“A Dangerous Double Standard” Dan Rather Criticizes Media’s Focus on Biden’s Flubs While Ignoring Trump’s Gaffes
(CBS News via AP)
Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather criticized the media’s intense scrutiny of President Joe Biden’s grammatical errors on Monday, arguing that the focus pales in comparison to the lack of coverage of his opponent’s incoherent remarks. Rather emphasized the stakes of the election, highlighting a perceived “dangerous double standard.”
In his piece titled “A Dangerous Double Standard,” Rather pointed out that the media seems eager to pounce on Biden’s every word. This includes a recent interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, where Biden appeared to say “good” instead of “good as.” According to a transcript released by ABC, Biden said: “I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the best job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about.”
The White House disapproved of the transcription, and The New York Times reported that ABC’s standards team later corrected it to “good as” upon further review. Rather argues that this level of scrutiny is unsustainable and that the same standards have not been applied to both candidates. “So here we are — one slightly hard to discern word in an otherwise coherent interview,” he wrote. “And then there is the other guy.
‘Our nation was saved by the immortal heroes at Gettysburg. Gettysburg, what an unbelievable battle that was. The battle of Gettysburg was unbelievable. I mean it was so, was so much, and so interesting, and so vicious and horrible, and so beautiful in so many different ways — it represented such a big portion of the success of this country. Gettysburg, wow! I go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to look and to watch. And uh the statement of Robert E. Lee, who’s no longer in favor — did you ever notice that? He’s no longer in favor. ‘Never fight uphill, me boys, never fight uphill.’ They were fighting uphill, he said. Wow, that was a big mistake, he lost his great general and uh they were fighting uphill. ‘Never fight uphill, me boys,’ but it was too late.'”
The one who can’t seem to string together a single coherent sentence — a fact news organizations don’t even bother mentioning anymore. Try making sense of this gobbledegook from Trump’s remarks at a recent rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.” Rather questioned why the press focuses so intently on Biden’s words while Trump’s questionable speech often goes unmentioned. “Why are the rules so different for these two men? Both should be held accountable for their deeds and words. But they aren’t. Trump gets pass after pass,” he wrote.
Rather reminded readers of what he believes truly matters this election cycle: Democrats have rallied around “a decent man who has devoted his life to the service of the country,” while Republicans have “hitched their wagon to a cult leader.”
“They are willing to do just about anything to win back the White House: lie; obliterate the rules; blindly back a convicted felon, a cheater, a sexual assaulter, a Project 2025 promoter, a dictator on day one, and an insurrectionist. Maybe they should change their MAGA caps to say ‘The ends justify the means,'” Rather concluded. Rather’s critique highlights his frustration with the media’s double standard and underscores his perspective on the critical issues at stake in the election.
