“DON’T CALL IT A RESET – DONALD TRUMP’s news conference yesterday was meant to offer him a fresh start after his campaign has struggled to respond to the new Democratic ticket. Going into the event, the question on the minds of many Republicans was posed by the Wall Street Journal editorial board in yesterday’s paper: ‘Will Donald Trump Blow Another Election?'” writes Politico Playbook in the Friday morning edition of their newsletter, replete with their trademark “buzz.”
“In a briefing for reporters beforehand, Trump advisers argued that Harris’ recent good run was just a ‘honeymoon’ or ‘suspended reality’ and would end ‘in a few days.’ This line of thinking reminds us a little bit of the many times that Biden’s advisers told us that Trump’s lead in the polls was just temporary because voters weren’t paying attention and that once the race was joined, the numbers would shift. But we learned with Biden that this doesn’t just happen – the candidate matters. When Biden showed up at the CNN debate, his party realized he was incapable of making the case against Trump,” the intro to the often Republican-talking point-friendly daily roundup continued.
“In terms of reach and impact, the Mar-a-Lago news conference was nothing like the debate. (How many people were watching basic cable at 2 pm on a Thursday in August during the Olympics?) But Trump’s lack of focus and his inability to mount a coherent case against Harris and TIM WALZ reminded us a little of Biden’s communications breakdown, even if it wasn’t as bad,” and yeah we kept intact the annoying all-caps names in this copypasta of someone else’s analysis.
It’s still an interesting insight from a team whose work isn’t always that interesting to read. As often as we badmouth a lot of Beltway reporting, we can’t help but not turn it down when they’re saying what we want to hear. They were harsh on Biden – and even though they’re not even remotely as harsh on Trump as they should be, since he’s fucking insane – this comparison actually hits pretty hard given the frenzied circlejerk they engaged in as Biden’s candidacy collapsed after the debate.
The “even if it wasn’t as bad” doesn’t temper the fact that for 200 words or so they went on about parallels between the most calamitous stretch of any presidential campaign in the 21st century and what’s happening now to Trump not even a month later. We’re not going to stop ragging on the mainstream political media’s douchebaggery and water-carrying for access. It’s not at cross-purpose with appreciating the experience and connections they drew upon to print this insight.