Even the so-called liberal on this Fox News panel made snide comments about President Barack Obama and his campaign efforts for Democrats. Not a word was said about Donald Trump’s weaknesses.
As a banner blared, “OBAMA BREAKS TRADITION: FORMER PRESIDENT CRITICIZES CURRENT PRESIDENT,” supposedly liberal Judith Miller called it “unusual” and also “a little early” for Obama to be campaigning against Trump, even though we’re less than two months away from the election.
Cohost Bill Hemmer explicitly suggested Obama’s efforts will be counterproductive. “Does this drive more Republicans out?” he asked.
Guest Liz Harrington, of the Washington Free Beacon, seemed delighted as she responded, “It certainly could.” She pointed to Obama’s own losses in the midterms and added, “He didn’t help Hillary Clinton all that much in 2016.” She somehow "forgot" that Obama is more popular since leaving office and he has always been more popular than historically unpopular Trump.
Then Harrington told a whopper: “And what is the message exactly? Back then, he was saying President Trump would need a magic wand to get to 4% growth. What’s he gonna say now, that Trump found it?”
There was hearty laughter of appreciation.
It so happens that Trump tweeted this same claim this morning, though I’m not sure who put out the falsehood first. Regardless, there’s no excuse for either of them to have done it. FACT CHECK: Obama never said that. As Think Progress explained, Obama’s “magic wand” comment referred to Trump’s promise to bring back manufacturing jobs. Also, GDP growth exceeded 4.2 percent on three different occasions during Obama's presidency.
You’d think that someone with a business background, as Smith has, would remember the GDP growth under Obama. But when Harrington wondered what kind of economic message Obama can deliver when “the economy’s booming,” Smith said, “It’s such a great point.”
Miller argued that Obama’s message is “about the future of democracy and the fact that it’s endangered, so he argues, by the Trump presidency and by President Trump himself. That’s his message.” Which deliberately dodged acknowledgment of Trump's actual authoritarian behavior. Not to mention the unhinged behavior and unfitness for office.
Sadly, Miller’s wimpy remark served as a launchpad for Harrington to claim that Obama was the real threat to democracy. She accused him of avoiding Congress by “unilaterally rewriting immigration law,” “throwing out Obamacare mandates” and committing to the Iran nuclear deal.
However, Trump’s threats to democracy have little or nothing to do with executive orders as this crew must surely know. Obama spoke of Trump’s “cozying up to the former head of the KGB, actively blocking legislation that would defend our elections from Russian attack,” his calling on the attorney general not to prosecute Republicans because the midterm elections are coming up and threatening freedom of the press, e.g.
Nobody mentioned those far more serious anti-democratic efforts.
Instead, Miller took another swipe at Obama, this time suggesting that his efforts are doomed because they look like sour grapes: "The problem right now for Barack Obama is that I think a lot of this is so personal," she said. "He still is ... irritated by the birther conspiracy. ... What you see is not only a party position but I think a personal reaction."
In closing, Hemmer all but acknowledged that Obama is a contender: “Well, I think the big news is that the battle’s been joined and you’re gonna see these two heavyweights go at it for 60, 50 some odd days now.”
And you can rest assured Fox News will be doing its part to work the refs for Dear Leader.
Watch an entire panel ignore what's wrong with Trump above, from the September 10, 2018 America's Newsroom.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
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