The presidential primaries might as well be over, according to some media outlets and pundits.
So what if nobody’s voted yet? The other candidates don’t have a chance! You might as well go amuse yourself with the NFL, the World Series or the latest chatbot. We’ll wake you when it’s time for the general election.
Oh, the press tried to keep hope alive, if only to give its members something to do. This candidate is up three points, that candidate could have a breakout moment at the debate – but they’re not even convincing themselves, and seem ready to throw in the towel.
It’s Trump. It’s Biden. And it’s just too bad if you don’t like the rematch.
Now I shy away from such sweeping declarations because stuff happens in politics, but if everyone expects Trump and Biden to win – and that message is constantly reinforced by the media – then it almost becomes a fait accomplishment.
It’s not that the pundits are going out on some crazy limb. The odds are extremely high that Trump and Biden will be the nominees.
Trump, for instance, has a 40-point lead or more in recent national polls over his closest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has a lesser, but still commanding, lead in many state polls, for those who believe he may get knocked off in Iowa or New Hampshire.
The former president has been indicted four times, but that only boosts his standing. He is blowing off the debates, which barely helps his challengers. He has an unshakable loyalty among the MAGA base. I’ve never seen anything like it.
In previous years, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Pete Buttigieg closed strong to win the Iowa caucuses. None of them won the nomination, but at least they made things interesting.
But why worry about all that? The media geniuses have done the thinking for you. It’s Trump. It’s Biden. Get over it.
Touting his network’s latest poll, NBC’s Steve Kornacki said, compared to the last survey, “Trump didn’t lose any ground.” And his rivals didn’t gain much. That’s been the story.
If you don’t like the narrative, hey, don’t blame me. We all know the media are never wrong. Right?