Keeping my head down, Part II.

July 19, 2024

It is impossible to know what is true in the reporting from major media. They have been reduced to gossip columns trafficking rumors from ubiquitous but invisible senior advisors, staffers, and “people in the know”—none of whom will go on record. More about that in a minute.

First, let’s start with some good news. Readers of this newsletter (1,300 of you) helped raise approximately $120,000 for the Democratic National Committee. That money will go directly to state party organizations running the ground game in 2024. Bless you all for your support and encouragement for Joe Biden and Democrats up-and-down the ballot!

Second, the ongoing conversation regarding Joe Biden has distracted from the more alarming news of what is happening at the Republican convention. The worst of it is that most major media outlets are normalizing Trump as a regular candidate for the presidency. Remember that he is the guy who tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power in 2021—a fact that the media seems to have forgotten. As one commentator noted, “Will a single major newspaper lead with headline that Republicans nominated a convicted felon charged with theft of defense secrets and election interference?” Will they report that the crowd is chanting, “Mass deportation now!” and “Send them back!” No, instead they will report that “Trump calls for unity.” A big part of our challenge in the coming months is to shame the media into doing its job. I take that as a personal challenge.

Third, the media is also ignoring the major story about Trump's mental health and fitness. Having obsessed over Joe Biden for weeks, when—if ever—will they acknowledge that Trump has been exhibiting serious signs of mental deterioration and fitness for years, but especially in the last six months? George Conway has launched a PAC designed to spread the word about Trump's dangerous mental conditions, Anti-Psychopath Political Action Committee (psychopac.org). The PAC is serious. I urge you to watch Conway’s five-minute video to remind yourself about how mentally unstable Donald Trump is—and our role in ensuring that the media does not ignore that story in the next four months.

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Keeping my head down, Part II

Many outlets in the media are reporting that is only a matter of days before President Biden withdraws from the race. That appears to be news to President Biden, who is reportedly (and understandably) “furious” with the whisper campaign designed to drive him out of office. Per this NBC article, President Biden confirmed on Thursday that he is staying in the race. (“There are no plans being made to replace President Biden on the ballot and President Biden is cognizant this is a margin of error race.”)

Which source(s) should we believe? Well, on the one side we have a bunch of unnamed leakers trying to curry favor with their favorite journalist at the NYTimes, and on the other, we have the campaign’s official statement. While it is understandable that the campaign would say that the president is staying in the race until he isn’t, we have no reason to believe anything any of the major media are reporting.

We are witnessing the collapse of journalism in America. It was underway before the effort to drive Joe Biden out of the race, but it has accelerated in the last month. It is a bad development for democracy, but here we are. The question is what are we going to do about it?

I suggest three things:

First, every Democrat must become a messenger and fact checker. You can perform those tasks by writing letters to the editor, commenting on stories and websites, and amplifying truth on social media. Don’t drive yourself to distraction and fall into a black hole of wasted time and energy. Get in, get out.

Second, we must hold news outlets to account for their normalization of Trump and failure to provide balance. This task also involves commenting on stories but directing those comments to the reporter, editor, or publisher.

Third, unsubscribe from irresponsible news sites and reward responsible outlets by supporting their work. Substack is home to many reliable, trustworthy sources: Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Jessica Craven, Jay Kuo, Lucian Truscott, Judd Legum, and Jess Piper. You may have other favorites, and I encourage you to support them.

A non-Substack outlet that deserves your support is Josh Marshall’s Talking Points Memo. TPM is an independent newsroom in DC that centers on Josh Marshall’s superb, balanced analysis. If you are unfamiliar with TPM, check it out. If you are already a Prime Member of Talking Points Memo, Josh is running his Journalism Fund appeal, designed to provide TPM with the resources to provide independent journalism that is not dependent on advertising.

Speaking of Talking Points Memo, here is Josh Marshall’s assessment of the race between Biden and Trump at this time:

We have a lot of assumptions about the November election, we have a lot of gut instincts, certainly, since the debate. But the only thing we have that is somewhat objective is polling data. I think a lot of people have this idea that Biden [] basically can’t win and that is the backdrop for their thinking about changing candidates. That may be true. But by the data there’s really little to no evidence for that. Biden’s behind, but not by much. He’s the underdog, certainly. But the most decisive part of the election season hasn’t even happened yet. [¶]

Despite the closeness of the race, the whisper campaign against Biden is in full swing. It is despicable. People with access to their current or former bosses—like Obama, the Clintons, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer—are engaging in private conversations with their bosses and squealing like stuck pigs to the NYTimes, WaPo, etc.

Why are they leaking private conversations to the media outlets? Two reasons.

First, they think they are smarter than 14 million Democratic voters who support Joe Biden. Their attitude is, “Voting is for the little people. We know better and can impose our will by making it impossible for Joe Biden to remain in the race.” Most of those self-important leakers are in their twenties and thirties.

Second, by leaking private information—including “hunches” and “feelings” about the situation—they are currying favor with the journalists at the elite media outlets. They will then be able to laugh over drinks at The Capitol Grille or the bar at the Hay Adams Hotel. Or better yet, they will be able to exchange knowing glances and pats-on-the-back at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner or a fancy reception at the French embassy.

If it sounds like I am bitter, you betcha! The whisper campaign seeks to cancel the votes of 14 million Democrats. If successful, it will be the biggest disenfranchisement of voters since the Jim Crow era. That shocking fact is absent from every conversation by “insiders who know better” and from every opinion piece written about Joe Biden’s future. Every piece, save one: Josh Marshall (at Talking Points Memo), wrote the following this morning:

There are a lot of ordinary Democratic voters who are really pissed about the idea that Biden is getting forced out of the race. Anyone who doesn’t get that is totally, totally fooling themselves. And there are a lot of people fooling themselves.

None of the mealy-mouthed statements by Democratic leaders who are ducking and weaving have bothered to say, “We must also consider that 14 million Democrats have voted. Disregarding their votes would be a grave matter. But it is the right thing to do because . . . [fill in reason here].”

Of course, the alleged Obama-Pelosi-Schumer effort to push Joe Biden out will conveniently ignore the greatest disenfranchisement of voters in the last 75 years. If it happens, they will say, “It was Joe’s decision,” as a way of pretending that no one’s vote was disregarded. If it happens, Joe will graciously say, “It was my decision.”

Bullshit.

If Joe Biden leaves the race, it will be for one reason, and one reason only: He was forced out by Democratic leaders who lost their faith not only in Joe Biden, but in the people who support Joe Biden. Those Democratic leaders apparently believe that polls are immutable harbingers of destiny and that the hard work of grassroots volunteers counts for nothing, can change nothing, and is an exercise in futility.

Bullshit.

If Joe is forced out, then somebody—not Joe—owes a HUGE explanation of why 14 million votes didn’t matter. There may be a good and compelling reason for doing so. I haven’t heard it yet. But at the very least, please—and I am begging here—have the decency and candor to acknowledge that the voters who made their voices heard in the primaries are part of this process. They cannot be thrown over without a word. Nancy? Chuck? Barack? Who among you will say those words to a disappointed, angry, and disillusioned voter base?

I had this conversation with a reader (via email) several days ago. He responded that “a little bit of anti-democratic process in the primaries is acceptable because it will stave off a greater anti-democratic result in November.” Such reasoning is a slippery slope that has led to some of the greatest tragedies of the last century. Breaking with the rule of law and democratic norms is a perilous endeavor. Again, begging, please acknowledge that disregarding 14 million votes isn’t an afterthought or collateral damage because some leaders in the party believe they know better than 14 million party members.

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Concluding Thoughts

Apologies for the stream of consciousness format of this newsletter and the two swear words. Don’t tell my wife I used them; she has a strict policy against profanity in the newsletter. But tonight, no other words would do. As to the stream of consciousness nature of the newsletter, I have been in discussions with readers throughout the day. I am trying to convey the anxiety, anger, doubts, and fears they are expressing.

I said at the DNC fundraiser this evening that one reason that party leaders feel so comfortable in having a discussion about Joe Biden is because they assume—correctly—that the grassroots volunteer base will be the adults in the room. Even if they feel angry, disillusioned, and abused, they will not relent. Because they are in this fight for their children and grandchildren, for their elderly parents, for their wives and girlfriends and daughters, for their gay and transgender friends, for voters of color, for their environment, and for their country.

The steadfast determination of the grassroots volunteers is the superpower and secret sauce of the Democratic Party. In all of the insider discussions taking place, the loyalty of grassroots volunteers is embedded in the equations, an unchanging constant that allows variables to be adjusted.

It cannot be said enough: Thank you, each and every volunteer who is responding to the call of your nation during a time of distress. You may not receive the recognition you deserve, but you are heroes of democracy, nonetheless.

Stay strong! I will be in touch over the weekend.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Postscript:

The Pelican Nebula. This photo captures a small portion of a massive nebula located 1,800 light years from Earth. The nebula is a star-forming region that is 30 light-years wide. The photo was taken on July 17, 2024, in Los Angeles. Exposure = approximately one hour. The photo is awkwardly composed because I had to aggressively crop the edges due to frame rotation (caused by the low altitude of the nebula and the rotation of the Earth).