New York Times political reporter Astead Herndon both mocked and fretted over President Trump’s Tulsa rally in a condescending “Political Memo” on Monday’s front page, “A Safe Space For Believers – Race and a Pandemic in the MAGA Bubble.”
The difference between a rally for Joseph R. Biden Jr. and one for President Trump starts with the attire.
There is no official uniform for either event, but while those who come out for Mr. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, show little pattern in their dress, there’s a unity to Mr. Trump’s biggest fans. A red hat is an obvious rally must. Without the cap, American flag colors will do, or a T-shirt that insults one of the president’s political archenemies -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or a mainstream media outlet, for starters.
....
The view that greeted the president as he took the stage was surprising: a half-empty arena floor. However, once stripped of the visual, Mr. Trump’s speech featured a familiar set list. He unsheathed attacks against Democratic opponents, casting party members as out-of-touch socialists. He derided the news media. He put specific focus on progressive women of color, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
The Times continues to exhibit a stark double standard on safety concerns regarding left-wing protests (no worries) vs conservative campaign rallies (be very afraid):
Inside the Bank of Oklahoma Center on Saturday night, there was no coronavirus pandemic to worry about, even as Oklahoma reported an increase in positive cases....
Herndon snarked:
The entire scene, from speaker to speaker, brought to mind the famous words of Kevin Bacon’s character in “Animal House,” as chaos erupted around him: “Remain calm. All is well.”
Herndon made a point to portray Trump fans as racist and reactionary.
At the Bank of Oklahoma Center, many of his supporters said they did not want Mr. Trump to change any more than they themselves wanted to change.
They roared with approval when he called the coronavirus “Kung Flu,” a racist nickname even one of his own senior advisers, Kellyanne Conway, once called “highly offensive.” Chants broke out of “Lock her up,” evoking the 2016 presidential campaign, even as the Democratic Party has moved on from Mrs. Clinton. Some people wore Confederate flags. Others brought signs that supported the QAnon conspiracy theory that claims the existence of a “deep state” plot against Mr. Trump and his supporters....
But the Times itself thinks the “Deep State” is real, and it’s awesome.
A “fact check” of Trump’s rally statements by Linda Qiu and Reid Epstein featured this embarrassing backfire. Trump stated “The murder rate in Baltimore and Detroit is higher than El Salvador, Guatemala or even Afghanistan.”
The sad “fact check” that followed:
This is false. Baltimore and Detroit do have higher murder rates than Guatemala and Afghanistan, but El Salvador’s rate is higher. Regardless, comparing the crime rates of cities to that of entire countries is misleading.
That rebuttal is so lame it actually makes Trump’s point for him.
