Dec 9^th

Yesterday we had our old friend, Patrick J. Buchanan, taking on the press. (Trump occupied me yesterday, so Buchanan’s turn comes today.) Buchanan begins with a history lesson describing the “Fourth Estate,” which is the press; the first three estates are the nobles, the clergy and the common people. According to Buchanan “today the press decides what words are permissible and what thoughts are acceptable.”

That’s nonsense; the press does no such thing. The press is constrained by economics. If the press publishes something offensive to their readers and listeners it will affect their readership and ultimately their revenues. In a very real sense the press decides only to echo what the people want to hear. Listeners who are offended by programs referring to Native Americans as “Indians” or those enthusiastically supporting Columbus Day will stop listening to those programs and the stations broadcasting them know that. Even with the press it’s all about the money. The same is true with interviews with politicians: If Joe Senator is asked what he thinks of Donald Trump and instead of answering that question directly he says that “we must keep our country safe,” the interviewer will usually not follow up by insisting that the Senator answer the question for then the Senator might not be willing to return as a guest.

Buchanan, an ardent admirer of Richard Nixon, writes that, “When the national press and its auxiliaries sought to break his Vietnam War policy in 1969…Nixon dispatched Vice President Spiro Agnew to launch a counter-strike on network prejudice and power. A huge majority rallied to Nixon and Agnew…” Shortly after this “rally” in 1970 we had the murder of four unarmed protesting Kent State students by poorly trained and panicked Ohio National Guardsmen. Perhaps Buchanan believes that those murders never happened that it was just an exaggeration by the mainstream media.

As everyone knows public opinion turned against the Vet Nam war for a variety of reasons, some of which several administrations attempted to hide quite unsuccessfully. By 1973 Spiro T. Agnew had resigned in disgrace, the first Vice President ever to do that. A few years later Richard M. Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment for which his conviction was certain. Buchanan worked for Nixon and still believes he was the victim of a left wing plot; no leftwing plot was needed, Nixon demolished himself.

Then Buchanan says, “…the media have played right into Trump’s hand. They denounce him as grossly insensitive…for what he said about women Mexicans, Muslims, McCain and a reporter with a disability. …And when they demand that Republicans repudiate him the GOP replies, “Who are you to tell us whom we may nominate?” Well Pat, what a difference a day makes.  After Trump’s call to ban Muslims Speaker of the House Paul Ryan says, “This is not conservatism. More importantly it is not what this country stands for.” RNC Chairman Priebus, “I don’t agree; take on terrorists but not at the expense of our American values.” I guess Trump went a step too far and he is now being “repudiated” by his party. Pat probably believes that this too is a mainstream media plot.