The story of Election 2024 is obviously “will the villainous Trump return to destroy democracy once and for all?” Almost no one - Republicans included - denies this narrative. But the media’s refusal to participate makes it feel more out of “narrative integrity” than journalistic.
I remember one of On the Media's primary theses is to never get between the press and a favorite Narrative for they'll grasp it to the death like a raccoon and a shiny thing.
Saying that Biden should step down because he’s not up to the task of defeating the villainous Trump seems like total participation in the “Will democracy be destroyed?” narrative.
Feels more like we're trapped in a horror flick. You know, I know, & the NYT especially knows that none of us should be planning a wacky wkend in an abandoned house at the end of a depopulated valley. But here we go! It'll be fun!
Oh, no, Donald IS going to mow us all down with his golf cart scythe!
“Will the old hero be forced to step down or rally once again? Has the Good Man wearied and lost his way? Has he carried the burden too long? Did he become too morally grey?”
And now, “will he pass the sword to a new hero, whose trial we begin now?”
And the media was complicit in not questioning Biden's fitness to do a second term. Everybody was like, okay, cool, until they suddenly realized he sounds like he's dying of old age