THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Marc Thiessen

Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen criticized President Donald Trump for “yelling” at reporters about the alleged corruption of his opponents, arguing that message is the wrong one in the final stretch of the 2020 campaign.

People are “tired of the chaos,” Thiessen said on Fox News Monday.

Thiessen — a reliable Trump defender on Fox News and in the pages of the Washington Post, where he serves as a columnist — first criticized social media platforms for cracking down on the New York Post's now infamous Hunter Biden report before arguing that, nevertheless, it's not a winning message for Republicans.

“This election is not going to turn on Hunter Biden,” he said. “This is not the closing argument that Donald Trump wants to be make in his last two weeks. This is not what he should be talking about.”

Voters “don’t care about Hunter Biden,” he said. “They don’t care about this. They care about the economy and they care about not having four more years of chaos.”

"Four more years of chaos" is quite a comment in this context, but Thiessen wasn't finished. He carried on with an accurate analysis, eventually saying "Pointing at Joe Biden and yelling ‘You’re a criminal, and we’re going to arrest you,’ is not going to win those people over, it’s going to push them away."

Accurate political analysis that runs counter to narratives is always a media win. Like Jake Tapper last week, Thiessen steps outside audience expectation to deliver solid analysis here.

MEDIA LOSER:
Jeffrey Toobin

CNN chief legal analyst and staff writer for The New Yorker Jeffrey Toobin, currently suspended from the latter and on leave from the former, has been a trending news, search, and social media topic non-stop for the last 24 hours.

The story has grown over the 24 hours since it was first reported, from one of accidental exposure to accusations of outright masturbation, after Toobin's genitals made an apparent appearance during a work-related Zoom call. 

From mockery and tweet storms, to serious discussions about workplace harassment, it has been at the top of news. It sparked a dual giggling fit at the nightly handoff between MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow. The co-hosts of The View said Toobin needs therapy, among other criticisms.

"He was virtually working, so you know, he arguably sexualized his workplace. I don’t know what the answer is now because of the situation that we are in. I will say this, I think that what does also merit an investigation is why would someone show this lack of impulse control?" said The View's Sunny Hostin.

CNN's media duo Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy addressed the issue delicately on Monday, writing that Toobin "exposed himself during a Zoom call with colleagues in what he says was an accident."

But the media's careful handling of this media figure's moment isn't the real story, it's how the public is reacting. And the hashtags on Twitter alone (#ZoomDick, #MeToobin eg.) are the tell. Not good, and hard to imagine it getting better.

JUST IN

Melania Trump Cancels Appearance at Pennsylvia Campaign Rally
Over Lingering Cough After Covid Recovery

The A-Block

Trump Still Fighting Fauci

President Donald Trump was all over the place as he careened back and forth between complimenting and slamming Dr. Anthony Fauci for a second day in a row today.

“I get along with him very well,” said Trump before calling Fauci a Democrat and "good friend of the Cuomo family" and running him down in other ways, then closing by calling him "a terrific guy."

CNN's David Axelrod calls the "strategy" of attacking Fauci "insane."

Ice Cube and Eric Trump

Rapper and actor Ice Cube fired back at Eric Trump after he posted a fake photo of the rapper wearing a Trump 2020 hat. And Trump finally was forced to take it down.

Clicklash

The Twitter and Facebook crackdowns on the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story has resulted in what the internet refers to as a Streisand effect. Zignal Labs has found that on Twitter in particular, the action caused a huge spike in interest and "helped turn a sketchy article into a must-share blockbuster."

Seinfeld and Happy Days

Larry DavidJulia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander, the co-creator and stars of Seinfeld, are reuniting to raise funds for the Texas Democratic Party.

The virtual event, dubbed the “Fundraiser About Something,” will be moderated by Seth Meyers.

The cast of Happy Days, including Ron HowardHenry WinklerDon MostAnson Williams and Marion Ross, are also reuniting for a fundraiser. The proceeds will go to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, the home state of the classic sitcom.

Worst. Campaign. Ever.

Republican pollster Frank Luntz shredded Trump's campaign, calling it “mis-calibrated” and the “worst campaign" he's seen. Offering that assessment for, among several reasons, their focusing on all the wrong issues.

"It is the worst campaign I’ve ever seen and I’ve been watching them since 1980. They’re on the wrong issues. They’re on the wrong message. They’ve got their heads up their asses," says Luntz in this clip from a briefing hosted by British strategic advising company Global Counsel.

Pathological

The Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald called House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff “the most pathological liar in all American politics” during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Miami Police Respond

A uniformed Miami police officer was photographed Tuesday morning at a Florida polling location wearing a “Trump 2020: No More Bullshit” face mask, a move the department said is an “unacceptable” violation of MPD policy. More from Law & Crime.

Boldly Going There

Stacey Abrams in a new interview spoke on the most important issue of the year when she broke down her preference between Star Trek and Star Wars in nerd-tastic detail.

John Roberts at the White House

Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts has just been signed to a new, multi-year deal with the network, Fox Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced this week.

"John is one of the best journalists in all of news. His extensive reporting, featuring decades of experience and exceptional journalism skills at the White House and on the campaign trail during an unprecedented year, have contributed to the network’s unrivaled political coverage at a key moment in time," says Scott. "We look forward to his continued contributions for many years to come.”

End of Days

Televangelist Pat Robertson warned of impending doom while offering his prediction that President Donald Trump will be reelected.

The host of The 700 Club has offered occasional criticism for Trump in the past, but as Robertson — on Monday — predicted the president’s victory in November, he also told viewers “there is going to be a war.”

“Ezekiel 38 is going to the next thing down the line, then a time of peace and then maybe the end,” Robertson said. “But nobody knows the day or the hour when the Lord is going to come back. He said the angels don’t know it and only the Father knows it, so I’m not sure this is the second coming, but I am saying that if things that people thought would be during the millennial time with the coming of Jesus, they are going to happen in our lifetime.”

The clip, uh, goes on...

Must See Clip

CNN's Jaw-Dropping Visit to QAnon Event

CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan produced a shocking report on his attendance of a QAnon rally, which included a back-and-forth with a Trump supporter claiming, obviously without any evidence or reason, that Tom Hanks of all people is a child sex abuser.

It's hard to put into words the takeaways here, except to say that it is worth your time to witness exactly how messed up this is, and to remember it next time politicians are playing footsie with these conspiracy theorists.

An enlightening and disturbing report.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox News Passed on Hunter Biden Laptop Story Over Credibility Concerns

Links We Like

Plurality of Catholics Back Barrett Pick, Biden Lead Holds Steady
- Carl Cannon, via RCP
Big Tech Burned by Biden Blunder
- Glenn Reynolds, via PJM

Baseball’s Race Problem
- Gene Seymour, via The Nation

The World Order That Donald Trump Revealed
- Tom McTague and Peter Nicholas, via The Atlantic

Let's Not Pretend David Perdue Wasn't Being Racist About Kamala Harris
- Anushay Hossain, via CNN

 
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