Posted on 10/28/2018 7:35:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
WASHINGTON -- Critics often accuse President Donald Trump of using dog-whistles to gin up his conservative base. But really, Trump's most effective trick is to get TV journalists to attack on demand -- as you can see in cable news coverage on the caravan of Central Americans headed toward the U.S. border.
Perhaps the biggest sucker for Trump's caravan play is Joe Scarborough, the former GOP congressman who hosts MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Scarborough led his Friday show with a lecture to Americans concerned about the caravan.
Voters should be concerned about the GOP tax cut that benefited the rich, and the prospect of Republicans fiddling with Social Security and health care, not the caravan, Scarborough schooled his viewers. "That's what's happening in your life. And they don't want you to know that."
Scarborough pooh-poohed the notion that some voters might have concerns about criminal elements sneaking in among refugees looking for a better life -- as happened during the Mariel boatlift from Cuba in 1980 -- by dismissing such fears as simple racism against "brown people."
As for those politicians who see the caravan as an issue, the MSNBC don concluded, "They think that you are stupid" -- showing that Scarborough thinks you are stupid.
Another Trump trick is to make claims he must know are false, which means fact-checkers are sure to issue banal refutations of his dubious claims.
Turn on your TV and you can learn Democrats really aren't giving Rolls Royces to asylum-seekers as they cross the border with Mexico, as Trump said in Arizona this month. Oh, and Democrats aren't bankrolling the immigrant caravan and aren't passing out voter registration forms to new arrivals -- two other Trump claims.
"I don't agree with him that Democrats are paying for it," former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg told the Review-Journal. At the same time, Nunberg added, "You know where they (Democrats) stand. They want to abolish ICE. They want sanctuary cities. They are out of the mainstream."
In short, Nunberg argued, Trump may be wrong on the details, but he's right on the spirit. Trump doesn't spout "complicated, esoteric legalistic" rhetoric on immigration law, Nunberg added; his bluster is "straight talk."
Is it lying? Sure, Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's White House communications director for 11 days, told CNN Tuesday. "I think he likes it actually."
Scaramucci described Trump's untruths as entertainment for base voters who like Trump's act and think, "We finally have a president who is my advocate."
Is that right? No, it is not right, but it is the way the country works right now. To the Trump base, Trump's lies equalize "fake news," so the smart play is to understand where news outlets can improve.
Trump's decision to call himself a "nationalist" in Houston Monday was instructive.
To the Trump base, nationalism and "America First" are born out of patriotism. Why does the base love it when Trump uses words that make New York anchors cringe? GOP strategist and CNN contributor Alice Stewart believes, "Donald Trump makes these voters feel like they're 10 feet tall and bulletproof and no one's ever made them feel that way before."
Is this what is known as an apology or (defense of) fake news?
Saunders getting her digs on us. We’re just right wing ignoramuses who are being led by the Pied Piper Donald Trump! When you get right down to it the Globalists are more angry with us than the president. If we would only bow down and submit to them by supporting the usual Deep State owned, bought off Repuke puppet then the world could go back to normal!
new Rally Chant should include “Keep on Winning.”
These scumbags spend all day bashing President Trump then they blame him for fighting back. They need some mental health assistance.
Their mistake is in believing that everyone agrees with them, and that “the base” is a tiny minority who live in places like Cattleprod, Iowa and wear red hats.
Trump said he would protect Social Security... so this piece is liberal propaganda...
“...get TV journalists to attack on demand...”
It’s called “Playin’ ‘em like a fiddle.”
Or, in white vans covered in Trump stickers.
What details is he short on? Which of these two things is a lie because I have heard a lot of democrats espouse these views.
And, if the democrats didn't want sanctuary cities we certainly wouldn't have them because the Federal government is telling them to get rid of them.
In the case of a California it’s a freaking sanctuary state. The left and the NeverTrumpers are scraping the bottom of the barrel to find anything to attack the president with and failing spectacularly!
"Voters should be concerned about the GOP tax cut that benefited the rich, and the prospect of Republicans fiddling with Social Security and health care, not the caravan, Scarborough schooled his viewers"
The way I read this is that Scarborough was claiming that Trump might fiddle with Social Security, not that Sanders was claiming it.
This is a fun read; the anger and frustration are obvious, like “why can’t we round up all these Trump voters and place them in reeducation camps?”
This is self-evident. We are lazy, ignorant, ill-educated, redneck [they think this is a pejorative], prejudiced, clutching to our guns and religion members of a basked of deplorables. Oh, and as lazy as we are, we are demanding that the government create jobs for us [ I don't know how that makes us lazy, but that aside, creating jobs is a problem because Obama got rid of lots of jobs and said they are gone for good].
That is what they have called us and said to us, and if they think they can deny it that we have forgotten the nasty things they have said about us, then they certainly think we are stupid.
That morning Joe guy looks like a peanut with hair. I wonder how he is going to explain away the invasion marchers turning down the asylum offer from Mexico?
See, Trump is lying. California is not a city, sanctuary or otherwise. Even Valley Girl blondes know that. [This is sarcasm folks]
This is very disappointing from Saunders. She used to write excellent and insightful conservative columns for thr SF Chronicle.
We know who are enemies are because they are out there in our faces and not afraid. We must not cower, we must not fold like cheap camera’s we must confront and we must prevail. The enemies are within our gates as well as outside waiting. We are at war and we have an opportunity to right the ship, Give Trump what he needs on November 6th it is our last chance, we started with the tea party and we are seeing the fruit, don’t let the tree die!
but, but, but....... that’s them. We don’t do things like that /S
It is very easy to rile stupid people.
It is very easy to rile the media.
Hmmm, could there be a connection there?
Not saying that the media is stupid, of course.
That would greatly insult stupid people.
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