An Update on Michigan's Senate Race

Peter Meijer Drops Out of Senate Race and Republicans are Happy? 

According to allsides.com, Fox leans to the right while CNN leans to the left. 

                                                via CNN; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The Headlines

Fox: Ex-House Republican who voted to impeach Trump drops Michigan Senate bid

CNN: Peter Meijer drops out of Michigan GOP Senate race

The Story 

Meijer dropped out of Michigan's Senate race last Friday, but as Fox's article highlights- there is a reason why Republicans are sparring their tears. According to Fox, Meijer "was one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol." (Morris, 2024). Thus, Trump was very pleased with the race's latest update. Trump took to social media regarding the issue stating, "Last time he lost in the Primary to a nice, but unknown, person, and now he lost to a GREAT Candidate, Mike Rogers...Happily, the 10 Impeachers are just about gone." (Trump's Social Media) Additionally, the Fox article shares updates on the campaigns of the other 'impeachers'. 

CNN's article, of course, mentions that Meijer was one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump. However, CNN's perspective on the action is much more positive. According to CNN, "One of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021, riot, Meijer narrowly lost his House primary race in the 2022 midterms to a Trump-endorsed challenger. He entered the state’s Senate race last year despite discouragement from the national party." (Rokus et al, 2024). Additionally, the article provides Meijer's dropout statement and iterates the Republican backlash he faced after voting to impeach Trump. 

The Takeaways

Fox

• Meijer voted to impeach Trump 
• Trump posted on social media criticizing Meijer and his campaign performance 
• Updates on the campaigns of other 'impeachers'. 

CNN 

• Meijer voted to impeach Trump 
• Provides Meijer's dropout statement
• Emphasizes Republican action after Meijer's vote

Connection to Class 

In our discussions for Week 13, we were asked to reflect on how voters evaluate a candidate with the suggestion that in today's climate, important matters such as political stance are overlooked. This story provides a great example of that occurring. Both CNN and FOX highlight that there was indeed a  Republican backlash from Meijer's impeachment vote. Both articles fail to highlight the candidate's political stances and instead focus on his relations with Trump.

Is it fair to evaluate Meijer based on a singular vote? And if so, does the assessment of his vote stand as a legitimate method of evaluation. In my opinion, this is another example of revenge politics. 

Resources

Morris, K. (2024, April 27). Ex-House Republican who voted to impeach Trump drops Michigan Senate bid. Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-house-republican-voted-impeach-trump-drops-michigan-senate-bid

Rokus. B, Pelllish, A. Blackburn, P (2024, April 26). Peter Meijer drops out of Michigan GOP Senate race. CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/26/politics/peter-meijer-drops-out-of-michigan-gop-senate-race/index.html

RFK vs The Establishment

Democrats and Republicans Agree, RFK JR is a threat. 

According to allsides.com, Fox leans to the right while Politico leans to the left. 

                                                                via Bloomberg.com 

The Headlines 

Fox: Trump accuses RFK Jr. of being a 'Democrat plant' and 'wasted protest vote'

Politico: Trump rails against RFK Jr., calling him a ‘wasted protest vote’

The Story 

It seems as if the Democratic and Republican parties have found a common enemy; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On social media, Trump took the time to criticize RFK in hopes of deterring his votes from considering the candidate. According to Fox News, RFK is "unpopular with both parties' establishment" (Nerozzi, 2024). Trump, specifically, is claiming that "RFK Jr. is a Democrat "Plant," a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place to help Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, get Re-Elected. In a very aggressive stance, Trump states "A Vote for Junior’ would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him."

Politico reports the story in a similar matter, emphasizing that RFK is a threat to both the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns. According to Politico, "Kennedy’s seemingly green policies, as well as his historically Democratic-aligned last name, have made him a perceived threat to Biden’s ability to consolidate the party’s vote in the 2024 election" (Ewing, 2024). However, the article does indicate that "Kennedy is drawing voters more evenly away from both candidates, putting the GOP — and Trump — increasingly on the offensive." (Ewing, 2024). This statistic clearly shows why Trump is taking the time to bash the candidate online. 

The Takeaways

Fox

• Trump believes RFK is a democratic plant and suggests a vote for him would be a wasted effort. 
• RFK Jr. does have democratic ties outside of the legacy of his family. 
• The DNC has tried to silence the threat of RFK before. 

Politico

• Trump believes RFK is a democratic plant and suggests a vote for him would be a wasted effort. 
• Kennedy is drawing attention from Democratic and Republican voters at an even rate. 
• Both Trump and Biden have distanced themselves from RFK Jr. 

Resources 

Nerozzi, T. (2024, April 27).Trump accuses RFK Jr. of being a 'Democrat plant' and 'wasted protest vote'. Fox News 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-accuses-rfk-jr-democrat-plant-wasted-protest-vote

Ewing, G. (2024, April 27).Trump rails against RFK Jr., calling him a ‘wasted protest vote’. Politico

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/27/trump-rfk-jr-2024-election-00154746

Why Do We Care Who The Rock Endorses as President?

 

The Rock Shares His Political Stance

According to allsides.com, Fox News leans to the right while USA Today leans to the left. 

Did Trump Say Bloodbath?

Trump Says "Bloodbath" 

According to allsides.com, the Washington Post leans to the right while USA Today leans to the left. 

Presidential Immunity 

The question of leadership and consequence

According to allsides.com, Fox News leans to the right while MSNBC leans to the left. 

Trial to Disqualify Fani Willis in Trump's GA Court Case

NOTE: Another CNN and FOX News comparison, please forgive me! But these two sources are America's most popular. In future reference, there will probably be a lot more blogs using these sources as references. 

According to allsides.com, Fox News leans to the political right while CNN leans to the left.   

The Headlines

Fox News: Fani Willis hearing testimony 'jarring,' 'pure comedy gold,' social media declares

CNN: Takeaways from Fani Willis’ stunning testimony in Georgia

Biden's Age in Question 

According to allsides.com, Fox News leans to the political right while CNN leans to the left.   

The Headlines

Fox News: Foreign outlets pull no punches over Biden ‘confusion’ and ‘rage’ after surprise press conference. With tag: Australian outlet dubs Biden 'confusion-in-chief. 

CNN: Biden tries to lay to rest age concerns, but may have exacerbated them. 

The Story

At a recent press conference, President Biden addressed concern over his age and mental ability to perform as president for an additional four years. Regardless of what party you support, Biden's age has been a controversial subject, and rightfully so?  

In the aftermath of the confernce, both Fox News and CNN recorded the president's visible anger. However, Fox News centered the article around the investigation of Biden's handling of classified documents while CNN reported that " Special counsel Robert Hur’s report released Thursday on Biden’s handling of classified documents effectively ended the matter. But his assertions that Biden was elderly and forgetful ignited a political firestorm that cut directly to the heart of the president’s chief vulnerability in the 2024 election." ( Collison, 2024). I emphasize "ended the matter" because Fox News reports the opposite, insinuating that the President is getting away with a crime. To that point Fox provides a statement by Rep. Hunt (R-Texas) "Let me get this straight. Biden is too cognitively impaired to be charged with a crime, but he’s not too cognitively impaired to be the Commander-in-Chief?" 

On the issue of age and mental capacity, the political divide could not be seen clearer through Fox and CNN reporting of the issue. In sum, Fox News made a point to specify Biden's word blunders during the press conference and even included criticism from the international press. CNN made a point to specify the sensitivity of the age issue. In a lengthy section of the article subtitled " A painful issue", CNN describes age as a challenging issue that many families deal with and criticizes cruel reportings of the issue. Additionally, Trump and Biden are compared as the similarity in age is emphasized. 

The Takeaways

Fox News

• Biden's performance at the press confernce proves his age is an issue as he had several blunders
• Biden's age should not get in the way of legal consequences for the mishandling of classified documentation 
• International media is mocking Biden's age and cognitive ability. 

CNN

• Biden's age was addressed at a press confernce where he confused the name of a President. 
• The investigation of the mishandling of classified documents is over. 
• The media has been cruel in regards to Biden's age-- age is a sensitive issue. 
• Democrats dismiss concerns regarding Biden's age. 

Connection to Class 

How does this connect to our class? Let's explore the concept of "fragmentation". 

In News, the Politics of Illusion by Lance Benett, Benett addresses fragmentation as a form of information bias. He further defines it as the "isolation of stories from each other and from their larger contexts, so that information in the news becomes fragmented and hard to assemble into a big picture." (Citation) With this in mind, it's hard to identify what both the CNN and Fox articles are about as they address many different topics under the umbrella of "Biden's age". Additionally, Bennett emphasizes that fragmentation tends to favor the personal and sensational over context and clarity. Again, this is shown through both articles as they choose to highlight Biden's age over more in-depth matters. 

The question must then be posed, could this information bias prevent the media from effectively serving the American people. If I can offer my opinion on the matter, I believe it does. The presence of fragmentation interrupts the interpretation of the event at hand, ultimately distorting the truth. 

References: 

Colton, E. (2024, February 9). Foreign outlets pull no punches over Biden ‘confusion’ and ‘rage’ after surprise press conference. Fox News Channel  

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/foreign-outlets-pull-no-punches-biden-confusion-rage-surprise-press-conference

Collinson, S. (2024, February 9). Biden tries to lay to rest age concerns, but may have exacerbated them. CNN 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/08/politics/biden-age-concerns-analysis/index.html

Lance Bennett, W. (2016). News: The politics of Illusion, tenth edition. University of Chicago Press.

Image: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-biden/