The Republican faux-outrage reaction to President Biden saying under his breath that Fox “News” reporter Peter Doocy was a “stupid son of a bitch.” – after Doocy asked a stupid question – is on the edge of demagoguery so pathetic that I suspect most Republicans other than the most virulent Trumpers understand how pathetic it is.
To be clear, it’s not that Republicans had a faux-outraged meltdown, but the profound level of hell they took it to. Keep in mind that whatever President Biden said, it was said under his breath, thinking the microphone was off. And for the sake of perspective, since most people have only read Biden’s line, the question Peter Doocy asked, after the press conference ended and reporters were filing out was -- “Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?” To which President Biden sardonically replied “No — that’s a great asset.” And then, under his breath, thinking the microphone was off, because the press conference was over, Biden muttered to himself, “What a stupid son of a bitch.” And to bring to story its even fuller perspective, since many, if not most people think it ends there, there’s more. After the story, I wrote on social media that I wouldn’t be surprised if Joe Biden apologized, because that’s who he is. And not only did Mr. Biden indeed apologize, but he didn’t just have his press secretary announce it, or release a public statement – but he called Peter Doocy directly. Because that’s who he is. They had a short conversation, and near the end, Doocy said to the president, "I'm always going to try to ask something different than what everybody else is asking." And Joe Biden replied, "You've got to." Which is even more gracious. He could have told the person he’d just called a “stupid son of a bitch” and who daily battles with the president’s press secretary by asking stupid questions that he should be careful about not asking such stupid questions because that this is a deeply serious job with so much quite literally at stake, since the world listens to every word said, but Joe Biden instead reinforced the importance of being challenged, a free press and speaking openly to power by telling Doocy that he’s got to keep asking things different from others. Appearing later on Fox “News,” Peter Doocy told viewers, 'And that is the quote from the president, so I will keep doing it.” The thing is, I have no doubt Peter Doocy will take this to mean keep asking stupid questions. And I have no doubt that he will keep doing so. And yet Republicans pretended that their collective heads were on fire, about to explode. Not just mere criticism (which would have been over-the-top), but at a level you’d think were joke quotes from the satirical The Onion. For instance, Rep. Jim Banks (R-N) – one of the Republicans who refused to certify the election – posted a tweet that read (and I swear this is true): “Have we ever seen a President attack and malign the free press like Joe Biden has??” “Ever” usually requires one to think back over several decades, not one year. And let’s even forget for the moment that Joe Biden did not attack and malign the free press, but merely muttered something to himself about a stupid question from a single reporter, thinking the microphone was off and then called to apologize. For Jim Banks to oppose liberals and the political policies of the White House is fine – but to treat the public and most-especially his own voters as if they’re total idiots and don’t remember Trump calling reporters stupid directly to their faces for four years and relentlessly calling the press the “enemy of the people” is venal demagoguery at its purest. And demagoguery made all the more so by trying to seem faux-outraged (!) at a fictitious effort to “malign the free press,” when maligning the free press -- to the extent of truly putting their lives at risk -- is what we ALL KNOW Trump did for four years. All know. All of us. Since the point of Trump was to outrage his base up by chanting “enemy of the people” at his fascist rallies repeatedly. And then there’s Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX). The Ronny Jackson who, as Trump’s doctor in the White House, declared him in the greatest shape imaginable of any human who ever lived. And parted ways upon charges of drunkenness and abuse. He said on TV that President Biden should actually be removed from office for calling Peter Doocy Doocy a “stupid SOB,” because – yes, he really said this, it proves that he is cognitively unfit to be president. What I would love someone ask Dr. Jackson is if swearing out loud (like, oh, say, Trump) makes a president unfit -- or if it’s just when he swears at a reporter, under his breath to himself? Or even out loud? And in any of those cases -- why? And also, I would suggest that an elected officials who says that a president swearing under his breath at a reporter (or even out loud) is "cognitively unfit" for office is himself far more unfit for office. There’s oh-so much more of this breast-beating faux angst from the same party that was outraged when President Obama wore a tan suit. But putting aside what Joe Biden said, under his breath or even out loud, to one reporter he called a stupid son of a bitch before phoning him to apologize, let’s once again put all this Republican faux-horrified indignation in even more perspective. And that would be five years ago in 2017, when the same Peter Doocy asked a question to Republican John McCain who, on camera, to Doocy’s face, repeated told him how stupid the question was.
Fun fact: no Republican – no Democrat either, and indeed no one in America – cried out in fury (or laughter) that Sen. McCain was maligning the free press, or that he was cognitively unfit to be in elected office. My guess is most people agreed with him. My guess is most people agreed with President Biden. I wouldn’t be shocked if most people at Fox “News” agreed. Both times. But they liked the questions anyway. And loved the faux-outraged fascist demagoguery. Because this isn’t about Trump. This is about the Republican Party that enables it all. Acts on it all. And has become fascist.
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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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