Owning the News in 140 Characters

Big League Politics ^ | 7/2/2017 | Larry Schweikart (LS)

[LS]

Those of you familiar with my columns know that for some time I have argued that Trump’s tweets are anything but “childish reactions” or “temper tantrums” or any other nonsense.

They have been 100% strategic, deliberate, and focused, designed to provide the fake news media with a topic of conversation for a news cycle—or often two or three—while the administration methodically dismantles Barack Obama’s regulative state and erases his very existence from the historical record. Further, I have argued that the nature of the tweets, or the topic, is completely irrelevant and in some cases non-existent (“covfefe”). The point is never, ever the topic of the tweet. The point is the reaction it will provoke from the fake news media that will absorb the news cycle and entirely distract from real policies.

Why in the world would a White House that is succeeding want to distract from its successes?

Ah, grasshopper, you ask a pre-Trump/traditional RINO question.

Trump’s team knew since early in the primary that he would never, ever get fair or objective treatment from the media. Moreover, since early in the primaries, it was clear that even half of the “conservative” media—and ya’ll know who you are—would never really explain Trump’s goals, objectives, or methods but would in knee-jerk fashion bash him so that he couldn’t even count on so-called “friendly” media support.

In other words, the policies would have to be enacted with neither widespread support . . . or criticism. To Team Trump, all you had to do was get the policies in place, and they would speak to the public for themselves, whether in jobs and investment as a result of regulation-cutting and trade policy, meetings with foreign leaders (including both threats and promises), or taking a scythe to the abomination of Deep State

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[PA Engineer]

There is also another dimension to the tweets.

President Trump has the military and that prevents a hard coup. All the deep state has left is a soft coup and that is the occupation media.

President Trump is taking the fight to the soft coup leaders. He is delegitimizing them with every tweet. He understands brands. He is destroying the network brands one station at a time.

The timing is also leveraged by the inevitable economics of the internet over broadcast.

Every tweet puts a smile on my face. Donald Trump Jr. makes me grin from ear to ear.

[DoodleBob]

A key element of this strategy is the cognitive dissonance of the left. That is, as long as they keep thinking Team Trump are a buncha dolts, they won't see The Cheese for what it is.

As posted recently, the statists want liberal Sharia law, a secular theocracy....for them, politics is the means to secular salvation. The minimum wage, gender equality, nationalized health care, and global warming—whatever their practical virtues—are not just expedient policy prescriptions. They are essential aspects of the liberal fatwa.

Thus, at some point the cognitive dissonance will become overwhelmed and they WILL catch on; the heretical Winning will pile up and dismantle their secular theocracy. By then Trump et al will have moved 3-4 steps beyond the current strategy...there will be ANOTHER maze and new forms of cheese.

Until then, this is as fun as watching the PATCO Strike.

[JPG]

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[LS]

Walker came out this week with some pretty strong support for Trump.

[LS]

American Thinker, American Spectator, OANN, Big League Politics, Breitbart for a few.

[LS]

This is a VERY shrewd observation, one I hadn’t really considered.

[donna]

Here

[LS]

LOL

[reformedliberal]

It just dawned on me: ALL THESE FAKE NEWS PEOPLE are now being denied their chance at great wealth due to the fact that Trump not only doesn’t give them exclusive interviews-—they have no interviews or access at all. So Trump’s tweeting is hitting him square in the bank account too.
________________
H’mmmm. Makes me wonder if they will finally be forced to write tell-alls about donks, zer0 and she-who-must-not-be-named?

It would show just which of them are truly greed-mongers.

[HombreSecreto]

Or refuse to chase the laser pointer. They do it every single time.

[V K Lee]

“...methodically dismantles Barack Obama’s regulative state and erases his very existence from the historical record.”

Will do anything to help see this erasing take place; even if it must be remain silent and offer no opposing opinions. We’ve a good deal of faith in this man. Virtually none in congress itself. Until we rid ourselves of them, The Donald will be alone in the fight for us.

Let’s hear it for the man!

[arthurus]

Affrontery is either a neologism or an error. Effrontery is the word normally used. Affrontery would be an appropriate neologism if the writer knows that it is not “effrontery.

[gymbeau]

I’ve certainly been enjoying all this immensely.
Thanks, Larry!
Have a Great Indepenence Day, all.

Cheers,
Jim

[ResponseAbility]

They won’t “catch on” because the left has no message to replace the fake news with. This is the brilliance...understanding that the primary motive of the newsies is not informing the people of the news. The primary motivator is ratings for the here and now and anything that gets eyeballs is good.

Yes they have an agenda, but that agenda cannot stand up to real scrutiny. They only have Alinsky, and his methods only work if just one side has a microphone.

I could expound on this for days, but you get the point. You probably already know this anyway.

[I_be_tc]

Always telling my hubby the things going on to the right, when the msm is off chasing the latest carrot President Trump (I love saying that!) is tossing them to the left. Love it, Love it!!

[LS]

Yes, absolutely. They have nothing to run on. In part, the Rs have actually HURT the Ds by not producing any major legislation giving them something to hate on, to focus on.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Great article, Larry.

[Disestablishmentarian]

Another nice article.

I think the majority of Trump supporters are getting the message . . . though they may not understand it originates from you via FR.

The reason I say that is that several people who are not on FR (I don’t think) have explained this all to me—about how Trump is distracting the media with shiny objects while making major moves under the radar.

I just nodded and said: “I think you’ve got something there.”

[JohnyBoy]

>Walker came out this week with some pretty strong support for Trump.

He did? I haven’t heard it. I’ll have to google it.