The real enemy of the American people
Everyone is fretting and debating over the comments last night at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner that Michelle Wolf made about Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Folks are debating about whether Wolf’s comments were about Sanders’ looks (watch it and see if you ferret out negativity on looks). However, the bigger overtone that should be addressed is with respect to President Donald J. Trump’s and his administration’s attack on the media and the press.
WHCA’s President, Margaret Talev, stated at the dinner, “We reject efforts by anyone, especially our elected leaders, to paint journalism as un-American.” Wolf said of Sanders that when she steps to the podium, we’re never sure if we will get a bunch of lies. Meanwhile, Trump was trying to lather up his base as always, stating at the Michigan rally he chose to attend in place of the dinner, subjecting Sanders to be at the dais in his place:
“Is this better than that phony Washington White House Correspondents’ Dinner? … I could be up there tonight smiling like I love when they’re hitting you, shot after shot. These people, they hate your guts.” The bottom line is that our president calls the legitimate media fake news, calls the press an enemy of the people, and tells his base the press hates them. He has now said that the press hates “our country.”
In February 2017, after Trump had called the press and media the “enemy of the American people,” Senator John McCain is reported to have stated this defense of the media: “They get started by suppressing free press. In other words, a consolidation of power when you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I’m not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history.”
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.