| | | | Why our politics can't handle Jussie Smollett |  | | When actor Jussie Smollett said he had been beaten and left with a noose around his neck by two men shouting slurs and pro-Trump messages in Chicago last month, Democratic politicians couldn't issue sweeping condemnations quickly enough.
California Sen. Kamala Harris called it "an attempted modern-day lynching." So did New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. (He used those exact same words.) "This is a sickening and outrageous attack, and horribly, it's the latest of too many hate crimes against LGBTQ people and people of color," tweeted New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
On and on it went. Why? Because it seemed so ready-made for politicians hoping to make a point about the poisoning of our culture by Trump and his ilk: Smollett is gay, black and an outspoken critic of Trump. Of course Trump supporters reacted violently!
Except, not. Chicago police had confirmed they were investigating a possible hate crime against Smollett when he reported it, but two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case have told CNN the police now believe Smollett paid two men -- brothers -- to stage the attack on him. Smollett has denied that charge but has yet to speak again directly with the police about the circumstances surrounding the incident on January 29.
That news has led to a massive conservative counterattack -- on Democrats and the media who they argue were all too willing to cast Smollett as the victim of an attack, even though corroborating evidence was in short supply.
"Hey Hollywood and media types, I've noticed a lot of you deleted your #JusticeForJussie tweets... what's the matter, don't you want justice for him anymore??? #frauds," tweeted Donald Trump Jr., the President's eldest son -- and proud Twitter troll.
And 'round and 'round we go. Whatever the ultimate details are about what happened with or to Smollett on that January night, his claims are a useful lens to see our current politics -- and what is deeply broken about them.
We live in a political world -- and in a broader society, because, let's be honest, everything is political now -- that puts a premium on instant reactions. As soon as something happens, politicians scramble to beat each other off the draw to comment. Reporters ask them for their statements, and analysts -- yours truly often included -- start writing about what happened, what politicians said about what happened and what it all means.
So, the media has a role in this. It's not all politicians' fault.
However, because politics has become so, so base-centric in the last decade-ish, politicians are forever on the hunt for stories that confirm what their base already believes. If they can be the first and/or loudest voice in condemnation, they believe that helps them -- especially when they are running for president.
And so, Democratic 2020 candidates were very quick to believe Smollett's version of events. And now Republicans -- especially those aligned with the Trump White House -- are just as quick to seize on the idea this was all an elaborate hoax. Both sides are simply exhibiting confirmation bias. Because we reward that sort of thing in our politics now.
Which is why more than a decade after the Duke lacrosse case and in the shadow of the Covington Catholic story, we are where we are on Jussie Smollett.
The Point: Modern politics isn't built for a let's-wait-and-see-what-all-the-facts-reveal approach to events. It's built to incentivize whoever has the first and toughest (and most memorable quote), even if the facts ultimately undermine it.
-- Chris | | "I went in for my interview with the President and he began by talking about his electoral college results in the state of North Carolina."
-- Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe recounting his "bizarre" job interview with Donald Trump. | | | SPEAKING OF NORTH CAROLINA ... | | The still-unresolved House race in North Carolina's 9th District could finally have an outcome this week.
An evidentiary hearing kicked off today that could finally resolve the still-disputed election result. The state's newly installed board of elections will use this hearing (expected to run through Tuesday -- at least, according to local reports) to decide whether they will certify the results of November's election or to call for a completely new election.
Want more twists and turns out of the courtroom? The News & Observer has a live blog of the proceedings. | | Anthony Weiner is out of federal prison after serving 15 months for sexting with a minor.
The former congressman and husband of Huma Abedin, longtime Hillary Clinton adviser, is now serving out the rest of his 21-month sentence in a New York City halfway house. He could be up for release in March, when he could serve out the rest of his time under house arrest.
Weiner's sentence requires him to register as a sex offender now that he is out of prison. | | Amy Klobuchar: Sits down for a CNN Town Hall airing live from New Hampshire tonight at 10 ET.
Joe Biden really is keeping everyone guessing about his 2020 plans -- including Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, who asked Biden about it at the Munich Security Conference this morning. Sarkissian asked, "Are you going to run?" It then *appears* that Biden mouths "I think I may," but they were speaking in hushed tones, and it's hard to say for sure...
The exchange was captured on Sarkissian's Instagram post. | |
CAUCUS ME THROUGH THE PHONE ☎️ | | Iowa Democrats are eyeing ways to bring the caucus process into the 21st century, like conducting the caucuses virtually in six different phone calls during the week before the February 3 main event.
And while we're still roughly a year away from the first contest in the 2020 cycle, there are signs the new fix could boost turnout. - 29% of Iowa adults expect to participate in the Democratic caucuses in 2020, according to a new poll from the Des Moines Register.
- Among those expected participants, 28% say they would do so remotely.
| | To Vice President Mike Pence's daughter Audrey Pence, who got engaged this weekend on Cape Cod's Race Point Beach.
"Of course I said yes, and then we got caught in a rainstorm!" Pence wrote in an Instagram post announcing the engagement. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment