How The Media Midwifed The Birth Of The Trump Myth

Now that we've seen the numbers behind the fraudulent business "success" of incompetent Donald "Not Exonerated" Trump, Karen Tumulty goes into the wayback machine to see how the myth of Trump as a golden boy was nurtured and promoted by the media early in his wealth- destroying career:

In the 1980s and 1990s, the media conspired to perpetrate a vast fraud on the American people. So-called journalists and their complicit editors colluded — yes, that’s the word — to convince an unwitting public that Trump was a spectacularly successful businessman.

The scale of the ink-fueled myth has been exposed at last, thanks to 10 years’ worth of his tax information obtained by the New York Times, which revealed Trump’s enterprises were flopping on an epic scale. [snip]

You wouldn’t have known any of that from a December 1987 People magazine cover that featured the 41-year-old tuxedoed “tycoon” under a headline pronouncing him “TOO DARN RICH.”

“Almost everything he touches turns to profit,” the magazine marveled, adding: “He says he’s too busy to run for President right now, but in a few years, well, who knows?” [snip]

“He is the man with the Midas fist,” Newsweek wrote a few months before the People cover.

The Times wrote the earliest classic of the genre with its first profile of Trump back in 1976. The story by society reporter Judy Klemesrud began: “He is tall, lean and blond, with dazzling white teeth, and he looks ever so much like Robert Redford. He rides around town in a chauffeured silver Cadillac with his initials, DJT, on the plates. He dates slinky fashion models, belongs to the most elegant clubs and, at only 30 years of age, estimates that he is worth ‘more than $200 million.’ ”  (our emphasis)

The years- long run of Trump's "The Apprentice" on NBC is not mentioned, although it's arguably the most egregious example of the media lionizing this hyena and playing a large role in creating the Trump myth.  This and uncritical reporting for the last 30 years has culminated in the disaster we see today.  Tumulty is just scratching the surface, of course;  but the examples cross from entertainment media to "news" outlets, who were all too happy to buy into Trump's flimflam.

Tumulty concludes,

During the final debate of the 2016 campaign, Trump vowed to “run our country the way I’ve run my company.” As we are learning, that is one campaign promise he’s on track to keep.

One might also observe, as we are learning, too much of today's media is on track to commit the same malpractice -- this time in reporting how Trump's running the country.

Quotes Of The Day -- Trump, Russians And The Media

Last night's Real Time With Bill Maher contained some insightful zingers on neo- fascist Giant Toddler* Donald "Rump" Trump and his relationships with Russia and the media.  Here are a few of our favorites:

"[Trumpers] met with the Russians more than the Olympic doping committee." -- Bill Maher.

"I can't believe Putin paid full price for this guy." -- Maher on Rump's typically ignorant comment that "Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated" (same link as above).

"Daddy didn’t come home drunk and beat us last night so he’s the best father ever!” -- conservative commentator Charlie Sykes on the media's "battered pundit syndrome" displayed in praise for Rump's big boy speech to Congress Tuesday.

"There's a desperate thirst for normal." -- MSNBC's Joy Reid on the media's willingness to constantly lower the bar for Rump and grant him "reset" moments over and over again (same link as above).

BONUS:  Steve Benen and Jeet Heer have good takes on media fawning over Rump's big boy speech.
___________________
* h/t Quinn Cummings.

Today's Cartoon Threefer

(click on images to enlarge)


(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)


(Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle)


(Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Backscratching, Rump and the Media Edition (UPDATED)

If you thought our broken corporate media shamed itself in the last election in its both siderism and failure to investigate neo-fascist demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump's numerous frauds and dangerous foreign entanglements, it shouldn't surprise you that the shitgibbon met with a gaggle of network news executives and anchors today - and it was all "off the record" (OTR):

"There is much for the group to talk about. Trump has long-standing relationships with many in the TV news business -- but he also waged an anti-media crusade during his campaign for president. There are many looming questions about whether Trump will provide the same levels of press access that past presidents have permitted, like a traveling 'press pool' and regular news conferences."

Translation: Rump will give access to the celebrity-obsessed "news" organizations only if those organizations "treat him fairly," i.e., only flattering puff pieces, no more stories about the nature of his connection to Russia and Putin, no more stories about his corrupt dealings during the transition, etc. The better coverage, the better the access, right? Many of these money-grubbing executives will take the bait, especially during the "honeymoon" period of the new administration and since they've already largely ignored his ongoing shocking corruption, as we note in the post below. By organizing this meeting, Rump's media "fixer," piranha / human hybrid Kellyanne Conway, thinks that she and Rump can cajole or scare enough of them to go along with her media strategy and continue to normalize Rump. Sadly for our democracy, she's on to something.

UPDATE:  According to some perhaps some self- serving =cough= Trump =cough= leaking, the meeting may not have gone well.  In addition, a meeting the shitgibbon was to have with the New York Effing Times today, well:

President-elect Donald Trump canceled a meeting with The New York Times Tuesday because it changed the terms “at the last minute,” a claim the paper disputes.  

Trump was scheduled to meet off-the-record with Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and a few other key representatives of the paper before participating in an on-the-record session with the reporters and editorial columnists, a Times spokeswoman told The Huffington Post on Monday. 

This is the giant toddler who will soon be in charge of the nuclear codes, Armed Forces, and intelligence services.

UPDATE II:  Shame on the servile, Groundhog Day media --

What the networks' accession to OTR terms tells us: They learned *nothing* over past 18 months of covering Trump.

— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) November 21, 2016

The Media Will Continue To Largely Downplay Trump's Illegalities

As we and others have pointed out, the story of neo- fascist con artist Donald "Rump" Trump settling his various fraud suits regarding Trump "University" for the princely sum of $25 million has largely escaped the notice of our bloodhounds in the corporate media.  Mark Sumner notes,

On Friday, the President-elect of the United States agreed to pay $25 million for defrauding students of his not-a-university. That settlement includes $1 million in payments to the State of New York for violations of state law. During the campaign, Trump had denied he would ever settle, saying it was “a matter of principle.” However, he’s now treating the $25 million payout as a victory, calling it a “fraction” of his potential losses. 

But less than 48 hours later, you won’t find the story on the front of the New York Times, despite New York AG Eric Schneiderman’s dogged work in assembling the case. You wont find it on the front of the Washington Post, despite the outrageous implications of a president paying out tens of millions weeks before taking office. You won’t find it on the Miami Herald, despite the connection between Trump’s “university” and contributions to Florida’s AG that had all the earmarks of old-fashioned bribes.  (our emphasis)

Imagine if this were a story about the Clinton Foundation's finances instead of the transparent, multi- million dollar con that was Trump "University."  (Scott Lemieux does.) We've had over a year to see that the ethical bar is so low for Rump in the corporate media that it essentially doesn't exist.

Think about that when you read this:

Friday evening, the Washington Post reported * that about 100 foreign diplomats gathered at President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Washington, DC to “to sip Trump-branded champagne, dine on sliders and hear a sales pitch about the U.S. president-elect’s newest hotel.” The tour included a look at the hotel’s $20,000 a night “town house” suite. The Post also quoted some of the diplomats saying they intended to stay at the hotel in order to ingratiate themselves to the incoming president. 

“Why wouldn’t I stay at his hotel blocks from the White House, so I can tell the new president, ‘I love your new hotel!’” said one diplomat from an Asian nation. “Isn’t it rude to come to his city and say, ‘I am staying at your competitor?’” 

The incoming president, in other words, is actively soliciting business from agents of foreign governments. Many of these agents, in turn, said that they will accept the president-elect’s offer to do business because they want to win favor with the new leader of the United States. 

In an exclusive exchange with ThinkProgress, Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota law professor who previously served as chief ethics counsel to President George W. Bush, says that Trump’s efforts to do business with these diplomats is at odds with a provision of the Constitution intended to prevent foreign states from effectively buying influence with federal officials.  (our emphasis)

Combine this with Rump's children being heavily involved in the transition (including meeting with foreign leaders) and his curious understanding of what a "blind trust" is, and it's not hard to get the sense that Rump fully intends to proceed with enriching himself and his family while in office. We know his ego is wrapped up in the trappings of wealth, and he's not going to miss any opportunity to trade on the Presidency to enhance that wealth. He. Has. No. Ethics.

Given the low bar that the corporate media has provided Rump throughout his foray into politics, it's also not hard to get the sense that -- Democrats' howling notwithstanding -- he'll bluff and shamble his way through, with the media giving short shrift to his business- as- usual scams and violations of the Constitution.

* By the way, what should have been a front page story ended up on the Post's Business page.

The Apocalypse Nears: Normalizing Trump Continues

Brian Beutler has a good read on the media's still- not- too- late obligation to bear witness faithfully to the abnormality of neo- fascist demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump.  Here's a snippet:

Whether you have a short or long view, you’ve seen enough to say authoritatively that Trump is different from all major party nominees in living memory. It is not normal in modern times for a major party nominee to be an erratic, racist demagogue; and it is almost definitionally abnormal for a major party nominee to be described as such by leading members of his own party. [snip] 

For several weeks now—including since Labor Day, when most Americans truly began paying attention to the campaigns—these truths, which we all took for granted six months ago, have not been communicated to glancing news consumers. They’ve receded from most article leads, headlines, front pages, and A-block TV segments. 

That development is the product of many collective choices and thousands of individual ones. It is an institutional failure, and as such, a major and abrupt course correction seems highly unlikely. But that doesn’t absolve reporters, editors, producers or anyone else who is part of the system. There’s still time to alter our focus, however incrementally, so that it better captures what’s new and alarming, and all journalists have some degree of power to nudge it in that direction. The goal is not to swing an election, or call Trump mean names, or render partisan judgment about whether electing him would be a world-historical mistake. It’s simply so that after this is all over, however it shakes out, we can say we bore witness faithfully.  (our emphasis)

Time is short, and the impulse to normalize this "world historical mistake" either by commission or omission continues apace in political reporting, McNews stories, and in a boot- licking corner of the entertainment world (or perhaps we should say, "hair tousling corner").

It's worth repeating what Charles Pierce said a few days ago:

... For the balance of this election cycle, and largely due to the presence in it of this ridiculous man and his ridiculous campaign, the American people have proven themselves profoundly unworthy of being called citizens.

And that goes double for those who know better and yet stand by and say or do nothing.

BONUS:  Regarding that cringe- worthy effort by Jimmy Fallon (WTF is wrong with you?)  to normalize (humanize?) Rump linked to above, this is our favorite tweet so far on the episode:

Somewhere in Trump tower:
"Make the call." pic.twitter.com/RRNIIhCaas

— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) September 16, 2016

Quote Of The Day

A substantial portion of this country wants someone not to govern, but to rule, to defeat the imaginary enemies they have concocted so as not to bestir themselves to resist the forces that actually are working against their interest. For the balance of this election cycle, and largely due to the presence in it of this ridiculous man and his ridiculous campaign, the American people have proven themselves profoundly unworthy of being called citizens.  -- Charles P. Pierce, despairing that too many of us have given up on the duties of citizenship in the rise of neo- fascist demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump.  Good read.

Morning Reading - Our Broken Media (And Maybe How To Begin Fixing It)

Lots of articles coming out recently about the many failures of the media in this existential election. Here's a longish sampling of some good reads (as always, please take time to read the entire articles):

Nancy LeTourneau

Do you remember that time when Jim Inhofe brought a snowball onto the Senate floor in February as “proof” that climate change is a hoax? He was being what we might call a “merchant of doubt.” Never mind that the scientific community has been studying the rise in global temperatures for quite a while. One snowfall in Washington raises doubts about what they’ve found.  [snip] 

Can I suggest that, much as the “question” about Benghazi continues in the fevered minds of some (after even multiple Republican Congressional inquiries have produced nothing), “the question that arises yet again” is as dispositive as Inhofe’s snowball in February. We are, at this point, dealing with nothing more than merchants of doubt.

Jeff Jarvis

If journalism had informed and educated the American electorate, I am confident there would have been no room for Trump to spread his virus of ignorance, lies, and bigotry. It is patently clear that journalism is doing a terrible job informing the public. Judge the results. 

This is what depresses me most and makes me realize more than ever that we must rethink and reinvent the very core of journalism, its relationship with the public, its forms, and its business models. For it’s the business model that makes Les Moonves at CBS and Jeff Zucker at CNN rub their greedy little hands in glee at the audience and revenue the Trump Circus brings them. It’s the business model that has newsrooms chasing rabid squirrels and outrageous Trumpisms to get more volume, less value. It’s the form of journalism — the scoop, the exclu, the provocative TV yelling match, the savvy political roundtable— that brings out our worst in political opportunism and sensationalism, leaving no room for substance. And because we in journalism separate ourselves from the public we serve — sitting above them, in judgment — we try to argue that it’s not our fault if they’re not informed. Because of that separation, we cannot credibly contend that we know what the public’s concerns are; we’re not good at listening. And because of that separation, we still expect people to come to us for the news, when we should be going to them wherever they are.

Paul Glastris

Another way of looking at it is that the press is beginning to treat the Clinton Foundation story the way the Republican still treat Benghazi. The legitimate questions surrounding that incident—What were the precipitating events that lead to the deaths of four diplomats? What might the federal government have done differently to prevent it?—were basically answered when the first after-action press investigations and the 2012 Accountability Review Board Report were published. Keeping the controversy alive with half a dozen more congressional investigations was just a way for Republicans to rough up Clinton. 

The GOP at least had an obvious political motive for refusing to admit the obvious on Benghazi. Why the mainstream press is refusing to concede the facts of its own investigations on Hillary and the Clinton Foundation is not so clear. But unless it stops that behavior and starts speaking honestly, and soon, there’s a very real chance it could throw the election to Donald Trump. 

Paul Krugman

So I would urge journalists to ask whether they are reporting facts or simply engaging in innuendo, and urge the public to read with a critical eye. If reports about a candidate talk about how something “raises questions,” creates “shadows,” or anything similar, be aware that these are all too often weasel words used to create the impression of wrongdoing out of thin air. 

And here’s a pro tip: the best ways to judge a candidate’s character are to look at what he or she has actually done, and what policies he or she is proposing. Mr. Trump’s record of bilking students, stiffing contractors and more is a good indicator of how he’d act as president; Mrs. Clinton’s speaking style and body language aren’t. George W. Bush’s policy lies gave me a much better handle on who he was than all the up-close-and-personal reporting of 2000, and the contrast between Mr. Trump’s policy incoherence and Mrs. Clinton’s carefulness speaks volumes today. 

In other words, focus on the facts. America and the world can’t afford another election tipped by innuendo. 

Josh Marshall (linked to previously, but worth repeating)

The [New York] Times uniquely, though only as a leading example for the rest of the national press, has a decades' long history of being lead around by rightwing opposition researchers into dead ends which amount to journalistic comedy - especially when it comes to the Clintons. But here, while all this is happening we have a real live specimen example of direct political and prosecutorial corruption, misuse of a 501c3 nonprofit and various efforts to conceal this corruption and the underlying corruption of Trump's 'Trump University' real estate seminar scam. It's all there - lightly reported here and there - but largely ignored.  [snip] 

So here you have straight-up bad acts, political corruption to enable prosecutorial corruption to escape the consequences of fraud perpetrated on vulnerable consumers. And yet the page space gets dedicated to Clinton Foundation stories which raise 'questions' that could 'create appearances' and all other journalistic workarounds reporters use when they haven't found what they were looking for.  [snip] 

I should be clear here that while the Times is possibly the worst offender because of the scale of the failure and the influence the Times exerts far beyond its own pages, it's far from alone. They're just the tip of the spear of the generalized failure to apply even a small fraction of the scrutiny to Trump that they have to the Clintons or to make an honest evaluation of the fact that the story they were sold by various right wing groups - critical ones funded by none other than Breitbart's Steve Bannon (now Trump's campaign manager) - simply didn't pan out. 

In the simplest sense, they were just suckered and used and got played. It's a failure of great proportions, not at all unlike back when they were played by similar forces in the 'whitewater' era. As Trump might say, Sad!

Sad, indeed.  But also dangerous.

We'd also like to reiterate our support for Tengrain's appeal to actively push back when you see media malfeasance and false equivalence rearing its ugly head.  (At the same time, as commenter wjbill suggests, we must support alternative sources of information.)  It's important that they know we're not fools and we're not going to take their dangerous game- playing anymore.

Today's "Bridge On The River Kwai" Metaphor

A metaphor, via brief film clip, of the day after Election 2016, wherein Sir Alec Guinness plays the Trump- normalizing, horserace hankering, Clinton- hating media, and the bridge is America.



Of course, that would wrongly presume they had self- awareness and consciences.

BONUS: These tweets illustrate the point:

Trump banned the press from his Mexico trip. The MSM takeaway here will be "Why won't Hillary Clinton do press conferences?"

— Martha Jackovics (@BeachPeanuts) August 31, 2016

Trump's team (literally): Mexico trip is about optics, intended to dupe media.

Cable news: Wow! I can hardly believe my eyes. What a show!

— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) August 31, 2016

New Trump, Same As The Old Trump

After his hastily- arranged photo op yesterday with Mexican sucker President Enrique Peña Nieto, neo- fascist deporter Donald "Rump" Trump (or our "Mexican" appellation for him, "Pauncho") made a long- awaited speech in Phoenix that was intended to clarify his and his campaign's contradictory and floundering immigration "policy."  For those in the media desperate for a "pivot" and a horserace, and those "independents" and Republicans who are looking for "cover" to support "Pauncho," we have a bulletin for you:  New Trump, Same As The Old Trump.

“Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation,” Trump said during what he billed as a major policy speech in Phoenix. “That is what it means to have laws and to have a country. Otherwise we don’t have a country.”  [snip] 

“The truth is, the central issue is not the needs of the 11 million illegal immigrants, or however many it may be.”  (our emphasis)

And "the wall?"

Also promised on the border: an “impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall,” bolstered by technology and paid for by Mexico.

He talked about the wall hours after meeting with with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico City. Trump said in a joint press conference afterward the meeting that the two men hadn’t discussed payment for the wall. Peña Nieto later said he told Trump that Mexico refuses pay.

Trump apparently wasn’t convinced.

“Mexico will pay for the wall,” he said during his speech. “100 percent. They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for the wall.”  (our emphasis)

In short, you could replay yesterday's shouty, hateful Phoenix speech and it would be the same as any speech on immigration Rump's given in the past year, and as the late, great Molly Ivins would have said, "probably sounded better in the original German."

We could go on about what audience Rump is attempting to con at this particular moment, but Norman Ornstein sussed it out perfectly for us:

Most effusive praise for Trump speech? David Duke and Ann Coulter. What more do you need to know?

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) September 1, 2016

BONUS:  Charles Pierce has a great piece on the sniveling media and Rump.

(Photo:  President Pena Nieto and Pauncho yesterday.)

Gut Check Time For Media

Following the latest outrage to human decency and American democracy perpetrated by neo- fascist existential threat Donald "Rump" Trump, maybe the "false equivalence" "both sides" media need to do some serious self- examination about their role in covering this election.  Here are snippets from two articles worth a longer look.

Nicco Mele and Marvin Kalb:

It is at this moment that the news media — American journalists — must embrace a measure of courage and ferocity in order to bring a measure of order and understanding to the chaos. It is time to re-shape our news values to understand the dangers of false equivalency — and to get back in touch with everyday Americans. We need courage not only in our news media, but in our business and civic communities. With the collapse of the newspaper advertising model and the economic pressure on the television news model increasing, we need new business models to create and protect local news. 

This is no time for timidity or delay. There is an urgent need for the media to boldly call a spade a spade. It takes no genius of special courage to see the looming threat to American democracy. Its name is Trumpism.

Alicia Shepard:

After the 2016 presidential election is over, it will be studied and written about ad infinitum in an attempt to understand it. Key to the voluminous research will be scouring news media coverage. Scholars are sure to ask the journalists, producers, videographers and commentators one soul-searching question: 

Are you proud of the way you covered Trump? 

Rump is an abnormal candidate, completely beyond the pale in terms of temperament, judgement, knowledge and self- control.  To willfully soft- pedal or ignore those disqualifying attributes would be a stain on the profession.  Who will we see standing up?

BONUS:  Here's one amoral POS that won't be standing up.

BONUS II:  You can remain seated, too, NBC, New York Times and CNN.  Jesus, what assholes.

Quote Of The Day: The Low Bar for Rump

"As for the mainstream media, it is a very short distance from 'That’s Trump going ballistic again' to 'That’s just Trump being Trump.' But when it comes to drawing political conclusions, it’s all the distance in the world. Similarly, that low bar will inevitably lead to high praise whenever Trump jumps it. A Trump debate in which he is even intelligible or slightly muted would undoubtedly unleash a media torrent of approval: Aha! He is more presidential than we thought. We already are getting a preview of this on the Republican Party side, where any hint of sanity by Trump is embraced in a bear hug. It is part of the process of normalizing him. (emphasis added) -- Neal Gabler of Moyers & Company, discussing how the low expectations for neo-fascist ignoramus Donald "Rump" Trump's behavior and rhetoric have benefited him as far as media coverage is concerned.  The whole article is worth a read.

Normalizing Trump And Undercutting Democrats: All In A Day's Work For Corporate Media

An op/ ed in HuffPo the other day discussed the phenomenon of neo- fascist demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump's rise, thanks in no small measure to a media obsessed with appearing above the fray not challenging the torrent of lies, racism, misogyny, authoritarianism, etc., coming from Rump and his Stormtrumpers. It concludes with the hope that the spirit of legendary journalist and "Tailgunner Joe" McCarthy- slayer Edward R. Murrow will prevail in this election cycle:

You can feel the press itching to normalize Trump, and relieve them from having to reluctantly abandon the safe shelter of “balance” and “objectivity,” and call Trump out. But Trump is a candidate who has broken so many rules of the political process, so the press can use this opportunity to break, and discard, the obsolete rules of political coverage that are clearly not working this cycle. What we need is not just a Murrow moment but a sustained Murrow mindset.

That mindset has yet to show up on the pages of at least one major newspaper, our hometown once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle where, aside from a strongly anti-Rump editorial board, the "reporters" seem determined to "normalize" Rump and, conversely, flog  "Democrats in disarray" and "crooked Hillary" narratives.  Here's what we're talking about, just from the last few days.

Normalizing Rump:   A news piece this morning written by Robert Costa and Philip Rucker (with the print edition headline "Trump favors Christie, Pence and Gingrich as he closes in on VP pick" -- very normal, objective and balanced, fellas!) discusses Rump's mulling over of vice presidential options in a most matter- of- fact way, as though this dangerously unfit buffoon were Cincinnatus:

Trump’s preferences have evolved in recent days as he contemplated what could be one of the most consequential decisions of his campaign. 

He was intrigued late last week by retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, telling friends that a military pick would signal strength and steadiness — and even testing out how “Trump-Flynn” sounded as a brand name. 

But Flynn’s stock fell after a shaky interview with ABC News on Sunday in which he stated his support for abortion rights, a position sure to spark a revolt at the Republican National Convention. On Monday, however, Flynn told Fox News Channel that he is a “pro-life Democrat.” 

By Monday, Trump suggested that he was moving away from the idea of a general. 

“I do like the military, but I do very much like the political,” Trump said in an interview Monday with The Washington Post’s Fix blog. “I will make my mind up over the next three to four days. In my mind, I have someone that would be really good.”

 "[T]esting out how 'Trump- Flynn' sounded as a brand name."  Sounds like a serious, presidential approach to us (and apparently also to Costa and Rucker)!

"I do like the military, but I do very much like the political."  "I do like the Gerber's strained peas, but I do very much like the chicken and chicken gravy." Also, see above.

"In my mind..."  That's just too easy.

Undercutting Democrats:  On the opposite page in the print version comes this piece by John Wagner and Abby Phillip, headlined "Sanders and Clinton to lock arms, but suspicions persist in both camps." Think about that emphasis for a moment.  Have you seen any three column articles recently about Republicans who ran for their party's nomination that have yet to endorse Rump (Cruz, Kasich, etc.), and the "suspicions" that remain?  Perhaps, but only in the general sense that there's a "stop Trump" mini- revolt among a handful of delegates.  Where's the headline, "Cruz, Kasich and Bush refuse to lock arms with Trump, and suspicions persist in every camp"?   The article, by the way, quotes one Clinton supporter who thinks Sanders may not campaign as vigorously as some think, and one Sanders delegate who thinks he should go all he way to the convention and fight it out.  That's it for "suspicions persist."

Even more egregiously, valuable front page space was provided on Sunday to Clinton scandal sleuth Rosalind S. Helderman (Haldeman?) to dredge (Drudge?) up the decaying skeleton of Whitewater to smear Hillary Clinton.  It took a rebuttal this morning from Clinton lawyer David E. Kendall to set the record straight:

As a matter of historical fact, it may be correct, as The Post reported Sunday, that Whitewater prosecutors now say they came “close” to filing charges against then-first lady Hillary Clinton in the 1990s. As a matter of legal and factual analysis, from one who observed this investigation at every step: Never . . . a . . . close . . . call . . . at . . . all.

Kendall goes on to show that, regardless of the "opinions" of the partisan crew running the Whitewater investigation in the 1990's (eight years long!), there was never any reasonable doubt that the "investigation" would lead exactly to what the e-mail investigation led .... nothing.

Meanwhile, our elite corporate media scratches its itch to normalize Rump and weaken the only adult, sane person in the race to hold the most powerful office in the world.

Halperin's Latest Trump Suck-up

On this morning's Morning Joke, mega-hack and Trump fanboy Mark Halperin watched neo-fascist demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump's unhinged rant yesterday, and proclaimed (along with some of his Joke colleagues) that Rump's type of angry, inchoherent performance was Rump getting "his groove back."  Watch the embedded video below and decide if this is a "groove" you believe is worthy of a Presidential candidate:

Getting his groove back? @MarkHalperin: If Trump's going to win, it's going to be with that, vintage Trump https://t.co/d2x7saJdCx

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 7, 2016

The responses to that nonsense were not complimentary:

@Morning_Joe @MarkHalperin are you guys kidding with this? Is this like "good news for John McCain"? How do you still have a job?

— Brian D Halligan (@BrianDHalligan) July 7, 2016

@Morning_Joe @joanwalsh @MarkHalperin You mean Trump's racist, woman-hating, Neo-Fascist groove? He never lost that groove.

— Honorée Jeffers (@BlkLibraryGirl) July 7, 2016

@Morning_Joe @joanwalsh @MarkHalperin You think yesterday was getting his groove back. He sounded unhinged, bitter, and petty. Some groove.

— Peter Kohan (@peterkohan) July 7, 2016

And so on.  Here are many more dismissive responses to Rump-boosting Halperin. This image of Halperin spooning with Rump says it all, doesn't it?:

The Trump Institute Scam And The Media's Complicity

Yesterday's New York Times had an expose of yet another scam fronted by neo- fascist Republican bankruptcy expert Donald "Rump" Trump.  Behold "Trump Institute:"

As with Trump University, the Trump Institute promised falsely that its teachers would be handpicked by Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump did little, interviews show, besides appear in an infomercial — one that promised customers access to his vast accumulated knowledge. “I put all of my concepts that have worked so well for me, new and old, into our seminar,” he said in the 2005 video, adding, “I’m teaching what I’ve learned.” 

Reality fell far short. In fact, the institute was run by a couple who had run afoul of regulators in dozens of states and had been dogged by accusations of deceptive business practices and fraud for decades. Similar complaints soon emerged about the Trump Institute. 

Yet there was an even more fundamental deceit to the business, unreported until now: Extensive portions of the materials that students received after paying their seminar fees, supposedly containing Mr. Trump’s special wisdom, had been plagiarized from an obscure real estate manual published a decade earlier.  (our emphasis)

The common denominator in these Rump- branded enterprises is the conscience- free defrauding of rubes looking to get rich quick.  By trading on his supposed vast expertise in real estate speculation =cough= four bankruptcies =cough=,  Rump was able to convince the gullible that he could make them rich just like him -- for a modest fee.  Now that Rump is one election away from installing his ugly brand of know- nothing neo- fascism in the White House, the media is suddenly taking a more critical look at what he bases his reputation on -- his business dealings, i.e., his trafficking in shady schemes like Trump "University" and, now, Trump "Institute."

Even though this kind of Rump- as- charlatan business dealing has been going on for decades, the media has largely played along with Rump's well- cultivated image as an expert to be sought out and consulted. David A. Hopkins (h/t Daily Kos) traces the phenomenon of Rump as the uncritical media's creature back several decades:

... For decades, Trump has benefited from media coverage that not only has made him a household name, but has also portrayed him as having skills that would be generally considered assets in the world of politics. Trump managed to build a national reputation as an exceptionally shrewd businessman and negotiator through popular media accounts, and his years of appearances on morning shows, newsmagazines, and interview programs like Larry King Live often invited him to comment on current events under the assumption that his business success naturally gave him valuable insight on the political topics of the day.

The volume and generally deferential character of this media attention encouraged Trump to flirt with a political career as early as the late 1990s. His later phase as an outspoken critic of Barack Obama was similarly given substantial amplification by national media outlets; Trump made regular appearances on Fox News Channel (including a weekly "Monday Mornings with Trump" feature on Fox and Friends) and CNBC during much of Obama's presidency, treated once again as a captain of industry who could boast substantial expertise on the subject of politics.

The many Rump scams and pathologies over the years -- from Trump "University" and Trump "Institute" to Rump's noxious spreading of conspiracy theories in major media outlets -- were never seriously vetted in the media.  Now we're all paying for this long term media willingness to play along with this dangerous, narcissistic demagogue.

BONUS:  Melissa McEwan sees the gender bias in the treatment of Rump over the years.

Morning Reading - "Truth-Telling In The Public Interest"

This column by Margaret Sullivan, media writer at the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle, should be required reading for all reporters covering the 2016 election -- starting with those at the Bezos Bugle:

Fairness is of utmost importance, no doubt, whether the reporting is on Trump, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. But what, exactly, does it mean in campaign coverage? It should mean keeping an open mind, not bringing preconceived ideas to one’s reporting, and listening seriously to candidates’ explanations. 

It should never mean false equivalency, where equal time and emphasis are given to candidates or dissembling is allowed to go unchallenged. In fact, this perceived need to push for “fairness” for Trump — as if he has been mistreated or put at a disadvantage — baffles me. Trump gets far more media attention than other candidates, if only because he says such outrageous things, commanding the daily news cycle over and over. 

News outlets ought to rethink the purpose of their campaign coverage. It’s not to be equally nice to all candidates. It’s to provide Americans with the hard information they need to decide who is fit to lead the country.  [snip]

Rather than promoting the same treatment for each candidate, how about this: rigorous and sustained truth-telling in the public’s interest. Citizens deserve some fairness, too.

It’s time for tough follow-up questions, time for TV news to pick up on some of the hard-hitting reporting being done elsewhere, and maybe — radical notion alert! — it’s even time for news organizations to get together and prepare to defend themselves. 

That won’t come naturally to these highly competitive outfits, but given the assault on press rights that surely would come with a Trump presidency, strength in numbers is a far better idea than providing even-handed, non-confrontational coverage.

We're highly skeptical that the corporate media -- especially broadcast and cable "news" -- will forego the lure of Trump- fed ratings, combined with their fear of offending the offensive, to provide "truth- telling in the public interest."   With the exception of a few recent examples of backbone, they seem far more likely to continue the "non-confrontational" approach when it comes to Trump (but not, of course, when it comes to Hillary Clinton and her "scandals" nothing-burgers!).  After all, "both sides!"  Not to mention "not authentic!"

Tellingly, though, Sullivan ultimately attempts to rouse news organizations into "truth- telling" not by an appeal to journalistic standards or their  sense of moral outrage at Trumps's neo- fascism, but by warning them that a Trump presidency would come with an "assault on press rights."  Always best to appeal to their craven interest rather than the public interest when dealing with the corporate media!

BONUS:  Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog shows how another media critic (at the New York Effing Times, no less!) conflates Trump the showman with Trump the neo- fascist pol.

Today's Trump Cartoon Trifecta - The Meltdown

Reacting to another Trump meltdown:

(click on images to enlarge)


(Matt Davies, Newsday)

 
(Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

... and Trump's hypocrisy and stiffing the vets:


(Jim Morin, The Miami Herald)

Presidential! 

BONUS:  Wonkette's take on the narcissist.

The Coming Rehab of Rump By The Media

We've noted the media's lame attempts (here, here, and here) to polish the turd that is neo-fascist thug Donald "Rump" Trump to make him seem "Presidential," only to be foiled by the Trumpenfuhrer's vulgar, ignorant mouth usually within hours of the media's reinvention of him. In the meantime, they stalk Hillary Clinton, reporting on every smear and phony scandal that's been fed to them by the Wingnut Wurlitzer.

Writing at Vox.com, David Roberts looks at the process that's going to be followed by the broken political press in building up Rump while taking Clinton down a few pegs, and why the media's been incentivized to ignore the glaring problems with Rump's candidacy: his racism/xenophobia, his childish temperament, his narcissism, and his disregard for the truth. You'll be hearing more "both sides" and "on one hand / on the other hand" pablum from the Beltway media to ensure that the corporations they represent don't suffer losses in profits by appearing "biased." They'll be in the "Emperor's New Clothes" mode when it relates to covering Rump, wait and see.

(photo: Associated Press.  Very Presidential)

Tweet Of The Day - Lowered Expectations All Around

As we noted yesterday, the amoral corporate media is in full tizzy mode working to rehabilitate the image of likely Republican nominee and neo- fascist hair ball Donald "Rump" Trump. It's just another example of an ethically unmoored media in its symbiotic relationship with Rump.  It would appear their willingness to be grifted knows no bounds:

The media has now lowered expectations on "presidential" to not calling your opponent dumb names and not explicitly encouraging violence.

— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) April 21, 2016

That lowering of expectations also works with expectations of the media, which for us couldn't get much lower than they are now.

BONUS:  Steve M. highlights a few more of the media's easily conned, including the once great Washington Post's Bezos Bugle's odious Beltway CW puke funnel Chris "Lizard" Cillizza.

Trump's Latest Narcissist Spectacle

 Last night, we were watching the results of the primaries on "liberal" MSNBC when appeared a bloated, neo- fascist ego by the name of Donald "Rump" Trump.  We generally make it a point to avoid him as we would any noxious organism, but frankly kept watching hoping to see results from Michigan on the Democratic side (btw, congrats Bernie).  What we saw was a 40- minute- plus, uninterrupted spectacle of narcissism delivered by someone with the depth and understanding of (to use one of his favorite phrases) "a baby, a stupid baby."  It was a random association, name- calling, train- of- thought (and we're being generous calling it "thought") journey through the self- regarding puddle of Rump's mind -- and it's what he does every time he gets behind a microphone.  One would hope a reasonable person viewing this buffoonish hot mess would come to the conclusion that, of all the candidates who've run for the Presidency in living memory, this is The Most Dangerous, Unqualified And Unsuited Of Them All By Any Measure. 

If you were lucky enough to have missed it, but want to confirm this assessment, feel free to Google;  we won't link to it.  Here, however, are succinct reviews of Rump and the media that we would support:

Has Trump ever given a real speech? Like with structure and cadence and a theme? Or is it always poll numbers and random wall thoughts?

— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) March 9, 2016

When people complain about the media enabling Trump, that 45 minute shitshow with not a single break is exactly why.

— Jason Karsh (@jkarsh) March 9, 2016

The Donald Trump #MichiganPrimary speech is the greatest argument yet that Darwin may have been wrong.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) March 9, 2016

BONUS:  Here's more on Rump's "bizarre and unhinged" remarks.

BONUS II:  Charles Pierce on the remarks as the "human embodiment of channel surfing."

BONUS III:  Neocon pundit Charles "Kraphammer" Krauthammer: “I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a stream of disconnected ideas since I quit psychiatry 30 years ago.”