What's happening: Mainstream journalists and their Democratic allies are getting increasingly desperate ahead of next month's midterm elections.
• The so-called news articles attacking Republicans are getting dumber by the day, many of which would never be published unless the media thought that you—the typical American voter—are very stupid and easily manipulated by partisan propaganda.
This is CNN: The disgraced network on Friday published an article that critics are calling a "silly partisan pro-Democrat hit piece" that reflects "the worst kind of coverage of government."
• The article suggests that Republican lawmakers who voted against the Biden administration's controversial infrastructure package—the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—are hypocrites for subsequently supporting efforts to direct federal funding to their home states and districts.
• CNN's framing implies that American taxpayers whose representatives opposed a $1.2 trillion spending bill should not benefit in any way from that massive pile of (taxpayer) money.
Why it matters: The media treat Democrats and Republicans differently.
• Did the Democrats (every single one) who voted against the Republican tax cut in 2017 stick to their principles and continue to pay higher tax rates?
• No, they didn't. Does that make them hypocrites? No, it doesn't. That's a dumb argument. That's why the media didn't publish any hit pieces on Democrats who opposed the tax cut. Alas, there is a different standard when Republicans are involved.
Par for the course: The CNN article ran several days after critics denounced a Politico hit piece on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) as "the stupidest fucking thing" the Virginia-based news blog had ever published.
• The Politico piece was similarly framed. It suggested DeSantis was a hypocrite for criticizing President Joe Biden's policies while also accepting federal funding to address COVID-19 and the damage wrought by Hurricane Ian.
The big picture: The mainstream media desperately wanted to manufacture a Hurricane Katrina moment for DeSantis to hurt his chances of defeating Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.
• As much as they complain that Trump represents an existential threat to American democracy, they really want him to run for president again.
Go deeper: A Banner Week for Journalistic Integrity