American Politics 3.0 - Back to Brunch

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Dentoman

This is part of the problem though.
By saying he should have never been allowed on or cut off, you are only feeding his narrative.
As far as everyone knowing how crazy he is ... yes, they have heard about it, but how many non Fox watchers have seen it up close and personal like this? I think his display would firm up some swing voters to vote against him.

CNN's justification of it was that they are trying to move more central and not be viewed as a "left wing" network, which I think is an important and reasonable goal. To regain that journalism trust that they quite frankly have totally lost in the eyes of the American public.

But, I do see the points of many on here that giving this despicable jackass criminal a platform after being the largest traitor in American history is also not something that necessarily needs to be done to achieve the aforementioned goal of CNN.

[Ozy_Flame]

That was not a move to the center. That was a drunken brain fart that long-bombed themselves into the right-wing foxhole.

[devo22]

it's the normalization. If another politician did only a fraction of what Trump has done over the years, he'd be shunned. So why treat the orange wannabe-dictator like a completely sane and normal candidate? He even called their own anchor "a nasty person" in this, for crying out loud. Things like CNN giving him a platform just adds to the normalization of what shouldn't be normal.

[Dentoman]

Originally Posted by devo22

it's the normalization. If another politician did only a fraction of what Trump has done over the years, he'd be shunned. So why treat the orange wannabe-dictator like a completely sane and normal candidate? He even called their own anchor "a nasty person" in this, for crying out loud. Things like CNN giving him a platform just adds to the normalization of what shouldn't be normal.

Unfortunately, the normalization cat is long out of the bag. The fact that he is even a candidate for the Republican nominee shows that. Just look at our own Canadian political landscape and the politics of some countries in Europe, it's happening in a lot of places

Trump is a lying idiot who has been proven to be one over and over, yet he still has a solid base. It is unbelievable actually ..... and depressing and frankly, scary.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Dentoman

Unfortunately, the normalization cat is long out of the bag. The fact that he is even a candidate for the Republican nominee shows that. Just look at our own Canadian political landscape and the politics of some countries in Europe, it's happening in a lot of places

Trump is a lying idiot who has been proven to be one over and over, yet he still has a solid base. It is unbelievable actually ..... and depressing and frankly, scary.

I agree. I just hoped that some lessons would have been learned over the past 7 years, but it's 2023 and CNN is having an evening with Trump where he can all January 6 "a beautiful day" and where the audience is cheering when he makes fun of a woman who has just won a sexual assault case against him. No lessons learned whatsoever.

I've said this in this thread before, but the US really is a cautionary tale. It's frightening how quickly and easily a large chunk of the population of a developed country can be brainwashed and indoctrinated.

[PeteMoss]

Trump's big problem is that its a worn out act by now. Back in 2016 he could get coverage all over the place by saying wild things. Now everyone knows what's going to happen and its just another day of his nonsense.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by devo22

I agree. I just hoped that some lessons would have been learned over the past 7 years, but it's 2023 and CNN is having an evening with Trump where he can all January 6 "a beautiful day" and where the audience is cheering when he makes fun of a woman who has just won a sexual assault case against him. No lessons learned whatsoever.

I've said this in this thread before, but the US really is a cautionary tale. It's frightening how quickly and easily a large chunk of the population of a developed country can be brainwashed and indoctrinated.

The more concerning part to me is the people who just go along with it because he's on their team. Every country has people on the political extremes as you can see with Covid or freedom convoy or whatever. The bigger issue to me is the normals who are just willing to accept it to vote for their party. You could parade a Klansmen up as a leader of a party and he'll get his x% of loonys but in the US - like 30% will just be like well at least its not a Democrat (or Republican).

Its similar to Alberta election right now. I'm sure there's like 20% of Albertans who actual agree with Danielle Smith and all the whack job things she's said. But there's another 20-25% who will just be like - well I can't have those socialist NDPers win so I'll vote for the crazy person.

[GirlySports]

Remember Gary Hart had to withdraw due to a sex scandal, or John Edwards had an illegitimate child? Jennifer Flowers nearly brought Bill Clinton down.

Richard Nixon accepted a dog as a gift.

Thomas Eagleton underwent electroshock therapy for depression, scandalous!!!

Or Dan Quayle's POTATOE!

Now they support Trump no matter what he does. In fact, the more dumb #### he does and says the more galvanizing it is.

[MoneyGuy]

Apparently there were many people in that CNN Trump town hall who didn’t like his message but were prohibited from expressing displeasure.

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/re...-ex-president/

[photon]

So when does Nikki Haley get her own town hall on CNN? And Ryan Binkley and the rest?

[FlamesAddiction]

Kind of felt bad for Kaitlan Collins during all that.

[Snuffleupagus]

This town hall was a sneaky trap by CNN with a lot of bait and Trump took it hook, line and sinker.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

This town hall was a sneaky trap by CNN with a lot of bait and Trump took it hook, line and sinker.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this. How so?

[MoneyGuy]

Yeah, why?

[Harry Lime]

I'm guessing because they may have exclusive rights to all of the footage, and that's a barrel of crazy that no one else has access to?

[devo22]

I very much doubt CNN under Chris Licht's leadership is playing 4D chess here. They did it for the ratings, plain and simple.

[ResAlien]

Yes the classic trap of giving someone a gigantic platform to espouse their beliefs, unchallenged, whilst simultaneously providing said beliefs with the implicit legitimacy of their platform. A brilliant gambit and Trump’s truly ensnared now. Bake em away toys

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this. How so?

Because they set up the audience only to cheer thus allowing Trumps ego to go into hyper drive to spill his guts with incredibly stupid and damning comments, the Georgia DA and the special counsel loved this, hell, even E. Jean Carroll might sue Trump again.

[devo22]

that might be some of the fallout, sure. But I don't know if E. Jean Carroll has any appetite to do this again, as fighting through the brainless appeals of the first verdict will take enough time and energy already. Not sure if this has given Fani Willis and Jack Smith more than they already have either.

but either way, I don't see CNN setting a trap at all. Why would they? It's ratings they care about. Chris Licht has stated that they wanted to move more towards the middle (good luck with that, in a political climate were sides seems to drift farther apart, not the other way round), and Fox News has seen their ratings crumble after firing Tucker. There's a Trump sized void to be filled, and CNN sacrificed their journalistic values to try to fill it. Any value this might have had went out the window when they filled the seats with sycophantic zombies and had a woman on stage that he could steamroll. And I do think Kaitlyn Collins tried her best, but at the end of the day, she was no match for him.

[SutterBrother]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

I'm guessing because they may have exclusive rights to all of the footage, and that's a barrel of crazy that no one else has access to?

We got him this time! This time for sure!