Staff Reports
Watching politicians expect to be coddled is getting old. In the middle of the California gubernatorial race, Xavier Becerra asked whether a recent sit-down was a “profile piece” — and the reaction says more about our elites than it does about him.
He expects the velvet glove
There’s a particular kind of entitlement that comes with decades in the political class: assume comfort, demand deferential coverage, and then act surprised when someone presses. Asking whether an interview is a “profile piece” isn’t quaint; it’s a test. It’s the politician checking to see if the reporter will fluff the pillows or ask why people’s lives are falling apart.
That matters because this isn’t abstract. Californians are paying more for rent, waiting longer for medical care, and watching small businesses shutter under regulatory weight. When a candidate walks into a room expecting soft questions, it’s ordinary people who lose — not the ratings.
Media coziness — a bad trade for voters
Journalists who trade hard questions for access do a disservice to voters. If the press treats political figures like guests on a talk show instead of public servants under scrutiny, policy debates turn into PR campaigns. The result is an electorate that’s informed by press releases and photo ops, not by tough follow-ups that expose real plans and trade-offs.
That’s a practical harm. A Californian deciding whether to keep her business, buy a home, or send a kid to public school deserves straight answers about homelessness, public safety, and the economy — not a puff piece that leaves those questions dangling.
Power without accountability costs the rest of us
The arrogance of expecting pampering isn’t just personality; it’s a symptom. It signals a broader culture where political class priorities are insulated from consequences. When leaders are shielded from scrutiny, bad policy can linger longer and spread further — higher taxes, permissive enforcement, and a regulatory alphabet soup that crushes innovation.
Think about the small grocery on the corner, the contractor trying to hire, the nurse waiting three hours in an understaffed ER. Those are the stakes. Media softness helps politicians keep that insulation in place, while real people pay the bill.
What voters should demand
Voters can shrug, roll their eyes, and tune into the next friendly sit-down. Or they can insist on reporters who recognize their job: to pry, to fact-check, to expose. If the press plays barber to the powerful, then elections become beauty contests instead of battlegrounds for ideas that affect your grocery bill and your kid’s safety on the street.
So ask the next candidate who wants your vote: will you welcome tough questions? Will you accept accountability? If the answer is only flattering profiles, then remember who really pays for that luxury — not the politician, but the people who actually live under the policies.
When politicians expect pampering, what they’re really asking for is permission to keep doing damage. Are you going to hand it to them?
