# NYT to air McCains affair with Lobbyist tomorrow. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 21, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513 "2008-02-21T04:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/21 "2008-02-21T06:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=Richard Parker] That’s all in the article. [/QUOTE] Well. Good. That’s all sorted out, then. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/22 "2008-02-21T09:18:32Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] This is journalism? I don’t like McCain, don’t plan to vote for him, but if it turned out he had a three-way with the lobbyist and Anson “Potsie” Williams I couldn’t care less unless it had _provable_ political influence peddling. If there’s not a lot more hard-evidence of the latter than prelims lead us to believe then my already negligible respect for the NYT (other than their books/arts section) lessens a bit more. [/QUOTE] How about if it was Donny Most? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/23 "2008-02-21T09:22:22Z")
Dead hooker would be less embarassing ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/24 "2008-02-21T10:08:53Z")
You know an American election is getting going when the mud starts flying. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/25 "2008-02-21T11:56:33Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] if it turned out he had a three-way with the lobbyist and Anson “Potsie” Williams [/QUOTE] Do any of the candidates’ health care plans include coverage for brain bleach? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/26 "2008-02-21T12:54:50Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] You know an American election is getting going when the mud starts flying. [/QUOTE] I blame Karl Rove and the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/27 "2008-02-21T13:04:02Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] I blame Karl Rove and the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Regards, Shodan [/QUOTE] No kidding. All I’ve been hearing for weeks is how Obama better man up because the spurious attacks are coming his way from the dirty-tricks Republicans. And who strikes first? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/28 "2008-02-21T13:24:21Z")
[QUOTE=ManiacMan] Seriously…who gives a shit? [/QUOTE] The people whose poles the “maverick” has recently had to start sucking in the hopes he can get elected. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/29 "2008-02-21T13:31:30Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] Dead hooker would be less embarassing [/QUOTE] Not if he was caught texting his chief of staff about it. No wait - that was in Detroit. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/30 "2008-02-21T13:53:43Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Why is McCain’s personal life even slightly relevant… [/QUOTE] I’m kind of curious about what this bit of his personal life tells us about the lessons he drew from his involvement in the savings and loan scandal. As the sole senatorial survivor of the Keating five, you’d think McCain would have learned to put some limits on what he’ll do to help out lobbyists. That does not appear to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/31 "2008-02-21T14:02:01Z")
I think the point of the article was that for all of McCain’s self-righteousness, he plays politics just like everyone else in Washington. While he’s out there castigating his colleagues for being too cozy with lobbyists, he is pretty cozy himself. John McCain has a media-perpetuated image as some sort of maverick who does things differently in Washington; that image is ripe for tearing down. This story is likely the first of many in that vein. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/32 "2008-02-21T14:15:10Z")
The only woman I can think of after reading the “news” at the NYT website is the late Clara Peller. Where’s the beef?? There’s certainly no meat in that article. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/33 "2008-02-21T14:21:05Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I don’t like McCain, don’t plan to vote for him, but if it turned out he had a three-way with the lobbyist and Anson “Potsie” Williams I couldn’t care less unless it had _provable_ political influence peddling. [/QUOTE] Yeah, thanks for that image. Thanks a lot. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/34 "2008-02-21T14:47:12Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] While it does look like he probably really was corndogging… [/QUOTE] Not exactly a mixed metaphore, but what would you call that? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/35 "2008-02-21T14:48:45Z")
[QUOTE=Renob] I think the point of the article was that for all of McCain’s self-righteousness, he plays politics just like everyone else in Washington. [/QUOTE] That’s clearly the real gist of it, yes. (FWIW, the version of the story I read last night did not mention the female lobbyist as prominently.) That’s a criticsm I’ve heard leveled at McCain before, mostly by people old enough to remember the Keating scandal, which I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![casieispretty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@casieispretty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casieispretty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/36 "2008-02-21T14:58:28Z")
Does anyone else think it’s really weird that the NYT was working on this story while at the same time endorsing McCain as their Republican choice? Oh, and why would you cheat on your wife with a woman that looks exactly like your wife? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/37 "2008-02-21T15:03:43Z")
[QUOTE=casieispretty] Oh, and why would you cheat on your wife with a woman that looks exactly like your wife? [/QUOTE] Hey, maybe his taste runs to thin blondes with that highly shellacked sheen. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/38 "2008-02-21T15:13:01Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] No kidding. All I’ve been hearing for weeks is how Obama better man up because the spurious attacks are coming his way from the dirty-tricks Republicans. And who strikes first? [/QUOTE] Interestingly enough scanning the blogosphere I see few left leaning ones doing anything other than criticizing the NYT for going with it. It’ll be interesting to see how the Right handles this item. I’m guessing they’ll keep this alive more than the Left does. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/39 "2008-02-21T15:23:58Z")
[QUOTE=casieispretty] Does anyone else think it’s really weird that the NYT was working on this story while at the same time endorsing McCain as their Republican choice? [/quote] Why? It is not like the whole paper is going to gear up to support McCain. Most newspapers try to have somewhat of a barrier between their reporting and their editorializing. For example, at the Wall Street Journal they actually have very decent and generally balanced reporting while having right wing nutjobs running the editorial page. In fact, the editorial page would actually probably learn that a lot of what they believe to be true isn’t if only they would simply read the rest of their own newspaper! ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513/40 "2008-02-21T15:24:39Z")
[QUOTE=casieispretty] Does anyone else think it’s really weird that the NYT was working on this story while at the same time endorsing McCain as their Republican choice? [/QUOTE] Not really. The editorial boards and newsrooms of most newspapers operate pretty independently of one another. When that endorsement was written, the editorial writers may not have known about the details of the story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-to-air-mccains-affair-with-lobbyist-tomorrow/438513.md?page=3)