So the other day there in the vast wasteland that is MSNBC‚ there was one host after another calling former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel an “election denier. A sample: Mika Brzezinski: McDaniel is “an anti-democracy election-denier”. Rachel Maddow: McDaniel was “about undermining elections and going after democracy.” Nicole Wallace: “NBC News is‚ either wittingly or unwittingly‚ teaching election deniers that what they can do stretches well beyond appearing on our air and interviews to peddle lies about the sanctity and integrity of our elections.”  And back when Mike Johnson was elected by House Republicans to be speaker‚ there was Joe Scarborough assailing the House Republicans by saying: “They’re all election deniers up there.”  And on and on this kind of authoritarian craziness went.  This being the case‚ it is worth recalling for the record just what the real record at MSNBC is on election denial.  As noted here in the U.K.’s Guardian:    Maddow was not only certain that Russians had rigged the election. On air‚ she would talk about the “continuing operation” – the idea that the Kremlin was controlling the Trump presidency itself. In more sober times‚ this brand of analysis would barely cut it on a far-right podcast. In the Trump era‚ it was ratings gold. In addition‚ MSNBC’s Joy Reid tweeted out about “the evidence of collusion with Russia.” The Federalist’s Margot Cleveland recalled: Don’t forget MSNBC’s Chris Hayes‚ who gave air time to Jonathan Chait to push the possibility that “Donald Trump has been a Russian intelligence asset since 1987.” … Doing double duty for NBC and MSNBC‚ so-called reporter Ken Dilanian kept the collusion conspiracy going‚ even if it meant reporting fake news‚ such as the bombshell “that Russian-linked operatives had approached the Trump team in 2016 with access to a looming email dump.” False. To cut to the chase? MSNBC is the headquarters of election deniers. Laughably paranoid‚ resolutely authoritarian — some would say fascist. In fact‚ appearing on Larry Kudlow’s Fox Business show‚ Breitbart’s Alex Marlow said just that. Breitbart reported:  Marlow said‚ “We are having such a blast at Breitbart with this story. This is so fun. It just exposes the fascists over at MSNBC and NBC News for exactly who they are. They are totalitarians. Look at all of them crybabying‚ they cannot handle Ronna McDaniel Larry. They’re so close minded. That is too much for them.” Exactly. What is especially pathetic here is that all of this nonsense appears on NBC. NBC is‚ for those unfamiliar‚ the oldest major broadcast company in the United States‚ as it was founded in 1926. In the almost 100 years since‚ it has racked up a serious record with serious journalism‚ sports coverage‚ and more.  Its journalism stars over the decades included the legendary “Huntley/Brinkley” evening news show with co-anchors Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. As they faded after decades‚ there was Tom Brokaw in the news anchor chair. Over at its Sunday Meet the Press show‚ its starring hosts ranged from the redoubtable founder Lawrence Spivak to Bill Monroe and on. Particularly notable was the hosting era of Tim Russert. It was well known for journalists asking serious questions and never ducking when it came to putting on guests of all political persuasions. But now? As quite vividly seen these last few days‚ the network has become nothing more than a seriously left-wing‚ decidedly partisan redoubt. Whether it was the reams of election-denying air time pushing the Trump–Russia collusion hoax‚ or recoiling in terror at the idea of having former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel as a colleague‚ the network is being effectively trashed by its own employees.  The message has been sent. Even if asked‚ now highly unlikely‚ no Republican in his right mind should ever venture onto any NBC program ever again. Its hosts are nothing more than bullying left-wing activists who‚ if they freak out at the presence of the decidedly mild and moderate Ronna McDaniel‚ would have serious breakdowns at any other Republican/conservative. The cast of MSNBC‚ in a stroke‚ has ruined the reputation of America’s oldest major broadcast network. Somewhere‚ Huntley and Brinkley are shaking their heads. RELATED: Thank You‚ Chuck Todd‚ for Exposing What’s Wrong at MSNBC The post The MSNBC Election Deniers appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

The shocking and horrific Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore‚ triggered by the Singaporean-flagged cargo ship Dali striking it during the wee hours of Tuesday morning‚ has functioned as something of a Rorschach test. That test cuts to the heart of today’s hyper-online culture and a concomitant willingness — perhaps eagerness — to believe anything sensationalist even if there is no supporting evidence. To be sure‚ the video of the bridge collapse is truly surreal. Watching it on replay in an attempt to comprehend how this could have possibly happened in the United States of America in the year 2024‚ I could not help but think of the old Japanese Godzilla movies and the mid-century depictions of mass urban destruction that now look so fake to moviegoers’ eyes. Amid such a stupor‚ and perhaps especially just a few days after the horrific ISIS massacre in Moscow that left at least 140 dead and 360 more injured‚ it is not at all unreasonable to openly ponder that very question: How? Within hours‚ social media was buzzing with wild speculation and the promotion of innumerable “alternative” explanations for how Dali took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Perhaps it was a cyberattack; perhaps the ship’s captain and crew were incompetent‚ hired as a result of affirmative action and the “diversity” agenda; perhaps they were hostile foreign agents who infiltrated Synergy Marine Group‚ Dali’s owner; or perhaps the tragedy was an “inside job” intended to manufacture a crisis that President Joe Biden could then exploit in a presidential election year. Also within hours‚ though‚ we had enough information to know what happened: Dali‚ which was captained by a highly trained and experienced local pilot‚ lost power in a tragic fluke incident. The Dali pilot actually had the foresight to issue a mayday distress signal‚ thus allowing local law enforcement and highway patrol to scamper to close off the bridge. Every innocent life lost is of course a tragedy‚ but it is still somewhat remarkable that one of the most traversed bridges in the entire “Acela Corridor” collapsed like a toy and only six people are presumed dead because of it. Many continued to promote baseless “alternative” explanations anyway‚ inconvenient facts notwithstanding. In fairness‚ we live in an age when many explanations initially dismissed by elites as “conspiracy theories” end up being true. The Wuhan lab-leak origins of the COVID-19 virus and the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop both come to mind as but two recent examples. But in both those cases‚ there was no reason to dismiss the underlying claims out of hand absent an ideological reason for doing so: politically driven fear of enraging China or somehow fomenting anti-Asian racism in the first case‚ and a transparent political desire for Joe Biden to defeat Donald Trump in the latter case. “Alternative” explanations for the Dali catastrophe‚ by contrast‚ bear a closer resemblance to Alex Jones’ infamous rants that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a “false flag” operation. Note to the hyper-online: Sometimes a so-called conspiracy theory is just an actual conspiracy theory. In today’s age of social media‚ when the perverse incentive is for clout-chasing commentators and “influencers” to say the most outlandish thing imaginable (e.g.‚ Candace Owens) to get attention‚ innocent users are regularly misled. This is not a victim-free phenomenon — when deliberate misleading prolongs‚ minds are turned to mush. Critical thinking‚ basic analytical skills and objective assessment of empirical data are all discarded. It can be fun or “edgy” to promote or believe a facially absurd thing‚ either to be a contrarian or just for the lolz. The solution is to limit your exposure to social media and do a better job of getting offline and touching grass. Get away from the cesspool of Twitter/X and Instagram‚ and ground yourself with family‚ friends‚ hobbies‚ and in-person activities. Just this week in South Florida‚ where I live‚ my wife and I attended the Miami Open professional tennis tournament and opening day for the Miami Marlins. Both events were great fun. But even something as simple as putting down the phone to go outside and breathe some fresh air will almost always be a good idea. It’s certainly helpful for avoiding the pitfalls of hyper-online culture‚ to say nothing of maintaining general mental sanity. Maybe after you finish reading this column‚ you can give it a shot yourself. To find out more about Josh Hammer and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM READ MORE: Vice President J.D. Vance The Path to Victory for Trump The post Go Touch Some Grass appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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