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NYT Opinion - Effectively Endorses “No Labels,” Destruction of Democracy and Fuzzy Headed Thinking [1]

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Date: 2023-11-12  

I don’t read the NYT anymore except on Sundays because I cannot stand their editorial POV. I hate read it on Sundays because I know it is still important to know what the Times writes given its outsized influence (and because my household loves the crossword). I have long been puzzled by the Times “two sideism” (really credulous ness for the GOP and disdain for liberals) but I attributed it to a misguided desire to show they are relevant in a more conservative landscape by beating up on the libs (to show they are fair minded). But today, the decision to publish the piece they way they did seems truly malignant and I wonder if they are becoming an enemy of democracy.

What am I talking about? Well, in the paper version of the NYT today, the editors ran the following piece, on the second page of the opinion section” with the headline (different from the online edition, thankfully) “Why Joe Manchin should run for President.” The piece included a pull quote in large font “if current polling holds, a third-party bid may be the patriotic thing to do.” Of course “current polling” refers to one poll, the NYT Siena poll.

The editors of the NYT just concocted a paid advertisement for the No Labels campaign. Yes, the printed version of the Times has a low circulation but it matters a lot with donors and the chattering classes.

It’s important to note — for those of you who are not familiar with the editing process — is that the Times is actively doing this. An editor came up with headline, selected the pull quote and placement. They gave it prominence. And, the change in the online edition of the piece (no pull quote and a headline that reads “Should Joe Manchin run for President”) shows that they understand the power of what they did in the print edition. The editors are also deciding to continue to employ and run Ross Douthhat’s writing. Mr. Douthat is not relevant to current politics. No conservative media highlights his thinking and work — he is solely employed for self hating liberals (and liberal hating media like the NYT) to troll democratic.

Douthat reasoning is laughable. It is also incredible that any NYT editor would allow this to run unchallenged. There are multiple issues — primarily solely relying on one poll to determine that No Labels is viable without looking into the mountain of data that show there is no real statistical evidence for this. But, I do want to share the a few paragraphs from the piece to illustrate the sheer awfulness of this piece and the Times decision to run and highlight it.

In the emotional life of the liberal mediasphere, there was so little space between the release of the New York Times/Siena pollshowing President Biden losing to Donald Trump handily across a range of swing states (doom! doom!) and the Democratic overperformance in Tuesday’s elections (sweet relief!) that one of the striking features of the polling passed with relatively little comment.

This was the remarkably strong showing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent candidacy. When added to the swing-state polls, Kennedy claimed 24 percent of registered voters against 35 percent for Trump and 33 percent for Biden.

But is it worth the effort? Stipulate that Kennedy will remain in the race and hold on to some share of the vote that might otherwise be available to a third-party moderate. Then the question becomes whether both Trump and Biden could fall below their 35 and 33 percent levels in the Times/Siena poll, giving Manchin a plurality of the popular vote and a chance at an Electoral College win (because merely deadlocking the Electoral College would just send the race to the House, where — pending the results in 2024 — Trump would probably prevail)

That Trump-friendly polling may change. But it’s entirely possible to begin an independent candidacy and then suspend it (just ask Perot) if the situation looks entirely unpropitious. Which is what I’d advise Manchin to consider, if the donors and infrastructure are there: a patriotic attempt, to be abandoned if it’s going nowhere, but to be seen through if enough of the country desires a different choice.

So, I think this decision - continuing to have Ross Douthat write opinions that are relevant to no one - GOP or Dem - and then to highlight this advertisement for No Labels is revealing of the cancer the NYT editorial team has become on our democracy.

I am beyond furious. I had long ago given up on the Times for their strange neglect of covering the attack on our democracy with the journalist heft it offers but now they are actively doing the bidding of those who want to destroy it. FYI. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/opinion/joe-manchin-president.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/11/12/2205301/-NYT-Opinion-Endorses-No-Labels-Destruction-of-Our-Democracy-and-Fuzzy-Headed-Thinking?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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