Posted on 07/19/2015 10:50:53 AM PDT by servo1969
Republican elites and the liberal media are piling on GOP front-runner Donald Trump today after his comments yesterday on Sen. John McCain.
Trump attacked John McCain after the Arizona senator called Trump’s conservative supporters a bunch of crazies.
Here is Trump’s full speech from yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJNfbthf9GA
Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson defended Donald Trump today after the media onslaught over his comments on Saturday.
Donald Trump appears to have gotten under the skin of not only Democrats, but also fellow Republicans and the news media. Has that subjected Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, to unfair and/or inaccurate reporting?
An article in the Washington Post today is headlined, “Trump slams McCain for being ‘captured’ in Vietnam.”
The article’s lead sentence states, “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran, on Saturday by saying McCain was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”
Is this report accurate?
In fact, Trump’s actual quote is the opposite of what is presented in the Post’s first sentence.
Discussion
1. The Post did not provide context at the outset disclosing that McCain and Trump have been feuding, with McCain characterizing some Trump supporters as “crazies” and Trump stating that McCain graduated last in his class in Annapolis. The charged rhetoric continued at the conservative Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa this weekend.
2. When a panelist characterized McCain as a “war hero,” the Post is accurate in reporting that Trump initially said McCain is “not a war hero.” But then, Trump immediately modified his statement saying– four times– that McCain is a war hero:
“He is a war hero.”
“He’s a war hero because he was captured.”
“He’s a war hero, because he was captured.”
“I believe, perhaps, he’s a war hero. But right now, he’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.”
3. Did Trump say McCain is not a war hero because he was captured? No, not in the exchanges represented in the Post.
4. Is the Post’s characterization an accident? It would appear not, because it is repeated in the Post’s caption of the video clip, which also states: “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam war veteran, was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”
Further, in the Post’s second sentence, Trump is quoted as stating of McCain, “He’s not a war hero…He’s a war hero because he was captured,” but the article selectively left out the phrase Trump had uttered in between: “He is a war hero.”
Conclusion
Trump actually said the opposite of what the Post lead sentence and video caption claim. The Post might have been able to get away stating that Trump “implied” McCain was not a war hero because McCain was captured, but even that would have been a subjective interpretation since Trump had actually stated the opposite.
It’s true that Trump stated one time that McCain is not a war hero. But Trump stated four times that McCain is a war hero–and that was not accurately characterized in the article.
Of course the misrepresented his comments.
It’s what they do.
They are The Ministry of Propaganda.
Well honestly this does nothing to explain how he is going to fix America. Bashing McCain regardless of whether he deserved it or not does not get the message out about changing America’s direction. Honestly if Trump ends up President then I would certainly feel better about America but I don’t think he will be the next President.
Wasn’t McCain involved with some mistrusted banking deal back in the 70’s or something...they mismanaged funds or something???
While I like that Trump is stirring the pot, why is he wasting his breath on McCain? Shouldn’t he be aiming his comments at Hillary, Bernie, and his republican rivals? McCain’s not running for president, and won’t likely see another senate term. I get that Trump was speaking in Arizona, and that McCain has nothing but disdain for Tea Party constitutionalists (wacko birds) I just think Trump maybe should have addressed McCain’s Disdain, but steered clear of the war record. It’s an old controversy, old news. Trump risks being perceived by some as disrespecting POWs in general, not just McCain (the media will spin it thus) and may get bogged down by this. Bad move, IMO.
It’s been obvious to me for a long time that the GOP does not care one bit about what the voters think. They are taking a play from the democrats’ playbook: “Where else are you gonna’ go?” And that’s why Trump is scaring the crap out of them. Lots of people now feel they have somewhere else to go.
Thank You...
The main spokesperson for a Trump owned corporation would be FIRED for such an obviously incompetent performance.
Sheryl should be trumps press secretary. At least she is the only press person who would point out the dishonesty this side of Breitbart.
Trump stepped on it. He should have ignored the remark, or pointed out that “while no one is questioning John McCain’s military record, that has no bearing on [whatever]”.
Trump is an amateur.
Boy, these guys, RINO extraordinaires, are desperate to keep Trump from the debates. The media should be desperate to keep him in, otherwise very few would watch.
RINOs debating RINOs is a bust.
Frank Lumptz has been doing FOX news bidding to out Trump. been doing it for the last couple weeks.
But the transcript does show Trump implicitly criticizing McCain’s war record, and I would say gratuitously. A better response is to say “no one is question Senator McCain’s war record, but it is not relevant to issue of immigration.”
Trump is an amateur.
Finally a correct statement by you! Congrats. Yes, Trump is not a professional politician. Trump is a businessman who as a rule will not give you rosy promises. It will all be straight forward words from his heart and mind. Frankly I am disappointed by the actions of professional politicians for 25 years.
Frankly I am disappointed by the actions of professional politicians for 25 years.
Like continuing to fund Obamacare. McCain, Bush, Romney and Dole also come to mind as disappointing actions of the GOPe
Sheryl is one who couldn’t be scared from the truth. She’s a lot like Trump.
I care more about truth than I do about much else.
Well said.
Michael Crichton called it "The Murray Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect":
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.”
You aren't including the entire transcript. From Sharyl Attkisson herself:
"When a panelist characterized McCain as a “war hero,” the Post is accurate in reporting that Trump initially said McCain is “not a war hero.”"
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