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Trump supporters are in a cult, and Mitch McConnell is one of them, says Dan Rather

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  ender  •  5 years ago  •  79 comments

By:   MIKE MURPHY

Trump supporters are in a cult, and Mitch McConnell is one of them, says Dan Rather
‘Cults generally don’t end well,’ longtime CBS newsman says on CNN

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T



President Donald Trump’s followers are part of a “cult” — and that includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, longtime news anchor Dan Rather said Sunday.

Speaking   on CNN’s “Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter” on Sunday morning,   Rather, the former CBS News anchor, said Trump’s support is “all about him.”

“Increasingly President Trump’s support seems cultish. It’s all about him, it’s not about a policy.”

Dan Rather

“These cults, cults generally don’t end well,” Rather said. “People will say it’s too much to say it’s a cult. I don’t think so. The further we go, it is always all about him. It’s not about a policy.”

When asked specifically if McConnell, the Kentucky Republican, was part of that cult, Rather said: “The short answer is yes.”

Speaking about the impeachment inquiry, and allegations that Trump tried to bribe a foreign government and intimidate witnesses, Rather said of Trump: “I’d say history is closing in on him, facts are closing in.”

Still, because of that cult-like following, “whether or not that’s enough to have a real trial in the Senate or not, I have my doubts,” he said.

Rather isn’t the only one saying Trump supporters are part of a cult. A report last week by Vanity Fair said outspoken anti-Trump Republican George Conway, whose wife is White House adviser Kellyanne Conway,   “tells people she’s in a cult.”

Photo: Dan Rather speaks at SiriusXM Studio in Washington in 2018. Getty Images


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Ender
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Ender    5 years ago
@DanRather
I have covered many cults. Some end with a bang, others with whimper. But they invariably end. The question is how much damage they leave in their wake.
 
 
 
Dean Moriarty
Professor Quiet
2  Dean Moriarty    5 years ago

Dan you can’t hide your bias and MSM can’t hide its bias any longer. 

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
2.1  seeder  Ender  replied to  Dean Moriarty @2    5 years ago

Yep. Telling the truth about trump is all leftwing bias....s/

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
2.1.2  Dismayed Patriot  replied to    5 years ago
Telling and believing lies shows bias

What lies has Dan told?

Those refusing the accept the 13,000+ confirmed lies told by dishonest Donald have no room to throw stones even if something Rather said was even slightly inaccurate, which it wasn't.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
2.1.4  seeder  Ender  replied to    5 years ago
The former anchor’s reputation was tarnished after the accuracy of his 2004 story questioning President George W. Bush’s military service was publicly disputed by the leader’s administration. The entire saga was recently dramatized on the big screen in  Truth , starring Robert Redford as Rather. 

“We reported a true story. We didn’t do it perfectly,” the 84-year-old recently told  The Hollywood Reporter . “We made some mistakes of getting to the truth. But that didn’t change the truth of what we reported.” 

Rather and his producer Mary Mapes (played by Cate Blanchett in  Truth ) aired a story that alleged that Bush went AWOL during his time in the Texas Air National Guard. The Bush administration charged that the documents used as the basis for the report were inauthentic, leading to an independent investigation that ultimately concluded that the piece disregarded “fundamental journalistic principles.” The documents were not, however, ever proved to be forgeries. 

Link
 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
2.1.7  seeder  Ender  replied to    5 years ago

Did you even read my link?

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
2.1.9  seeder  Ender  replied to    5 years ago

So the only thing you are going to do is attack Dan Rather instead of trying to say what he said was wrong.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
2.1.11  seeder  Ender  replied to    5 years ago

Yes I do. The trumpers act like they are in a cult.

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
2.1.12  Paula Bartholomew  replied to    5 years ago

Trump has lied thousands of times and you have no problem with that.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
2.1.13  JohnRussell  replied to  Paula Bartholomew @2.1.12    5 years ago
Trump has lied thousands of times and you have no problem with that.

How quickly they forget. 

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
2.1.14  seeder  Ender  replied to  Paula Bartholomew @2.1.12    5 years ago

What is his lie count up to...13,000 or so.

That is just fine with some, look the other way....

 
 
 
lady in black
Professor Quiet
2.1.15  lady in black  replied to  JohnRussell @2.1.13    5 years ago

They don't forget, they ignore and are in denial

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
4  Sean Treacy    5 years ago

I’m surprised rather didn’t just forge documents to show the existence of an imaginary cult.

he must be getting lazy in old age.

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
5  Paula Bartholomew    5 years ago

The turtle is little more than an ass kissing yes man for Trump.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
6  JohnRussell    5 years ago

800

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
6.1  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  JohnRussell @6    5 years ago

That is apparently the perspective of all those who have their heads firmly implanted in Trumps voluminous backside.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
6.1.1  seeder  Ender  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @6.1    5 years ago

Notice that none of them are actually defending trump, instead they attack the messenger.

 
 
 
Ozzwald
Professor Quiet
6.2  Ozzwald  replied to  JohnRussell @6    5 years ago

Worship at his alter...

https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F190304123845-trump-fast-food-north-dakota-state-bison.jpg

190304124858-trump-fast-food-north-dakota-state-bison-2-exlarge-169.jpg

landscape-1470669200-trump-food.jpg?resize=480:*

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
7  Jasper2529    5 years ago
Dan Rather

Has a long string of controversial "journalistic reporting" at age 88. 

Is this the same Dan Rather who falsely reported a story after JFK's assassination?

In the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination while Rather was a Dallas reporter, he interviewed a minister who said some local schoolchildren had cheered upon learning of the President's shooting. The Associated Press later confirmed the story. A teacher at the school backed up the Rather story, confirming that some students at the school had cheered at the principal's news about Kennedy. [126]   Eddie Barker , local Dallas-area news director for CBS, said that Rather had in fact been aware that the children were merely happy about being sent home early and they had not been given a reason for early school closure (Barker's children attended the school, as he informed Rather). He stated that Rather had deliberately misrepresented the facts by indicating that the children were happy about the shooting . Barker attempted to fire Rather, but was overruled by the national CBS News management. [22]

Or is it the Dan Rather who Walter Cronkite slammed?

During an appearance on   CNN 's   American Morning , former CBS anchor   Walter Cronkite   said about Rather: "It surprised quite a few people at CBS and elsewhere that, without being able to pull up the ratings beyond third in a three-man field, that they tolerated his being there for so long." Cronkite also said that   Bob Schieffer 's succession was long overdue. [125]

Keep the bias and false reporting going, Dan - it's all you've got. 

 

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
7.1  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Jasper2529 @7    5 years ago

Really? That's what you're going with in your smear attack on Dan Rather, a news giant for nearly half a century? You're going with "Reporter misrepresented cheer to the news of Kennedy's assassination"? Really? Am I the only one who finds this bizarre attempt at slander far more of a misrepresentation of Rather's career with nothing but slimy sycophants trying to stain his actual work with partisan bullshit?

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
7.1.1  Jasper2529  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @7.1    5 years ago
Really? That's what you're going with in your smear attack on Dan Rather,

In comment 7 , I did not make a "smear attack" on Dan Rather. I posted facts about his past.

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
7.1.2  Paula Bartholomew  replied to  Jasper2529 @7.1.1    5 years ago

Instead of the past, try concentrating on the present and the thousands of lies your Messiah has told.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
7.1.4  JohnRussell  replied to    5 years ago

How many times do you think Trump has lied in the past three years Wally? Give us a ballpark figure. 

 
 
 
Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
7.1.5  Just Jim NC TttH  replied to  JohnRussell @7.1.4    5 years ago

And just what were any long lasting ramifications for any of those lies JR?

It's just like EO's and EA's. It isn't the quantity as much as the content. 

 
 
 
katrix
Sophomore Participates
7.1.7  katrix  replied to    5 years ago
I don't remember having heard any lies

It's astonishing how Trump's base can convince themselves that reality doesn't actually exist.

Trump has lied thousands of times and you pretend you're totally unaware of any of those lies, despite having had them pointed out to you here multiple times. Do you really think you're fooling anyone except maybe yourself?

 
 
 
lady in black
Professor Quiet
7.1.8  lady in black  replied to  katrix @7.1.7    5 years ago

Bigly, HUGGGGGE, biggest EVER case of TDS  - Trump DENIAL syndrome

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2  seeder  Ender  replied to  Jasper2529 @7    5 years ago

Except he was not reporting, he was giving his opinion.

Spot on IMO.

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
7.2.1  Jasper2529  replied to  Ender @7.2    5 years ago
Except he was not reporting, he was giving his opinion.

A journalist/reporter presents only facts, not opinion.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2.2  seeder  Ender  replied to  Jasper2529 @7.2.1    5 years ago

He is allowed his opinion. Just ask the people on fox news.

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
7.2.3  Sean Treacy  replied to  Ender @7.2    5 years ago
Spot on IMO.

Sure, if you believe  obvious lies.

It's amazing how people can go from calling Trump a liar to defending lies in the blink of an eye. 

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2.4  seeder  Ender  replied to  Sean Treacy @7.2.3    5 years ago

What lies am I defending? It is my opinion that trumpers act like they are in a cult.

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
7.2.5  Jasper2529  replied to  Ender @7.2.2    5 years ago
He is allowed his opinion.

Of course he is. However, if Mr. Rather wants to be considered a true journalist/reporter, he must adhere to established journalism standards, and those standards do not include opinion

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2.6  seeder  Ender  replied to  Jasper2529 @7.2.5    5 years ago

Last I heard he was not at an anchor desk on a network.

and those standards do not include opinion

Then 95% of fox news would be off the air.

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
7.2.7  Jasper2529  replied to  Ender @7.2.6    5 years ago
Last I heard he was not at an anchor desk on a network.

That's correct. CBS kicked him out in 2006. From what I've read, he's been rather butthurt since then. I'm glad that he's found work with other left-wing media.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2.9  seeder  Ender  replied to    5 years ago

Group think? Hell they can't even agree on policy. I hardly call that group think. Unlike republicans that walk lock step.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2.11  seeder  Ender  replied to    5 years ago

Only in your world.

 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
7.2.12  Tacos!  replied to  Ender @7.2    5 years ago
he was giving his opinion

That's not an opinion. It's a misrepresentation of a fact. Rather presented the events as the children cheering because the president had been shot. That was not true. That's getting a fact wrong.

An opinion would be some kind of value judgement. e.g. "The children cheered inappropriately." The only way you could get to it being an opinion that I can think of would be if Rather speculated that he thought the children were cheering because the president had been shot. I guess in that way, it could be opinion, but he should at least present it as a guess because that's all it could be.

If he knew better, though (and it's hard to believe he didn't know better), then it was a lie.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
7.2.13  seeder  Ender  replied to  Tacos! @7.2.12    5 years ago

Not a misrepresentation in my opinion. trump supporters act like they are in a cult.

No matter what he says or does, they blindly follow and cheer. Even when it is a proven lie, they will argue to the death.

 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
7.2.14  Tacos!  replied to  Ender @7.2.13    5 years ago
Not a misrepresentation in my opinion. trump supporters act like they are in a cult.

Trump supporters wasn't the topic of my comment. I was replying on a thread about Dan Rather's reporting after the JFK assassination. That's why you were discussing reporting vs opinion. At least that's what it looked like. I responded to your @7.2, which was itself a response to @7 which was all about Rather reporting on the JFK thing.

Rather reported that children cheered when told the president had been killed. The children had not been told the president had been killed; and they cheered because school got out early. Rather misrepresented the facts.

 
 
 
katrix
Sophomore Participates
7.2.16  katrix  replied to    5 years ago

Of course that's your opinion. Why people who expect our elected officials to put our country first and expect them to act ethically piss you off so much is beyond me, but I think it's a result of all the right wing extremists loonies you listen to or watch on TV, radio, or whatever. They keep you isolated from facts and decent people.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
8  seeder  Ender    5 years ago

Cult...

a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.
"a cult of personality surrounding the leaders"
 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
9  Tacos!    5 years ago
“Increasingly President Trump’s support seems cultish. It’s all about him, it’s not about a policy.”

I think you could say that basic thing about a lot of politicians and their supporters.

For decades, analysts and historians have said Kennedy beat Nixon in the debates because he looked better on TV.

Some people voted for Bill Clinton because he ate at McDonald's and played the sax. Millions of people probably voted for Barack Obama because he is black or maybe because he gives a good speech. Maybe they liked his smile. Maybe they liked that he was young and energetic. Millions probably voted for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman.

None of that has anything to do with policy.

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
10  It Is ME    5 years ago

That's so cute !

Dan ( We didn’t do it perfectly ) Rather, is trying to become "relevant" again. jrSmiley_10_smiley_image.gif

 
 

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