I’ve been in New York the last couple of days doing media hits, debating Republicans on what they believe are the biggest issues of the day. That means pushing back on the racist attacks against Abdul El-Sayed, the transphobic attacks against Annie Andrews, and the ridiculous bellyaching from the GOP about the Alaska Senate race. And I’m more convinced than ever of two things:
First, the Republican Party is completely and totally panicked about what’s going to happen in Tuesday’s elections, and they’re doing all they can to talk about anything other than the economy, the war in Iran, and Trump’s corruption.
Second, it is way too easy to get the mainstream media to take the bait.
And honestly, I get it. It’s incredibly hard to fill a 24/7 news cycle, or a daily content schedule like mine. It’s difficult to find enough things to talk about in a given day that are interesting and can grab people’s attention. I struggle with that too. But nearly every conversation I’ve had this week has been warped by the GOP’s worldview, and we’re wasting precious time not talking about the issues we know the American people care about.
What does every single poll say? People can’t afford groceries, gas, or a home. They’re angry about a war in Iran that’s destabilizing the global economy and wrecking the energy market. And they’re mad watching Trump’s crime family and all of his cronies pocket billions of dollars while their own net worth plummets.
But almost every single time, the conversation on these networks is about something else. And somehow I’m the one in the wrong when I try to steer it back to what actually matters.
Today’s rant is sponsored by Ground News.
I’ve been noticing the difference in how a story is covered depending on what outlet gets to me first. In a time like this, speed and outrage seem to be the driving force of our media, instead of context and truth.
Take this one: over 150 outlets picked up reports about a group of Arch Bishops who felt their photo-op was manipulated by the Trump administration for political gain.
PBS NewsHour says Two Catholic bishops have expressed regret about agreeing to a White House meeting that produced a publicly distributed photo of them praying with President Donald Trump.
Fox News states that In a May interview with Fox News Digital, Bishop Robert Barron, a member of Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, cautioned against demonizing the president despite disagreements over immigration and other policies.
Same story—completely different narratives.
That’s why I use Ground News. It pulls together 50,000+ sources so you can compare coverage side by side, see political bias, who owns the sources you’re reading, how reliable they are and understand how framing changes the story.
See how the left and right cover the same story, what each side emphasizes or leaves out, and discover overlooked stories in the Blindspot Feed, which surfaces coverage disproportionately reported by either side.
I’ve been a paying user since before they ever sponsored Endless Urgency. I use it because it makes it a lot harder to be misled. They’re completely subscriber funded so there are no corporate interests pushing a narrative on what you see.
See the full picture, instead of just one angle with Ground News. Subscribe through my link: https://groundnews.com/mikenellis for 40% off the same unlimited access Vantage Plan I use →
I’ve argued this before: the Democratic Party is an institution. The Republican Party is an institution. The mainstream media is an institution. And content creators like me are institutions now, too. I’m not immune to chasing the shiny object. None of us are. But if you’re wondering why people don’t trust you anymore, it’s because you’re not focused on the right stuff.
If you’re reporting on made-up lies about Abdul El-Sayed’s connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, a connection that doesn’t exist, you are fomenting distrust in the media.
If you’re reporting on the Alaska Senate race and accepting the Republican framing that something is wrong because there’s another guy named Dan Sullivan on the ballot—a dumb tactic that’s been used a thousand times and won’t move a single vote—while ignoring the fact that Republicans are trying to stop the certification of an election because they think they’re going to lose, you are fomenting distrust in the media.
If you’re covering Donald Trump’s ridiculous attacks on Annie Andrews—who’s now in a dogfight with Darlene Graham according to the latest NY Times poll—and you’re not talking about the fact that Darlene Graham is taking money from a super PAC funded by data center executives, and that she couldn’t find South Carolina on a map, let alone Taiwan or Ukraine, you are fomenting distrust in the media.
And the same goes for politicians. People don’t trust them because they think politicians are focused on themselves, or on helping somebody other than them. If you’re wondering why Zohran Mamdani is so popular in New York City, it’s because he puts people’s everyday issues at the heart of his campaign. The politicians and the outlets that do that are the ones who will matter in the post-Trump era we’re about to enter. Tuesday isn’t the end, but it’s the beginning of the end.
We’ve reached a point where the polls have to be really wrong just for Republicans to avoid a bad night. Races that should never have been competitive, like Kansas, are slipping away from them. And they know it. That’s why this shit is so desperate, so stupid, and so detached from what the American people actually care about.
I’ve started paying more attention to how the same story can feel completely different depending on who’s reporting it. Ground News makes that easy to see by showing coverage from across the political spectrum and pointing out what certain outlets leave out.
My team and I use it because it helps cut through the noise.
See every side of every story with Ground News →
Try it today!
Yes, even people in Trump’s movement who still support the man want to hear your ideas on the economy. They want to hear how you’re going to deal with corruption, and they want to know there’s a way out of this stupid war of choice Donald Trump has dragged us into.
The Republicans don’t have any answers. They don’t know what to do about inflation, the war, gas prices, housing, or healthcare, because the only thing they care about is serving their masters, like Elon Musk. That’s why Musk has spent nearly $1 billion influencing our elections in the last two years. That’s more money in two years than George Soros has spent supporting Democratic and progressive causes in his entire fucking life. It’s gross.
I’ve reached a point in this election where I’m just sick of it. Now when I get booked, I’m lighting people up, more than usual, I think, because I can’t handle it anymore. I wanted to get that off my chest, and I wanted to talk to all of you, because I know so many people who read these messages are out there working incredibly hard to elect Democrats you believe in.
Keep doing that work. Make sure you vote. Run through the fucking tape, because they’re going to throw everything at us in these final days. They’re going to try to steal this election if they think they can. We’re already seeing it in Alaska, and I’m sure we’ll see plenty more.
This is out of control, and it’s time to take our country back. It starts on Tuesday.
With Urgency,
—Mike
You are damn right Mike. This is the beginning of the end for the GOP.
Light them up, Mike! You do a great job!