Inside the Beltway: ‘The media are lying again’

NEWS AND OPINION:

This is more than a fib or an exaggeration. This is strategic editing. The mainstream news media is now simply omitting significant and accurate coverage of President Trump as a way to boost the voter appeal of Joseph R. Biden. It’s a convenient and stealthy way to lend the voting public an impression that the Democratic presidential hopeful has got the whole election all sewn up.

Lies, lies and more lies, says one astute observer.

“The media are lying about the election again. Trump has cut Biden’s lead by half or more in key battlegrounds, and is on track to win again,” writes Mollie Hemingway, senior editor for The Federalist.

“Election 2020 is shaping up to be deja vu all over again for the news media. In an effort to help push Joe Biden over the finish line, the Washington establishment is going all-in on the easily refuted idea that there has been no change in the presidential race over the last three weeks,” she notes, citing examples in The New York Times, NBC News, The Washington Post, the Cook Political Report and other sources.

“After having botched the entire news coverage of the 2016 election, where all the ’experts’ repeatedly told the American public that Donald Trump had little to no chance of being the Republican nominee and even less a chance of being elected president, corporate media are back at it again, insisting all is well with the Biden campaign and the Democrats are safely on cruise control to take the White House and the Senate,” Ms. Hemingway continues.

She also cites Mr. Biden’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for his role in the race.

“So here is the cold reality the media are for some reason refusing to tell people as the country rounds Labor Day and this campaign really gets into high gear. This race is effectively tied today, Trump has momentum, and Biden is going to have to campaign hard, energize his voters, and earn it if he hopes to unseat the incumbent,” Ms. Hemingway says.

CHUCK AND BERNIE

Here’s a heads up from eagle-eyed Joel B. Pollak, a senior editor for Breitbart News.

He advises that Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer tweeted a Politico article which revealed that Sen. Bernard Sanders thinks the U.S. needs a “plan” in case President Trump refuses to leave office if he loses the election.

The New York Democrat was certainly enthusiastic about the Vermont socialist’s idea.

Mr. Schumer noted in his tweet: “This is important: I’m standing side-by-side with Sen. Sanders to make sure we have a plan if President Trump refuses to leave office.”

Yes, well.

“President Trump has already said that he would leave office and go on to do ’other things’ if he lost the election. Yet his opponents have spun a conspiracy theory in which he would refuse to accept the election results,” observes Mr. Pollak.

A TIMELY INQUIRY

President Trump’s nimble and imaginative campaign issues an official “Question of the Day for Joe Biden” each and every day, as its name suggest.

Here is the campaign’s question for Democratic presidential nominee issued Sunday to kick-off Labor Day week.

“Are you unhappy about the 1.4 million jobs created in August because it was 2.5 times the best job creation month of the entire anemic recovery you oversaw as vice president?”

’WORRISOME FOR BIDEN’ IN PENNSYLVANIA

“President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are running dead even in Pennsylvania,” proclaims a new Rasmussen Reports voter survey.

In the Keystone State, Mr. Trump and his rival each have 46% support from voters; a mere 4% prefer some other candidate, and another 4% are still undecided. Like most election season polls, this one is made up of a lot of small but pivotal findings.

“Among the 82% of voters who say they are certain now how they will vote in the presidential election, Trump holds a slight 51% to 49% advantage. The president carries 86% of the Republican vote and leads among voters not affiliated with either major party by 11 points. Biden takes 81% of the Democrat vote,” the survey analysis said.

And in the horse race department, Mr. Trump leads among men and middle-aged voters while Mr. Biden has the approval of women, voters under 40 and senior voters. Here’s one number to remember: A majority of Pennsylvania voters — 50% — approve of the job the president is doing.

But wait, there’s more.

“Worrisome for the former vice president is his 67% black support, low for a Democrat, with the incumbent earning 27% of the black vote in Pennsylvania. Trump leads among whites and other minority voters,” the analysis advised.

The survey of 1,000 likely Pennsylvania voters was conducted Aug. 25-27.

A REMINDER ABOUT FRIDAY

“9-11 have you forgotten?” asks Saul Anuzis, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and current president of 60 Plus Association, a nonpartisan interest group.

“This week we commemorate the 9-11 terrorist act against America. As most Americans mourn and remember, others have forgotten. Unfortunately the external threats to our country have now moved to internal terrorists who hate America and the American idea as much as those terrorists did,” says Mr. Anuzis in an essay at Saulsnews.com, a political blog.

POLL DU JOUR

• 24% of U.S. adults describe their neighborhood as “very diverse”; 26% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 24% of Democrats agree.

• 43% overall describe their neighborhood as “somewhat diverse”; 45% of Republicans, 44% of independents and 38% of Democrats agree.

• 24% describe their neighborhood as “not very diverse”; 16% of Republicans, 23% of independents and 31% of Democrats agree.

• 10% describe their neighborhood as “not diverse at all”; 14% of Republicans, 10% of independents and 6% of Democrats agree.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.