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No Proof, No Proof, No Proof, Nunes … We Always Knew There Was Proof
One Week of White House Press Briefings.
Thursday 3/16 – No proof, so when are you going to apologize to Obama for accusing him of surveillance (a 30 second watch)?
Next presser, Monday 3/20 – No proof, so are you prepared to apologize to Obama for accusing him of surveillance (a 30 second watch)?
Tuesday 3/21 – No proof, so when are you going to prove there was surveillance (a 15 second watch)?
Minutes after Devin Nunes’ announcement… Wednesday 3/22/17 – We in the news already knew there was proof of surveillance (30 seconds).
Yes, they always knew, but pretended they didn’t for weeks. Who should apologize now?
Published in Journalism
Great stuff Wiley. Thanks for keeping us up on the count!
Isn’t Sean Spicer great tv?
Not just the reporters. Again, not just on the Left. There are those on the right who are willing to make hay out of a tweet to help the left undermine Trump.
They then call helping the left undermine Trump “principle”.
He is great. I like to call him Commander Spicer. He is in the battle every day.
It seems to me that Trump had a strong issue here. He could have made the issue completely about the leaked information and the misuse of our powers of surveillance and point out how the Democrats will break any law or violent any principle to hurt him. Keep it on that issue at all time.
Instead Trump says Obama had him wire tapped like Nixon in the Watergate era. That accusation seems false. So Trump muddles a winning issue. They may eventually turn this into a winning issue, I would like that, but I don’t see how Trump made anything better with this tweets.
I have a completely different take. There were officials from the Obama administration, who are loyal to the Obama, who were leaking information to undermine Trump. Trump could have played whack-a-mock and tried to track each one down. Instead, to use a related metaphor, he struck at the head of the snake. This was brilliant. Those loyal to Obama immediately started defending Obama… This defense was weakened if more leaks occurred… The leaking stopped… Brilliant.
Whether or not Obama was guilty of ordering leaks was irrelevant for the strategy to be effective. Shifting Obama into the camp that is “harmed” by the leaks was the purpose of the Trump’s Tweet.
Obama does not need to directly ask. Like Henry II, King of England, all he needs to do is suggest “who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” And others will do his bidding.
Who would be paying attention if it weren’t for his outrageous tweets? The media have a lot of practice in sweeping issues under the rug, giving them coverage on page 9 at best. If Trump had put out sane tweets, they would continue to do so. But if he Tweets crazy nonsense, he’s trolling them and they’re rising to the bait. And thus the issue can’t be hidden.
Sometimes I think it would be better if he had left the VP to do that stuff, like Nixon did with Agnew. But he doesn’t have that kind of VP, and maybe no other bait would be quite as effective.
If he starts telling serious lies on a par with “If you like your plan…” or blaming Benghazi on a Youtube video, I might revise my evaluation.
It seems like a nice narrative but doesn’t seem connected to reality. The leaks stopped because they leaked what they had. The damage to Trump was done. Trump makes a bold play and makes a false charge to distract from the damage done to him and now his enemies in the press have a new angle to attack him. Keep on disloyal officials abusing the system. Rally the American people to your side. Point out that Bush and Republicans never leaked this only Democrats do. Make partisan Democrats guilty for all the leaks, whether you ever find the actual leaker or not. The virtue is that what you are saying is true. The story becomes is the deep state out of control. Instead we have a President making false charges in a tweet. Not brilliant stupid. Now the Press can keep harping on the need to prove that Obama actually did something where there is probably no proof. I see no upside to what he did.
Which is exactly why you keep the issue on the acts themselves. You keep using the words Obama loyalists to describe the leakers. You never accuse Obama directly ever everything you just tie the leaks to him and the public demands that Obama prove he didn’t order this and denounce the leakers.
Tweets like: “Obama loyalists abuse the surveillance state and Press cheers, sad”
“Right, Russia hacking bad, Obama Loyalists abusing the law good. Why to go free press”
“Real Obama legacy, leaked files from IRS, illegal gun running to Mexico, abuse of the NSA for political gain”
“Interesting how Obama is always “innocent” but his government leaks classified info, Tax papers, intelligence, bigger leaker than Titanic”
“Press and Obama Loyalists in conspiracy bigger than any Russian hacking, our freedoms are at stake!”
I think would get the job done and the fact that they are connected to reality would be very helpful Sean Spicer would have a lot more to work with and throw in the press’s face. Instead he muddles the issues and gives high ground to his enemies? To what advantage?
“Aw come ON, Spicer! Everybody knew there was wiretapping and surveillance and monitoring and all that!”
“John, I’m a little tired. Could you come up here to the podium so I can bitch-slap you, please?”
How do you know this?
In the old Republican playbook it is stupid. In the new Fight back playbook it is brilliant. See David Horowitz’s take on what Trump is doing.
What planet are you on where this would work?
Fake news.
Personally I like a comment I heard calling Spicer a babysitter. So, I guess he is now Commander Babysitter, taking care of a bunch of spoiled, complaining, whining, immature, children.
As I know as well as you know that the leaks stopped because Trump tweeted. Meaning that we don’t know. I just find my explanation far more likely seeing how Trumps tweets would have no effect on an Obama loyalist.
What old Republican playbook? Taking a winning issues making false statements about it and muddying the waters? You don’t need a playbook to know that is not smart.
The one where making truthful charges hurt more than making false ones that can be proven to be false.
They take their directions from Satan.
Instead of me arguing with you, I will allow Tom Finton to make the case. I consider Judicial Watch the authority on revealing and understanding the secret machinations of the US government and what the Obama administration was likely doing. Spoiler alert, he will say “…now we have confirmation, that President Trump was in the ballpark when he complained about Obama wire tapping his phone.” Hot off the press (watch first 5 minutes)…
Because Jeff Sessions was a subject of the surveillance, we are likely looking at a special prosecutor to pursue the Obama administration.
I always said I wish we had a liar on our side as good as Obama.
I just don’t see it. What is this brilliance accomplishing? DT’s approval numbers are approaching abysmal for this point in a presidency (http://www.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx). Approval numbers translate to clout in Congress.
I understand the doubt. I was there. DT walks on a sharp ridge. Fall to the right, he loses his popular support. Fall to the left, he is defeated by the establishment and the left. But he is far more capable than most understand. Both his strategy and success can not be measured by traditional means. In fact that is his strength: his incomprehensible ways (incomprehensible to most) and the underestimation of him by his enemies. These are his strengths. There are several who I have deep respect for who have enlightened me to what DT is doing. We are winning. Perhaps I should fashion a post to explain what seems to be a mystery to so many.
I am hoping against hope that the “smoking gun” that’s s being hinted at comes to pass. The obvious reason is partisan–it would seriously undermine the previous Administration. Secondarily, it would stop this issue from being a surrogate for one’s election take on Trump. Since I’m in the @brianwolf camp, that includes me.
Please do!
Humm, there goes all my evenings for a week or two.
Great video! He seems to be describing the crime that I pointed out that Trump should be pressing. Instead Trump muddled the issue. Why be in the ball park when one could be right on target? Be on target. I don’t understand why one thinks that is the wrong move. We would rather Trump to be almost right or nearly right instead of just being right. It boggles my mind.
I saw a column, I think it was Froma Harrop, wherein she said that this allegation by Trump–actually accusing a former president of spying on him! The gall! The insanity! –was it, the last straw. . It proved conclusively that “Trump can’t do the presidency.” I wish I had saved it. Ann Coulter is right: everything Trump says –oh, yes, even in his much maligned Tweets–turns out a few days later to be true.
And while I’m on the subject: about tweeting: uh, hasn’t every administration paid lip service to “transparency”? Especially B. Hasbeen Omega, whose admin actually ABSORBED ambient light like a black hole? Well, Trump practically has a glass head, he puts his thoughts right out there. Why is that so despicable?
My compliments to you or whoever came up with those words to describe President Obama’s transparency vs President Trump’s.
That is incredibly astute. Well done.
Trump is someone who says exactly what he feels all the time. He might turn out to be wrong, but it is still, at the time, exactly how he feels.
I have the same problem and I’ve always called it the “Lack Of Tact” disease, and there is no cure.
If you’re looking for a carefully Test-Group-tested linkage of words that once disassembled have no meaning, then Obama is your man.
If you need the words of someone where you don’t have to guess what they mean, seek Trump.
Another extremely reliable source confirming, with complete confidence, that Trump was under surveillance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkChOSdOgcc