The danger we’re now facing
Joe Biden’s lead continues to grow larger, both nationwide and in swing states. We’re now looking at a historically large lead, and not the kind that’s easily erased by poll sampling errors, voter suppression shenanigans, or complacency. If anything, a lead this large leads to a bandwagon effect, because some voters in the middle like the idea of knowing they’re voting for the winner.
Yet today we’ve seen NBC News schedule an illegitimate town hall with Donald Trump aimed at sabotaging Joe Biden’s town hall that night. Today we’ve seen the New York Post tabloid newspaper publish a laughably phony story about Hunter Biden, and we’ve seen a prominent New York Times reporter promote that obviously phony New York Post story. It’s as if the mainstream media has all suddenly run wild.
If there’s a danger right now, it’s that Biden is pulling so far ahead, the media now thinks he’ll win no matter what – and they therefore think there’s no harm in smearing Joe Biden to gin up ratings, or in handing Trump free media. As always, we have to hold the media accountable.
For the record, the media took this position for the entire 2016 election cycle, and spent every minute of it lying about Clinton for ratings – which is why she was never able to keep more than a fairly small lead, and why the Comey letter was enough to finish her off.
In 2020, the media seemed to have learned its lesson, and mostly stayed away from phony Biden scandals. But with Biden now firmly up by double digits… old habits die hard. The media exists to score ratings. It doesn’t exist for any other reason. Just make sure you all vote.
Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report