Republicans were riding high during the opening night of the convention in Milwaukee. With two court rulings in Trump’s favor and Trump’s defiant response to the assassination attempt, the GOP faithful have every reason to feel good about themselves and the future, at least for the next few days. That isn’t even factoring in the debate and the NATO presser.
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I watched the convention while writing this column. I have to admit that I chuckled a bit over so many silver-haired people shaking their groove things to the house band. Then I suddenly realized that the band was playing the greatest hits from MY era, and I remembered that my driver’s license lists my hair color as grey. So I stopped laughing. I guess I should have hit Denny’s for the early-bird special this afternoon.
None of the events I mentioned in the first paragraph have had much of an effect on the MSM or the left-leaning members of the alternative media. The MSM has never been able to read a room, or a nation for that matter. As Stephen Green pointed out earlier on Monday, MSNBC put “Morning Joe” in timeout for fear that Joe, Mika, and their lineup of usual suspects would be incapable of comporting themselves with any degree of dignity or journalistic integrity.
That, of course, was a temporary setback, and some reporter from MSNBC was ready to pounce Monday when he caught up with Donald Trump Jr. for an “exclusive.” Don Jr. took care of the correspondent in short order.
I’ve never met this erstwhile person, but I have met his clone many times during my time in the media. Young. Energetic. Ambitious. Idealistic.
Brainwashed.
He is obviously not a known figure and was desperate to make a name for himself with his “gotcha” moment. TV is a tough business, and the poor lamb undoubtedly felt like he had some hard-hitting zingers to trap Don Jr. On the one hand, you almost have to feel sorry for the guy, who is still running on the progressive fumes of 2019. But MSNBC has not been known for innovative programming or actual reporting for some years now. I believe the word we are looking for is “jounalisming.”
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On the other hand, it was very satisfying to see Don Jr. whip this guy’s head back at him like a jai-alai ball and swat him like a fly that had somehow managed to evade a No-Pest strip. The kid brought some weak sauce, and Don Jr. made him eat it. The MSM is no longer a serious force. At this point, it is merely tolerated.
His response was perfect. It is the only response left for these tone-deaf networks that continue to labor under the impression that they are still relevant. Their viewership consists of a few radicals, depending on their moods on any given day, and maybe some college kids napping in the student union between classes. By and large, their core demographic consists of people who still play Peter, Paul, and Mary records while trying to remember which end of their bongs are supposed to go up. It’s AARP meets Woodstock, and it ain’t pretty.
But I will bet you my next six paychecks that the “reporter” — hair on fire, teeth clenched, eyes wild — was undeterred. I don’t have TV, but I am sure he clipped that interview up to get it out as soon as possible. And I am also sure that the many tens of MSNBC viewers approved.
But it isn’t just the mainstream media. Everyone is losing faith in the Democrats. I mean, Teamster’s President Sean O’Brien showed up at the convention to endorse Trump, for crying out loud! If you’re a Democrat and you lose the Teamsters, it is time for someone to put the proverbial fork in you, as you are officially done.
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That is not to say that any of this will prevent a Democrat victory in November. I am sure strategists are formulating all sorts of plans, many of them undoubtedly nefarious, to get the win. But to hearken back to our hippie friends trying to recall how to use a bong, as Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin’.” The MSM resonates with no one. The country is undergoing a transformation that is not likely to stop, even with a progressive win this fall.