#rsrh Looks like I have to repost my Ten Media Truths.

I was being perfectly serious when I wrote this last week, by the way.  I heartily suggest that campaign staff take these truths to, well, heart.  Not going to point fingers here, but if you’re following the news today then you don’t really need me to anyway.

Ten Media Truths for Conservative/Republican Legislators

  1. The Media hates you, and wants you to die in a fire.
  2. The Media will only reliably compliment you when you do things to help liberals and Democrats.
  3. The Media loves it when you attack other conservatives/Republicans.
  4. You will never, ever, ever be able to reliably buy off the Media by being a ‘good’ (i.e., self-hating) conservative/Republican.
  5. Every flaw that you have – real or perceived – will be magnified by the Media.  You will get no slack at all.
  6. Every flaw that your opponent has – real or perceived – will be downplayed by the Media.
  7. If you get an endorsement from a major Media source, it’s probably because your opponent was caught in a horrific scandal.  So don’t count on getting that endorsement the next time.
  8. The Media has no shame, no sense of guilt, and no institutional memory of its own faults, flaws, and prejudices.  Do not appeal to its better nature: the Media could care less about your opinion of it.
  9. Do not whine about any of this: the truth is, this unrelenting hostility from the Media will (if properly handled) simply make you an unstoppable political machine.
  10. Most importantly: THE MEDIA DID NOT ELECT YOU.  The voters did.  Keep that in mind when you’re working out your legislative priorities.

 

 

5 thoughts on “#rsrh Looks like I have to repost my Ten Media Truths.”

  1. Don’t forget:

    * If you say something that can be taken two ways, the harmless way that you intended or a racist, hurtful, or contemptible way that only a sick, twisted mind could interpret … then the media will take it the second way and never consider or report the meaning you intended.

    * If they can’t find something bad to report about you, the most dedicated partisans in the media will simply make stuff up.

  2. Bring your own camera to interviews. You will be edited and taken out of context. Have a copy of the complete interview for your own defense.

  3. I disagree with #7.

    Call it the McCain Rule:

    If you get an endorsement from a media source (major or minor), it certifies that you are the Republican who is most like a Democrat. As soon as a real Democrat who isn’t impossibly embarrassing to them[*] appears, you will be attacked unmercifully.

    [*] How low a bar that is can be estimated from the fact that they don’t find either Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid “impossibly embarrassing”.

    Regards,
    Ric

  4. I like this list. But I have one suggestion: *Kill the media with kindness, even if they hate your guts. Be extra nice to them and treat them as your friends. Do not lash out or touch them in any way.

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