On the suspension of our disbelief. A balance sheet, October 2024
Nothing to see here, right? Just election as usual
There is continuing ‘suspended disbelief’ about what is happening in the US, in terms of the radicalization of the republican party into the MAGA/Trump party, on the basis of a process that political scientists had identified as early as 2012.
Whilst rightwing media is predicated on the conviction that “lamestream media” is pro-Left, the ‘mainstream media’ led by the NYT continues to try to convince itself and the Right, who doesn’t care a wit, that it is nonpartisan.
Hence, we have in the NYT the ‘both sides-ism’ which, carried into effect in anyone’s private life, would recommend that we give equal time to people who’ve proven trustworthy and those who’ve shown themselves amoral scoundrels. It is not Mr Trump who needs to talk more about policy (!), but surely Ms. Harris needs to be more honest and open.
What is ‘weird’ here (that word again) is that Trump and his campaign is presented by supposedly ‘Leftist’ media as a perfectly normal continuation of politics as usual. Voices which are warning — when we just cited words from the horse’s mouth, and actions from their hooves — that this is irresponsible and almost surreal are touted as extreme or hysterical.