“Liberal bias” press grades Republicans on a curve Dan Pfeiffer is steamed over press coverage of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s avoiding the ” first-ever default in U.S. history” and “a potential global financial collapse.” The press, Pfeiffer complains, is “treating the passage of this basic bill as a significant accomplishment for McCarthy.” He provides a few examples and responds: Everyone, go take a cold shower. McCarthy did the bare minimum required and didn’t get fired (yet) in the process. If folks want to say McCarthy exceeded historically low expectations, fine; but treating him as some conquering hero or the second coming of Lyndon Baines Johnson is ridiculously over the top. The way the media treats McCarthy is part of the broader and very annoying habit of grading Republicans on a curve. The GOP gets participation trophies from the press, while Democrats are often held to much higher standards. It’s true. And that stance is not limited to the press. More-progressive-than-thou (MPTT) activists can be brutal in their denunications of Democratic allies when they feel disappointed. It’s “you always hurt the one you love” behavior. Having no expectations for Republicans, condemning them is de rigueur. MPTTs demand more from Democrats and condemn failure to fully live up to their potential as a jilting (or as evidence they are closet conservatives). The press is not so reflexively critical of Democrats, but neither are reporters as quick to credit them as they are to spotlight not-awfulness on the right: The McCarthy coverage is an egregious example…