AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris
![biden](https://static-asset.amac.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/28062620/Biden-media.jpg)
Embattled President Joe Biden took the stage Tuesday in Georgia in a desperate attempt to salvage Democrats’ latest effort to overhaul the American elections system. But even as Biden urged the Senate to abolish the filibuster – something Biden himself had vocally opposed as a Senator – in order to ram through the so-called “Freedom to Vote Act,” Democrats’ chances of passing the bill appeared to only grow more remote. Not only did numerous high-profile “voting rights” advocates publicly boycott the speech, underscoring the internal divisions rocking the party, but more Democrat senators indicated that they would oppose a vote to end the legislative filibuster or pass a “carve-out” for the voting bill in the Senate, making passage of the bill even more unlikely. Now, facing down the barrel of another embarrassing defeat after the Build Back Better Act flop to end 2021, Democrats are likely wondering where it all went wrong. But just like the Obamacare disaster a decade ago, they may have their old friends in the mainstream media to blame.
For Democrat members of Congress, and particularly those facing tough reelection battles this year, following the far-left direction of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Joe Biden was never a winning proposition.
But as reported here last week, the media may be the primary culprit responsible for Democrats’ election law radicalism. Here are the four stories the media didn’t just miss but deliberately refused to report – four ways that, in trying to protect the Biden-Schumer-Pelosi forces from reality, the media led Democrats to make key missteps that precipitated this latest disaster for the party.
1) While Demonizing Election Integrity Laws and Voter ID as “Voter Suppression,” The Media Also Refused to Report Critical Polling Data Showing Wide Public Support For Such Measures
Right from the start of Democrats’ efforts to federalize elections in the name of “voting rights,” the media blatantly ignored that certain election integrity measures favored by conservatives and opposed by progressive “voting rights” advocates were broadly popular with the American people. Namely, public polling has consistently shown wide support for policies like Voter ID and bans on ballot harvesting – both of which are incorporated in the Georgia voting law that has become a flashpoint in the debate over election procedures.
A basic examination of any of these common-sense measures, as well as an honest discussion among the left about the support they enjoy among the public, may have produced a bill, like those passed in many Republican states, that both expand voting access and ensures election integrity. A less frenzied media environment may even have enabled Democrats to develop a strategy that kept the party together. The media instead insisted that every part of Democrats’ proposed election law would be widely popular, dismissing any opposition as “voter suppression.”
2) Instead of Carrying Out Its Journalistic Obligation To Be Skeptical of Politicians’ Claims, The Media Led The Effort To Sell The Democrats’ Fake “Voting Rights” Brand.
The notion that the public would support an election overhaul was further sold to elected Democrats by the media by branding the push as a matter of “voting rights.” By slapping the label of something as broadly popular as voting rights on the effort, Democrats suddenly found themselves swept up in the media’s baseless narrative about what the bill would mean for ordinary Americans. By casting the debate as one of “voting rights” vs. “voter suppression” with no middle ground, the media effectively backed elected Democrats into a corner and forced public statements of support for the bill.
The only problem is, much like the label of “healthcare reform” for Obamacare in 2010 and “Russian collusion” during Trump’s presidency, the label of “voting rights” for Democrats’ election law has next to no basis in reality. It sounds great on TV, but taglines don’t fool the majority of voters, even if they do seem to appease progressive activists. As more information about the bill comes to light, Americans are seeing the bill for what it is – an existential threat to the system of state-run elections outlined in the Constitution.
Now, as Democrats are facing the reality of what their proposed election “reforms” actually entail and what they would mean for their home states, many appear to be having second thoughts. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona seemed to realize the potential disaster looming from the beginning and remained firm in their opposition to ending the filibuster – without which the GOP can block debate on the bill and prevent its passage. While both senators are on record as supporting the bill itself, by refusing even a special filibuster carve-out for voting rights legislation, they have effectively killed the bill.
But even as progressive Members of Congress and left-wing activist groups excoriate Manchin and Sinema for their stance, more Democratic senators appear inclined to join them. Just days after Schumer promised a vote to end the filibuster by next Monday, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Jon Tester of Montana indicated that they aren’t on board with changes to the filibuster – doubling the number of Senate Democrats breaking with Schumer over the issue.
It’s significant here that more Senate Democrats are voicing their opposition to changes to the filibuster even as the mainstream media and left-wing groups ramp up the pressure to abolish it. Such a phenomenon is rare among today’s Democratic Party, even for Democrats from purple or red states, and suggests that those senators may sense what the media isn’t telling them – namely, that their position isn’t as popular as the media would have them believe. While they are already on record as supporting the Freedom to Vote Act, opposing changes to the filibuster may be an attempt to save face with constituents back home while avoiding the worst of the attacks from the hard left that would surely come with reversing their support for the bill.
3) The Bill Would Devalue And Perhaps Even Devastate the Importance of the Swing States like New Hampshire, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia In The Presidential Election Process
More Democrats could soon join Kelly and Tester as they likewise begin to see the potentially devastating consequences of Democrats’ election reform efforts for their home states. As just one example, by enacting a sweeping federal takeover of elections, Democrats would dramatically reduce the influence and importance of individual states in both primary and general elections. This could be potentially devastating for vulnerable incumbents like Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, who faces a tough race this fall. Granite Staters would be unlikely to take too kindly to her support of a bill that threatens New Hampshire’s first in the nation primary status, something that her Republican opponent would be sure to highlight in attack ads and on the debate stage.
It thus appears as if Democrats may not actually be so opposed to abolishing the legislative filibuster per se, but rather abolishing it over this piece of legislation. Aside from the fact that the bill likely raises a number of constitutional issues, it also increasingly appears to be an Obamacare-like issue that could further increase the likelihood of a GOP wave election this fall.
As one veteran GOP TV ad maker put it to me recently, “I can’t wait to make the ad about Maggie Hassan voting to reduce New Hampshire to just another small state in the presidential race. This bill, along with the abolition of the Electoral College, would devastate the state’s historical identity. Voters there really care about it. Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia are swing states too, and people there are not going to want to hear that their senators voted for this”
The question now is if it may be too little too late for a number of vulnerable incumbents. The House has already passed the bill, and GOP challengers are expected to hammer that vote in their messaging this election season, along with the rest of the far-left votes recorded in the House this Congress. As the midterms near and voters consider just how far Democrats were willing to go in their quest for power, any incumbent perceived as being even remotely associated with this effort could find themselves in a particularly unenviable position. Even for the Senate Democrats who have opposed ending the filibuster, voters may ask why they didn’t do more earlier to stop Schumer’s crusade against election integrity.
4. In Suppressing Criticism Of The Bill, The Media Prevented Democrats From Realizing The Strength Of The GOP’s “Rule or Ruin” Narrative About The Democratic Assault On Key Institutions of American Democracy
Above all, however, voters may be unwilling to overlook the fact that Democrats fully invested in an effort to undermine the sacredness of the secret ballot as the latest move in the left’s “rule or ruin” quest to cement permanent control of American democracy or destroy it in the process. Add this transgression to efforts to eliminate the Electoral College, pack the Supreme Court, alter the U.S. Senate and demolish citizenship rights through open borders, and the Democrats emerge as the party that wants to destroy the genius of the U.S. Constitution and its structure of the separation of powers as the key to protecting liberty, order, and personal freedom. Combine this transgression with efforts to indoctrinate schoolchildren, impose socialist economic policies, and a host of other radical efforts to “remake America” – and the resulting image is of an extremist political party that is both determined to hold on to power at all costs and hopelessly out of touch with their own voters.
In short, while Democrats may have hoped that “voting rights” would be the issue du jour to save the party’s slim majorities in 2022, it may just be the issue that seals their fate next November. And that will be the case whether the bill squeaks by in the Senate or fails. Either way – a Dem debacle courtesy of their friends in the media.
Who exactly is funding the media narrative? Who coordinates their message, as we see so often it is exactly the same? Why don’t the conservative outlets “follow the money” to see exactly where the message originates?
Oh come on everyone with a Brain knows the jokers calling themselves “media” are puppets for Democrats to use as their personal propaganda machine! Let’s face it the IQ’s of the so called reporters/journalists are too low for them to act on their own. They need their masters (Democrats and their Socialist progressive members) to tell them what Agenda and narrative to spin.
One of the items in the “Build Back Better” legislation, was the half payment of all mainstream media salaries. The Democrats would have their own “Pravda” to run interference for them. The Media was insuring that their own pockets would be lined, because the media is failing because no one trusts their biased reporting.
What amazes me is the fact that before Trump none of the current uproars existed. As soon as Trump took office the media, far left, every fool in the country jumped on the media bandwagon. Just stop watching the alphabet news and start broadening your knowledge. read, watch and listen other left wing and right-wing media and many will find out they are like sheep being led to the liberal slaughter.
I’ve already wrote the local FOX news affiliate and thanked them for helping me decide on a New Year resolution. Told them how important their help was. My resolution?
TURN OFF THE TELEVISION!
Not so much “overhaul” as “overturn” election law.
Id add:
Rig elections
Ballots appearing out of nowhere
USPS trashing ballots
Fraud inside Count Hqs
Many recieve multiple ballots
for Oct-Nov alone
2nd paragraph of the Declaration of Independence has some solutions.
THE CANCEROUS, ANTI-AMERICAN, CHEATING, LYING liberals AND THE SAME FOR THE ”press”, ARE DESTROYING OUR NATION. WE ARE NOPW KNOWN AS, the united states of chinese latin america WITH VERY HIGH GROCERY PRICES AND EMPTY FOOD SHELVES
ONLY ONE SURE WAY TO STOP THE liberal TAKEOVER AND IT’S NOT BY ELECTIONS….
While this article is wildly optomistic as to the failure of the “voter” bill, I won’t be holding my breath. I have seen how a desperate group will wrangle their way even when all seems lost,and the dems are notorious for doing exactly that…..as supreme polititians, who are expert at the bait and switch game.
Even the “build back better” bill is not truly dead, dead, dead, there is still a flicker of life and the dems will do all they can to bring frankenstine to life…..so, will wait and see, if the fillibuster survives, the vote bill does or does not pass, and the build back better scheme finds a new name and life. I don’t trust any of these elected officials as far as I can throw them, including repubs, who remain quietly inept. The media remains the engine under the hood for all that has and is happening…..name the subject and they are involved…..all things are now political…..
“THE ART OF MANIPULATION OF WE THE PEOPLE BY THE PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS”
No one is trying to stop “BLACK US CITIZENS FROM VOTING!!!!!”
Fourteenth Amendment
Section 1
(All persons born or naturalized in the United States), and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.
“YOU PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS” Claim our last Presidential election was a normal election?????
“ LETS SEE A NORMAL ELECTION” you go to your precinct, they ask you for your name? You give them give them your name? They look your name up in their records, they ask for your drivers license, or ID card, they check your qualification to vote, they hand you a ballet for you to place your vote on!!!!!!!
OUR LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION was during the START OF THE COVID PANDEMIC with UN-MANED ? UN- SECURED DROP BOX’S scattered around city’s and town’s.
“NONE CITIZENS VOTING” OK! hold on a minute before you jump, we have a few states that allow none citizens to vote in city and state elections, ABC, CBS, NBC had clip it seams New York is looking at doing the same thing.
The $64,000.00 question is, if any of these NON CITIZENS just happened to vote in an election for a US President, (WHAT RED FLAG WOULD POP UP????) They are state registered voters!!!!!!
Jim
Good Lord, does this really count as being an article worth reading? We already know the fake news media is in bed with the communist democrats. It’s come to the point where I”m calling them all Commie Copy News, because if you listen to what one station has to say, then you’ve listen to them all. They all say the exact same thing. Whatever the communist talking point is for the day…It’s absolutely mind numbing.
You can fool some people most of the time but you can’t fool all people all of the time. All you have to do is listen to the people that work for msm and you know something isn’t right with them. Majority of them are very racist. Other portion just very egotistical
I am automatically opposed to ANY change the Democraps make in election laws. And I believe any changes they would support would be intended to make it easier for them to rig elections. We need some laws to protect against rigging elections and better insure the validity of the voter when the voter appears to cast their vote (photo ID card with SSN number and home address). as well as a administrative law that requires those in charge of running the voting site are required to check the identity details on the card to insure they are valid (especially the SSN) and report it electronically to verify the number and addy. I don’t trust the Democrats any more than I trust the Chinese or Russian governments. I recall Reagans slogan, “Trust but verify!” That slogan should apply to any and every voter the shows up to cast a vote, including fines and arrests for those who try to illegally vote.
The media has irritated me for some time but it really got me when I was watching one of the conservative networks earlier this afternoon and the host is asking his experts what we can do if someone does nothing.
As for eliminating the filibuster in the Senate, I consider this one little step to allow another modification by the Democraps to ease their path to creating a Communistic Governance to replace our present Constitutional Democracy and allow the Democraps to RULE the Nation according to their will rather than the will of the majority of citizens. I think the Democraps are starting to worry that they will be thwarted in their efforts to Communize the National Governance. And that means the American citizenry will have no legal non-violent way to live in this Nation with all the Constitutional rights presently given in the present Democratic Constitution. It is a shame that so m any contemporary citizens do not realize this ploy by the Demonrats. I pray and hope a great majority of contemporary citizens realize the infamous goals the Demonrats are pushing and have the good sense to thwart it peacefully and unconditionally.
This is such a dangerous time in our country and EVERYONE needs to wake up now and understand what the left is desperately trying to accomplish. Does anyone really believe that Whoopie Goldberg has had her voting rights curtailed? She thinks so.
Just another piece of evidence that the Media is actually in charge of the Democratic Party – as we have known for at least a decade. The Media creates the narratives, and the Dem political actors simply deliver their lines as they are supposed to. Some of them, like AOC, were actually recruited for their positions in casting calls and are really just actresses. But they play their roles well, and are very dangerous.
Tester is all in on the “voting rights” filibuster carve out. The writer should know that
I find it funny that today’s “liberals” now support a a more powerful centralized government with more power to regulate everything we do. The Democrats and the press have succeeded in brainwashing a lot of simple minded people into voting for tyranny.
Do we not have a rather strongly conservative judiciary right now because Democrats changed the way judges were confirmed just because they had the power to do it? When they were specifically and clearly told “Don’t do this, you will rue the day…”? Much rue-ing, I have seen.
Could we not see this bill being forced through, ticking off enough people who have time to think about it when they are not struggling to fill their tanks or feed their families from empty shelves (the latter a phenomena NEVER seen before in their lifetimes by millions of Americans) that Republicans win anyway, and then, as they bloody well should, proceed to take the maxim, “If you shoot at the King, you’d damned well better kill him” to heart, and set about gutting the Democrat party like a fish on every front?
Such a scenario is maybe not “likely”, but it damn sure is “plausible”.
The left has an astonishing inability to understand the idea of precedent, and that every…. single…. solitary…. thing…. that they do can one day be used against them. With great relish, I might add.
So called “Hispanics” are fleeing the Democrats.
The democrats are the domestic terrorists bend on destroying our republic.
It drives me absolutely batty to see/hear/read conservatives, of all people, refer to The USA as a “democracy.” The Founding Fathers abhorred democracies, which are mob-rules tyrannies; that’s why they formed a republic instead, and why the Democratic Communists continually brow-beat this “democracy” reference without pause.
We live in an American REPUBLIC, which is governed by REPUBLICANISM… get it – republic/republicanism… NOT democracy. Do you EVER see a democracy described as a republic, or as being governed by republicanism? NO! The ONLY reference you ever see/hear/read to republic/republican/republicanism is some disparaging comment about the Republican Party only, never ANY reference to a republic, or especially republicanism; it’s ALWAYS ” democracy” and/or “democratic.”
“Why is ‘democracy’ so important to socialist Democrats?
Democracy: The Road to Communism”:
canadafreepress.com/article/democracy-the-road-to-communism
Has the media keep Democrat politicians ignorant about the provisions of their own “voting rights” bills? That’s nonsensical. Did the media hide opinion polling about how unpopular these bills are? Perhaps from the public, but Dems relying on the media to access polling info (vs. going to the source) is lazy/crazy. Is the media responsible for explaining to congressional Dems how their bills would impact their home states? No, that’s the responsibility of individual legislators. Fact is, Dems and the MSM have an incestuous relationship, know these bills are tough sells, which has prompted their embrace of “voting rights” as a mendacious umbrella term.
I am thoroughly disgusted with our media, as well as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Instead of investigating and telling all the facts, they simply seem to follow a democrat cheat sheet! Seems as though they all use the identical phases, over and over. They pick and choose only what they believe will further their political agenda. Tell the American people the truth – current status on our borders, status of unloaded cargo ships, not only those waiting at the port but those they have “parked” 5 or 10 miles out, exactly what materials. money, and American citizens were left in Afghanistan after the worst debacle in our history, and on and on! I also would like to know who actually made the terrible decision to pull out at that time!
It is time to build up our country, not tear it down. We have made wonderful strides in improving race relations but all I see now is reverse discrimination! Biden, and his croonies are destroying our country! I hope I am wrong!
I agree that the media has not helped Democrats to understand the real implications and lack of support for their agenda to restructure (destroy) the voting process, but I wouldn’t go as far as this article does in placing so much responsibility there. The fact is that any of the politicians have enough of a bully pulpit to call them out and state their own case. I think the reality is that they believe they can control the resulting corrupt process and are willing to try. Some of the folks backing off may have seen through the BS, but some of them probably are just realizing they aren’t going to get away with it, so they are rats off a sinking ship.
We’ve had lying Joe. Crazy Joe. Old white Joe. Sexual assaulting Joe. Corrupt and Crooked Joe. And now down in Atlanta we have a bizarre and bitter sounding Joe. This version of Joe is accusing others of the same things his own Vice President accused “him” of in the 2020 presidential debates.
The mainstream media managed to keep all these Joes under wraps until after the election. But they just can’t do it anymore. The incompetent Joe is on the loose, and with poll numbers in the low 30s it appears that they can’t fool anyone anymore.
Mostly because of them we now have an incompetent President and Vice President. Whatever the mainstream media is planning to do next probably involves Speaker Pelosi, the only person remaining who’s as corrupt as they are.