Bothsides

 Biden's speech was not nearly as divisive as Republicans are caterwauling about it. It outlined clearly a set of values that - until recently - were so boringly anodyne and cliched that no one would really challenge them. He then - correctly - pointed out that "MAGA Republicans" have abandoned fealty to those basic American principles. Focusing on Trump, he obviously launched an attack on the Capitol and tried to suborn electoral fraud in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere. 

Headlines like this do not help at all. It suggests that "both side" have "differing views." The actual article eventually points out that the canon of Trumpism is false. His claims of electoral fraud are false, he actively fomented violence and the Republican Party has toed the line about 2020 that he has demanded. 

But it's buried deep in the article. People react to headlines and images, not the part of the article inside the fold. Social media, though, has prioritized an information economy that runs on "clicks" and controversy rather than trying to enlighten people. 

Plus, legacy media practices are designed to be scrupulously fair and impartial. Trump has exposed the fundamental bankruptcy of that approach when dealing with a dangerous, corrupt demagogue. There is no "impartial" way to cover Trump. Yes, it is unprecedented for the FBI to execute a search warrant on a former president. Yes, it is unprecedented for there to be multiple on-going investigations of corrupt practices by a former president. But Trump is criminally corrupt. Outlets like the NY Times and now CNN are ill-equipped to handle someone like Trump.

Interestingly, the article does note that this new rhetorical tack is coming from strategists who have studied the language and people's attitudes. Hopefully, they've done their job well. The article notes - correctly, as far as it goes - that the "Left" and "Right" see reality in fundamentally different ways. Anyone to Joe Manchin's left believes that free and fair elections are central to American politics. Trumpists believe that only when Republicans win, can those elections have been free and fair. 

How the fuck to you bothsides that?