McCain: Dictators 'get started by suppressing free press'

[TMC]

Reminds me of some of the fundamentalist protestants refusing to vote for Romney because, they adjudged, Mormonism “is a cult”. Some undoubtedly say the same thing about Catholicism.

For some, anybody who doesn’t agree with their worldview is “in a cult”. Even those who opposed Obama didn’t say that. More accurately, they identified him with a political movement.

And so it is with Trump. He just represents a political movement of which some are well persuaded.

I agree, it is easy to label those that disagree with you as deluded or in a cult, and that is not helpful. My only disagreement is that I do recall those opposed to Obama telling me that his followers were deluded, cultish, or even demonic. That kind of hyperbole is unfortunately common on both the left and the right.

 

[pnewton]

I would like an answer to that, as well.

One difference is that neither party has a pro-fascist platform, but one does have a pro-abortion platform.

 

[ucfengr]

Trump is expanding it’s invitations to press events to reporters outside the DC Beltway and has taken a huge step of adding Skype to his press conferences to allow reporters from outside the DC area and reporters from smaller new organizations that may not be able to station a reporter inside the Beltway access to White House press events. Rather than suppressing, a fairer reading is that Trump is encouraging a free press. I think McCain, who has always had friendly relations with the DC press corps, is more concerned with protecting his pals from competition from the rustics in flyover country than he is about a Trump dictatorship.

onmsft.com/news/president-trump-is-adding-skype-seats-to-expand-white-house-press-reach

 

[pnewton]

I see so much criticism of Senator McCain. I guess you have to say the same about me as well. My first thought when I saw the tweet was that I never thought I would see the day when a free press was seen as a threat by an American president. I too thought that if there is any attempt to repress a free press, we will have crossed a line in our democracy.

A second issue is the labeling use. Equating a person or group of people that oppose you personally as an “enemy of the people” is too close to declaring oneself "the people.’ So does President Trump view himself has America?

 

[ucfengr]

I see so much criticism of Senator McCain. I guess you have to say the same about me as well. My first thought when I saw the tweet was that I never thought I would see the day when a free press was seen as a threat by an American president. I too thought that if there is any attempt to repress a free press, we will have crossed a line in our democracy.

A second issue is the labeling use. Equating a person or group of people that oppose you personally as an “enemy of the people” is too close to declaring oneself "the people.’ So does President Trump view himself has America?

McCain opens himself up to criticism by implying that Trump is trying to curtail press freedom when an honest reading of Trump’s actions is that he is actually expanding press freedom by opening up press events to reporters outside the DC Beltway through the use of expanded invitations and by adding Skype to press events.

 

[exnihilo]

I see so much criticism of Senator McCain. I guess you have to say the same about me as well. My first thought when I saw the tweet was that I never thought I would see the day when a free press was seen as a threat by an American president. I too thought that if there is any attempt to repress a free press, we will have crossed a line in our democracy.

A second issue is the labeling use. Equating a person or group of people that oppose you personally as an “enemy of the people” is too close to declaring oneself "the people.’ So does President Trump view himself has America?

As I said in an earlier comment the line was crossed long ago. Lincoln shut down newspapers and jailed journalists. Trump is merely criticizing them. Operation Mockingbird, a successful CIA program to infiltrate the media and spread propaganda, started in the 1950s. There isn’t this mythical untouched free press and hasn’t been for over a hundred years. Trump’s actions in no way are some first that taints our government. Things are far worse then most people realize and not because Trump just became president.

 

[pnewton]

McCain opens himself up to criticism by implying that Trump is trying to curtail press freedom when an honest reading of Trump’s actions is that he is actually expanding press freedom by opening up press events to reporters outside the DC Beltway through the use of expanded invitations and by adding Skype to press events.

You speak of honest reading, yet you did not give the same to Senator McCain. In fact, you had to use the word “imply.” Sauce for the goose.

Senator McCain addressed the issue of the role of the media. Namely, the are a defense against tyranny, not an enemy of the people. If I would have mentioned this two years ago, every flag-waving American would have agreed. He is also quite correct about the history of suppressing the media. I would have thought President Trump would have had one adviser warn him about, you know, history.

At least we see now that both sides of the aisle are saying Constitutional protections are dangerous. Maybe we can have a bi-partisan bill to eliminate both the first and second amendments, or at least re-write them.

 

[ucfengr]

You speak of honest reading, yet you did not give the same to Senator McCain. In fact, you had to use the word “imply.” Sauce for the goose.

Senator McCain addressed the issue of the role of the media. Namely, the are a defense against tyranny, not an enemy of the people. If I would have mentioned this two years ago, every flag-waving American would have agreed. He is also quite correct about the history of suppressing the media. I would have thought President Trump would have had one adviser warn him about, you know, history.

At least we see now that both sides of the aisle are saying Constitutional protections are dangerous. Maybe we can have a bi-partisan bill to eliminate both the first and second amendments, or at least re-write them.

How is Trump, but expanding the number of reporters that can attend press briefings curtailing press freedom? It seems the whole rationale is that Trump called on a reporter from CBN vice CNN for a question. Under Obama, CBN wasn’t even allowed in the press room, now they are. Who was really curtailing press freedom?

 

[pnewton]

How is Trump, but expanding the number of reporters that can attend press briefings curtailing press freedom?

I was referring to the statement made. I know nothing of the press credentials the Press Secretary uses. McCain was only referring to the statement made. That is the topic.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I would like an answer to that, as well.

Ask the Moderator.

 

[meltzerboy]

As I said in an earlier comment the line was crossed long ago. Lincoln shut down newspapers and jailed journalists. Trump is merely criticizing them. Operation Mockingbird, a successful CIA program to infiltrate the media and spread propaganda, started in the 1950s. There isn’t this mythical untouched free press and hasn’t been for over a hundred years. Trump’s actions in no way are some first that taints our government. Things are far worse then most people realize and not because Trump just became president.

I can believe this. And the only reason why we are more sensitive now is that we have less respect for the government in the modern era, probably starting with LBJ (or perhaps the Joe McCarthy era) and certainly after Nixon and Watergate. Also, we are more aware of what’s going on from moment to moment due to cable television, the Internet, and social media.

 

[dvdjs]

an honest reading of Trump’s actions is that he is actually expanding press freedom

“Enemy of the People”.

Thanks for playing.

 

[ucfengr]

“Enemy of the People”.

Thanks for playing.

I’m not sure I see how the President leveling legitimate criticism at the press for running with unverified stories, many of which prove to be false, is suppressing a free press.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I’m not sure I see how the President leveling legitimate criticism at the press for running with unverified stories, many of which prove to be false, is suppressing a free press.

It is not. Criticizing the press is not suppressing the press.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

I’m not sure I see how the President leveling legitimate criticism at the press for running with unverified stories, many of which prove to be false, is suppressing a free press.

The reason is you have bought in to Trump’s claims. But to be fair, Trump is not actually suppressing a free press. They can continue to print (so far). Trump wants to delegitimize them so that the public sees them as no better than the alt-right rags or supermarket tabloids.

 

[TCEL]

The reason is you have bought in to Trump’s claims. But to be fair, Trump is not actually suppressing a free press. They can continue to print (so far). Trump wants to delegitimize them so that the public sees them as no better than the alt-right rags or supermarket tabloids.

Many in the media brought the distrust on themselves. They lost a lot of credibility with me before Trump was even on the scene, when reporting on Pope Francis.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Many in the media brought the distrust on themselves. They lost a lot of credibility with me before Trump was even on the scene, when reporting on Pope Francis.

No, despite Trump’s rants, the media is still trusted more than he is.

 

[TCEL]

No, despite Trump’s rants, the media is still trusted more than he is.

That’s beside the point I’m making. He’s just taking advantage of distrust that the media has brought on themselves. It’s politics.

 

[dvdjs]

I’m not sure I see how the President leveling legitimate criticism at the press for running with unverified stories, many of which prove to be false, is suppressing a free press.

Calling them the enemy of the people cannot be dismissed as “leveling legitimate criticism”.

Do you have a list of the “unverified” stories and the proof that there are materially false?
(BTW “many of which”? do you also object ot true stories?)
Are they the same stories that he has in mind or is he also including press criticism of his penchant for telling unverified stories that prove to be false?

It would be interesting to discover the top ten, and examine what was true, what was false, and what are the real issues that Trump has with them.

 

[ucfengr]

Calling them the enemy of the people cannot be dismissed as “leveling legitimate criticism”.

Do you have a list of the “unverified” stories and the proof that there are materially false?
(BTW “many of which”? do you also object ot true stories?)
Are they the same stories that he has in mind or is he also including press criticism of his penchant for telling unverified stories that prove to be false?

It would be interesting to discover the top ten, and examine what was true, what was false, and what are the real issues that Trump has with them.

Here’s a handy list of 16 for you:

thefederalist.com/2017/02/06/16-fake-news-stories-reporters-have-run-since-trump-won/

You could also add the breathlessly reported Trump plan to mobilize the National Guard to round up illegal aliens, which turned out not to be true:

lifezette.com/polizette/ap-smacked-bogus-national-guard-report/

And here’s a recent one where the New York Times reported Michael Flynn tweets from a bogus Twitter account:

businessinsider.com/pelosi-cummings-cite-fake-flynn-tweets-2017-2

Taken as a whole, a case could be made that the media is acting as an “enemy of the people” by using disinformation and false stories to try and instigate a violent response against the Trump administration and his supporters, such as recently happened in Berkeley.