Heading into the midterms, the media misjudged the electorate—and underestimated President Joe Biden.
“Just about everything the media suggested voters didn’t care about, they cared about passionately,” writes @MollyJongFast. https://t.co/kdBTC5Xevc
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) November 14, 2022
Worth the read, and not just for the rare mea culpa:
… Not only did the media misjudge the electorate, they also underestimated President Joe Biden. Look, I’ve been there myself. Almost three years ago, I wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post where I obnoxiously wrote, “Not to get too technical about it, but I would like to postulate that the Democratic front-runner should be, you know, in front.” Biden went on to win South Carolina, Florida, Illinois, and Arizona shortly after my piece ran. In the end, Biden won 2,687 delegates in the Democratic primary, crushing the rest of the field. Biden then went on to beat Trump 306 to 232 in the Electoral College (and by more than 7 million in the popular vote). Biden won critical swing states Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia…
I asked White House chief of staff Ron Klain about this chronic case of underestimating Biden. Klain wrote, “He has been underestimated as a candidate, as a president, and as a party leader—and he has delivered historical results in all three roles. As a candidate, he beat the previously unvanquished Donald Trump; as a president, he delivered critical legislation with the narrowest of margins on Capitol Hill; and now, as party leader, he has achieved a midterm result unmatched since FDR’s time. He does it by laying out what he stands for, fighting hard to get it done, and speaking earnestly from the heart. He has kept together the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party, built an administration that looks like the country, and pursued policies that inspire young voters, middle-aged voters, and older voters. President Biden is underestimated because his triumphs are the triumph of wisdom, decency, and determination: values underappreciated in today’s media and political culture.”…
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