Malkin Not on McCain’s List
Michelle Malkin’s complaint about not being on Sen. McCain’s weblogger calls says as much about her as it does of McCain’s online media efforts.
I’m an “acceptable conservative?” How can that be? I’ve been pulling my hair out handing out a bunch of free advice the McCain campaign hasn’t bothered implementing. Do you see a McCain widget or fundraising link here on TAM? (Google ads don’t count.) All I’ve stated is I’ll vote for McCain in the fall. I haven’t said I’ll give money or volunteer. I’m certainly no cheerleader. She needs to be careful in insinuating those invited to the calls are McCain sycophants.
McCain has failed to reach out to conservatives. Instead he’s trying to build different coalition. That’s a mistake that could cost him, not so much in money (he’ll take public funds this fall) but in volunteers. Sen. Obama’s building a 50-state GOTV effort while McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis is still building up staff that doesn’t have lobbying ties to Burma. So McCain is talking to media outlets where they would be sympathetic to some of his issues. With the fragmented media world we have that’s the new nature of the game.
It was a mistake not to let Malkin on the calls. Just as availability sands down opposition from a hostile press it does the same with webloggers. In Michelle’s case I think the effort will be a lost cause. I doubt there’s much McCain would be willing to do to move her. Getting her to be a McCain fan won’t happen, and I don’t think it’s possible to even move her to a more neutral stance. The best that could be accomplished would be for Malkin to emulate what Rush Limbaugh is doing. Ignore McCain for the most part and aim all her pundit ammunition as Sen. Obama’s techicolored empty suit.
Too bad Michelle sounds like the whiny, elite press she justly smacks around. Arrogance is bipartisan.
“McCain Reaches Out to Blogs…on the Left”
