As I was following the blame and blame-shifting surrounding Kamala Harris' disastrous loss to Donald Trump, something suddenly hit me.
As we watched her 107-day campaign, most coverage really shined as she was portrayed as an inspiring pioneer who would unify the country.
Depressed media reaction to Trump's victory: How did this happen?
But about five minutes after Donald Trump was declared the president-elect, a very different picture emerged.
Harris ran a terrible campaign, making all sorts of gaffes and failures. She wasn't doing this or that or that. She couldn't stand the challenge. She couldn't meet that moment.
Now they tell us?
Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump side by side. (AP image)
Doesn't this suggest that the journalists, commentators, and analysts were defending her? Did they know that the vice president flinched and failed and that it wasn't honest?
Well, here's what comes to mind:
Throughout most of his term, whether you like his policies or not, President Biden has been portrayed as a capable chief executive, perhaps lacking in sagacity but more than capable of getting things done. It's in
Several age-related stories surfaced earlier this year, but both White House officials and those covering Biden assured readers and viewers that he was, in one word, “a man.”
“Sharp as a tack.”
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And the discussion began. boom! The country's president has struggled to formulate a coherent response to Trump and was expected to soon be forced to withdraw from the race.
At that point, many media members said that they had certainly seen Biden's mental decline, that he had often hidden it from the media, but wasn't it obvious? Several people said White House officials had been telling them for two years that Biden was unlikely to be able to seek reelection. But of course it was off the record.
Vice President Kamala Harris gestures during her concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on the campus of Howard University on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarborough)
In other words, many media outlets defended the president even when he appeared confused or misguided.
And you're probably wondering why media credibility ratings are done in the toilet.
With Harris, as with Biden, many journalists suppressed the harsh realities of their problems until it was no longer in their interest.
is getting Major doses of this Because of all the sniping going on between the Harris campaign and the Biden campaign.
Trump campaign expresses confidence based on early voting, but black leaders say Harris is struggling
“Democrats are directing their anger over their presidential election loss at Joe Biden, who they accuse of setting up Kamala Harris to fail by not dropping out sooner,” Politico reported.
“They say his advanced age, questions about his mental health, and deep unpopularity place Democrats at a significant disadvantage. “I'm angry that he was forced to run a candidate who had been in the race for a long time and then stayed in the race for so long,” he said, “until it became clear he wasn't going to win.” ”
On the same site Columnist Jonathan Martin “Biden supporters want to blame her for her loss, and Harris's defenders have created a forbidding political environment that she has proven unable to overcome. I believe that Mr. Biden's mistakes are undeniable.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Harris' defenders can complain that she was dragged down by Biden when she was unable to find a single substantive policy challenge to overcome from an unpopular incumbent. I wonder?”
He added: “Where was the audacity? There was no full-throated attempt at defensive politics, no full-throated attempt to reassure the country that it would govern from the middle and eliminate extremists of both parties…if the other side was clear “If she attacked you as a liberal without any real decision-making,” given her continued response, given the magnitude of the difficulties she faced, and given how bad the initial internal poll was. , why not voters take the risk? ”
Now, there were several suggestions, including one from me that perhaps Mr. Harris is being too cautious and sticking to his talking points. I argued that from the day she gave up on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Tim Walz would do nothing for the ticket. Many experts now simply state that as fact.
One exception to the wait-until-it approach is this piece from mid-October At Axios:
“Many senior Biden aides remain traumatized by the president's removal from his bid for re-election and are still adjusting to supporting roles on the campaign… Some have said senior White House aides have not been able to adequately coordinate Mr. Biden's message and schedule to suit what is best for the vice president's campaign. ”
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How the media underestimated Trump's chances and appeal to voters in the wake of this election, and why Harris' party seemed out of place for many working-class people. The media has a lot to answer for, including whether they were unable to understand the issue.
But for Harris, painting a rosy scenario when the reality is bleak ranks high on the list, even if nothing can be done to stop President Trump.
