I am not fond of McCain in any way, but this statement is already a truism. The leftist media has already stereotyped the Republican party, and their strategy has been overwhelmingly effective.
Liberals are bigots, and are masters of the art of stereotyping. The first mistake we can make is to deal with them on that level. RINO types are so scared of being labeled they run like wusses.
That is where the “compassionate conservatism” crap comes from.
I don’t think the media has been as effective as losing votes for Republicans as the RINOs have...