This week’s Liberal Media Scream highlights the media’s swampy disdain for Republicans and those who don’t share their appreciation for all the goodies President Joe Biden’s “transformative” $3.5 trillion in promised social welfare spending will bring.
Two journalists on CNN’s Reliable Sources fretted about the media focus on Democratic infighting over the $3.5 trillion social spending bill and $1.2 trillion infrastructure package instead of highlighting all the great things in the huge bills.
“There’s this narrative that it’s Democrats dividing over this. I actually think this is just Democrats deciding how they’re going to actually get this done,” said Time Magazine senior correspondent Charlotte Alter.
“I also think that everybody seems to be missing the bigger picture of what $3.5 trillion over 10 years actually could mean to American families,” Alter said, citing as a positive “massive investment in the social safety net, that would be the largest investment in childcare, and in climate change, in paid family leave in a generation.”
Jonathan Cohn, a senior national correspondent for Huffington Post, agreed.
“I’m 100% with Charlotte on this. It is amazing how little attention over the past few months we’ve given to these potentially really transformative pieces of legislation,” he said, listing how “every other country in the world has a paid leave law” and “the profound change in policy on climate change.”
So, “there is a lot in this bill, and we probably should be talking a lot more about it.”
From Sunday’s Reliable Sources on CNN:
CHARLOTTE ALTER, TIME MAGAZINE: There’s this narrative that it’s Democrats dividing over this. I actually think this is just Democrats deciding how they’re going to actually get this done. You know — and frankly, I also think that everybody seems to be missing the bigger picture of what $3.5 trillion over 10 years actually could mean to American families.
You know, even if the number is smaller than that, we’re still looking at the potential for a massive investment in the social safety net. That would be the largest investment in childcare and in climate change, in paid family leave in a generation, and I sort of worry that everyone’s kind of missing the big picture about what the potential outcome could be here.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN: Jonathan, is that true? Is the media missing the legislative forest for the individual trees?
JONATHAN COHN, HUFFPOST: I’m 100% with Charlotte on this. It is amazing how little attention over the past few months we’ve given to these potentially really transformative pieces of legislation. As Charlotte mentioned, a couple — childcare, paid leave, every other country in the world has a paid leave law, we don’t, we could get one. This could be transformative to hundreds of thousands and billions of people who are elderly or disabled and can’t get home care, and they end up in nursing homes.
And that’s not even to mention, the profound change in policy on climate change, which is really, you know, an existential crisis for the planet. So, there is a lot in this bill, and we probably should be talking a lot more about it.
Brent Baker, vice president of research and publications for the Media Research Center, explains our weekly pick: “If you ever wondered why there’s hardly ever any scrutiny over federal spending, outside of the Defense Department, Alter and Cohn are exhibits A and B. They are liberal activists personally invested in expanding government spending and government control of people’s lives. Just listen to their excitement for massive additional spending without any regard for the burden put on future generations to pay for it.”
Rating: THREE out of FIVE screams.
