Kurtz Notices Lack of Press Access to McCain « The Washington Independent
The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz was on the McCain jet last week, and he filed a story today about, surprise, the traveling press’ lack of access to the candidate. From The Washington Post:
“„KANSAS CITY — While the traveling press corps was shipped off to a barbecue restaurant here, John McCain charmed his way through an interview with a local TV reporter. Surae Chinn of KCTV posed such less-than-penetrating questions as "How important is Missouri?" and "Have you chosen a running mate?" and — addressing the candidate’s wife, Cindy — "How do you make your marriage work?"
“„Moments later, though, the Republican candidate seemed to grow annoyed with the Kansas City Star’s Steve Kraske, who pressed him on his recent comment that "nothing is off the table" when it comes to strengthening Social Security.
“„When Kraske said that McCain presumably wasn’t ruling out a payroll tax hike, McCain interrupted: "That’s presuming wrong." When the reporter rephrased the question, McCain said: "If you want to keep asking me over and over again, you’re welcome to."
“„It was a brief moment of friction that highlighted how the captain of the Straight Talk Express is having a bumpier ride with journalists than when he ran for president eight years ago. The popular image of the campaign — McCain bantering with national journalists in the back of his bus — has, in reality, all but vanished. The traveling press is now routinely stiffed in favor of five-minute sit-downs with local reporters.
"Routinely stiffed" may be putting it nicely. The Straight Talk Express is effectively now a carrot reserved almost exclusively for local reporters. It has been almost three weeks since McCain has taken questions from the national press while aboard the bus. Kurtz continues by noting that the cabin of the Straight Talk jet contains a specially-designed section for press conferences that has gone unused since McCain’s trip to Colombia more than a month ago — and that was the first and only time it was ever put to use.
“„During the subsequent flight to Orlando, McCain remained in the front cabin, which was cordoned off by a curtain. The only journalist ushered into his presence was a writer for Marie Claire magazine.
“„In the old days, reporters would have had hours to chew over the latest controversy, and plenty of other subjects, with McCain. But for a campaign struggling to regain control of its message, the old days are definitely gone.
On a lighter note, the jet does have one new feature, supplied by the press corps: a cardboard cut-out of the candidate that now keeps watch over the press cabin — and this cardboard McCain says almost as much to the travelling press as his human counterpart.
