#The media fall in line for Biden

President Biden’s disastrous performance — on the economy, the southern border, Afghanistan, race relations — has led to low approval ratings and dire projections for Democrats in the upcoming midterms. So what does the White House do? It blames the messenger: the media. And demands more favorable coverage. No, that didn’t completely end the bad headlines (even compliant media can’t bury some news). But in record time, Biden, his wife and even bumbling Vice President Kamala Harris were suddenly treated to a flood of puff pieces, bizarre defenses of the president’s record and perversely positive headlines.

This column:

We say: The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank got the ball rolling by making the White House’s case: By reporting news that makes Biden look bad, members of the press “are serving as accessories to the murder of democracy.” Never mind truth or objectivity; “how about being partisans for [what Milbank considers] democracy”? Journalists, he wrote, shouldn’t be “caught in a mindless neutrality” while the country faces “an existential struggle.” Wow: Could there be a more naked admission of press bias than that?

This TV appearance:

We say: We sure hope Jimmy Fallon and NBC got paid well for that lengthy pro-Biden political ad on The Tonight Show billed as late-night entertainment. Fallon heaped praise on Biden’s infrastructure bill, claimed the president is “bringing class back to the office,” let his guest spin endlessly — and then, finally, asked a really searing question: “Does anyone really understand how hard your job is?” Give us a break!

This story:

We say: Huh? What planet is the guy on? It’s one thing for The Hill to let a progressive Democratic strategist like Max Burns air his views, but shouldn’t he be required to deal in reality? The nation is suffering its worst inflation in decades, supply-chain issues are keeping goods from consumers and economic growth is positively anemic (2.1 percent in the third quarter). Yet Burns is touting “the fastest recovery in history”?

This story:

We say: The Hill isn’t the only media outlet noticing that no one is noticing the “recovery,” or in Washington Monthly Newspeak, the “Biden Boom.” Gee, maybe that’s because there is no boom. After all, if soaring prices, bare shelves, a low labor-force participation rate and pathetic growth amounts to a “boom,” we’d hate to see a slowdown.

This statement:

“Today we have the strongest economy, perhaps, I’ve ever seen.” 

— CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Dec. 9

We say: Hmm, turns out a lot of people have been noticing the phenomenal economic recovery Biden miraculously produced — that is, ever since the White House ordered the press to gin up good news on the economy. Shameful.

This headline:

We say: Biden issued a near-meaningless order for federal agencies to improve their Web sites, and Bloomberg touts this as a great “stealth” move to “restore faith in democracy.” Uh, well-run agencies shouldn’t need to be told that. The order hardly assures they’ll do better. And how will this bolster confidence in democracy anyway — especially when Democrats are trying to ram through legislation, like Build Back Better, without a single Republican vote?

This interview:

We say: While NBC was letting the president paint a glowing picture of himself on Fallon’s show, CBS gave that job to first lady Jill Biden. Questions about Biden’s mental fitness, she asserted, are “ridiculous.” When it comes to uniting the country, “I don’t care if it’s a red state or a blue state. . . . Joe is the president for all Americans.” Count on CBS to snap-to the minute Team Biden calls.

These comments:

We say: OK, now the echo chamber has really gotten out of control. On MSNBC, Ari Melber not only cites Washington Monthly’s “Biden Boom” fable; he actually uses the word “boom” repeatedly — all while trashing President Donald Trump for wrecking the economy (and not curing COVID).

These stories:

We say: Biden isn’t the only top administration official to rack up terrible approval ratings: A Hill/HarrisX poll Tuesday found just 43 percent of voters give her a thumbs up. In November, a USA Today/Suffolk University study showed just 28 percent approved. Her own aides are jumping ship. Cue an embarrassing pair of stories by the San Francisco Chronicle that lets Harris whine about how hard her job is and shifts attention by focusing on how the veep redecorated her office.

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board