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Al Jazeera Worries Media “Normalizes” Trump, Airs DFP Commentary

Published 2016-11-19 by Cory Allen Heidelberger

Last updated on 2016-11-20

Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post raises alarms about mainstream media going soft on our fascist President-Elect (“the normalization of an authoritarian leader”, says political writer Sarah Kendzior) to preserve their scoop access to the incoming administration.

HuffPost DC bureau chief Ryan Grim says access won’t be that hard to get a surely chaotic and leaky Trump White House.

And at 10:20, they squeeze in a little commentary from South Dakota’s best political blogger, who I don’t think has “normalized” Il Duce and his golden chairs at all, about how the media understands Trump’s base but underestimate the power of Trump’s emotional appeal to overcome the absence of any practical plan to make his base’s lives materially better.

Published in South Dakota

21 Comments

  1. Darin Larson

    A significant portion of the electorate in key swing states was swayed by the normalized Trump attacks on immigrants, Muslims and his fear and hate mongering. For instance, in Wisconsin, the number one issue for the most voters was the economy and jobs and for the people that believed this was the number one issue, HRC beat Trump on the order of 53%-42%. The problem for HRC was the next two most important issues were immigration and national security for Wisconsin voters. For people that said that immigration was the most important issue facing Wisconsin voters, over 60% voted for Trump. Likewise for people that said that national security was the most important issue.

    Unlike the narrative that is going around that Clinton didn’t concentrate enough on the economy and jobs and the forgotten workers, the facts in Wisconsin were that the fear mongering about immigration and Islamic terrorism carried Trump to victory. I have not seen the results of polling from Michigan, but it was probably similar with possibly more voters there concerned about the effects of NAFTA and other trade agreements.

    The bottom line is that normalizing Trump’s discriminatory rhetoric was the political cover that some voters needed to get past their personal concerns that Trump was going too far. It carried him to the Presidency, but lost him the popular vote.

    Obviously, the media has a responsibility to call out discriminatory actions and rhetoric no matter the cost to their access. I predict the media is going to be extremely busy for the next four years.

    2016-11-19
  2. Jason Sebern

    Well said Cory! You are doing a very important job in the aftermath of this election. You are giving thousands of your blog followers a voice in a difficult time.

    2016-11-19
  3. David Newquist

    I caught a fly-by clip of a young congressman who said that before any Democrats do any business with Trump, he must account for everything he said and dd during the campaign. I agree. It may take a second term to get it all explained.

    And don’t forget that the $25 million fraud settlement included a $1 million penalty for breaking a New York fraud statute.

    2016-11-19
  5. Roger Cornelius

    During President Obama’s final campaign stops for Hillary he expressed his concern about Trump ‘normalizing’ American political rhetoric and actions.

    The President’s words were lost on the electorate as they bullied themselves forward to win the election without realizing what would be lost and endangered by a Trump presidency.

    Hopefully by the end of four years of a Trump presidency he and his supporters will have wished they listened to the President.

    2016-11-19
  7. jerry

    Trump is not the danger you think, it is Paul Ryan. While everyone is looking at the mean tweets that Trump sends, Ryan is scheming to end Medicare. Don’t wait for it, do your duty to protect it. Call your elected officials, call your news outlets. Do it sooner than later as it is like a winter storm, fully predicted.

    2016-11-19
  8. jerry

    BTW, Nelson was too afraid to answer the question I asked about his defending Medicare as we know it. So I guess he really did, he supports the end of Medicare for our elderly and disabled.

    2016-11-19
  9. John

    It appears that Trump’s gracious, inclusive acceptance speech was merely “a momentary lapse of reason” (in the words of Pink Floyd). For since then Trump’s announced nomination choices and thin-skinned bombast bullying are the opposite of gracious or inclusive.

    2016-11-20
  11. John

    Many thoughtful observations here.
    https://twitter.com/hashtag/whitechurchquiet
    Pretty difficult, very hypocritical to square “being a Christian” with supporting Trump. The kids see right through it — which is one generalized reason that organized white Christian religion is declining and continues dying — as it’s all about power and money, not walking-the-talk.

    2016-11-20
  12. jerry

    Fox news, bu bye Medicare, adios Social Security. Watch this if you can stomach it http://video.foxnews.com/v/5217342238001/?playlist_id=932064000001#sp=show-clips

    Thanksgiving is coming and a good time to sit across the table from Gramps and Grams and tell them, mid turkey, that they need to sacrifice for the good of the country and give up their healthcare as they know it. Tell them not to worry because they will be notified by Twitter, in 140 characters or less, exactly what is going to happen.

    2016-11-20
  13. jerry

    Nelson, has his so he could care about yours is the their typical mantra when it comes to Medicare. We, as a people, cannot let this happen to our elderly and disabled, regardless of party. Where to fight it is right here. Call these legislators to let them know you know what they are up to and do not approve of this grand theft. It is your future if you are under 65 and for those over 65, it is yours as well. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that if you are some arbitrary age, like 55 or older, you are gonna be spared. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/medicare-for-the-win

    Call them and they will no doubt tell you that they don’t know anything about it. Then get them on record as to their support or their rejection of ending Medicare as we know it and Social Security as we know it. Don’t get bamboozled, act in your own best interests, it is coming, and quickly.

    2016-11-20
  14. leslie

    On Election Day, Senator Bernie Sanders earned the 2016 “Ralph Nader Award” for the Leftist Most Responsible for Helping Republicans Win the Presidency.

    Sanders and trump both treated Hillary Clinton as a compromised, Wall Street–worshipping, Establishment sellout.

    Both demonized Washington insiders and free trade, rather than tackling the real structural problem: the United States deindustrialized because Americans refuse to pay what it costs to hire American workers and instead buy cheaper imported products.

    As a result, just as Ralph Nader siphoned tens of thousands of votes on Election Day 2000 in Florida from Al Gore, causing the deadlock and George W. Bush’s victory, Bernie Sanders’ similar vampire effect enfeebled Hillary Clinton.

    http://time.com/4569766/bernie-sanders-ralph-nader-2016/

    2016-11-20
  15. caheidelberger

    Darin gets me thinking: maybe Hillary Clinton didn’t fail to talk about economic issues; maybe Trump voters failed to think about economic issues, because they were all too swept up in Trump’s anti-press, anti-Muslim, anti-email-server antics. Maybe we’re all trying too hard to excuse Trump’s win as related to basic economic issues rather than rank, widespread racism. Trump didn’t win by being an economic genius or the king of working-class empathy; he won by being a jerk.

    2016-11-20
  16. caheidelberger

    Leslie, I’m going to reject any language that blames Bernie Sanders even more surely than I reject language that blames Ralph Nader. Clinton’s job was to overcome the opposition. She didn’t. You don’t blame folks who run in the primary to win for causing the nominee to lose, especially not when the primary losers endorse the nominee explicitly.

    Now, back to the topic: wallowing in Bernie-blaming or Hillary-blaming may distract us from tackling the real enemy who usurps the White House on January 20 and the brownnosing members of the members of the media who may put their personal access to the West Wing above fulfilling their professional duty to defend the First Amendment from fascism. We cannot afford personal squabbles on our side while Trump eats the Constitution, decency, and the social safety net.

    2016-11-20
  18. mike from iowa

    Irish lawmaker comes right out and calls Donald Trump a fascist. If only our politicians had such courage.

    Cory Allen Heidelberger has that courage. Cory for Potus.

    2016-11-20
  20. caheidelberger

    Mike, that article says it: Trump rode a wave of racial resentment to the White House. I wonder: if the media is going easy on Trump, perhaps it’s not so much to placate the fascist buffoon on his golden throne but to keep from losing all of his supporters to Breitbart. Maybe normalization isn’t as much about trying to keep access as about keeping ratings…

    …although if that were the case, the media would figure out that there are more of us than there are followers of Il Duce.

    2016-11-21

Comments are closed.