Inside the Beltway: Joe frenzy: Media ready to shine for Biden

NEWS AND OPINION:

It is no surprise that the news media is now ready to shine the light of approval and electability upon Democratic presidential hopeful Joseph R. Biden, brimming with surprise and delight as he meanders toward the White House nomination. The uneven trajectory of the 2020 election may not be to the liking of the entire left-leaning press at the moment, but they are battening down the hatches and taking on the role of kingmaker, shaping Mr. Biden’s public persona and buffing up his image as an experienced down-to-earth optimist with street smarts. Or something like that.

President Trump will get the usual hostile treatment, in the meantime.

“Biden’s decency makes him the real opposite of Trump,” CNN advised following Mr. Biden’s big victory on Super Tuesday, also noting that Mr. Biden has made a “historic and unbelievable political comeback” in another report. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has met his match, according to some.

“Donald Trump is so terrified of running against Joe Biden that he risked his entire presidency — he bet the farm and his whole presidency — to kill him off politically,” MSNBC analyst Nicolle Wallace said in the aftermath of Super Tuesday, taking the moment to revisit the impeachment process directed at Mr. Trump.

“I wonder if Democratic voters think, well, shouldn’t we sort of give another look at the guy that Trump is that scared of?” she added.

Vanity Fair cataloged “Biden’s branding reboot” while ABC News noted that “Biden takes command of race, amid signs the party never left him.”

But the election is a long march, not a sprint. The press will have to pace itself as Mr. Trump continues his well-honed and unflinching powerhouse tour through voter country.

“How would the media cover Biden versus Trump? Joe Biden is not the media’s preferred Democratic candidate. He never has been. But he’s still a Democrat candidate, which means the press prefers him to Donald Trump,” writes Emily Jashinsky, who covers culture for The Federalist.

“There’s no question the press will stretch to defend Biden’s gaffes while also stretching to latch onto any potential slip-ups from Trump,” she adds.

A TAXING SITUATION

Do they need the refund money or fear identity theft? One new survey now suggests Americans are filing their state and federal income taxes at “a record clip” — though the research does not speculate on the reason behind it all.

“Americans are evidently more eager to file their income taxes than they have been in years, even though the number who expect a refund is little changed,” says a new Rasmussen Reports national survey which finds that 46% of U.S. have already filed.

Nearly as many (43%) intend to file by the April 15 deadline, while a mere 4% are planning to get an extension. Seven percent are undecided. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted March 1-2.

MEANWHILE IN ALASKA

It is very, very far from the Inside the Beltway region. Nevertheless, an interesting organization founded by President Reagan and a prominent conservative pollster who previously worked with the Trump/Pence presidential campaign have insight about the hunters and fishers of Alaska. The organization is Citizens for the Republic, the pollster is Baselice & Associates, Inc.

Their focus is on the nation’s largest wilderness: the 16.7 million acre Tongass National Forest in Alaska. It soon could be open to development should the “Roadless Rule” be lifted from the huge enclave. Roadless Rule? The 2001 U.S. Forest Service regulation essentially prohibits road construction and timber harvesting in 39 states including Alaska. The federal agency now would like to lift the rule on a portion of Tongass forest.

Conservation-minded hunters and fishers say no.

The survey of registered Alaska voters — three fourths of whom hunt and fish — revealed that they want to protect the forest.

“The poll found that an overwhelming 70% of participants agreed with the following statement: ’Hunters and fishers want to keep the current policy in place because it protects hunting and fishing opportunities on the Tongass.’ An issue that has previously divided the GOP, the poll emphasizes the support from self-identified Republican hunters and fishers to maintain the Roadless Rule,” the poll analysis said.

The survey of 300 registered Alaska voters was conducted January 28-29 and released Feb. 27.

“It comes as no surprise that most agree with the necessity to protect our nation’s wildlife and personal freedoms, especially hunters and fishers in the Alaska region,” says Ron Maxwell, a spokesman for Citizens for the Republic, which was indeed founded by Reagan in 1977 to advance the conservative cause.

Mr. Maxwell, a feature film director, also brought news of the Tongass poll to CPAC last week.

FOXIFIED

Fox News remains the most watch network in the entire cable universe, drawing 3.1 million prime-time viewers last week according to Nielsen ratings — besting news and non-news rivals alike. MSNBC was in second place with 1.8 million viewers, followed by ESPN (1.2 million), CNN (1.1 million) and A&E Network (1 million).

On a single night last week, Tucker Carlson drew a mammoth audience of 4.2 million. Sean Hannity, however, is still the ratings king, drawing an average audience of 3.7 million, and trouncing The Rachel Maddow Show for the 51st consecutive week. Ms. Maddow’s audience was 2.7 million according to Nielsen.

POLL DU JOUR

• 50% of U.S. adults support prosecuting individuals who leak U.S. government secrets to the media; 76% of Republicans, 46% of independents and 34% of Democrats agree.

• 19% oppose prosecuting these individuals; 11% of Republicans, 15% of independents and 28 of Democrats agree.

• 19% neither oppose or support prosecuting them; 8% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 26% of Democrats agree.

• 13% overall are not sure; 19% oppose prosecuting these individuals; 5% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 12% of Democrats agree.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 23-25 and released Tuesday.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.