McCain Campaign Trashes The New York Times
(PHILADELPHIA) – John McCain's campaign manager Steve Schmidt lashed out at the media today, specifically the New York Times, on a conference call with – the media.
"Let's be clear and be honest with each other about something fundamental to this race, which is this is that whatever the New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization. It is a pro-Obama advocacy organization that everyday attacks the McCain campaign, attacks Senator McCain, attacks Governor Palin, and excuses Senator Obama," Schmidt said.
"This is an organization that is completely, totally, 150 percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate, which is their prerogative to be, but let's not be dishonest and call it something other than what it is. Everything that is read in the New York Times that attacks this campaign should be evaluated by the American people from that perspective, that it is an organization that has made a decision to cast aside its journalistic integrity and tradition to advocate for the defeat of one candidate in this case John McCain and advocate for the election of the other candidate, Barack Obama."
Once a candidate that called the national media "his base," McCain and his campaign have not held a press conference with the press corps that follows him for over a month, and Palin has yet to hold a press conference with the national media.
Schmidt's anger has apparently bubbled over to McCain supporters as well. At a town hall in Scranton today, instead of asking the candidate a question, a woman issued a diatribe against the media.
"I also want to take the opportunity to ask the media, where is your 30 investigators over in Chicago looking at Ayers? We want the media to start doing their job and stop picking on little children because of their age and their pregnancies. Shame on you! Shame on all of you's!"
"That is a great question," McCain responded.