CT Blue

This morning a contrast between the Globe and the Times gave me cause to rant. Each ran the same article by Times reporters Michael Crowley and (ugh) Maggie Haberman on their front page. For each it was the headline story. It was about Trump’s pro forma speech about the Trump inspired massacre in El Paso and the so far unattributed massacre in Toledo. At least Toledo is where the “I don’t really care, do you?”, Trump put the second massacre, though some people say it was in Dayton.

Anyway, back to the rant.

Here’s the NYT’s headline: “Trump urges unity vs. racism”.

That set me off ranting even before I saw the Globe’s headline for the very same piece: “Trump urges action,skips details” followed by a prominent sub-headline (is that what they’re called?): “He condemns racism,after months of incendiary remarks; Democrats demand gun laws”.

It is beyond doubt that the El Paso shooter was inspired in part by Trump’s racist rhetoric, given the fact that he parroted many of Trump’s talking points. The Times headline implies that Trump was a) doing the right thing, and b) sincere when he attempted to read a series of platitudes from a teleprompter.

I note, by the way, that the Times headline provoked a tweet from ctblogger, of which I heartily approve.

It is yet another sign of hope that the Times actually changed the headline, in response, at least in part, to criticism from a host of Democratic presidential candidates and other Democrats. Can it be that the Democrats are learning how to play the ref the way the Republicans have for years?