By Julie Kelly:
It sounds unlikely but the most appalling instance of journalistic malpractice last week was not when The Atlantic published anonymous allegations that President Trump disparaged American troops behind closed doors—it was Joe Biden’s so-called press conference following another shaky, rambling, and dishonest speech disguised as a “campaign event.”
Rather than jump at the chance to grill the Democratic nominee for president after weeks of his refusing to take questions with no objection from the press, reporters delicately pitched one softball after another to the frail candidate. Biden opened the event with a direct reference to The Atlantic article. (We will not link to the piece.) “If what is written in The Atlantic is true, it’s disgusting,” Biden fumed. “It affirms what most of us believe to be true, that Donald Trump is not fit to do the job of president, to be the commander in chief.”
The gaggle in attendance eagerly took his cue. The first “question”—well, it wasn’t a legitimate question so much as the rhetorical equivalent of foreplay—went to a scribe from none other than The Atlantic, who prompted Biden to opine about the “president’s soul and the life he leads.”
Follow-up teasers opened the door for Biden to rant about QAnon, face coverings, Attorney General William Barr, and mail-in voting. A CBS correspondent marveled at how Biden could “restrain” himself in the fight against the Bad Orange Man and wondered aloud why he isn’t “angrier” about Trump’s alleged remarks, triggering a response something along the lines of Biden wanting to beat up the president behind a barn.
In stark contrast to the media’s angry, subversive handling of Donald Trump, reporters were obsequious to the point of nauseating. Flashbacks of how the media coddled Barack Obama came fast and furious; the national press corps, building on its 13-year history of covering for The Chosen One and everyone around him, took another one for the team.
As bad as that spectacle was, I believe we will look back after Election Day and conclude it was one of the least bad days for the American media during the 2020 presidential race. Democratic campaign operatives disguised as very serious journalists are promising new bombshells over the coming weeks.
Undoubtedly, more anonymous sources with more unproven accusations will surface; perhaps some decade-old recordings harbored by a disgruntled employee and outlandish tales from a shunned family member will titillate Trump-hating junkies? No story is too far-fetched, no lowlife is too out-of-bounds to be exploited in the media’s pursuit of not just defeat but total destruction of Donald Trump.
“[E]xpect more ossified scandals, Kindergarten interviews, improving favorability ratings for the president, and desperate efforts to prove COVID-19 is resurging, quarantines must be extended, rioting and burning are acts of love, and we are in a Great Depression,” Victor Davis Hanson predicted in his column this week. “And the more this does not work, the more vehemently it will be repeated.”
So, the question we must ask—and answer—is how much attention should we give these hyperbolic claims?
It’s clear that panic is setting in as Democrats struggle to carry Biden across the November finish line. After all, surefire winners don’t need to dredge up unsourced comments from more than two years ago and have them published in a discredited Russian-collusion rag.
The polls have tightened with states such as Minnesota, always considered a lock for a Democratic presidential candidate, up-for-grabs. Biden’s brief appearance in Kenosha generated zero voter enthusiasm but plenty of gaffes while his campaign’s strategy of attempting to blame Trump for violence in Democrat-run cities has backfired.
The Democratic mayor of Portland was chased out of his own home; Black Lives Matter thugs are attacking diners at outdoor restaurants in the suburbs. Nancy Pelosi was busted for a verboten trip to a local hair salon and laughably argued she was the victim of a “set up.”
On the flip side, the economy is recovering from a catastrophic COVID-19 induced shutdown as the stock market soars. The infection is burning out; Democrats depend on sustained hysteria over coronavirus to justify their mail-in election plan but a virus under control coupled with hopes of a vaccine jeopardizes that scheme.
In the history of dirty tricks, the time between the dirty trick and the refutation has been shrinking down to almost nothing.
In the Watergate scandal, only the arrests brought the truth to the fore.
Parties could pull so-called “October surprises” that could mess with an election taking place a week later!
BUT…..
When, in late October, Dan Rather brought forth his “fake, but accurate” memo about GWBush not serving his time in the air force reserves, it only took the better part of a day before the memo was proven to be a total fake made on modern microsoft not on a typewriter of the time.
Nowadays it takes less than an hour.
By three days later over 15 persons were ON RECORD, by NAME refuting the Atlantic story whose sources refuse to allow their names to be shared. Even those eyewitnesses who dislike President Trump, like John Bolton, refuted the Atlantic story.
So, I say, yes, refute.
Also refute the lies of the opposition like Biden’s lie that he never said he was opposed to fracking. Let his videos of the past refute his lies.
Same with Harris.
@Nan G: We get informed and seek out facts. It is difficult to understand not only how ignorant people on the left are but how much they WANT to be ignorant. They simply cannot face the truth because the truth is that Biden is just beyond brain-dead and Kamala is a far left socialist liar that will destroy a decent man over politics and praises a violent sex offender and his anti-Semitic, racist father.