Trump a "Strongman" dictator, consolidating power, delegitimizing institutions, pushing "fake news."

It’s almost crazy the way the “right” is trying to steal away and use “fake news” as a weapon against the opposition party. Used to describe outlets like Breitbart, Townhall, Red State, and the MacIver Institute, fake news is now being used broadly against the real news media.

MSNBC’s Ari Melber took a look at how quickly Republicans have latched onto fake news, as a sledge hammer against the media, and now as a “legitimate” source supporting their purely ideological fake world vision. In the video below, watch former Senator and leader of the Heritage Foundation Jim DeMint laugh and call estimates by the Congressional Budget Office fake news.

The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi made a few great points as well:

Farhi: “The term has now been weaponized, it’s been politicized…If we can’t in a society, at least agree on some facts, we’ve got nothing to talk about. You’re talking about chaos.” 

NYU Journalism professor Jay Rosen has written a paper on how the press must now change the way they cover the news under Trump, the king of fake news.

Rosen: “A man in power untroubled by contradictions and comfortable in the confusion he creates cannot be held accountable by normal means…a Trump presidency is likely to be constructed on a propaganda model in which fomenting confusion is not a drag on the Administration’s agenda, but a sign that it’s working.” 

The most troubling development is Trump’s plan to reform and pare down the US intelligence agency, after trashing it and saying that it’s bloated and politicized. When the incoming president has more faith in intelligence pushed by Putin and Julian Assange, well you get the picture.

Here’s Ari with former independent candidate Evan McMullin, and Wisconsin’s Charlie Sykes:

McMullin: “It is absolutely textbook for a “strongman” to come in and attack not only the media, they do that, but also intelligence and security services. Try to weaken them, try to consolidate power within them…I mean it’s absolutely textbook and I have to say as a former intelligence officer myself, seeing his attacks on the press and in reading this report tonight really has me greatly concerned, perhaps more concerned than I been all along.”

Sykes: “I see the pattern here of Donald Trump trying to delegitimize any institution that might be a check on him, whether it is the news media or intelligence community…he does not want these independent agencies who might actually be a truth detector on his administration.” 

A former liberal radio talk host who likes to ask the “follow-up question” at Democurmudgeon.blogspot.com