Tucker Carlson was at his most odious last night as he put on his phony “I’m just curious” demeanor in order to level a series of dishonest smears against Democrats and liberals while despicably wrapping himself in the American flag.

Carlson’s excuse for this particular round of hate mongering was Democratic criticism and skepticism toward Dear Leader Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

CARLSON: The striking thing about [Trump’s] speech was how normal it seemed, how ordinary it was. The president stuck to the script pretty much to the letter. The result was squarely in the center of American public opinion.

[…] Outside the faculty lounge, most Americans like these things, they agree with them.

Nice little gratuitous smear there, Tucker. Just because you got into college only through your rich-boy connections doesn’t mean everyone with a degree is a partisan ignoramus.

Carlson went on to claim that while Trump remains “controversial as a person” his positions are not. “Check the polling on that,” Carlson said.

So I did.

FACT CHECK: The vast majority of Americans oppose a border wall and mistrust Trump’s ability to handle North Korea; A large majority of Americans support Obamacare; Ditto for stricter gun laws. The public is currently evenly split on Trump’s tax package.

“The key thing to know about our current politics, it’s mostly personal,” Carlson. And he should know, because he proceeded to launch ad hominem attacks on Democrats, using malicious distortions to paint them as anti-American.

CARLSON: Last night, Democratic members refused to stand or clap when Trump praised the national anthem, when he praised military veterans, when he pointed out new, low black unemployment numbers. Some refused to stand for Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Congressman who was nearly murdered last year by a Bernie Sanders supporter.

So what is going on here? Well, obviously, they’re giving Trump the finger. Bad manners are now a form of resistance. But what if it’s more than that? What if Democrats actually don’t like those things any more? What if praising our veterans or a flag really does enrage the modern left?

Carlson could not be bothered to have any of the above-referenced Democrats on the show to explain to viewers why he or she did not want to stand. But some things are available via a quick Google search.

FACT CHECK:

Carlson Malicious Distortion #1: Trump's praise of the national anthem was really a troll of the #TakeAKnee movement

Trump was not praising the national anthem (whose words he recently flubbed) per se. Trump used the national anthem in his State of the Union address to take a shot at fellow Americans, particularly athletes, participating in the #TakeAKnee movement protesting racial injustice, a pet target for Trump. By the way, most Americans think players have a right to protest despite disapproving of the protests and most disagree with his claim they should be fired. (See below for Trump’s complete quote.)

Carlson Malicious Distortion #2: Trump's praise for veterans was a lead-in to his #TakeAKnee trolling

Carlson’s complaint about Democrats not appreciating Trump’s praise for military veterans appears to refer to his shout-out to 12-year-old Preston Sharp, a California boy who has placed many thousands of flags on veterans’ graves. But what Carlson somehow left out, despite claiming to be a “sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness and group think,” was that this anecdote was a lead up to Trump’s attack on the #TakeAKnee movement. Here’s the full quote:

TRUMP: Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. Preston’s reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.

Carlson Malicious Distortion #3: Trump deserves less credit for black employment numbers than he takes

Trump’s crowing about low black unemployment numbers gives himself undue credit for “a years-long downward trend” that began under President Barack Obama and “has continued under Trump, albeit at a slower pace than in recent years,” according to FactCheck.org. Also, “The gap between white and black unemployment remains largely unchanged under Trump.” Funny how Carlson didn’t mention that.

Carlson also conveniently “forgot” about how Trump has made a habit of aiming racial dog whistles at African Americans, most recently with his “s***hole countries” comments. Apparently, Carlson thinks African Americans should forget Trump’s stream of animus in the face of one promising statistic that he took too much credit for.

Then again, animus toward African Americans is part of Tucker Carlson’s stock-in-trade.

As if to prove the point, he moved on to launch another attack on MSNBC host Joy Reid.

Watch Carlson’s hideous McCarthyism above, from the January 31, 2018 Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Originally published at Newshounds.us