After spending a brief period pretending to critique a Democrat to push another one forward, the media is back to playing nice now that Biden is out of the race.
Axios, a liberal publication, tweeted, “The Trump campaign and Republicans have tagged Harris repeatedly with the ‘border czar’ title — which she never actually had,” in an article defending Kamala Harris. It’s a classic case of media flip-flopping to protect their preferred candidate.
The border crisis, a top issue for voters, stands out as Harris’s major failure as Vice President, making her an easy target. Hence, the sudden damage control. In the article, spin doctor Stef W. Kight writes:
Harris supporters are quick to defend her. “She assumed the role that Vice President Biden had during the Obama administration, which is diplomacy with Central America,” former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson told Fox News on Tuesday. “She is not the border czar.”
The goal here is clear: distract from Harris’s role in the worst border crisis in U.S. history. However, Kight’s own publication complicates her narrative. Axios had labeled Harris “border czar” multiple times.
An Axios article from April 14, 2021, states, “The number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has reached crisis levels. Harris, appointed by Biden as border czar, said she would be looking at the ‘root causes’ that drive migration.”
Kight herself, in a July 30, 2021, article, reported on Reps. Henry Cuellar and Sen. Lindsey Graham urging Biden to appoint Jeh Johnson as border czar, noting that “Vice President Kamala Harris had previously been tasked with addressing the migrant surge and its root causes.” Though Kight didn’t directly call Harris the border czar, her headline did.
Kight also wrote, “The two sent a letter to Biden asking him to create the position and appoint Johnson. ‘We’ve had border czars in the past,’ Cuellar said at a press briefing Friday” without challenging the use of the term “czar.”
The media’s selective memory and narrative shifts are all too convenient when it comes to protecting their favored politicians. It’s a clear attempt to rewrite history and shield Harris from the scrutiny she rightfully deserves.
