A reader: “Derb—I think you are missing one of the main points regarding
the NY Post con. Media reaction to Kerry campaign conning the NY Post:
’Hee-hee, how cute! They really snookered those guys, didn’t they?’ Media
reaction to Bush campaign conning the NY Post or any other media outlet
(especially one of the liberal ones): ‘How crass! How conniving! Can we
really trust a man who would do something this unethical to run the
country?’ Three weeks of front page ’scandal’ news and angry op/eds would
follow. In other words, a Republican could never get away with it and the
GOP knows it.”
Not sure this guy’s right. This particular spoof was very well calibrated
to avoid any charges of being “mean-spirited” etc. Imagining the
converse — a GOP campaign putting one over on the Daily News — I don’t
think even the liberals could hype it as a scandal. It’s just a neat trick.
And, of course, the campaign in question can always claim, with high
plausibility, that they are not responsible for journalists’ guesses…
“Putting out false information? Us? Prove it!”