Dave Roberts says he’s already mad about how the media is going to report the voting rights debate and he’s right. I am too:
I’m already dreading how the democracy reform debate will play into the media’s worst both-sides tendencies.
Viewed through the lens of partisan politics, it just looks like both parties fighting for policies that will get them more votes. That’s the “savvy” take.
In reality, voter fraud, of the kind Republicans claim to be addressing with their wave of state-level voter-suppression bills, is a myth. In this debate, the GOP is acting purely for partisan interest, against the public interest. Meanwhile the flaws Dems mean to address with HR1, DC statehood, etc., *really are* problems. They really do distort the fairness of the system. In this debate, the Dems are acting simultaneously for partisan interest & for the public interest. That just breaks “savvy” brains.
So you can look at this through a partisan lens, in which case, “both sides.” Or you can look at this through a substantive policy lens, in which case *Dems clearly have the better of the case*. Dems are, in this debate, correct — supported by evidence & basic American values.
US political media types are gripped by the bizarre (often sub rosa, rarely articulated) belief that if they judge one of the sides superior on the merits, they are thereby “taking sides” in the partisan struggle. Oh noes, bias!
It will just be much, much easier — socially, professionally, psychologically — for political journalists to do the “both sides, partisan squabbling” thing & stay away from the merits. All the dysfunctional media incentives point that direction. So here I am, pre-pissed!
Originally tweeted by David Roberts (@drvolts) on March 8, 2021.
It’s clear that the media hasn’t learned much about how they contribute to the degradation of democracy with this “both-sides” style of reporting. It’s become critical.
Dan Pfeiffer’s newsletter today:
All across the country, Republican legislatures are working to steal every future election through a bevy of new voter suppression laws. As Stacey Abrams tweeted yesterday:
This week, there is a coordinated attack on voting rights. GOP-led legislatures in GA, AZ & NH are pushing dozens of bills to make it harder for people of color & young people to vote. We voted in Nov & instead of listening, they are trying to shut us out of the process.
This is — of course — not a coincidence, but Democrats will be defending Senate seats in Georgia, Arizona, and New Hampshire. These new voter suppression laws could very well hand the Republicans the Congress in 2022 and the White House in 2024. We are in the middle of a full-scale war for the future of Democracy, and Republicans currently have the upper hand.
The Republican response to losing the House, Senate, and White House over the last four years is not to reevaluate their strategy or broaden their appeal. They are doubling down on stopping Black, Brown, and young people from voting. Fox News reported that:
Heritage Action for America, a conservative nonprofit tied to the right-leaning think tank The Heritage Foundation, on Monday will announce that it plans to spend at least $10 million on efforts to tighten election security laws in eight key swing states.
This is an emergency and it requires all hands on deck. And we’re going to have to work hard to ensure that the media doesn’t turn this into a typical he said/ she said issue.
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