Eric Boehlert at Press Run Media documents the media atrocities, as per the latest: The media's weird obsession with Biden Delaware trips — Still playing gotcha.
We’re really still doing this?
Five months after White House reporters began raising the specter that there was something unusual or hypocritical about President Joe Biden traveling to his home in nearby Delaware, press secretary Jen Psaki is still fielding the misguided gotcha questions.
The latest came on Wednesday when CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe pressed her about why Biden’s upcoming itinerary showed him traveling from Wilmington, to Camp David, then to Wilmington.
O’KEEFE: This whole going back to Wilmington then to camp David then back to Wilmington. Is there something to that?
PSAKI: Certainly not. It’s just his travel logistic plans.
O’KEEFE: There’s no reason to go Wilmington then go to Camp David instead? Why not just stay in Wilmington?
PSAKI: He likes Camp David.
This weird line of questioning has been a regular theme at White House press briefings all year, dating back to February.
Reading this, Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry” started playing in my mental soundtrack. The song came out in 1982 and if anything, it is more to the point than ever. Take the starting verses:
I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something
Something I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry
Well, I coulda been an actor
But I wound up here
I just have to look good
I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry
Yeah, Walter Cronkite is still dead — and he’d never make it on television today anyway.
As Boehlert documents again and again, the press has a problem. It’s why GOP attacks on “fake news” and “liberal bias” can get so much traction’ — because the bull shit content is so high, and so is the lack of real ‘nutrition’ — and people keep eating up which flavor suits their taste.
The pointless media demand carries with it an unmistakable scent of Both Sides baggage. Because Trump abused his power in office by visiting a Trump Organization property on 428 days of his presidency, or one visit every 3.4 days, the press seems to feel the need to needle the Biden White House about the president’s short, innocuous trips to Delaware.
This is the Beltway press returning to normalcy after four years of deliberate chaos. And normalcy for the D.C. media means poking Democrats with stories about optics and how something the president has done doesn't look right, as determined by journalists. It’s the press in search of drama.
emphasis added
Per Henley:
You don't really need to find out
What's going on
You don't really want to know
Just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry
...We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done
We haven't told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry
I watch network news. I see stories about soaring infection rates in Florida, in Texas. I hear reports about how people are still refusing to get vaccinated, are threatening anyone who asks them to wear masks. I never see anything tying this to deliberate actions by Republicans and right wing media. I see nothing about how Republican actions and right wing disinformation have killed thousands of Americans.
Item after item dribbles out, showing how wide and how deep the effort was to overturn the 2020 election, how close it came to succeeding — but will Britney Spears get control of her life back?
The west is burning up; smoke reaches the East Coast. Massive floods are occurring around the world. The IPCC reports tells us things are going to keep getting worse for the next 30 years even if we do everything possible to reverse global warming starting right now — there is no more time. Oh, and that ‘massive’ infrastructure bill? Republicans (and Joe Manchin), and Exxon really don’t like the idea that there should be anything about climate in it, but that’s hardly worth more than a mention.
And anyway, why should we expect different from the press, considering who owns it? For-profit journalism/infotainment and for-profit healthcare have a lot of shortcomings in common…
Sing along if you like.
"Dirty Laundry"
I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something
Something I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry
Well, I coulda been an actor
But I wound up here
I just have to look good
I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around
We got the bubble headed
Bleached blonde
Comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash
With a gleam in her eye
It's interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry
Can we film the operation
Is the head dead yet
You know the boys in the newsroom
Got a running bet
Get the widow on the set
We need dirty laundry
You don't really need to find out
What's going on
You don't really want to know
Just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're stiff
Kick 'em all around
(Kick 'em when they're up)
(Kick 'em when they're down)
(Kick 'em when they're up)
(Kick 'em when they're down)
(Kick 'em when they're up)
(Kick 'em when they're down)
(Kick 'em when they're stiff)
(Kick 'em all around)
Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers
In everybody's pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry
We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done
We haven't told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry
[Outro]
(Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
When they're up, when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down)