American Voters Won't Forget About Afghanistan After the Media Pivots Away

Do we continue to write stories about the disaster that is Afghanistan and give Kevin McCarthy a chance to be the Speaker of the House? Or do we pivot and talk about something else?

That's the question former federal prosecutor Trey Gowdy asked on Fox News Tuesday. 

I think the Politicos and the New York Times, the Washington Posts of the world are going to pivot now, Gowdy added.

He is correct. The media will shift away from Afghanistan as soon as it can. While skeptics will note the mainstream media has not had Biden's back of late, that's a misleading glimpse into the future. The media's loyalty to Biden is not authentic, but advantageous. That's been the case since the start.

Remember, the mainstream press, not conservative media, first questioned Biden's cognitive abilities to give Kamala Harris, Liz Warren, and Pete Buttigieg an edge in the 2020 primary. CNN, NBC, and ABC took Biden's side only when it was down to him and Bernie Sanders, knowing Biden would perform better opposite Donald Trump in the presidential election.

Protecting Biden over his handling of the Afghan withdrawal is not a win for the press. Thus, by and large, they have not. Meanwhile, distracting the country from Biden's continued failures and turning the attention back on the Republicans is necessary in preparation for the 2022 election.

However, Gowdy doesn't believe the media can win back support for Biden and the Democrats:

The events in Afghanistan in the last month will undoubtedly play a role in 2022 and extend even to 2024. A USA Today poll found last week that Biden’s overall job approval rating now stands at 41%, compared to 55% disapproval. In 2020, Biden won by not being Trump. He never had to give American voters a reason to vote for him. Following his handling of Afghanistan, Biden has now given voters a reason not to vote for him. That's a key difference.

Americans will not forget the lasting images of people falling out of airplanes, the aftermath of the suicide bombing, and the Americans who were left behind.

Moreover, we should continue talking about and monitoring Afghanistan not for political ramifications but in honor of the 13 service members who died after the bombing in Kabul and those who lost their lives over the past 20 years. Second, we should remain focused on Afghanistan for security purposes. The last time the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, the country was a safe haven for Al-Qaeda, which orchestrated the events of 9/11.

They see women and girls after 20 years of our sons and daughters being killed, 20 years…women and girls are still second-class citizens, I think that jury will be much tougher than the media, Gowdy concludes.

I do trust the real jury, the American people.

Sure, but we all agree: none of us trust the media, right?