UPDATED: And Now We Have Laugh Tracks
UPDATED: CBS News has just reported that indeed Cheeto Jesus brought in about 40 of HIS supporters to Langley and packed the first three rows in front of the podium. About 400 of thousands of CIA staffers came, and there indeed are some at CIA who support him. The majority, though, were offended by his remarks and the consensus is that he made things worse, not better, despite the gaslighting by his supporters for the press pool cameras.
Did it strike you as odd that the press was laughing and applauding at Cheeto Jesus’s press conference at Cheeto Tower just before the inauguration? Did it also strike you as even more odd when CIA staff did the same thing during his speech in front of the memorial for agents killed in the line of duty at Langley? Me, too.
Well, it turns out that CJ is bringing his own cheering section to these live network events, and press pool cameras are not showing the crowd. So, when he tells one of his worn out jokes i.e. “we’ll win so much you’ll get tired of winning” the cheerleaders actually follow cues from an applause leader. Yep, believe it or not, we’re being gaslighted, and the media is being complicit.
Apparently though, the networks are beginning to wake up. For example, CNN declined to air Sean Spicer’s Saturday evening tirade where he spewed lies faster than Bernie Madoff, then stalked out of the room taking no questions. Chuck Todd, in a rare moment of playing the roll of journalist rather than political horserace announcer, squared off with Kellyanne Conway yesterday morning and actually used the word “falsehood” several times when she was babbling about “alternative facts”, which is a long way to say the word “lies”.
This latest threat to democracy, however, is existential. To witnesses at the CIA briefing, it was clearly NOT the CIA staff laughing and applauding, it was a group of people that CJ brought with him (just like the New York press conference) to provide the laughter and applause track for live television. Newsweek reported that the applause appeared to be manufactured in two ways; first, it was held on a Saturday where CIA staffers voluntarily signed up to come and were likely Trump voters to begin with, and second, a group of people standing off to the side, obviously brought in by CJ. The the front rows, likely senior staff, did not applaud until the end. Reportedly, former CIA director Leon Panetta’s spokesman, George Little, took deep offense at the campaign style rally in front of the memorial, and outgoing director, John Brennan ripped CJ in a statement saying,
“Former CIA Director Brennan is deeply saddened and angered at Donald Trump’s despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of CIA’s Memorial Wall of Agency heroes.”
Media Matters is calling for a war on the Cheeto Whitehouse, encouraging members of the press to band together and not allow the kind of blacklisting/bullying that has already started. You can sign their petition here.
It will be interesting how the WH press briefings are going to to go, if held at all as is common practice. Clearly, this WH with it’s current occupant is a threat to democracy which requires resistance from all of us.
I was suspicious of government workers coming into the office on a Saturday for a speech, now I see it was for a staged “briefing,” complete with fake cheerleaders.
Constant vigilance, folks.
1Get used to it Murikka is now a “reality show” Ratings driven and totally scripted.
2The best way to counter is to field a team of anti-laugh operatives to boo and hiss Glorious Leader and his agitprop forces.
3I was impressed by the way he handled the media over the weekend. When millions of people were marching in the streets, he sent his clown into the press room to do something embarrassing and it worked. The media immediately gave up on the marchers and covered the clown being a fool.
And again the media is complicitous.
4Morning Joe’s music pick this morning for the montage of the Marchers over the weekend – Buffalo Springfield:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9gZ4KLS24M
Perfect!!
5Great post. Of the tactics you point out, the one you mention first is the one that reminds the most of early thirties Germany. The first link is really compelling. Don’t know who Sarah Cooper is, but I urge everyone here to check it out.
6Sign from the Women’s Rally in San Francisco: “The USA has Urinary Trump Infection.”
Donnie tweeted “did these people vote. “Why yes they did Donnie. That’s why you lost to Hilz by nearly 3 million in the popular vote. Meet your constituents, you short fingered vulgarian.
Donnie’s staff can false flag, gaslight, send up phony laugh tracks and fill rooms with paid sycophants. But even with Spicer and Conway’s ‘alternative facts,’ they cannot defeat the truth. Keep marching, stay on social media, be involved in your local politics and yes, we can win. Defeat Orange Foolius in 2018! Or, before 2018. Donnie’s staff cannot hide the reality from him for too many days. Let’s keep reality is his face to speed his self immolation.
UTI
UTI
Donnie why do you lie
Thanks for the chant ladies!
UTI
UTI
Donnie why do you lie
Remember, keep it real, keep it simple and do not allow the media to ignore you. Two can play the shiny object game with the media. Our millions against their minions; we have the numbers, let’s capture the mics.
7Despite the fact that “…all those people…” voted against Trump,
8we lost, in great part, because of the Republican gerrymandered districts, voter repression and ID laws. This will happen again if we can’t undo these terrible obstructions to democracy.
Maryelle, I agree with you. The gerrymandering issue is huge. I posted a video link on another post, but I will post it here as well.
9https://www.facebook.com/fusionmedianetwork/videos/1764531503572820/
I hope he starts running commercials in between segments of his speeches. Maybe it will wake up and unify the broadcast media if he starts stealing their advertising revenue.
Dress his spokespeople like NASCAR drivers with corporate logos on their jackets too. Don’t do this reality president show half—. Donald you’re bigger than half.
10What worries me, among so much else, is what we Americans are going to think is normal in four years.
11He got standing ovations because he would not let them take their seats. Truth.
12