You Ain't Never Had A Friend Like Trump
Well, Joseph Biden had them forty thieves
Jen Psaki spun a thousand tales
But master you're in luck, 'cause up your sleeves
You've got a brand of magic never fails.
You've got some power in your corner now!
Some heavy ammunition in your camp!
You got some punch, pizzaz, yahoo and how.
See, all you gotta do is rub that lamp, and I'll say
"Mr. Journalist, sir, what will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, jot it down?"
The media has not learned its lesson. Again, media outlets are tempting fate by thinking they can let the orange genie out of the bottle and manage the consequences. The media is looking to repeat their "playing with matches" performance of 2016. If you recall, corporate media outlets far and wide gave Donald Trump unprecedented media coverage in the ’16 election cycle. They willingly freed the orange man in exchange for three wishes. Wish number one was that Donald Trump would revive their sagging viewerships , help them stem the flow of red ink and perhaps delay their ultimate demise. Wish number two was to have Donald Trump's bombastic persona make Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton appear more likable. And wish number three was reserved for stuffing Donald Trump back in the bottle prior to the Republican primary elections.
Wish number one came true as Trump greatly revitalized the newsrooms at MSNBC, CNN, New York Times, et. al. Wish number two also came true as Hillary Clinton, who had incredibly high unlikable numbers, looked more appealing to tepid democratic voters next to the tweet-drunk Donald Trump. So much so because of this fact, Hillary Clinton probably would have fared far worse against an average, run-of-the-mill Republican candidate in that election.
Sadly, wish number three was not granted, but such is the deviousness of genies. Donald Trump, once freed and awash with constant media attention, much to the chagrin of low-energy Jeb, little Marco and lying Ted, was not going back into his Fifth Avenue gilded and stupendous bottle. Buoyed by a sellout media, the Trumpster hocus pocused his way to the Republican nomination and the White House.
Surprisingly, a baffled media could not understand how they had been deceived. But bless their hearts, they persevered with 4 years of a Russian scapegoating in an attempt to kneecap the ungrateful Trump and instead of unceremoniously returning him to the bottle, they conspired to stuff him into a three squares - eight by eight. One would think the media has learned their lesson. Alas, 2024 is looking like a media redo.
The media is now salivating at possibility of a Donald Trump repeat performance. They are prepping to once again rub that "spectacular" gold lamp that will conjure up that ratings producing genie himself. And this time, it's not only the usual media suspects on the left, but even National Review's, Philip Klein has jumped in line with a polishing cloth in his recent article, "The Benefits of Donald Trump Running Again." Mr. Kline’s basic point is a Trump prelim will benefit the GOP just as long as he in fact loses the primary. Vane hope! It is as if the four years of Trump owning the media narrative never happened. Media memories are indeed fickle and short lived.
Yet, the media has learned nothing from 2016 as they are about to serve up a Trump repeat. The corporate medias are salivating at ratings projections and click numbers associated with a Trump presidential run 2.0. I have met heroine addicts that showed more personal restraint than today’s corporate media. America’s tech oligarchs must be irate!
I imagine the talk around the Perrier cooler at the Yellowstone Club is one of utter disbelief. Donald Trump’s 2020 takedown was the best money could buy. Bazos’ Washington Post buried the Hunter Biden laptop and Ukrainian stories, Zuck bucks flooded key voting precincts in swing states. Dorsey clipped Trump’s Twitter wings - all the while thousands of hard drives labored well into election eve to deliver a Biden victory. The orange genie was all but contained and now these giant media outlets are about to tempt fate by greedily rubbing that lamp once again. All that takedown money is about to be flushed down the toilet as the media gears up for another profitable Trump run.
If Trump throws his hat into the ring again the true colors of the media will become apparent. If they do now what they should have done in 2016 and ignore him, the media vacuum will drive the genie back into his Mar-a- Lago lair. However, if they follow 2016 news covering playbook, their colors will be revealed as green. Although the media will be selling a new American Red First agenda on the front side, through the back door, they will be reaping stacks of green for their “Trump is the devil and must be stopped” 24/7 mantra. I thought it only fair to point out the 2024 campaign media strategy, least anyone get upset at the wrong people for Donald Trump’s upcoming and successful campaign for President!