Commentary
Does Trump Know He's President? White House Revisits Dubious Voter Fraud Claim
- by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, February 13, 2017
The Trump administration's communications team has had a problematic start to the year, particularly in its relationship with the national media and White House correspondents.
Just days after President Trump took office, Kellyanne Conway told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that her colleagues were relying on “alternative facts,” when describing the size of inauguration crowds.
The Trump administration's game plan is to undermine and discredit the news media. For many, the tactic remains deeply cynical and dishonest — and we're only three weeks into what has become an official media paradigm.
Over the weekend, the White House again tried to confuse fact and fiction by mechanically repeating the word “fact” — without offering a shred of evidence to support its repeated voter fraud claims.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s senior policy adviser, appeared on four of the five major Sunday morning political shows to insist voter fraud had been a serious issue on November 8. (Note: Top White House adviser and National Security Council member Steve Bannon was registered to vote in two states until recently.)
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His claim that thousands of voters were bused to New Hampshire was questioned by various TV anchors. Miller remained undeterred — even when pressed for evidence, which he refused to give. Or, more likely, doesn’t have.
President Trump’s obsession with the vote counts, months after the tally, points to other deep-seated psychological issues, concerns raised repeatedly by various politicians.
What the White House is doing to the electorate is known as "gaslighting," a manipulation tactic used to create doubt, until those rightly skeptical of unproven White House claims begin to question their own perceptions.
James Poniewozik, The New York Times TV critic, weighed in on the issue with a tweet: “Maybe it’s time for producers to think about how to do a Sunday show without administration guests.”
Inc.com’s Jeff Bercovici suggested if administration guests repeatedly lie on national television, they eventually get shut out — “to separate the merely careless from those intentionally muddying the water.”
Miller was intentionally muddying the waters. In addition to a lack of evidence for the White House claims, Miller appeared to be reading from a teleprompter when answering questions on a live TV show.
Clearly, the White House is having trouble staying on message, as well as avoiding dubious claims that are easily disproved. The administration's strategy, to double down on falsehoods and define its own alternative reality, is Orwellian.
Trump can chase ghosts in the night; the press will be busy chasing the truth.
The MSM have shown throught the election and afterwards tht they are out to get Trump, no matter what he doses. They have discredited themselves as valid news sources through their actions and even admitted after the election that they were propaganda machines for the Left and not unbiased sources of news (See CNN broadcasts after the election).
Two strange comments up above.
As bad as they are, I wouldn't wish them to be in a plane crash.
And Mr. Shillinburg seems to be a victim of the gaslighting the author writes about. Maybe he's been watching too much FOX. The media are now doing their hob, fact-checking what is a fact-averse Administration and calling them out when they are wrong.
You have proved you can pass fake news. You should be shamed of yourself and quit media.
Shiillinberg is simply one of the mindless minions that watch FOX and the alt riight "feeders" for his views and then spreads them. He is the quintessential gas lighter. They are not really media but wannabees that hate the truth. When your hero is a madman it's tough to deal with actual facts.
Meanwhile, the Trump supporters are happy: 52% approve, 48% disapprove according to http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_feb14
Strange comments, one is obviously an interloper...unless anyone knows of BCCLTD? The other just a right wing nut. To comment on Doug's note, we are proving the old axiom "Ignorance is Bliss" more now than ever in the past. The difference is that we have fake news and operators like bannon to fuel that ignorace a steady diet of BS.
"...the Trump supporters are happy"? - D. Ferguson
You do realize that your own numbers suggest something a bit different, with a 52-48 split among his OWN SUPPORTERS. And even those numbers are highly suspect, since they come from an openly full-right "pollster"; Rasmussen.
On Miller's voter fraud "proof", we can bet that - if he ever goes through with providing anything - his numbers will not be evidence of actual voting fraud, but instead will be registration errors.
The lists of registered voters in every location contain names of deceased or relocated registrants. Who even thinks of contacting their local registrar to remove their names if they move, or to remove the name of a dead relative?
Hey, Doug, ... care to place a friendly wager?