RACHEL MADDOW: Every day here on the Rachel Maddow Show, or whenever we feel like it, we do enjoy, poking a sharp stick at the soft white underbelly of the rrrrrrrrrrrightwing scheme machine <<SFX UBELLY>>, giving you a little peek at their political playbook. 

Today’s underbelly political tactic?  Running on someone else’s record.

This is a tacit that that I think is particularly well used by members of the political class that know that the media likes them. Because if you are liked by the media, the way that manifest in day to day political coverage is that people kind of give you the benefit of the doubt. They don’t necessarily look for inconsistencies between what you say and how you’ve acted.   They don’t necessarily assume that you don’t understand something if you misstate it. And they don’t necessarily, I guess think the worst when given the option of how to interpret something you say that has less, less then a clear and definite meaning. All of these sort of benefits of the doubt are the I think the main, the sort of concrete game that politicians get from having cultivated a good relationship with the pres. It’s one of the reasons that having a likable personality can be a political asset. Because if politicians are liked by the reporters who are covering them; if there is a personally positive relationship because literally the reporter likes being in the company of the politician, then that can lead to the short of benefit of the doubt, the benefit of the doubt margin that you get from the political press when covering a politician.

John McCain is a prime candidate for running on someone else’s record because of the relationship he has with the press. John McCain, I believe- for example, has been running on somebody else’s record on veterans issues.  Counting on the fact that because he personally, famously is a veteran – people will assume he’s got a good voting record on supporting veterans.  Which he doesn’t, particularly.  He’s been campaigning as if he’s the one with the idea for the new G.I. bill this year – when actually he’s the one who refused to support the new G.I. bill, and wrote one of his own that’s dumb, that will derail what WAS republican support for a bipartisan bill.  He campaigns on veterans issues because he knows voters want a candidate who’s good on veterans’ issues – and he assumes no one will check his rhetoric against his Record.

That’s McCain on veterans.

Now we’re seeing the same thing from McCain on the environment.  Did you see his new ad on environmental issues?

CLIP-McCAIN’S NEW AD ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

RACHEL MADDOW: “Take action and fix it. I believe in it.” That’s john mccain’s new ad on global warming – trying to make it seeem like HE’S NO GEORGE bush!  he knows global warming exists!  the visuals are all of him at the one of his nine home’s that’s in Sedona, to try to make him look outdoorsy.  He gave a speech today in Portland, Oregon… that was supposed to be his big ENVIRONMENT speech.

And the press all reported it like “Oh John McCain!  The environmentalist!”

John McCain’s voting record in Congress on environmental issues?  Let us just put it this way. There are 535 members of Congress, right?  The League of Conservation Voters ranks members of congress according to their voting records on the environment?  Of the 535 members of Congress?  John McCain? Is rank?  535!

He’s not even tied for last.  He’s just last!  Here’s how the Sierra Club summed up his voting record, quote? “McCain is the only member of congress to skip every single crucial environmental vote scored by the league of conservation voters; he posted a sc ore lower than members of congress who were out for much of the year due to serious illnesses - he even posted lower than some who did not survive this congressional term.” John McCain literally scored lower than some dead members of congress. On his voting record on the environment.

But if he runs ads that say he’s an environmentalist – he gets credit for being one… right?  Right?  Right…Sadly.