Why the Drive-By’s Honor Their Man McCain

RUSH: The death of Senator McCain has provided an opportunity for the Drive-By Media. I will explain that. I’m gonna warn everybody here. It might be perceived by some … controversial.

… just to take the pressure off of me, to show you where I’m thinking, among many other things about this, grab audio sound bite number 19. Sunday morning, CNN, State of the Union during discussion of the death of Senator McCain, Jake Tapper.

TAPPER: I can’t help but think that like part of the reason why there’s such reverence for him today is because of who’s in the White House right now because they are polar opposites.

RUSH: Okay. So there you have it from none other than the Never Trumper network, CNN making it clear that part of the reason why there’s so much reverence for Senator McCain is because of who is in the White House right now. What that means is — and he’s admitting it. He’s admitting it — one of the reasons there’s reverence for McCain is the opportunity it provides to continue to savage Donald Trump, to continue to rip Donald Trump by setting up these comparisons between Trump and McCain and showing Trump coming up short on virtually every measure the Drive-Bys make.

The truth of the matter is — and I’ve got an example of this, and there are many — you go back to 2008. Actually, you have to go back before that… And a media darling develops on MSNBC, John McCain. MSNBC loves Senator McCain because Senator McCain, for which he is being honored and recognized since his death, had the courage to criticize his own party, had the courage to criticize his own party’s policies, his own party’s presidents. He had the courage. That’s what made McCain a really great guy to the Drive-By Media.

And McCain sought the presidential nomination in 2000. It was open.

Bush goes on to win, and in the ensuing years McCain remains the media darling. I mean, the Drive-By Media loved John McCain. He was practically a regular guest on MSNBC. It got to the point, folks, for those of you who don’t remember, that John McCain would frequently refer to the Drive-By Media as his base! As his base voters! As his base supporters!

And all during this time — well, not all during it, but as we approached the year 2008 and it became clear that Senator McCain was going to seek the Republican nomination, I remember issuing a warning I don’t know how many times, but too many times to count here to Senator McCain and his campaign team, that the minute you seek the Republican nomination you are going to be cast aside by this media that has been fawning over you and loving you. You are going to become the enemy.

And, boy, did he, especially when Obama got the nomination and McCain got the Republican nomination. People have forgotten the long knives came out for McCain by all of these people in the media who had made it look like they loved and revered him … then when they made the decision to pick Sarah Palin, folks, that ended any pretense of love and respect for Senator McCain. And then you make the Democrat nominee Obama, the first African-American presidential nominee, and McCain did not have a chance in the Drive-By Media. The people who had made him think they respected him, made him believe they loved him, cast him aside.

And let me give you just one example. And there are a plethora of these if you want to take the time to go get ’em.

John Lewis got beat upside the head on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during the great civil rights march. John Lewis tweeted on Saturday, “Senator John McCain was a warrior for peace. He will be deeply missed by people all around the world.” Well, let’s go back to Politico, October 11th, 2008, basically three weeks away from the presidential election. There’s a Politico story, and the headline is: “John Lewis, Invoking George Wallace, Says McCain and Palin ‘Playing with Fire’ —

“Civil rights icon and Georgia congressman John Lewis is accusing John McCain … of stoking hate, likening the atmosphere at Republican campaign events to those featuring George Wallace, the segregationist former governor of Alabama and presidential candidate.

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