Ron DeSantis sometimes panders to his base in ways that I find objectionable. It’s a behavior I expect from — but still lament in — nearly every politician in this fallen world. Tom Nichols, a pundit, has no such excuse though. Here’s how Nichols reacted to 60 Minutes‘s segment on the Florida governor last night:
The thing is, guys like DeSantis know their voters. All he has to say is "fake narrative," and he knows that enough angry, resentful people will say "See? Fake narrative." The reason politicians like him do things like this is because, in modern America, it works for them. https://t.co/mUmtVIfmC7
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 5, 2021
The irony of it all is that in this instance, Nichols was the angry, resentful person whose confirmation bias led him to buy into what was, in fact, a fake narrative being propped up by a deceptively edited clip. Nevertheless, Nichols pressed on — unchastened and unembarrassed — this afternoon:
Remember, people, Ron DeSantis is the real victim here.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 5, 2021
Well, yes actually, DeSantis was the victim of a lie broadcast to millions of people and amplified by Nichols himself. Notice that nowhere does Nichols make a substantive case in which he explains what it is that the governor did wrong. It’s all about providing unthinking partisan fodder for his fans — exactly the crime he accuses DeSantis of.
As I see it, we in the press have a pretty simple job: To tell the truth as we see it. We all oftentimes disagree on what that truth is, and we all get things wrong on occasion. That’s alright. My issue with Nichols is not that we disagree, it’s that he doesn’t share my conception of the job.