"Donald Trump has expanded his dominating lead for the Republican presidential nomination, a new Wall Street Journal poll shows, as GOP primary voters overwhelmingly see his four criminal prosecutions as lacking merit and about half say the indictments fuel their support for him."
Wall Street Journal, today, September 2, 2023
Really? Even now? Still?
Consumers of mainstream news have watched Trump's problems compound. The books by his former top appointees saying Trump is dangerously unfit. The New York rape/defamation verdict. The Trump Foundation mis-appropriation settlement penalty. The Stormy Daniels hush money indictments. The New York real estate tax scam indictments. The January 6 House hearings report. The Mir-a-Lago documents, with Trump's voice on tape. The Georgia indictments, again with Trump's voice on tape, and Georgia Republicans testifying against him. The Giuliani stipulation in the Georgia election worker case. The Department of Justice conspiracy indictment of Trump's orchestrated effort to overturn the election. Mike Pence now joining Chris Christie and Liz Cheney saying what Trump tried to do was both illegal and morally wrong. It all might give Republican voters pause, right? Apparently not.
Republican voters who primarily consume Fox News, talk radio, and conservative mediadon't think Trump did anything wrong. They have heard nothing about this.
I watch a little Fox News when I make coffee in the morning, and when I refill my cup, about ten minutes spread through the day. This will read like exaggeration and parody. It isn't parody. This is Fox News:
Images of Hunter Biden looking wasted.
Republican neurologist opines that Joe Biden is senile and confused.
Trump calls former AG Bill Barr a dishonest and cowardly RINO for saying the election was legitimate.
RNC employee says the Fed's interest rate bumps are destroying car and home sales, causing misery. Blames Joe Biden.
Hunter Biden looking wasted again.
Joe Biden goes to Florida to look at hurricane damage. Why bother? Florida Republicans complain about federal response.
GOP congressman says Trump innocent that the FBI is weaponized against conservatives. Says Christopher Wray is a RINO.
A Heritage Foundation economist says U.S. economy is catastrophically bad and is getting worse. Blames Bidenomics.
Interview with a Wisconsin woman who attended Jan 6 rally. "We were just patriotic Americans protesting an election that was stolen from us."
White men gathered in Ohio diner for breakfast, all wearing MAGA hats, opine that Trump is "very popular with nearly everyone," and a victim of weaponized corrupt prosecutors.
Pictures of Joe and Hunter Biden.
Interview with Arizona Republican wearing "Keri Lake Won!" tee shirt, who says that Republicans who ran the 2020 and 2022 elections in Arizona conspired to rig them for Democrats.
Blurred photos of Hunter Biden.
Interview with Georgia Republican who says GOP "alternative electors" just followed expert advice, and were indicted "so they would lie and flip."
Interview with six White New Hampshire men in front of gun range who all say Biden is senile.
GOP congressman says that Chris Christie and Liz Cheney are "lying RINOs" who just want jobs on MSNBC.
Mother of January 6 rioter found guilty of hitting Capitol police officer says her son was just trying to stop Biden from stealing the election Trump obviously won.
North Carolina mother condemns pedophiles and trans people, and thanks Trump for appointing judges who can put a stop to "Democrat iniquity."
Hunter Biden's income from Burisma.
Story on Trump rally where Trump reaffirms that he won every battleground state "by hundreds of thousands of votes and that he has absolute proof of it."
Interview with John Eastman saying he just wanted a fair election count, nothing more.
GOP congressman condemns search of Trump's home for document. "They were just boxes of golf shirts!"
Story about fire in Maui, interspersed with images of Joe Biden at beach. "Why doesn't Biden care about Americans who are suffering," the news anchor asks?Report about a county singer who says she has lost gigs because she said "Trump is a good Christian man who loves America."
Economist says job growth numbers are a "danger signal" of a "Biden economy on the brink of hyper-inflation." Urges people buy gold and ammunition.
Story about a Black teenager in Chicago who shoplifted confronted by White man with a gun.
Story questioning Hunter Biden's qualifications to get into Yale Law School.
Story quoting Trump's recent Truth Social feeds blasting prosecution of a "totally innocent man."
GOP congressman predicts potential evidence will emerge soon of massive "Biden crime family wealth" hidden somewhere offshore.
And on and on throughout the day.
Republicans believe what they believe because they know what they know and don't know what they don't know.
One of the worst things Ronald Reagan did (and that's a long list) was to ditch the Fairness Doctrine and to exempt cable news from FCC control. It normalized propaganda and lying. This, coupled with the GOP's constant battle against funding public education and an ever-reducing attention span among far too many Americans allows things like Fox, and "Truth Social," Rush Limbaugh, and the rest to thrive in an ecosystem without any checks and limited fact.
The death of irony didn't help.
Excellent wrap up but sickeningly depressing.