For me, it’s not a story, but the general lack of one. Trump has been increasingly unhinged, making outright authoritarian and racist and generally acting like someone who is not mentally well. When he spoke about expecting higher support among Black Americans because they understand what it’s like to be indicted, there should have been scathing articles at the top of the fold in the NYTimes and the Washington Post. The seemingly useless Sunday TV hosts should have asked republican guests about it instead of doing their millionth segment on Biden’s age. That none of this happened—that instead we got more drivel like that Axios story that deserved to be in the Onion—is both deeply frustrating and concerning.
shaking m,y head in disbelief": Haley's approx 40 percent in SC primary was treated as a blow to her and a triumph for Trump. A similar outcome in NH in 1968 got the exact opposite interpretation:
McCarthy nearly upsets LBJ in New Hampshire primary: March 12, 1968
By ANDREW GLASS
03/12/2016 12:16 AM EST
On this day in 1968, Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-Minn.), a critic of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam policies, captured 42 percent of the vote in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary; LBJ got 48 percent. A Harris poll indicated that anti-Johnson, rather than anti-war, sentiment propelled McCarthy’s near upset. The New Hampshire results caught most political pundits unaware.
I believe a frontrunner losing 40 percent of his own party is never a good sign, not matter what the political pundits had expected.
"“What media coverage or journalism have you seen in recent weeks that has you either shaking your head in disbelief or raising a fist in solidarity?”
Too many to mention . . . my list would be quite long.
Then I open up the NYTimes today and see, as a headline: "As the Election Comes Into Focus, Pressure Builds in the West Wing: The presidency has always been a pressure cooker, but some in the Biden administration see wars, age, family stress and another race against Donald J. Trump combining with unusual force." (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/us/politics/biden-election-pressure-west-wing.html) Peter goes on to make the analogy that it's like "dog years" in the White House, every day like a week, every year like seven. He is one of the worst culprits to attack and denigate Biden or to create a negative spin on almost any story.
On the glass half full side, our newsroom published its Voter Guide a few weeks ago in advance of the CA primary. It's fairly unique in that we focus on down ballot faces (superior court judges, etc) and explain what the job entails, and what makes someone qualified, not just who is running and who backs them. We are seeing record-breaking traffic and engagement, weeks before election day. If we build it the right way, and deliver info that is centered on voters versus horse races, they will come.
George Will’s column that declared Kamala Harris to be unfit for the vice-presidency (he would not refer to her by name in favor of calling her “the mistake”) was thinly veiled racism and misogyny.
The NY Times continued hysteria about the “crisis” posed by trans kids getting gender affirming medical care/participating in sports/ etc etc while ignoring or misrepresenting actual numbers/data. Oh yes, and framing it as a contrarian position against the bogeymen of the rabid progressive left … whose appearance I have yet to see
Margaret, you know better than me, but I suspect the competition between reporters and publishers to score first points is the major motivator to write pablum on some baseless polemic.
My reaction to the notecard-too old connection was back in the olden days we used notecards. In the modern -ie young world- we use phones. Nothing gives away a person's aging brain more then phrase "hang on a sec while I get a pencil..."
I am a longtime, ardent fan of the PBS NewsHour but am disheartened by the coverage they’ve given to Biden’s age problem and the polls that any savvy reader/watcher knows are unreliable at best. A recent segment with Laura Barone Lopez (who I have greatly respected and admired) went over the top on Biden’s age. What is going on with the media??? I am stunned by the negative coverage of Biden. He has deftly knitted the fabric of our international relations and our economy back together after 4 years of Trump ripping it apart. His age equals wisdom which appears (more and more) to be lacking in our country and world.
Thank you for all you do Margaret, and for inviting reader comments.
I know Ezra Klein exploded a lot of heads when he proposed that there might be alternatives to Biden at the convention, but I really appreciate his willingness to expose himself to ridicule, and deliver something that counters the prevailing narrative. I think he also offered insight into how conventions work, which is never a bad thing. I understand that everyone is terrified about adding any chinks to Biden's armor, but I believe it's important to illustrate how anti-democratic a lot of our election structure is. Have you commented on it? I'm interested in what you think.
For me, it’s not a story, but the general lack of one. Trump has been increasingly unhinged, making outright authoritarian and racist and generally acting like someone who is not mentally well. When he spoke about expecting higher support among Black Americans because they understand what it’s like to be indicted, there should have been scathing articles at the top of the fold in the NYTimes and the Washington Post. The seemingly useless Sunday TV hosts should have asked republican guests about it instead of doing their millionth segment on Biden’s age. That none of this happened—that instead we got more drivel like that Axios story that deserved to be in the Onion—is both deeply frustrating and concerning.
shaking m,y head in disbelief": Haley's approx 40 percent in SC primary was treated as a blow to her and a triumph for Trump. A similar outcome in NH in 1968 got the exact opposite interpretation:
McCarthy nearly upsets LBJ in New Hampshire primary: March 12, 1968
By ANDREW GLASS
03/12/2016 12:16 AM EST
On this day in 1968, Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-Minn.), a critic of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam policies, captured 42 percent of the vote in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary; LBJ got 48 percent. A Harris poll indicated that anti-Johnson, rather than anti-war, sentiment propelled McCarthy’s near upset. The New Hampshire results caught most political pundits unaware.
I believe a frontrunner losing 40 percent of his own party is never a good sign, not matter what the political pundits had expected.
"“What media coverage or journalism have you seen in recent weeks that has you either shaking your head in disbelief or raising a fist in solidarity?”
Too many to mention . . . my list would be quite long.
Then I open up the NYTimes today and see, as a headline: "As the Election Comes Into Focus, Pressure Builds in the West Wing: The presidency has always been a pressure cooker, but some in the Biden administration see wars, age, family stress and another race against Donald J. Trump combining with unusual force." (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/us/politics/biden-election-pressure-west-wing.html) Peter goes on to make the analogy that it's like "dog years" in the White House, every day like a week, every year like seven. He is one of the worst culprits to attack and denigate Biden or to create a negative spin on almost any story.
On the glass half full side, our newsroom published its Voter Guide a few weeks ago in advance of the CA primary. It's fairly unique in that we focus on down ballot faces (superior court judges, etc) and explain what the job entails, and what makes someone qualified, not just who is running and who backs them. We are seeing record-breaking traffic and engagement, weeks before election day. If we build it the right way, and deliver info that is centered on voters versus horse races, they will come.
George Will’s column that declared Kamala Harris to be unfit for the vice-presidency (he would not refer to her by name in favor of calling her “the mistake”) was thinly veiled racism and misogyny.
The NY Times continued hysteria about the “crisis” posed by trans kids getting gender affirming medical care/participating in sports/ etc etc while ignoring or misrepresenting actual numbers/data. Oh yes, and framing it as a contrarian position against the bogeymen of the rabid progressive left … whose appearance I have yet to see
Margaret, you know better than me, but I suspect the competition between reporters and publishers to score first points is the major motivator to write pablum on some baseless polemic.
My reaction to the notecard-too old connection was back in the olden days we used notecards. In the modern -ie young world- we use phones. Nothing gives away a person's aging brain more then phrase "hang on a sec while I get a pencil..."
I am a longtime, ardent fan of the PBS NewsHour but am disheartened by the coverage they’ve given to Biden’s age problem and the polls that any savvy reader/watcher knows are unreliable at best. A recent segment with Laura Barone Lopez (who I have greatly respected and admired) went over the top on Biden’s age. What is going on with the media??? I am stunned by the negative coverage of Biden. He has deftly knitted the fabric of our international relations and our economy back together after 4 years of Trump ripping it apart. His age equals wisdom which appears (more and more) to be lacking in our country and world.
Thank you for all you do Margaret, and for inviting reader comments.
I know Ezra Klein exploded a lot of heads when he proposed that there might be alternatives to Biden at the convention, but I really appreciate his willingness to expose himself to ridicule, and deliver something that counters the prevailing narrative. I think he also offered insight into how conventions work, which is never a bad thing. I understand that everyone is terrified about adding any chinks to Biden's armor, but I believe it's important to illustrate how anti-democratic a lot of our election structure is. Have you commented on it? I'm interested in what you think.