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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJosh Marshall: More Angry Biden, Please
Is it frustration? Something deeper, or more shallow? I woke up this morning to see that the front page of the Times has five stories above the virtual fold. All five were about Joe Bidens memory, press conference, special counsel report. Full news day, I guess. Yesterday I noticed the Times Astead Herndon on this on Twitter. He is not some slightly younger version of David Broder. Hes a pretty new entrant to the upper echelon of elite DC news media. I think he graduated from college as Trumps first campaign was getting underway. But the acculturation appears complete. After Hurs report dropped he wrote that despite questions about Bidens age being the most impt non-Trump issue in this elec[tion] the DC press corps has a sorta gentlemans agreement for the last year to pretend like its not. Maybe that ends now.
Am I taking crazy pills here? Do I have dementia? I think its fair to say that at least a third of the political chatter about President Biden for the last year, and quite possibly half of it, is about the Presidents age. But maybe the omertà is about to end? Im still trying to process the idea that a top Washington reporter really thinks theres been some kind of fix-is-in ban on discussing the Presidents age. As David says, the press sees the blood in the water and this will keep up for a while now. As for the report itself, if you missed it, I shared my thoughts on that yesterday. The Presidents ongoing verbal gaffes speak for themselves. I wanted to zoom in on something a bit different about yesterdays spectacle. Aside from discussions of the Presidents cognitive faculties, the main focus actually the two were melded together was commentary about his anger. This seemed to be a universal response from the DC press corps, that the whole impromptu press conference was a mess because the President displayed clear and clearly genuine anger.
Its probably not lost on you that Donald Trump is basically permanently angry. And not just angry in response to particular events but the kind of perpetual and often peristaltic anger that in day to day life most people find threatening or at least off-putting. But we virtually never hear anything about the purported damage from expressions of anger when its Donald Trump. Thats not bias. Its simply that its assumed. So it just doesnt come up. Its no longer policed. Thats just what Donald Trump does. But theres an additional factor that people dont notice. Being responsive to this kind of press policing signals a basic weakness, a perpetual hedging, a practice of being controlled and responsive to the press chorus rather than indifferent to it. Trumps able to work outside this framework of policing because he simply ignores it and because of that reporters decide it doesnt apply to him. This isnt just Biden. Its not even just Trump. Democrats for a host of reasons tend to be far more responsive to this kind of policing. People want to see expressions of agency and power from political leaders. Trumps ability to set the terms for how the press reacts and interprets his actions is itself an expression of power.
All of which is to say that it wasnt just okay that Biden showed some anger. It was good. And he should do more of it. Both because people expect people to have normal and appropriate human responses and grow latent suspicions when they dont see it but also because its Biden showing some energy and direction. They should put him in front of reporters and the cameras more, not less. If you are responding to the tut-tutting and line-drawing of the prestige media youre losing. Its as simple as that. Youre always either reacting or being reacted to. The latter is always better.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/more-angry-biden-please
Am I taking crazy pills here? Do I have dementia? I think its fair to say that at least a third of the political chatter about President Biden for the last year, and quite possibly half of it, is about the Presidents age. But maybe the omertà is about to end? Im still trying to process the idea that a top Washington reporter really thinks theres been some kind of fix-is-in ban on discussing the Presidents age. As David says, the press sees the blood in the water and this will keep up for a while now. As for the report itself, if you missed it, I shared my thoughts on that yesterday. The Presidents ongoing verbal gaffes speak for themselves. I wanted to zoom in on something a bit different about yesterdays spectacle. Aside from discussions of the Presidents cognitive faculties, the main focus actually the two were melded together was commentary about his anger. This seemed to be a universal response from the DC press corps, that the whole impromptu press conference was a mess because the President displayed clear and clearly genuine anger.
Its probably not lost on you that Donald Trump is basically permanently angry. And not just angry in response to particular events but the kind of perpetual and often peristaltic anger that in day to day life most people find threatening or at least off-putting. But we virtually never hear anything about the purported damage from expressions of anger when its Donald Trump. Thats not bias. Its simply that its assumed. So it just doesnt come up. Its no longer policed. Thats just what Donald Trump does. But theres an additional factor that people dont notice. Being responsive to this kind of press policing signals a basic weakness, a perpetual hedging, a practice of being controlled and responsive to the press chorus rather than indifferent to it. Trumps able to work outside this framework of policing because he simply ignores it and because of that reporters decide it doesnt apply to him. This isnt just Biden. Its not even just Trump. Democrats for a host of reasons tend to be far more responsive to this kind of policing. People want to see expressions of agency and power from political leaders. Trumps ability to set the terms for how the press reacts and interprets his actions is itself an expression of power.
All of which is to say that it wasnt just okay that Biden showed some anger. It was good. And he should do more of it. Both because people expect people to have normal and appropriate human responses and grow latent suspicions when they dont see it but also because its Biden showing some energy and direction. They should put him in front of reporters and the cameras more, not less. If you are responding to the tut-tutting and line-drawing of the prestige media youre losing. Its as simple as that. Youre always either reacting or being reacted to. The latter is always better.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/more-angry-biden-please
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