Democracy and decency

A shout out to N.C. State and a perspective on how to cover this election.

First, “Go, State!” As a die-hard UNC fan, I never thought I would have so much fun watching N.C. State’s improbable run to the Final Four. Hell, it took the sting out of losing the ACC tournament. It’s reminiscent of the 1983 Cardiac Pack that took North Carolina and the country on a wild ride on their way to a NCAA championship victory. If they can get past Alabama, that Connecticut team looks about as dominant as the Houston team they beat 41 years ago.

On Saturday, Cleveland Plain Dealer editor Chris Quinn laid out how news organizations should cover Donald Trump. He also explained why the race should not be treated as traditional presidential contest. He wrote it, he says, in response to letters and criticism from Trump-supporting readers complaining that the newspaper is not covering Trump the same way it is covering Biden. His response is remarkable for its simplicity and clarity. Here’s an excerpt.

“The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.

“The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.

“This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

“The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it.

“As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost.

“Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it?”

The response reminds me of Joseph Welch’s response to Senator Joseph McCathy’s reckless attacks on people’s reputations. As McCarthy hurled baseless accusations in a Senate Committee hearing, Welch asked calmly, “You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?” His question signaled the end McCarthy’s damaging influence on American politics

.I wish Quinn’s editorial would shame Republicans who support Trump like Welch’s question killed support for McCarthy. That won’t happen, but it should be a guide for every news outlet that is not in the tank for Trump. This year, democracy and decency are on the ballot. That’s how the race should be framed.