The low turnout at the Trump campaign rally in Tulsa is an ominous sign for the upcoming election.  Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 campaign manager, blamed the media, saying it spooked people with its constant hyping of the damages of the Wuhan virus. 

That is undoubtedly true, and accordingly, that disappointing turnout is not a true indication of the support the president has.  However, it does show the power the liberal media still has in framing the narrative.  Remember, the low turnout was at the rally in Tulsa, which is hardcore Trump country.

We conservatives have to be careful of myopic thinking.  To us, Trump seems strong and rational (which to my mind he is), while the Democrats are bound and possessed to drive the country to Crazy Town.  We discount polls showing addled Joe Biden with an 8- to 10-point lead as dishonest attempts to sway public opinion, which of course they are.  But that is not to say that type of fake news isn't affecting a number of people.  Everything and anything that happens between now and Election Day will be spun to make Trump look bad.  That cannot be discounted. 

Here's an anecdotal example of why I worry.  From my readings and listening to commentary from sources I trust, I feel that the dangers of the Wuhan virus are grossly overstated and that the lockdowns were too severe.  My health club has been reopened for about a month now, yet attendance is still but a fraction of what it was before the shutdown.  I thought club members would come flocking back.  They didn't, and that surprised me.  I asked a staff member about it, and she replied, "People are still not comfortable in coming back."  This tells me I can be severely out of sync with people I associate with regularly.  I have to honestly check myself to see whether or not I'm in a conservative echo chamber.  I don't think so, but still I wonder: could a similar surprise await me regarding the election, given the incessant media barrage against the president?

This is no time to be complacent.  And no discussion about the election can neglect the elephant in the room: Democrat voter fraud.  Time and time again, the left has demonstrated that it has no respect for facts or even the law.  Voter fraud is especially worrisome now with the move towards mail-in voting.  The hope here is that the Republican Party will be taking steps to minimize the fraud and that the number of votes for Trump overwhelm the fraudulent ballots..

The president has three powerful issues to base his campaign on.  As Gerald Seib writes in the Wall Street Journal, "celebrate a recovering economy, bash China, and proclaim himself the candidate of law and order."  Each of these issues puts Trump on the right side of public opinion.  It should be a winning strategy.  And it will be, provided the voter fraud can be contained and the media's false narrative can be effectively countered by the president.