I\u2019m definitely an MSNBC<\/em> guy. It\u2019s the \u201csoundtrack\u201d of my life, on in the background most of the time at home. Even in the car (with modern technology) I\u2019m following what\u2019s going on through the Sirius Radio app. Some would say that kind of immersion would \u201cwarp\u201d my mind, building a silo to block outside information. But I do check other media sources, including even (deep breath) Fox News<\/em>. I don\u2019t stay for too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But NBC <\/em>seems to stand for \u201cNothing But Calamity\u201d, at least for the past several months. First, to be honest, MSNBC<\/em> was instrumental in \u201cmainstreaming\u201d Donald Trump back in 2015. Their shows, particularly the now four-hour long \u201cMorning Joe\u201d show, gave Trump millions of dollars of free air time in the pivotal period when he was transitioning from NBC<\/em> television \u201cstar\u201d known for a single line (\u201cYou\u2019re Fired\u201d) to political candidate. Now, every morning when the dogs demand I get out of bed, I make a little \u201cbet\u201d with myself. It\u2019s thirty seconds: that\u2019s how long it takes to turn on \u201cMorning Joe\u201d and hear the name Donald Trump. I seldom lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And recently, NBC<\/em> broke \u201cbig news\u201d; the results of their polling. They made the \u201camazing\u201d discovery through their shrewd questioning: over 80% of Democratic voters think that eighty years-old is too old to be President! (Oh, this just breaking \u2013 NBC found that almost 60% of all voters think both Trump and Biden are too old \u2013 it took them an extra three days to let that little secret out). <\/p>\n\n\n\n No kidding. I\u2019m a Democrat and I think that eighty years-old is too old to be President too. But what NBC <\/em>failed to ask (or at least publicize) is the next question: will you vote for Joseph R. Biden in 2024, anyway. And the answer for this Democrat, and I\u2019m sure the vast majority of my Democratic compatriots, is yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look, the Democratic \u201cbench\u201d is incredibly rich. Not only is there the obvious \u201cnext-in-line\u201d, Vice President Kamala Harris. There\u2019s the Senators: Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Chris Murphy, and more. Then there\u2019s the Governors: Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, and Wes Moore. And don\u2019t forget Pete Buttigieg serving in the cabinet. And I\u2019m sure there\u2019s more I haven\u2019t thought of. If 2024 <\/strong>is an existential threat to democracy, 2028 should be a lot of fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is no question: Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee. If it were anyone else, Joe Biden is the absolute wrong candidate. But with Trump as the MAGA-Republican, Biden is the right answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s all about that mathematics: the concept of \u201ccancelling out\u201d. Biden is eighty-one, but Trump is seventy-seven. That issue cancels. Biden can\u2019t remember names, Trump can\u2019t remember the current President, or the former Speaker of the House; cancels. Biden presides over the greatest economic miracle in modern history, Trump the greatest collapse; more than cancels. And most importantly, Biden ran in 2018 on the basis that Trump was a danger to our democracy. Trump continues to prove that Biden was right then, and right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No other Democrat brings those credentials to the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So what\u2019s the deal with my \u201cfriends\u201d at MSNBC<\/em>? Why is the \u201cprogressive\u201d news channel seeming to lead the way in finding critical anti-Biden information? I think there are a couple \u201cfor sure\u201d reasons, and some speculations. For sure, MSNBC<\/em> (and the New York Times<\/em>) are falling into the same trap that snared them in 2016. With so much negative news about Trump (trial, trial, trial; botched speech, trial, trial) there is the tendency to try to \u201cbalance\u201d the news to make it \u201cfair\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there\u2019s nothing \u201cfair\u201d about Trump. Has actions, and his problems are unprecedented. \u201cFair and Balanced\u201d, the old (and abandoned) Fox News<\/em> slogan, can\u2019t apply. If forces those media sources to literally create negative news about Biden, to \u201cbalance\u201d Trump. And that\u2019s not fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, for sure, progressive MSNBC<\/em> is troubled by what really is a moderate Biden. The consensus builder (in a world that doesn\u2019t \u201cdo\u201d consensus anymore) still is trying to put together coalitions in Congress, and the Nation. That seems to require compromises that my fellow \u201cprogressives\u201d can\u2019t tolerate. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOld is Old<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cancelling Out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fair and Balanced, Ain\u2019t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Progressive Choices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n