They were LIED too!
I vividly recall when the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal broke, the media and certain self-righteous Democrats all screamed in unison that they were livid that Clinton had lied to them about having extramarital sex. “He lied to ME!,” they cried, as if that was the real crime he had committed. I would have thought that after Trump, who lies more easily than he breathes, they would realize that little conceit is ludicrous.
President Biden has lost more than broad Democratic support since his bad debate. He has bled credibility — with the media, lawmakers, top officials and even his own paid staff.
It’s not clear if — and how — Biden recovers it, top Democrats tell us.
[…]
Axios’ Alex Thompson, the most deeply sourced reporter on the Biden beat, has chronicled, day after day, the number of longtime staff and top Democratic officials who feel deeply angry and misled. These are the president’s fans, many on his payroll.
Lawmakers and top Democrats feel duped by Biden … his press office … his campaign co-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg … his top aides. They all promised the president was sharper than ever.
The media might be Biden’s biggest problem of all. It is a fair conservative critique that many reporters ignored obvious signs of cognitive decline. Yes, there are exceptions: Axios, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
I’ll say. In fact, I think it’s his biggest problem.
Alex Thompson is acting like a teenage mean girl on social media and he isn’t the only one. Many otherwise straight reporters have completely lost their minds. The snark, the trolling, the sheer nastiness of their reporting online and on air is overwhelming.
But get a load of this from Axios, patting itself on the back:
But one tell: Rarely did other outlets follow our exclusive reporting on accommodations for Biden’s aging — shorter hours for public appearances, fewer improvisational or late-night moments, and the rise in handlers and devices to help avoid tripping and falling. Some reporters enabled the White House by piling on reporters on social media who questioned Biden’s lucidity.
Do you think they might have a teensy agenda right now? Nah…
Ask yourself: What turn of events would keep Democrats, media and voters from watching every public appearance for hints of decline? How could reporters ever trust Biden aides after they tried to shame reporters who dared point out the obvious changes? How do they reassure lawmakers who now see Biden’s age and White House denialism as their problem?
- A top Democrat and Biden backer, asked how the president gets credibility back, said: “Get out of the race.”
- “No one is going to take anything at face value, that’s for sure,” New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker told us.
It goes on to quote Thompson’s reporting saying that Biden’s staff is second guessing everything that’s ever happened, apparently deciding that the administration’s accomplishments are irrelevant.
And they are teeing up phase two of the freak-put: the so-called “cover up.” They’re not going to let this go. Thompson is the guy who said this:
They actually think that the sitting VP is going to come out and say the president is a doddering old fool? On what planet do they live? And let’s say she did that. They would immediately call her a grasping, ambitious harpy trying to push him out so she can be president. It’s absurd, but expect to hear more of it. They want her out too.
More whining:
Now, Biden supporters are blaming the media for the feeding frenzy. This might be the hardest thing to control. Hell has no fury like a press corps deceived. Reporters feel duped — and some probably embarrassed —and are scrambling to unearth new evidence of decline.
This is not journalism. It’s a vendetta, little better than the horrific rhetoric spewing from the mouth of Donald Trump.
“I Am Your Retribution!” sayeth the media….
We know what they did to Hillary Clinton in 2016. And we know what they did to Al Gore in 2000. Both of them actually won their races if we were a normal democracy but lost because of GOP machinations and the vagaries of the electoral college — all made possible by the vicious media coverage that led up to the election. They were an intrinsic factor in the result and the consequences have been catastrophic.
I wish I could say that it would all go away if Biden drops out. But it won’t. I think the psychology at work is “Lord of the Flies” and when they finally take down their target they will explain it simply as the target being weak and unworthy. They have made several attempts to do it to Trump but he won’t go down. So in our toxic political culture with its twisted media incentives they will content themselves with taking down Biden instead — and very possibly his successor if he drops out. (The “cover-up” dontcha know.)
In so many respects, the media serves Trump’s main argument: “I am a strongman.” They respect that as much as any Trump voter.
They are servants of the cult.
*Just to be clear, I’m not sure if Biden will drop out and I have no idea if that’s the best way to go. I don’t think anyone can know that. I’m willing to let this play out for a bit to see how Biden, the people (through the polls) and Democratic officials assess the damage and decide a way forward. But I deeply resent this media game which has caused massive damage over the past 25 years and helped bring us to this place today. And they have never reckoned with their roles in it.