The Democrat-enabling media are currently highlighting a Republican tactical rift on whether to support a national ban on abortions in the later stages of pregnancy. They are not spending much time on an obvious tactical rift among Democrats. Should Democrats be boosting "MAGA Republicans" as President Joe Biden screams in speeches that they're killing democracy?
On Sept. 12, "PBS NewsHour" reporter Laura Barron-Lopez laid out just how cynical Democrats are in backing these alleged monsters. In New Hampshire's GOP Senate primary, they spent $3.2 million attacking more moderate candidate Chuck Morse as a Mitch McConnell stooge to smooth the path for Trump-loving Don Bolduc to win. Now they think the reelection of Sen. Maggie Hassan is a fait accompli.
This is happening all over the country. In Maryland, Democrats spent $627,000 to elevate "election denier" Dan Cox, so they can finally elect a Democrat governor in a state that Biden won by 33 points.
But the snow-topped summit of cynicism came in Michigan's third congressional district, where Democrats poured $435,000 into promoting "election denier" John Gibbs. Gibbs then beat freshman Rep. Peter Meijer, who boldly voted for the second impeachment of Trump after the Capitol riot.
On PBS, Barron-Lopez turned to anti-Trump Republican strategist Mike Madrid, who called this a "moral travesty" that is feeding "toxicity." She did not find a Republican who would say Meijer was foolish to strike a pose that Trump should be removed from office with a week to go. Or provide time for a Republican who would note this is how cynical Democrats are -- that they can honor you for your "courage" in opposing Trump, like you're one of those "good Republicans," and then spend a pantload to defeat you.
Then, PBS turned to Democrat strategist Martha McKenna, who continued the cynical dance by blaming Republicans for all this. GOP voters are elevating the MAGA candidates, and not those millions of dollars in Democrat ads.
We were told this is the same strategy played by Claire McCaskill, who boosted Rep. Todd Akin in the Missouri Senate primary in 2012. After Akin won the primary, he was severely pummeled by the national media for suggesting women didn't get pregnant in a "legitimate rape." In every election cycle, you can count on the media to play up GOP gaffes and pretend they've never heard a Democrat say anything stupid or morally obtuse.
Then at the end of this long cynical enterprise, the Washington Post Opinions section sent out an email headlined "Mainstream Democrats romped in the primaries. Republicans went full MAGA." Assistant editor Drew Goins repeated the theme: "In short, Democrats won on moderation. Republicans went full MAGA."
This is boiling balderdash. Take abortion, the issue the liberal journalists are touting as the midterm manna in the Democrat desert. Is Hassan "moderate" on abortion? No. Is Hillary Scholten -- the Democrat who lost to Meijer in 2020 and is running again -- an abortion "moderate"? No. How about Wes Moore, who's facing Dan Cox in the Maryland governor's race? No, he adores NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Democrats cynically backed candidates that their media buddies can paint as scary "hard-right" kooks while they pose preposterously as the sensible essence of moderation. They are so aerobically cynical that they can align this whole exercise with Biden's "restoring the soul of the nation."
These trashy tacticians should just admit they would do just about anything to win. That's where their moral compass is pointed.
Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Tim Graham and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.