since mid-November 2008, when Steele entered the race, sending emails to the people who’d been on McCain’s blogger email list.
Hynes did a great job for McCain (insofar as anyone could for a campaign that, you know, lost), sending bloggers newspaper endorsements and columns that reflected well on the candidate, as well as posts like thisabout a kid who didn’t get to sing the national anthem at an Obama rally and a whole lot of Bill Ayers news.
The one raw note in Hynes’s emails, for me, rang on Election Day. The Drudge Report and Fox News were really drumming the story of two less-than-brilliant members of the New Black Panther Party who showed up for poll worker duty in full costume, wielding nightsticks. “The story is disputed,” blogged Ben Smiththat day. “Indeed, it’s such a heavily Democratic precinct (90% in 2004) that it wouldn’t make a huge amount of sense for Obama backers to intimidate anyone there.” But I got four e-mails from Hynes on this within 80 minutes.
“„12:33: FOX: LEVENTHAL (Alleged Black Panthers Voter Intimidation)
“„12:43: More on Black Panther Story
“„1:19: VIDEO: Malkin: Billy club-wielding security guards at Philly polls
“„1:47: Newsbusters: Voter Asks CNN Why They Haven’t Reported Black Panthers in Philly
What was the point of the “Black Panthers” story? I whiffed race-baiting at the time, but that seems sort of silly given that voters were heading into polls to elect Barack Hussein Obama. Nonetheless, I don’t think it’s the kind of story a Steele-led RNC would hype.
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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