By many accounts, Bernie Sanders had a very good first debate last night. User polls, Drudge and most Republicans watching the debate thought the socialist juggernaut did well.
Hillary Clinton, however, won the media. That means she won the narrative, which is all that really matters moving forward.
Mrs. Bill has an uneasy relationship with leftist media. They want to like her as much as they did her husband, but she isn’t a terribly warm human being. When she started roping them off in pens like pigs headed to the slaughterhouse, they started to notice the email thing a little.
Still, the press in America is at its core a leftist message machine and part of a barely thinking intellectual collective, so they really want to be able to write about another historic first in the White House after the next election. As with the last one, they don’t much care whether the person who becomes that historic first is remotely qualified in accomplishments or temperament for the job.
With that in mind, it was only mildly surprising when, dutiful lapdogs that they are, the MSM fell almost immediately into line post-debate.
Politico, which up until now has had quite the schizophrenic relationship with Team Clinton and is occasionally one of its harshest critics, led the cheerleading off with a post titled, “Clinton Crushes It“.
The heaviest hitter in all of the MSM is still the New York Times, which has been ambivalent at best towards Mrs. Clinton in this cycle. They have been hitting her hardest on the email scandal, and they’re practically penning Valentine’s letters to her today.
It was a dominant performance that showcased Mrs. Clinton’s political arsenal: a long record of appearances in presidential debates, intense and diligent preparation, and a nimbleness and humor largely lacking in her male counterparts. She let no opportunity pass her by.
The companion pieces to the “Wasn’t she awesome?” narrative have involved calls for Joe Biden to think about not getting in the race now. The Washington Post says her performance “complicates” Biden’s path. Reuters says it “may dampen” calls for him to run.
In reality, there is still plenty of time for a sitting vice president to get into the race. Yes, Mrs. Clinton did very well last night, but she did so against extraordinarily pathetic opponents.
Were this a strong field and she a strong candidate, the MSM wouldn’t be working overtime today to make it look like she’s unstoppable.
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