
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For years, I have followed the news on my bedroom television each morning to get up to speed on the latest events. ; This morning, however, that flat-screen oracle turned into a time machine.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the first manifestation, I was reliving the election of almost two years ago – and a riot on Capitol Hill about a year and a half ago. There were those oh so familiar scenes of rioters marching up the stairs of the building – and running through the halls and chambers, many vandalizing and purloining on the run.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At the time of the riot, I thought the nation – left and right, Democrat and Republican – agreed that those were dastardly acts, and the rioters should be punished. And many have been arrested.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When a story runs in the news for a period of time, it is said to have “legs.” ; Using that analogy, this story is a colossal centipede of the same species as the old mythical Russian collusion thousand-legger that ran for more than two years. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That Capitol Hill story is suffering from another journalism term, “story creep.” ; That is when a story grows larger and larger over time on the wings of hyperbole. ; In this case, those “wings” are the result of partisan political biases. ; The largely organic riot turned into an insurrection … and coup attempt … a massive seditious conspiracy. The event on Capitol Hill evolved into a nationwide ongoing coup that will bring down the American Republic – if voters empower Republican. ; That is what it is all about.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In this one, unhinged Democrats and unethical journalists are following the methods of arguably the most infamous propagandist of all time, Joseph Goebbels. ; They have created a preposterous narrative – a big lie – and are repeating it over … and over … and over … and over – expanding it as they go long. ; Story creep, by definition.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While my television appears to be stuck in the past regarding the Capitol Hill riot, it seems to have flipped forward to the 2024 presidential election. ; Entire news segments on MSNBC (where I usually start my morning) were devoted to evaluating the various potential presidential candidates. ; One report noted that 64 percent of Democrat voters do not want Joe Biden as their standard-bearer. ; Slightly less than 60 percent of Republican voters do not want Donald Trump to be the GOP candidate. ; That was the story on CNN, as well.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Regardless, the news did cover a poll that showed Biden beating Trump 44 to 41 respectively. ; (Is it only me, or does a match up between two people who are not considered likely to be the nominees of their respective parties seem … uninformative?)</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Regardless, there were those among the panels of pundits who were speculating – some saying Trump will be the Republican candidate. ; Others disagreeing. ; Interestingly, most of the pundits tended to agree that Biden would not be the Democrat candidate. ; Of course, there were a few who believed Biden will be on the ballot, but they included White House officials and Vice President Kamala Harris.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There were stories about possible other contenders. ; The name most mentioned (and not favorably) on the GOP side was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. ; Some Democrat pundit said that if it is not Biden, it is Harris. ; Others disagree. ; Interestingly, the pundits who picked Harris were black women. ; Those who disagreed were white men. ; Do Democrats have a racist issue?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As I watched, I wondered if I had become some political Rip Van Winkle and had slept through the 2022 midterm elections. But alas … CNN slipped into current events and FOX was covering a range of significant stories that CNN and especially MSNBC avoid like Covid. ; The obsessive MSNBC continued their time-warping coverage as I moved on to make breakfast. ; They were still at it when I went to bed.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

My television must be a time machine
