How authoritarian and totalitarian are our Government institutions becoming? Very, I’m sad to report. We have school boards under the rubric that “we MUST support marginalized groups (generally LGB and T)!”
By having porno books in public school libraries? Seriously, without them, gender dysphoria-afflicted kids would “erase” themselves from learning anything? Oh, and co-opting Normal peoples’ speech with “you WILL use THEIR ‘preferred pronouns!” even as I can scarcely remember the names of my kids (Tommy, no Steve, erg! Randy!!!!!).
And now US Senate Chuck Schumer, because of his occupying the second highest perch in American politics, believes he has the Power to tell the media what to say and do (reformatted, emphasis mine)?
We’ve seen that Democrats don’t seem to understand some of the basic principles of the Constitution. Or perhaps, more accurately, don’t seem to care about complying with it…We saw another serious Constitutional problem again–with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as he spoke to CNN and MSNBC over the last day. Listen as Schumer tells CNN’s John Berman that he thinks they have a “right” to tell Fox News what to do.
Or, lovely network you have there; shame if anything happened to it:
“This is telling them, showing them they have hurt our democracy*,” Schumer said, “in a way that no other actor other than Donald Trump has done.”
“When it’s that vital, I think we not only have a right to tell Rupert Murdoch and Fox what to do, but an obligation,” Schumer declared. Schumer then encouraged people to harass Fox and “tell them to do what Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer ask.” Schumer then went on MSNBC and said that the reason he was spitting in the face of the Constitution was that our “democracy was at greater risk than it’s ever been,” that Fox must admit they told “lies” or he will take other “steps.”
Continuing the broadside attack against his own oath of office, @SenSchumer took to MSNBC last night & told a receptive @chrislhayes that FNC hosts @IngrahamAngle & @TuckerCarlson must "admit" they told "lies" about the 2020 election. Otherwise, he warns, he'll consider new steps pic.twitter.com/sCfkfTGP22
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 3, 2023
*=democracy is always being hurt when Democrats don’t hold all the Power.
The problem is that he does believe he has that Power – or, at the least, that he wants the MSNBC audience to believe he does. Maybe 80-20%?
Look, you and I can tell anyone anything, but that’s telling as we can’t demand. When I read this article, I immediately, due to his past behaviors, believed he meant it. Certainly, with the bolded above, he’s threatening a company that doesn’t toe his line. This article came out on March 3 so I can say that of the time of this writing, no “steps” have been taken thus far.
But this should concern us all – a man with such Power as he does believe he can do this without fear of retribution is, in itself, a worse “threat to our democracy” than what Fox is doing what he claims. Fox (or the other progressive networks) can say what they want. We can either listen, not listen, turn the channel, or turn the TV or go to another website. WE make the choice.
But if Schumer, or others like them (I’m thinking NH’s Jeanne Shaheen) speak, they CAN affect the rest of and we are subject to their legislation – there is no opt out for us. And trust me on this – the Slippery Slope Syndrome exists and is in play. Democrats love to do incrementalism and if they can include intimidation, so much slippery it gets.
(H/T: RedState)
