Publisher’s Forum
Riding the Election 2024 whirlwind By Lawrence Amaturo
T he political whirlwinds now pummeling through the collective American psyche are as violent, widespread and pervasive as ever. We once worried about “the 24-hour news cycle” being too consuming for everyday voters. Yet thanks to today’s social media, that 24-hour cycle has morphed into an altogether unhealthy Ozempic-styled slim down of just 2 or 3 minutes! Post after post after post of biased half- truths aired by seemingly well-intended Influencers… each one countering the “truth” of another. Regardless of which social media platform, these posts expose fringe points of view based more on emotion than fact. They bombard our conscious and do so at an immeasurable pace. What many refer to as “the ultimate blood sport,” politics awaits no publisher’s deadline, no fact checker’s scrutiny and certainly no printer’s timeline. This reality usually keeps me from discussing our national politics in this forum out of fear of writing something that will have lost relevancy once presented on these pages. But the overwhelming back-and-forth regarding our November election is news in and of itself! Reflecting on what was convincingly written two days, two weeks and two months ago could actually help remind us of how loose the soil is upon which we often ground our opinions. In early June, I was convinced that President Biden’s extensive preparation and decades of retail politicking would steamroll the former President. Mr. Trump’s famously inarticulate message delivery would look amateurish when juxtaposed to Biden’s reasoned delivery of the issues. Certainly, The Donald’s lack of preparation would steer him directly toward the fan blades of a well-spoken, rested and prepared Joe Biden? Wow, was I wrong. The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger predicted that the debate would be a “low bar event,” measured by Mr. Trump’s success or failure in speaking beyond his immature ramblings, and President Biden’s success or failure in remaining coherent for 90, unscripted minutes. Regrettably, we all saw firsthand that this bar had actually been placed too high this time, and especially for President Biden. Yet, his administration saw something completely different; or at least communicated as such. “Voters continue to be deeply concerned by Donald Trump and his harmful agenda, and the more we engage and reach out to voters, the more they support President Biden,” said Kevin Munoz, Biden campaign spokesperson, as quoted in the New York Times on July 7. (Article is
titled “Resilience Has Fueled Biden’s Career. But So Has Defiance.”) As of this writing, many within his own party are calling for President Biden to give up his quest for a second term before the collective American voter extinguishes it for him. Of course, no interest is greater than self-interest; many of these former supporters of Mr. Biden fear for their own political well-being if the voter rejects Biden’s name in the same ballot as their own. Who could blame them? Mr. Biden’s much-anticipated (and strangely branded) “big-boy” hour-long press conference July 11 did little to quell Democrats’ concerns. Simultaneously, the “Never Trumper” donor class has moved into what some call the “OK, Fine, I Might as Well be a Trumper” contributor. Susquehanna International Group founder Jeff Yass has become one of those. He’s moved his $47 billion fortune away from all other candidates in order to bet on Mr. Trump. Last year, Yass may have characterized Trump as disdainful; today he gets millions in donations. Like many of us, Yass sees the election as a binary choice. For him, the thought of voting for President Biden has so repulsed him that he’s willing to swallow hard and move his money toward Trump. He is not alone. This is happening all over the map. Hollywood’s mega-donors—George Clooney, Abigail Disney, Barry Diller, Christy Welton and others—have also turned away from President Biden and are directing their money toward senatorial races, which they see as being more likely winners for their cause. Liberal-cause philanthropist Gideon Stein has announced that his family will “pause” its $3.5 million political spending all together until Mr. Biden agrees to leave office. Of course, it’ll come down to what it always has: your vote. Don’t let today’s TikTok, X or Facebook posts sway you. Remind yourself how prior social media posts that once sounded so prescient have proven so innocuous and nonfactual today. Then cast your vote.
At press time, POTUS 45 has survived an assassin’s bullet, POTUS 46 has debilitating COVID, and senior-level Democratic senators want Mr. Biden to ride proudly into the sunset. Wow! Send me a note at lawrence@northbaybiz.com.
July 2024
NorthBaybiz 11
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