President Trump continues to rattle the truly faint of heart, those who have plausible concerns about his tactics and of course those who cannot abide the fact that he won. Let's examine his assertion that the press is the enemy of the people.
First, I thank him for this gutsy and perceptive observation ;the mainstream media, which the President meant when he said "the press" has long and richly deserved such a thumb in the eye. Oh, they've been begging for it for ever so long. Churchill said that democracy was the worst form of government until you considered all the other forms. I've long thought that the conduct of much of the western "free" press is the best argument against a free press but... .
First, there has been a monumental reaction to the MSM in the form of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and those encouraged by them. Limbaugh, in my opinion, is the most consequential public figure in the U.S. over the last 25 years along with (gag) the Clintons and President Trump. That we do have a "diverse" press is proven by the effect Limbaugh (an exceptionally perceptive observer and commentator, who nonetheless does not falsely present himself as an unbiased newscaster ) has had. Had they the means, the Clintons would have silenced him.
And , uhhh, what should you MSM types have expected of any half way self respecting guy who has been savaged the way you have, with blithe abandon and presumptuously self righteous conviction,done the President? He's hitting back! How do yuh like that? 'Course the spinelessness of much of the right must have convinced you that you had us down. Well yeah, he surprised us too but he's our's; he's sure not your's.
For decades and generations now since the '60's the majority of journalists have been blithe to subordinate journalistic principles like editorial balance and objectivity to political advocacy. "Yeah, we got Nixon and we can get any of them". Having become consummate politicians, they have been blindsided by the ascent of a disdainful non politician who is not loath to confront them.
And the sight of that oh so wounded CNN hypocrite taking Presidential Press Secretary Sara Huckabee Sanders to task: " Now the President shouldn't ought ta talk like that about the press! After all, a free press is what ya need in a democracy, don't ya know!" "Please Bre'r Bear, don' wing me in at there briar patch". Ok, but democracy can't work without a free and objective flow of information especially from terribly important sources like "the press",libraries and the "universities", which educate journalists among a whole lot of others. Unconscionably large numbers of professionals in those fields have surrendered their integrity to the siren call of unfettered leftist idealism and the dream that they may be its historic catalyst.
The President is right to call them out on it! He was empowered by the real America, all of them certified members of the entity "the people". The MSM is doing its best to undo their 2016 decision and that is the action of an enemy, I'd say. Jack
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A thought-provoking analysis, Jack. You know my thoughts on the power and the wickedness of the press already, of course. Their ability to manipulate the intellectual and moral universe that the public inhabits is still formidable, I'd say. The prevalence of Trump hatred is a testament to that.
I'll make one other observation: I find it unfortunate that Trump follows some media narratives so closely, demonstrates so much sensitivity to them, and occasionally surrenders to their demands. The firing of Flynn/Spicer/Pruitt/Bannon and many others was due in large measure to the flak they attracted from the MSM. The climb-down on separating children from their parents at the border, the zig-zags on Russian meddling, the incessant focus on Mueller and the "witchhunt", the watering down of the travel ban -- you can cite a lot of examples of times when the media "got to" Trump and goaded him to react, or even to give ground. The media notices these "victories" and escalates its attacks accordingly. Much of their power depends on their ability to unite around a single narrative, as they've done with "Russian meddling", and when they do they can inflict serious damage on a President...or a democracy. Personally, I believe the best response is usually either silence or granite resolve/persistence in whatever course one originally deemed best. Give no quarter and show no weakness! That's my advice to President Trump.
Dr. Waddy: Your observation makes alot of sense. Though the media jackals would initially pounce on the silent treatment it might well, if consistently followed, work to disarm and discredit them. And I fully agree with give no quarter and show no weakness. This is war! The left has known it since 1972. I'm still glad he made the general observation that the press is the enemy of the people but if he shows restraint in reaction to specific policy criticisms he (and we) may well benefit. Gads, this reminds me so much of dealing with prison inmates. The journalist left shares their amorality.
Ha! An intriguing comparison. Really, though, when you think about it, "bullying" public figures is what the press does for a living. It's the scalps that each of them can nail to the wall that motivate them and ennoble them in one another's eyes. A Democrat can expect a little deference from the MSM, and a Republican none. C'est la vie. In the end, I say the only ways to deal with a bully are to ignore them or hit them right back. To cower or to placate them only invites more abuse.
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