The 'quiet part out loud' at MSG & editorial abdication of duty

There was a LOT of "quiet part out loud" fodder served up at Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally yesterday - a not-so-subtle homage to the 1939 Nazi rally at the venue's predecessor in New York City. Many are honing in on the racist swipes made by a previously little-known comedian - so awful even the Trump campaign seeks to distance itself from them (did they review when loading his notes on the teleprompter?). I began with Tucker Carlson, though, what with his mocking Kamala Harris' being multi-ethnic and his gratitude for Trump sparking a MAGA movement that gives him the freedom to SAY "the quiet part out loud" now - making him feel like s a freed slave. I'm not making that part up. Hear it for yourself.

Reminded me a lot of Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder getting fired in 1988 for racist statements made in a TV interview ... or Rush Limbaugh losing his ESPN gig in 2003. They've come a long way, baby.

Also, much has been made of the Washington Post and L.A. Times declining to endorse either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump - and they do deserve all the smoke. Incidentally, cancelling your WaPo subscription isn't what'll hurt Jeff Bezos. What about your Amazon shopping habit? Your Prime subscription? Follow through if you truly intend to, people.

That said, what about at the state and local level? What are editorial boards doing there? In South Carolina, The State (Columbia, SC) chose to reward a Congressional candidate with their endorsement despite his failing to respond to their questionnaire in the 7th district race vs. the Democratic opponent - who did fill out the questionnaire - mostly (it seems) based on how they believe the race will play out on Election Day.

Here's what they wrote:

"In northeastern District 7, The State Editorial Board endorses incumbent Republican Rep. Russell Fry over Democrat Mal Hyman. This was the endorsement we spent the most time discussing. Fry, elected in 2022 after easily defeating five-term incumbent Rep. Tom Rice in the GOP primary, was one of only two congressional candidates to not reply to our questionnaire. Hyman seemed thoughtful, but he didn’t offer much in the way of specific solutions in his Q&A, and he also was hard to reach for what should have been an easy follow-up question seeking to fact-check a couple of his figures. Given that Hyman has already fallen well short in two other races for this seat since 2018, a third time does not feel like a charm. We reluctantly endorse Fry, and hope that he doesn’t show such disinterest in the press or the public in a second term."

That's prognosticating; not endorsing. It's weak and their quibbling over a follow-up (given prior to publication, no less) doesn't hold up.

HERE are the submitted answers to the questionnaire given by the Mal Hyman for Congress campaign.

Bear in mind, at the bottom of The State's endorsements, behind a paywall but you can read HERE, they wrote:

"How we do our endorsements

Members of McClatchy’s South Carolina Editorial Board conducted interviews and research of candidates and made endorsements in many local, county, state and federal elections on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot. We based our endorsements on this reporting and fact-checking — and on each candidate’s achievements, background, character, demeanor and experience.

The state and federal endorsements were made by South Carolina Opinion Editor Matthew T. Hall, letters editor Allison Askins and regular columnist Matt Wylie, a Republican strategist and analyst, in consultation with Brian Tolley, president and editor of The State, The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, and The Sun News. Hall and Askins made the local and county endorsements in consultation with Tolley.

If you have questions or comments about our endorsements, please email Hall at mhall@thestate.com."

I do, and I will. Do you? Will you?