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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'The chosen one': Now more than ever, the press needs to address Trump's manic instability
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/8/25/1880859/--The-chosen-one-Now-more-than-ever-the-press-needs-to-address-Trump-s-manic-instability'The chosen one': Now more than ever, the press needs to address Trump's manic instability
Eric Boehlert for Daily Kos
Community
Sunday August 25, 2019 · 1:00 PM EDT
snip//
Most D.C. journalists just don't want to be part of a national discussion about Trump's fitness for office, which is why the same newspapers that demanded Bill Clinton resign from office remain silent on Trump today. The press appears to be terrified of the fitness-for-office framing because of the right-wing backlash it would create. The media's lack of serious, constant attention is especially galling considering how much time and attention news outlets these days are giving to documenting so-called "gaffes" produced by Democratic candidates. These are relatively trivial verbal missteps that are sometimes portrayed as possibly campaign-ending miscues. But Trump's mental incapacity largely get a pass.
When the issue of Trump's obvious instability does get mentioned, it's often to portray Trump as being wily and savvy. "I can't assess the president's mental state, but I will tell you is my sense of it, covering him for a pretty long period of time now, is that he's more crazy like a fox," CNN's Jim Acosta recently noted, suggesting that Trump's incoherent ramblings were all part of a larger communications strategy to stay two steps ahead of the media. That's the exact wrong message to be sending about Trump and his deeply erratic waysthat it's somehow all pre-planned and doesnt represent a dangerous path for the country.
Meanwhile, the calls of concern are growing louder, and they're not coming from the fringes of our political debate. "This guy is having a complete and total meltdown," tweeted Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, suggesting constitutional steps should be taken to remove Trump from office. "The President is a raving lunatic. He is not well," tweeted former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. And from retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey: "Trump cancels trip to Copenhagen because the Danes wont let him buy Greenland. Trump wants Russian dictator who seized Crimea, invaded Ukraine, hacked US elections back into G7. Erratic. Unstable. Dangerous."
On MSNBC, host Lawrence O'Donnell devoted an entire segment to Trump's mental failings. And appearing on CNN, longtime Trump chronicler David Cay Johnston addressed the issue forcefully. Given how common mental illness is, I suppose we shouldnt be surprised that at some point were going to have a mentally ill president, said Johnston. Thats what weve got now.
That's how the media should be dealing with Trump's manic instability: forthrightly and unapologetically.
Eric Boehlert is a veteran progressive writer and media analyst, formerly with Media Matters and Salon. He is the author of Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush and Bloggers on the Bus. You can follow him on Twitter @EricBoehlert.
This post was written and reported through our Daily Kos freelance program.
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)mopinko
(69,806 posts)nuking hurricanes is gonna get some attention, i hope.
BigmanPigman
(51,432 posts)and TV news stations saved from 2017 and 2018 too. This is a rerun of a rerun. Year after year the same assessments from the anchors, writers, politicians and psychological experts and NOTHING changes, NEVER! I could post a lot here but there wouldn't be enough room.
DAMANgoldberg
(1,278 posts)having said, this is the current version of the assessments:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/08/25/exp-two-psychiatrists-discuss-coverage-of-trump.cnn/video/playlists/reliable-sources-highlights/
BigmanPigman
(51,432 posts)I can see both doctors' points of view and both are valid. I can see how frustrated she and other doctors are over this issue.
DAMANgoldberg
(1,278 posts)I think both heads are in the right place, though it was designed to bring some heat to the issue in a typical cable news manner.
yellowcanine
(35,692 posts)The man is batshit nuts.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)who cares.
His craziness is being reported, but too many people dont care, or dont think there is much they can do.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)waiting for the rapture.