White House use of media (Novak) in early 80s

[tanyev]

I'm reading David Stockman's book The Triumph of Politics. Very interesting, BTW. Stockman was the architect of Reagan's supply-side economics who was horrified when he realized the Republican politicians loved the tax cut part of his theory but had no intention of making all the budget cuts necessary for it to really work. Theoretical principle gets slapped in the face by reality yet again.

Anyhoo, I came across a couple interesting passages last night that freely acknowledged how they used certain media personalities to get their message out.

1) When the Secretary of Transportation wanted to restrict Japanese auto imports--a big no-no in Stockman's absolute free market:

"Going to war" meant it was time to call Bob Novak, the Prince of Darkness. The Evans and Novak syndicated column was a kind of supply-side dartboard. You could use it to stick somebody in the forehead fast, if you had to. So after my 8:00 a.m. breafast at the Hay-Adams with Greider, I had a second (lighter) breakfast at nine with Novak.

What resulted was a column which appeared in hundreds of papers across the nation saying that the administration was going astray on a fundamentaly supply-side principle because the Secretary of Transportation's chief advisor was a leftover Carterite.

2) When Sen. Pete Domenici was not playing the game they wanted him to play:

So, I posted a message on the Bob Novak bulletin board and had a little conversation with my friend Bob Bartley, editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal. The next day there appeared on that gray, dignified page a searing editorial entitled "John Maynard Domenici."

It accused the Senate Budget Chairman of single-handedly attempting to destroy the Reagan Revolution out of a benighted affection for the failed Keynesian policies of the now medieval past. Domenici was alarmed by the jeremiad. His staff immediately produced a lengthy letter to the editor "proving" that the Senate Budget Chairman was not, in fact, a Keynesiean deviant. My missile had hit its mark.

Yeah, we've got a free press. A fully bought and paid for free press.

[GetTheRightVote]

1. Not really surprising, but interesting all the more.

:kick:

[moggie12]

2. Very interesting -- good post

Did you read Amy Goodman's article about him in the Washington Monthly? She nailed him good, on stuff like cited here.

One BIG problem today is: Now the GOP has a cable network that functions just like Novak!!!

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Has Novak ever been audited?

In lieu of the role he's played in the Plame situation, shouldn't he at least be audited given the new Homeland Security Powers?

[robbedvoter]

4. Ah, the good ol' times when it was just one guy, one column...

Sometimes in 2001, Cheney's baboon heart gave - so we were treated to breathless evening news. Among them, Brit Hume and Judy Dandruff both namedropped: "but, but - I had lunch with him and he was fine"

[tanyev]

5. Kick.

:kick:

[Nashyra]

6. At the NASB meeting

in April we will be meeting the Captiol Gang, including the prince of darkness. I would like some help in developing a question or 2 that would "hit it's mark", while seemingly being non partisan. Any in put would be appreciated.

On another note I'm trying to get my husband to hire a hooker to come on to Novack so I can take a picture of them and sell it to the enquirer.

[tanyev]

7. Last kick.