Joe Rogan is a popular right-wing podcaster, not especially known for his research or accuracy, but a major supporter of Trump. (Thought, "not especially known for his research or accuracy" sort of fits.) On his show the other day, though, Rogan and his guest, ace political analyst Bo Nickal -- an MMA fighter -- surprisingly relentlessly ridiculed Trump for saying there were airports during the Revolutionary War, laughing repeatedly at Trump, even to the point of saying "You're done." Here's the thing though -- They didn't know that they were ridiculing Trump. They thought they were mocking President Biden. Indeed, if they'd done just the very slightest bit of research, since it was well-covered at the time, they would have realized out that, in fact, Joe Biden had never said what they thought, and that it was Trump they were not ridiculing Almost more remarkably, Rogan and his ace political analyst MMA-fighter guest were fact checked on the air by the show's producer. What started it all was Rogan and Nickal ridiculing President Biden for supposedly saying there were airports during the Revolutionary War, which got them laughing at Biden and saying "You're done." But that's when the show's producer unexpectedly interrupted to tell them, er, I think it might have been Trump who said that. (I can only assume the producer realized that it was better to correct them on-air before their ridiculing of what was really Trump got out of hand.) The mistake Rogan and guest made is that when Biden talked about airports in the Revolutionary War he was quoting Trump and making fun of him. At first, the producer played the tape of Biden saying this, though it's clear (or should be clear to anyone with half a sense) that he's quoting Trump, referring to him as "the stable genius," for having said it. Yet even though that should be clear, Rogan and Nickal still keep laughing, thinking this is the proof of what they were referring to. But then, the producer interrupts again and says, no, Biden was talking about Trump -- and then played the tape of Trump talking about airports in the Revolutionary War. (Something he said, it should be noted, back July 5, 2019. And, as noted, was widely in the news at the time.) This is all on video, and Rogan's deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression leaps out. "Ohhhh..." And then, both he and Nickal backtrack so fast you can smell the burning rubber, and -- being the good cult acolytes they are -- let Trump totally off the hook, after having mocked President Biden at length for being who they thought said it. And they cowardly dismiss it now that they know it was Trump who said it! "So, he fucked up," Rogan shrugs. To which Nickal oh-so-apolgetically adds, "You can tell he messed up his words." What's wonderful, too, is that the producer also corrects them for apparently thinking that President Biden had been referring to "stable Jesus," rather than him saying "stable genius." (I can't swear to this, because the video cuts out some material -- likely of them continuing to ridicule Biden. But it's the only thing that makes sense when you hear the producer bring up "stable genius, not 'stable genius' and Rogan and Nickal respond to being corrected.) But what I might like the most of all in the tape is when Nickal tries to pass off blame for their awful gaffe on others -- yet not realizing he's really slamming himself and Rogan for not just leaping to the totally wrong conclusion -- but wrong about something they missed that was in all the news at time...FOUR YEARS AGO. "That's the thing about media these days," Nickal says, almost accusatorially at others, you gotta look into it." Well, yes, you do. And given that it's actually Rogan's show and job to do say, it's something he should have recognized long ago. But hasn't. In the end, though, this is pure extreme-right "thinking" these days, and as quintessential an example of the Republican base adoration of Trump, without recognizing that SO many things he projects on others that they hate so much are really about Trump himself. And it's also pure Joe Rogan. And his listener base. Clueless about facts and reality. And taking the concept of pulling thoughts out of one of your body orifices as standing in for "thoughtful analysis" And now, as they say in sports, let's go to the tape --
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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