I have come to the conclusion that the media's urge to cater to reactionaries is a Pascal's Wager -- they know if Dems win, they won't be destroyed for playing up to Rebs, but if they play up to Dems and the Rebs win, they suspect they might be sent to actual camps.

If that’s true they’re the dumbest people on the planet, because conservatives hate them anyway.

I don't think they behave as people who suspect there's a real risk of them being sent to actual camps tbh. Metaphorical camps, maybe. But I think people who believe *actual* camps are a possibility behave differently.