The media is determined to keep the Biden talk going for as long as possible. Rush Limbaugh may claim the media is liberal but that's not the ideology that motivates the Beltway media.
"Clinton’s camp, hands full with the email controversy and a surprisingly stout challenge from independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, isn’t in a patient mood. Bill Clinton, according to a person who has spoken with the former president in the past couple of weeks, is “very agitated” by the possibility of a Biden candidacy and incensed at the press hype around a possible bid.
Joe Biden wants to run — he always has. But that doesn’t mean he actually will, and those who have spoken with him say he seems far from making a decision. He’s playing the same wait-and-see game he’s played for the past 18 months, telling potential backers he’ll make a decision as late as early October. Since his 2012 reelection, Biden had opted for inaction over action — he opted not to create a leadership PAC for the 2014 midterms, he balked at forming a presidential super PAC, he didn’t seriously sound out donors until this summer.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1PijwnO
Maybe Bill is a little cagey but his wife is actually taking it more in stride reportedly.
"Hillary Clinton, Democrats in her orbit tell POLITICO, is less concerned — and several top Clinton campaign officials have told associates they think a Biden bid would energize what has been a fairly lackluster performance by the candidate thus far."
"Either way, the Clinton campaign is monitoring Biden’s activities closely — and Biden’s small team is acutely sensitive to slights against him, and to the possibility that her operation — including Correct the Record and other Clinton-friendly outside groups — would push anti-Biden opposition research to reporters in order to dissuade the vice president from running. “They better not do that,” said a Biden confidant. “That would bring really out his Irish.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1OddrpD
"Obama, according to current and former West Wing officials, is more inclined to support Clinton’s candidacy. Despite her woes, he sees her as a more electable candidate and a more effective keeper of his policy legacy. He’s done everything but endorse her already, putting his vast fundraising network in the hands of Clinton’s super PAC allies. Two of Obama’s top White House aides, John Podesta and Jennifer Palmieri, are running Clinton’s campaign and report regularly to their old West Wing friends — including the president."
"But Obama has told people around him to give the vice president “space” to make his decision, and urged his staff not to make Biden feel pressured not to run."
"White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday that the president wouldn’t rule out making an endorsement in the primaries — and other West Wing officials told POLITICO that Obama has privately expressed a preference for Clinton as his successor, while keeping up the pretense of being undecided in public. (“I love ’em both,” Obama said on NBC’s “Today” show in February when asked who he would back.)"
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1QNTHVM
What really motivates them is the pack mentality and inventing a narrative and then framing all subsequent facts in this narrative.
And of course, ignoring facts that clearly contradict it. The media doesn't usually literally use false claims to push its narrative-though it does happen. Like when the NY Times wrongly claimed that Hillary Clinton was being investigated by the State Department.
Sure you can say they get it wrong and human error happens. But on emailgate they never get it wrong in Hillary's favor and that's no accident as they for some reason have been working with a book of Republcian Party opposition research on emailgate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/us/politics/new-book-clinton-cash-questions-foreign-donations-to-foundation.html?_r=0
The pack mentality of the press is more important than ideology. So last night Chris Matthews breathlessly announces that Bill Clinton is really ticked off about the media feeding frenzy over Biden's imaginary candidacy-which itself is totally built on a house of cards.
Now this anecdote about Clinton-and with the press anecdotes are treated like facts if they support the dominant narrative-was actually from a Politico piece yesterday morning. Much of what the media is talking about on any particular day originates at Politico.
"Clinton’s camp, hands full with the email controversy and a surprisingly stout challenge from independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, isn’t in a patient mood. Bill Clinton, according to a person who has spoken with the former president in the past couple of weeks, is “very agitated” by the possibility of a Biden candidacy and incensed at the press hype around a possible bid.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1Noyp8g
Now if you read the whole piece, it mostly throws cold water on a Biden run. We learn that Biden is not himself since his son was tragically taken from him. While his son did ask him to run on his deathbed, after Beau died, Biden actually considered stepping down as VP. Many in his family don't want him to do it.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1PijwnO
Maybe Bill is a little cagey but his wife is actually taking it more in stride reportedly.
"Hillary Clinton, Democrats in her orbit tell POLITICO, is less concerned — and several top Clinton campaign officials have told associates they think a Biden bid would energize what has been a fairly lackluster performance by the candidate thus far."
"Either way, the Clinton campaign is monitoring Biden’s activities closely — and Biden’s small team is acutely sensitive to slights against him, and to the possibility that her operation — including Correct the Record and other Clinton-friendly outside groups — would push anti-Biden opposition research to reporters in order to dissuade the vice president from running. “They better not do that,” said a Biden confidant. “That would bring really out his Irish.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1OddrpD
Bringing out his Irish. That's a great reason to run right now when it's imperative that the Democrats keep the White House and maybe finally take back the Supreme Court. So once Biden's Irish is up will he run on emailgate? Yes, that would really show Hillary if he undermined her campaign and helped Jeb Bush win.
So Matthews just cherrypicks one sentence in the whole piece that fits the Beltway narrative of Biden's going to run and Hillary is in big trouble.
What Matthews would never dream of doing-or any one else on supposedly liberal MSNBC-is just admit the truth: President Obama, however, the BM tries to parse the tea leaves of Josh Earnest
"But Obama has told people around him to give the vice president “space” to make his decision, and urged his staff not to make Biden feel pressured not to run."
"White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday that the president wouldn’t rule out making an endorsement in the primaries — and other West Wing officials told POLITICO that Obama has privately expressed a preference for Clinton as his successor, while keeping up the pretense of being undecided in public. (“I love ’em both,” Obama said on NBC’s “Today” show in February when asked who he would back.)"
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/joe-beau-biden-president-hype-2016-121749.html#ixzz3k1QNTHVM
What's conveniently forgotten is how much the narrative has changed. In 2011 you weren't hearing about how great Joe is and how he is the answer for all the Democrats' prayers. Back then there was another narrative that the media was more interested in. Like emailgate, it was based on Republican party talking points.
Joe, we were told, was a 'gaffe machine'-it was so bad there were debates about whether or not Obama should drop in from the 2012 ticket.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/joebiden/a/bidenisms.htm
https://www.google.com/search?q=bidenisms+should+obama+drop+him+from+ticket%3F&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS608US608&oq=bidenisms+should+obama+drop+him+from+ticket%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57.12200j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8
If Biden did get in the race that older narrative might be dusted off again. Certainly in the general the Republicans would endlessly claim just that.
No comments:
Post a Comment