The fake news narrative is that ‘Trump is in trouble’

OPINION:

If you weren’t looking closely, you might not have noticed that Republicans won two North Carolina congressional races last Tuesday, not just one.

The media featured the 9th District race in which Dan Bishop defeated Dan McCready by 50.7 percent to 48.7 percent. They ignored the 3rd District, where state Rep. Greg Murphy swamped Democrat Allen Thomas with nearly 60 percent of the vote to fill the seat of the late Rep. Walter Jones, who died in February.

Mentioning the landslide Republican victory in the 3rd would have tarnished the media’s main point, which was the closeness of the race in the 9th, where President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Mr. Bishop the day before.

So, the fake news narrative is that “Trump is in trouble.” It’s a done deal, folks. Time to lay out some early money in Vegas for whomever the Democrats nominate in 2020.

Reporting on the landslide Republican win in the 3rd District would have spoiled this happy narrative. By the way, Dr. Murphy is the only M.D. in the North Carolina legislature, which makes him even more worthy of being ignored by the media at a time when Democrats are calling for socialist health care.

The do-over election in the 9th was held because of possible vote fraud in 2018 by the — wait for it — GOP. Talk about a man bites dog story. Anyway, Republican Mark Harris outpolled Mr. McCready by 905 votes, with a Libertarian candidate skimming off 5,130, and the election results were set aside.

Fast forward to Sept. 10. Although Mr. McCready had much more than a year’s worth of public recognition because of his earlier run, Mr. Bishop beat him by about 4,000 votes, quadrupling Mr. Harris’ margin. Not bad for someone who entered the race only months before.

Another misleading media storyline is that Republicans have held this district since 1963. No, they haven’t. Until 2016, this district was based almost entirely in Mecklenburg County or in a few counties running north from Mecklenburg (Charlotte). The current 9th District runs from Mecklenburg to the east through Union, Anson, Stanley, Hoke, Robeson and Cumberland (Fayetteville and home of Fort Bragg) counties.

Both parties and outside groups poured money into the race, which cost a total of $10.7 million, according to the Charlotte Observer. “It was seen as high stakes by both sides,” said North Carolina Family Policy Council President John Rustin.

Mr. McCready ran as a moderate Democrat, but he had the backing of Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign (the largest LGBTQ pressure group), Mr. Rustin said. They are not exactly known for moderation in their pursuit of unlimited abortion and sexual anarchy.

Speaking of moderation, it’s getting harder and harder for Democrats to pose as moderates when the leaders of their party keep going off the rails.

Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, who seems to get kookier by the day, wants the government to dictate where people live so that poor people can be near rich people. Bernie Sanders wants taxpayers to assume all medical debt in the nation, and praised China’s Communist government for its economic policies. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris support Mr. Sanders’ “Medicare for All,” which would eliminate private health insurance.

Ms. Warren also wants the government to take over management of large corporations and has announced that she’d issue an order halting fracking for oil and gas. Ms. Warren, wouldn’t that send America’s energy industry and the economy into a tailspin?

To which she might answer, “and your point is?”

Here’s something the media might not want to explore: The Democrats’ playbook is almost indistinguishable from that of the Communist Party USA. This isn’t name-calling; it’s fact-checking.

Like the CPUSA, the Democrats promote class warfare, open borders, legalizing “undocumented immigrants,” free college tuition, free daycare, a government takeover of health care, extreme environmentalism, taxpayer-funded abortion, the LGBTQ agenda, abolishing the Electoral College and condemning America as a uniquely racist nation. Surprisingly, the CPUSA’s platform makes no mention of guns, but history informs us that confiscation occurs quickly when Communists take power.

Right now, suburban voters, including Republican women who dislike Mr. Trump’s personality and shady past, are supposedly up for grabs. But when faced with a vote for Mr. Trump or a vote for Bernie, Liz, Kamala or fake moderate Joe Biden, they may see a clearer choice.

One more thing. Newly elected Congressman Bishop had sponsored the state’s so-called “bathroom bill” that required people to use restrooms based on their biological sex. Although liberals led boycotts and got a policy reversal, Mr. Bishop’s family values did not appear to hurt him. He was also endorsed by the National Rifle Association and repeatedly linked his opponent to the Democratic Party’s far-left wing.

The Communist Party USA’s issue platform is called “The Road to Socialism.” Its website summarizes its appeal: “For democracy. For equality. For socialism. For a sustainable future and a world that puts people before profits.”

How is that different from what the Democrats are selling? The media’s silence is the sound of one hand clapping.

• Robert Knight is a contributor to The Washington Times.