"Trump says has power to pardon himself; critics disagree," Reuters reported.
And just like that, the press went off the rails. Again.
The president once again played the media for fools. He baited them. They snapped at it. They swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
The third paragraph of the Reuters story tells the tale, "Rudy Giuliani told Reuters on Sunday the president cannot be indicted or subpoenaed and has the power to pardon himself, leaving impeachment by the U.S. Congress likely the remedy for presidential misconduct."
By likely, Reuters means only.
In short, Trump through Giuliani is saying either impeach or get off the pot. His plan for the midterm is to make it a referendum on impeaching him -- and the press corps is ecstatic about that.
Just like they enjoyed making the 2016 election a referendum on Trump.
Trump had the press chasing a hypothetical, which they gladly did. Again. Just like they've chased every distraction he's thrown at them for three years in politics, and in three decades in business before that.
People who are not anti-Trump nutcases look at these stories and wonder what the big deal is. Guess what? They are in the majority. They see a president succeeding on the economy and internationally, while the press chases nonsense about emolument clauses, tweets, and of course Russia, Russia, Russia.
The press continues to be Wile E. Coyote to Trump's Road Runner.
Someone needs to explain to the press that they are called Road Runner cartoons. Plymouth sold Road Runner cars. No one sold nor wanted a Wile E. Coyote car.
###
Please enjoy my books in paperback and on Kindle.
Trump the Press covers the nomination.
Trump the Establishment covers the election.
Fake News Follies of 2017 covers his first year as president.
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The important question of the day: Where’s Melania
ReplyDeleteHealing up from a serious internal organ surgery. TG
DeleteThey make money from attacking Trump. That is all there is to say.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, they'd make more money by telling the truth. They make "some" money by attacking Trump. But their audience is limited.
DeleteJimNorCal
I don't think so Jim. The one side reads or listens because they are afraid Trump may be hurt and are worried the other because he may get hurt and they will become happy. It doesn't matter if what they say is true or not. It is a double edged sword for them that has no precident I can remember. Micheal Goodwin, who taught at the Columbia School of Journalism, wrote for the NYT before it became a rag, and knows almost all of the press by name, said today the majority of them hate Trump in a very personal way. This is in addition to the fact that their bosses feel the same way. Yet in that is a paradox. The corporate owners of the news organizations make far more money from their other endeavors than from news, so accuracy is of little importance to them from a financial perspective. On the other hand the reporters are paid by their respective units of the larger business. They must pay their way, as Musk taunted them a couple of weeks ago. The end output of the differential equations is a goal of seeking viewership without integrity to serve personal ends. Truth is irrelevant.
DeleteAlthough Howard Stern's movie was generally awful, one moment is critical to understanding Trump and the media.
DeleteResearcher: The average radio listener listens for eighteen minutes. The average Howard Stern fan listens for - are you ready for this? - an hour and twenty minutes.
Pig Vomit: How can that be?
Researcher: Answer most commonly given? "I want to see what he'll say next."
Pig Vomit: Okay, fine. But what about the people who hate Stern?
Researcher: Good point. The average Stern hater listens for two and a half hours a day.
Pig Vomit: But... if they hate him, why do they listen?
Researcher: Most common answer? "I want to see what he'll say next."
How guilty does Trump sound? That tricky "perjury trap" is coming. Sneaky Mueller is going to get him under oath and then (here's the money shot) Donald Trump's lips are going to move. So sneaky.
ReplyDeleteMeep, meep.
ReplyDelete(had to)
I had a 1970 Road Runner and nobody ever caught me. - Elric
ReplyDeleteNice car, Elric! Whatever happened to it?
DeleteIt was my favorite hot rod, and I've had a few. One night in Jump School at Fort Benning a roommate heisted the keys while I was asleep and went on a beer run. He didn't make it a mile before he lost it over an embankment. Then he told the MPs that I was driving and left the scene. Needless to say, I was rudely awakened. When the First Sergeant figured out the truth the jerk had his pay docked until I received what I thought it was worth. I drove it home to West Virginia, but it was never the same afterwards. I traded it for a Harley-Davidson. - Elric
DeleteThat’s what’s always amazed me about fishing. You’d think at some point, the fish would get together and say, look, we have to stop chasing and biting on those shiny things that cause us to go above water. They don’t.
ReplyDeleteGood one. Trump hooked a huge "Christie fish" with that bait today, too!
Delete
ReplyDelete"Don't you guys know banzai charges never work?!"
"Everyone who learned that died in banzai charges."
I don't know, I think I'd buy a Wile E. Coyote car. But only one of the Acme-made ones, of course.
ReplyDeleteThey all make money from attacking Trump,its just funny how trump sounds guilty.
ReplyDelete