Quote:
Originally Posted by finnbow
Let me get this straight. In countering my argument that the GOP's positions are often anti-First Amendment, you defend both Christian Nationalism and Trump's proclamation as President that a free press is the enemy of the people (both anti-First Amendment positions).
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Well, you're half right....sorta.
No one's defending Christian Nationalism. But to say it matters as a polling issue is irrelevant, both in terms of the "reality" of it ever happening, and the fact the evangelicals' clout as a voting block is far less than it used to be...and falling. Why you chose to bring that one up is a head-scratcher, which is why I asked if you really stay up nights worrying about what evangelicals might think. I sure don't, but I applaud their convictions if it helps them live a better life.
As far as the Trump quote, in context, he was talking about members of the press who were taking issue with the phrase "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" He wasn't talking about the press in general terms and wasn't commenting about whether or not the press should be "free". But I know how you love to get mileage out of taking quotes out of context, so let's roll with your POV on this for a sec...
The reason I posted the opinion polls on the media is that it clearly shows that most Americans - Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, and by huge margins - don't trust the media. Hell, there was one poll I saw that indicated that the number one thing that folks trust the media for is the weather report. Nothing else was even close.
Maybe this hasn't dawned on you, but if you're a member of the media, you've got to work hard - really, really had and for a long period of time - to get distrust numbers like that. What that tells me is that the media - in general terms because there are some good journalists out there - has by and large chosen to crap all over the very special role that they have in this country.
So, in that sense, it's pretty amazing that we've gone from “The freedom of the Press is one of the greatest bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic Governments,” as quoted by the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776, to a state where criticizing a media that has abdicated its role in the maintenance of a free society is considered scary...by that same media....and of course, you.
Would I have chosen the words "enemy of the people" if I were Trump? No. I certainly have no issue calling out the press for its failures, though.