I’m not a reporter, nor do I pretend to be one. I read most of what is written about Mitt and comment when I feel like it. My political bias is very evident – I make no claim to objectivity. With me, what you read is what you get.

Most MSM reporters at least attempt to make a window dressing claim to objectivity. A lack of bias – whether perceived or real – is critical to their claim to be the honest broker about what they cover.

Very few reporters are very good at this. NBC’s David Gregory, for instance, has made somewhat of a career playing journalistic judo with White House Press Secretaries. He did fairly well at it until Tony Snow came to town. Tony Snow ate David Gregory’s lunch on a daily basis. That was high quality entertainment.

The AP’s Glen Johnson covers the Mitt campaign. He makes somewhat of an attempt to feign objectivity. Sometimes he’s successful. Most times he is not. Today he failed in spectacular fashion and picked a fight with Mitt over just who runs the Mitt campaign. Maybe this has happened before but this is the first time I’ve seen it reported. Maybe Glen Johnson didn’t buy ABC’s Matt Stuart a beer one night. Who knows?

A reporter’s job is to report the facts, not make the news. Mitt said the following during the “media availability” where the brouhaha occurred:

[Washington needs a leader who]… will fight to make sure we resolve the issues rather than continuously look for partisan opportunities for score settling and for opportunities to link closer to lobbyists. I don't have lobbyists running my campaign. (Emphasis Added)

To which Glen Johnson retorted:

That's not true governor. That is not true. Ron Kaufman's a lobbyist. How can you say that you don't have lobbyists? (Emphasis Added)

You’ll note the obvious trap set by Johnson. Mitt never claimed he didn’t have lobbyists. Mitt stated that lobbyists don’t run his campaign. Mitt immediately threw a smackdown on Johnson:

Did you hear what I said? Did you hear what I said Glen?

Of course Johnson heard what Mitt said. Johnson’s automatic “gotcha” filter just took out what Johnson didn’t want to hear. Johnson replied:

That you don't have lobbyists running your campaign.

Wow. Maybe Johnson can hear after all. Mitt then explained that Beth Myers, his campaign manager was the one running his campaign. Johnson, obviously unfamiliar with the job description of a campaign manager, continued his disrespectful accusation that Mitt was lying about who is actually running his campaign.

Fox News' Shushannah Walshe has the rest of Mitt's Glen Johnson Smackdown. Johnson continued his diatribe on Ron Kaufman's role in Mitt's campaign. Said Johnson:

So Ron’s just … window dressing. He’s just a potted plant?

Sigh. Mitt answered:

Ron is a wonderful friend — an adviser. He’s not paid. Hes an adviser like many others. But I do not have lobbyists running my campaign. Glen, I appreciate that you think that’s funny, but Ron Kaufman is not even in on the senior strategy meetings of our campaign.

Johnson then uttered something inaudible. Mitt answered the inaudible question thusly:

Excuse me, Glen. He is not in on the senior strategy meetings of our campaign.

Johnson, still tilting at windmills, tried a different tack:

Is he in the debate sessions at all? Any time-

And finally Mitt had enough and unloaded on Johnson:

At any time? Has he ever been at a debate session? Sure. Is that a senior strategy meeting? Is that a senior strategy meeting of our campaign? No. Let me go back and complete the point I was making. My campaign is not based on Washington lobbyists. I haven’t been in Washington. I don’t have lobbyists at my elbows that are arguing for one industry or another industry. And I do not have favors I have to repay to people who have been in Washington for years nor scores I have to settle. And I’m going to Washington to make things happen. And somebody doesn’t put the kind of financial resources that I've put into this campaign and the personal resources I’ve put into this campaign in order to do favors for lobbyists. I’m going to Washington to help the American people, and that’s what this campaign is all about. (Emphasis Added)

Maybe life on the campaign trail is getting to Glen Johnson. Maybe he’s been relegated to a middle seat in the back of the campaign trail. Whatever the reason may be, his behavior in this situation is disgraceful. You don’t see this coming from Liz Sidoti, Michael Luo, or any of the other MSM reporters assigned to cover Mitt. While each of them may have their own personal bias and issues, at least they keep them to themselves. Last time I checked, the job of a reporter is to report, not to challenge a candidate to a verbal duel. Regardless of that fact, Johnson lost this duel.

Memo to Glen Johnson: Words mean things. Mitt means what he says when he tells you who runs his campaign. It’s his campaign organization – you don’t have better insight into it than he does. It’s called a vacation. Consider one. End Memo.

Oh, and on a completely unrelated tangent, Howlin' Mad Howie Dean's Head Mitt Hit Man Damien LaVera is back. I was beginning to get worried about that guy. I'm sad to say his absence hasn't improved his press releases. At least the DNC changed the moniker they were using to Millionaire Mitt. Memo to Damien: At least Mitt made his money the old fashioned way. The same cannot be said of Her (Less Than) Inevitableness.

Cross-posted at Blogs For Mitt

Labels: Glen Johnson, mitt romney