They Are Using Biden to Make Money

WARNING: this Op Ed is about the main stream media fueling Democratic fear to make more money which only helps Donald Trump win the election - so I may use some curse words.

Joe Biden in Raleigh, North Carolina, last Friday, one day after the debate. (Photo by Elizabeth Frantz/via Getty Images)

I took this last week off to celebrate the birth of our nation, and to get some much needed time away from the Henny Penny attitude surrounding Biden. I was sure that after the president made a few strong appearances at rallies, with his new spray tan, and did a pivotal interview to emphasize that he is not going anywhere, most of the fretting perpetuated by the main stream media would get drowned out and we could get back to business. I was wrong.

I looked at a few major, reliable outlets in the last few days, and read the headlines just to keep an eye on things. Full disclosure: when I go on break, I GO ON BREAK. I’m telling you, I lost my phone for a day and didn’t even know it. But, a quick scan of the chyrons and lead stories said it all — each one using an even more insulting title about Biden and his supposed “lack of support” among heavy hitting Democrats to draw in clicks. The final straw for me was one from the Associated Press, a source I still considered to be one of the least partisan and best outlets around. This is what I found, in my inbox from the AP, on the Fourth of July:

Support for Biden is eroding on Capitol Hill

This was the photo they published with the header:

This was another headline sent to my inbox from The Washington Post, on July 4th:

Biden Admits Time is Tight for His Campaign

The New York Times sent out two different email blasts on July 5th, with dueling notions about President Biden’s performance. The first headline read:

U.S. Job Growth Remains Solid in June

There was nothing in the title about June being the 42nd consecutive month of job growth under the Biden administration, which would have been an excellent headline especially following the debate coverage. There was nothing in the title to even attribute the excellent work to Biden at all. It is as if the country is running on auto pilot when Biden does something that really serves the public, but when there is a chance to get clicks we get this second title from The New York Times, sent only hours after the one above:

Biden Insists He is Staying in Race in Defiant Wisconsin Speech

Of course, I don’t expect much from The New York Times. I think they are terribly partisan whenever it serves their bottom line and will bring in money — they completely sold out soon after Trump took office in 2016. The final straw for me and these incredibly incendiary statements, meant to fuel discord among the Democratic Party was this email header, again from my beloved Associated Press:

Biden Says He’s ‘Staying in the Race’ As He Scrambles to Save Candidacy and Braces for ABC Interview

I also made the mistake of watching this interview, done by an incredibly repetitive George Stephanopoulos, who proceeded to spend an hour asking President Biden the exact same question in 42 different ways. Each time the president would explain that he was sick on debate night, diagnosed with extreme fatigue from the doctor and that he worked too hard leading up to the event, George would ask Biden again if he would drop out of the race and pressed on about his health, age and cognitive ability.

Here is my personal headline from that interview:

We Continue to Needlessly Press Biden Despite Emperor Trump Having No Clothes

Here is another important headline that the main stream media refuses to print because it does not sell newspapers:

The Republican Party Continues to Back Trump Despite Erratic Mental Behavior and a Criminal Conviction on 34 Felony Counts

Another headline that we should have seen is:

Biden Fires Campaign Staff Leadership, Questions Loyalty and Strategy

And another:

Democratic Voters Wisely Realize there is No Time to Pick and Vet Another Candidate Who Will Be as Unifying and Qualified as Joe Biden

Here is another headline I wish we saw:

MSNBC Hosts Collectively Refuse to Pander to Fear-Mongering in Order to Help Ratings

But this, this would be my favorite headline:

Taking a Cue From Republican Strategy, Democrats Close Ranks Around Biden Candidacy to Ensure Another Win in 2024

I guess my point in all of this is to remind you, the discerning voting public, that these hypocritical headlines can’t exist, and the main stream media gaslighting can’t succeed, if we don’t let it. I stopped watching all cable news outlets a few years ago when it was clear they were all getting desperate for ratings during a slower, more favorable news cycle.

We do have a choice in who we support, and the best way to show that support is with our money. I would urge you to cancel all paid subscriptions to any of these outlets and to tell them that in their quest to remain profitable, they are helping to elect a very dangerous and unstable man. I will continue to point out that the real threat we face is Donald Trump, who is nearly as old as Joe Biden, and who has proven his mental and moral instability over and over.

When the main stream media continues to put profit as the biggest priority, at the expense of our American Democracy, they are co-conspirators in the Trump Campaign, which continues to perpetuate fraud. While Republicans refuse to shake their loyalty for Trump, born out of fear, the main stream media has not only perpetuated those lies, they have assumed the Trump strategy for themselves as they now peddle worry and fear to get clicks. While worrying may be an easy and natural rhythm to fall into, it is important more than ever that we consciously and collectively reject those fascist tropes that will lead to the destruction of our country.

Let’s show the main stream media that we are not lab rats, who just fall into the easiest and most extreme emotion that they are pushing down our throats. Let’s purposely prove that a large enough majority of the American electorate does understand what the Founding Fathers intended, and we refuse to succumb to mindless marketing ploys that work on the basest of human instincts. If we refuse to get down to the low level of corporations and media conglomerates, then we can win in more ways than one.

I know I’m ready to metaphorically say “middle fingers up” to any outlet who thinks I am dumb enough to fall for their latest heist tactics. Today would be a good day to support those in independent journalism, who will work even harder to counter the banal money-making tactics of Donald Trump, which are being employed now in real time to help sell us Donald Trump. If the American public truly drives the content that is then re-sold to us to accept and digest, then we have a say in what we choose to eat. It’s time to get healthy and go on a diet.

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Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.

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