From the Right

/

Politics

CNN is Defined by Hating Trump!

Tim Graham on

The ideal of a town hall meeting where citizens can spontaneously ask politicians the questions they would like answered doesn't match what the town hall is in today's politics. There's too much risk for politicians, or the TV networks who platform the event.

A humorous example came on Oct. 21 at a so-called town hall with Vice President Kamala Harris and her ally former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.). An audience member asked ex-NBC reporter Maria Shriver if they could ask questions. "You're not, unfortunately, we have some predetermined questions," Shriver said. "Hopefully I'll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head." Harris took only three of those predetermined questions in an hourlong event.

On May 10, 2023, CNN hosted a town hall event with former President Donald Trump. Incoming CNN host Kaitlan Collins constantly interrupted Trump, "correcting" him. The Left called it a "disaster" -- for CNN, because they didn't want Trump appearing on CNN.

As often happens, Collins felt compelled to interrupt Trump incessantly on behalf of people who think Trump must be "fact-checked in real time." Collins badgered him for 25 minutes about 2020 election denials and Jan. 6, like you would expect. Trump lost, that's a fact. But since the audience seemed supportive of Trump, it was somehow a triumph for him.

On Oct. 23, CNN aired a town hall event with Harris, and the difference was obvious from the first few minutes. Anderson Cooper asked his first question: You call Trump unhinged, but he's now more popular than he's ever been. Harris bloviated a 500-word answer. Cooper asked Harris if she thought Trump was a fascist, and she said yes for 300 words, without interruption.

Calling Trump a "fascist" was apparently not an occasion for "fact-checking in real time." Fact-checking Daniel Dale skipped it afterward.

Cooper peppered Harris on a few subjects, including immigration. He noted she's changed her tune on the border wall. But none of the town hall questioners really pressed Harris from a conservative direction.

Seven of the questioners were identified by Cooper as leaning toward backing Harris. One "leaner" came at Harris with a hardball from the left. Annalise Kean pounced: "My question is, as president, what would you do to ensure not another Palestinian dies due to bombs being funded by U.S. tax dollars?"

 

But several were very open-ended: What's your greatest weakness? What's the proudest moment of your political career? What's your first policy priority? The answers may have been evasive, but the questions weren't anything like the barrage Trump faced.

As soon as it ended, CNN's Dana Bash said she was hearing from people who felt Harris didn't offer real answers on her weaknesses or her priorities, but hey, "any time that she can be in front of an audience and interacting with voters is a win as far as her campaign goes and they are very happy about that."

Collins really liked the sharpness of her answer asserting Trump's a fascist. She sounds like she wants everyone to forget she ever worked for the Daily Caller.

Most of the post-game show was typical liberal analysis, with a blip of David Urban here and a moment of Scott Jennings there. Jennings had enough time to sum up the night. She was "empty, empty, empty. If she were an animal, she'd be a duck-billed platitude."

If Kamala Harris failed to "make the sale" on CNN, no one should blame CNN. They gave her a blandly promotional platform to smear her opponent as a fascist, then praised her afterward for her fervid fascist blather. Hating Trump defines CNN.

========

Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Tim Graham and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.


COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Jeff Danziger A.F. Branco John Darkow RJ Matson Adam Zyglis Steve Breen