Writes Jonathan Chait in support of the hard-to-believe thesis "Why the Media Is Worse for Biden Than Trump" (NY Magazine).
If it were my job to write a column supporting that proposition, I'd take an entirely different tack. I'd say the media always opposed Trump, and he built his political success fighting against his opponents. He was a great counterpuncher, and he got energy from these attacks. Whatever they did to him "proved" they were "fake news," and he used whatever was thrown his way to his advantage. Thus, the media was never bad for him.
But Biden has been boosted all along by the media, spared criticism, spared even any serious questioning. Coddled for so long, he's now exposed as utterly vulnerable. The media have been so good to him that when there's anything bad, it is very bad for him. So, clearly, the media are worse for Biden than for Trump. Key word: for.
If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place.
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78 comments:
We were prosperous under the "insane dictatorship of evil Dr. Trump!"
Joe Biden is corrupt.
Chait can Fuck off.
I'll have what he's having...
This is gibberish: "On Trump’s worst days, the Fox News chyrons depicted him as a triumphal leader. On Biden’s best days, the conservative media was still giving him hell." Those aren't parallel. On Trump's best days, the left media still gave him Hell. It's a syntactic construction trying to make you think it's proving something that it's not.
Jonathan Chait and his adolescent and pathetic gaslighting could easily qualify as a LLR.
This is simply part of the democraticals/marxists/LLR's continuing efforts to solidify a permanent Ministry of Truth (war is peace, famine is plenty, antifa is a myth, white supremacy is our biggest internal threat, January 6th was an insurrection, Voter ID laws are the new Jim Crow, etc) approach to all information streams with rotating "Winston Smith's" and kulak "wreckers" who keep the "heroic" democraticals/marxists/LLR's from achieving "success".
"Coddled for so long, he's now exposed as utterly vulnerable."
Much the same for any Democratic politician from California. You don't have to learn how to debate, how to lead, how to manage anything - you just have to know the right people in order to get on the ballot as a (D) and you're in. Kamala Harris never had to prove competency at much of anything, and it shows.
To call Chait’s argument willful ignorance is to insult both willful and ignorant people. This is such a massive disconnect, not only from reality, but from his and they’re responsibility for (a) handcuffing Trump, (b) putting Biden and Harris in this position, and (c) now trying to gloss over and cover for what is the single worst abdication of responsibility to our military our citizens, and our allies around the world.
I lay the current and upcoming horrors around the neck of Jonathan Chait and his fellow Leftists who run our media and tech. I’ll never forget or forgive any one of them. These deaths and destroyed lives are on each and every one of them.
This is known as when the other shoe drops. Propagandists are blinded by their passion/limits and don't understand that swords have two blades, what's good for the goose is good for the gander, that one can be hoisted on their on petard, and that when one casts their bread upon the waters it eventually returns.
And there are 1,000 more honestly sayings and platitudes where those came from.
All of this used to be part of universal elementary school social and moral training. I guess its better to learn the facts of life late than never. I just hope we don't all die in the meantime.
Perfect last sentence Ann!!!....THAT sums it all up.
Chait is a liar, and he knows he is a liar. He depends on his readers being liars, too, and not call him out on it. When CNN and MSNBC are giving Biden grief, it is because he deserves it- in short, the incompetence is so bad that even the journalists and pundits with Biden's cock down their throats are starting to gag. I guess Chait is still happy on his knees.
The media have been so good to him that when there's anything bad, it is very bad for him. So, clearly, the media are worse for Biden than for Trump. Key word: for.
That's a fair point, though obviously the media's intent has been to help him. Like an overindulgent parent, they've only enabled him to be terrible. They've abandoned their role as watchdogs. They should be ashamed, but they have no shame, it seems.
That is the kind of comprehensive media hostility Trump never had to worry about.
FFS… “Leave Joe alone!”, he cries.
Joe Biden’s sane, competent administration
Pretty crappy day for that column to come out.
The problem, Dr Althouse, is that you don't think we're idiots. Chait obviously does.
The media are such true believers in the left that they probably honestly believe in the purity of Democratic politicians because they advocate for the right causes. The Republicans are obviously evil. Thus when any news report speaks favorably of a Republican it is biased, when it speaks unfavorably of a democrat, it is biased. When the MSM speaks positively of a Democrat or negatively or a Republican, it is because that is a true accounting of reality. All things are measured, not by the objectivity of the facts, but by the letter after the name. If it is (D), there can be no evil. if it is (R) there can be no good. To allow any other interpretation is to destroy their perfect world view and invite the possibility they they are wrong. How could they be wrong if everyone they know, all the smart people, agree with them?
By tomorrow morning our Installed *"President" Dementia Boy will address this incident by saying: C'mon man, that was 4 or 5 days ago!
And the LLR's/Jonathan Chait's will be defending him as well as his choices of ice cream flavors....vehemently.
Jonathan Chait writes: If you want to understand the strange difficulty that Joe Biden’s sane, competent administration has in yielding measurably higher approval than Trump’s insane, incompetent presidency,
So, just for fun, let's review the first 7 months of the Biden* and Trump Administrations
Biden*:
1: Muffed distribution of the Trump Covid Vaccine
2: Completely blew up the border
3: Inflation at significant levels
4: Employment grown stalled
5: Completely f'ed up in Afghanistan, leaving thousands of Americans at the mercy of terrorists and the Taliban, while pissing off our allies so much that the UK Parliament censored the US for the Biden* Admin screwups
Trump:
1: Significant decrease in illegal aliens as many self-deported, and many more just stopped coming
2: Wage growth for the economic lower classes as decreased competition from illegals led to employers having to pay higher wages
3: Took an economy that was heading into recession and turned it around to significant growth
4: Unleashed the US Army to go out and defeat ISIS (Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, was taken from ISIS July 2017)
Chait lives in Bizzaroworld
Thank you for your well-reasoned response to Chait’s proposition.
Mine is a bit simpler and perhaps a bit oblique:
To Chait— pull the other one, mate. It has got bells on it.
Bingo.
"But Biden has been boosted all along by the media, spared criticism, spared even any serious questioning. Coddled for so long, he's now exposed as utterly vulnerable. The media have been so good to him that when there's anything bad, it is very bad for him."
It's a common problem for Democrats. See Andrew Cuomo. He's an abusive, harassing a$$hole, but so long as no one in the Democrat Party with significant power wanted him gone, he won Emmys
The second they did? He was toast, because he lived his entire life thinking he was untouchable
It's like the Lamestream is secretly shilling for Trump. Ratings gold.
Let's see, Biden has (or had anyway, some screw ups are too big to hide) all the alphabet networks, pretty much all the social media giants, and Hollywood covering his demented ass. Trump (sometimes) had Fox News and Instapundit. Maybe, just maybe, Joe's numbers are down because he's f*cking up.
hmmm.... Where to start?
"... the mainstream media only describes roughly half the media landscape. The other half of the media is a right-wing messaging apparatus"
So, there IS NO 'left-wing' messaging apparatus?
Or, there is NO NEED for one, what with the mainstream media being in the democrat's pocket's?
OR: the mainstream media IS the left-wing messaging apparatus?
" If you want to understand the strange difficulty that Joe Biden’s sane, competent administration has in yielding measurably higher approval than Trump’s insane, incompetent presidency, the asymmetrical relationship between the two parties and their respective media"
Who are you going to believe? ME? or You're Lying Eyes?
All Jo Biden has, is ALL the major networks (including Fox, And the WSJ)...
Donald Trump has some bloggers
finally;
"Joe Biden’s sane, competent administration"
Assumes Facts, not in evidence.
Can someone point out a thing (a SINGLE THING) that Biden's Admin has done; that was Either Sane or competent?
I think the "Donald Trump gets two scoops of ice cream" non-story contrasts well with Biden's "Chocolate chocolate chip," response to a reporter's question of what flavor ice cream did he get.
Has Mr. Chait considered that maybe Biden's screw ups are sufficiently large that no one but NY Magazine is willing to risk any more credibility covering for him?
Even describing the situation as precisely as you do makes it seem incredible. How did the country reach the point where these are the alternatives? Elected officials in Portland are refusing to interfere with protests, even if they are likely to culminate in beatings and even gun play (not just setting off fireworks, which is bad enough). The country has real problems.
I'm getting cynical I guess but I think the reason there is so much negative coverage of Biden is that the catastrophe in Afghanistan is an opportunity to make America look bad - weak, treacherous to allies, led by a senile President. The left loves it. Too bad for you, Biden. You should have realized the true price of Hunter's art.
I'm getting cynical I guess but I think the reason there is so much negative coverage of Biden is that the catastrophe in Afghanistan is an opportunity to make America look bad - weak, treacherous to allies, led by a senile President. The left loves it. Too bad for you, Biden. You should have realized the true price of Hunter's art.
Sounds like the James Taranto thesis re John Kerry in 2004
Sounds like the James Taranto theory re John Kerry getting blindsided by the Swift Boat Veterans in 2004.
People like Chait have no shame, but make up for it by having twice as many standards as normal people do.
In 2016 Trump to me was a loudmouth rich New Yorker who was of no interest to me whatever.
Then, he became the candidate, and revelations began to come out. That was just stage one--a normal crooked businessman would take the hint and scurry away. At the least, the already surveilled Trump and his associates, had they been normal crooks, would have started plotting how to escape the dragnet and/or cop a plea, that is obstruct justice.
The spying would pick it all up.
Now through all this, Trump's tax records are made a big issue. The more I heard about them, the more I began to wonder how it was that the IRS and the NY tax authorities had not managed to find a smoking gun to leak? Were they so afraid of or attached to Trump, these federal and state gov flunkies and Democrats, that they gave up hero status to keep Trump's dark secrets?
And when those closest to Trump did get charged it was always for shit they did on their own, with no plea-bargainable dirt on Trump. How curious--these sleazebags would rather go to jail than rat out Trump?
My lib/left friends hate it when I refer to Trump as the most investigated and targeted person in American (if not world) history--and all he is, is a loudmouth rich New Yorker who bests the elites unless they rig the game--and sometimes when they do.
I think this article tells us more about the disconnect from reality by progressives than anything about Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Their bubble is literally all they know.
Chait's comments are examples of what the word gobsmacked was meant for.
The Taranto Principle claims another victim.
“If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place.”
Thank you, media, for sparing us President Bernie Sanders.
Chait sure assumes a lot, and his words might have curious meanings. Half of the media -- what do es he mean by half? A "sane, competent administration"? Media yping the chaos? Could be they are not showing or reporting the worst of it. Also agree the left media was the palace guard for Biden. I can see why he thinks they are now disloyal.
Lazy analysis by Chait, terrific one from our host.
There's a corollary, I think. Many in the media have come to believe that they can and should shape the news. Paraphrasing Senator Blutarsky, "Nothing is a story, until WE say it is!" And if they don't want it to be a story, they can bury it, downplay it, provide endless context explaining why you're wrong to think it's important.
They can get away with that for a lot of politics as usual. But some things are big enough to break through, and then they have a choice: Get the story, as some of them have in truth done one hell of a job doing in the past two weeks (lookin' at you, NPR!), or try lamely to spin it. I'd like to think Baghdad Bob is reading Jen Rubin and thinking, For God's sake, woman, have some pride!
Chait could learn from your analysis, Professor. Instead, when the Biden narrative fails to sway enough people, he'll think it's the media's fault, for being just too damn fair to the crazies.
Yes, Jonathon, how dare Trump "stand firm with his base"!
Or ... maybe it's the other way around. Or, it's a mutual thing.
And what a low "standard of performance" he holds himself too!
What the hell is that even supposed to mean? It's just nonsensical.
Trump often embarrassed people. Biden makes people feel deeply ashamed.
"Coddled for so long, he's now exposed as utterly vulnerable." T
Vulnerable? Yes - but only because the DNC decided that it made sense to get a senile geriatric case into the Presidency.
Our political 'elite' seemed to have believed that if some no-political-experience buffoon like Trump could be President, and someone like Obama could turn the White House into Hollywood East with parties and celebs - how hard could the job actually BE?
Turns out it can go from photo ops of Presidential visits to ice cream parlors to Afghanistan collapsing and people falling off of airplanes pretty darn quick.
When nothing goes wrong, the Presidency isn't difficult. Neither is being a fireman, or an EMT. It's when the shit hits the fan that you've got to cope with a horrible mess. You need skills, determination, leadership - and people you can TRUST (which Trump had problems with in DC) to advise you.
And Biden, in his best days, was a second-rate politician. Sadly, we're long past his best days at this point. And second-rate leaders don't gather first-rate people to advise them. They look for sycophants and suck-ups to stroke their ego.
"If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place."
Quite likely. After all - how was Biden campaigning? Barely coming out on the campaign trail, carefully controlled events, no spontaneity - and the media hailed him as someone who could save the country. No plans on what he'd do except 'undo everything Trump did'. No rallies, no country-wide campaigning, and they were calling 'lids' on the campaign early every day. This is the FIRST time I've heard of ANY campaigning politician calling a 'lid' on a day. Yet Biden's campaign was constantly calling them.
Like I said - the Presidency can go from peaceful to whirling meat grinder real quick. I saw no indication that Biden would be able to handle any problems - and I still don't.
We're in real trouble - and the man at the helm's more interested in a friggin' nap and an ice cream cone.
There is no valid reason to equate both in the bad comparison. Nothing that Trump did is remotely as bad as what Biden has done in eight months, nevermind for years. What right wing media? Fox? Barely. Newsmax and OAN? They have hardly any viewers compared to the MSM. Chait is a tool and that is the nicest that can be said about him.
Here’s the howler: “The other half of the media is a right-wing messaging apparatus that makes no effort to follow traditional journalistic norms.”
Negative media is worse for Biden now because he can’t effectively respond. He’s often incoherent in his remarks and doesn’t take questions like Trump did. His interview with Stephanopoulos was terrible.
And let’s face it, after Trump left office media ratings and clicks went down. So now the media has to criticize Biden to get attention.
The media was Biden’s base, but Biden couldn’t pay their bills like Trump did.
If I were a teenager stoner (and at 77 I'm not and never was) I'd say that Chait had been smoking some righteous stuff--or maybe he'd dropped a lid of LSD--before he wrote that dumpster fire of bilge. He's fully as delusional as Slow Joe who thinks he's competent.
The correct term is "Lie-Stream Media." The establish media lies to its viewers/readers in three ways: outright fake stories, slanted coverage of what it reports and no coverage of stories that it wants to hide. The outright fake stories include the Atlantic's story about DJT's canceled trip to the WWI cemeteries in France, based upon supposedly four anonymous sources. There were 18 on-the-record sources who said otherwise. Anonymous source is code for "we're making sh*t up." Another fake story was the Michael Cohen story that DJT asked Cohen to lie. The Lie-Stream Media spent all day saying "devastating if true." The special prosecutor had to issue a press release denying the story.
Slanted coverage is where they hide relevant facts or use loaded words to imply a scandal. The Charlottesville "good people on both sides" story is an example. They'll show DJT's statement about good people on both sides of the statue removal story, but won't include his exclusionary statements about neo-nazis or white supremacists.
The Lie-Stream Media won't cover election fraud stories. As far as they are concerned, election fraud doesn't exist. No matter that fraud is everywhere, including corporations, tax, investment and sports, just to mention a few. People cheat. Why wouldn't people cheat in an activity that has so much impact on power and money? That's why strong election integrity protections are required and why the Lie-Stream Media and Democrats hate such provisions.
From a friend who voted for Biden because he disliked Trump: Who thought that that Biden would be this bad?
Me: I did.
Ah, well old Jonny Chait of the "it's okay to say I hate Bush!" school of journ-O-lism resurfaces to make the absurd claim on behalf of his masters in the DNC-Media Complex! Can't believe he still gets paid to concoct such dreck. Maybe he and Jen Rubin just drew short straws this week. Or maybe he offers a glimpse into what Biden wishes was in the news today instead of what the news ongoing actually is today.
It's ugly out there. It's time for Chait's friends to do their goddamned jobs and report the truth.
Ann, thank you for reading Chait so that I don't have to.
'I think the "Donald Trump gets two scoops of ice cream" non-story contrasts well with Biden's "Chocolate chocolate chip," response to a reporter's question of what flavor ice cream did he get.'
I loved it when the media were breathlessly running the 'Donnie Two-scoops' story.
He was the boss...the capo di tutti capi...why shouldn't he get extra?
He was only wetting his beak : )
Howard: "It's like the Lamestream is secretly shilling for Trump. Ratings gold."
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you a member of Chait's target audience.
"the mainstream media only describes roughly half the media landscape."
The other half of NYT, WP, LAT, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC is . . .?
"Joe Biden’s sane, competent administration"
Whoa. Been reading too much MSM-style reporting, buddy. Harris, Blinken, Sullivan, Milley: "competent"?
"CNN and MSNBC looked a lot like Fox News, all hyping chaos in Afghanistan 24/7"
Ah, yes, they were "hyping" it.
Althouse: "If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place."
Exactly. Too many Chaits in the "media," too few Althouses.
Chaits assertions are simply a ridiculous gaslighting attempt. That is all this is.
This article is a red herring. A matador's cape.
We have an illegitimate regime trying to destroy the country and create enough chaos to escape with their loot.
They are also delivering on their Chinese paymaster's wishes.
Narr said "My lib/left friends hate it when I refer to Trump as the most investigated and targeted person in American (if not world) history--and all he is, is a loudmouth rich New Yorker who bests the elites unless they rig the game--and sometimes when they do."
Because they can't handle the truth. Which is why they still believe the propaganda that has been spewed since Trump came down the escalator.
Left Bank of the Charles said...
“If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place.”
Thank you, media, for sparing us President Bernie Sanders.
8/26/21, 11:47 AM
Even Bernie wouldn't have f*cked up this badly.
The media is all biased against poor old Joe must be the new talking point. Real Clear Politics linked to another NY Mag article "Media Manufactured Biden's 'Fiasco' in Afghanistan" by Eric Levitz. Both articles assert without evidence that the media is treating the Faux Biden administration like they've been treating Republican's for decades.
Yancey Ward said...
the incompetence is so bad that even the journalists and pundits with Biden's cock down their throats are starting to gag. I guess Chait is still happy on his knees.
I think Chait is just taking it where there's no gag reflex.
I'm sorry for the crudity, Yancy mad me do it! ;-)
By "traditional journalistic norms” does Chait mean covering for Democrats?
"That is the kind of comprehensive media hostility Trump never had to worry about."
It takes a special kind of "journalist" to put his name on something so blatantly false.
The Trump-bashers I know personally are still Trump bashing, at about 50 percent pre-election levels. But they are silent…SILENT… on Biden, finally heeding Mama’s edict: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
The Trump-bashers I know personally are still Trump bashing, at about 50 percent pre-election levels. But they are silent…SILENT… on Biden, finally heeding Mama’s edict: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
If the media had treated Biden truthfully Biden would not have been the nominee or President In Name Only. Truthfully would have been bad enough.
Mr.Chait spews nonsense, drivel and just total bullshit! He is a shameless pawn of the left wing traitors who are ineptly and dangerously running this country . Chait s a total loser!!!
phantommut: "It takes a special kind of "journalist" to put his name on something so blatantly false."
Unfortunately, that is typical of almost every single legacy "journalist".
Althouse: "If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place."
Exactly. Too many Chaits in the "media," too few Althouses."
Ain't that that truth! Well said Sebastian. In an alternative universe Althouse would be the chief editor of the NYT or the WaPo and the one she would be the editor of would be the one worth subscribing to.
Althouse: "If the media had treated Biden and Trump equally badly all along, Biden would never have been the Democratic Party candidate in the first place."
Exactly. Too many Chaits in the "media," too few Althouses."
Ain't that that truth! Well said Sebastian. In an alternative universe Althouse would be the chief editor of the NYT or the WaPo and the one she would be the editor of would be the one worth subscribing to.
All bull of course, most have said it all.
On the same line of thought I was wondering if anyone else picked up on the lie the White House has been pushing since at least Monday.
‘Yes we are on track to meet the President’s goal. All Americans “that want” to get out, will get out.
I picked up on that qualifying language instantly and knew the lie was in place and the White House is going to blame those left behind on their own bad decisions. This is the kind of life line leftist politicians give the media. A good talking point to take the stink off of incompetence.
Agreeing to abandon Bagram signed the execution papers for thousands of people. Pushing 250,000 people through the Kabul airport was designed to fail.
As you are aware I don't read msm drivel, Drago. You just keep wasting your rapidly waning life force on anxiety and shadenboner producing trivia. Six to be you. I'm off to sunset swim with my lovely female swim partners. I won't miss a thing
The latest headlines on this clusterfuck quote Biden, "We will hunt you down and make you pay..."
Make your checks payable to Hunter Biden.
Howard: "As you are aware I don't read msm drivel, Drago."
Of course you dont Howard. Its merely a coincidence that you repeat every msm talking point and spout every msm narrative. Just a perfect 100% alignment coincidence.
Enjoy your swim with...er...Morgan Fairchild! Yeah, thats the ticket!
Chait’s side is noble, reasonable, moderate. His opponents are ignorant, dangerous, zealous. Most of friends are on the left, and Chait’s worldview is their own.
Most of the mainstream media abandoned traditional journalistic norms when Trump won the Republican nomination. They sacrificed their credibility. Now most want it back, but credibility doesn't work that way.
Judas Joe.
the problem is that people pretend to take jon chait seriously....he's deeply and demonstrably unserious....i defy any althouse reader to find a chait column from (even) three years ago that holds up on rereading
Oh, and for Howard and Chuck- this is how you do it if you supported Joe Biden:
Link
You see, Sam Harris apparently has the ability to feel shame and embarrassment.
This is one of those columns that needed to be written and so Chait wrote it--see also Ezra Klein's ridiculous OpEd in the Times today. Considering how rapidly Biden himself seems to be unraveling, expect a flood of stories and columns about Kamala's astonishing powers of competence and attention to detail.
Chait's article sounds like the result of a drunken challenge from his journalist friends. While standing around in his backyard after having too many beers, one of Chait's buds says "I bet you can't write an article with a straight face that the press is treating Biden worse than Trump! A determined look then comes over Chait's face as he slurs "Dude! Hold my beer."
And it is simply untrue that Fox was an uninterrupted Trump cheerleading section. There were certainly Trumpophiles, but no shortgage of Trump sceptics either.
As James K mentioned "overindulgent parents", my thoughts go to that spoiled literary brat Dudley Dursely (Harry Potter's cousin).
What if Dudley was President? Not too different than Joe.
I think Chait actually believes the untruths he spouts. "Rationalization" is what most people do, most of the time - deciding with their hearts, and using their rationality to rationalize the choice their heart has already made.
That's why "science" became so powerful - it was true even if you didn't want it to be true (or false, in most cases). Even Einstein didn't want quantum mechanics to be true, but science experiments say otherwise. Geniuses can be, and often are, wrong.
Chait is wrong like so many elites who hate Trump based on style. He's deluded, because he deludes himself. But they also hated Bush 43, and Reagan ... it's Democrat Delusion Syndrome, not TDS nor BDS.
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