Clay Waters

Paul Krugman’s Friday New York Times column, “Real America Versus Senate America,” is another dose of Blue State urban smugness from Krugman. He becomes the latest liberal who, while accusing Trump of violating all political norms, turns around and advocates tossing aside traditional political structures like the Electoral College, the Supreme Court, and now the Senate when they interfere with Democrats obtaining power. Krugman also asks, :how do we explain those Senate losses?" without mentioning Brett Kavanaugh.

The Republican Party did better in the midterm elections than many in the media and the anti-Trump “Resistance” expected. The New York Times let its pro-Democratic hopes overwhelm its objective journalism in several instances before and after the voting. The lead National section story on Election Day morning was “Democrats See Close Sun Belt Races as Key to Senate.” Meanwhile, the Times has ignored one historic "first" from Tuesday: Republican candidate Young Kim is on track to become the first Korean-American woman to serve in Congress.

New York Times Sheryl Gay Stolberg argued in a “news analysis” that “G.O.P. Folds Up the Big Tent and Unfurls Its Banner as the Party of Trump.” The online headline: “Two Years and Hundreds of Inflammatory Ads Later, the G.O.P. Is the Party of Trump.” Stolberg predictably found racist appeals from Republican presidential candidates going back to Ronald Reagan.

The New York Times devoted two full pages of its Sunday pre-election edition to “The Faces of Change in the Midterm Elections.” It's an enormous statistical breakdown of “These 410 -- women, people of color and L.G.B.T. candidates – are running for House, Senate and governor seats.” But the paper’s commitment to political diversity only goes so far. The paper apparently hasn’t devoted a full story to Republican congressional candidate Young Kim, who could be the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress. But rest assured they’ve got the Democratic “faces of change” well covered. Maggie Astor profiled Native American Paulette Jordan a long-shot candidate for Idaho governor in “Winning Idaho?  Isn’t Unlikely. But She Is Turning Heads.”

With her position in the Democratic Party up for grabs as the elections loom, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was the recipient of a loving profile by New York Times reporter Kate Zernike, “Demonized or Celebrated, Pelosi Stands Firm and Refuses to Agonize.” The text box: “A lawmaker eagerly awaits more female legislators to mentor.” Zernike's text is fawning and defensive of her supposed news subject: "The [anti-Pelosi] caricatures come easily."

Sunday’s front-page New York Times featured reporter Jeremy Peters’ horrified reaction to President Trump’s aggressive push (or “demonization”) on behalf of Republicans as Election Day closes in: “G.O.P. Tactics Amplify Theme Of Us vs. Them – Sticking to President’s Script in Tight Races.”  The Times tried as best they could to paint Trump as a racist and bigoted without actually using the words: "....Mr. Soros, the liberal philanthropist who has been smeared with anti-Semitic attacks; Mr. Kaepernick, the black football player famous for kneeling during the national anthem; and now the migrant caravan."

Political reporter Astead Herndon appeared on Thursday’s New York Times front page with “Obama Uplifted Them. Now They Want to Fight – Ex-President’s Idealism Tests Supporters in a Time of Hard Hits.” The text box: “Some Democrats say their party needs to fight fire with fire.” As if the Democrats under Obama ever occupied some kind of moral high ground in their political tactics (harassing politicians trying to eat in public, screaming at Republicans while protesting in the halls of Congress). Yet judging by the paper’s coverage of #MeToo, the Times clearly thinks they are).

Just in time for Halloween, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman tried to scare people into voting Democrat in his column Wednesday. It contained a deathless paragraph that began: "In the midterm elections, vote for a Democrat, canvass for a Democrat, raise money for a Democrat, drive someone to a voting station to vote for a Democrat. I repeat: In the midterm elections...."

Respected liberal economist turned partisan Democratic columnist Paul Krugman is at his absolute worst during times of national tragedy, from 9-11 to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, events he invariably tries to exploit for partisan gain. The pattern held after the anti-Semitic massacre at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. He was in typical form in Tuesday’s New York Times, “Hate Is on the Ballot Next Week. Don’t Pretend Otherwise." The text box had a dire warning for those daring to suggest Democrats have contributed to the aura of political violence: “Whataboutism is the last refuge of scoundrels. For cowards, it’s bothsidesism.”