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Dear readers:

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鈥淲elcome to the world, Joe. You having a good time?鈥�
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That was President Donald Trump yesterday, poking fun at former Vice President Joe Biden and the brouhaha that has surrounded him of late. Mr. Biden鈥檚 penchant for close squeezes and other physical gestures 鈥� once seen as an asset for a retail politician 鈥� is being听听by a number of women, who say it made them feel uncomfortable. (Mr. Trump, it鈥檚 worth noting, has been accused of听.)
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The story, now on day six, has sparked furious debate from all sides. Mr. Biden鈥檚 critics see it as proof that he is听听to be his party鈥檚 standard-bearer in 2020. Supporters see it as evidence that the Democrats are morphing into听听.
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A more important question may be: should this matter really be dominating the news?
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Media feeding frenzies are nothing new. But in the social media era, they seem to be growing both bigger and smaller at the same time. An alleged offense 鈥� sometimes involving elected officials, sometimes just private citizens 鈥� is given wall-to-wall, oxygen-sucking, pick-your-clich茅 coverage for a period of days (or sometimes hours that feel like days). And then the spotlight moves on.
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Remember the controversy surrounding Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the racist picture in his medical school yearbook? These days, as the New York Times听, it鈥檚 as if it never happened.
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The Times lists a number of reasons for Virginia鈥檚 return to 鈥渟urreal normalcy.鈥� As a matter of pure politics, once the governor refused to resign, his party had few good options other than to try to quietly put the whole matter aside. Moreover, polls showed voters were far less bothered by the decades-old photo than public officials and commentators.
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鈥淎 feeding frenzy is typically not a mirror but a distortion of public opinion,鈥澨�, a professor of history and media at Rutgers University, in a Times op-ed. 鈥淲e need to remember that when we grill candidates about the taboo du jour, we aren鈥檛 helping ourselves understand their suitability for leadership but rather working through other cultural concerns. As for character, the real test of it may be whether a politician has the fortitude and self-confidence to brave the media storm.鈥�
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Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at听csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.