CNN's Deplorable Smear of Pence

Townhall.com ^ | September 14, 2016 | Brent Bozell

[Kaslin]

The CNN screen graphic at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 was blunt: "PENCE REFUSED TO CALL DAVID DUKE 'DEPLORABLE.'" Donald Trump running mate Mike Pence had granted Wolf Blitzer a 30-minute interview, and what he received in return was a reckless leftist smear.

Let's be clear about this interview. Blitzer offered 39 hostile questions or interjections about Trump's tax returns, medical records and charities, and made offensive remarks before asking a single question about policy. In the middle of this contentious exchange, Blitzer arrived at Hillary Clinton's recent gaffe of calling Trump backers a "basket of deplorables." Blitzer obnoxiously underlined that some Trump backers were truly deplorable: "David Duke, for example, (and) some other white nationalists, (would) fit into that category of deplorables. Right?"

Pence protested: "I'm not really sure why the media keeps dropping David Duke's name. Donald Trump has denounced David Duke repeatedly. We don't want his support, and we don't want the support of people who think like him." Blitzer pushed back: "So you call him a deplorable. You would call him deplorable." Pence replied, "I'm not in the name-calling business, Wolf."

CNN ignored that denouncement of Duke and his backers. It was spiked in favor of a cheap National Enquirer-style "Pence Won't Deplore Duke" headline.

It's the kind of "gotcha" journalism that has the public disgusted with the press. Whatever Pence answered would have been deemed wrong and exploited by the media. Had he uncorked the easy answer and called Duke deplorable, Blitzer and everyone else would have had their headlines read, "Pence Admits Hillary Was Right." Pence chose not to give them that luxury, so he gets "Pence Won't Deplore Duke."

Do you imagine, in your wildest imagination, Blitzer posing any of these questions to Clinton running mate Tim Kaine?

--"The Communist Party USA endorsed you. Is it deplorable?"

--"You've been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, an organization that harvests baby parts for sale. Is it deplorable?"

--"You are supported by Seddique Mateen, the anti-American father of Omar Mateen, who murdered 49 gay people in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub. Isn't he deplorable?"

In an interview on Aug. 28, Blitzer's colleague, Jake Tapper, asked Pence about Duke's support for the umpteenth time. Tapper at least offered a "that must really bother you" expression. For his part, Pence blasted it over the fence, explicitly making a comparison between Duke and Seddique Mateen, saying, "The fact that...a contemptable individual like that supports my running mate is no more relevant than the fact that the father of a man who killed 49 people in Orlando, Florida, was cheering Hillary Clinton at one of her rallies."

CNN could grill Kaine about a sympathetic September 2 story in The New York Times about the Democratic vice presidential nominee seeking out communist priests as his mentors in El Salvador and Nicaragua. He "walked miles" to meet Rev. James Carney, who even the Times reported took "an extreme view of liberation theology that supported the taking up of arms against military oppressors." Kaine's mentor, Rev. Jack Warner, believed "the gospel is an extremely communist document." Were these priests "deplorables"? Did Kaine's hunger for their Marxist mumbo-jumbo make him deplorable?

Here's another question CNN will never ask:

"Hillary Clinton's husband has been exposed as a serial philanderer. He was impeached. He committed perjury, and was disbarred. There is also the accusation by Juanita Broaddrick that he raped her. Is Bill Clinton deplorable?"

Instead, Blitzer & Co. unloads smears designed to help Hillary Clinton because they know she is in trouble. And CNN is all too willing to do Clinton's dirty work. Media credibility continues to erode in the polls because there is nothing the press won't undertake to slander conservatives.

[Thank You Rush]

“”NEVER watch CNN. I haven’t for years.””

It’s really not that bad. For the past few months Blitzer has been very rational in his interviews re the politics going on. I don’t know what happened to this one. CNN does have a good straight news show and covers a lot more news in depth than FOX does IMO. Anderson Cooper is not that bad either tho’ he’s gotten a bad rap here and elsewhere. For news, I prefer CNN IF I don’t have to listen to the irritating, irksome female voices..OR get my news from the internet....

[V K Lee]

Only on CNN would you be able to see a wolf in skunk’s clothing.

[Thank You Rush]

“”I have a strong problem with women’s voices in media and politics. American women don’t care at all about how they sound. They have no idea of the impact on others they make.””

I am so glad to hear that. My daughter tells me I complain too much but if anything is going to get to me in a day’s time, it’s those voices. I picture myself being locked up in my old age (any day now) and being forced to listen to THOSE voices.. Instead of waterboarding terrorists, use tapes of those female voices!

Got myself in heap big trouble here at FR a few years back when I complained about Sarah Palin screeching into a microphone and how irritating it was to listen to. You would have thought I’d ripped on the Pope - well, today that would be acceptable, I guess.

No need to yell - you have a microphone!!!! Have to say her voice is irritating anyway!

My rant for the day? Probably not!

[miss marmelstein]

I’m listening to Laura Ingraham. She, too, has an annoying voice.

[pepsi_junkie]

The TV media is playing a desperate and coordinated smear game now of trying to direct attention away from Clinton. So rather than talking about her corrupt foundation, they ask about Trump's tax returns and imply he doesn't really support charity and is hiding that. Rather than talk about Hillary's health, they talk about Trumps health and imply the records he will release will have been scrubbed. Rather than talk about Hillary's contempt for a huge swath of the electorate, they suggest that Trump's supporters are mostly David Duke.

I don't watch much TV news anymore, for my own sanity. And especially not this week since I'm on the road. But even in the few snippets I've watched I've seen the pattern playing out, it's so obvious and front and center.

[KC_Conspirator]

CNN is nothing but a shameless arm of the DNC. All the time they are trying to defend Hillary on everything.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Pence and Trump should boycott CNN until they get an apology for that kind of trickery.

[Thank You Rush]

“”I’m listening to Laura Ingraham. She, too, has an annoying voice””

Yes - absolutely, she does. I applaud you for being able to listen to her. Martha Mac Callum is another one. YIKES! Makes my skin crawl thinking of them...You don’t know how glad I am to find another female who thinks/feels the same as I do about this. You’ve made my day!

[miss marmelstein]

Have you ever seen the You Tube video of Laura Ingraham berating her staff? Hilarious. Not a nice lady, I’m afraid.

[generally]

>>”I’m not in the name-calling business, Wolf.”

Superb answer, Gov. Pence!

Other politicians (and journalists and tv personalities) could take a lesson from you.

[5th MEB]

The only time I have EVER seen CNN was in an airport about 20 years ago, I recognize propaganda when I see it.

[generally]

Great points.

You have to wonder if Blitzer is even capable of understanding the English language. It’s like he was requiring Pence to parrot back to him whatever words he tried to put in his mouth. Blitzer was incapable of understanding that Pence was not a fan of Duke when expressed in words not of Blitzer’s choosing.

Note the style of questioning: Blitzer makes a statement and then asks Pence to agree with it. Where are the open-ended questions? Like, what is your position on X? What are your plans for Y?

I could understand this style of question when there is a question of hard facts that one is trying to pin down (e.g., You knew that a private email server was illegal and threat to national security, right?)

You have to ask yourself just exactly what is Blitzer’s agenda that he keeps hammering at a question like this after he’s already gotten a very straightforward answer.

[wardaddy]

Actually the best descriptive noun of David Duke is that of being a KOOK

He always has been

95% of what he says most here would agree with....yes it’s true I hate to break it to y’all but that’s how he got elected twice I think..but then he goes way off the rails with the other 5% especially in my view the ZOG stuff

Isn’t it funny how much a lather whites get into over a loudmouth white guy who says incendiary things versus how any other race can spout similar notions and still be lauded

Jay Zee comes to mind

The whole concept of La Raza

And so on

We....white folks like me....are like the Hebrew National commercial

“Held to a higher standard”

Is it because we actually are a higher standard or we like to beat ourselves up

Btw

I haven’t seen a pic of Duke in 20 years

Man he has aged

As have i

[Thank You Rush]

No, I haven’t. Sounds interesting. I’ll look for it. Thanks.

[Thank You Rush]

HA HA - One of the first things up when I “binged”, is our posts from today! WE MADE IT...we’re in the big time - or in the BING time anyway! They like us - they really do like us! OK, I’ll calm down now.

[Albion Wilde]

This anti-Trump commenter has no room to sneer about others smearing the ticket.