October 4, 2019 - 1:39pm
OK, so the device of an imagined dialogue between a typical âurban guyâ and a typical âflyover manâ is a bit silly. But todayâs David Brooks column in the New York Times has the ring of truth about it.
âUrban guyâ is beside himself about Trumpâs high crimes and misdemeanours, but âflyover manâ isnât interested in the impeachment story. This passage struck me as particularly on point:
Listen, do you remember those months just after the election when people like you were briefly curious about people like me? You sent your reporters out on wild safaris into the hinterlands to interview Trump voters. You read âHillbilly Elegy.â Back then it was fashionable to say that Trump is just a symptom of real problems in America. Heâs the wrong answer to the right question.
It didnât take you long to lose interest in all that. Now weâre just a block of concrete you call âhis base.â Now, all you care about is Trump, not his supporters or the issues driving us. Your whole media is Trump-O-Centric.
The inability of the US media to see past Trump to his supporters remains his biggest asset.
Freddie Sayers is the Editor-in-Chief & CEO of UnHerd. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of YouGov, and founder of PoliticsHome.
freddiesayers
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
Subscribe