It’s becoming harder and harder to resist the notion that the First Amendment is wasted on clowns supposedly covering the Trump administration.
Between their posturing for the camera and their reflexive oppositional stance to any initiatives associated with Trump, it's difficult to see these "Guardians of the First Amendment" as anything but petulant adolescents.
You don’t have to take our word for it.
Here are but three recent examples all from the eagle-eyed observers at RedState.com.
Byron Pitts of ABC’s "Nightline" is interviewing Vice President Mike Pence.
The interview is about to conclude when Pitt’s tries the "Columbo" gambit.
This is when the interview subject has likely relaxed, knowing his time has drawn to a close, so the journo hits him with a final ambush question when his defenses are down.
Pitts asks, "I have a final question for you. And I ask this not in a political way. But for you sir, like so many of us in our nation, you are a person of deep faith. No one doubts that. When you talk to God in your moments alone, do you find yourself worrying at all that people you represent, and care deeply about, have died and will die who did not need to because of steps the federal government did not take soon enough?"
That’s a two-fer zinger!
One, it implies Pence is a hypocrite if he doesn’t pray in the way Pitts specifies.
Two, the question assumes Pence is backed into a corner and must take responsibility for the death of Americans. And bonus — the question is manifestly political, making Pitts the hypocrite.
The Vice President is more generous than we are.
Our answer would have been the president isn’t a career politician and has been in office just a bit over three years. It’s unfair to blame him for failures that have been years in the making.
And finally, when we pray for America it includes all Americans and their families.
Examples two and three aren’t samples of media hypocrisy.
They're examples of media idiocy.
During a China flu virus briefing a journo with no grasp of either federalism or reality was implying President Trump should just shut the country down.
We quote his idiotic question in full, "Obviously, we know anyone can spread the disease. Right? Unwittingly. So, why even have a few businesses open? Why not just shut everything down? There are grocery stores that are open, fast food places. Why even take a little chance? Just shut it all down . . . temporarily."
What this "professional journalist" fails to understand is that even a hint of a total grocery store shutdown would cause a run that would make the earlier Great Toilet Paper Hoarding Attack look like spinster’s shopping trip.
Grocery stores would be looted in a matter of hours.
Grocery stores and restaurants are open for takeout for a very simple reason—people need to eat.
Any epidemic-fighting policy that relies on starvation — even temporarily — is not going to fly with Americans.
The final example is that of James Hohmann, supposedly a national political correspondent for the increasingly inaccurate and disingenuous Washington Post.
It’s frequently been said that one of the biggest problems with journalists is they don’t understand basic math. Hohmann proves that point and simultaneously makes himself look like a fool.
In another daily Kung flu briefing the president mentioned that demand for gasoline had fallen so sharply after the economy was put in suspended animation that regular was selling in some spots for the unheard-of price of $0.91 per gallon.
Letting his animosity and contempt for Trump direct his "reporting," Hohmann quickly tweeted, "Trump just said he's seeing gasoline selling for 91 cents a gallon. AAA says the national average is $1.94."
Many of our readers have no doubt already proven they are smarter than a "national political correspondent" because they know the difference between a price at a single location and the average price for gasoline taken nationwide.
When it was pointed out to Hohmann that not only did he not catch Trump in a lie, but he made himself look like a fool, the WoePost’s resident resistance reporter lied himself.
Continuing to add to the national media’s reputation for fairness and objectivity, Hohmann claimed he didn’t say he called Trump a liar.
These clowns don’t deserve to be called reporters, but they do deserve their richly deserved reputation for slavish following of the Democratic Party line at the expense of the truth the First Amendment is designed to protect.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.