Donald Trump’s relentless campaign against the free press has been in progress for a couple of years now. At every opportunity he disparages news organizations and reporters as dishonest, corrupt, sleazy, and even called the media“the enemy of the American people.” It’s a transparent attempt to make people distrust what they see and read in the press so that any bad news about Trump is dismissed as fake.
Earlier this week Trump posted a proposal on Twitter to have a contest to determine the most dishonest television network. How ironic that the former reality TV game show host thinks this would be an appropriate method of establishing journalistic credibility. Needless to say, his proposal was somewhat skewed by his prejudices:
We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!
Let’s just set aside his delusional suggestion that he is our favorite president (He’s not). The idea of competing for a fake news trophy is as silly as any of the childish notions that infect Trump’s cartoon brain. Nevertheless, it was taken up by Trump’s favorite pollster, Rasmussen Reports. Rasmussen is a notoriously right-wing outfit that exists to provide biased data to Republicans and conservative political operations. Which makes the results of this survey all the more interesting.
Rasmussen asked the respondents which network should win the hypothetical Fake News Trophy postulated in Trump’s tweet. They ignored his insistence on leaving Fox News out of the competition. And the results point to why that might have been. According to Rasmussen:
“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters consider fake news a big problem […] But 40% of all voters think Fox News should be the winner of the first annual Fake News Trophy.”
So Fox News was the runaway leader in the Fake News pageant. A distant second place went to CNN with only twenty-five percent of the vote. Rounding out the field were MSNBC with nine percent, and ABC, CBS and NBC each received less than 5 percent. The partisan breakdown by party was also notable. Not surprisingly, a majority of Democrats (53%) voted for Fox News to take the honors. However, a sizable chunk of Republicans (24%) felt the same way.
This poll affirms what many previous polls have found. Fox News is not regarded as a credible news source. And despite Trump’s attempts to smear the media, most Americans continue to trust the press more than they trust the President. It’s not even close. Trump’s record of distortions, dodges, and deliberate lies has demonstrated his malice for the truth. Or worse, his inability to distinguish truth from lies, or reality from delusional fantasies.
Considering Donald Trump’s increasingly bizarre and disturbing behavior, this seems like a good time to revisit an article posted here a year and a half ago. Trump continues to exhibit signs of mental infirmity. He is posting overtly bigoted tweets. He is reasserting his birther beliefs that President Obama’s birth certificate is fake. He is now claiming that the admissions of sexual assault that he made on video to Access Hollywood, which he previously acknowledged and apologized for, are not him.
These and numerous other examples of aberrant behavior suggest a serious cognitive failure. And people are noticing. It’s not just Kim Jong Un who called Trump an old dotard. Trump insiders are confiding that he may be in the early stages of dementia. All of which affirms these points made last year that asked whether Trump is suffering from delusional senile dementia. We report. You decide:
News Corpse, February 17, 2016
Watching the very public meltdown of Donald Trump over the past few months could serve as a useful tool for academic research into dementia and brain disease. When looking objectively at the symptoms commonly associated with dementia it is hard not to consider Trump a likely candidate for such a diagnosis. What follows is an exploration of the three most prominent symptoms of dementia and their relationship to Trump’s behavior.
Impaired judgment
From the very beginning of his of campaign for the Republican nomination for president, Trump engaged in outbursts that were hostile and irrational. His assertion that the immigrant population in the U.S. was the result of Mexico sending over rapists and murderers was untethered to reality. And that was just the first day. Trump went on to disparage Sen. John McCain, saying that he was not a war hero; he charged that Megyn Kelly’s questions during a Fox News debate were unfair because she was menstruating; he proposed a ban on all Muslims from entering the country; he had a prominent Latino journalist ejected from his rally; he told a reporter that he isn’t bothered by comparisons to Hitler; and most recently he has been threatening to sue Ted Cruz in order to challenge his citizenship and eligibility to serve as president.
Trump’s birtherism with regard to President Obama is another illustration of a severe mental failing. There has never been a single bit of information that showed anything other than that Obama was born in the U.S. to a U.S. citizen. Nevertheless, Trump continues to doubt the truth of this. A few years ago he claimed to have sent investigators to Hawaii and that what they found was amazing. He has since refused to reveal what they found, or even to discuss it.
These are all examples of behavior that is inconsistent with rational judgment. They have no basis in fact and cannot be portrayed as constructive methods of expressing oneself. Those who would argue that Trump’s showing in the polls validates his conduct are missing the point. Regardless of the result, these actions are not indicative of a rational mind. While it’s true that Trump has attracted a following, the same was true for Charles Manson and Jim Jones and Sarah Palin, yet no one could plausibly argue that their judgment was unimpaired.
And speaking of Sarah Palin, who has endorsed Trump — Is she writing his speeches now?
Loss of Memory
Trump has frequently bragged that he has“one of the best memories of all time.” However, that boast has been utterly demolished by his own words and actions. One notable example was his insistence that he had seen television reporting of “thousands and thousands” of Muslims celebrating the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. That was an invented memory because there is no evidence that it occurred, despite the fact that television footage of such an event would be easily retrievable.
Trump’s memory was also noticeably deficient when he recently began hammering Ted Cruz as a “nasty guy” and “the single biggest liar” he ever met. Just three months ago he was lauding Cruz and floating him as a possible VP pick. Similarly he once praised Hillary Clinton as a “terrific” woman and a great Secretary of State. Now he is saying that she was the “worst Secretary of State in history.” And as for President Obama, today Trump tweeted that he is “perhaps the worst president in U.S. history.” But this is what he wrote in his book “Think Like A Champion:”
“What he has done is amazing. The fact that he accomplished what he has—in one year and against great odds—is truly phenomenal.” […]
“Barack Obama proved that determination combined with opportunity and intelligence can make things happen—and in an exceptional way.” […]
“His comments have led me to believe that he understands how the economy works on a comprehensive level. He has also surrounded himself with very competent people, and that’s the mark of a strong leader.” […]
“He’s totally a champion.”
Clearly Trump has either a failing memory or mental blocks that render his memory unreliable. Many other examples exist. For instance, he said he couldn’t remember a disabled reporter that he disgustingly mocked, but they had met many times; he threatened to sue Cruz three days after he promised that he never would; he complained that the media never reported a comment by Jeb Bush and seconds later, after Bush denied the charge, Trump defended himself by saying that the news reported it ten times.
Childish Behavior
This is perhaps the symptom least in need of elaboration, but here goes anyway. Trump is the most juvenile presidential candidate in this nation’s history. He lashes out with infantile insults about people’s looks and character. If he is criticized he will punch back with baseless, often unrelated, rebuttals. And that’s when he isn’t throwing tantrums like when he ditched the Fox News debate. Everyone who doesn’t exhibit unrestrained adoration is an enemy who is out to destroy him.
Trump has the ego of a four year old who believes the world revolves around him. The parts of his campaign stump speeches that aren’t attacks on his rivals are comprised primarily of bragging about how great he is at everything and how high his poll numbers are. The rest of his rhetoric, when put through the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, scored at the third grade level. Of course, that’s probably still somewhat higher than most of his Tea-vangelical supporters.
When all of this is taken into account, it seems obvious that there is a problem here that requires attention. Every day Trump validates the notion that he is mentally challenged and unfit to perform the duties of the president. His immature outbursts, his brazen narcissism, and his faulty cognition, are all indications of senility. And if any further proof were needed, take a look at this animated recreation of Trump on the campaign trail:
Two months ago Fox News moved Sean Hannity’s program to 9:00 pm. It was the latest schedule change resulting from the terminations of Fox anchors (Bill O’Reilly, Eric Bolling) accused of sexual harassment and abuse. For Hannity it was a promotion to a more desirable time slot with a potentially larger audience. He must have been excited for the opportunity.
He very likely regrets it now. The latest Nielsen ratings report for November 2017, has some depressing news for Hannity and Fox News. In the new time period Hannity has been losing to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on a regular basis. The programs are not really competing for the same viewers, but the bragging rights for being number one are important for both promotion and advertising revenue. Hannity is especially hurting on the latter as a result of his support for the pedophile senate candidate in Alabama, Roy Moore. Advertisers have been fleeing the program and a successful Stop Hannity campaign was launched.
The Nielsen ratings results for the month of November reveal another bitter loss for Sean Hannity. With the pressure of going up against Fox’s top program, Rachel Maddow managed to score an impressive victory. That makes her the number one program in all of cable News in the coveted 25-54 year old demographic. Her ratings improved year-over-year by forty-eight percent. Fox News was down eighteen percent.
On the strength of Maddow’s popularity, the rest of the MSNBC lineup benefited as well. It was the only cable news network to grow its total audience from last year, rising thirty percent. Meanwhile CNN and Fox News both declined (-49% and -31% respectively). The MSNBC primetime was a strong contender across the board, finishing either first or second.
For early risers, Morning Joe took second place and delivered its best numbers in the twenty-one year history of the network. It was also the only show in the time period to grow its audience. In the 25-54 demo Morning Joe advanced twenty-two percent. CNN was down just three percent. And the “Curvy Couch” potatoes at Donald Trump’s favorite show, Fox and Friends, fell by twelve percent.
This has to be a satisfying victory for Maddow and MSNBC. Having suffered a year of Donald Trump’s infantile whining about fake news and low ratings, the network can boast that it handily outperformed Fox News (aka State-Run TV). It’s an indication that the country is hungry for real, in-depth reporting and analysis that doesn’t talk down to them. And, more importantly, doesn’t lie or engage in humiliating episodes of fawning over and defending the ignoramus in the White House.
As we go forward we will likely see more of the same as Trump’s star falls ever further and the legal noose around his neck gets tighter. Hannity and his Fox News colleagues will undoubtedly ramp up the crazy (just as Trump is doing) in a desperate attempt to keep from becoming totally irrelevant. But their desperation will result in even more ludicrous conspiracy theories and lunatic outbursts. Who knows? This might actually end up being kinda fun to watch.
Where’s the bottom? Donald Trump is rapidly declining into a state of utter psychological incapacitation. The evidence has been apparent for years. But since becoming president the severity of his disturbance just keeps getting worse. It is unthinkable that such a diseased mind can actually occupy a position at the helm of the greatest power on Earth.
This is not a common case of partisan political differences. Trump is spiraling into a profoundly dark space wherein nothing but his ego and grim hallucinations govern official acts. In just the past few days he has raged about not being chosen Time Magazine’s Person of the Year; he insulted soldiers deployed in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving; and his anti-media tweet helped slave traders in Libya.
This is not normal. It’s dangerous. And it’s getting worse. On Tuesday there were reports that he is regressing back to his birther beliefs that President Obama is Muslim born in Kenya. He is even telling confidants that the Access Hollywood video, where he bragged about committing sexual assault, isn’t him. That’s after he previously admitted that it was and apologized (just before hyping his new hotel).
On Wednesday morning Trump devolved further into his dementia. A series of tweets show that he is unarguably unfit to serve as president. Some of them were a continuation of his campaign against the free press. For instance:
Great, and we should boycott Fake News CNN. Dealing with them is a total waste of time! https://t.co/8zJ3j7g5el
Many politicians have had disputes with the media, but no president has ever advocated boycotting a particular network because he didn’t approve of the coverage. What’s more, Trump’s boycott threat is somewhat absurd considering that he has been doing that for nearly a year already.
Next Trump dived into the issue of sexual harassment with tweets about the firing of Matt Lauer. The irony is thick considering his own disgusting record of abuse and assault. However, typical of his malady, he drifted manically off the subject:
Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!
So now that Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the “unsolved mystery” that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!
Trump’s repetitive whining about “fake news” is just getting tedious. He never actually proves any of his complaints, or even offers examples. It’s just a mindless flood of invective aimed at his perceived enemies. In this case, no one knows what the hell he’s referring to with regard to NBC News chairman Andy Lack or the others that he thinks should all be “terminated.” However, his swipe at Joe Scarborough is more proof that he’s living in a fantasy world. The incident that he wants investigated is neither a mystery nor unsolved.
Furthermore, it’s his favorite network, Fox News, that is by far the most mired in sexual harassment and abuse. It has already jettisoned its CEO (Roger Ailes), it’s biggest star (Bill O’Reilly), and several other prominent figures on the air and in the executive suites. The culture of misogyny continues at Fox with daily segments that disparage women on the news and their own personnel.
Where Trump really exhibits serious mental infirmity that calls into question his sanity is with his tweets of videos of alleged Muslim violence. The problem is that he’s retweeting a notorious British Islamophobe and an official with Britain First, a white nationalist organization. She is a convicted racist who has previously posted content that was proven to be hoaxes. Naturally, none of the videos in Trump’s tweets were verified as authentic.
Why would the President of the United States disseminate dubious materials whose only purpose is to incite hatred and violence? Trump would never post videos of the vast majority of responsible Muslims helping their community or country. He is focused squarely on creating more hate and division. It’s an obsession. Even the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, lashed out at Trump’s recklessness saying that “Britain First seeks to divide communities in their use of hateful narratives which pedal lies and stoke tensions. […] It is wrong for the President to have done this.”
On top of that, Trump’s press secretary, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, is an enabler of Trump’s lunacy. When asked about the sketchy source for the videos he retweeted she gave an almost unimaginably obtuse reply:
“Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real and that is what the president is talking about. That’s what the president is focused on.”
She is actually saying that it doesn’t matter if the videos are fake. This from the administration that constantly (and dishonestly) calls all media, except for Fox News, fake. Never mind that. Trump is allowed to promote phony videos any time he wants, even if they are openly bigoted hoaxes intended to incite violence.
The longer Trump is in office, the more perilous America’s future. If he doesn’t start a war with North Korea or Iran, he’ll incite white riots here at home. His muddled brain is too dysfunctional to perform his job and, if special counsel Robert Mueller doesn’t take him out of the game, then Congress and any sane members of the administration have to do it. And judging by the rapid descent he is showing, they don’t have much time.
Posted by Mark NC on November 28, 2017 at 3:45 pm.
NOComments :
The debate over Donald Trump’s obsession with disgorging himself on Twitter has stirred a variety of opinions. Many people say he is reckless, insulting, and childish, and that his outbursts can be damaging to American interests. Others say he is just just expressing himself and it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Those in the latter groups are wrong.
On Saturday Trump post a tweet that, on the surface, appeared to be typical Trumpian bluster. It was another assault on the free press that he despises so furiously. This particular message was directed at CNN’s international news bureau:
.@FoxNews is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN, but outside of the U.S., CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!
Needless to say, Fox News is only important to conservative partisans who need reinforcement of their political prejudices and deceit. It’s a vital outlet for right-wingers who can’t think for themselves. But the more disturbing part of this tweet is Trump’s slander of a major American news source and its international journalists who risk their lives to tell stories critical to the welfare of the our country and our world. And the damage that Trump’s infantile tantrums can cause was just revealed in a horrific way, as reported in The Guardian:
“A tweet by Donald Trump accusing CNN of purveying ‘fake news’ has been seized on by Libyan media to challenge a report by the US broadcaster which suggested modern day slave auctions were being held in the country. […] in a sign that the US president’s persistent attacks on the credibility of American news outlets has a real world effect, the broadcaster Libya 218 used the tweet to question the credibility of the CNN video.”
In other words, the perpetrators of slave trade in Libya were caught in the act, but were able to dismiss the charges using Trump’s criticism of CNN as proof that their reporting can’t be trusted. The Guardian’s story went on to say that Libyan broadcasters regarded CNN’s reporting as an effort “to secure an as yet hidden political objective.”
So what Trump has done is to assist the slavery market in Libya, and everywhere else, by telling the world that the President of the United States thinks CNN’s reporting is fake. That message can and will be extended to all other criminal activities uncovered by dedicated and courageous journalists. And this is precisely what Trump intends. He hopes that his media smear campaign will have the same effect domestically as his own crimes are revealed.
When special counsel Robert Mueller completes his investigation, the press will report his findings related to Trump’s collusion with Russia, his financial corruption, and his attempts to obstruct justice. When those reports come out Trump will slander them as fake and hope to avoid the consequences of his lawless depravity and greed. But he may have more trouble with the American press than its counterparts in Libya. With the exception of Fox News, we don’t have a state-run media in the U.S.
Lying schmuckraker James O’Keefe continues on a downward spiral of lameness. With every new video from his ludicrously named Project Veritas, he manages to fail worse than the one before. His latest epic backfire involves an effort to prop up the pedophile senate candidate in Alabama, Roy Moore, while simultaneously smearing the Washington Post. The results are almost too painful to watch.
The Washington Post documented the whole affair from their first encounter with O’Keefe’s stooge, Jaime Phillips. She contacted the Post to report that she was an underage lover of Moore who got pregnant and had an abortion at his urging. The Post was suspicious from the start and declined to publish her story after finding inconsistencies. Their account noted that:
“In a series of interviews over two weeks, the woman shared a dramatic story about an alleged sexual relationship with Moore in 1992 that led to an abortion when she was 15. During the interviews, she repeatedly pressed Post reporters to give their opinions on the effects that her claims could have on Moore’s candidacy if she went public.”
This is typical of O’Keefe’s operation. They try to get their subjects to say something that can later be deceitfully edited to put them in a bad light. It hardly matters to O’Keefe if anything untoward was actually said so long as he can get enough material to shred in the editing room. But in this case he never got his fraudulent scheme off the ground:
“The Post did not publish an article based on her unsubstantiated account. When Post reporters confronted her with inconsistencies in her story and an Internet posting that raised doubts about her motivations, she insisted that she was not working with any organization that targets journalists. But on Monday morning, Post reporters saw her walking into the New York offices of Project Veritas, an organization that targets the mainstream news media and left-leaning groups.”
O’Keefe’s stooge actually led the Post reporters straight back to his lair where he was busted. While there they tried to interview him but he ran away without answering any questions. Although he did try to claim that the Post was using his methods of getting an interview. That, of course, is laughable since they identified themselves immediately and asked him straight forward questions. O’Keefe’s methods typically involve lying and misrepresenting himself and his purpose.
For those unfamiliar with James O’Keefe, he is an ultra-right wing propagandist who produces deliberately falsified videos. He was convicted of improperly trespassing in a senator’s office where he allegedly hoped to tamper with the phone lines. He was ordered to pay $100,000 to a former attorney for ACORN after his dishonest portrayal of the organization. One of his “stings” involved setting up a “love boat” where he tried (and failed) to seduce a CNN reporter. His work was dubbed“little more than a canard and political disinformation,” by prosecutors in Texas (I repeat, Texas!). And his despicable lack of character has even caused his friends and colleagues to turn on him.
What’s worse is that in this skeezy affair O’Keefe paid a deluded woman to pretend to be a victim of a pedophile in order to discredit the painful confessions of actual victims. He wasn’t just trying to smear the Post. He was smearing Moore’s accusers as well. Consequently, his lame attempt to prove that WaPo is a purveyor of fake news actually affirmed that it is a responsible journalistic enterprise that vets its stories thoroughly. O’Keefe actually made the allegations against Moore even more credible.
The Post’s adherence to the tenets of professional journalism has proven again what a slimy weasel O’Keefe is. They were not fooled by his pitiful tactics. In fact, they got much of it on video. Mediate has several clips that show the Post’s interview of O’Keefe’s stooge, the attempt to interview O’Keefe, and a sad clip of O’Keefe pretending he still has some damning footage of something. You really have to wonder when this slimeball will tire of falling on his face.
America’s first Reality TV president still hasn’t risen from the inanities of television game shows to the seriousness of world leadership. Donald Trump’s total inability to behave at a level above a tantrum throwing toddler is frightening and dangerous for our nation – and planet.
In another demonstration of his persistent infantilism, Trump returned from a Thanksgiving vacation at his Palm Beach golf resort to his porcelain throne at the White House and fired off a couple of tweets that affirm his narcissism and hatred of the free press. He began with this rhetorical flatulence:
We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!
The Donald should be careful what he wishes for. The contest he is proposing has already taken place in the form of polls that compare the public’s trust in the media to their trust in him. And despite his relentless smear campaign against the free press, he comes out the loser in every match-up. That’s right, he loses to CNN, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and all of the broadcast news networks. He is even getting hammered in a Twitter poll attached to his own tweet.
It’s a rather pathetic display of hubris for Trump to proclaim himself anyone’s “favorite president.” Particularly when he is still wallowing in the lowest depths of presidential polling in modern history. Americans rebuke him on almost every character trait as well as his overwhelmingly unpopular policies. Yet the only thing he can do is swing wildly at the press in a tactic favored by dictators throughout time. And his tirades are entirely ego-driven. In another of his morning tweets he goes after his former pal, Joe Scarborough:
This was in response to a tweet by his Director of Social Media, Dan Scavino, who sought to embarrass Morning Joe for pre-taping a Thanksgiving episode. Someone should tell them that Sean Hannity pre-tapes every show he does on Fox News. And furthermore, they should be informed that Morning Joe is enjoying it’s highest ratings ever. It is currently the number two morning news program. And the only thing that Trump’s ranting does is make those ratings numbers go even higher.
Clearly Trump is suffering a massive meltdown due to his anxiety over the impending legal doom he’s facing. Special counsel Robert Mueller is closing in on him and his crime family. That fear is being manifested in incoherent tweets and empty (and sad) self-exaltation. But he’s right about one thing. If there were a contest for a fake news trophy, Fox News should not be allowed to compete. It would be decidedly unfair because they would win every category. Better to just exempt them and name the trophy on their behalf: The Fox News Fake News Award (aka The Foxy). This year’s top contenders would be Breitbart News, Rush Limbaugh, and Alex Jones.
The spectacle of anyone at Fox News complaining about media bias is always an adventure in mind-blowing hypocrisy. The network created purposefully to disseminate right-wing propaganda has devolved into full fledged State TV during the Donald Trump administration. It’s entire schedule is populated by Trump-fluffers who unabashedly fawn over his every word and fiercely defend his innumerable lies, insults, and harmful and illegal actions.
However, they may have outdone themselves this weekend with a segment on Trump’s favorite TV show, Fox and Friends (video below). Co-host Pete Hegseth found an article by the ultra-rightist Free Beacon that pretended to discover a covert liberal plot to meet with other liberals and talk to each other. Oh.My.God! It had all the elements of a wingnut nightmare: Nancy Pelosi, George Soros, and a representative of the lefty, mainstream, “fake” news. Hegseth stared vacantly into the camera and delivered this fearsome rant:
“A Washington Post reporter is under fire after she got caught attending a top secret meeting with the Democracy Alliance where Democratic donors were outlining their future of their progressive agenda. According to the Washington Free Beacon, that reporter, Janelle Ross, gave a presentation at the California event without notifying her superiors at the Washington Post. The paper says she’s been reminded that the Post discourages participating events that can be perceived as partisan. I wonder what would happen if the same so-called journalist attended an – I don’t know – a Koch brothers session.”
Let’s unwind this cognitive mess. First of all, the Democracy Alliance event was not “top secret.” It’s an annual affair that invites Democratic political dignitaries and donors. The notion that Pelosi, the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, could sneak off to a clandestine gathering at a fancy resort without being noticed is just plain stupid.
The presence of the Post’s Janelle Ross may have stepped over the line of journalistic neutrality, but it was hardly a conspiracy. She’s a little known beat reporter who attended the conference on her own with full disclosure in the event’s brochure. It in no way reflects on the Washington Post organization as whole.
However, the worst part of Hegseth’s tirade was when he speculated about the reaction if a reporter were to show up at a conservative conference sponsored by famous right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers. What Hegseth somehow failed to mention was that the woman sitting next to him and co-hosting the program, Lisa Boothe, is currently being promoted as a featured speaker at an upcoming conservative conference sponsored by, among others, the Koch brothers. And it bears repeating that she’s sitting right next to him.
This should prove to be the dumpster fire of the season. With 5 #FoxNews hosts, 3 disgraced Trump flunkies, and even pre-prison Donnie, Jr. #sas2017pic.twitter.com/ER2oqNmVyx
Turning Point USA is a right-wing operation that is reaching out to millennials. It lists its partners as the Leadership Institute, Heritage Action, and the Heartland Institute. All of these are recipients of Koch funding. A glance at the event’s advertisement reveals that Fox News is deeply embedded in the affair. And it’s not just some backbenchers. The network’s anchors are proudly attending and speaking at the conference. They include, in addition to Boothe, Jeanine Pirro, Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, and Brian Kilmeade.
What’s more, some regular Fox News contributors and frequent guests are also on the roster. Notable names such as Tomi Lahren, Ben Shapiro, Sebastian Gorka, and Guy Benson. And let’s not leave out Trump’s inner circlers Steve Bannon (of Breitbart News), Kayleigh McEnany (RNC spokesperson), even headliner Donnie, Jr. Rounding out the team are the right’s premier scumbags Dinesh D’Zousa, Joe Walsh, James O’Keefe, and Anthony Scaramucci.
Fox News is obviously an integral part of this conservative conference. You don’t have five anchors as featured speakers without having fully signed on as partners. Fox News has not issued any statement as to their participation or indicated that it violates any internal standards (I know. “standards” and “Fox News” in the same sentence is a joke). The abundance of well known Fox associates makes the actions of WaPo’s reporter seem trivial. But Hegseth and Boothe ignoring the hypocrisy of this segment is almost too ludicrous to believe were it not on video.
The best indicator of a total collapse of mental stability is when an argument makes so little sense it is both painful and laughable. It’s an affirmation of craziness that is impossible to dismiss. And the crazy at Fox News just keeps getting laid on thicker with every passing day. For example, today we have a doozy courtesy of Fox News contributor Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer.
Shaffer is a well established wingnut who jumps at every opportunity to bash liberals and Democrats. That, of course, is how he got hired by Fox News to provide military commentaries. But following the awful terrorist attack in Egypt, Shaffer crossed a line of decency that has become far too common for Fox News. In his strained attempt to explain the tragedy he said this (video below):
“The things we’re seeing right now, Jesse, are the result of the complete failure of leadership by the Obama White House and by the Obama Congress.”
That’s right. Somehow, after leaving office ten months ago, President Obama is still to blame for a terrorist attack that occurred in another country that is 6,000 miles away. And the Congress, that has been under GOP control for seven years in the House and three years in the Senate, is still the “Obama Congress.” According to Shaffer it’s because of a lack of aid to help Egypt fight terrorism. Never mind that it was Obama who actually restored aid that was previously cut off by the Republican congress.
What’s more, Donald Trump has been bragging incessantly about how he has personally reformed the military which, he says, is now winning every battle and defeating ISIS. He even gave thanks – to himself – this Thanksgiving for the alleged improvements. It’s difficult to figure out how Trump could have defeated ISIS while it is still conducting terrorist operations and killing hundreds of innocent people. It’s a cognitive dysfunction that can only exist in his diseased mind.
After having told more than 1,600 lies since Inauguration Day, it isn’t really news anymore when Donald Trump wildly diverges from the truth. He has proven himself to be a pathological liar who fabricates stories even when there is no clear advantage in doing so.
That aberrant behavior explains his latest tweet wherein he whines pitifully about not being named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” He obviously regards it as a personal affront even though the designation is not intended to be an award of praise. Just ask prior recipient Adolf Hitler. Nevertheless, Trump’s ego is mortally wounded as revealed in this hastily scribbled tweet:
Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!
The first thing to note about this display of conceit and ignorance is that Trump is brazenly lying. There was no call to inform him of his status as Person of the Year. Time Magazine doesn’t do that. Nor do they require photo shoots or interviews. Time tweeted a response to Trump’s pretend phone call that said:
The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6.
One year after insisting that he would never be picked, he was picked. And he considered it “a great honor.” Which, of course, it was never meant to be:
Thank you to Time Magazine and Financial Times for naming me "Person of the Year" – a great honor!
The poor thing just can’t make up his mind. He is alternately contemptuous and fawning. Apparently he regards Time Magazine as an irrelevant but honorable rag that he appreciates despite it having no credibility. And he hates it so much that he made up fake covers of himself to hang prominently in his resorts.
With his latest outburst he jettisons all of his previous opinions to simply lie about a fake phone call and an imaginary slight. It’s behavior like this that makes you wonder if there isn’t someone who cares for him that will get him the help he so obviously needs.
