By Steve Vassallo

I previously enjoyed watching this 5 a.m. (CST) political show on MSNBC until the bias became so great, it was difficult for me to stay tuned any longer.

The Trump-bashing was only tolerable as long as the criticisms were distributed equally to both parties. Not so! The pro Democrat talking heads could no longer conceal their prejudice for Hillary.

What the host of the show apparently disregards is the fact that only 4 in 10 Americans trust the mass media, tying historical lows on this measure set in 2014 and 2012, according to Gallup. And also reflected in the Gallup poll, younger Americans are less likely to trust the media than their parents or even grandparents. By Morning Joe raking “the Donald” over MSNBC’s coals continuously, he is actually helping Trump. Maybe Joe is not fully awake at the time the early morning show airs!

Prior to 2004, Gallup reported that only a slight majority of Americans said they trusted the mass media such as newspapers, TV and radio. This percentage has steadily declined, with 60 percent of us now labeling ourselves as doubting Thomases. Not good for Joe and company.

“Morning Joe” likewise doesn’t understand (or have the willingness to acknowledge) Trump’s appeal to those who disapprove of Congress. A recent article by Jeffrey M. Jones titled “Republicans Continue to Rate GOP-Led Congress Poorly” indicated only 12 percent of Republicans approve of the job Congress is doing. This is even lower than 16 percent of all Americans, which is the lowest historical sub-par rating of the GOP majority-held institution. (The Republicans took control of both houses of Congress in early 2015.)

In February 2015, Republicans approved of Congress with 27 percent of its membership, 7 percent higher than all Americans did. The period 2003-2006 saw the Republicans’ approval percentage of Congress at 55 percent.

My, how this confidence has eroded. Even with Paul Ryan taking the reins of leadership as speaker has not reversed this trend. Yet Joe continues to bash Trump, not the group that actually paved the way for the Trump nomination.

While attending the Trump (Jan. 2) rally in Biloxi, the two loudest responses from the 15,000 gathered followed criticism of the media and the Republican establishment. And this chorus echoed coast to coast following. Still, “Morning Joe” doesn’t seem to realize who and where the blame truly lies.

A poll just released by Fox News says 60 percent of all Americans believe Hillary is lying about her emails. With the latest revelations about her emails and drone strikes in Pakistan, Joe preferred to ignore these developments, instead hammering Trump on “being a racist” for four consecutive days, a tough pill to swallow, given the history of Trump’s corporation hiring minorities by the thousands.

I have always turned my head to Joe’s unending support of the University of Alabama, wanting to believe he at least cherished the same Southern fairness we Mississippians hold dearly. However, the left-leaning media has now buttoned down its hatches and is going after the presumed Republican nominee at each and every opportunity. Should Americans continuing to respond to 2016 polls prefer an outsider to a 30-year establishment pro and also continue not to fully digest what the media is “dishing out,” there may be hope yet for a businessman short on the political correctness we’ve all been forced to accept and promote.

Steve Vassallo is a contributing columnist and Oxford resident. He can be reached at sovassallo@gmail.com.