American Thinker; The media, the Democrats, and a few NeverTrumps are in a tizzy these past few days because President Trump dared to call NBC’s Chuck Todd “a sleeping son of a b‑‑‑‑” and The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman a “Hillary flunky.”
Said NeverTrump Erick Erickson, “The fact is @MaggieNYTand @chucktoddhave better character, better morals, and are more honest than the President who is attacking them.”
“@MaggieNYTand @chucktodd are not only great journalists, they are good people. This crass name-calling is beneath the office of the presidency,” tweeted Jake Tapper.
Tweets like these ran in the thousands. A common theme was one that Tapper raised – namely, that name-calling is “beneath the office.” A secondary theme raised by Politico’s Susan Glasser in an interview with Todd is that Trump’s “rhetorical assault” on the media was “unprecedented.”
Whether Trump’s comments are beneath the office is surely in the eyes of the beholder, but they are not at all unprecedented. There was a time not too long ago when Democrats in and out of the media celebrated “plain speaking” and at least one president who made speaking plainly a virtue.
That president was Harry Truman. In his fine 1998 book, Harry S. Truman and the News Media: Contentious Relations, Belated Respect, Franklin Mitchell traces the media’s evolving response to what at the time many considered the “ill chosen words and threats by the president.” Read more:
That was totally different. Truman was a Democrat.
Namering naybobs of negativism
NameringNatteringnaybobsnabobs of negativismThat was my ex-governor – then vice president – Spiro T. Agnew who gave the press, particularly the WaPo, that little alliterative lip lashing.
I should have googled 😞
I was in junior high when he said it
Nobody seemed to mind when Obama raided the AP either.
It all depends on whose ox is getting Algored.
Maybe some one here has an answer, but there was a story, from supposedly a ‘Trump leaker’ that described Trump as having daily conversations with Maggie Haberman back in his first few months of office.
At the time everyone had a coronary and accused him of selling out, and I remember cautioning everyone to be careful of what you believe if you did not witness Trump say it.
Anyways, that story now seems to be memory holed.
Does anyone else remember it?
If so, do you have a link to the source?
Thanks!
One of the reasons I voted for Trump is because he went after the asswipes in the media. It’s about time someone did.
Trash the trash talkers and biased rumors, fuck the paid off media.
Bush never answered back to all the lies and half-truths repeated by the media made by Democrats or other left progressives. He felt it was “beneath the office”. This led to eight years of Obama and immeasurable damage to your country. So to all the whiners getting a touch of their own conduct back I’d say screw you.
Another interesting Agnew-ism.
After he was convicted of something (I forget what) and fined $10,000 (lot of money back then) he turned to the Clerk and asked “Will you take a check?” to which the surprised Clerk nodded assent and Mr. Agnew wrote him the check.
Always a gentleman.
izlamo delenda est …