Lbc – “Lying To The British Community” (?)

[birdie1971]

I was listening to LBC radio earlier today when the host – Matt Frei – who was doing a phone-in about the upcoming USA presidential elections – received a call from a chap who said (and I'm paraphrasing from here on in), “Trump didn't instigate the temporary imprisonment of children in cages at the USA border; that was done by Obama”. Frei immediately cut him off and said, “I lived in the USA during the Obama era and I can say categorically that Obama didn't instigate the imprisonment of children in cages. That statement is false.”

Of course, Frei – having cut off the caller in question – didn't give him the right of reply so Frei's statement stood as a 'fact' according to him and by extension, LBC.

Unfortunately, facts don't care about people's opinions and Frei was dead wrong. Even the left-leaning “Snopes” website admits that it was the Obama administration that installed and used the cages: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-build-cages-immigrants/

So my question is thus: Why are people in the mainstream media so quick to cover Obama's backside – even resorting to flat-out lies in an effort to protect him from criticism – when they hysterically decry falsehoods emanating from Trump?

[Jackdaw33]

Because Biden was Obama's VP and the left don't want any mud to stick to him in their desperate attempts to get rid of Trump.

[jim360]

Matt Frei was wrong, there's no doubt about that, but I'm not sure that Matt Frei is representative. Obama has come in for plenty of criticism from people to the left of him; maybe less so of late, I haven't noticed, although it is less topical.

But perhaps mainly it's because Trump is the president *now* and his behaviour *now* is what matters more in the run-up to the election.

[tomus42]

//Why are people in the mainstream media so quick to cover Obama's backside – even resorting to flat-out lies in an effort to protect him from criticism – when they hysterically decry falsehoods emanating from Trump?//

Perhaps they like Obama more than Trump. You'll also find plenty of people that like Trump more than Obama and resort to flat out lies to protect Trump from criticism.

[birdie1971]

Jim360 - “... Obama has come in for plenty of criticism from people to the left of him....”

Really? I can't say that I have come across anything of late. Would you care to provide me with an example?

[albaqwerty]

I don't listen to LBC so can't comment on the presenter. He seems to be a bit of a dipstick.
The anti-Trump'ers are resorting to re-writing history and when that doesn't work, they shout.
Cannot have a rational debate with people like that which is why the presenter probably cut off the caller.

[birdie1971]

Tomus42 - “... You'll also find plenty of people that like Trump more than Obama and resort to flat out lies to protect Trump from criticism.”

I didn't suggest that Trump's supporters don't lie to 'cover' for his gaffs. I asked why people still cover for Obama so vociferously. Try answering the question rather than attempting to reframe it.

[birdie1971]

Albaqwerty - “... I don't listen to LBC... Cannot have a rational debate with [anti-Trump'ers] which is why the presenter probably cut off the caller...”

Precisely. Facts are anathema to those who wish to demonise their political opponents.

[tomus42]

//I didn't suggest that Trump's supporters don't lie to 'cover' for his gaffs. I asked why people still cover for Obama so vociferously. Try answering the question rather than attempting to reframe it.//

I did answer the question. I said 'perhaps they like Obama more than Trump'. Try accepting the answer rather than whinging about it because it doesn't say what you would like it to.

[jim360]

As I say, "less so of late". I suppose the stuff I'm thinking of came up during his presidency, and hasn't really been topical of late, whereas Trump has. The most recent I can find on a quick search would be this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/us/politics/aoc-progressives-joe-biden.html

Ocasio-Cortez is well-known to be one of the most left in the Democrats, so it's not surprising that she isn't really enthusiastic about Biden/Obama, but then again that's the point.

[birdie1971]

Tomus42 - “.... I did answer the question... Try accepting the answer rather than whinging about it... ”

I'm hardly 'whinging'. You simply failed to answer the question in a substantive manner. But if that's all you've got then that's fine.

[jim360]

I was going to post some more about what I think's going on, but, put simply, I'm worried about the aftermath of the election, because the rhetoric is getting increasingly toxic. Democrats and Republicans aren't rivals, so much as enemies, it seems.

How else are we meant to interpret the "matter of life and death" remark in the article above, or the idea that this is a battle for the very soul of America; or Trump's continued claims that this will be the most rigged election in history; and that "...the socialists will not stop until they’ve ransacked America and laid waste to our cities"? Not to mention the accusations of Treason Trump's levelled at Obama.

The stuff about rigged elections is particularly troublesome. I assume that it is meant to whip up support, to "go out and vote to stop them from having the chance to rig it", but is that really what some of his supporters will hear? Can Trump lose legitimately? How can he accept defeat without admitting that it was all a front and that he was lying? Will his supporters recognise this and back off? What happens if, instead, he wins the Electoral College but is hammered in the popular vote? Another nightmare.

I'm moving away from the specific question, but I do think it's all related. Defence of Obama from all criticism is motivated by the all-out war that US politics has become. And vice versa. Your side cannot be evil and the other side must be.

[tomus42]

//You simply failed to answer the question in a substantive manner.//

Substantive manner = saying what you would like it to.

I stand by my answer. Some media supports one person and lies accordingly and other media supports another person and lies accordingly. You already know that but you obviously don't like it when it goes against the guy you support.

[birdie1971]

Jim360 - “.... Ocasio-Cortez is well-known to be one of the most left in the Democrats...”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a cretin of the very highest order. This is a person who doesn't know what a garbage disposal is for: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/aoc-scared-garbage-disposal/

Call me picky, but I don't count Ms Ocasio-Cortez's criticism of Obama as relevant. I think you'll agree.

Please give me an example of mainstream media criticism of Obama.

[birdie1971]

Tomus42 - “... you obviously don't like it when it goes against the guy you support.”

I despise Trump.

[jim360]

Hmm. Your own opinion of AOC doesn't really change the fact that (a) she is to the left of Obama, and (b) disagrees with him, which is all I set out to prove. During his presidency he was criticised from the left, and that criticism remains valid, if not exactly topical. Since the mainstream media, or indeed any news outlet, is mainly going to focus on current events, and since Obama hasn't done much recently other than give speeches, it's hardly surprising that you would have to go back some way to find such criticism.

[tomus42]

I seem to have touched a nerve there Birdie. I bet you'll be getting all angry about the 'plandemic' next.

[Jackdaw33]

I think Jim's use of the word 'toxic' is about right. Of the 15 US elections I can recall I have never known a one as bitter as this. I wonder if this is partly due to the fact that there were no primaries this year. We may have ended up with different candidates.

[jim360]

There actually were primaries this year, although they were much lower-key, especially as Biden became the runaway favourite quite early on.

[birdie1971]

Jim360 “... she is to the left of Obama...”

Ms Ocasio-Cortez is to the left of Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong and Benito Mussolini.