The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Media Mayhem in the Granite State

Posted on | January 9, 2012 | 15 Comments

HOLLIS, N.H.
Saturday night in Manchester was a total media schmoozefest, and I had the opportunity to talk to Mickey Kaus, whose re-Tweet by Alyssa Milano inspired my own long quest for a similar honor. (“They Said It Couldn’t Be Done …”)

Just returned from a Ron Paul event here, the start of a long day of campaign coverage in the final day before Tuesday’s primary. Paul’s media coverage got out of control this morning in Manchester, a circus I heard about at breakfast from an Associated Press writer at the local diner in Hollis. Not much time to chat, but here’s my latest column at The American Spectator:

J.D.’s Tavern at the Radisson Inn in Manchester was crowded Saturday night with the elite of America’s political media. Famous faces from TV news mingled with less-famous but nevertheless influential writers from major publications. Waiters brought food and beverages — and still more beverages — as midnight passed in the hours after yet another nationally televised Republican presidential debate. One of the more famous bylines among the journalistic throng delivered a harshly negative verdict on the proceedings that had just aired on ABC.
“They were weak,” said the writer. “They didn’t bring it.”
By “they,” he meant the various challengers to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The pre-game forecast for Saturday night’s debate was that the non-Romney conservatives would rush to attack the man who is the overwhelming favorite to win Tuesday’s primary here in New Hampshire. But the promised assault on Romney — in a debate that had been hyped up like a professional wrestling match — never materialized, much to the disappointment of the journalist in J.D.’s Tavern.
“Look, I’m a reporter,” he said. “You know I’d love this thing to go all the way to the convention, but… C’mon.” …

Read the rest at The American Spectator. You’ll notice that I never name the reporter who said that. If people ever started quoting all the stuff I said in after-hours conversations . . . Well, it would be a horrible precedent.

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers! I’m rather depressed tonight. Some young Romney supporters just invited me to attend his victory party Tuesday night at Southern Hew Hampshire University. I’ll probably go, and hate myself for it Wednesday morning.

The walk of shame: Date-raped by RINOs.

Category: American Spectator, Celebrities, Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire

Comments

15 Responses to “Media Mayhem in the Granite State”

  1. Rbirchtree
    January 9th, 2012 @ 10:13 am

    Sweet!

  2. ThePaganTemple
    January 9th, 2012 @ 10:21 am

    I hope you’re not planning on having your favorite breakfast before going to a Ron Paul event, because by the time its over with you might not ever be able to eat it again.

  3. richard mcenroe
    January 9th, 2012 @ 10:41 am

    ”
    If people ever started quoting all the stuff Isaid in after-hours conversations . . . Well, it would be a horrible precedent.”

    We can be bought. A group lunch with Alyssa Milano should cover it.

  4. keyboard jockey
    January 9th, 2012 @ 12:35 pm

    Imus Guest Frank Rich, Obama’s Foreign Policy Hasn’t Been A Total Failure, accuses Rick Perry of wanting to invade Iraq again VIDEO.

    Like A Bat Out Of Hell, that’s how I would describe our exit from Iraq. Unfortunately we left Iraq, without a Status Of Forces Agreement.

    No one but Rick Perry got the answer right on the Iraq foreign policy failure at the ABC republican debate last Saturday night- in New Hampshire. Not Mitt who missed an opportunity, and certainly not Newt who repeated the liberal media meme.

    It’s unfortunate that we will end up back in Iraq, but President Obama’s leading from behind style has consequences to the United States national security.

    The American Economy is tied directly to our Foreign Policy. Both  are tied to our National Security.”It’s the free flow of oil stupid”

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2012/01/imus-guest-frank-rich-president-obamas.html

  5. Media Circus Forces Ron Paul to Leave Diner | The Lonely Conservative
    January 9th, 2012 @ 12:37 pm

    […] who followed Paul out to his SUV might have gotten a soundbite, but the voters got nothing.Via The Other McCain, whose latest column at The American Spectator looks at where the candidates stand heading into the […]

  6. Adjoran
    January 9th, 2012 @ 3:04 pm

    It’s sure looking increasingly like it’s all over but the shouting.  In the history of the Iowa-NH opening tandem (at least which drew any notice for Iowa, starting in ’76), no non-incumbent Republican has ever won both.  Romney is also ahead in SC, which has voted for the eventual nominee every single time since their first primary.

    Hard to imagine which donors will keep the big bucks flowing against the tide after that, and Ron Paul has cut back his spending in Florida already.

    Romney is certainly the beneficiary of the “next in line” mindset, but I doubt that is the main reason he is winning.  It’s more the weakness of the rest of the field.  There were only a few with the minmal qualifications to be President at the start.  Huntsman, Roemer and Johnson never had any appeal, Pawlenty stumbled out of the gate and withdrew in embarrassment, and Cain was ensnared by his past.  Perry entered to great fanfare and cheering and fell flat on his face.

    Bachmann, Gingrich, and Santorum just don’t have the administrative background – and the last two can pretend to be outsiders, but they chose to live in the DC area after leaving Congress, to participate in the revolving door of influence-peddling.

    The others with real experience – Daniels, Barbour, Jindal and Palin – chose not to run. 

    Since we do have to run somebody, who’s left?  No, not Crazy Uncle Ron.

    It’s really just that simple.

  7. keyboard jockey
    January 9th, 2012 @ 3:10 pm

    Hey Stacy, you know what tonight is?

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2012/01/lsu-1-vs-alabama-2-bcs-9-january-2012.html 

    Give Em Hell Alabama, Roll Tide Roll 

  8. Daily scoreboard « Don Surber
    January 9th, 2012 @ 7:54 pm

    […] 20. From Robert Stacy McCain: […]

  9. Fear And Loathing In New Hampshire » American Glob
    January 9th, 2012 @ 8:07 pm

    […] friends Stacy McCain and DaTechguy are up in the Granite State covering the primary and they’re rubbing elbows with all kinds of […]

  10. Multimedia Group
    January 9th, 2012 @ 9:37 pm

    Technically, Cain was “ensnared” by a smear campaign. 

  11. Instapundit » Blog Archive » RICK SANTORUM: IF OBAMA ISN’T DEFEATED, THEN THE AMERICA WE KNOW WILL BE GONE: An update on New Ha…
    January 9th, 2012 @ 11:29 pm

    […] Elsewhere in New Hampshire, the new media streams get seriously crossed. […]

  12. hotrod51
    January 10th, 2012 @ 2:53 am

    Who are the two drunk gay guys in the picture?

  13. 5JimBob
    January 10th, 2012 @ 3:09 am

    but then again, he might taste it again several times in the course of the event.

  14. Jones_paj60
    January 10th, 2012 @ 8:03 am

    Ain’t nothing better than a second helping eh?

  15. Anonymous
    January 10th, 2012 @ 3:41 pm

    Excuse me, Rick Perry has yet to withdraw from the scene, and to blame a few debates  for his position is ludicrous. It ain’t over, till it’s over.