The Fear Machine
CNN BREAKING NEWS, “The Trump Fear Machine is in overdrive,” says Wolf Blitzer as he breathlessly begins his 5pm show Friday afternoon before the November 6th election. “The President is leading on false fears” says Wolf, as he blisters President Trump’s over his campaign rallies “pushing some pretty extreme views,” promising U.S. troops will stop the mass of marching migrants inching their way north toward the U.S. Mexico border.
There is not even a pretense of objectivity by Wolf or any other host on CNN. Notice I do not call them journalists. The CNN hosts, despite being billed as holding court over a “news program,” they lost the right to the mantle of journalist when they started reporting opinion as fact. “It is pretty obnoxious” Wolf declares, as he convenes his panel of “reporters” and “experts” to dissect President Trumps campaign speech about stopping the horde coming this way to illegally cross the U.S. border.
With all the time in the world on 24/7 cable, CNN doesn’t even make an effort to balance its “panels of experts” with those of opposing views. For example, Wolf leads former NATO General and once Presidential aspirant General Wesley Clark into a tirade against the President ordering troops to the border. Clark falls in line with Wolf and declares “Trump is abusing his office, he is a disgrace.” Wolf doesn’t challenge, doesn’t offer an “expert” who might offer a different opinion, no Wolf just nods agreement with General Clark.
The drone of CNN’s agenda of unfairness refreshed itself Friday morning, with hosts Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow opening their show saying, “President Trump is pushing a fear mongering agenda.” Political Correspondent Dana Bash then measured in, saying without any quantification, “GOP women are turning away from Trump, claiming they are disgusted with Trump’s fear tactics.”
Jump forward a few hours, Wolf is back on the air, leading an all Democrat leaning panel of CNN “journalist and experts,” bating left leaning CNN legal analyst and lawyer Jeffrey Toobin by observing “the economy is doing pretty well, why is the President fear mongering over the migrant refugees heading toward the U.S. Border,” Toobin gleefully responds, putting his head in his hands, then says “the economy is booming, yet the President is telling lies about the immigration caravan when he could be doing much better just talking about the truth of the economy.”
You see where this is headed, don’t you? Wolf brings on Ryan Lizza, CNN political analyst and chief political correspondent for Esquire magazine. Lizza declares, “The President has manufactured, invented an imaginary issue, this immigrant crisis at the US border with Mexico as a ploy to get his voters out.” “The invasion is a lie,” says Lizza, “talk of the economy doesn’t drum fear like the caravan,” chimes in Dana Bash.
Fear mongering by the President is it? Interesting that “fear” seems to be the all-day agenda at CNN, fear that the President’s arguments and issues about illegal immigration, the rule of law and protecting our borders is in fact a priority interest of American voters. CNN is the one that is being distracted from doing its job to report on the condition of our booming economy, sinking unemployment rate and rapidly rising wages.
When you own the air waves, 24/7, like CNN, you can push your own agenda, objectivity be damned. But, there is eventually a cost. Note to CNN; we the people are on to you. Check your ratings lately? Wonder why FOX News draws more viewers daily than CNN and MSNBC combined, and in some time periods twice their combined audience? Not that FOX is perfect or always objective, but at least its news panels offer opinions from both sides and invites a spirited debate. Agenda news is Fake News, and those who practice it are destroying their own credibility and, eventually, their existence.
The way to answer the real “fear mongers” at CNN is to show up and vote next Tuesday in the November 6th elections. You can let CNN know, you don’t buy it, and you won’t watch it any more.
