Every scandal left uncovered at the paper of record
Most normal Americans would agree: This year’s Democratic candidates are noticeably stranger and more radical than they’ve been in past elections. The New York Times, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have noticed.
For whatever reason—blind partisanship, most likely—the Times‘s coverage of these uniquely nutty and terrorist-adjacent cranks has been as flattering and credulous as ever. Scandals are downplayed or ignored, sketchy associations shrugged off. The past comments most Americans would consider genuinely insane are dismissed as old news. Business as usual.
Angie Nixon (U.S. Senate, Florida)
No, her moment hasn’t come. Nixon is an anti-Israel socialist running in Florida. The Times fawned over her “high-volume tactics” and suggested she “doesn’t fit the mold” of other socialist candidates. As evidence, the paper cited her ownership of Cafe Resistance, a left-wing bookstore and coffee shop that glorifies convicted cop-killers. The Times didn’t mention that last part. Nor did it scrutinize her refusal to pay her fair share in taxes.
James Talarico (U.S. Senate, Texas)
Some might argue that the Times‘s decision to center Talarico in its Democratic primary coverage was a racist attack on the black voters who supported his bombastic opponent, Jasmine Crockett. After he won the nomination, the Times was eager to highlight Talarico’s efforts to “dial back” his many usual comments about how, for example, Jesus helped him “reckon with” his “whiteness” and “masculinity.” He also compared racism to a “virus” that white people spread “wherever we go.”
Abdul El-Sayed (U.S. Senate, Michigan)
Never mind the numerous associations with terrorist enthusiasts and other religious cranks. The Times reported that by wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, El-Sayed was exuding a vibe that was “less weekend James Dean and more bodybuilder with a military streak.” The paper sat down with the candidate in August, grilling him with hard-hitting questions such as “Can I ask you about young people? How have progressives from New York City to Ann Arbor succeeded in inspiring volunteerism?” They briefly mentioned his ties to campaign surrogate Hasan Piker, a “provocative streamer and critic of Israel.”
William Lawrence (U.S. House, Michigan)
The Times portrayed Lawrence, a socialist weirdo who has fantasized about “destroying the American way of life,” as a normal progressive candidate whose primary win “reflected the energy and influence of the left.” They cited his popularity among Michigan State students, including one who heard about Lawrence through Piker, described as a “35-year-old progressive streaming star.” The Times briefly mentioned Lawrence’s hundreds of deleted tweets “embracing the abolition of police and prisons” but provided no context.
Adam Hamawy (U.S. House, New Jersey)
The Times covered the Brazilian butt lift specialist’s connection to the Blind Sheikh, the radical Islamic cleric who inspired the 1993 World Trade Center attack and was convicted for plotting to bomb other targets in New York City. Not because it mattered, but because his “opponents” kept bringing it up.
Francesca Hong (Governor, Wisconsin)
“Views of the holiday have grown more complex,” the Times wrote in an effort to explain Hong’s desire to cancel Thanksgiving. The reaction to her insane tweet was “emblematic of a broader reckoning among many Americans with the country’s checkered history.” (It wasn’t.)
Graham Platner (U.S. Senate, Maine, dropped out for rape-related reasons)
The Times heralded Platner’s campaign launch but neglected to mention that the “working-class” candidate was a spoiled prep-school washout from a wealthy family. The paper marveled at his “light social media footprint,” which didn’t hold up well as the campaign progressed. Meanwhile, the Times‘s opinion columnist assured us the guy with the Nazi tattoo was “no Nazi.”
Republicans (all of them)
Last week, the Times scolded Republicans for using words such as “communist” and “anarchist” to describe Democrats who have called for abolishing police departments, prisons, and the American way of life. Some have even accused Democrats of wanting to turn the country into a “socialist hellscape.” The nerve!
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