"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage of the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation. We'll look to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.
Editor's Note: This latest edition of Brad Slager's "Riffed from the Headlines" is open to all!
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11.09.22
Presentation Paradox – MSNBC
- DeSantis could become labeled as a "Cognizance-Blocker."
We all are aware of the media having an inherent disgust toward Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. It is as if the mere mention of his name creates such an emotional adrenal rush that pragmatic thought is clouded in an instant.
Last night on MSNBC, the panelists were faced with his victory for reelection, where he stomped Charlie Crist like an undercover FBI agent at a Hell's Angels rally. For reasons defying – well, reason – the producers felt it was a wise idea to have Joy Reid join the live coverage of the election. When presented with the numbers showing DeSantis winning in historically Democrat-leaning Miami-Dade county, Ms. Joy felt the need to be dismissive of this very impressive accomplishment, trying desperately to sound as if she knew what she was talking about. For the record: Joy Reid did not know what she was talking about.
Joy Reid: “Miami-Dade has been trending Republican for a really long time...It is a 70% Hispanic county..."
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) November 9, 2022
…DeSantis lost M-D by 20 points in 2018pic.twitter.com/yPtiLoc14N
Anti-Social Media – MSNBC
- At the risk of being accused of white-splaining, this sounds a tad racist, Ms. Psaki.
Another pundit attempting to make sense of the massive performance in Florida among Hispanic voters was newly christened network hostess Jen Psaki. In looking to explain the Latino support for Republicans, the former Biden press secretary had some rather dismissive and downright intolerant words for the Hispanic flight witnessed last night.
Let's see, we have ageism, insulting their intelligence, and even a tacit admission the Democrats have a socialist platform – all encapsulated within a solitary tweet. Solid work on her part!
The Latino vote is not the same everywhere! There are huge generational differences and in Florida population of older voters (more likely Rs) much larger than younger. Socialism does not play there. And there is a massive disinformation problem in Spanish language media.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) November 9, 2022
Pre-Written Field Reports – MSNBC (Yes, again)
- We've heard about it for years, so it just had to have been true.
Jason Johnson made an appearance in the late afternoon and made a series of declarative claims about the voter suppression he insists was taking place in Georgia. He went so far as to claim it exceeded anything that was seen in the 2018 elections. Jason needs to be cited as an untrustworthy source on this topic, given that during both the Georgia primaries and the general election this Tuesday, the state experienced record turnout and the highest numbers of minority voting. But he does sound VERY confident in his insistence that Georgians were suppressed and stuff.
MSNBC Contributor:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 8, 2022
"The level of voter suppression [in Georgia] is beyond anything that we saw in 2018...We can’t say that whatever happens tonight is a fair and equitable election." pic.twitter.com/BataCvchTf
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – MSNBC (seriously with these guys…)
- We heard "gerrymandering" was bad, so we'll just assume that was in play in Florida.
On Joy's blog for "The Reid Out," writer Ja-Han Jones looked at the Florida results, and he came to the only conclusion that made sense of an overwhelming, state-wide romp by the GOP – it was that damned gerrymandering, he tells ya!
.@_jahan: The GOP’s dominance in Florida is all about gerrymandering. https://t.co/jyM497uHiV pic.twitter.com/PSnHsiFTvM
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 9, 2022
DeSantis winning reelection by 20 points, Marco Rubio winning easily, including in Dade County for the first time, and numerous other victories across the state need to be framed with the "valuable context" of gerrymandering. While Jones mentions a few races for House seats, he does, in fact, attempt to diminish the party performance in an overwhelming fashion to the gerrymander excuse. (Of note: Democrats only are involved in "redistricting," and as a strategically wise move, never for nefarious political gain.)
Low Octane Gas Lighting – CNN (for a refreshing change)
- Were all the other voices of authority busy this night?
Another outlet attempting to come to terms with the DeSantis romp was CNN, and rather than bring on legitimate GOP leaders to discuss what this meant for the party, Anderson Cooper spoke with defacto Democrat Adam Kinzinger. The deposed Republican representative, unsurprisingly, was not looking at DeSantis's dominance as something impressive for the greater good of the party.
- "It's not necessarily a message that we saw last night though that the rest of the country wants necessarily Ron DeSantis-type leadership."
This is the analysis from the man who tried to curry favor from Democrats, only to see them essentially say they did not want to see Kinzinger-type leadership, as they looked at him working on their behalf on the January 6 Committee, and then promptly gerrymandered his district out of existence.
CNN: “Do you see [Ron DeSantis] as the future of the Republican Party?”
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 9, 2022
Adam Kinzinger: “I don’t...” pic.twitter.com/R3M9ZswWP0
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