At some point someone has to say something. Might as well be us.
There’s a website characterized as “far right” on Widipedia called “The Gateway Pundit” (“GP”)
GP reports that there was a “rally” yesterday in Georgia presided over by former President Trump that featured a “massive crowd”. Is this true? GP says it is true. Regular media outlets such as CNN do not mention it, so presumably they don’t deny it.
As we’ve said many times, we don’t even like Trump. We think it’s unfortunate he ever was POTUS. And now we’d like him to just fade into history, like a lot of people prefer, and like most presidents before him promptly did once someone else takes over the helm.
But…..
A former president conducting “rallies” where thousands of people appear is, unquestionably, a news worthy event. So it’s bizarre that it’s not being reported on by the mainstream media (“MSM”). People should get some information about such rallies, such as….what is this rally about? Is it about a 2024 run by Trump? Is it about challenging the validity and legitimacy of the 2020 election? Both? Neither?
We suspect the cause for a rally would have to be the latter – that is, challenging the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Why not simply report this?
The MSM apparently holds the position that challenging the results of the 2020 election is somehow out of the bounds of civil discourse. Is this an arguable position?
No.
Take a look at Title 52 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 207. Records of federal presidential elections are to be retained for 22 months. Willful concealment or destruction of such records is a misdemeanor, which is surprising considering all the things that are federal felonies.
Why would there be a law providing that records of elections must be retained for 22 months? Obviously, so that in that period they can be inspected. Why would anyone want to inspect them? Because they are disputing the legitimacy of the election outcome. Is this, arguably, a threat to democracy?
No. That is not even arguable. Yet this is the predominant MSM position, upon which they are basing their coverage, or lack thereof, of those who are making such disputes.
Once again, it occurs to us that Trump is not the threat to the Republic that all the press shrieking has alluded to ever since he was elected. Indeed, the Republic by all appearances has already survived the Trumpian menace, which was never as important as it was made to seem.
But an incoherent, shrieking and ultimately untrustworthy press is a threat to the Republic, which is why the press was singled out for protection in the 1st amendment in the first place. Much of the press complains about “conspiracy theories” that run rampant and unchecked on social media, but the often wild speculations – and particularly their popularity – are the natural result of a loss of confidence in our regular news reporting. The MSM complains about it, in other words, but they brought it on themselves.
And the rest of us.
Just as the legal profession has failed and caused the collapse of the third branch of government, so has the journalism profession failed the so-called 4th branch.
How’s the third branch doing these days? A bit over-defensive, it seems:
“If Roe is overruled,” the law clerk wrote, “the public will understand that the Court’s reversal is explainable solely by reason of changes in the composition of the Court.” Thus, he concluded: “The damage to the public understanding of the Court’s decisions as neutral expositions of the law … would be incalculable…”
By the way, when those two pillars of civil society (i.e., the third and fourth branches of government) have fallen the government has already collapsed. The rest is just watching it pan out. It’s not something that is going to happen – it has already happened.
Those are our thoughts this morning. Ugh.