Flashback: In 2010, Under Obama, It Was Anti-American to Even Refer to an Administration You Don't Like as a "Regime"

"Unacceptable," fulminated Christ Matthews, denouncing Rush Limbaugh as a "walrus" for saying that "never has the press been more supportive of a regime."

This is what the liberal media deemed "unacceptable," "loony-tune," "John Birch Society" and "Father Coughlin" style talk, and angrily denounced those traitors so treasonously impugning La Precious.

And now? The media itself routinely calls the current democratically elected president a "traitor."

Also note: In this clip, Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd note that it is Barack Obama who has broken tradition by referring to his critics by name, and they're... okay with that. Kind of psyched about it.

Flash forward to today, when Trump referring to critics by name (or simply by network) is considered an Authoritarian Assault on Cherished Privileges of the Press.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: OK, let's go to the politics pure and simple here, Chuck. Here's the president -- I want you to respond to this. Here he is with Harry Smith this morning on CBS "Morning News" going over his enemies list, basically. I've never seen a president -- well, not since Nixon fought with Dan Rather have we really seen kind of rivalry where the president cites by names his critics. And they are his critics, in all fairness. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY SMITH, CBS NEWS: Are you aware of the level of enmity that crosses the airwaves and that people have made part of their daily conversation about you?

OBAMA: Well, I mean, I think that when you listen to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck...

SMITH: It's beyond that.

OBAMA: ... it's pretty apparent, and it's troublesome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Criticism is "troublesome," per the former president. Media criticism is "troublesome."

MATTHEWS: Well, we've got the response to that. Here's -- here's -- you know, this guy is no frail flower, if you will. He doesn't hide. Here`s what Rush Limbaugh said to "The D.C. Examiner" today. Quote, "Never in my life have I seen a regime like this, governing against the will of the people purposely -- purposely. I have never seen the media so supportive of a regime amassing so much power, and I`ve never known so many people who literally fear for the future."

This is to me -- I`ll just give you a little editorial (INAUDIBLE) I've never seen language like this in the American press, referring to an elected representative government, elected in a totally fair, democratic, American election -- we will have another one in November, we'll have another one for president in a couple years -- fair, free, and wonderful democracy we have in this country.

And this guy, this walrus underwater, makes fun of this administration, calling it a "regime." We know that word, "regime." It was used by recent presidents (INAUDIBLE) by George Bush, "regime change." You go to war with regimes. Regimes are tyrannies. They're juntas. They're military coups. The use of the word "regime" in American political parlance is unacceptable, and someone should tell the walrus to stop using it.

Your thoughts, Chuck.

The press routinely intimates that Trump is a tyrant and is running a junta today. And yet in 2010, it was a sacrilege to even use a word that maybe suggests that.

CHUCK TODD: Well, I'll say this. You know, which has come first, though, in this?

MATTHEWS: "Regime."

TODD: Are we seeing more of this out there, or does more -- do the -- or does this get more attention? I mean, if you go back in history, whether it was FDR, whether it was Kennedy, whether it was Reagan, you know, there's been plenty of this, you know, overhyped attacks either from the left or the right...

MATTHEWS: I never heard the word "regime"...

TODD: ... in going after a president...

MATTHEWS: ... before, have you?

TODD: No, the point is, it's out there. It just didn't get the attention. And the question is, does this stuff just have more of a platform than it ever has before? But I want to get to another point on this, Chris...

MATTHEWS: You mean the John Birch Society now has a voice of radio, is what you're saying. I mean, we`re now hearing...

TODD: That's the point...

MATTHEWS: ... the kind of language...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: ... used to hear when those right-wingers would call Eisenhower a communist and his brother a communist, the Johns Hopkins -- all of a sudden...

TODD: Or FDR.

MATTHEWS: ... that kind of loony-toon talk...

TODD: Or Father Coughlin.

MATTHEWS: ... has found its way onto the airwaves -- Father Coughlin.

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: ... beyond AM radio anymore, Chris.

MATTHEWS: I don't even think Joe McCarthy ever called this government a "regime."

TODD: But let me get to this other point about the president, which is -- I thought you pointed out something very interesting at the beginning, how he calls out his media enemies, essentially, like Nixon.

MATTHEWS: Yes.

TODD: Unlike a lot of presidents, this president brings this issue with the media up constantly, to the point of where, you know, on one hand, you could look at it and said, Jeez, he's being a little thin-skinned. On the other hand, he's clearly trying to send a message of his frustration, I think, with the way that the collective media -- and when he`s talking there, he's not just talking about journalists...

Per Chuck Todd, it's okay for Obama to call out his enemies list in the press by name because he's "frustrated" and "trying to send a message."

What message? When Trump calls out his enemies by name, it's claimed he's trying to "silence" them through "fear." Is that the message La Precious was trying to send in 2010? If not, what?

MATTHEWS: Yes.

TODD: ... he's talking about opinion media -- that the entire noise that he sees here in Washington -- and so you wonder how much of it -- you know, is he bringing more attention to it than it deserves, as well?

Chuck Todd's point in that babble is "What Obama did was okay because he wasn't calling out journalists, but "Opinion Media."

But the entire media is now opinion media, masquerading as neutral reporters.

So it should be likewise okay for Trump to call out the Opinion Media too, right?

posted by Ace of Spades at 03:45 PM

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