See below for a brilliant new thread by David Rothkopf, who is consistently one of the most astute, perceptive, spot-on observers and analysts of American politics. Certainly, Rothkopf understands U.S. politics FAR better than 99% of the talking heads on the boob tube, the editorial page writers (with a few exceptions, like Jamelle Bouie, Dana Milbank, Jennifer Rubin, Paul Krugman…) in the WaPo, NY Times, etc. In this thread, Rothkopf argues that President Joe Biden is “not just having a good presidency, he’s having one that is historic in its concrete achievements and successes,” but that the media – which Rothkopf correctly characterizes as the “mush-minded, click and ratings hungry leadership of the mega-businesses that control what we see and hear” – is doing a horrible job of covering his presidency accurately or fairly. I mean, read this thread and think about whether you ever hear this narrative on relentlessly “both-sideist” NPR, see it on CNN (if you’re still watching that increasingly right-wing or at best false equivalency trash), or read it in your local newspaper. And if you’re NOT hearing this narrative, think about why that’s the case. With that, here’s David Rothkopf’s latest; enjoy!
Stealthily, without proportionate recognition, Joe Biden is not just having a good presidency, he’s having one that is historic in its concrete achievements and successes. The fair & balanced types in the media won’t characterize it fairly because to do so, would “feel” biased.
The opposition won’t cover it because it is not in their interests to tell the truth. (It’s why they never do.) Editors and producers will shy away from it because positive stories don’t sell like conflict does. Consequently most of the media won’t present the simple facts.
It should be said, Biden uses the lack coverage to his advantage. He let’s the crazies & the partisans and the weathervane pundits and the people who have forgotten that the first job of journalists is to report the truth as it is, as a kind of shield while he just does his job.
He sidesteps controversy. He does not rub his opponents noses in it every time he outmaneuvers them. (Yesterday he explicitly stated he was conscious of this, that he was not going to bang the drum about the debt deal because it would imperil it.)
Some in his own party lament the lack of self-congratulatory chest-thumping. But governing well is Biden’s communications strategy. He’s just old school enough to believe in the common sense of the American people.
And his electoral results and that of the Democratic Party during his presidency have also defied conventional wisdom (which is always wrong these days for just the reasons cited above) and been much stronger than expected.
You know the list. Everyone knows the list. Massive legislative accomplishments greater than those of any president since LBJ with the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act…
…300 bipartisan bills passed, etc. Should the current debt deal pass, it will rank among these achievements (and will, in part, because he knows it must be structured so his opponents can take credit for the outcome too.)
He has done all this while facing the greatest national security challenges the US has faced in decades in Ukraine, with the rise of China and with the climate crisis. In each case, his response has been historic and constructive. NATO is now stronger (and larger) than ever.
Ukraine’s great courage has been augmented by the resources of a U.S.-led alliance. The pivot to prioritizing China and building alliances in the Indo-Pacific has finally been made. The elevation of the Quad, the creation of AUKUS, the inclusion of Pac allies in NATO efforts…
…a tough policy with China that is also seeking engagement and dialogue where possible make that pivot more than a slogan. On climate, not only has he re-engaged with the world, but he has passed the greatest green investment package in US history.
No president in his first two and a half years has created more jobs, lifted more people out of poverty, provided more investment in the jobs of tomorrow. He has completely rethought US econ policy to focus on the real economy & real people and not just on the needs of the few.
Recent data has shown conclusively that under his leadership, the US has had the fastest recovery from the COVID crisis of any major economy. At the same time, the president has taken a strong stand against the greatest security threat we face–domestic extremism.
No fair-minded observer can doubt that Biden has achieved what he has while fighting a movement to gut American democracy and strip away the basic rights of voters, of women, of the LGBTQ community, of people of color and of the poor.
Again, he has done this with actions and not just words–by appointing more judges than any of his predecessors in the same period of time, by ensuring those judges like his cabinet, looks more like the American people, is more diverse than any in history.
If he had done nothing at all, achieved none of the above, but was simply the only actively pro-democracy, pro-Constitution candidate running for president, was the only leading candidate who actually stands up to & opposes our enemies like Russia (rather than kowtowing to them)- then he would deserve the support of every patriotic American, everyone who believes in the promise of the American idea. But of course, that stark fact is not covered for what it is either. Because to say Biden is pro-democracy and pro-American and his opponents are not…
…would be considered by the mush-minded, click and ratings hungry leadership of the mega-businesses that control what we see and hear to be “slanted.” Yes, it would be slanted toward the truth. Yes, it would be slanted towards real journalism.
Yes, it would be slanted in the interests of the basic freedoms on which the media depends (and which are under attack from the extreme right with their book bans and systematic assaults on coverage, with their active embrace of disinformation as a pillar of their campaigns).
But they don’t care. But, fortunately for us all, Biden has found the path around them. He has chosen the path that leads directly to the people. He has delivered. The majority of Americans can see what he has done and is doing and stands for.
They know he wants to protect our freedoms, protect our children from guns, protect us from our enemies, ensure our future, ensure the government works for all Americans–from the middle out and from the bottom up–and they know the MAGA GOP and its chosen leaders do not.
It is why, personally, I have confidence that in 2024, we will see Biden and the Democrats win by big margins. We will see the voters send the message that MAGA extremism is a loser. We will see them express their displeasure with economic terror tactics and institutional racism.
Naturally, given the filters through which we view everything, we must not be complacent. Indeed, we should not seek to eke out a win. We should, as we have discussed on my podcasts recently (with folks like @SimonWDC) we should be seeking the biggest margins in recent memory.
But we have a great advantage in that effort. We have a historically significant president who has tuned out the Beltway noise and is working on compiling a record for the ages. We have a @VP who is herself making history daily and is herself compiling a great record.
Should we share this message? Should we make sure we do what we can in this age when all of us have platforms on social media, using new media, within our own networks, to make sure the truth is heard? Of course.
But we can take comfort in knowing that truth is on our side and that this exceptionally accomplished administration has no plans to stop exceeding expectations, to stop making history on behalf of all of us and what we need at this precarious moment in our history.
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