Dan Gainor: Summertime and the media are embarrassing -- from hating America to loving Antifa
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
August is a time when Washington shuts down for summer recess. The left and the media should have taken the hint. Instead, they stayed and made fools of themselves.
In the space of one week, the press downplayed a Democrat governor saying America “was never that great” and watched as the governor’s brother/CNN anchor defended Antifa. Another CNN commentator bashed America and mocked a conservative while she told of the discrimination her disabled son faced. And former CIA director John Brennan, now an NBC national security analyst, recanted his claim that President Donald Trump committed treason and spent the week whining about losing his security clearance.
Let’s take the Cuomo family, first. (Or just take the Cuomo family, please .) Brothers Andrew and Chris humiliated themselves in separate incidents this past week — showing their mutual contempt for America and the Constitution and highlighting everything that is wrong with journalism all at the same time.
Andrew the-liberal-New-York governor Cuomo, shocked no one when he admitted something conservatives knew all along — that the left hates America. “We are not going to make America great again,” he said during a speech. “It was never that great.”
Of course, the broadcast networks downplayed it, stalling before they covered the remark and giving the disastrous comment barely more than one minute total across ABC, CBS and NBC . Imagine a top Republican saying something like that and getting almost no coverage. Cuomo later backtracked and called his attack on the U.S. “inartful” which is another way of saying: “I got caught, but stand by what I said.”
The younger Cuomo, apparently, didn’t like being upstaged. Chris the-liberal-CNN-anchor Cuomo, shockingly defended Antifa violence saying, “fighting hate is right.” This is the same attitude as the left’s view that it’s OK to punch a Nazi – except Antifa, and possibly some CNN anchors, view everyone they disagree with as Nazis. Cuomo then argued, “all punches are not equal morally.”
Cuomo’s bizarre defense came when The Washington Post and lefty Vox both criticized Antifa for attacking the press. The Post headlined: “Antifa protesters couldn’t find any fascists at Unite the Right — and harassed the press instead.” And Vox hit back just as hard: “Antifa clashes with police and journalists in Charlottesville and DC.” NBC reporter Cal Perry was assaulted by one Antifa thug who screamed : “Fu** you, snitch ass news b*tch. Fu** you.”
Alas, it wasn’t just the Cuomos showcasing flaws in journalism this week.
CNN commentator Angela Rye actually agreed with the idiotic Cuomo comment (Andrew, not Chris), and attacked conservative Gina Loudon for mentioning her disabled son. Rolling her eyes, Rye exclaimed, “America has never been great, and it’s not great because people like you come on and lie for the president of the United States and then tout, bring out your son as an example. Like, you gotta be completely ashamed of yourself.”
Then NBC’s in-house former CIA director Brennan backed off his own claims that the Trump presser with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “nothing short of treason ,” reported The Hill. Brennan, who is trying to defend why he should have kept his security clearance, had to pretend to be rational and now claims, “I didn’t mean that he committed treason. But it was a term that I used, nothing short of treasonous,” he said. Brennan even rationalized his original comment, saying, “sometimes my Irish comes out and in my tweets.”
Of course, Brennan’s new employer NBC seemed especially miffed that he lost his security clearance. “Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt took a dig at the White House, saying, “It looks a lot like payback.”
There was tons more. From hateful “comedian” Michelle Wolf losing her Netflix show to MSNBC anchor/liar Brian Williams asking whether the president “really physically [does] not like dogs.”
That would be enough for an awful media week, but never doubt the ability of New York Times economist Paul Krugman to make a bad situation worse. He ranted in his latest column that Trump was ready to become a dictator. “Make no mistake: if Republicans hold both houses of Congress this November, Trump will go full authoritarian, abusing institutions like the I.R.S., trying to jail opponents and journalists on, er, trumped-up charges, and more — and he’ll do it with full support from his party.”
2. Omarosa’s Unhinged: The media should have known that Omarosa Manigault Newman never wins. In fact, they could have asked Trump about it. He had enough experience firing the “Apprentice” veteran before. Just like her previous TV gigs, Omarosa showed up, created a stir, accused someone of calling her the “N” word and quickly faded from view.
That didn’t stop the press, who ate up Omarosa’s new allegations like she wasn’t someone they had mocked for years. This time, the broadcast networks gave her 93 minutes of coverage — nearly an hour of that on NBC alone.
ABC quoted Omarosa’s bizarre claim about Trump starting a “race war.” And, of course, she called him a “racist.” ABC correspondent Tara Palmeri went off on the president: “According to The Washington Post, which has an advance copy of her book titled ‘Unhinged,’ Manigault Newman claims Trump is a, quote, ‘racist, bigot, and misogynist.’”
MSNBC referred to the Trump-Omarosa dust-up as “an old-fashioned duel that hearkens back to the days of Hamilton and Burr.” One Times reporter compared it to “watching Darth Vader kill the Emperor in the third Star Wars movie.”
Look for Omarosa to do her best impression of her “Apprentice” self and fade as soon as the media find a new or actually credible anti-Trump critic to focus on.
3. Socialists Don’t Like The Press?: The media have a default setting that everyone on the right hates the press. In the minds of reporters, that means the left must love the press. Too bad it seldom works out that way.
We’ve had candidate Barack Obama throw reporters off the campaign plane for the crime of having their outlets support his opponent. One-time press icon Helen Thomas compared President Obama to President Richard Nixon for how he dealt with the press. Hillary Clinton roped off the press like cattle during her campaign. And now press darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez banned the press from a public event.
How quickly garden variety socialists go from rock stars to press opponents. Only two weeks ago, The Hollywood Reporter called Ocasio-Cortez a “rock-star Democratic congressional candidate.” When The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro challenged her to a debate, many in the media stood by their second-favorite socialist (no one outshines Sen. Bernie Sanders.) Elle criticized “Ben Shapiro's Bad-Faith Debate Offer” and Broadly led its story with “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn't suffer fools.”
Now, they all find that the true face of socialism doesn’t just wear a popular lipstick color.
The result was Ocasio-Cortez getting skewered by journalists across the political spectrum . Washington Post White House reporter Seung Min Kim ripped into the likely future congresswoman. “You cannot ban members of the press from events that are otherwise open to the public. That is not how it works. Period.” Ocasio-Cortez has called it a “non-story.” That’s less of a claim and more of a request.
She’ll likely get her wish as the press remembers they support all of her policies.
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“Cuomo’s bizarre defense came when The Washington Post and lefty Vox both criticized Antifa for attacking the press. The Post headlined: “Antifa protesters couldn’t find any fascists at Unite the Right — and harassed the press instead.”And Vox hit back just as hard: “Antifa clashes with police and journalists in Charlottesville and DC.” NBC reporter Cal Perry was assaulted by one Antifa thug who screamed: “Fu** you, snitch ass news b*tch. Fu** you.”
Alas, it wasn’t just the Cuomos showcasing flaws in journalism this week.
CNN commentator Angela Rye actually agreed with the idiotic Cuomo comment (Andrew, not Chris), and attacked conservative Gina Loudon for mentioning her disabled son. Rolling her eyes, Rye exclaimed, “America has never been great, and it’s not great because people like you come on and lie for the president of the United States and then tout, bring out your son as an example. Like, you gotta be completely ashamed of yourself.”
Loving America and hating fascism is more apt.
Antifa attacked the press? Why?
Ask Vox and CNN. When there were no targets for Antifa to beat up on they turned on the media.
Which CNN reporters were beaten up? I'm sure that would be news-worthy, if it wasn't a complete and total lie.
Again, I do not support antifa, they're just far less of a threat to me and society than dumb as shit white supremacists, Nazi's and KKK members along with all the other white nationalists waving their treasonous confederate flags and chanting anti-minority slogans.
Antifa clashes with police and journalists in Charlottesville and DC
Antifa says it fights fascists and neo-Nazis. But this weekend, members attacked cops and journalists.
Sunday’s counterprotests against the white nationalist “Unite the Right 2” rally in Washington, DC, were largely peaceful. Thousands of people held multiple rallies across the city to celebrate diversity and push back against the hateful views the white nationalists espouse.
But a few left-wing “antifa” (short for “anti-fascist”) counterprotesters did engage in violence, throwing eggs and water bottles and shooting fireworks at police officers and some journalists who were covering the demonstrations......https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/8/12/17681986/antifa-leftist-violence-clashes-protests-charlottesville-dc-unite-the-right
I've seen Cuomo talk a few times like he'd like to fight somebody. Sounds like a bully.
And incredibly, NBC didn't even report it. Their own guy!
I watched the video. What an arrogant and mean-spirited woman!
What in the world does that mean? What does it mean to "physically" like dogs??
What a lunatic. I thought this fantasy was supposed to come true in 2017. Only now will the apocalypse happen? Krugman needs new meds.
all the subjects of the seeded article need to be put on meds.
I guess part of it depends on your definition of a great country, does that mean that it takes care of the billionaires and the hell with everybody else, or does it mean how much it takes care of and protects the entire population? trump and his "inner circle" certainly sweat bullets for what the big money wants (and of course what trump and friends want or else) but I think the second option is more correct and we have a ways to go before we can claim greatness.
In fact, a person could be forgiven if they thought we were headed in the wrong direction for greatness.
Also, with all those "sources" like infowars and stormfront and the people who are either crying or screaming on the media, that the ultra-right types would be able to take a few hits, but as usual they like to pass it out but can't take it so they cry and moan about it.
Surely a sign of greatness all right, and grand exalted wizard of blizzard trump is in front, leading us downhill. But I'm sure we'll be a REALLY good third world country.
Let the contempt for America and her people just ooze out into the open.
Right at this moment, there are more actions by this country that are shameful, not so many to take pride in.
Of course, some people love criminals, bought politicians and of course, worship wealthy people and think that makes the U.S. great. Or maybe it's the amount of money a government can shovel from the poor to the wealthy or which countries have the biggest prison population that makes a great nation.
Luckily those people that love criminals didn't get their choice elected in 2016. Phew, lucky for us.
ROFL
Oh, but they did, they did get the criminal they wanted.
We were really lucky to avoid having that hard hearted criminal witch imposed upon us as president by the bi coastal elites.
Right wingers like to create straw men whipping boys like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She is a minor figure in politics and will be a minor figure two or four years from now. The nut jobs on the right would have us think she is leading a massive and dangerous revolt in the streets. The right needs straw men to knock down because their own programs and ideas are so worthless.
When she takes down a long-time Democratic incumbent, you best pay attention.
This IS the direction the Democrats are moving in.
I hope they elevate Ocasio to higher office because she is somewhat of a joke to many. Not, of course, to the thousands of Democrats who voted for her.
Keep telling yourself that, John. This woman is a loon, and yet she beat the incumbent in a primary. That is news, whether you want it to be or not.
The continued wilful deafness on the left will end up costing them in the long run.
The far left is so filled with rage and hate that they don’t care what it costs them to try to exact revenge.
Our ideas are pure awesomeness and genius. We are Heartland Americans.
And now there’s the socialist mayor of Tallahassee running for Governor in Florida. Talk about looney left.