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The Press That Hates DeSantis Is Mad at DeSantis, and 'Terrorism' Is All the Rage This Week

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  May 26, 2023
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

05.26.23

Anti-Social Media – THE NEW YORK TIMES

When it comes to any avowed member of the True Conservatism® movement, there are two very telling traits to look for: First, while griping about how any GOP candidate is not sufficiently conservative there never is an indication of who is considered a proper conservative alternative. Secondly, as far as the pundits go, notice how infrequently these supposed protectors of proper conservative thought never manage to be critical of Democrats or liberal policies.

In keeping with this litmus test, David French arrives with his assessment of the recently announced campaign by Ron DeSantis, and in announcing that he feels the Florida governor is set to destroy conservatism, he makes a curious conclusion. Or…admission?

DeSantis, hoping to fight the left and not Trump, largely ignores his competitor and instead doubles down on attacking his progressive enemies, including 'woke' universities and 'woke' companies such as Disney.

But whom DeSantis attacks is ultimately less important than how he does it. Republicans, after all, have long fought the left, but DeSantis does it differently.

Where would David have to be placed on the political spectrum when his primary complaint with DeSantis is that he wants to battle the left?

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DNC PR Firm – THE GUARDIAN

The Guardian follows suit with a critical measure of Ron DeSantis, and unsurprisingly, it turned out to be negative. We think we spotted the issue. In order for the outlet to conclude DeSantis is a dictator, this is who they spoke to:

  • Prominent Democratic State Congresswoman Anna Eskamani
  • Brandon Wolf, press secretary of Equality Florida
  • The NAACP
  • Hispanic voting rights group Mi Vecino
  • The Florida Immigrant Coalition

Apparently, no conservative – or moderate – groups returned emails. Said one "expert" interviewed:

Dictatorships come from the fear that a leader inspires in its people, and none of us can say that Republican legislators are not afraid of DeSantis.

Well…another sign of a dictatorship is not allowing residents to flee the oppression. In the case of Florida, the record numbers of tourists and the #1 state for transplants means people are fleeing toward this dictatorship.

Presentation Paradox – MSNBC

  • There needs to be a meeting held with the graphics team…

Getting in on the bashing of the Twitter-DeSantis tech snafu was the cagey crew on "Morning Joe." They provided an on-screen visual to show how supposedly disinterested people were with the campaign announcement in relation to other streaming events. Of course, comparing a political conference call with videos from celebrities is hardly an equal measurement, but there are more problems with Scar-Jo's attempt here.

Overall, it was recorded that well over 3 million people had been in on the Twitter Spaces announcement. But also, while they claimed the peak audience was 300,000, their own chart sported a graphic of the DeSantis event, and it displayed there was over half a million listening at that moment.

Low Octane Gas Lighting – MSNBC

  • Joy is treading onto Aaron Rupar's territory here!

In complaining about the battle with the debt ceiling, Joy Reid pretended she had smoking gun evidence that the Republicans want to default on our economy in order to win the next election. She presents a clip of RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel that supposedly proves this claim.

If that brief three-second or so clip feels a bit truncated, this is because it certainly was trimmed down. It turns out McDaniel was not citing the debt fight specifically, she was saying Biden's overall incompetence is what would help the GOP to win elections:

Republicans have put a plan on the table and this is an MIA president when it comes to problems that the American people are facing, whether it's energy independence, whether it's fentanyl, whether it's a broken border, whether it's crime surging in our streets. This is a president that is failing the American people. So I think that bodes very well for the Republican field.

Demo-lition Project – NEWSNATION

  • When gutting the weather is considered trimming the fat.

The reconstituted NewsNation has been languishing in the ratings, even trailing well behind Newsmax most nights. Despite the benefit of an entrenched cable presence, taking over the channel lineup spot that was WGN, it has struggled to gain acceptance.

As a sign of the issues, it was just announced that the channel was getting rid of its meteorologist team at the channel.

Glossary Over Things – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • Okay, everyone, if we don't like something, what should we call it?!

Not to suggest there is an air of desperation wafting through the the media complex, but this week it seems a verbal trend is on the rise. If there is anything to be perceived as a negative, there is only one extreme to take the complaint – it is a sign of terrorism!

Florida is a terrorist state:

The debt ceiling argument is a sign of political terrorism:

Getting mad at Target stores selling trans clothing to kids "is economic terrorism – literally terrorism."

"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature covering the nation's deeply flawed aspects of journalism, where Brad Slager looks to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.