The Poor Quality of American Journalism on Display: Jake Tapper Writes Another Book

Passed over at ABC when George Stephanopoulous replaced Diane Sawyer at Good Morning America, losing out to Christiane Amanpour, Jake Tapper is one of those journalists who more or less blends into the crowd and really doesn't stand out.  Frankly, I'd almost forgotten that he had worked at ABC News, in the shadow of some of their more well-known journalists, though ABC News isn't anywhere close to being the powerhouse journalistic media outlet that it once was.  And I consider it a step down, going from there to CNN, which is at the bottom of the ratings pile in political reporting.  

The idea that President Biden, because of his advanced age, had loyalists and family members who shielded him from full public view because his "dementia" was showing is a long standing right wing political narrative.  It's nothing new.  In fact, it's been more or less debunked, and I'm a little curious as to where Tapper got his information, which would be nothing new, that would lend some original credibility to his claims.  

No, I'm not curious enough to purchase, or read, the book.  There are a lot of other journalists who are also book authors on topics that are much more interesting and engaging than this tired theme.  If he actually had a psychiatric evaluation and some real, factual medical data, doing a hit piece like this on a former President might make sense.  But apparently, from all that's out there about it, he doesn't have anything like that. 

So what's the point? 

Evaluating the Biden Administration From its Achievements

The Biden administration was, by any fair political evaluation, the best performing Presidency in over sixty years.  In terms of what this President was able to accomplish, most of it in two years, both politically and economically, history will rank him favorably among the best.  There were difficult moments and there were some problems, most notably inflation, which his administration tackled in the best way they knew how, and which, in the long run, made things better than they might have been otherwise.  But the economic strength, job growth, and maintenance of low unemployment accross the board points to the success of this administration.  

So perhaps Tapper is among those journalists who just didn't like the guy, and wants to make sure history doesn't evaluate him favorably.  If that's the case, and that is his bias, what that says about him as a journalist isn't good, then, is it?  

There are some frustrations I share with fellow Democrats about the Biden administration.  They did not do a good job bringing Trump to the justice he deserved.  Knowing that wasn't going to happen constitutionally, because of Republicans lacking integrity and any kind of a spine, using the methods at their disposal was the next best shot at bringing this master criminal to justice.  It was bound to look political, that could not be helped.  But if it was a choice between looking political, and putting things in place that would eventually save American democracy from a demagogue, then I'm for doing whatever it takes.  

He should have pushed and supported those in the Democratic party who were ready to jump forward by revising the Judiciary Act and breaking the filibuster in order to pack the Supreme Court.  Ask who is the biggest blockade to real justice in this country right now, and you'll get people who identify specific justices.   He should have named a real strong, assertive, risk-taking attorney general with the reputation and ability for getting things done instead of an incompetent, milquetoast Merrick Garland.  That was his biggest mistake, with preventing a fascist demagogue from getting back into power as the top priority of his administration.  

But this crap about him needing a wheelchair, or questioning the sharpness of his mind, even though his speech, always affected by stuttering, was was off base.  This is a man who rode ten hours across a war zone in Ukraine, then walked with President Zelenskyy for two miles through the streets of Kyiv.  Who was doing the handling then, Jake?  

I'd submit that Mr. Tapper was not around enough to give this kind of an evaluation, even if he were qualified to do so.  Tapper, along with most of the rest of his fellow journalists, spent most of their time covering Trump, far more than they did President Biden.  That fact alone zaps the credibility of the whole theme of his book.  

Journalists Don't Neccessarily Make the Best Authors

I'd read something written by Rachel Maddow.  In fact, I've read all four of her books.  She's a good writer, and she has several things Tapper doesn't have, like a strong command of the English language, a much deeper and more expressive style, clarity, and she's not a wannabe.  Tapper's reporting isn't anywhere close to Maddow's commentary, and he's missing a big measure of professionalism and style. 

The only other journalists I've been tempted to read, as far as their books go, are Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw.  And they're my generation.  They have substance, write from their own experience and there's just something there that's attractive, informative and motivates me to sit down and spend some time with them.  Tapper just doesn't have any of that.  And choosing to bash Biden tells me that he knows he needs sensation and an audience with their minds made up already sold out to the opinion he wants to sell.  Who else is there to convince?  

But, would it be America if someone wasn't trying to make a buck off of it.