Serial adulterer Newt Gingrich has again tossed aside his supposedly fervent belief in personal responsibility to both defend Melania Trump’s plagiarism and come up with an evidence-free conspiracy theory that blamed the liberal media. Sean Hannity helped the cause with numerous falsehoods and distortions.
It was all part of Fox’s one-sided, two-man Trump slobberfest that was supposed to be part of Fox’s RNC convention analysis last night.
Yesterday, The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple noted that Sean Hannity was so busy promoting Donald Trump’s message on the first night of the campaign, that the big news of the night, Melania Trump’s plagiarized speech, never came up. That, Wemple concluded, was why Hannity should not be anchoring convention coverage.
But Hannity’s kind of propaganda is exactly why Fox has him anchoring the coverage. In fact, one could make the argument that last night, when Hannity did get around to covering the plagiarism, what he said was worse than what he didn’t.
Hannity recapped the first night, from his perspective:
HANNITY: Everything went smoothly. No big story. You’ve got everybody that thinks they’re Matt Drudge here and they’re walkin’ around with their cameras. [...] No negative story out of last night so they try to lift two lines of Melania – who I thought gave a really incredible speech.
In fact, it wasn’t “two lines” that Melania lifted but a paragraph and a half.
Hannity next “defended” Melania by deflecting to Joe Biden who was caught plagiarizing during the 1988 presidential race.
HANNITY: English is her fifth language, not first, …her fifth. A success story in and of herself. And here’s Joe Biden, who lifted an entire speech of Neil Kinnock back in 1988.
Yes, nearly 30 years ago and not, as far as we know, since. But what Hannity also forgot to mention is that the plagiarism forced Biden to drop out of the 1988 presidential race. In other words, he faced just the kind of serious consequences Hannity was suggesting Melania should not.
Hannity went on to complain that Barack Obama “lifted Deval Patrick’s speech.” Hannity “forgot” to note that Obama had permission, which Melania Trump didn’t, and that Obama used Patrick’s words on the stump, not in a convention speech. Hannity added that Elizabeth Warren and Obama had also lifted their “you didn’t build that” remarks. But as Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty (via The Charlotte Observer) pointed out, there’s a long and proud tradition in this country of sharing political rhetoric which is quite different from appropriating language for a personal story, which is what Melania Trump did.
Of course, Gingrich gave Hannity a pass on every one of these distortions. “Melania gave a speech that was so remarkable," Gingrich continued. “You get Melania this week, you get Bill Clinton next week. Which spouse do you want? I just think it sets a standard for Bill that’s hopeless.” He and Hannity shared a malicious laugh.
I hate to break it to them, but Bill Clinton is considerably more popular than Melania Trump.
Nevertheless, the guy who ducked personal responsibility for cheating on two wives and serving them with divorce papers while they were seriously ill – but thinks children on welfare should be cut off if their mothers don’t exhibit enough “personal responsibility,” gave Melania a pass via a cockamamie, evidence-free accusation that it’s the media’s fault:
GINGRICH: So the elite media sits back for 30 seconds and they're terrified, and they think, "Oh, my God, she could become become like Jackie Kennedy. She could become one of those amazing people who brings us together that we’re proud of.
[...]
So they sat back and they go, “Oh, my God, we’ve got to do something ‘cause this is a bases-loaded homerun. Can we somehow do two things: weaken it and, second, hit her hard enough that she decides to pull back from politics?
Predictiably, Hannity never challenged a word.
Watch the “fair and balanced” discussion below, from the July 19 Hannity.
Got bored by all the hate-filled shouting against Hillary (and especially the crowd responses). Hit the mute button and was struck by the images that recalled the lynch-mob or packs of rabid dog scenes so typical of horror movies. Downright scary. Those who were simply looking on seemed bemused rather than critical (they may have wanted only to get out of there in one piece). The others looked exactly like the adoring crowds of Hitler and Mussolini during the run-up to war. Such an ugly face for a political party that claims to represent the true values of America. The dems should view these images in each and every ad: place the fascist/nazi crowds alongside the GOPer crowd.
Way I see it, Cruz is vilified for actually behaving like your archtypical American hero: “say what you want about me but don’t insult my family” , “I won’t betray my values for personal interest”, etc.
Trump has created a pool of pure, unadulterated hate that will not fail to create the temptation to take the law into one’s hands. Some of those people are armed to the teeth and just itching to go out and shoot them some vermin, aka anybody who disagrees with me.
I’ve definitely postponed my visit to the USA. And will cancel it altogether if Trump is elected.
You’ve never led us wrong before.
Remember this about Newt Gingrich. Gingrich never had any standing until AFTER the Cold War
Perhaps the worst cocksucker to represent the GOP.
Before the end of the cold war, republicans would have strangled him in the tunnel under the White House.
Too bad when a panicked Trump rushed to the floor in a desperate bid to deflect attention all the chatterers in the media booths weren’t talking about Melania, eh?
I’ve watch most, if not all, of the conventions since I was a teenager. That’s like 20 of them. Never have I seen such a freak show as the Trumpsters are putting on.
Hey man!! We got a chocolate POTUS!
Time to delete your accounts, boys.