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NBC Opinion: Trump's call to Georgia election officials highlights White House bunker mentality
NBC News / Comcast ^ | January 4, 2021 | By Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Posted on 01/04/2021 4:47:13 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

Adolf Hitler retreated to his Führerbunker as the Allies advanced into Germany in the spring of 1945, leaving Germans to their fates. Moammar Gadhafi holed up in his fortress on the outskirts of Tripoli, refusing to surrender when Libyans took up arms against him. And President Donald Trump has turned the White House into his own refuge as he desperately seeks to remain in power despite having lost the presidential election.

Trump has followed an authoritarian, rather than a democratic, playbook as president. It is fitting that he would end up like some of history's best-known autocrats: hunkered down in his safe space, surrounded by his latest crop of unhinged loyalists, trying pathetically to escape the reality of his defeat.

On Saturday, Trump literally begged Georgia's secretary of state to overturn the election results. "The people of Georgia are angry. The people in the country are angry," Trump said in the call, a recording of which was obtained by NBC News.

Yet because Trump did not succeed in destroying democracy, the media and the political opposition have left a public record of the kinds of authoritarian dynamics we normally hear about only from exiles or dissenters. Large news outlets invested in new investigative teams to cover Trump's corruption, and their fact-checkers were kept busy calling out his lies.

It is rare in history that a process of authoritarian capture is interrupted, but that's what happened when Americans voted Trump out. Many members of the GOP, still loyal to Trump, are likely to wage war on the Biden administration. The dangers to our republic from illiberal forces are far from over. Yet a new vigilance and activism have gained ground. We will need them, and a robust free media, to protect our democracy in the turbulent years to come.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2020electionbias; bidencheated; despotism; dnctalkingpoints; election2020; italianfascism; journalism; media; propaganda; stolenelection; usefulidiot
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To: a fool in paradise
Godwin's law. But the press has always seen any Republican as "Hitler" to the point millennials have no idea the true horrors of Nazi Germany.

All any of us are asking for is the TRUTH, sunlight on states not following their own laws, PA ignoring Alito's order, etc.

21 posted on 01/04/2021 5:33:01 AM PST by newzjunkey (Purdue in GA for the Senate - Vote Giant Meteor in 2022)
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To: All

Hitler is the first word in the article . I can simply ignore the rest of what she said


22 posted on 01/04/2021 5:33:26 AM PST by escapefromboston (Free Assange )
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Ruth’s descendents suffered and died so she could defend those aiming to repeat history.


23 posted on 01/04/2021 5:34:37 AM PST by CincyRichieRich (WHEN TYRANNY BECOMES LAW, REBELLION BECOMES DUTY)
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To: gov_bean_ counter

They are incapable of understand the full weight of what they’re saying here. It’s very disturbing.


24 posted on 01/04/2021 5:35:31 AM PST by newzjunkey (Purdue in GA for the Senate - Vote Giant Meteor in 2022)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

NBC: We opine, we decide.


25 posted on 01/04/2021 5:35:56 AM PST by windsorknot
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I’m thinking the msm election treason response was minimal as was the on the ground reporting in Georgia.

POTUS purposely made the call, knew it would leak, knew the press would salivate and run with any detrimental scoop eminating from the trump camp... THEREBY escalating the situation and COVERAGE to a wider viewing audience.


26 posted on 01/04/2021 5:37:36 AM PST by Clutch Martin (The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.)
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To: Be Careful

So true. I listened to the audio and read the transcript. Trump gave Ratburger every chance to come clean. He must have warned him verbally about 5 times of possible criminal activity he was overlooking/covering up. The guy straight up lied to Trump’s face.


27 posted on 01/04/2021 5:43:14 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is an American historian and cultural critic. She is a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders. Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She is also a graduate in good standing of the Benito Mussolini school of journalism.


28 posted on 01/04/2021 5:43:15 AM PST by Bookshelf
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Ruth Ben-Ghiat—I’ve never heard of this bimbo, but she exhibits the irrational imagination of a dangerously crazed woman who is screaming for help. Perhaps an extended stay at the funny farm could help her. Or perhaps not.


29 posted on 01/04/2021 5:45:41 AM PST by SharpRightTurn (Chuck Schumer--giving pond scum everywhere a bad name.)
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To: Be Careful

I have been wondering, this morning, if PDJT isn’t the one to drop the phone recording. I listen to hideous, ridiculous NPR every morning, their first report. They clearly get the memo first and start the propaganda which the rest of the msm spew for the news cycle. They sound rattled. For some reason Shakespeare came to mind: ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ I sure hope our wonderful President is going full Sun Tzu instead of full Norman Vincent Peale, right now. My $$$ is on Trump/Sun Tzu. I guess we shall know on 1/6/21.


30 posted on 01/04/2021 5:46:50 AM PST by Pigsley
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To: Shady

Notice these idiots never have a comments section, anymore? There is a reason for that. When ridiculous Yahoo News (!) yanked the comment section, I knew why.


31 posted on 01/04/2021 5:51:43 AM PST by Pigsley
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To: SharpRightTurn
Ruth Ben-Ghiat—I’ve never heard of this bimbo, but she exhibits the irrational imagination of a dangerously crazed woman who is screaming for help. Perhaps an extended stay at the funny farm could help her. Or perhaps not.

A quick perusal of her past articles and you know she suffers from a severe case of verbal diarrhea.

32 posted on 01/04/2021 5:54:03 AM PST by 17th Miss Regt
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The left always engages in projection. Biden ran his entire campaign from his bunker and is still there as far as I know. One would think that an expert on fascism would recognize that the 20th century fascists were all socialists and today’s socialists are all fascists. This woman appears to be one sick, confused puppy.


33 posted on 01/04/2021 6:02:03 AM PST by jospehm20
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To: newzjunkey

Goldwater was called “a fascist” by the Left
Nixon was called “a fascist” by the Left
Rush was called “a fascist” by the Left
Bush was called “a fascist” by the Left
Trump is called “a fascist” by the Left
All police are called “fascists” by the Left

Point out Communist Party ties, KGB Lies, and Marxist views by Leftists and you are accused of “McCarthyism”.


34 posted on 01/04/2021 6:25:37 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Who built the cages, Joe?)
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To: CincyRichieRich

She claims to be an expert on Fascism. Yet she seem clueless that the Fascists were Leftists. FDR loved it. Until he didn’t.


35 posted on 01/04/2021 6:27:19 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Who built the cages, Joe?)
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To: Pigsley

Once upon a time you could go to the DNC’s website and see a section on daily talking points with tips on how to get past call screeners on conservative talk radio.

Later there was JournoList where 400 media pundits all colluded on the day’s talking points and even determined who would ask what questions at “press conferences”. That got uncovered/exposed so they went elsewhere.

They still collude to push propaganda.

Expect incoming waves of “new callers” on talk radio this week.


36 posted on 01/04/2021 6:30:23 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Who built the cages, Joe?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
On Saturday, Trump literally begged Georgia's secretary of state to overturn the election results.

This statement is a shameful unsupported assertion by someone with an axe to grind.

Just another "Baghdad Bob" translating events into what they want us to believe.

One thing it is part of a constant drumbeat of negative spin on anything and everything Trump says and does.

It is predictable, tedious, and repetitious.

What kind of garbage is she regurgitating at NYU? Are her students forced to accept her version of history?

37 posted on 01/04/2021 6:50:29 AM PST by olezip
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Large news outlets invested in new investigative teams to cover Trump’s corruption,


Regardless of whether there was basis for the charge, and in pointed fact when it was his accusers who were actively engaged in the corruption claimed.

and their fact-checkers were kept busy calling out his lies.


By expounding on their own illiteracy, or by calling truth lies.


38 posted on 01/04/2021 6:53:03 AM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

CBS this morning metrosexual guy married to the MSNBC gal was all in a twist this morning. He’s as dumb as they come.


39 posted on 01/04/2021 6:54:18 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: a fool in paradise

I LOVE when one of the Leftist brainiacs (oh so smart and uber woke) get on Dennis Prager’s show. He puts them to the top of the list! The Leftist fools don’t understand good radio, that it is actually BETTER when debate takes place. Poor, ridiculous Air America was dreadful. Circle jerk of smug, idiots.


40 posted on 01/04/2021 7:43:58 AM PST by Pigsley
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