We are in the beginning of the third week of Trump’s administration, yet the press has already started the 2020 presidential campaign.  No wonder these campaigns drag on so long. 

Five people are given primacy by liberal pundits, but already ten Democrats have been identified.  A longer list of 20 possible candidates already exists.  Curiously, these analysts clearly misunderstood the voters during the 2016 campaign.  Hillary Clinton’s defeat for the presidency has created a sense of panic in the media. The public has become more fragmented and vehement as result of the slanted reporting.  Journalism, or news reporting, is being replaced by commentary and activism.  Conservatives now have their outlet on talk radio and through Fox News.

Liberal and Democratic politicos find acceptance throughout many media outlets.  Years ago, Carol Simpson commented that she went into journalism as a way of changing society.  Bill Moyers, former Johnson press secretary, used public television as a method of pushing his views.  George Stephanopoulos is a fixture at ABC but once was a Clinton White House operative. These people were viewed as mainstream.   Yet, when people have worked for Republican officials (such as Karl Rove), they are viewed generally as operatives that find work only on Fox News.

Who have the press anointed at this time for the Democratic nomination?  Heading the list are Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand, Corey Booker and Sherrod Brown.  The second group include Senators Tim Kaine, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, Kamala Harris, and former Governor Martin O’Malley.  They are all from the more liberal wing of the party.  It is hard to distinguish the press from the DNC at times.

If Trump’s favorable ratings continue to increase, the press may find it difficult to influence the outcome of the race in four years.  As committed activists, they will not be deterred from their effort to alter this country toward their vision.  Can the populace resist the bandwagon and let the 2016 election results play out?  Judging by the daily protests and riots the frenzy has been whipped too strongly.