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With the near assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden dropping out of the race, Democratic policymakers have clearly decided to move away from the constant “threat to democracy” rhetoric and switch to a “joyful warriors” theme, a theme that was dramatically turned up in volume at the Democratic Convention in Chicago.
“Joy” is a better word, even if the Biden-Harris administration hasn't exactly given us reason to be happy about the state of the country, with all the rising prices and the influx of illegal immigrants straining the spending system that supports them.
But shouldn't this election be about governing, not just “tone”? Shouldn't the media enforce specifics? If you watch the network morning shows every day during the convention, you'll feel like you're drowning in superficial “joy” chatter, “dance party” enthusiasm, and celebrity extravaganza.
Harris and Waltz had a successful tournament, but they failed to achieve their key goals.
The Harris campaign's aversion to policy details fits in well with today's TV news, which avoids policy content whenever possible. It's not in their interest to focus on Biden's accomplishments, which is why it's odd that they would attack Donald Trump for focusing on “personal attacks” instead of policy talk.
The public should be skeptical of all these “joyful warrior” reports, which highlights how news networks have used “news” as a form of positive advertising.
As Trump accurately shouted during a campaign rally in North Carolina, “They always say, 'Mr. President, stick to the policy, no personal attacks,' and yet[Democrats]have been making personal attacks all night. Do we still have to stick to the policy?”
Trump's speech included harsh attacks on the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, but the only “news” worth mentioning was the personal attacks.
Kamala Harris receives overwhelmingly positive media coverage since emerging as a candidate: survey
Some of the left-wing media's reaction is emotional. They hate personal attacks on Democrats, and are keen to characterize attacks on Harris as both racist and sexist. Calling Kamala stupid is a double insult. But they rejoice when people like Michelle Obama denounce Trump and his “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies” about Kamala Harris. And then there's former president Barack Obama. As TMZ described it, Obama “mockered at Trump's obsession with crowd size at this week's Democratic National Convention, even making a crude joke about spreading his hands to symbolize the length of his penis.” These speeches are oddly interpreted as “fun” acts of war.
People should be skeptical of all this “Joy Warrior” reporting. It highlights how news networks have used “news” as a form of positive advertising. A Media Research Center survey of the evening news shows on ABC, CBS and NBC since Biden was ousted found that coverage of Harris was 84% positive, while coverage of Trump was 89% negative.
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Let me underscore this finding: Even after Trump was shot in the ear and narrowly escaped a fatal head wound, coverage of him was extremely negative.
The “news” people should clear their throats and tell us the details. Older voters will remember when TV news ran issue-oriented reports that delved into social and economic issues. ABC News had its “American Agenda” series that thrived on promoting liberal “solutions” through government action. It was biased, but substantive. The “news” people would feel better with “Breakfast for the Brain” or whatever slogan they liked.
But the focus groups tell the TV consultants that this is not what viewers want to see: they fear that people will stop watching news programs and start watching game shows, so they program “news lite” programs that emphasize personal insults, which only deepen the public's skepticism about how politics is conducted.
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The organizers of the Democratic convention have actually tried to shrink the news networks to give more room to openly left-leaning young “influencers.” This must be causing some teeth-gnashing in the “news” people, who should sit back and do their jobs.
Let’s treat voters as serious citizens whose interests aren’t swayed by which party’s dance moves are better.
To read more articles by Tim Graham click here
