Ahead of President Trump’s address to the nation on border security, the anti-Trump press were already analyzing and rebutting that THEY said he would say. Put simply, it would be old news and a pack of lies. The anti-Trump press went to great lengths to argue against his right and power to call for a national emergency – even though he had no intention of doing so and did not. These pre-emptive attacks based on baseless conjecture are what I have dubbed the PREsponse.
For his part, Trump gave a decent presentation of the facts and his positions and policies. He presented accurate statistics on the number of crimes committed by illegal aliens. He fairly described the humanitarian crisis the is ongoing at our southern border and the suffering of crime victims. He called out Democrats for being hypocrites for their past support of border barriers – a wall by any other name. Trump made good use of his eight minutes. It was not a home run, but a solid two-bagger.
Conversely, the response by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a three-pitch strikeout. Their response responded to nothing Trump said. It was a reiteration of the PREsponse – and articulation of shop-worn talking points and dubious accusations.
The left-wing media response was as anticipated. It was another example of how Trump-hatred has undermined the news folks’ sense of journalism, fairness, balance and honesty. They lavishly praised the mediocre – at best – Chuck and Nancy Show and viciously and maliciously repeated the concocted PREsponses of the day before. One has to wonder if they even bothered listening to Trump’s address.
In the past forty-eight-hour news cycle, something very disturbing has arisen, however. That pernicious Trump-hatred over at CNN and MSNBC was elevated to a new and frightening level.
Heading Into the address, the left-wing media raised the notion that the news networks should not agree to Trump’s request to speak to the nation in prime time. They argued that there was no national crisis, he had nothing new to say and he would just spew a pack of lies. Therefore, his request should be denied. I should be noted that Trump has not abused the national address option. It was the first time he even requested it.
While the networks have the right to refuse the request, it is almost never done. It is not the role of a free and honest media to determine when it is appropriate for a President to talk to the people directly. It is ALWAYS appropriate. It is up to we the people to determine what we think of what a President tells us – not up to the press to censor the communication.
Even after the address, the #NeverTrump Resistance Movement press pundits continued their displeasure with the networks’ decision. They argued that in the future the networks should deny such requests. Some even proposed that the networks use the rolling text at the bottom of the screen to “fact check” the President’s remarks in real time – essentially rebutting them before any official rebuttal.
As with all authoritarians, the American political left wants to control the means of communication even more than they already do. It may have been a slip-of-the-tongue – but very telling – when MSNBC’s Mike Brzezinski blurted out on Morning Joe that it was their job (the media) “to control what people think.”
The very idea that any news network – or any news oligopoly – would deny a President access to the people is a hideous and dangerous concept. Yet, it is what they do every day. THEY decided what we should hear AND what we should think about it.
That part of the media conversation has been largely lost in the din of the main narratives, but it should not be overlooked or forgotten. It represents yet another step in taking “news” further down the path of left-wing propaganda. In terms of our personal freedom, that is even scarier than those currently crossing our border.
So, there ‘tis.
