Mainstream media fails in efforts to rescue Biden image

NEWS AND OPINION:

In previous years, the liberal news media was fairly successful in protecting politicians who held the left-leaning Democratic line. At the moment, however, that effort appears to have hit a snag. Despite the best efforts of many news organizations, President Biden is not enjoying warm and cozy favorability.

In recent days, the “corporate media” was intent on rebooting Mr. Biden’s approval numbers and public profiles with persistent coverage that framed the president as a “warrior and champion” as the Russian invasion of Ukraine became a shocking reality.

That is what Breitbart senior writer John Nolte has concluded in an analysis of both the situation and its news coverage.

“The plot was to manipulate the public into a moral panic where we cared about Ukraine and only Ukraine, and present Biden as the competent, strong, moral wartime leader and champion of that crusade. The result was supposed to be a presidential reboot, which is the only thing that could save Biden’s presidency and the Democratic Party’s backsides in the upcoming midterms,” Mr. Nolte said.

The media effort to boost the presidential image fell apart as stunning and serious inflation plus record-breaking food and gas prices became a reality.

On Sunday, a CBS News poll found the president’s approval rating sank from 62% to 42% in the last year — landing Mr. Biden at his lowest approval point yet, the network said.

“As he continues to hit record lows, the polling for Biden looks as awful as it did pre-Ukraine. What’s more, the polling for Republican chances of romping all over Democrats in the 2022 midterms looks as good as ever. Ukraine has done nothing to alter anyone’s perception of Biden as anything other than a failure. In fact, on the specific issue of Ukraine, Biden’s poll numbers are underwater,” Mr. Nolte observed.

THE PSAKI TOUCH

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was also in protective mode when she addressed the causes of inflation, which included pandemic challenges, supply-chain issues and reduced oil and gas supplies due to the war in Ukraine.

“Jen Psaki blames everything except for the Biden administration for inflation when pressed about how Americans realize that President Biden’s inflation predates President Putin’s invasion,” noted Townhall.com in a tweet Monday.

The Consumer Price Index for March, by the way, will be released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday — and it won’t be very comforting.

“Inflation number is likely to be ugly for March,” predicted a U.S. News report. “Inflation is hammering the voters who will soon decide some key midterm races,” noted CNBC. “White House warns of ‘extraordinarily elevated’ March inflation rate,” declared the New York Post. “The government could stop inflation within a year. Instead, expect things to get worse,” predicted The Federalist.

All four reports were released Monday, in anticipation of the news.

A PAGE TURNER FOR FOX NEWS

Fox News Books — the publishing imprint of Fox News Media — has made some serious inroads in the book world.

“The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak: Lessons on Faith from Nine Biblical Families” by Fox News anchor Shannon Bream was published March 28 — and immediately rose to No. 2 on The New York Times’ bestseller list.

This is not Mrs. Bream’s only victory as an author. Her first book — titled “The Women of the Bible Speak: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today” — was published on March 30, 2021, and remained on the aforementioned bestseller list for 15 weeks, and at No. 1 for five of those weeks.

It was the 10th best-selling book for adult nonfiction in 2021, according to Nielsen BookScan. The book’s popularity has persevered, having now returned to The New York Times’ bestseller list at No 10.

Fox News Books was launched in November 2020 with the publication of “Modern Warriors” by Pete Hegseth. “All American Christmas,” authored by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy, was published five months ago.

The four books have made a big footprint.

“Together, the platform’s first foray into publishing has sold over 1 million copies in the 17 months since inception, with all titles placing atop all national bestseller lists,” Fox News said in a statement.

A PAGE TURNER FOR POMPEO

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has a significant book arriving, to be published by Broadside Books, the conservative imprint of HarperCollins. His time spent with former President Donald Trump will be a focal point.

“Secretary Pompeo’s book offers a candid and thoughtful recounting of how the Trump Administration navigated the world’s most pressing foreign policy challenges to deliver winning outcomes for the American people,” the publisher says in advance notes.

“Blending recollections of his interactions with major world figures and unmatched analysis of geopolitics culled from his experience leading the CIA and the State Department, Pompeo will detail how the Trump administration’s America First approach upended conventional Washington wisdom and set American foreign policy on course for a new era of competition with China and other nations,” the publisher said.

“By laying out the key trends and players shaping the world as it is today, his book will also help Americans understand future challenges from the Chinese Communist Party, the Putin regime, the Islamist revolutionaries in Tehran, and others,” the publisher noted.

POLL DU JOUR

• 79% support placing tighter economic sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

• 70% support sending additional U.S. weapons and equipment to Ukraine.

• 63% support accepting refugees from Ukraine into the U.S.

• 53% support sending additional U.S. troops to nearby European countries, but not Ukraine.

• 27% support imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, even if it could mean drawing the U.S. and its allies into direct military conflict with Russia.

• 17% support sending U.S. troops to Ukraine.

SOURCE: An ABC/Ipsos poll of 530 U.S. adults conducted April 8-9.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.