Earlier today I posted on Republican bloggers Matt Lewis and Soren Dayton’s travels in New Hampshire on John McCain’s campaign bus. Their coverage was positive and while both promised further updates, I expressed hope that their updates would include evidence that they asked McCain tough questions and weren’t just along for the ride. Lewis noted that in his time with the candidate, “McCain was never asked a single time (by a regular citizen) about campaign finance reform,” so he and Dayton should be commended for bringing up that important subject.

This afternoon I received an email from the McCain campaign on their recent “earned” media coverage from the Senator’s trip to New Hampshire. I say “earned” because of the twenty-six citations and quotes included in the McCain campaign’s email, sixteen were of the work of Lewis and Dayton. Seven of those sixteen were video interview clips from Dayton’s YouTube channel, but the remaining nine were quotes pulled from two posts by Lewis and Dayton. Seven of those nine were quotes from a single post on Townhall.com. Here are the quotes pulled by the McCain campaign:

McCain Greeted In New Hampshire With “A Hero’s Welcome.” “When I arrived in Manchester and began the drive north to meet up with McCain’s bus, I wasn’t sure what to expect. McCain had surprised George W. Bush in New Hampshire eight years ago, but since then a lot has changed. What I found was a candidate who received a hero’s welcome.” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07)

· “[McCain] Always Gets A Packed Crowd In New Hampshire.” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07)

Townhall’s Matt Lewis: “The John McCain Of 2000 Is Back.” “They say you can’t come home again, but Granite Stater’s who turned out to see the Straight Talk Express roar into New Hampshire this weekend, would probably disagree. If the response McCain received is any indication, the John McCain of 2000 is back.” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07)

· “McCain Displayed The Energy And Intensity Of Someone Half His Age.” “Perhaps more impressive; McCain displayed the energy and intensity of someone half his age. The entire day, save for maybe 5 minutes, he was on the record’ and under the microscope. His schedule would have been rigorous for even a twenty-five year old. When I asked McCain about the stress of constantly being on,’ he told me: This is the fun part!’” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07)
…
McCain “Given Rock Star Treatment” At Littleton Stop. “On the way up to Littleton, McCain stops off at a tavern and a barber shop to do some retail politicking. Once again, he is given rock star treatment.” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07)

· New Hampshire Crowd Went “Wild” Hearing McCain Discuss His Pro-Life Beliefs. “Another lady (who seemed to be on the liberal side of the aisle) asked him about abortion. Without missing a beat, he responded: I believe the right to life applies not only to the born, but to the unborn.’ The crowd goes wild.” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07)

McCain Talked With Voters In Littleton With “Great Ease And Humor.” “He handles questions with great ease and humor. During one Q & A session, a 17-year-old told him he will be old enough to vote in 2008. McCain interrupts him to ask: Will you be eighteen in time for the Primary?’ The crowd guffaws, and when the young man says he won’t, McCain quickly says, Next question,’ (which draws even more laughs).” (Matt Lewis, Townhall Blog, “Blogging The Straight Talk Express,” www.townhall.com, 3/25/07) [All emphasis, links, and formatting errors in the original]

I recognize that both Lewis and Dayton were able to provide coverage that gave a detailed picture of McCain’s campaign events with relatively little editorializing. Their posts speak largely for themselves as representations of McCain’s campaign strategy and persona. It’s not surprising then that the McCain campaign would parlay this “earned” coverage that came in exchange for giving bloggers access to a campaign email. But my God - quoting the same article seven times in one email. And not just quoting it seven times, but citing it seven times. This is yet another bad email from the McCain campaign — and I’m not even talking about the inconsistent formatting standards and typos!

Quoting two sources sixteen times in one email is a stretch. I’ll give them a pass on the seven Dayton YouTube links, but no such luck on the other nine citations. If you’re happy with the coverage you’re receiving, pull out a quote, link to it, and move on. If you can’t fill an email with all the positive coverage from diverse sources in the media, well, then it’s probably not time to send the email.

I think this email is yet another instantiation of the McCain campaign not knowing what it’s doing online. It feels similar to the micro video announcement cum major fundraising request, the decision to poll his email list to determine his campaign platform, and the abominable McCainSpace social networking function, which is part of McCain’s Imperial stormtrooper chic web site. McCain simply doesn’t have a great grasp of pretty much all the internet campaigning tools — email, website, blog, social networking, etc. Honestly while I have no vested interest in the competence and quality of the McCain campaign’s internet piece, I’m starting to become embarrassed for McCain.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Matt Lewis, Soren Dayton

Posted by Matt Browner Hamlin
Monday, March 26, 2007 at 4:04 pm

Spotlight | View blog reactions

5 Responses to “Straight Talk Express Hyping Blogger Talk”

Something to say?

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website