The brilliant strategic move by the 2000 Bush campaign was to treat the media just like any other constituency who wants access. Friendly constituents were given access and unfriendly ones were shunned.
Michele Bachmann adopted this tactic from the Karl Rove play book. This is why Minnesota's media treats her with kid gloves and never, ever asked those tough questions. They chose access over journalism.
Now we're seeing this play out in Iowa and in the 2012 presidential race:
At Sunday's Davenport fundraiser was our first chance to interview Bachmann since the satellite interview incident. All Quad Cities media were invited to attend and promised a one-on-one interview during the evening. While our competitors were accommodated, WQAD was blocked and denied.
"One of her staffers said, 'due to the interview last week WQAD would not have an interview.' He said we would have to get our audio from a pool camera. ... Then the same man came over and said I could have my interview outside," said Chuck McClurg a veteran News 8 photojournalist.
McClurg continued to shoot the event. Afterwards, he walked with the Congresswoman and her team down the stairs and out the door.
"I followed them outside hoping to get the interview I was promised," said McClurg
McClurg began rolling his camera as another local Quad Cities news station started asking their questions.
"I started to tape something off of that interview and a staffer pushed me aside and stood in front of my camera and said that this was for the other station only."
The reporter asked a question about Bachmann's clinic and her husband. At that point, McClurg says the staffer took the microphone off of Bachmann, tossed it to the reporter and said their interview was over.
(WQAD, h/t Politico)
Here's how it will work. WQAD will go back to Team Bachmann with it's hat in it's hand, apologizing, begging and promising that another reporter would be assigned. A reporter that won't ask the nasty, offensive questions. A reporter who prefers the puff pieces and softball questions.