Between Contempt and Trump's Fist

“The shortest honeymoon on record is officially over. Normally, newly elected presidents enjoy a wave of goodwill that allows them to fly high at least through their first 100 days. Donald Trump has not yet been sworn in and the honeymoon has already come and gone.” – Charles Krauthammer, author and syndicated columnist, on January 12, 2017

Trump's honeymoon hasn't “come and gone”. For the MSM, it never existed in the first place. The Donald's victory has rightfully exposed them as fools. Yet, who's really to blame for their own inexcusably wrongheaded political predictions? They made mistakes then—and their current misbehavior only amplifies their public disgrace. Rather than reform and accept journalistic responsibility, they have engaged in petulant antics worthy of a sideshow farce. What else explains Jim Acosta's clownish aggression at Mr. Trump's latest press conference? Is it not unprofessional to repeatedly interrupt, and attempt to shout over, the President-elect? Does Mr. Acosta work for CNN—or the Jerry Springer Show?

The American press is now populated by many “accosting” Acostas. Their knee-jerk Republican-bashing is the primary reason for their systemic failures. For decades, the journalistic credo of objective, fact-based reporting has been completely abandoned. Even worse, the Fourth Estate has metastasized into the propagandist arm of the Democratic Party. To this end, they have been radicalized by progressive ideology. Therefore, they are incapable of performing their original watchdog function: to hold political leaders of every stripe accountable to the American people. It's no wonder why our democracy is so dysfunctional!

Rather than counterbalance a faceless big government bureaucracy—and insulated ruling class elite—the MSM has become the Democrats' 21^st century “Uncle Tom”. For proof, contrast the tone—and treatment—of Barack Obama versus that of President-elect Donald Trump. Dispositions of the two men notwithstanding, any neutral observer would acknowledge a profound difference. For eight years, Mr. Obama has been virtually deified by a fawning, servile media. However, Mr. Trump—not even in office yet—has had more harsh questions and rough treatment in his last press conference than Obama had in his entire presidency! In retrospect, has any reporter made such a public nuisance of himself at an Obama chinwag? Has anyone in the press corps held two-faced Obama to account for his lies and misrepresentations? Has anyone interrupted him, or shouted him down, for his failed domestic and international record? If reporters had actually done their job, America would be in a far better state than it is today.

Moreover, with their shrinking audience and waning influence, what little remains is now further eroded by the emergence of “fake news”. Seriously, does anyone in their right mind believe BuzzFeed's fantasy of Trump golden showers on prostitutes in a Russian hotel suite? As CNN promoted this nonsense, only the deluded safely locked away in metal institutions are likely to believe them going forward. Further, as Mr. Trump is a self-described germaphobe, did NBC (a major BuzzFeed investor) or CNN take that little fact into account? When two major media outfits won't differentiate between reality and fiction, the waters are only muddied to that whole industry's increasing detriment.

That's why Mr. Trump is not afforded a honeymoon: something every new president richly deserves. This utter lack of fair play makes The New York Times's current financial problems—or CNN's low ratings—no mystery. Americans are tired of being falsely labeled as deplorables by progressives. This holds true for Hillary Clinton style politicians and their contemptible attack dog news organizations.

Twitter: @DavidHunterblog

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Mining Trash for Squirrelly Journalism

“Don't be rude. No, I'm not going to give you a question. You are fake news!” – President-elect Donald Trump to interrupting upstart CNN's Jim Acosta on January 11, 2017

Oh, the deplorable state of the American press. Was the death knell to progressive reporters signaled by John Kelly's column about mating leopard slugs in his driveway in August of 2015? How about in March of 2016 when he wrote yet another trivial piece on a credit card circular found in his mailbox? Did these non-news renderings tip some karmic scale, accelerating the downfall of this whole disreputable industry? Indeed, one assuming that the above was the bottom of The Washington Post's journalistic barrel would be wrong. It turns out for the MSM that January of 2017 has set a new low.

Not to be outdone by the insipid Mr. Kelly, his colleague Courtland Milloy has literally mined his curbside trash receptacles for “newsworthy” material. With the same annoying persistence as the marauding raccoons he bemoans, he opines about a humane way to be rid of them. (Is using a pellet gun with a “silencer” considered cruel? Has every local government and private wildlife agency been consulted? If only the raccoons had a union or a lobby with which Mr. Milloy could also confer!) Ah, how all pests of the world mindlessly go about their business without a thought to the messes they make—or the nonsensical situations they relate. Thus, it's obvious that this hack has found parity with the furry varmints who have outsmarted him.

With the upcoming inauguration a little over a week away, is there no relevant issue worth focusing on? How about the fact that President-elect Donald Trump will be slightly older than Ronald Reagan when he assumed the presidency? Undoubtedly, the changing of the guard will have a major impact on a city that is already one of the most interesting and influential places in the world. In any case, there are still plenty of legitimate bandits around. For example, Mr. Milloy need only look to Annapolis where disgraced former state delegate William A. Campos (D-Prince George’s) has pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme and long-standing corruption. As nature determines that Mr. Milloy's raccoon bandits run in packs, what of the suspiciously sudden resignation of Michael L. Vaughn (also D-Prince George’s)? Therefore, he need not confuse his trash-can desperadoes with the real, two-legged kind.

These myopic scribblers—content to look to their own doorsteps for “worthy” subjects—waste valuable newspaper space. As a new year's resolution, only stories for the public good—which actually hold readerly interest—should be featured. Given the preponderance of biased media “fake news”—as specified by Mr. Trump regarding CNN—has The Post joined their ranks? Now, that sounds like an ideal topic for a newspaper exposé.

Twitter: @DavidHunterblog

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