No, disaster relief money doesn't come from 'the president's wallet'
Politico report could benefit from 9th grade civics. Is this where you get your info from?
Gather ‘round, for the worst news lede you will read all year. Courtesy Politico:
“Gov. Ron DeSantis has been a persistent critic of President Joe Biden on nearly every policy front as he moves toward a likely potential 2024 presidential bid. But the Florida Republican likes one thing about the president: his wallet.”
If Politico were a news outlet that valued credibility, an editor might have noticed the obvious foolishness of that statement. This is not Joe Biden’s money, it is taxpayer money.
That sentence only gets written when the mission is no longer truth, but scoring cheap points.
Even in government terms, the purse is held by the people’s branch, the House. Not the executive. By no means, literal or figurative, do disaster relief funds come from “the president’s wallet.”
It’s a lie. But at Politico, it’s good enough for the lede. Why?
The reporter, Matt Dixon, is Florida bureau chief at Politico. No doubt he went through 9th grade civics, and knew he was writing bullshit.
Yet bullshit was published anyway.
The story continues:
“Ironically, while DeSantis has attacked Biden, he’s benefited from his administration,” said Florida Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a frequent critic of the governor. “The constant demonization of President Joe Biden by Governor Ron DeSantis has always been politically motivated.”
For those reading at home, this is your “Aha! Someone said it!” quote.
The quote that’s meant to justify the inaccurate lede. The one that lets the reporter pivot back to Larger Truths.
Dixon tries to clean it up, but only makes more of a mess.
“All governors ask the federal government for assistance after a major natural disaster, regardless of who is in the White House. But for DeSantis, the eagerness to accept the money comes against the backdrop of not only being one of Biden’s biggest critics, but also his past record rejecting federal disaster relief for New York and New Jersey in the aftermath of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.”
All governors ask all presidents for money, Politico says.
But DeSantis stands out for having been critical of this president? For having voted against relief in other emergencies? Is that the argument?
When people refer to The Regime, and The Regime Press, this is what they mean.
Reading Politico, you’d think falling in line with the president was admirable, not situation-dependent. You’d think disaster relief should earn unanimous yes votes, that it’s not situation-dependent. Neither is true.
An independent-minded politician would do what DeSantis does: Disagree with the president sometimes, work with him other times. Vote yes sometimes, vote no other times.
But that’s not good enough for Politico. DeSantis is not a card-carrying member of the blue team, and as such his status must be brought up for review.
This story exists for no other reason than to depict a rising star as being brought so low as to beg money from “the president’s wallet.”
Just one problem: It’s not true. This is not news reporting. It’s not even good as messaging, advocacy or propaganda. It’s all-around bad.
Once upon a time, truth was the ultimate defense in journalism. You could snark, if it was true. You could be harsh if it was true. You could cross lines if it was true.
Today, snark is the ultimate defense. And if truth gets in the way, it must be pushed to the side.
Are these the people you get your information from?