[rad-green] Who Wants a Revolution? No One Who Owns a Major Media Outlet

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outlet/

*F.A.I.R.     MARCH 16, 2020*
Who Wants a Revolution? No One Who Owns a Major Media Outlet
*BY JULIE HOLLAR*

[image: WaPo: The Sanders Revolution Has Stalled]
<https://fair.org/home/who-wants-a-revolution-no-one-who-owns-a-major-media=
-outlet/>




   - Pr

[image: Election Focus 2020] <https://fair.org/topic/election-2020/>Just a
few weeks ago, early Bernie Sanders primary victories had media scrambling
to turn winning into losing (*FAIR.org*, 2/24/20
<https://fair.org/home/bernie-sanders-plunges-to-first-place/>) and to find
ways to discredit his rise (*FAIR.org*, 2/28/20
<https://fair.org/home/media-stoop-to-russian-assistance-to-explain-sanders=
-rise/>
, 3/6/20
<https://fair.org/home/media-malfunction-as-sanders-notes-positive-aspects-=
of-latin-american-socialism/>
; *Slate*, 3/6/20
<https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/new-york-times-finds-scandal-i=
n-bernie-sanders-cooperation-with-ronald-reagans-soviet-peace-plan.html>).
With a sudden turnaround in the race after Super Tuesday that finds Joe
Biden in the lead both in polls and delegates, media have been quick to
spin the reversal as a rejection of progressive politics.

The *Washington Post*=E2=80=98s Eugene Scott (3/12/20
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/12/tuesdays-primaries-reve=
al-its-not-just-black-voters-that-sanders-is-struggling-with/>)
argued that

the losses of Sen. Bernie Sanders
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/candidates/bernie-sanders/?tid=3D=
lk_inline_manual_2&itid=3Dlk_inline_manual_2>
(I-Vt.)
this week with demographic groups
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/exit-polls-2020-michigan-=
march-10-primary/?tid=3Dlk_inline_manual_2&itid=3Dlk_inline_manual_2>
and
in states he won in 2016 are prompting questions about whether there ever
was as much support for his revolutionary politics as some previously
believed=E2=80=A6.

Michigan=E2=80=99s white working-class voters =E2=80=94 many of them men =
=E2=80=94 backing Sanders
in 2016 gave the impression that these voters might be more liberal
politically on labor issues than they actually were. But in backing Biden
on Tuesday, these voters communicated that if given a chance, they are more
likely to support the centrist politics of the former vice president than
the revolutionary worldview of a democratic socialist in Trump=E2=80=99s Am=
erica.

[image: NYT: Democrats Aren=E2=80=99t in the Mood for Your Revolution]

*New York Times editorial board member Michelle Cottle (3/11/20
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/biden-sanders-primary-results.h=
tml>)
declared that Democratic voters =E2=80=9Care tired of being scared, they ar=
e tired
of being angry and they are not in the mood for a revolution.=E2=80=9D*

*New York Times* editorial board member Michelle Cottle=E2=80=99s column (3=
/11/20
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/biden-sanders-primary-results.h=
tml>)
was headlined =E2=80=9CDemocrats Aren=E2=80=99t in the Mood for Your Revolu=
tion=E2=80=9D:

Another round of Democratic voters registered their presidential
preferences on Tuesday, sending a message strikingly similar to the one
from Super Tuesday: They are tired of being scared, they are tired of being
angry and they are not in the mood for a revolution.

While the argument that a vote for Biden is a rejection of Sanders=E2=80=99
worldview is plausible on its face, it=E2=80=99s simply not supported by th=
e facts.
As every pundit knows, votes are a very blunt instrument for communication
of policy preferences; a more accurate instrument would be a poll that
actually asks them for those preferences. And in fact, we have lots of
those=E2=80=94including exit polls from the primaries that asked about the
signature difference between Sanders and Biden: =E2=80=9Ca government plan =
for all
or private health insurance.=E2=80=9D

In Michigan
<https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/entrance-and-exit-polls/michigan/democra=
tic>,
where voters backed Biden over Sanders 53% to 36%, exit polls showed those
same voters picked the government plan over private health insurance by a
remarkable 57% to 39%. In Texas
<https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/entrance-and-exit-polls/texas/democratic=
>,
which also handed more delegates to Biden, voters supported a government
plan by even more (64% to 33%), while even in conservative South Carolina
<https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/entrance-and-exit-polls/south-carolina/d=
emocratic>,
where Biden received more than twice as many votes as Sanders, private
insurance still lost out (49% to 46%).  (Note that the polling question
used the =E2=80=9Cgovernment vs. private=E2=80=9D formula promoted by the i=
nsurance
industry=E2=80=94*FAIR.org*, 7/1/19
<https://fair.org/home/government-run-healthcare-is-a-product-of-health-ind=
ustry-run-media/>=E2=80=94rather
than the more neutral =E2=80=9Cpublic vs. private=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cgove=
rnment vs. corporate.=E2=80=9D)

Some pundits acknowledged the polls, but still wouldn=E2=80=99t change their
conclusions. The  *Washington Post*=E2=80=98s Dana Milbank (3/3/20
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/03/sanders-revolution-has-=
stalled/>)
looked at exit polls, but instead of telling readers the numbers, offered
his own interpretation of them:

Super Tuesday revealed a party still divided by ideology and demographics.
Democrats were split on Medicare for All. As usual, Sanders did well among
the very liberal, Biden among moderates. The young voted by a lopsided
margin for Sanders, while older voters turned out for Biden.

Those divisions won=E2=80=99t disappear anytime soon, which is all the more=
 reason
for Democrats to focus on the one thing they all agree on: beating Trump.
The voters just made clear they believe Biden is the one to do that.

Obviously, calling Democrats =E2=80=9Csplit=E2=80=9D on Medicare for All is=
 hardly a fair
characterization of the exit polls, but a fair characterization would make
it harder to argue, as Milbank did, that the solution is to simply ignore
the preferences of a majority of Democrats and support Biden without
criticism.
[image: NYT: The Simple Reason the Left Won't Stop Losing]

*The left keeps losing, says the New York Times=E2=80=98 David Leonhardt (3=
/8/20
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/opinion/sanders-democratic-primary.html=
>),
because it insists on wanting left-wing policies.*

The *New York Times*=E2=80=98 David Leonhardt (3/8/20
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/opinion/sanders-democratic-primary.html=
>)
took an ostensibly more charitable approach, offering advice to
progressives under the headline, =E2=80=9CThe Simple Reason the Left Won=E2=
=80=99t Stop
Losing.=E2=80=9D While admitting that most Democrats identify as liberal and
support Medicare for All, Leonhardt=E2=80=99s takeaway from Super Tuesday w=
as that
=E2=80=9Cleft-wing movements=E2=80=A6have often prioritized purity over vic=
tory=E2=80=9D:

Their answer to almost every question of political strategy is to insist
that Americans are a profoundly progressive people who haven=E2=80=99t yet =
been
inspired to vote the way they think. The way to win, these progressives
claim, is to go left, always.

He admitted that progressive policy positions are =E2=80=9Coften closer to =
the
views of most Democratic voters than the moderate position is,=E2=80=9D but=
 argued
that since =E2=80=9Cmany Democrats spurn the progressive candidate,=E2=80=
=9D the solution
must be for progressives to =E2=80=9Cbreak with orthodoxy.=E2=80=9D

What would this look like? Leonhardt suggested some possibilities,
including a combination of =E2=80=9Ceconomic progressivism and cultural
moderation,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Ca slowdown of future immigration,=E2=80=9D =
=E2=80=9Cannouncing that fracking
and nuclear energy are crucial to fighting climate change,=E2=80=9D and =E2=
=80=9Cfinding
more progressive candidates who hunt or talk about their relationship with
Jesus Christ and have some related policy positions.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CCultural moderation=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94also known as throwing the ba=
se under the bus=E2=80=94is
beloved by media wonks (see, e.g., *FAIR.org*, 6/20/17
<https://fair.org/home/wishful-thinking-in-defense-of-democrats-pro-busines=
s-politics/>
, 11/7/19
<https://fair.org/home/throwing-the-base-under-the-bus-and-other-deep-thoug=
hts-from-nyt/>),
but remarkably immune to logic. The idea is generally that by moving to the
right on social and identity issues, you regain crucial swing voters. But
looking at the data
<https://fair.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/US-Electorate-Chart.png> many
of these arguments cite, the obvious strategy for a Democratic majority is
to embrace (as Sanders does) the economically progressive positions that
are appealing to many cultural conservatives=E2=80=94rather than backpedali=
ng on
the protection of rights and identities that are crucial to the party=E2=80=
=99s
base. (Likewise, the Republican path to victory is to emphasize social
issues without backing away from the conservative economic positions that
are dear to its core voters=E2=80=94not to mention funders.)

Little of Leonhardt=E2=80=99s specifics jibe with polling. Fracking is incr=
easingly
unpopular among the public, but especially among Democrats, who according
to a recent poll oppose it 63% to 19% (*HuffPost*, 9/4/19
<https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fracking-ban-polling_n_5d701602e4b09bbc9ef9=
5ef9>).
And the reference to hunting is particularly odd, given that Sanders has
come under fire from his opponents for his history of being more pro-gun
than most progressives, as a representative of a state with a strong
hunting tradition.
[image: NYT: Why Democrats Are Still Not the Party of Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez]

*The New York Times=E2=80=98 Jennifer Steinhauer (3/5/20
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/sunday-review/democratic-party-ocasio-c=
ortez.html?action=3Dclick&module=3DRelatedLinks&pgtype=3DArticle>)
referred sarcastically to the idea that =E2=80=9CBiden=E2=80=99s latest str=
ing of successes
is because of the strong-arming of corporate lobbyists=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94ign=
oring the
existence of an $8 million
<https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=3D2020&strID=3DC0070188=
8>
pro-Biden
Super PAC that was founded by corporate lobbyists
<https://theintercept.com/2019/10/25/joe-biden-super-pac/>.*

The *Times*=E2=80=98 Jennifer Steinhauer (3/5/20
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/sunday-review/democratic-party-ocasio-c=
ortez.html?action=3Dclick&module=3DRelatedLinks&pgtype=3DArticle>)
took this general argument to the congressional level, arguing that losses
by progressive challengers like Jessica Cisneros, who challenged right-wing
(or, in Steinhauer=E2=80=99s words, =E2=80=9Cmoderate
<https://fair.org/home/to-media-no-democrat-can-possibly-be-right-wing/>=E2=
=80=9C)
incumbent Democrat Henry Cuellar in Texas=E2=80=94like similar losses by
progressives in the 2018 midterms=E2=80=94show that outside of =E2=80=9Cdee=
ply blue areas,=E2=80=9D
most Democrats =E2=80=9Cprefer more centrist candidates.=E2=80=9D

There were some acknowledgments of the popularity of progressive policy
positions. In the *LA Times*, for instance, a front-page article (3/15/20
<https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-15/bernie-sanders-policy-le=
gacy>)
was headlined, =E2=80=9CHas Sanders Won the Ideological Battle?; Regardless=
 of the
Outcome, He Shaped the Policy Contours of This Democratic Race.=E2=80=9D Ye=
t even
while reporting that =E2=80=9Cpolling backs up Sanders=E2=80=99 claim that =
voters,
particularly Democrats, look favorably on his call for broad policy
change,=E2=80=9D the conclusion is roughly the same: =E2=80=9CElectability,=
 not progressive
purity, appears to be the prime motivator for Democratic voters.=E2=80=9D

Of course, that raises the question that is almost never answered in such
outlets: Why do Democratic voters think Biden is the more electable
candidate, even if they like Sanders=E2=80=99 policy positions better? Why,=
 if
in head-to-head
polling
<https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_electio=
n_trump_vs_sanders-6250.html>=E2=80=94our
best available data on who is =E2=80=9Celectable=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94Sanders h=
as consistently done as
well if not better than Biden
<https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_electio=
n_trump_vs_biden-6247.html>
over
the months, have Democrats been convinced to vote against their own
preferences?

The pundits appear willfully ignorant of their own role in shaping
electability narratives. In the debates, electability was a favorite topic
of the journalists doling out questions, and the message (evidence be
damned) was clear: Sanders is unelectable. As we reported after studying
every debate question prior to Super Tuesday (*FAIR.org*, 2/29/20
<https://fair.org/home/debate-moderators-frame-questions-to-define-acceptab=
le-politics/>),
Sanders=E2=80=99 electability was questioned more than four times as often =
as
Biden=E2=80=99s (21 to 5). While Biden=E2=80=99s lackluster campaign perfor=
mance
<https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-2020-gaffes-campaign-1482189> had
prompted much commentary about whether he could win the primaries, the
chorus of pundits and =E2=80=9Cexperts=E2=80=9D in political coverage couns=
eled that this
year, as always, the center is the one and only place for Democrats to find
electability (e.g., *FAIR.org*, 10/25/19
<https://fair.org/home/fretting-about-progressives-electability-establishme=
nt-dems-are-really-worried-about-their-power-in-the-party/>
).

With Biden=E2=80=99s victory in South Carolina, media doubts about his stre=
ngth
were quickly banished. He walked away with an =E2=80=9Cearned-media tsunami=
=E2=80=9D of
three days of almost entirely exuberant media coverage, worth in the
neighborhood of $70 million (*Vanity Fair*, 3/5/20
<https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/03/joe-biden-media-story-helped-win-h=
im-super-tuesday>).
By comparison, Sanders, whose massive grassroots fundraising outpaced all
of his competitors, spent $50 million in the last three* months* of 2019 (
*Politico*, 2/20/20
<https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/01/bernie-sanders-fec-spending-11015=
7>
).

Which also brings us back to Steinhauer=E2=80=99s argument about progressiv=
e losses
signaling centrist leaning among voters. Texas=E2=80=99 Cisneros faced a lo=
ngtime
incumbent who far outspent her and received the forceful support (and
resources) of the centrist Democratic establishment. Most political
observers saw it as remarkable, therefore, that she came within 4
percentage points of knocking off Cuellar (*Politico*, 3/4/20
<https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/04/henry-cuellar-defeats-primary-cha=
llenger-120954>).
The same goes for all progressive challengers; when the playing field is so
wildly tilted to start with, loss is hardly indicative of being out of
touch with voters=E2=80=99 preferences. But in a media system that thrives =
under
the current system, that=E2=80=99s an analysis you=E2=80=99ll rarely hear.
------------------------------

*Featured image: Washington Post headline over Dana Milbank column (3/3/20
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/03/sanders-revolution-has-=
stalled/>).*

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-size:small"><fo=
nt color=3D"#000000"><a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/who-wants-a-revolutio=
n-no-one-who-owns-a-major-media-outlet/" target=3D"_blank">https://fair.org=
/home/who-wants-a-revolution-no-one-who-owns-a-major-media-outlet/</a><br><=
/font></div><div class=3D"gmail_default"><b><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#0000=
00"><br></font></b></div><div class=3D"gmail_default"><div style=3D"text-tr=
ansform:uppercase"><b><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">F.A.I.R.=C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0MARCH 16, 2020</font></b></div><h1 style=3D"margin:0px 0px 10px;p=
adding:0px;line-height:1.25"><font size=3D"6" color=3D"#000000">Who Wants a=
 Revolution? No One Who Owns a Major Media Outlet</font></h1><div style=3D"=
font-size:14px;text-transform:uppercase"><b><font color=3D"#000000">BY JULI=
E HOLLAR</font></b></div><div style=3D"font-size:14px;text-transform:upperc=
ase"><b><font color=3D"#000000"><br></font></b></div><div style=3D"font-siz=
e:10px;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,sans-serif"><a href=3D"https://fai=
r.org/home/who-wants-a-revolution-no-one-who-owns-a-major-media-outlet/" re=
l=3D"bookmark" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank"><font =
color=3D"#000000"><img src=3D"https://fair.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/W=
aPo-Revolution-Featured.png" alt=3D"WaPo: The Sanders Revolution Has Stalle=
d" style=3D"border: none; margin-right: 0px;" width=3D"472" height=3D"236">=
</font></a></div><div style=3D"font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,sans-serif=
"><div id=3D"m_3801885861040827537gmail-shr_canvas1" style=3D"font-size:10p=
x;clear:both"><div style=3D"margin:0px auto;font-family:&quot;lucida grande=
&quot;,tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif"><div style=3D"display:inline-block"=
><div><font color=3D"#000000"><div style=3D"padding-left:4px;margin-left:15=
px"><div style=3D"line-height:normal"></div></div><ul style=3D"list-style:n=
one;overflow:hidden;margin:0px;padding:0px;float:none;background:none"><br>=
<br><br><li title=3D"Print" style=3D"font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,sans=
-serif;font-size:1.6rem;overflow:visible;clear:none;border:none;height:20px=
;margin:0px;padding:4px;list-style:none;width:70px;box-sizing:content-box;b=
ackground:none;float:left"><div style=3D"outline:none"><div style=3D"float:=
left;display:inline-block;border:none;overflow:visible"><span style=3D"disp=
lay:block;font-weight:600;font-size:11px;line-height:20px">Pr</span></div><=
/div></li></ul></font></div></div></div></div><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25=
px;padding:0px"><font color=3D"#000000"><a href=3D"https://fair.org/topic/e=
lection-2020/" style=3D"font-size:1.6rem;text-decoration-line:none" target=
=3D"_blank"><img src=3D"https://fair.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Electio=
n-Focus-2020-Edge-e1581112550381.jpg" alt=3D"Election Focus 2020" width=3D"=
100" height=3D"92" style=3D"border:none;max-width:100%;height:auto;float:ri=
ght;margin:0px 0px 10px 15px;display:inline"></a><font size=3D"4">Just a fe=
w weeks ago, early Bernie Sanders primary victories had media scrambling to=
 turn winning into losing (<b>FAIR.org</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.or=
g/home/bernie-sanders-plunges-to-first-place/" style=3D"text-decoration-lin=
e:none" target=3D"_blank">2/24/20</a>) and to find ways to discredit his ri=
se (<b>FAIR.org</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/media-stoop-to-r=
ussian-assistance-to-explain-sanders-rise/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:n=
one" target=3D"_blank">2/28/20</a>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/m=
edia-malfunction-as-sanders-notes-positive-aspects-of-latin-american-social=
ism/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/6/20</a>;=C2=
=A0<b>Slate</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/0=
3/new-york-times-finds-scandal-in-bernie-sanders-cooperation-with-ronald-re=
agans-soviet-peace-plan.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D=
"_blank">3/6/20</a>). With a sudden turnaround in the race after Super Tues=
day that finds Joe Biden in the lead both in polls and delegates, media hav=
e been quick to spin the reversal as a rejection of progressive politics.</=
font></font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"=
4" color=3D"#000000">The=C2=A0<b>Washington Post</b>=E2=80=98s Eugene Scott=
 (<a href=3D"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/12/tuesdays-pr=
imaries-reveal-its-not-just-black-voters-that-sanders-is-struggling-with/" =
style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/12/20</a>) argued t=
hat</font></p></div></div><blockquote style=3D"margin:0 0 0 40px;border:non=
e;padding:0px"><blockquote style=3D"margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0=
px"><div class=3D"gmail_default"><div style=3D"font-family:&quot;Open Sans&=
quot;,sans-serif"><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font color=
=3D"#000000"><span style=3D"font-size:large">the losses of Sen.=C2=A0</span=
><a href=3D"https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/candidates/bernie-sand=
ers/?tid=3Dlk_inline_manual_2&amp;itid=3Dlk_inline_manual_2" target=3D"_bla=
nk" style=3D"font-size:large;text-decoration-line:none">Bernie Sanders</a><=
span style=3D"font-size:large">=C2=A0(I-Vt.) this week with=C2=A0</span><a =
href=3D"https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/exit-polls-2020-mi=
chigan-march-10-primary/?tid=3Dlk_inline_manual_2&amp;itid=3Dlk_inline_manu=
al_2" target=3D"_blank" style=3D"font-size:large;text-decoration-line:none"=
>demographic groups</a><span style=3D"font-size:large">=C2=A0and in states =
he won in 2016 are prompting questions about whether there ever was as much=
 support for his revolutionary politics as some previously believed=E2=80=
=A6.</span></font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><span st=
yle=3D"font-size:large"><font color=3D"#000000">Michigan=E2=80=99s white wo=
rking-class voters =E2=80=94 many of them men =E2=80=94 backing Sanders in =
2016 gave the impression that these voters might be more liberal politicall=
y on labor issues than they actually were. But in backing Biden on Tuesday,=
 these voters communicated that if given a chance, they are more likely to =
support the centrist politics of the former vice president than the revolut=
ionary worldview of a democratic socialist in Trump=E2=80=99s America.</fon=
t></span></p></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div class=3D"gmail_defa=
ult"><div style=3D"font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,sans-serif"><div id=3D=
"m_3801885861040827537gmail-attachment_9013169" style=3D"float:right;margin=
:0px 0px 10px 15px;background:rgb(236,240,245);border:1px solid rgb(187,195=
,232);max-width:100%;padding:5px;text-align:center;width:360px"><font size=
=3D"4" color=3D"#000000"><img src=3D"https://fair.org/wp-content/uploads/20=
20/03/NYT-Revolution.png" alt=3D"NYT: Democrats Aren=E2=80=99t in the Mood =
for Your Revolution" width=3D"350" height=3D"563" style=3D"border:0px;max-w=
idth:100%;height:auto"></font><p id=3D"m_3801885861040827537gmail-caption-a=
ttachment-9013169" style=3D"margin:5px 0px;padding:0px;font-style:italic"><=
em><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000"><strong>New York Times</strong>=C2=A0=
editorial board member Michelle Cottle (<a href=3D"https://www.nytimes.com/=
2020/03/11/opinion/biden-sanders-primary-results.html" style=3D"text-decora=
tion-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/11/20</a>) declared that Democratic vot=
ers =E2=80=9Care tired of being scared, they are tired of being angry and t=
hey are not in the mood for a revolution.=E2=80=9D</font></em></p></div><p =
style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000=
"><b>New York Times</b>=C2=A0editorial board member Michelle Cottle=E2=80=
=99s column (<a href=3D"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/biden-sa=
nders-primary-results.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_=
blank">3/11/20</a>) was headlined =E2=80=9CDemocrats Aren=E2=80=99t in the =
Mood for Your Revolution=E2=80=9D:</font></p><blockquote style=3D"border-ra=
dius:3px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-si=
ze:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-c=
lip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(221,221,22=
1);margin:5px 5px 20px 30px;padding:25px 30px 5px"><p style=3D"margin:0px;p=
adding:0px 10px 10px;max-width:550px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">An=
other round of Democratic voters registered their presidential preferences =
on Tuesday, sending a message strikingly similar to the one from Super Tues=
day: They are tired of being scared, they are tired of being angry and they=
 are not in the mood for a revolution.</font></p></blockquote><p style=3D"m=
argin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">While th=
e argument that a vote for Biden is a rejection of Sanders=E2=80=99 worldvi=
ew is plausible on its face, it=E2=80=99s simply not supported by the facts=
. As every pundit knows, votes are a very blunt instrument for communicatio=
n of policy preferences; a more accurate instrument would be a poll that ac=
tually asks them for those preferences. And in fact, we have lots of those=
=E2=80=94including exit polls from the primaries that asked about the signa=
ture difference between Sanders and Biden: =E2=80=9Ca government plan for a=
ll or private health insurance.=E2=80=9D</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0=
px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">In=C2=A0<a href=3D"=
https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/entrance-and-exit-polls/michigan/democrat=
ic" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">Michigan</a>, whe=
re voters backed Biden over Sanders 53% to 36%, exit polls showed those sam=
e voters picked the government plan over private health insurance by a rema=
rkable 57% to 39%. In=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/ent=
rance-and-exit-polls/texas/democratic" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" =
target=3D"_blank">Texas</a>, which also handed more delegates to Biden, vot=
ers supported a government plan by even more (64% to 33%), while even in co=
nservative=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/entrance-and-e=
xit-polls/south-carolina/democratic" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" ta=
rget=3D"_blank">South Carolina</a>, where Biden received more than twice as=
 many votes as Sanders, private insurance still lost out (49% to 46%).=C2=
=A0 (Note that the polling question used the =E2=80=9Cgovernment vs. privat=
e=E2=80=9D formula promoted by the insurance industry=E2=80=94<b>FAIR.org</=
b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/government-run-healthcare-is-a-pr=
oduct-of-health-industry-run-media/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" ta=
rget=3D"_blank">7/1/19</a>=E2=80=94rather than the more neutral =E2=80=9Cpu=
blic vs. private=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cgovernment vs. corporate.=E2=80=9D)</=
font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" colo=
r=3D"#000000">Some pundits acknowledged the polls, but still wouldn=E2=80=
=99t change their conclusions. The=C2=A0 <b>Washington Post</b>=E2=80=98s D=
ana Milbank (<a href=3D"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/03/=
sanders-revolution-has-stalled/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=
=3D"_blank">3/3/20</a>) looked at exit polls, but instead of telling reader=
s the numbers, offered his own interpretation of them:</font></p><blockquot=
e style=3D"border-radius:3px;background-image:initial;background-position:i=
nitial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:=
initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-=
color:rgb(221,221,221);margin:5px 5px 20px 30px;padding:25px 30px 5px"><p s=
tyle=3D"margin:0px;padding:0px 10px 10px;max-width:550px"><font size=3D"4" =
color=3D"#000000">Super Tuesday revealed a party still divided by ideology =
and demographics. Democrats were split on Medicare for All. As usual, Sande=
rs did well among the very liberal, Biden among moderates. The young voted =
by a lopsided margin for Sanders, while older voters turned out for Biden.<=
/font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px;padding:0px 10px 10px;max-width:550px"><fo=
nt size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">Those divisions won=E2=80=99t disappear any=
time soon, which is all the more reason for Democrats to focus on the one t=
hing they all agree on: beating Trump. The voters just made clear they beli=
eve Biden is the one to do that.</font></p></blockquote><p style=3D"margin:=
0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">Obviously, cal=
ling Democrats =E2=80=9Csplit=E2=80=9D on Medicare for All is hardly a fair=
 characterization of the exit polls, but a fair characterization would make=
 it harder to argue, as Milbank did, that the solution is to simply ignore =
the preferences of a majority of Democrats and support Biden without critic=
ism.</font></p><div id=3D"m_3801885861040827537gmail-attachment_9013170" st=
yle=3D"float:right;margin:0px 0px 10px 15px;background:rgb(236,240,245);bor=
der:1px solid rgb(187,195,232);max-width:100%;padding:5px;text-align:center=
;width:360px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000"><img src=3D"https://fair.o=
rg/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NYT-Left-Losing.png" alt=3D"NYT: The Simple R=
eason the Left Won&#39;t Stop Losing" width=3D"350" height=3D"483" style=3D=
"border:0px;max-width:100%;height:auto"></font><p id=3D"m_38018858610408275=
37gmail-caption-attachment-9013170" style=3D"margin:5px 0px;padding:0px;fon=
t-style:italic"><em><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">The left keeps losin=
g, says the=C2=A0<strong>New York Times</strong>=E2=80=98 David Leonhardt (=
<a href=3D"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/opinion/sanders-democratic-pr=
imary.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/8/20</a=
>), because it insists on wanting left-wing policies.</font></em></p></div>=
<p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000=
000">The=C2=A0<b>New York Times</b>=E2=80=98 David Leonhardt (<a href=3D"ht=
tps://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/opinion/sanders-democratic-primary.html" s=
tyle=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/8/20</a>) took an os=
tensibly more charitable approach, offering advice to progressives under th=
e headline, =E2=80=9CThe Simple Reason the Left Won=E2=80=99t Stop Losing.=
=E2=80=9D While admitting that most Democrats identify as liberal and suppo=
rt Medicare for All, Leonhardt=E2=80=99s takeaway from Super Tuesday was th=
at =E2=80=9Cleft-wing movements=E2=80=A6have often prioritized purity over =
victory=E2=80=9D:</font></p><blockquote style=3D"border-radius:3px;backgrou=
nd-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;backgr=
ound-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;borde=
r-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(221,221,221);margin:5px 5px=
 20px 30px;padding:25px 30px 5px"><p style=3D"margin:0px;padding:0px 10px 1=
0px;max-width:550px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">Their answer to alm=
ost every question of political strategy is to insist that Americans are a =
profoundly progressive people who haven=E2=80=99t yet been inspired to vote=
 the way they think. The way to win, these progressives claim, is to go lef=
t, always.</font></p></blockquote><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0=
px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">He admitted that progressive policy =
positions are =E2=80=9Coften closer to the views of most Democratic voters =
than the moderate position is,=E2=80=9D but argued that since =E2=80=9Cmany=
 Democrats spurn the progressive candidate,=E2=80=9D the solution must be f=
or progressives to =E2=80=9Cbreak with orthodoxy.=E2=80=9D</font></p><p sty=
le=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">W=
hat would this look like? Leonhardt suggested some possibilities, including=
 a combination of =E2=80=9Ceconomic progressivism and cultural moderation,=
=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Ca slowdown of future immigration,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Canno=
uncing that fracking and nuclear energy are crucial to fighting climate cha=
nge,=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cfinding more progressive candidates who hunt or =
talk about their relationship with Jesus Christ and have some related polic=
y positions.=E2=80=9D</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px=
"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">=E2=80=9CCultural moderation=E2=80=9D=
=E2=80=94also known as throwing the base under the bus=E2=80=94is beloved b=
y media wonks (see, e.g.,=C2=A0<b>FAIR.org</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fai=
r.org/home/wishful-thinking-in-defense-of-democrats-pro-business-politics/"=
 style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">6/20/17</a>,=C2=A0<a=
 href=3D"https://fair.org/home/throwing-the-base-under-the-bus-and-other-de=
ep-thoughts-from-nyt/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank=
">11/7/19</a>), but remarkably immune to logic. The idea is generally that =
by moving to the right on social and identity issues, you regain crucial sw=
ing voters. But looking at the=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.org/wp-content/=
uploads/2017/06/US-Electorate-Chart.png" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none=
" target=3D"_blank">data</a>=C2=A0many of these arguments cite, the obvious=
 strategy for a Democratic majority is to embrace (as Sanders does) the eco=
nomically progressive positions that are appealing to many cultural conserv=
atives=E2=80=94rather than backpedaling on the protection of rights and ide=
ntities that are crucial to the party=E2=80=99s base. (Likewise, the Republ=
ican path to victory is to emphasize social issues without backing away fro=
m the conservative economic positions that are dear to its core voters=E2=
=80=94not to mention funders.)</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;pa=
dding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">Little of Leonhardt=E2=80=99s=
 specifics jibe with polling. Fracking is increasingly unpopular among the =
public, but especially among Democrats, who according to a recent poll oppo=
se it 63% to 19% (<b>HuffPost</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.huffpost.com=
/entry/fracking-ban-polling_n_5d701602e4b09bbc9ef95ef9" style=3D"text-decor=
ation-line:none" target=3D"_blank">9/4/19</a>). And the reference to huntin=
g is particularly odd, given that Sanders has come under fire from his oppo=
nents for his history of being more pro-gun than most progressives, as a re=
presentative of a state with a strong hunting tradition.</font></p><div id=
=3D"m_3801885861040827537gmail-attachment_9013172" style=3D"float:right;mar=
gin:0px 0px 10px 15px;background:rgb(236,240,245);border:1px solid rgb(187,=
195,232);max-width:100%;padding:5px;text-align:center;width:360px"><font si=
ze=3D"4" color=3D"#000000"><img src=3D"https://fair.org/wp-content/uploads/=
2020/03/NYT-Democrats-AOC.png" alt=3D"NYT: Why Democrats Are Still Not the =
Party of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez" width=3D"350" height=3D"351" style=3D"bo=
rder:0px;max-width:100%;height:auto"></font><p id=3D"m_3801885861040827537g=
mail-caption-attachment-9013172" style=3D"margin:5px 0px;padding:0px;font-s=
tyle:italic"><em><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">The=C2=A0<strong>New Yo=
rk Times</strong>=E2=80=98=C2=A0<span>Jennifer Steinhauer</span>=C2=A0(<a h=
ref=3D"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/sunday-review/democratic-party-oc=
asio-cortez.html?action=3Dclick&amp;module=3DRelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=3DArti=
cle" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/5/20</a>) refe=
rred sarcastically to the idea that =E2=80=9CBiden=E2=80=99s latest string =
of successes is because of the strong-arming of corporate lobbyists=E2=80=
=9D=E2=80=94ignoring the existence of an=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.opense=
crets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=3D2020&amp;strID=3DC00701888" style=3D"tex=
t-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">$8 million</a>=C2=A0pro-Biden Sup=
er PAC that was=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://theintercept.com/2019/10/25/joe-bid=
en-super-pac/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">founde=
d by corporate lobbyists</a>.</font></em></p></div><p style=3D"margin:0px 0=
px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">The=C2=A0<b>Times</=
b>=E2=80=98 Jennifer Steinhauer (<a href=3D"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03=
/05/sunday-review/democratic-party-ocasio-cortez.html?action=3Dclick&amp;mo=
dule=3DRelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=3DArticle" style=3D"text-decoration-line:non=
e" target=3D"_blank">3/5/20</a>) took this general argument to the congress=
ional level, arguing that losses by progressive challengers like Jessica Ci=
sneros, who challenged right-wing (or, in Steinhauer=E2=80=99s words, =E2=
=80=9C<a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/to-media-no-democrat-can-possibly-be=
-right-wing/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">moderat=
e</a>=E2=80=9C) incumbent Democrat Henry Cuellar in Texas=E2=80=94like simi=
lar losses by progressives in the 2018 midterms=E2=80=94show that outside o=
f =E2=80=9Cdeeply blue areas,=E2=80=9D most Democrats =E2=80=9Cprefer more =
centrist candidates.=E2=80=9D</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;pad=
ding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">There were some acknowledgment=
s of the popularity of progressive policy positions. In the=C2=A0<b>LA Time=
s</b>, for instance, a front-page article (<a href=3D"https://www.latimes.c=
om/politics/story/2020-03-15/bernie-sanders-policy-legacy" style=3D"text-de=
coration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/15/20</a>) was headlined, =E2=80=9C=
Has Sanders Won the Ideological Battle?; Regardless of the Outcome, He Shap=
ed the Policy Contours of This Democratic Race.=E2=80=9D Yet even while rep=
orting that =E2=80=9Cpolling backs up Sanders=E2=80=99 claim that voters, p=
articularly Democrats, look favorably on his call for broad policy change,=
=E2=80=9D the conclusion is roughly the same: =E2=80=9CElectability, not pr=
ogressive purity, appears to be the prime motivator for Democratic voters.=
=E2=80=9D</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><font size=
=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">Of course, that raises the question that is almost=
 never answered in such outlets: Why do Democratic voters think Biden is th=
e more electable candidate, even if they like Sanders=E2=80=99 policy posit=
ions better? Why, if in=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.realclearpolitics.com/e=
polls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_sanders-6250.html" style=
=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">head-to-head polling</a>=
=E2=80=94our best available data on who is =E2=80=9Celectable=E2=80=9D=E2=
=80=94Sanders has consistently done as well if not better than=C2=A0<a href=
=3D"https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_elec=
tion_trump_vs_biden-6247.html" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=
=3D"_blank">Biden</a>=C2=A0over the months, have Democrats been convinced t=
o vote against their own preferences?</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px =
25px;padding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">The pundits appear wil=
lfully ignorant of their own role in shaping electability narratives. In th=
e debates, electability was a favorite topic of the journalists doling out =
questions, and the message (evidence be damned) was clear: Sanders is unele=
ctable. As we reported after studying every debate question prior to Super =
Tuesday (<b>FAIR.org</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/debate-mode=
rators-frame-questions-to-define-acceptable-politics/" style=3D"text-decora=
tion-line:none" target=3D"_blank">2/29/20</a>), Sanders=E2=80=99 electabili=
ty was questioned more than four times as often as Biden=E2=80=99s (21 to 5=
). While Biden=E2=80=99s=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden=
-2020-gaffes-campaign-1482189" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=
=3D"_blank">lackluster campaign performance</a>=C2=A0had prompted much comm=
entary about whether he could win the primaries, the chorus of pundits and =
=E2=80=9Cexperts=E2=80=9D in political coverage counseled that this year, a=
s always, the center is the one and only place for Democrats to find electa=
bility (e.g.,=C2=A0<b>FAIR.org</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://fair.org/home/f=
retting-about-progressives-electability-establishment-dems-are-really-worri=
ed-about-their-power-in-the-party/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" tar=
get=3D"_blank">10/25/19</a>).</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;pad=
ding:0px"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">With Biden=E2=80=99s victory i=
n South Carolina, media doubts about his strength were quickly banished. He=
 walked away with an =E2=80=9Cearned-media tsunami=E2=80=9D of three days o=
f almost entirely exuberant media coverage, worth in the neighborhood of $7=
0 million (<b>Vanity Fair</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.vanityfair.com/n=
ews/2020/03/joe-biden-media-story-helped-win-him-super-tuesday" style=3D"te=
xt-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">3/5/20</a>). By comparison, Sand=
ers, whose massive grassroots fundraising outpaced all of his competitors, =
spent $50 million in the last three<i>=C2=A0months</i>=C2=A0of 2019 (<b>Pol=
itico</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/01/bernie-=
sanders-fec-spending-110157" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"=
_blank">2/20/20</a>).</font></p><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px=
"><font size=3D"4" color=3D"#000000">Which also brings us back to Steinhaue=
r=E2=80=99s argument about progressive losses signaling centrist leaning am=
ong voters. Texas=E2=80=99 Cisneros faced a longtime incumbent who far outs=
pent her and received the forceful support (and resources) of the centrist =
Democratic establishment. Most political observers saw it as remarkable, th=
erefore, that she came within 4 percentage points of knocking off Cuellar (=
<b>Politico</b>,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/04/h=
enry-cuellar-defeats-primary-challenger-120954" style=3D"text-decoration-li=
ne:none" target=3D"_blank">3/4/20</a>). The same goes for all progressive c=
hallengers; when the playing field is so wildly tilted to start with, loss =
is hardly indicative of being out of touch with voters=E2=80=99 preferences=
. But in a media system that thrives under the current system, that=E2=80=
=99s an analysis you=E2=80=99ll rarely hear.</font></p><hr style=3D"box-siz=
ing:content-box;height:0px"><p style=3D"margin:0px 0px 25px;padding:0px"><e=
m style=3D""><font size=3D"4" style=3D"" color=3D"#000000">Featured image:=
=C2=A0<strong style=3D"">Washington Post</strong>=C2=A0headline over Dana M=
ilbank column (<a href=3D"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/0=
3/sanders-revolution-has-stalled/" style=3D"text-decoration-line:none" targ=
et=3D"_blank">3/3/20</a>).</font></em></p></div></div></div>

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