“Shortly after Donald Trump narrowly beat Kamala Harris, Politico, the all-politics-all-the-time news outlet, invited readers to participate in a contest: Predict Trump’s cabinet appointees. Whoever did best would walk away with assorted Politico swag. A convicted felon and deceitful demagogue who four years ago incited an attack on the Capitol and tried to overthrow American democracy—a man described as a “fascist” by retired generals who worked with him—is returning to power and bringing with him to the White House a fistful of threats, including vows to suppress the media. But we can have fun, right? Pin the tail on the Trump appointees and win prizes! This was a stupid and small move that received scant public attention. But it symbolizes a shift in the media, as news outfits figure out how to contend with the new order. Too many, I’m afraid, will either purposefully choose or drift toward an accommodationist stance.” David Corn, Mother Jones, The Media and Trump: Not Resistance, But Not Acceptance, Nov. 20, 2024.
Most of us saw it coming but I, for one, didn’t think the “preemptive knee bending” would happen so swiftly or so widely. Fairly quixk out of the gate we’ve watched Joe Scarborough and _____ Brezinski bend their knees for Trump by having a pleasant lunch with him at Mar A Lago, and this after years of ripping Trump the shreds on Morning Joe. Then there’s the craven Lindy Li, a member of DNC’s Finance Committee, who had this to say on FOX News, “People are dying for a change, so I think we’re about to embark on an entirely new era of prosperity, I certainly hope so. You can just feel it, even in the last couple weeks Americans are celebrating. . . [The Democratic party] has the stench of loser written all over [it].” Sounds like Ms. Li has switched parties, and now after having seen the light is auditioning for a job in the Trump administration. Many news outlets, have kissed Trump’s ring, with the LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong instructing staff to go easier on Trump. The list goes on.
Cozying up with a wannabe dictator is certainly an option, especially since the Democratic party has been consigned to the desert for who knows how many years. News outlets want access to the Trump administration, of course. But this much “anticipatory obedience” is painful to watch. . .
It’s painful to see how quickly the media has gone all Josh Hawley on us. Ugh.