HH: A big criticism I have of Trump-Pence. You guys bar some reporters from your campaigns, specifically the Washington Post. I've argued about this with Mr. Trump. It's not in the American tradition. Will you argue with him to lift that ban, because reporters are part of the game. And we shouldn't ban, Republicans should not be afraid of reporters. Will you do that?
MP: Well, I found out about that. We had a great rally the other night with Scott Walker in Wisconsin, and some of the local folks, some of the local folks you know, asked for credentials from reporters, and there a reporter that was not permitted in the setting. And I tell you, we're all talking about that. I had a long, I have a long history, as you well know, Hugh, of advocating and defending for a free and independent press.
HH: Yes
MP: You know, I authored legislation in the Congress. We actually got it passed once or twice, to create, you know, the ability to keep confidential sources confidential. So we're going to have those conversations internally, and I fully expect in the next 100 days, we're going to continue to be available to the media, whether they're fair or unfair, and we're going to take our case to the American people directly.
https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/759038185011687429
Just when I was starting to warm up to Mike Pence he has to go and say this. I don't know if this is an internal conversation where Trump himself is considering lifting this ban or whether Pence wants Trump to do it.
Here's the thing, I'm for a free press, but the bottom line is that press can be free but not fair. The sources blocked by Trump have given him consistently negative coverage in a way they that they have not given Hillary. Trump pays for the venues that he uses to campaign with. Why allow someone to come in that you know right off the bat is there to destroy you? It's easy for Hillary not to attack the media when the majority of news organizations are left leaning or full on left (yet she still won't do a press conference)?
The Washington Post is one in particular mentioned, so let me address that. Trump frequently did interviews with the Washington Post and allowed them to cover his campaign, this despite the fact they have a team of 20 plus reporters trying to destroy him. Trump's final straw was when they wrote an article saying that he said that Obama was involved in the Orlando shooting. They then modified their title a little, but Trump had had enough. This paper has written articles like the following (note - they like comparing him to Hitler):
The moment of truth: We must stop Trump
That is how the Sturmabteilung, also known as the ‘Storm Troopers’ or Brownshirts got their start. They were the bullies formed by Adolf Hitler in Germany in the 1920s to defend his rallies. They, too, “roughed up” people, push and shoved, and threw out Hitler’s rivals, all with the future German Chancellor’s approval.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/11/23/donald-trumps-rally-carries-echoes-of-hitlers-rise-to-power/
Donald Trump’s rally carries echoes of Hitler’s rise to power
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/11/23/donald-trumps-rally-carries-echoes-of-hitlers-rise-to-power/
The Hitler-ification of Donald Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/07/the-hitler-ification-of-donald-trump/
The theory of political leadership that Donald Trump shares with Adolf Hitler
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/25/the-theory-of-political-leadership-that-donald-trump-shares-with-adolf-hitler/
Donald Trump, America’s modern Mussolini
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-isnt-todays-wendell-willkie-hes-todays-benito-mussolini/2015/12/08/77c81b0c-9ddc-11e5-a3c5-c77f2cc5a43c_story.html
This is how fascism comes to America
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-how-fascism-comes-to-america/2016/05/17/c4e32c58-1c47-11e6-8c7b-6931e66333e7_story.html
In 1927, Fox News Service filmed Benito Mussolini telling immigrants to ‘make America great’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/23/in-1927-fox-news-service-filmed-benito-mussolini-telling-immigrants-to-make-america-great/
Trump is following in the path of despots
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/following-the-path-of-despots/2016/07/22/c41b2896-5047-11e6-a7d8-13d06b37f256_story.html
Trump’s favorite dictators: In reviled tyrants, GOP nominee finds traits to praise
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3447068/posts
This was based on a Hillary press release about Trump liking dictators. I did a long rebuttal to this article in post 1. Multiple media outlets did a story on Hillary's press release. I documented that at the end of my post.
Donald Trump is a unique threat to American democracy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3452244/posts
I did a long rebuttal to this article in post 1 if you want to check it out, but the bottom line is that the paper wrote scathing things about Trump calling him "dangerous" and "unqualified". That was just in the first paragraph. It got worse. The article concluded with the paper saying they would either support Hillary or Gary Johnson. Well, there's no way in hell they are going to endorse Gary Johnson, and Gary Johnson can't win. Therefore, they endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Granted, a couple of those articles are opinion pieces, but not all, and the WaPo still printed them.
The Huffington Post, meanwhile, another paper banned by Trump, first refused to cover him and stuck him in the entertainment section of the paper. Then they realized they have to take him seriously, so now they put the following disclaimer under every article:
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.
That isn't even touching all the nasty articles I am sure the Huffington Post has written. (I wouldn't know. I rarely read the HuffPo.)
As far as Politico, I haven't followed their coverage, so I don't know what Trump's specific reason was on banning them. I do know why for the WaPo and HuffPo, though.
A point of note is Politico was a prominent feature in the Democrat Wikileaks emails. A frequent morning email sent had all the Politico headlines of the day. They didn't do that with other news sites. It seemed (from the emails I looked at), to always be Politico.
Leaked emails reveal Politico reporter made 'agreement' to send advanced Clinton story to DNC
http://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-dnc-emails-wikileaks-2016-7
The Washington Post also got caught colluding with the DNC:
DNC Wikileaks Hack Outs Hillary Shill at Washington Post
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/07/dnc_wikileaks_hack_outs_hillary_shill_at_washington_post.html
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Why would you allow a paper that says such horrible things about you, that is working for your opponent as they have admitted, into your campaign? Why would the frog allow the scorpion to ride on its back? Is Mike Pence aware of what has been said by the Huffington Post and Washington Post? There is certainly no fair press there. They are there because they hate you and want to destroy you. They've made it clear.
Mike Pence appears to be taking the establishment Republican position that if we are just nice to the press, they will be fair. If we don't call them out, they will be fair. Tell me how that worked for George Bush in his last four years? How did it work for McCain? How did it work for Romney? They can be the nicest gentlemen you'll ever find, and that means nada because, in their eyes, the Democrat is better.
There was another thing Pence said today as well about not wanting name calling in politics, but that's a separate issue from this post.
I don’t agree with Mike Pence.
Journalists have the right to write whatever they want but I’m not obligated to provide them with a forum.
Courtesy and respect are a two-way street.
You know, I started listening to Hewitt when he first came on KRLA out in Socal about 15 years ago. I always thought he was one of us (patriotic nationalist) but have changed me mind.
I stopped listening to him when he tried to derail Trump’s campaign but decided to go back.
I’m afraid I’ll be quitting him again. Hobnobbing with the political and media elites is bringing the real him out. I finally have to accept the fact that he is one of the elites. He only mouths the words he thinks we want to hear but in reality he has an elitist education and has bought into the globalist bull shit hook, line, and sinker.
These opinionated talking heads need to leave Trump to his own devices. His natural instincts are far ahead of any major political figure. Besides, it is sweet when someone bitch-slaps the arrogant pompous media types.