{"id":2344675,"date":"2024-09-23T07:53:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T11:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pbss-deadlock-frames-concern-about-elections-as-nutty\/"},"modified":"2024-09-23T07:56:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T11:56:16","slug":"pbss-deadlock-frames-concern-about-elections-as-nutty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pbss-deadlock-frames-concern-about-elections-as-nutty\/","title":{"rendered":"PBS&#8217;s \u2018Deadlock\u2019 Frames Concern About Elections As Nutty"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpbss-deadlock-frames-concern-about-elections-as-nutty%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344675&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The PBS television special &#8220;Deadlock: An Election Story&#8221; aimed to foster a conversation about how\u2063 politically polarized\u2062 Americans might\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/md-gov-hogan-urges-biden-lawmakers-to-work-together-on-covid-19-relief-legislation\/\" title=\"Md. Gov. Hogan urges Biden, lawmakers to work together on COVID-19 relief legislation\">find common ground<\/a>, but criticism arose over the lack of political diversity on its panel. Moderated by left-leaning\u200b law professor \u200cAaron Tang, the discussion featured predominantly Democratic and left-leaning panelists, which \u2064undermined its objective of presenting a balanced dialogue about complex issues in American discourse.<\/p>\n<p>During the program, panelists were engaged in \u200ca role-play scenario set in a fictional battleground state, where two siblings, poll workers, received a call from their increasingly politically\u2062 divided Uncle Bill. \u2064The situation highlighted the challenges of familial relationships \u2064amidst \u200cpolitical disagreements. Some panelists expressed disdain for Uncle Bill&#8217;s views, reflecting a broader \u2064societal perception that questions the \u200blegitimacy of elections.\u200c although the show sought to stimulate open-mindedness and middle-ground finding, its execution\u200c leaned heavily towards\u200b one political perspective.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>If the PBS television special, &ldquo;Deadlock: An Election Story&rdquo; really wanted to have a conversation about how politically polarized Americans can find common ground, it should have had more political diversity on its panel.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The current climate of American discourse finds us deeply entrenched and overconfident in our own beliefs,&rdquo; said moderator Aaron Tang, a left-leaning law professor at the University of California-Davis said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/about\/about-pbs\/blogs\/news\/gbhs-new-special-deadlock-encourages-civil-discourse-about-ethical-dilemmas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> promoting the show. &ldquo;Deadlock aims to illuminate how, for many of the difficult challenges facing our nation, the honest answers are nuanced and complex. Our goal is to spark open-mindedness and help people find the middle ground instead of retreating to our usual corners.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But the show retreated the usual corners for two reasons: the premise of the discussion had a left-leaning tone, and the discussion featured mostly Democrats or left-leaning panelists, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rachel Bitecofer, a Democratic political strategist;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Adrian Fontes, the Democrat Arizona secretary of state;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>left-leaning Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., the James S. McDonnell professor of African American studies at Princeton University;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-far-left-weighs-benching-joe-biden-after-2022-midterms\/\" title=\"Report: Far-Left Weighs Benching Joe Biden After 2022 Midterms\">left-leaning&#038;nbsp<\/a>;Astead Herndon, a national politics reporter at The New York Times; <\/li>\n<li>Democrat Jeh C. Johnson, former secretary of Homeland Security and former general counsel to the Department of Defense;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Elise Jordan, of NBC\/MSNBC, an anti-Trump political analyst; <\/li>\n<li>Katie Harbath, a Republican who has said she never voted for Trump and a&nbsp;former Facebook executive who supported the decision to ban Trump from the platform; <\/li>\n<li>Russell Moore, editor in chief of Christianity Today and well-known author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2024\/07\/trump-election-russell-moore-politics-evangelicals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anti-Trump<\/a> missives; <\/li>\n<li>Mick Mulvaney, former acting White House Chief of Staff for Trump&nbsp;who quit the administration; and <\/li>\n<li>Republican Kris Kobach, Kansas&rsquo; attorney general.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tang led panelists through an imaginary presidential election day in the imaginary battleground state of Middlevania, where the polls are very close. Panelists did some role-playing and said how they would respond to certain scenarios.<\/p>\n<p>The story started with two poll workers who happened to be siblings sharing a ride to the poll, when they get a call from their old Uncle Bill. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now, both of you have fond memories from your childhood of Thanksgiving at Uncle Bill&rsquo;s, but lately, things have changed,&rdquo; Tang said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve seen your Uncle Bill&rsquo;s views diverge completely from your own, especially when it comes to the legitimacy of the last election.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>There were snickers and eye rolls from the audience and panelists. The assumption is, we all know people like Uncle Bill who worry about election integrity, and we all think they are crazy. The role-playing began with the panelists.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always known that he held certain kinds of positions, and I was okay with it, but now I think it&rsquo;s a reflection of his character. Maybe Uncle Bill isn&rsquo;t such a good dude anymore,&rdquo; Glaude said.<\/p>\n<p>They answer the phone and learn crazy Uncle Bill wants a ride to the polls, where he will work as a poll watcher. What do you do?<\/p>\n<p>Someone looking for common ground might swing by Uncle Bill&rsquo;s house and pick him up.  After all, the point of the show was to encourage compromise among opposite views. But these pretend poll workers refused to give him a ride.<\/p>\n<p>The story went on from there, with Uncle Bill, the man worried about election integrity, as the bad guy through the exercise. Then, like porn for politicos itching for civil war, the story described a group of armed citizens arriving at the polling place, forcing terrified voters to scatter out of the voting line and seek safety. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Deadlock&rdquo; was advertised as a program that &ldquo;encourages civil dialogue and critical thinking in an era dominated by polarizing debates.&rdquo; But it was framed with an assumption of who is right and who is crazy, leaving little room for a variety of opinions.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s easy to have dialogue when most people on the panel agree. No one said, &ldquo;Hey, Uncle Bill, why are you so concerned about election integrity?&rdquo; If this uncle were in the room, and not labeled a crackpot from the get-go, he would have talked about non-citizens registering to vote, dirty voter rolls, constantly changing election laws, and a lack of transparency on election matters, among other issues. But there was no talk of these vital, still unsolved issues. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Deadlock&rdquo; was a propaganda piece, designed to tell Americans that if your neighbors question the way elections are run, they are crazy like Uncle Bill. And they might be the type who would gather up guns and riot on election day. The unspoken message isstop asking questions about election results, and don&rsquo;t be surprised if there is chaos on election day.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lara-logan-challenges-media-to-ask-certain-questions-about-afghanistan\/\" title=\"Lara Logan Challenges Media To Ask Certain Questions About Afghanistan\">award-winning investigative journalist<\/a> with decades of media experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the PBS special &#8220;Deadlock: An Election Story&#8221; aimed to genuinely explore how politically divided Americans can discover common ground, it should have included a more diverse range of political perspectives on its panel. Moderator Aaron Tang, a law professor at UC-Davis with left-leaning views, stated in promotional materials that \u201cthe current climate of American discourse finds us deeply entrenched and overconfident in our own beliefs.\u201d He expressed that &#8220;Deadlock&#8221; seeks to highlight the nuanced and complex nature of many challenges facing the nation, with the intention of fostering open-mindedness and encouraging people to find middle ground rather than retreating into their usual positions.<\/p>\n<p>However, the show ultimately conformed to familiar patterns for two main reasons: its discussion premise leaned leftward, and most panelists were Democrats or had left-leaning affiliations. The lineup included Democratic political strategist Rachel Bitecofer; Adrian Fontes, Arizona&#8217;s Democratic secretary of state; Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a Princeton professor known for his liberal views; Astead Herndon from The New York Times; former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh C. Johnson; anti-Trump analyst Elise Jordan from NBC\/MSNBC; Katie Harbath\u2014a Republican who has never voted for Trump\u2014who previously supported banning him from Facebook; Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today known for his anti-Trump writings; Mick Mulvaney, former acting White House Chief of Staff under Trump who resigned from his position; and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.<\/p>\n<p>Tang guided the panelists through a hypothetical election day scenario in an imagined battleground state called Middlevania where polls were tight. They engaged in role-playing exercises about how they would react to various situations. The narrative began with two poll workers who are siblings receiving a call from their Uncle Bill during their ride to work at the polls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth have fond memories of Thanksgiving with Uncle Bill but have noticed significant changes lately,\u201d Tang explained. \u201cHis views now diverge sharply from theirs\u2014especially regarding election legitimacy.\u201d This setup elicited laughter and eye rolls among both audience members and panelists alike as they seemed to collectively dismiss concerns about election integrity as irrational.<\/p>\n<p>As role-playing commenced, Glaude remarked on how he used to accept Uncle Bill\u2019s differing opinions but now questioned his character due to those views. When Uncle Bill requested a ride so he could serve as a poll watcher at the elections\u2014a request one might expect would be met with understanding\u2014the pretend poll workers declined him assistance instead.<\/p>\n<p>The story progressed further by portraying Uncle Bill\u2014the character concerned about election integrity\u2014as antagonistic throughout this exercise. It escalated into an alarming scene where armed citizens arrived at polling places causing chaos among voters seeking safety.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being marketed as promoting civil dialogue amid divisive debates, &#8220;Deadlock&#8221; operated under assumptions regarding rightness versus irrationality while leaving little space for diverse viewpoints. Genuine dialogue is challenging when most participants share similar opinions without questioning why someone like Uncle Bill might be worried about electoral processes\u2014issues such as non-citizen voter registration or lack of transparency surrounding elections went unaddressed entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, &#8220;Deadlock&#8221; appeared more like propaganda aimed at suggesting that neighbors questioning electoral procedures are akin to crazy characters like Uncle Bill\u2014implying they could resort to violence on election day if not silenced or dismissed outright.<br \/>\nBeth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist and has extensive experience as an investigative journalist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2344676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PBS.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13410,6571,19567],"class_list":["post-2344675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-deadlock","tag-elections","tag-pbs"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PBS.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}