Standing Down

 

The decision by the owners of two major newspapers, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, to quash their editorial boards’ endorsements of Kamala Harris in the presidential race represents a sad trend. While decisions by some media organizations to forgo endorsing candidates are not new, the action by these two owners stands out.

Post owner Jeff Bezos argued that the public already thinks the media are biased and that endorsements not only don’t help with that perception but don’t change anyone’s mind anyway. As expected, critics believe Bezos caved to pressure from Donald Trump.

Was this a good business decision? It doesn’t look like it in the short term, with more than 200,000 readers canceling their subscriptions. Perhaps that wouldn’t have happened had the Harris endorsement been published, as readers are accustomed to newspapers making endorsements, a time-honored tradition.

Not all newspapers are unbiased, of course, but in the case of major legacy publications, news and opinion typically are well-understood to be separate. Political endorsements usually come with a substantial summary of the reasoning behind them. Further, there are op-ed pages where alternate points of view are encouraged. In fact, Bezos himself used the latter to explain his ruling.

The question arises, what good are editorial endorsements anyway? Presumably, newspapers are in the business of covering elections and are a lot closer to the issues than their readers, so an endorsement, theoretically at least, is based on a thorough  understanding of the facts available.

True, some voters, maybe out of being either lazy or too busy with other things, will slavishly follow a newspaper endorsement. Others don’t care, preferring to make up their own minds. But there is a lot of space in the middle, where voters use editorial endorsements as data points in their consumption of election-related material from a variety of sources.

Jeff Bezos’ decision was undoubtedly a surprise. But did he have the standing to do what he did? Absolutely. The only response I have is that he knew or should have known, as attorneys often say, what business he was getting into when he acquired the paper. It should not be simply a cash cow, a conversation piece, or a badge – especially the Washington Post, which already saved our republic, not all that long ago.

Springtime for Hitler - Again

 

The late Los Angeles news anchor and talk show host Tom Snyder often complained that while flipping through cable TV offerings at any time of the day or night, he was bound to see Hitler’s face on at least one channel. In those days, documentaries about the Nazis and World War II were more common.

As for me, I often found that if I brought up comparisons to Hitler in a discussion on any topic, that just blew up my argument. Nobody would listen to the rest of it, I guess because Hitler simply defied comparison.

It’s autumn now, but in the Hitler department, it seems like spring again, to hearken back to the famous bit in Mel Brooks’ comedy, The Producers. Also popular is the word “fascist,” for decades an insult used by those challenging almost anyone in authority. But now, a four-star general who was former president Donald Trump’s chief of staff is using the term quite seriously to describe his old boss. If you watched the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden Sunday, perhaps you saw for yourself how this particular F word might apply.  

Now I have often said that Kamala Harris is far from perfect. I agree with Bill Maher, who said that she should admit that she and the Biden administration had not done very well on border security. That might have actually blunted criticism and given her better standing for her argument that there was a bipartisan border policy on the table that Trump rejected to keep a campaign issue alive.

The Biden administration has had many successes, but it has also had its share of mistakes. If elected, being human, Harris will undoubtedly make mistakes of her own. But if she can achieve only some of the goals she has set for herself and this country, including restoring abortion rights for all women, signing a bi-partisan immigration bill, stabilizing prices, and providing tax breaks for new parents, entrepreneurs, and first-time homebuyers, she could be a groundbreaking president.

And hey, if I have to choose between Harris and someone who seems to have a longing for the power of an Adolf Hitler, I think I know where MY vote is going.

The Geezer Card

 

President Biden’s decision not to seek re-election has left Donald Trump to pick up the mantle of “geezer” in the presidential race, a 78-year-old with “declining mental acuity.” Curiously, I almost want to defend him, saying, “Hey, I’m about the same age, and my mental acuity is just fine, thank you!

Now I do recognize that some of you consumers of this page might take issue with the latter. Well, you are entitled to your opinion, and you may be relieved to learn that I’m not into revenge. It’s OK.

It's my feeling that Mr. Trump knows exactly what he’s saying, even if the purpose is to evade a question, and his answers, even if they don’t make total sense, are delivered with utmost confidence. I come from radio, and that is a genuine talent.

But what does he say when he’s actually lucid? Is it hinged or unhinged? That is an entirely different matter, and we do have to take what he says seriously. He means it.

So now I’m trying to figure out what the hesitation is that many voters have about Kamala Harris. Yes, she’s liberal. That’s not quite it. Yes, she’s of mixed race, but that’s not quite it either. So, we are left with her gender. That’s closer to it. Why might anyone be uncomfortable with  that?

Well, I think it’s a power thing. Can she be a boss? Can she be a commander-in-chief? Can she be our leader in wartime? Women don’t do that, do they?

Except for Cleopatra. Or Elizabeth the First. Or Catherine the Great. Or Golda Meir. Or Margaret Thatcher. I have a strong feeling I have left someone out here. Yes, I think she can lead us in war. If she keeps us out of it, nothing wrong with that either. We’re just not used to having a woman lead us. But I think that this is as good a place to start as any.

The time, of course, is running short. If you’re a Harris supporter, don’t waste yours trying to get your grumpy old uncle not to vote for Trump. That ship sailed long ago and is likely already tied up to the dock. But don’t despair, you still may be able to persuade your slacker nephew to get off the couch, make the long trip to the kitchen table and mark his mail-in ballot for Harris. OK, sorry, maybe he’s not a slacker, just undecided, but his vote is just as good as anyone’s, so give it a shot.