Media censorship is a harbinger of "media fear" about dangerous Trumpziism

Echo essay by Steve Schmidt published in The Warning: 

The brilliant David Frum (Atlantic magazine), a voice of reason, restraint and wisdom appeared on “Morning Joe” and discussed the travesty of Fox (Fake❗) News morning host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon.

He wrote about the experience for The Atlantic where he is a writer.

NBC News reported a story written by three superb journalists, Chloe Melas, Courtney Kube and Sarah Fitzpatrick that detailed Pete Hegseth’s abuse of alcohol. It was confirmed by an astonishing 10 different Fox (Fake❗)News colleagues and former colleagues around his struggles.

The New York Times reported that the man Donald Trump proposes to lead the $1 trillion Pentagon budget, an active force of 1,300,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, a reserve component of 800,000, a civilian force of 800,000 and a nuclear arsenal of 5,044 warheads was rebuked by his mother. She has since changed her mind about his abuse of women.

The castigation of her wayward son included the following:

On behalf of all the women (and I know there are many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself.

I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.

Jane Mayer, the best investigative journalist in America, reported for New York magazine that a completely hammered Pete Hegseth jumped up onto a hotel table in Cleveland, and yelled, “Kill all Muslims!”

Here was what Frum said when asked about the nomination of Pete Hegseth, the incompetent nominee as secretary of defense, with reference to the above NBC News report.

If you’re too drunk for Fox (fake❗) News, you’re very, very drunk indeed.

In 1989, President George H. W. Bush nominated John Tower, senator from Texas, for secretary of defense. Tower was a very considerable person, a real defense intellectual, someone who deeply understood defense, unlike the current nominee. It emerged that Tower had a drinking problem, and when he was drinking too much he would make himself a nuisance or worse to women around him. And for that reason, his nomination collapsed in 1989. You don’t want to think that our moral standards have declined so much that you can say: Let’s take all the drinking, all the sex-pesting, subtract any knowledge of defense, subtract any leadership, and there is your next secretary of defense for the 21st century.

According to David Frum, he was immediately rebuked twice by a producer twice during a commercial break.

Shortly after being dismissed from the set, Mika Brzezinski looked into the camera and apologized to Fox (Fake❗) News:

The comment was a little too flippant for this moment that we’re in.

We have differences in coverage with Fox (Fake❗ ) News, and that’s a good debate that we should have often. But, right now, I just want to say there’s a lot of good people who work at Fox (Fake❗) News who care about Pete Hegseth, and we want to leave it at that.

This is what she said.

Why did Mika Brzezinski feel the need to apologize to Fox News❓

Was there an agreement between Fox (Fake ❗ ) News and “Morning Joe” that was made since the Mar-a-Lago (kiss-ass) agreement that Fox would ease off of the ridicule over the “Morning Joe” capitulant act towards Hitler, er, Trump, if “Morning Joe” eased off criticism of Fox?  HELLO? Did David Frum break the truce — or, is it worse?

What does Mika mean by these words: “It’s not the time?”

Why does Mika think that she should be an arbiter of what “time” it is in the first place, and decide from her bearing what can and cannot be said on an American television network?

What “time” does Mika think it is beyond apology hour❓

Can we laugh❓😩 😏

Cry?

Make jokes?

Mika Brzezinski is worried about how Pete Hegseth is coping? Really?

What about the 20-year-old Marine private who has to be ready to fight tonight?

Don’t they deserve a secretary of defense who isn’t face down or allegedly raping someone?

Maybe it isn’t time to talk about Fox News because they are giving their “Patriot of the Year” award to Donald Trump — the man she and Joe called Hitler just weeks ago — tonight?

David Frum is correct. He will not be asked back on “Morning Joe.” There is no room there for people who don’t bend at the knee.

The reason this happened is because of fear.

Mika Brzezinski is terrified. Joe Scarborough is terrified.

Now is a moment when truth-telling will be required.

Chief Joseph said this about the truth:


It does not require many words to speak the truth.

When Mika Brzezinski apologized it was another appeasement. It was awful.

On today’s episode, Joe Scarborough responded to David Frum’s criticism by declaring the issue was “civility,” not appeasement driven by fear.

Here’s the deal. Here’s some straight talk.

The dressing-up of appeasement and capitulant acts as necessary and virtuous is the only justification available to the appeaser.

The most disingenuous aspect of Scarborough’s reaction is his imitation of the ingenue who after talking to The Atlantic editor expresses shock that suck a thing could be said out loud about the cancerous lie machine that has wreaked havoc on civility, decency and truth in America.

There is a big difference between a paragraph in the venerable publication founded in 1857 and live television, particularly a show built around extemporaneous reactions.

The most dishonest part of Scarborough’s defense of his and Mika’s obvious fear is when he dresses up Fox as just any other news organization as opposed to what it really is — and what he knows it is: unique, singular and exceptional.

Again, is ABC News hosting an awards gala tonight for Donald Trump naming him “Patriot of the Year?” Of course not.

What David Frum said wasn’t just funny, it was appropriate towards a “news” organization that routinely defends itself in courts of law with an argument that says, “We’re not a news organization and we’re not credible,” and employs a bevy of nut jobs and liars who poison the country with nonsense all day, every day. Tucker Carlson, their most famous detritus is currently in Russia, parroting Putin propaganda about how World War III will start. It is obscene.

Once again, Scarborough moved to defend power at the expense of doing what he is supposed to be doing, which is anchoring a show that will tell the truth to people about what is happening in the world. The omissions will reach a farcical level before very long. Trump is still 46 days from taking power.

The practice of journalism is going to take a lot of guts. What a pathetic and disposable moment. There will be many more ahead, but never here.