Politico Playbook became the subject of intense mockery Thursday after it seemingly attempted to redirect attention from "defund the police" advocate Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., hiring personal private security, to instead focus on Republicans "salivating" over the story.
"Republicans are salivating over a new interview in which [Bush] defended paying for private security for herself as a member of Congress — while also saying Democrats should defund the police," the tweet read.
The far-left Bush defended herself Thursday after being criticized for telling CBS News that police "need" to be defunded even though she's spent thousands on a personal security detail.
"They would rather I die?" Bush said when asked to respond to the criticism. "You would rather me die? Is that what you want to see? You want to see me die? You know because that could be the alternative."
Critics mocked Politico's language used to target Republicans in the tweet, with some referring to the use of the word "salivating" as the new "pounce." Media outlets are frequently criticized for framing negative stories for Democrats through the lens of Republicans taking political advantage of the situation.
AS DEFUND THE POLICE MOVEMENT TRICKLES DOWN FROM BIG CITIES, SMALL TOWN AMERICA PAYS THE PRICE
Others blasted Politico's focus on Republicans reacting to the story about Bush rather than the story of her hiring private security while calling for the defunding of police at the same time.
Another critic suggested an idea for a new podcast, playing off Politico's choice of words: "Pounce, Seize or Salivate."
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Politico wasn't the only outlet to examine the story through a Republican reaction framework. CNN's Chris Cillizza fretted that Bush's remarks had given Republicans a 2022 "gift."