Sunday, January 16, 2011

An ideological hit piece wrapped in a non-story

A non-story about the "suddenly silent" John McCain asks why he has not had a higher profile in the wake of the Arizona shooting. But of course, it is not just that he hasn't been on enough talk shows, it is that he hasn't denounced the hate speech coming from the Right. The "question" of where is McCain is made into a story rather than a straightforward ideological attack from a supposedly neutral journalist by using a quote from a Democratic congressman, Rep. Raul Grijalva:

"It would be helpful for all of us to deal with the question of rhetoric, hyperbole, hate, and anger. McCain has national prominence and prestige and it would be welcome for him to come and help change the tone."

A real thing of beauty, this. You make the issue why McCain isn't denouncing the hateful right-wing rhetoric, implying that right wing rhetoric is the problem and that McCain is somehow complicit in it by not saying anything, and making it all seem like you are motivated by your admiration for the Senator.

Money graph: "Just because he’s been keeping his counsel does not mean, however, that McCain hasn’t been involved."

Now doesn't this give the game away? It turns out that instead of going on a bunch of talk shows he is going to funerals. Now how outrageous is that?

One test you can always apply to a non-story-story is to ask if the person who is the object of the story could have done anything that would have negated the complaint without inviting an opposite complaint? Imagine if he had been on a bunch of talk shows but had not made it to any funerals? The "putting politics above people" story almost writes itself.

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