Month: July 2018

The Metamorphosis: Former GOP House Oversight Chair Fills In for Hannity on Fox News

Posted by on July 6, 2018 at 4:50 pm. 2 Comments :

News Corpse has documented the parade of former Fox News personnel into Donald Trump’s adminsitration. The White House is currently infested with ex-Fox News vermin including National Security Advisor John Bolton, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, HHS Secretary Ben Carson, Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, and chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow. Most recently, at the urging of Sean Hannity, Trump hired former Fox News president Bill Shine, whose experience covering up for liars and sexual predators will come in handy.

Fox News, Jason Chaffetz

However, the door swings both ways. Rejects from the White House have become familiar faces on Fox News. In recent weeks ex-Trump aides landing at Fox include Sebastian Gorka, Anthony Scaramucci, and Sean Spicer. But one of the most prominent new Foxies is the former Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chaffetz. He resigned his seat in Congress and almost immediately signed up with Fox News. And his star at Fox is rising. On Thursday night Chaffetz was the guest host on Fox’s number one program, Sean Hannity.

The Chaffetz debut as a host was jarring to watch. He was the most conspicuously partisan member of Congress who presided over endless inquisitions intended to bring down Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. From Benghazi to emails to Planned Parenthood to Fast and Furious, Chaffetz was the leader of the anti-Hillary crusade. It was a purely political assault that produced no evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever after years of costly hearings and phony investigations.

On Thursday’s episode of Hannity, Chaffetz interviewed his partner in crime, Trey Gowdy. It was Gowdy who took the gavel of the House Oversight Committee when Chaffetz retired. He was also the chair of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. So this “interview” was really just a televised reunion between two of Congress’ fiercest anti-Democratic partisans. They spent five full minutes just bashing Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.

Then they segued to trying to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Trump’s collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice. From there Chaffetz led a discussion about the protester who scaled the Statue of Liberty on Independence Day. One subject that never came up was the surprise resignation of the wholly unethical and corrupt Scott Pruitt from the Environmental Protection Agency. Also not discussed were the thousands of immigrant children who are still not reunited with their parents.

The entire hour was nothing more than an extended session of the House committees they sat on in Congress. It was like watching CSPAN with better graphics and catheter commercials. And of course, only one side of every issue was offered through most of the show. It’s one thing to see Sean Hannity do the same thing every night. But when a former congressman is sitting in the anchor’s chair it just cements the impression that Fox News is not in any way differentiated from the political partisans they hype 24/7.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

And what makes this even worse is that Chaffetz is probably a temporary pundit on Fox. He is widely expected to run for governor of Utah in 2020. So he’s using this platform to advance his candidacy. Which means that Fox is both paying him a healthy salary, and giving him millions of dollars of free promotion. It’s the merging of media with at least two branches of government, the legislative and the executive. And Trump is working furiously to add the judicial to the mix. That’s what is known in most other countries as a totalitarian dictatorship.

A Very Confused Fox News is Now Attacking a CNN Reporter – for Attacking CNN

Posted by on July 6, 2018 at 2:10 pm. 3 Comments :

When Fox News was treated badly during the Obama administration, the rest of the media would quickly come to their defense with unqualified support for the free press. And as an expression of their gratitude, Fox News has made sure to viciously slander their media colleagues at every opportunity. They are fulfilling their role as the State TV division of Donald Trump’s White House, where the media is considered to be “the enemy of the American people.”

Tucker Carlson Fox News

On Friday Brian Flood, a Fox News media reporter, did an analysis of old tweets by his counterpart at CNN, Oliver Darcy. The story was intended to reveal some sort of hypocrisy on Darcy’s part for being critical of CNN prior to joining them, but then failing to be critical of his new employer.

Really? Fox News is surprised that an employee of CNN isn’t bashing his own network? In a perfect world every media critic would hold all reporting to the same standards for ethics and professionalism. But for Fox News to lash out at Darcy for this reason is laughable. Fox is the most insulated pseudo-news enterprise ever created. Not only will they never criticize their own reporting, they won’t even correct or apologize for blatant errors of fact.

The examples Flood sited of Darcy’s criticisms of CNN were not exactly blistering They included a critique of Kathy Griffin appearing in a bra on the New Year’s Eve telecast. And mocking CNN’s use of a “Breaking News” banner that’s nearly a permanent fixture on the screen (which Fox News does as well). And a comment on CNN’s website that chided the network for posting a flurry of pro-Clinton stories. Would Flood have preferred that Darcy approved of that partisanship?

In addition to the awkward spectacle of Fox News complaining about a CNN reporter criticizing CNN, Flood also flagrantly misrepresented a tweet wherein Darcy allegedly accused CNN of letting “people just make stuff up on the airwaves.” In fact, the tweet wasn’t a hit on CNN, but was chastising a pro-Trump shill who was a guest on the network. And the charge that Darcy doesn’t criticize CNN now is also untrue. A quick search turned up this example wherein Darcy took CNN to task for taking Trump out of context. When CNN was reached for a response to Flood’s story, they said:

“Oliver was critical of CNN before, just as he is now. CNN is a place where opinions and ideas are valued. And we encourage staff to share their thoughts about the organization – both positive and critical. While this might seem like an exotic concept to you, we’d headline it ‘Media Reporter Does Job.’ This is a nothing story.”

However, if Fox News thinks it’s relevant to take old, negative comments from a network correspondent and insist that they have some significance today, then they had better look in the proverbial mirror. Fox’s newest star host in primetime is Tucker Carlson. But there was a time when Carlson had a less than flattering opinion of Fox News. In fact, he called them “a mean, sick group of people.” That’s a far worse, and far more personal assault than mocking a “Breaking News” chyron.

Perhaps even more troubling than what a current Foxie said long ago, is what former Foxies are saying right now. Lt. Col. Ralph Peters was Fox’s military strategist for many years. He recently quit the network saying that he was “ashamed” to be associated with it, and that it has become “a propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration.” He also called Carlson a Nazi apologist. I’m waiting for Fox’s searing article on those commentaries by people associated with Fox News.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

WANTED: Fox News Posts Unintentionally Hilarious Ad Seeking ‘Storyteller’ for Fox and Friends

Posted by on July 5, 2018 at 4:21 pm. NO Comments :

It must be terribly difficult to recruit qualified people to compose the malarkey that gushes out of Fox and Friends every morning. The “Curvy Couch” potatoes cannot be expected to come up with all of that ludicrous bullcrap on their own. It takes a team of dedicated liars and seasoned propagandists to create the abundance of seemingly effortless ignorance that is the hallmark of Fox News.

Fox News Lies

Consequently, the current opening on their staff was advertised on the Indeed job recruiting website. The posting described the requirements for employment at “the # 1 National Cable Morning Show.” Notice that they don’t say “Cable Morning “News” Show.” And for all of you aspiring Fox newsers, here is some of what you’ll need to know to be considered.

First of all, the ad says that “You are a storyteller.” Because telling stories – not reporting facts – is the paramount mission of Fox News. You must also “know the difference between an attention-grabbing headline and burying the lead.” But apparently you don’t need to know the correct spelling of “lede,” when referring to the most important part of an article.

The job requires that you work the “graveyard” shift, between midnight and 9:00am. But don’t get sleepy because you’ll be expected to “Research and craft stories in a way that resonates with our viewers.” That’s an undisguised admission that catering to the preconceptions of the wingnut cultists who are glued to Fox News is more important than accuracy or truth. Nevertheless, the ad also lists as a requirement an “understanding of fair and balanced journalism.” Presumably that’s so that the applicant can differentiate between fairness and balance (a slogan that Fox has stopped using) and what Fox News does. Which makes the the quality of “Thinking outside the box to tell a story” more understandable, so long as “the box” is where they hide the actual facts.

Finally, the ad contains the typical boilerplate language assuring that Fox News is “an equal opportunity employer.” That means no discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.” Discriminating against any of those groups, however, is still permissable in their reporting. The disclaimer also includes this protection: “We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable law.” That’s convenient for Fox News who already regularly features people with criminal pasts including Mark Fuhrman, Joe Arpaio, Oliver North, Bernard Kerik, Dinesh D’Souza, Gregg Jarrett, and surely some more I’ve forgotten.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

So get out those resumes. If you have a commitment to lying on behalf of a corrupt administration; if you are devoted to exalting Donald Trump no matter how repulsive or dishonest he is; if you’re comfortable with throwing away your reputation and prospects for future employment anywhere other than Fox or Breitbart News, then this is the job for you. And if you’re really lucky you might even get a shout-out from the President or a job at the White House.

Grumpy Old Trump Yells Impotently at Congress to ‘Get Those Immigrants Off of My Lawn’

Posted by on July 5, 2018 at 11:00 am. 1 Comments :

On the day following America’s birthday, Donald Trump resumes his hostile stance toward immigrants. There is a sad irony to Trump using Independence Day for his relentless attacks on the category of people most responsible for this country’s progress and prosperity. But it’s also as predictable as the sunrise.

Donald Trump, Immigrant, Child

On Thursday morning Trump was doing the critical work of the presidency, as he normally does. Just kidding. He was tweeting, of course. And in this spray of ignorant and agitated nonsense, Trump displayed one of the cliche characteristics of grumpy old men who fear every shadow that approaches. He lashed out frightened and vulnerable people who are seeking the goodness of America’s compassion toward refugees and asylum seekers, and told them to “get off of my lawn.”

Like a broken record, Trump bleats out his typically ill-informed complaints about immigration laws that he says are “insane.” Never mind that he has been the sole obstacle of bipartisan efforts to reform them. He carelessly writes that when people “enter our Country, they must be told to leave.” Notice that he didn’t even say anything about them entering illegally. He’s saying all people. Of course, that was a just mistake of omission on his part. He meant to say all non-white people.

However, the key phrase in Trump’s Twitter tirade came as he sought trivialize the complex issue of immigration. Saying that “they must leave, just as they would if they were standing on your front lawn,” is glaringly stupid. It’s a lame attempt to conflate personal property with the much broader matter of federal immigration laws. Unless he’s suggesting that people from other countries could legally apply with the government for residency on “your front lawn” and eventually become citizens of your house.

Trump went on to whine about the burden of “hiring thousands of ‘judges'” to decide the fate of the families seeking asylum. He made that up. There is no plan – or need – to increase the judiciary for that purpose. Most of these cases have historically been resolved through civil adjudication. It would probably be necessary to provide some more resources to make that process more efficient, but it wouldn’t be by hiring judges or anywhere near thousands of the appropriate arbitrators.

Trump closed his morning catharsis with an all caps demand to Congress that they “FIX OUR INSANE IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW!” Does he think that by yelling on Twitter the representatives are going to snap to attention and obey his commands? Well, probably yes, he does think that. But it isn’t true. The problem will be solved when Congress gets the courage to negotiate a fair and bipartisan bill that addresses the issues at hand, and compels the President to sign it under the threat of a veto override.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

In the meantime, DACA applicants are still living in fear of being deported from the only home they have ever known. And children are still terrified from having been ripped out of their parents arms and sent to virtual prisons, a human rights abuse that they can’t possibly understand. That’s the most pressing “INSANE” policy that needs to be resolved “NOW.” And if necessary, every American should yell at Congress to do it.

Fox News Message on Independence Day: Democrats Should ‘Think the Same Way’ Trump Does

Posted by on July 4, 2018 at 11:41 am. 3 Comments :

There is much to reflect on concerning America on the day that it is celebrating its Independence. The principles embedded in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are a continuing source of pride and a standard for goals that are still being pursued. As stipulated in the preamble to the Constitution, the endeavor to “form a more perfect Union” is one that never ends, and that each new generation must recommit to.

Sarah Huckabee-Sanders

On this particular Independence Day, however, there are immigrants – much like the ones who fled oppression from England – who are being incarcerated, with children being ripped from the arms of their parents. There is a President who cozies up to foreign dictators while insulting long-time allies. There are citizens who are castigated for exercising their civil rights. And Donald Trump has managed to drag the country down to the point where less than half (47%) of those polled say they are “extremely proud” to be American – a new low.

So to commemorate this day, Fox News brought Trump’s press secretary, surly Sarah Sanders, on to further divide the country and disparage anyone who dares to disagree with the President and his regressive agenda. And she surely didn’t disappoint the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends, or their cranky viewers (video below).

Sanders began innocently enough by saying that “people should be free to disagree” but then insisted that they should do it “in a way that is much nicer.” Because when confronting heinous evils like family separation, sabotaging healthcare, cutting Social Security, and selling out the country to Russia, politeness is paramount.

Sanders continued by defending herself against those who would criticize her by claiming that she would “continue to always treat people with respect.” Like she did with CNN’s Jim Acosta when she said he couldn’t “understand even short sentences.” Or like she did when she questioned the intelligence of NBC’s Hallie Jackson in an effort to avoid a question, telling Jackson that it “shows the lack of knowledge that you have.” But the most repugnant part of Sanders’ tirade was her flagrant disrespect for free thought on this day that celebrates Independence. Sanders implied that Democrats don’t want to make the country better, like the Trump administration (allegedly) does. And she has the solution:

“If Democrats start thinking about it the same way we are they’d be a lot better off. […] It’s a sad day in America for Democrats and the Democrat (sic) Party when their only message is one of intolerance and one of attacking people who love this country and are trying to do good things for it.”

So everyone should just start thinking like Donald Trump? God help us all. The fact that Sanders said three times in less than a minute that this Independence Day is “a sad day,” says a lot about her commitment to positive change. And the oft-repeated lie that Democrats have no message is proof that Republicans have no ears. How about expanding healthcare for all Americans? Or treating asylum seekers with respect and compassion? [Check out this startling video of Ronald Reagan’s thoughts on the matter]. Or reforming taxes so that the disadvantaged aren’t supporting the wealthy? Or protecting Americans from rampant gun violence? Or affirming the rights of women to control their own bodies? Or ending the scourge of unarmed African-Americans getting killed by police? Or stopping the undemocratic practices of gerrymandering and voter suppression?

Is that enough of a message for Sanders and Fox News? How about we add holding the President accountable for his criminal, and possibly traitorous, behavior in colluding with Russia to steal the election? Or his obvious efforts to obstruct justice? Or his financial corruption, self-dealing, and personal enrichment by exploiting his position? You think that would do it?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

UPDATE: Fox News Senior Political Analyst, and former news anchor, Brit Hume, has joined the call to divide America on Independence Day. With a link to an extremist right-wing blog that said Democrats hate America, Hume tweeted his agreement saying that “they sure don’t love it.”

Shepard Smith of Fox News On Trump’s North Korea Lies: ‘Who Do They Think They’re Kidding’?

Posted by on July 3, 2018 at 3:39 pm. NO Comments :

In yet another display of desperation, Donald Trump sought to misdirect people’s attention from the voluminous flow of bad news that is threatening to overwhelm him. So he took to Twitter on Tuesday to blast out a parade of blatantly false rants in the hopes of taking the spotlight off his crumbling presidency. They included a slap at Harley Davidson, a crackpot conspiracy about Obama and Iran, some nonsense about the economy, and an insult to Maxine Waters.

Fox News, Donald Trump

However, the most unhinged blathering of the day was in a tweet that took credit for progress with North Korea that was totally imaginary. Trump’s self-exaltation ignored the fact that his own intelligence agencies have learned that Kim Jong Un has actually been advancing his nuclear facilities, not dismantling them. But the facts notwithstanding, Trump tweets that “If not for me, we would now be at War with North Korea!”

Of course it was only Trump’s infantile tantrums that led to the threat of war in the first place. He can hardly take credit now for reducing the tensions by giving Kim everything he wanted without preconditions, certification, or verification. And while most of the Fox News roster of Trump-fluffers has leaped aboard his runaway train, there is one who has his feet planted firmly on the ground.

Shepard Smith addressed the issue of Trump’s negotiations with Kim in a segment on Tuesday’s program. He was interviewing former CIA analyst Tara Maller, who noted that “We’re not any closer to getting towards denuclearization,” and that “All we’ve seen up until now are a lot of words.” Smith agreed saying that “Goals are great. [But the] Reality is awful,” and that North Korea was making “the exact same promise that North Korea has made and broken for decades.” But then he added this:

“I don’t understand who they think they’re kidding here. First, we had maximum sanctions and the world together said ‘no north Korea, no north Korea, no north Korea. Then we got together, took some pictures, said some words, and now the expansion continues. Things seem to be worse. And yet the threats of sanctions and all the rest went away.”

Let me clear up the matter of who Trump thinks he’s kidding. It’s all the the brain-dead Trump cultists who believe everything he says, no matter how delusional. And most of the Fox News audience who have lost all ability to discern fact from obvious bullshit. Smith deserves some credit for recognizing that Trump’s deliberately false tirades have no basis in reality and shouldn’t fool anyone. But he needs to accept that it’s his colleagues at Fox News who are propagating Trump’s lies with the intention of deceiving viewers. That’s who Trump thinks he’s kidding, and he’s right.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Yes, Jim Jordan is a Loathsome Creep, But Let’s Not Forget About Trump’s Sexual Deviancy

Posted by on July 3, 2018 at 11:46 am. 1 Comments :

Another day, another Republican sleazeball is revealed. This time it’s the grating and obnoxious Donald Trump cultist, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan has repeatedly been shamed for his ignorance and bombast as he pursues a zealot’s path toward fame and possible leadership in the GOP-controlled (for now) House of Representatives. But now he is the subject of a scandal that is far worse than the imaginary conspiracy theories he promotes.

Jim Jordan

Jordan is being accused of “turning a blind eye” to years of sexual abuse by a team doctor when Jordan was the wrestling coach at Ohio State. He denies having any knowledge of the abuse, but members of the wrestling team say that they personally reported it to him and sought his help, which he never provided.

Jordan is going to have to come up with a better story than ignorance. And this affair will surely hamper his obsessive efforts to slander Trump’s critics, particularly those involving Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigations into Trump’s collusion with Russia. obstruction of justice, and various financial improprieties. It will be hard for Jordan to address his “witch hunt” crusade without having to answer questions about his dubious past. In fact, you might not see Jordan on TV for a while.

While all of that is important and deserves the attention of the press and the public, it is also a reminder that the President of the United States is still the nation’s most prominent sexual predator. We, as a nation, cannot let let his abhorrent behavior go unpunished. Trump’s abusive acts have been well known for some time. He even admitted to criminal sexual assault in the “grab ’em by the pussy” video from Access Hollywood. But he was elected president anyway by so-called “family values” voters who dismissed his contemptible conduct in favor of rank party politics. And he has the full support of Fox News, a network whose corporate culture virtually encourages sexual harassment.

This would be a good time to watch the video produced by Brave New Films, if you haven’t already done so. It’s a compilation of sixteen of Trump’s accusers describing the acts committed against them. It’s a moving presentation that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. In a just world it would be ample evidence to remove the Predator-in-Chief from office. And here is where you can contribute to Jordan’s congressional opponent, Janet Garrett.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News Buries Bombshell on Trump’s Fixer Michael Cohen – Posts Fake Obama/Iran Story Instead

Posted by on July 2, 2018 at 1:13 pm. 3 Comments :

On Monday morning there was one big story that was dominating the news. Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s attorney – and self-described fixer – was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos for ABC News. In the interview Cohen pretty clearly indicated that he was no longer willing to “take a bullet” for Trump. He told Stephanopoulos that “My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will.”

Fox News, Michael Cohen, Obama

This development is properly being handled like the bombshell that it is by most of the media. Cohen’s additional announcement that he will no longer participate in a joint defense agreement with Trump is generally regarded as a prelude to flipping on the President and cooperating with prosecutors. Even Judge Andrew Napolitano of Fox News said Trump should have some “sleepless nights” over this.

However, if you were to visit the Fox News website Monday morning you would have had a hard time finding anything related to this blockbuster story. A long scroll down the front page would have eventually brought you to a single line on the subject that linked to a two minute video clip. Later in the day that was replaced by the Napolitano quote. And on the air, Fox News covered the story on Outnumbered in a segment that cast Cohen as “not credible” because he was “going against” the President. Apparently on Fox News that’s all you need to know to be considered not credible.

Meanwhile, the Fox News website chose to put a story at the top of their page that was somewhat less timely. The headline: “Path to Citizenship? Powerful cleric claims Obama naturalized thousands of Iranian VIPs during nuke talks.” Fox had to reach back three years to pull this story out of the woodwork. And it was still just a jumble of fiercely spinning jabs at President Obama. None of them hit their mark because they were so far fetched and thinly argued. The article said that:

“The Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, including family members of government officials, while negotiating the Iran nuclear deal, a senior cleric and member of parliament has claimed.

“Hojjat al-Islam Mojtaba Zolnour, who is chairman of Iran’s parliamentary nuclear committee and a member of its national security and foreign affairs committee, made the allegations during an interview with the country’s Etemad newspaper, cited by the country’s Fars News agency.

“He claimed it was done as a favor to senior Iranian officials linked to President Hassan Rouhani, and he alleged the move sparked a competition among Iranian officials over whose children would benefit from the scheme.”

First of all, everything being reported here is coming from Iran’s state news operation and a hardliner within the Iranian government. For some reason Fox News is granting them the journalistic legitimacy that they would never give to the New York Times, or CNN. But more to the point, the article actually outlines a story wherein Obama allowed Iranian dissidents to emigrate to the United States where they are reportedly working against the national interests of the theocratic, totalitarians in Iran. But that isn’t revealed until much further down in the article:

“[Zolnour] estimated that between 30 and 60 were studying in the U.S. while the rest of them were working in the country ‘against our national interests.'”

So Fox News is deliberately trying to cast Obama in a negative light as having done favors for the offspring of Iranian dictators. But the truth is that he was securing the freedom of Iranian dissidents who oppose the current regime. And this fake news story was elevated to the top of the page, even while the much more consequential (and truthful) story about Michael Cohen was virtually eliminated. It’s kind of ironic that Fox is offering this lesson in how State TV works in an article about Iran’s state TV. Fox News can teach Iran so much about propaganda.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

UPDATE: By Monday afternoon Fox News had replaced their Obama/Iran feature story with one about California splitting into three states. That may be even less newsworthy (and extremely unlikely to happen) than the Iran story. And still just one small link to Cohen, this one linking to a video clip with Shepard Smith.

Trump Threatens Americans Who Disagree with Him in Slobbering Fox News Interview

Posted by on July 1, 2018 at 10:54 am. 3 Comments :

On Sunday morning Fox News aired another in its long-running series, “Everybody Loves Donald,” wherein the the lead character, Donald Trump, is slathered in a tsunami of wet kisses by a hopelessly infatuated State TV hostess. It was as embarrassing an episode of propaganda as has ever been broadcast on American television. And it can hardly be called an interview since there wasn’t a single question that didn’t lavish praise on the President or lambaste his critics.

Fox News, Donald Trump, Maria Bartiromo

The love interest in this story is Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, who used to be a financial reporter, but has fully transformed into a Class A Trump-fluffer. Her dialog with Trump could not have been more obsequious (look it up Donnie), as she endeavored to canonize the President and adoringly agree with every lie told. See if you can figure out why Trump loves Bartiromo so much.

During this tongue bath Trump said that “The European Union is possibly as bad as China.” And that “Everybody who bought a Harley-Davidson voted for Trump.” Really? Even the Hell’s Angels and the Mongols? He said that he believes Kim Jong Un’s promise to denuclearize North Korea, even though evidence shows he’s ramping up. When Trump says “There’s no Russia with me,” Bartiromo subserviently replies “I know.” When Trump, lying about the Democratic National Committee, says they “threw them [the FBI] out of the office,” Bartiromo dociley agrees. And she affirms Trump’s oft-repeated lie that Hillary Clinton disposed of subpoenaed emails.

But that was nothing. At one point during the love-fest, Trump and Bartiromo engaged in a conversation wherein Trump made an overt threat to any American citizen who dares to disagree with him (video below):

Bartiromo: Here we see your lovely press secretary getting asked to leave a restaurant. We see Peter Fonda, Robert De Niro having ‘Trump Syndrome.’ They’re going crazy. All of this vitriol in this country. As the commander-in-chief, as the President of this great country, what can you do to bring us together?

Oh, the poor beleaguered (and lovely) Sarah Sanders, an unabashed lie dispenser, has been the victim of naughty Hollywood actors going crazy. Bartiromo completely ignores the fact that Trump himself is the source of more vitriol than anyone currently in public life. The chat continues, but note that Trump never answers the question about how he would bring the country together. In fact, he goes the other way entirely with a not-so-subtle threat:

Trump: Well some of them do it for publicity, I hate to say it. Some of them do it for publicity. Now the Hen [It’s the Red Hen] restaurant I thought was terrible with Sarah, I thought it was terrible.
Bartiromo: It was awful.
Trump: I think some of the things that are said are terrible. And our people are so incredible. You know, there’s probably never been a base, in the history of politics in this country, a base like my base. I hope the other side realizes that they better just take it easy. They better just take it easy because some of the language used, some of the words used, even some of the radical ideas, I really think they are very bad for the country. I think they’re actually very dangerous for the country.
Bartiromo: And all the while you’re creating economic growth and you’re creating job opportunity.

Thanks, Maria, for inserting that non sequitur lie about the economy in response to Trump’s political intimidation. For Trump to imply that “the other side…better take it easy” blatantly suggests that there will be consequences if they don’t. And those consequences will be mete out by his historically unprecedented base. In fact, there are historical parallels to Trump’s base. They are often referred to as Brown Shirts, Storm Troopers, and now Republicans.

And thanks also to Donald Trump who, in response to a question about bringing people together, managed to send an undisguised message of hostility and potential violence. His battle warning to anyone who opposes him should make decent Americans cringe. But it should also make them mobilize for the upcoming election in November in order to insure a massive renunciation of Trump’s anti-American regime and his transparent aspirations for a brutal, totalitarian tyranny.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.