The media’s desperation for cleaning up the Biden record is reaching a hysterical level.
At the moment we are watching the press complex in this country making strained efforts at recalibrating the economy, in order to avoid having Joe Biden saddled with the yoke of a recession. This is not automatic fealty to Joe, but a desire for a wider benefit to the Democrats. Before we go further, let us understand – the need to dress up the economy is being done with an eye on the coming midterms. Biden is an anchor, as far as candidates are concerned, so anything that can float his image so it is not underwater by November is a needed boost.
Regardless of anything promoted as beneficial, everything hinges on the economy. The hope is that if they can stave off that recession kind of talk, possibly the next GDP report just before the midterms would show a slight uptick, giving the media a claim of an improving economy just ahead of the voting. While that is a long shot, the desperation seen today is the setup for that miracle play. The amusement is in the tactics being used.
The initial narrative comes from Brian Deese, Biden’s hack of an economic advisor. Deese, you may recall, had been ardently trying to sell us his low-octane gas lighting on gasoline prices for some time already. Deese was out on Monday ahead of the release of the GDP numbers, with his insistence that the traditional measure of a recession – two consecutive quarters of negative growth – is not an accurate measure.
This had been initially mocked as indolent thinking. Except in the media. As the numbers arrived, numerous players in the press followed this White House script of questioning the long-held standard of a recession. But there is another method at play by journalists, that is also a cue taken from the administration. Deese, recall, was the practitioner of the method of measuring success by eliminating the worst data components, in order to then declare metrics were actually showing good signs. He claimed last fall food prices were not so high, so long as you did not factor in the high-priced meat items.
As dumb of an approach to reality as this is, it is expected from the spin merchants inside a desperate administration. But while few Americans are swayed by the sales pitch of If you do not include food and gas prices, inflation is not so high, media members are attempting this same con job. Now, the press is actually engaged in this very same prevarication tactic on the economy.
Repeatedly, we are seeing journalists approaching issues with the formula of significant figures being erased at the onset. Josh Boak attempted to dress up the economy in a very infantile manner; just don’t include inflation, and the economy is actually in good shape! Yes, seriously.
“If you simply disregard the fire this car is a gem!” https://t.co/EIMCh3oMnn pic.twitter.com/jKdCGau0qt
— Brad Slager – Unique Taco/Lifetime CNN+ Subscriber (@MartiniShark) July 28, 2022
What we are seeing is this idiotic concept now being applied to not only economic factors, but the Biden administration in general. Try to imagine a time when a Republican president, or any GOP politician for that matter, has been defended in the press with the idea that if you eliminated the problems of their time in office, it would be regarded as a success. Van Jones at CNN wants you to basically eliminate one-third of Joe Biden’s brief tenure to this stage, and you actually have something close to a success story.
CNN’s Van Jones praises Biden’s ‘successful’ presidency ‘if you just erase the past six months of nutty stuff’ https://t.co/m3ElusnfLN
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) July 29, 2022
At the New York Times, Michael Shear made a slightly better approach, but one just as desperate. He took great pains in a lengthy piece to highlight the achievements of the Biden administration, placing them in the spotlight effectively while dismissing the rather glaring problems in a blithe manner. He quotes David Axelrod proclaiming Biden has been “amassing a record of historic wins,” and also shows how Biden’s people are eager to quell voter dissatisfaction.
They argue that Mr. Biden’s accomplishments are sometimes not appreciated. They point to the crush of negative news coverage that he received as gas prices were rising rapidly and the comparatively smaller amount of coverage as gas prices have fallen after his decision to release a record amount of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
It seems so unfair; if only more people understood how great they have it today – and more were reading administration spin merchants, like Josh Boak and Michael Shear. But, it is apparent there is this desperation to alter reality in order to boost prospects for the election. The real amusement? This follows a well-recognized pattern, and it will not lead to a happy conclusion.
Midterm cycles since ‘06 have certain rhythm: 1) Maybe POTUS’ party’ll avoid losses. 2) Things look good for out party. 3) Things look REALLY good for out party. 4) Hold on, maybe POTUS’ party won’t lose as many seats as thought. 5) Could POTUS’ party avoid wipeout? 6) WIPEOUT.
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) July 23, 2022
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