Brzezinski describes what she saw on Fox!

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2024

Then describes Biden and Trump: Around here, it's a fairly depressing time to survey this nation's discourse.

This morning, Mika Brzezinski did an unusual thing on Morning Joe. She said she had watched a segment on an unnamed Fox News program—presumably, over the weekend. 

She told Katty Kay what she had seen. Rather plainly, she was appalled:

BRZEZINSKI (6/10/24): On Fox News, I watched a segment about whether or not Trump would be a dictator. And after running a number of soundbites of people concerned about things he has said, because he promises to do things that are like acts committed by a dictator, or even says he will be one, and then some person on the right who says, "There's no proof he ever said it. He didn't say it", then a sound bite of Sean Hannity asking him, "Would you be a dictator?", and Trump not answering the question, and then the host saying, "There, it's settled. He's not going to be a dictator. We'll be right back."

That's what she said she saw on Fox. To watch her presentation, you can start by clicking here.

On the one hand, it was a (tiny) step in the right direction when Mika said this. Morning Joe included, major news orgs in Blue America make little attempt to report what happens on Fox News Channel programs. 

At this site, we regard this as a major dereliction of journalistic duty. We've been complaining about this problem for more than twenty years.

On the one hand, this was a tiny step in the right direction. On the other hand, Mika didn't name the program in question, not did she play any videotape of the misleading segment in question. 

In all honesty, she could have been describing a large number of Fox News Channel program. They almost all present the "dictator" question in some version of the manner described! 

The demagoguery—the selective presentation—is endless over there. Yesterday, we ourselves were newly impressed by the fact that there is absolutely zero limit to the number of people on Fox shows who are eager to join in.

On the other hand:

Fox hosts play tape of Joe and Mika on a daily basis. There's no reason why Mika couldn't at least have named the program she was criticizing.

Quite probably, she may have been one of the people whose soundbites were aired, then dismissed and mocked, on the Fox News program!  Also, remarkably, she went on to say this:

BRZEZINSKI (continuing directly): I have to say it, because so many people are influenced by what they watch on Fox News, and they're not giving a clear picture. Yet, moving forward, is it not clear, the picture? 

Am I crazy? Because I have eyes. and I see one person who doesn't seem at all sane, who loves dictators and wants to be one, and another who's getting a little older but, quite frankly, doing quite well on the world stage under pretty tough circumstances, answering questions on his own with no teleprompter and sounding just fine, thank you.

At that point, Katty Kay completely agreed, in line with the rules of the game. Meanwhile, ponder this:

She has to say it, because Fox News isn't giving a clear picture and its viewers are being influenced? 

On what meat doth this co-host feed to be offering this observation at this late date, with no specific names being named and with no videotape offered?

Beyond that, riddle us this:

No, Brzezinki isn't crazy. But in our view, the contrast she drew between Candidates Trump and Biden seems to have emerged from some alternate universe. 

As a general matter, we agree with her (colloquial) description of Candidate Trump as someone who "doesn't seem at all sane." In our universe, that would be a reason to have carefully selected medical specialists on Morning Joe to discuss the possibility that serious clinical mental health issues may be at play in this year's White House campaign.

Beyond that, good God! Her portrait of the clear speaking, competent Candidate Biden seems to come straight outta LalaLand.

"Am I crazy?" Mika asked—and the answer is no, she isn't. But her portrait of Biden at Normandy is hard to square with the discomfiting tales of various pieces of tape. 

Up to a point, we all see what we're inclined to see. That said, tens of millions of voters are concerned by what they think they see when they watch President Biden—and many of those people live in Bue America, or in our struggling nation's purple regions.

We ourselves think he's plainly diminished, and we think it's a point of real concern, both politically and on the merits. 

"Am I crazy?" Mika asked. We're going to say the answer is no, but we're not entirely sure what she's been looking at when she describes President Biden, who frequently seems to be struggling.

Regarding the endless gong-show behavior on Fox, we'll offer this advice:

Name the programs you're talking about! Also, play the actual videotape. Many people don't know how bad it actually is Over There.

Then again, there's our own cable channel, where everyone agrees to agree with what Mika said. We're whistling past a dangerous state of affairs. At this point, it's completely unclear how this terrible story will end.