Dumb as Dirt

I tend not to read the alternative media too much, because they often simply recycle news from mainstream outlets into outrage retreads. But sometimes they really hit a bull's eye.

This week, Modern Liberals published a thought-provoking piece (link here) with the rather blunt title of "Leslie Stahl Proved Why Donald Trump Is Scared Shitless Of Actual Journalists Who Do Their Jobs."

The sensational title aside, the article makes an excellent point. Donald Trump selected cabinet members who, in many cases, are dolts. Leslie Stahl's interview with Betsy DeVos last Sunday on 60 Minutes is an excellent example. The woman was unable to answer basic education questions, notwithstanding she's the Secretary of Education.

Pro-Trump outlets would never have subjected the woman to actual tough questions. They would slow-pitch softballs like "what do you like best about your job" or "what's your favorite memory from when you were in school."

Thus one is left wondering why a cabinet secretary like DeVos even sat down with a news magazine reporter known to fast-pitch hardballs and watch interview subjects squirm. Apparently the Secretary of Education was not smart enough to realize she should avoid the fake news media, as Trump likes to call it.

Avoiding tough media outlets is exactly the sort of thing seen in authoritarian regimes. Russia still has some independent media outlets, albeit small, but you'd never see Vladimir Putin or any members of his cabinet on those on those.

Instead, he only appears on state-run media, outlets that guarantee adoring coverage. There, they ask hard-hitting questions like "why do you think you're such an excellent president." Seriously, they actually did.

Of course, Trump would love the American media to be from the same mold. That's why he's constantly ranting about toughening libel and slander laws. Fortunately, however, the United States has the First Amendment, which may be the only thing left still defending Americans against the tyranical Trump administration.