Balls by Nancy OhanianA couple of days ago, the L.A. Times featured three letters to the editor under the banner Thousands were at a Bernie Sanders rally in Venice. Where was the L.A. Times? Two were basically complaints about the newspaper not covering the event. And then, to appear “fair and balanced,” the editorial department dug up a shockingly ignorant and negative screed from San Diego whining about how it’s Bernie’s fault Hillary lost and Bernie one— completely unrelated to the headline and completely worthless. The author’s point is that “Trump and his Republican loyalists are silently applauding Sanders’ attack on the liberal establishment candidates who support pragmatic approaches to reversing this president’s policies.” Hard to believe there are still Democrats believing this kind of nonsense. Maybe if the L.A. Times covered Bernie more thoroughly…
• Fred Siegel, Marina del Rey:It was with considerable irony that I read and was pleased by your front-page article, “No #Bernieblackout here: Sanders rides a surge of alternative media.”Yes, a growing number of voters is seeking out alternative media on the left, and the Los Angeles Times’ lack of coverage of the Dec. 21 rally in Venice serves as a salient example of why this trend has no sign of abating.More than 10,000 people showed up to an iconic Los Angeles location to hear a top contender for president, along with the international political and media phenomenon Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and there’s no article about it in our local newspaper? While the L.A. Times is to be commended for recognizing the changes in political media, it must also be brought to task for the disregard it has shown Sanders’ candidacy.• Nuna Teal, Santa Monica:I wish to express my concern about the political bias shown by the L.A. Times in its coverage of leading presidential candidates, and the disrespect for the voters of Los Angeles that this demonstrates.Sanders’ rally here on Dec. 21. was attended by a diverse and passionate crowd of more than 14,000 people, yet your paper did not consider it worth covering. On Sunday, there was instead a news column about former Vice President Joe Biden’s “electability.”The reality is that Sanders has received more than 300 endorsements from California leaders in academia, government and local communities. “Tío Bernie” is the leading candidate among the state’s Latinos and among the youth in California and the rest of the country.In its failure to fairly cover the Democratic race, the outcome of which will decide the fate of both our democracy and our planet, the L.A. Times is abdicating its responsibility as one of the nation’s leading newspapers.
A newly released poll from YouGov spelled out more bad news from Trumpanzee. 51% of registered voters said the approve of the House having impeached him, 45% “strongly.”Only 45% do not approve. As for swing voters, 13% of Republicans also approve, while just 9% of Democrats disapprove. 41% of Independents approve and 42% disapprove. When it came to the question about whether the Senate should remove him from office, 49% of registered voters said yes and just 44% said no. 52% of registered voters said they disapproved of how House Republicans handled the impeachment inquiry, including 14% of Republican voters.Corporate media likes conservatives, hates progressivesOn Tuesday, Trump was whining to reporters that the Democrats are unfair to him and that Pelosi “hates the Republican Party. She hates all of the people that voted for me and the Republican Party and she’s desperate. She got thrown out as Speaker once before. I think it’s going to happen again. She’s doing a tremendous disservice to the country, and she’s not doing a great job. And some people think she doesn’t know what she’s doing. He also told reporters that he’s in a “very good position” [moving into the Senate trial phase]. Ultimately that decision is going to be made by Mitch McConnell. He has the right to do whatever he wants. He’s the head of the Senate… People remember they treated us very unfairly… They didn't give us due process, they didn't give us a lawyer, they didn't give us anything. Now they come to the Senate and they want everything… We have a perfect case. They have no case. Now we have the majority and it’s up to Mitch McConnell. They want Mitch McConnell to do wonderful things for them. He’s going to do what he wants to do, very smart guy, very good guy, and a very fair guy. But they treated us very unfairly and they want fairness in the Senate.”Me The People by Nancy Ohanian
