Curiosity overwhelmed me recently so I spent more time than usual flipping through all of these alleged news networks. I say alleged because I am not sure what they do anymore. I put on CNN, MSNBC, HLN, ABC, NBC and CBS. As you can imagine all talked about Trump. The two biggest topics I saw covered were his executive orders to limit immigration from seven specific (Muslim) countries as well as his tweets concerning voter fraud.
There was of course other extensive coverage of Trump’s busy week and executive orders, but it was the conversations about his voter fraud tweets that sparked my interests in watching the various sideshows.
Trump actually tweeted that he was looking forward to seeing the results of Gregg Phillips and crew relating to their claims and investigation of voter fraud, against Trump, of over 3 million voters. in this past presidential election. Like most of you, I had never heard of Gregg Phillips prior to Trump’s anticipatory tweets and as you can imagine Greg Phillips made the rounds of many of these various news networks to talk about his claims.
He was easily debunked if not downright dismissed, because he provided zero factual evidence to support any of his claims, merely vague promises/threats that when the “facts” and data were complete in his findings he would show 3 million plus counts of voter fraud lead by Obama’s Homeland Security division. Not so coincidentally, the 3 million allegedly fraudulent voters just happens to be around the number Trump lost the popular vote.
Gregg Phillips has now widely been discredited as a conspiracy theorist. His blog/app to investigate voter fraud is little more than an app where people can report any voting irregularities that they see or experience. It is hardly scientific. It is hardly official. It has not provided one shed of truth or evidence to substantiate its lofty assertions. That much is true and proven/disproven.
So what fascinated me about this story so much, particularly when the sexier news story was on the immigration ban? The news networks did cover Gregg Phillips claims and Trump’s tweet, but what I found most striking was that no one was really delving into the most important point of it all.
The president of the United States has publicly come out, on multiple occasions now, and challenged the ethics and competency of our national and international intelligence agencies. He has publicly disputed what the agencies have determined was indisputable proof of hacking by Russia to aid his election. Yet when some essentially random individual claims, with zero proof to have information of voter fraud and a theory that is was Israel pretending to be the Russians that in fact did the hacking, the new president espouses unfettered enthusiasm for claims no matter how unsubstantiated and ridiculous.
Is it just me? Can no one see how dangerous a precedent this man is setting? He dismisses anything and apparently anybody that sides against him. This isn’t just about politics. We are talking about issues of national security. The government needs to be shaken up, but I do not want unqualified sycophants, who’s only jobs are to serve as yes men and women for the agenda of an emotionally unhinged, egomaniacal individual.
Our system is far from perfect, but it provides a degree of checks and balances in not offering our president authoritarian power. Yet, his dismissiveness of the intelligence agencies and willingness to accept totally unsubstantiated intelligence from an individual who’s only qualification is that he is supporting a position Trump favors, should serve as the ultimate red flag reflecting potential abuse of power.
I see no one making these points with any conviction. This agenda and propaganda are in no way hidden. The news agencies need to finally do some reporting and help make the public aware of what is going on. Instead they seem to cower or at least back up as soon as Trump makes false claims of false news or unfairness, while refusing to play by a set of rules that he holds others.
#voterfraud, #conspiracytheories, #trump, #president, #donaldtrump, #greggphillips, #hacking
