[Notice of a material correction: I have corrected this post, which incorrectly stated that the words of a letter approvingly quoted by Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” were his own words. I won’t list all the sources that confused me on this point, but I primarily blame Newsbusters for a misleading headline, “Todd Bashes Christians in MTP Rant Against Misinformation, Trump.” Todd let a year-old letter to the Times do his ranting for him, which is a craven technique, but he did not himself “rant.” He just read a letter bashing religion as “fairy tales,” and used it in a manner that indicated that he agreed with it.
If I had been more careful reading this and similar accounts, this wouldn’t have happened. In the end, it’s my fault. However, my assessment of Todd’s intent is unchanged.
Thanks to Arthur in Maine for flagging my error.]
***
To be fair, it never was much of a mask anyway.
On “Meet the Press” today, host Chuck Todd apparently snapped, or perhaps let a letter snap for him. He dredged up a year-old letter to the Times that read,
“Why do good people support Trump? It’s because people have been trained from childhood to believe in fairy tales. This set their minds up to accept things that make them feel good. The more fairy tales and lies he tells the better they feel. Show me a person who believes in Noah’s ark, and I will show you a Trump voter.”
“Look, this gets at something,” Todd told his guest, the Times’ anti-Trump editor , Dean Baquet, “that my executive producer likes to say, voters want to be lied to sometimes. They don’t always love being told hard truths.”
Why in the world would Todd pick this faith-mocking letter to make that point? It’s a cowardly smear by proxy. He can advance the writer’s position, but if he’s criticized for it, he can always say “It wasn’t me, it was him!”
Todd and his colleagues never accept this excuse when someone they want to get retweets an inflammatory statement, though. This was exactly like a retweet….an endorsement.
You see, for all the abuse heaped on Hillary Clinton for her “deplorables” gaffe, calling anyone who supported Donald Trump over the virtuous and brilliant Hillary Clinton a racist, a fool, and an idiot, Democrats, the “resistance,” and journalists believed it then, and they believe it now. Chuck Todd adds the detail implied by the letter: if good people support President Trump—we know why the bad people support him—it’s because they were turned into idiots by religion! After all, the elite and educated know that religion is a crock, God is a crock, the Bible is a crock. Never mind all the “diversity” lip service. If you’re religious, you’re a dope, and you’re the problem. That’s what he thinks. That’s what most of them think.
How can anyone trust the likes of Chuck Todd (and he is the rule, not the exception) to report on President Trump, his policies, or the campaign, with that openly biased an attitude? They can’t. How can anyone trust the objectivity of a network that would continue to employ the host of its flagship public policy program who has stated, on the air, that no citizens who support the President are good people, except those whose brains have been addled by fairy tales and lies fed to them by religion.
How can anyone trust a journalist or a network so arrogant, unprofessional, and stupid?
Well, I suppose stupid people will, and people who don’t care if the news media is fair or professional, just whether the unethical reporters’ misconduct and bias advances their agendas.
Todd should be fired, as any on-air personality on any TV network would have been for tacitly backing such an a blanket attack on all religions just a few years ago. He’s not even good enough a broadcast journalist to claim the King’s Pass. Todd is the worst kind of mediocrity, a dull and petty mind in a position of influence he is grossly unqualified for, lacking the humility and self-awareness to recognize his limitations that are so obvious to everyone else.
And I find myself wondering: how many smoking gun, neon lit, flaming, sparking, damning statements from members of the Democratic/”resistance”/ mainstream media alliance will be made—there are hundreds of them already—before the vast majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, realize what they are dealing with, and how vile these people are?
Ethics Alarms 
At the same time wondering why the religious generally doesn’t vote Democratic. The recent pandering by Mayor Pete, et al., in the recent debates is blatantly obvious empty sentiment, and Chuck is just saying what many of them think.
Of course he doesn’t mention the utopian fairy tales that the universities, public schools and the mainstream media indoctrinate children and teens starting at primary school I.e. real socialism hasn’t been tried, feelings trump reason, and America is a nation based on oppression, racism and white privilege. And we know of course that religion is the opiate of the masses.
Who wants to be associated with people individually believing in fairytales of a better tomorrow built on better behavior freely chosen versus people who subordinate their individual will to a collectivist other whose hope for better is predicated on the caprice of self appointed overlords who only seek perpetual power?
I struggle with the notion of an omnipotent omnipresent force for good that wants us to individually choose good, but would always rather be with them than those who seek to enforce a false collective “good” on all based on the caprice of a few who claim to know better.
Here’s to more masks falling away from the collectivists.
The RC church was once the Democratic Party at prayer, before they found they could score more votes by backing abortion.
Paul Joseph Whatson makes the same point you do regarding the recent British parliamentary election. He just does it with a bunch of profanity and humor.
Thanks Matthew. That Brit piece was brilliant, as they would say.
Lefty politicians on both sides of the Atlantic don’t seem to see the huge downside risk of “doubling down.” Don’t they know it’s a gambling term?
Paul Joseph Whatson got his start in the fringe with Infowars and the associated nutters like 9/11 truthers and chemtrails. Since he became popular he’s distanced himself and become more mainstream.
I only heard of him because he was kicked off YouTube. He’s obviously back on now.
My favorite is his Islam vs LGBTW+. I do enjoy showing the video to lefties and making them squirm.
“And I find myself wondering: how many smoking gun, neon lit, flaming, sparking, damning statements from members of the Democratic/”resistance”/ mainstream media alliance will be made—there are hundreds of them already—before the vast majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, realize what they are dealing with, and how vile these people are?”
They already know that. They also know that, at best, Chuck Todd will give a corporate-mandated insincere apology and nothing will happen to him. Their voices will be heard in November 2020.
Are you kidding, a lefty apologize for something like that; not a chance.
Agreed. He’ll get a million “likes” on Facebook, or something along those lines.
“Why do good people support Trump? It’s because people have been trained from childhood to believe in fairy tales. This set their minds up to accept things that make them feel good. The more fairy tales and lies he tells the better they feel.”
That statement from Chuck Todd about Trump supporters is pure psychological projection and unadulterated propaganda.
Well, that’s no doubt how you get more viewers on the Left — by mocking Christianity and blaming it for Trump’s election because it’s so stupid it makes good people stupid, and only stupid people could ever vote for Trump.
How could anyone think this guy is biased? 🙂
They won’t come around until people like Chuck Todd stop feeding their delusions, and history has shown us that propagandists won’t change it gives them power so they follow these rules from the Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany…
1. If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it.
2. If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.
3. If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
4. If you repeat a lie long enough, it becomes truth.
5. If you repeat a lie many times, people are bound to start believing it.
These propaganda principles have turned a huge segment of our modern society into an illogical emotion driven herd of ignorant sheep that believe the bastardized ideological emotion triggering propaganda that progressives have been doling out. These people are hopelessly addicted and they will believe anything that supports their delusions.
The extremes in the political left have taken over control of the political left and they have shown us their true colors over the last few years. God (because no one else will) help the United States of America if these wackos get control of the White House, the House, and the Senate in the near future.
I had Christmas dinner with some friends that fully believe in Noah’s Ark, and cannot stand President Trump. They didn’t vote for him, they don’t support him, and they will vote for any Democratic option in 2020. Strangely enough, they think the impeachment is a bad idea, but in all other ways, they are two solid exceptions – two of a significant number, I will wager – to Chuck Todd’s attempt at broad smear.
I wonder if Chuck Todd thinks that way of Muslims, who also believe in “Noah and the Large Monochromatic Boat”.
I dare Chuck Todd – in fact, I double-dog dare him – to specifically call out Muslims for the same thing.
Yeah, right. Like Chuck wants a fatwa issued against him.
“If you’re religious, you’re a dope, and you’re the problem. That’s what he thinks. That’s what most of them think.”
I wish it were that simple. Non-believers and nominal believers are pretty much the same as the rest of us. Militant atheists (the ones who constantly attack the beliefs of others) are usually miserable souls and relatively easily dismissed or walked away from. Chuck Todd is one of the insidious liberal elite who see religion as just one more item in the locker of things that can be weaponized against those he doesn’t agree with and wants to see gone. The liberal are happy to have the boost of black churches and ministers. They are happy to portray them as pillars of the community who bravely stand up to the oppressor and defy the racist system. They are happy to have the moral boost that synagogues can provide, whether it’s from the progressive ones for whom Judaism isn’t much more than spiritualized leftism, or the black-clad Orthodox who still count a few tattooed Holocaust survivors among them, both for themselves and because they are one more means to remind everyone that They Are Different And Must Be Respected, so no saying “Merry Christmas” or singing “Silent Night.” They are also happy to have whatever boost they can get from the mosques, and weaponize them to remind us that Not All Muslims Are Terrorists, in fact very few are, and most of them are SUCH warm people of faith, and don’t you feel stupid and cruel for not trusting them?
At the same time they weaponize Catholicism against its adherents, and say how dare you support a church that treats women as brood mares and acts as a procurer for pedophiles? They weaponize evangelical Christianity too, saying how dare you support a church that tells you how to think and supports those icky conservative values? Maybe they’re ok, just ok, mind you, with squishy Episcopalian churches that just exist to wave at the liberal agenda as it goes by, and Unitarian churches that just shrug and say “follow your journey and live your truth,” but probably more than half of them are actively hostile to Christianity in any form, and look down their noses at its adherents. The Jews can light their candles in memory of oppression, the Muslims can call out what Obama called “the most beautiful sound in the world,” but, until you Christians put down that hateful old book of fairy tales and get with the program, we can’t and won’t think of you as being of any value, and we’ll just laugh at you while we drink our expensive wine and tell our jokes at conservatives’ expense. By the way, why DID Sarah Palin have to study before she went to the doctor?
“acts as a procurer for pedophiles?”
A rather (wink, wink) forgotten/obscure 2004 study by Charol Shakeshaft for the U.S. Department of Education:
Abuse In School 100 Times Worse Than By Priests
And if you quoted it, just like if you quote the statistic that if you drop out DC, Detroit, New Orleans, and Chicago the US is fourth from the bottom in terms of murders in the world, the left would just tell you it was “discredited long ago.” They are simply not interested in anything anyone who disagrees with them has to say.
“…By the way, why DID Sarah Palin have to study before she went to the doctor?”
Comment of the day material, from top to bottom.
Progressives hate you. Act accordingly.
How does Chuck Todd rationalize the fairy tale that the Paris Climate accord would stop climate change when BRIC countries are effectively exempt, or the Iran deal that gave billions of dollars to Iran and prevented anytime/anywhere nuclear inspections would stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Nicely stated, CM.
Filed under: Questions which will doubtless remain academic for all time.
Some fairy tales are more equal than others. Apparently grown men walking around in Star Wars pajama pants saying they’re “feminists” makes sense. Grown women wearing hats with cat ears and crying “#me too” makes sense. Kids being told they may be in the wrong body & need hormones and surgery to fix it makes sense. Using any and every minority as a mascot for the oppression Olympics makes sense. And euthanizing the pre-born, the elderly and disabled to “build a better world” and a green utopia makes sense.
How dare you have you’re own “fairy tale!” Only our fairy tales are acceptable.
Ultimately what Todd and his ilk don’t like is the competition differing beliefs offer. Believing in anything other than their version of heaven and god is tantamount to a spiritual rebellion that must be crushed. History shows it’s been this way for a long time.
The invisible God of, especially, Jews and Christians, with His “thou shalts” means that for many, there is a higher moral authority that trumps smug leftism’s (or Romans or Muslims or Nazi’s) designs, plans, and beliefs. The Noah’s Ark believers, especially the devout, ultimately understand that their God is not only a better God but the only God.
This hatred of belief competition is what is at the root of antisemitism and anti-Christian (and anti-faith in general) prejudice. If we aren’t careful, we may see history repeating itself.
“Yes, you make a sacrifice for me, but not to me.”
-Caligula
In fairness, that quote is from a letter to a newspaper and quoted by Todd – somewhat approvingly – before asking his guests (the editors in chief of the NYT and the WaPo) about it. The Newsbusters article that is the source of this particular EA post makes this clear – or, at least, it did to me.
Nope, it wasn’t clear to me, thanks to the headline, “Todd Bashes Christians in MTP Rant Against Misinformation, Trump” That’s misleading, and I’m pissed off. Thanks…I don’t think it changed much—why use THAT letter?—and Todd appears to endorse it, but I’ll make a correction.
No worries. Newsbusters does some decent stuff, but they’re not above clickbait headlines.
Here’s what I just added to the post:
Notice of a material correction: I have corrected this post, which incorrectly stated that the words of a letter approvingly quoted by Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” were his own words. I won’t list all the sources that confused me on this point, but I primarily blame Newsbusters for a misleading headline, “Todd Bashes Christians in MTP Rant Against Misinformation, Trump.” Todd let a year-old letter to the Times do his ranting for him, which is a craven technique, but he did not himself “rant.” he just read a letter bashing religion as “fairy tales,” and used it in a manner that indicated that he agreed with it.
If I had been more careful reading this and similar accounts, this wouldn’t have happened. In the end, it’s my fault. However, my assessment of Todd’s intent is unchanged.
Thanks to Arthur in Maine for flagging my error.]
Impressed and thanks. You don’t just talk the talk; you walk the walk.
Lying, obfuscation and clickbait happen on both ends of the spectrum. It might be confirmation bias, but I seem to see less of it from conservative sources. As a conservative, I aim to keep it that way.
Chuckles won’t like this recent Gallup poll at all: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/12/30/trump-ties-obama-as-most-admired-man-in-gallups-annual-poll-dems-and-beltway-media-hardest-hit-869972
Obama, MSM fading, Trump ascending.