Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) is blaming the mainstream media for the Democratic Party’s cratering national support.
In an interview Friday on MSNBC’s The Last Word, Clyburn claimed the media was distorting political narratives– and that Dems are losing ground not because of the exceedingly leftward tilt of their message – but because the press isn’t properly telling its story.
“I think the message coming from the Democratic Party is a good message,” Clyburn said.
“The problem we’ve got is that we have to depend upon the media to deliver it.”
Host Ali Velshi responded that there are “valid criticisms out there about the fact that there is not a cohesive message coming from the Democratic Party.”
“There were people who said the [2024] protest movement didn’t have the energy that it did after the 2016 election of Donald Trump,” he said.
But the desperate Dem rejected that assessment – instead accusing mainstream media of chasing clicks, with some “caving” to Trump’s influence.
“If we have The Washington Post, for instance, caving to this wannabe dictator and we’ve got other media entities that seem to rather push a narrative that will bring eyes to their newspapers or to their television sets and not really give a fair hearing or reporting to what we’re doing,” Clyburn whined.
The Democratic lawmaker said he plans to hold a series of town halls outside his district in an effort to share his party’s message directly with voters. “It’s going to be very coherent,” he said.
“A little bit alarming, but something people will understand if they hear it.”
The veteran lawmaker reserved praise for uber left-leaning MSNBC and Velshi’s coverage, calling it one of the few platforms offering substance over spin.
“That’s why I like coming on your shows on the weekends,” he said.
Clyburn ended with a shot at outlets that, in his view, let lies spread unchecked.
“That’s what’s killing us as Democrats,” he said.
“We don’t have a stomach for just lying.”
The comments come as recent polls show the party underwater with voters.
A CNN survey in March found 54 percent of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Democrats.
A similar poll from Harvard CAPS/Harris showed little improvement.
Trump has long assailed the leftward tilt taken by major TV, cable and print media outlets.
The White House did not return a request for comment.
