Since CNN announced its controversial town hall scheme, and further announced that it would fill the auditorium with supporters of Donald Trump in New Hampshire, it was speculated that the network was creating a ploy to capture Tucker Carlson’s displaced viewers from Fox News. Codifying that idea is non other than the Lincoln Project, who just issued a press release, begging that CNN’s journalistic malpractice not be repeated.
“CNN gave Donald Trump a campaign kickoff celebration tonight. Chris Licht sold out CNN’s values to chase Tucker Carlson’s viewers in a desperate attempt to find lost ratings.
“Tonight’s disaster must be a lesson that every other news organization on earth must learn: DO NOT NORMALIZE DONALD TRUMP. CNN gave Trump 90 minutes of uninterrupted air time to rewrite history and reset his own narrative. If democracy is to survive, then the media cannot follow CNN down the rabbit hole and treat Donald Trump like a ratings booster.
“Tonight we saw the MAGA Trump Cult in full regalia. Trump spewed his greatest hits of election denying, wallowing in self pity, and told lie after lie, while CNN’s hand-picked audience fawned over every answer and even laughed at his version of the sexual abuse case that he lost. Trump and his MAGA followers live in a deranged world where they are only too happy to take our nation off a cliff.
“To the other candidates in the GOP race, here’s a nickel of free advice: stop being afraid of Trump and tell it like it is. You could end his campaign now if any of you had some courage to say out loud what you are thinking, that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy and doesn’t belong anywhere near the Oval Office. Tonight showed that trying to be clever and cute will only lead to your loss.
“This outlandish and shameful display could have been avoided and prevented. Trump is the most anti-democratic force this nation has seen for ages and we cannot afford four more years. He has called for crushing the press and throwing out the constitution. CNN’s malpractice cannot be repeated if our democracy is to survive. The stakes are simply too high.”
I believe that the Lincoln Project nailed it here. That’s exactly what CNN was trying to do, was put Trump into a format which wouldn’t be as blatant as Fox News but which would have all the necessary elements of a MAGA audience and 90 minutes of dedicated airtime. The hope was to grab some portion of the MAGA audience, which is in flux right now because Tucker Carlson is between platforms — or is in the process of making Twitter his new platform, depending upon whose commentary you read.
We’ll see what the actual ratings are when the overnights post, but at first blush this effort of CNN’s has flopped. It was a bit of a long shot to begin with, and with all the initial negative blowback, the net effect is going to be a loss of face, if not actual ratings, for CNN.
I wonder if CNN has any other bright ideas to capture Carlson’s audience? I’m afraid to ask.
CNN is going to end up with no audience at all. They can’t get MAGAty enough to appeal to the Fox Trumpists in the time available, and their shuddering lurch to the right to appeal to the morons will just irritate, annoy, and anger their existing audience, who will then leave. CNN has been ‘bothsided’ into a big mistake. This is not the old days of two similar parties with some crossover in the middle. This is the case of an extreme right wing fascist party led by an extremely dishonest and corrupt seditionist, on one side, and everyone else, (the other 80 to 90%) on the other. The mid point is in the middle of the anti-trumps, (the normal people).
well said, Concinnnity
Concinnity: Consider if you will there are a ton of supporters for dredging the swamp of CNN though it might force bankruptcy on them commenting on site? That’s my main bother with the left. We always eat our own. If CNN suddenly collapsed and disappeared just imagine the glee in Mr. Carlson at all those displaced CNN regulars who like CNN just fine but are now cast upon the news waters where some no doubt will be scooped up by the now clamorous and new and improved T Carlson. He’ll welcome all displaced CNN alumni convert some of them and give Donny the majority on the right he wants. Example? Subway Joe has delivered the lowest unemployment figures in 52 years, Dwight Eisenhour was president the last time this happened for God’s sake! So are we singing his praises to the mountain? NO! Lauding his power in the Hall of Hero’s? NO! We whimper and moan “But he’s so old”? “People will vote for Trump”? Oh boo f*ckin hoo! We should flock to CNN and bolster their audience and bring back some of T Carlson’s stray sheep too. Don’t let one freaking misstep become a cause for attrition. Stop eating our own! Next week this will all be in yesterday’s news bin, which thanks to Honest Donny is really fast these days. You know court cases and law suits criminal charges and so on……in fact I’ve forgotten already. What were we talking about……….?
It turned out to be CNN jumping into the trumpster dumpster and wallowing around in his garbage. Licht hasn’t learned that everything trump touches turns to excrement, and now CNN has been thoroughly touched. An incredibly bad decision that will cost him viewers and possibly his job.
Maybe fox will sue at&t….
CNN didn’t “Jump the Shark” – they’ve morphed into a journalistic version of an aquatic Dung Beetle that crawls along the ocean floor eating up shark sh!t.
I contacted cnn and expressed my displeasure at this totally asinine editorial decision. Hope a fuck-ton of others do the same
The Completely Nuts Network,(cnn), just took a major dump on democracy, decency, and truth. Boycott Boycott Boycott! Since all they care about is money, hit them where it hurts most…ratings. Phuck those nazis.
I sent a feedback form to CNN telling them I won’t be watching their show ever again. Licht should be fired. They got slimed and I can’t stand the stink.
How did you do that ? I’d like to give them a little feedback myself .
CNN has just ruined it’s image , they used to be a reputable station. I am shocked that they would have trump on their broadcast . I will never watch CNN again .