USA TODAY: America’s Newspaper Turns Republican Propaganda Tool

Attention, USA TODAY. We know your editorial board unanimously declared Donald Trump unfit for the Presidency. But we also know you have Republican ties and readership that you don’t want to lose. We understand that you need their financial support. We get it. But that doesn’t mean you should abandon ALL the ethics and integrity that journalism demands.

That doesn’t mean editorials can magically become headline news stories just because Karl Rove, Roger Ailes, and the rest of the boys in the backroom make it so. They’re not magicians. They’re political strategists and professional hacks. More importantly, they’re not real journalists.

So why listen to them? Why follow their lead to distort the news in the way you’ve been doing?

And please, don’t say you’re NOT distorting the news. You are. You know you are. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where you’re trying to disguise slanted op-eds as headline news.

Latest case in point: front page of USA TODAY WEEKEND, November 18-20, 2016.

An editorial — a true opinion piece, not a news story — is plastered on the front page with this giant headline “PROMISES PROMISES PROMISES.”

The subheading reads, “Although Trump is backing off on some of his campaign pledges, it may not matter to his supporters — or foes.”

Wait. May not matter to supporters — or foes? Hold on. Let me get this straight. You’re saying Americans don’t and won’t care what Donald Trump says and does now that he’s been elected President?

So all those supporters who showed up at his rallies chanting “LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP!” are still going to be supportive when their hero DOESN’T put Crooked Hillary in jail.

So all those Catholics who voted for Trump because he promised to nominate anti-abortionists to the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v Wade are going to praise God when President Trump decides abortion is fine and legal.

And all those demonstrators yelling “BUILD THAT WALL! BUILD THAT WALL!” are going to be okay with no wall, just a little fence around a few parts of the Mexican border.

You know, I appreciate a good sci-fi/fantasy just as much as the next guy, but even this weird tale is too weird for common consumption.

The op-ed continues with this biased scenario:

“President-elect Donald Trump is backing off some of his more dramatic campaign promises, but — and don’t breathe a word of this to George H.W. Bush — neither his supporters nor his opponents seem very upset.

Studies show that most presidential candidates have honored most of their campaign promises. Once elected, however, everyone compromises, backtracks or fudges to some extent.

Trump will be no exception, judging from his comments during the past week.”

Like nobody’s going to be upset when President Trump flip-flops?

Read on a little further, and you’ll understand what’s really happening here. USA TODAY isn’t just offering ideas and opinions for readers. They’re not providing information so readers can think about Trump’s flip-flopping, then decide for themselves if they like or dislike what he’s doing. No, America’s newspaper is already spinning a reality that will excuse and support and ultimately protect Trump from any criticism. Or shield him from the big AHA! moment that will inevitably come when American voters realize how this snake oil salesman conned them into voting for him.

Sooner or later, enough American voters are going to realize that Trump conned them into voting for him by making way too many promises he knew he couldn’t possibly keep. When that collective light bulb goes off, supporters ARE going to be upset.

There are campaign promises, then there’s a motherlode of BS. And then there’s propaganda. That is, there’s the systematic, calculated spreading of Republican doctrine and opinions by using media and specific time-honored techniques.

Think of it as higher octave BS.

That’s what Donald Trump and Republicans and newspapers, now like USA TODAY, have been employing for the past year or more.

Now that candidate Trump is President-elect Trump, the propaganda keeps coming and getting worse.

Now readers are told that every Presidential candidate lies and breaks his promises — and no one seems to care. No big deal. No problem. The op-ed quotes voters who implore everyone to keep an open mind. Come on, let’s just give Trump a chance. After all, a political expert did observe that Trump made so many, many promises on the campaign trail that it’s going to be hard for voters to keep track of them. It’s going to be really hard for voters to hold him accountable, too. ( And we certainly wouldn’t want to inconvenience the voters, would we?)

Then at the end of this editorial, there’s a remark from a teacher at the College of William & Mary: “…At some point, people want specifics. Is Trump disciplined enough to provide them?”

Sorry, GOP Believers. You’re making it harder and harder for everyone to join hands and sing Kumbaya with you. When your fearless leader hasn’t even been inaugurated yet and you’re already on the defensive whenever any questions or criticisms come up, even you know your S.S. Trump is sinking fast.