The New York Times keeps making the same mistakes. Republicans are manipulating them, just the same way they always do. Now they’re writing that “Democrats ‘cave’!” like it’s not just quoting Republican talking points. Will the Times eventually realize their mistake, and admit Republicans are manipulating them again? Or will they let themselves be used one more time, just the same as the last twenty times? Yeah, I’m not betting on change. The real question now is why don’t they ever — ever! — learn from past mistakes.
So lemmie see if I got this right. At the beginning of the shutdown, the New York Times editorial page criticized all of Congress — all of ’em, Democrats and Republicans, Senate and the House — for their “bipartisan” failure that shut down the government. OK. Weird position, and oddly stilted, but a valid opinion, I suppose. So, did they back it up? Give their reasons it was ‘bipartisan.’ No, oddly. Were they just quoting Republicans? Well, sure. They do it all the time. Hell, most media sources still characterize CHIP as ‘bipartisan’ because Republicans insist it is, despite the uncomfortable evidence that Republicans hate it and want it to die.
So Democrats got the (newly partisan) CHIP program renewed for six years. That’s really good stuff. Then the Democrats agreed to allow the government to function for two more weeks. Not so good, but functioning, right? The Times must be happy.
So today, the New York Times front page wrote that Democrats ‘caved‘ and ‘blinked‘ during negotiations. The editorial page wrote this:
On Monday the Senate voted 81 to 18 and the House 266 to 150 to reopen the federal government and fund it through Feb. 8, as well as to stop holding hostage the health care of almost nine million poor kids — and not a moment too soon. Shutdowns may make good partisan theater, but they don’t make any winners.
Now perhaps Congress will finally get around to taking up a bill to protect the nearly 700,000 so-called Dreamers, immigrants who were brought to this country illegally as children — legislation that almost nine in 10 Americans support.
— Washington Post Editorial Board, The Jell-O President and the Shutdown, January 22, 2017
The Times Editorial staff still accepted CHIP as nothing, since Republicans have been saying that while swallowing McConnell’s wonderfully unlikely promise. Because it’s not like he’s lied before about this exact topic.
Really, the Times might insist, this has nothing to do with anything some alleged Republicans said. They’re not so transparently weak, and the Times are collectively offended that anyone could suggest such a thing!
Big win for Republicans as Democrats cave on Shutdown. Now I want a big win for everyone, including Republicans, Democrats and DACA, but especially for our Great Military and Border Security. Should be able to get there. See you at the negotiating table!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2018
Look, I get the business part of the news. Republicans give really, really juicy quotes. They easily accuse people of treason — sorry, TREASON!!! — lying, self-dealing, duplicity, and all the other characteristics that Republican politicians themselves seem more prone to. I get that it’s hard not to print that stuff. It sells! I understand the financial parts of news. Papers are struggling, financially, and getting more attention means better advertising rates.
They just can’t stop. None of the major media can. Each hit is just so satisfying! Maybe there’s a patch or something.
Look, I agree. I think the Dems caved, too. What bugs me is how the Times and all the big media groups all roll over for every new Republican quote. Doesn’t matter if it’s nonsensical, or contradicts their last quote, or even if it doesn’t begin to make sense. They print the juicy quote, they elaborate on the quote, they talk to Republicans who reinforce the silly quote. Much later, they eventually print the anodyne denials, and only at the very end, they mention that some studies show that the Earth may not be entirely flat. I think they know it’s wrong, but they can’t stop. After the twelfth massive fuck-up, and all the public self-flagellation, please god, just stop!
The first step is to admit you have a problem.
I’m not surprised the Times lost their moral compass, just that they did their 180 so quickly. It’s exactly the same mistake that buggered the last the election. It’s the same mistake all the major media have been making ever since Lee Atwater did up Willie Horton. It’s the same mistake that every major media outlet decried themselves, over and over. How, they lament, could we have been so easily manipulated?
Just like this.
