At the Republican debate on Fox News last week, Donald Trump proved that he is an ignoramus and a liar. And now we learn that he is also a cheater. What happened will not surprise anyone who has observed Trump’s acute sociopathic tendencies, but it is nevertheless indicative of his aversion to civility and decency.
CNN’s Dylan Byers reports that during the debate Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, came out unto the stage to consult with him. That is an explicit violation of debate rules. And to make matters worse, when a network staffer told Lewandowski that he had to leave, Lewandowski defiantly refused.
This is the sort of behavior that one would expect from a privileged, elitist, wannabe dictator who doesn’t believe that any rules apply to him. And it also reveals that Trump is too stupid to participate in a debate without getting help from his handlers. Even with that help Trump made numerous mistakes and told easily debunked lies. For example, he affirmed that as president he would try to order the military to commit war crimes, something that he has said before. The following morning his campaign released a statement contradicting Trump saying that he would adhere to all domestic and international laws. Then Trump gave a speech later that day reiterating his pro-war crimes stance.
The fact that Trump has to cheat, and do so openly even after being told to stop, foretells an ominous future should he ascend to the White House. It exposes his proclivity for ignoring legal standards of conduct. It marks him as someone who would not hesitate to violate the law in order to get his way.
The sad thing about this is that Trump’s supporters are so dazzled by his gold-plated persona that they will probably like him more because of this. They will regard it as a sign of strength. But they should think twice (which mistakenly presumes that they have thought once already). Trump’s glassy-eyed disciples are the same Tea Party know-nothings that go bonkers when they hear about President Obama’s executive orders (of which he has issued fewer than any president in the last century). They are the same wingnuts who complain without foundation that he disregards the Constitution. They are convinced that he violates the law pretty much any day that he wakes up.
Consequently, it would be an epic feat of hypocrisy to approve of Trump’s shady dealings. It would also be dangerous from the standpoint of their own political agenda. Since Trump has no political convictions, his lawlessness could be put to use doing something that the righties detest.
Breaking the agreed upon rules of a civilized debate does not indicate strength. To the contrary, it indicates fear of being constrained to fair play. It indicates an inner sense of inferiority that you can’t compete on a level playing field. It is the definition of weakness.
Fox News doesn’t fare any better in this scandalette. After failing to stop Trump from consulting with his campaign manager, Fox told the other debate participants that they could have similar consultations. In other words, Fox just said that everybody can cheat and ignore the rules that were previously agreed upon for sound reasons. That’s a huge cop-out. Part of the purpose of these debates is to be able to judge the candidate’s ability to think on their feet.
So what could Fox have done differently? They could have sent Trump home for the night. They could have banned him from the next debate. They at least could have disclosed to the audience what had occurred. If a pitcher throws a spitball, the umpires don’t tell the other team’s pitchers that they can throw spitballs too. The violation is disclosed and the violator is sent to the lockers. Fox decided to expand the cheating and lie to the viewers by keeping all of it secret.
How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.
It seems that every day we learn something new about Fox News and the Republican Party that reveals more about their hypocrisy, larceny, and total lack of ethics. Donald Trump is the perfect Fox News candidate because they are both averse to honesty and principles. That’s probably why they created him in the first place.
