The Corsair
Election Day. Covering the Elections. And Joe Scarborough Doesn’t Care About The Data
Election Day
If you haven’t voted and can, please do so. And vote as if Democracy is on the ballot, because, quite frankly, it is.
Note on Covering the Elections
This is, to put it lightly to my journo readers, not going to be an easy election to cover. Many high profile races possibly won’t be called tonight at all — leading to a big anti-climax for the cablers and, maybe, a growing sense of unease at the messiness of our democracy. Will Russia exploit this on social media?
Moreover: The early evening baromenters — VA 2 and VA 7 — may not tell us what we need to know about the rest of the country as the night thickes. Pennsylvania, another early night barometer, might not be called. Georgia might be unresolved by evening’s end, deferring to a December 6 runoff. And multiple election results, by Trumpists, may be contested.
Not to be overly Debbie Downer, but it tonight might not be a night for resolution. I hope it is; but what if it is not? Journalists must be prepared to face the thusness of the situation. Oliver Darcy of Reliable Sources writes:
Margaret Sullivan, the media critic and recent author of "Newsroom Confidential," noted to me how much more complex the midterms could be to cover, given that in 2020 former President Donald Trump was the only major candidate refusing to accept the reality of the vote. "It was simpler in a way, in that it was one big contest," she said, adding that this year's midterms are "a lot more complicated" because there are multiple races that could be contested occurring across the country. "It requires a lot more nuance," she noted.
And fortitude. It’s going to be a long night, even in the event that everything runs smoothly (not that likely). There is probably going to be a lot of anti-media acrimony on Twitter as a resul, so be prepared. That’s par for the course; journalism isn’t popular (or well paid!). While deep diving into the election ballot counting process might be a magnum of chloroform, it is the proper context necessary for citizens living in a modern democracy.
Joe Scarborough Doesn’t Care About The Data
"I don't care what the data says, it feels different in the city. It feels different because it is different," said Joe Scarborough on Squawk Box. "Democrats need to get tougher on crime, cause I still think that's going to impact them on some important races."
Swell and lovely, Joe. You must be binging on The New York Post. (sotto vocce: “all-crime-all-the-time”)
I imagine “Morning Joe” powering down the tinted windows of his limo, sticking his veal-like arm outdoors into the am chill to get a bede on the social temperature of the city. “What does it feel like, Joe,” his wife, Mika Brzezinski asks, in that breathy tone she reserves for her audience on MSNBC.
“It feels like,” Joe intones with all the gravitas of an early day talking head, “ … Crime.”
Alert the media!
That having been said, the “feelings” of millionaire cable personalities do not trump the data, or, as the late great social scientist Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to say, “ you are entitled to your own opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” Despite the GOP lies that Crime is up Everywhere — including blue states — because of: a) bail reform, b) “defund the police,” or c) soft on crime Democrats, the data is quite a bit more complicated than that.
The COVID outbreak was a societal disruption on a massive scale. Jobs stopped, schools closed, the homeless were left to fend for themselves, gun purchases skyrocketed and mental illness was seemingly everywhere in 2020, red states and blue. The Republcians, taking advantage of a global catastrophe, are looking at 2020 as their template for Crime. “2020 was at least 2-to-4 yrs packed into a 12-month period,” notes Fordham Law Professor John Pfaf. That they are using Crime During The Pandemic as their template shows you at the outset the bad faith of their arguments.
Overall crime stats for 2021 are not yet available, but looking at numbers over the course of several decades, both violent and property crime reported to the police and estimated by DoJ survey research have declined. “Public perception doesn’t line up well with reality, and hasn’t for quite some time,” write Jamiles Larty and Weihua Li for The Marshall Project. Please read the bulletin if you want a more detailed explanation of the staistics.
It is astonishing how Joe Scarborough, who is “opinionated but not edgy,” can get away with saying such stupid, irresponsible things on MSNBC (Averted Gaze), but Tiffany Cross, who says edgy, grown-up things about serious subjects, cannot.
Entitled much, “Morning Joe”?
FYI: The Briefing is written by criminal justice experts — not fearmongering hacks at the tabloid papers that dimwitted “Morning Joe” reads.
Trump wonders aloud how he could jail journalists if he gets re-elected. (Rolling Stone)
Clive Davis vows to do right by Whitney Houston (Avenue)
Can Newspapers survive another recession? (Sara Fischer/Axios)
MSNBC Staffers Worry They Just Handed Tucker Carlson a Win. Hot Take: They did! (TDB)
Unforced error alert: Russia's Yevgeni Prigozhin admits interfering in U.S. elections. (Reuters)
Mastodon > Twitter. (Rachel Metz)
Fox had five of the top nine primetime network broadcasts among adults 18-49 for Oct. 24-30. (THR)
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam has already earned over 67 million at the box office. (BoxOfficeGuru)