2016 Presidential Primary – an observation on the media

by
Skip

From Pat Buchanan at Townhall (reformatted, emphasis mine):

And the media have played right into Trump’s hand.

They constantly denounce him as grossly insensitive for what he has said about women, Mexicans, Muslims, McCain and a reporter with a disability. Such crimes against decency, says the press, disqualify Trump as a candidate for president.  Yet, when they demand he apologize, Trump doubles down. And when they demand that Republicans repudiate him, the GOP base replies:

And this is the part that seems exclusive to the base – and NOT the Republican Establishment:

“Who are you to tell us whom we may nominate? You are not friends. You are not going to vote for us. And the names you call Trump — bigot, racist, xenophobe, sexistare the names you call us, nothing but cuss words that a corrupt establishment uses on those it most detests.”

Time after time we see poll after poll and “after election” donation results and these Smart People in the media have one thing in common, be it paper, radio, TV, or online: they hate Republicans only a tad less than full bore Conservatives, Libertarians, and TEA Party folks.  Oh sure, they’ll have their “pet Republican” for a while (re: McCain before the 2008 general election season) for as long as they parrot how bad other Republicans are (e.g., Fergus “The Fringe” Cullen).  However, as soon as they become a threat, they turn from petting a house cat to becoming the Big Cats themselves – out looking for a meal to devour.  And “here, little R kitty” becomes dinner’s appetizer.

Nope, the base has had enough.  After too many years, we have learned that “bigot, racist, xenophobe, sexist” are only useful as cudgels only as long as we allow them to be so.  And we have decided, no longer.

Like him or hate him, Trump has brought a rather large flashlight to the media-Emperor’s New Clothes and we have seen them to be rather threadbare.  What he has really done is what those on the Right should have been doing all along.  Remember Alinsky’s Rule for Radicals Rule #1:

RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”

This Rule fails when the enemy (aka us) no longer believes in the media’s power – in this case, the power to tell us who our nominee should be.  Now, GraniteGrok has endorsed Ted Cruz and not the Donald.  That said, Trump has done something that the Establishment refused to do for years – break free and call their bluff.

Gosh, it’s like they might be in collusion?

What the Trump campaign reveals is that, to populists and Republicans, the political establishment and its media arm are looked upon the way the commons and peasantry of 1789 looked upon the ancien regime and the king’s courtiers at Versailles.

True.  Once again, the Elites are getting “pantsed”; no better set of sad sack to have it done to.

 

Author

  • Skip

    Co-founder of GraniteGrok, my concern is around Individual Liberty and Freedom and how the Government is taking that away. As an evangelical Christian and Conservative with small "L" libertarian leanings, my fight is with Progressives forcing a collectivized, secular humanistic future upon us. As a TEA Party activist, citizen journalist, and pundit!, my goal is to use the New Media to advance the radical notions of America's Founders back into our culture.

Share to...