The U.S. media has been accused of playing a significant role in Democrats' humiliating defeat in the recent election. While the media's attacks on Donald Trump and Republicans did help round up undecided voters, the boosterism for Kamala Harris & Co. came at a far bigger cost: a narrative full of fantasy enabled Democrats to live in a world disconnected from the mood and worries of the country.
One of the most damaging fantasies was the four-year press assurance that Joe Biden was sharp as a tack. However, when the Trump-Biden debate made Biden's decline undeniable, the media dropped the charade and immediately turned to recasting Kamala Harris as a political genius and the obvious savior of the Democratic Party. In a world with a competent press, Mr. Biden's failing constitution would have been front-page news in time for Democrats to confront the unpleasant reality of needed change. A primary would have produced a tested nominee, likely one less encumbered by the Biden record.
Democrats are shocked that they lost, as they were slapped as out of touch in a Biden-Harris world. Four years of headlines insisted Americans live in one of the "strongest economies" ever, crime rates were falling, red-state governors engaged in "stunts" to magnify the migrant problem, and the biggest issues facing the country were climate, systemic racism, abortion, and transgender rights.
Democrats now face a choice: party grown-ups who are publicly acknowledging this defeat as a sharp voter rebuke of progressive policies, admitting that lawfare was a mistake, that the party is culturally out of touch, and worry about a growing political realignment that threatens the party's future. This improvement over the past eight years is a welcome improvement.
No comments:
Post a Comment