Press means almost nothing today, unless it's politics. Those inside the Beltway, the decision makers, the string-pullers, they read and watch with a vengeance, it's the only way for them to take the temperature of the country, to know what is going on, otherwise they're too deep into their hole. And the press has not only turned against Biden, it's actively attacking him, demolishing him, it's amazing Biden hasn't dropped out already.
We know the public doesn't want Biden. Every poll tells us that. The only people who want Biden are aged, imploring us all to shut up and get with the program, to vote for him instead of the evil Trump. The only thing they don't realize is we're already voting for Biden, we're committed, just not to the man. In other words, we know how heinous Trump is, but jeez, can't you give us a choice, can't you give us attention, if not even lip service? No. Because the Democratic party brass thinks it knows better, just like the record company brass thought they could conquer Napster, and look at how that turned out, badly.
But ultimately well. With streaming. And other avenues of internet revenue, all the rights holders had to do was admit yesterday was history and accept that we live in a future where the old rules do not apply.
At first it was the iTunes Store. But anybody who still buys a file is a Luddite, just like those telling us to put our faith in Biden. Time has moved on. Files felt good in 2005, but not in the teens, when Spotify took over. Sure, there are still people buying files, but they're akin to the people telling us to stay with Biden, that he's our man. Hell, Apple stopped making iPods, but there are still people buying files. Who are they? All I know is not to listen to them. Even worse, the "Billboard" charts give more weight to sales than streams, rendering them insider only affairs, a scorecard for those who do not count, looking for bragging rights in a world where most are not paying attention. Quick, what's number one this week? You don't know and you don't care.
In other words, Biden was good for 2020, but bad for 2024. Because times change. And people get older each and every day, in other words younger people are now eligible to vote and getting them to be excited about Biden is like getting them to go spend time babysitting their grandparents, i.e. anathema.
But, it's the mainstream media that is dooming Biden. One opinion piece after another. And the worst thing for Biden is they all ring true. Like in Monday's "New York Times," Bret Stephens says:
"His problem is that he looks and sounds feeble."
Bingo.
Let me quote the whole passage for context:
"Biden's main problem isn't that he's too old. There are plenty of sharp, fit and healthy 80-year-olds. His problem is that he looks and sounds feeble. Trump may be awful and insane and nearly as old as Biden, but one thing he isn't is low energy."
tinyurl.com/f73x3ct3
Yesterday I heard Biden testifying about Diane Feinstein... He was low energy, his voice was weak, he sounded feeble. I haven't been able to get that word out of my head since Monday, Biden appears feeble. And never forget, it's not about the essence, but the perception. And that's the mainstream perception, that Biden is over the hill. Don't tell me how his brain still works, don't tell me about his record, if those were important his approval rankings would be higher, and they're not, they're in the dumper.
And then last Friday Bill Maher took a sword to Biden's candidacy and sliced it to shreds:
"New Rule: Ruth Bader Biden": tinyurl.com/z9f8dse9
And then today, David Brooks went for Biden's jugular:
"Can We Talk About Joe Biden?": tinyurl.com/4z5ee9n9
"Voters know both men very well at this point, so when I hear Democrats comforting themselves that people will flock to Biden if the alternative on the ballot is Trump, I worry they are kidding themselves. Biden's approval ratings are stubbornly low. In a recent ABC poll, only 30 percent of voters approve of his handling of the economy and only 23 percent approve of his handling of immigration at the southern border. Roughly three-quarters of American voters say that Biden, at 80, is too old to seek a second term. There have been a string of polls showing that large majorities in his own party don't want him to run again. In one survey from 2022, an astounding 94 percent of Democrats under 30 said they wanted a different nominee."
Now experts will say that Stephens and Brooks lean right. But in truth, these are the people who will decide the election, non-Democrats who are not enamored of Biden. As for Bill Maher... He might be on HBO, he might be a curmudgeon, but inside the Beltway he's a giant.
In other words, the drumbeat is getting louder. The only defense is Biden and the party apparatchiks. Who are employing the same playbook from 2016, but it's nearly ten years later, never mind that Hillary lost.
So how does this go down?
Well, first there is the issue of whether a Democrat breaks ranks.
This is not Drew Barrymore starting her show during the WGA strike. You see there are very few people on Biden's team, the first person to cross the line will be perceived to be a hero. And it doesn't matter who throws their hat in the ring first, just that somebody does, and then the dam breaks.
And it's got to and will happen soon, because we are reaching the deadline for filing for the primaries. And the aforementioned drumbeat is getting louder and louder and...
If you're reading the blogs, if you're listening to talk radio, you don't count. This is a mainstream fight fought in the mainstream press. The "New York Times" is America's newspaper, its main news outlet, by far. The right may decry the "Times," but it pays attention to it. Most of the right wing agenda is in response to the "Times." As for the Democrats...these are their people!
As much as we live in a bottom up society, we also still live in a top down society in certain verticals, and one of them is politics. We won't really know what the public thinks until Election Day. One really can't trust any of the polls, they've been consistently wrong, it comes down to what the professionals say. And all the professionals except for the party apparatchiks say Biden must go. And maybe Biden will stand his ground for a while, even if pushed, but unlike Ruth Bader Ginsburg there is an alternative, no one can run for Supreme Court Justice individually and triumph, that's an impossibility. But in elections...
So Biden is toast. Keep the heat up. He may not feel it, but those around him are feeling it. And few realize when they are toast, they are informed by those around them, they are the last to know.
As for Trump... We have the opposite situation. The Republican party brass has lost control, and is in fear of alienating its constituency, ceding all power to Donald. Donald can be decimated, it just takes a concerted effort, but if you go against conventional wisdom, against Trump, in the right wing press you are excoriated. If Fox is not on board, people will go to OAN or another news outlet that tells them what they want to hear. MSNBC? A meaningless haven of tribalists. Manna for those who already believe. It's ultimately irrelevant, entertainment. But the "New York Times"? That's everybody's paper. The joke is on you if you don't read it, because that's where the news is made. The "Times" has reporters and blue chip columnists. You might not agree with their opinions but that does not matter, it's all about their influence. Reach and gravitas, if you don't have both you're a sideshow.
Happy days aren't here again yet, but the media keeps getting louder and more frequent. It's over. Biden's done.
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