The recent profile article with retired House Speaker John Boehner is a treasure trove of blunt goodies.
Boehner, unbridled and free from professional etiquette, that would require he choose his words carefully, has put Washington, as well as the media on blast.
He unleashed on conservative media figures for whipping up the kind of climate that would pave the way for a Trump presidency.
Specifically, he called out Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh.
“[Mark Levin] went really crazy right and got a big audience, and he dragged [Sean] Hannity to the dark side. He dragged Rush to the dark side. And these guys—I used to talk to them all the time. And suddenly they’re beating the living sh*t out of me.” Boehner, seated in his favorite recliner, lights another cigarette. “I had a conversation with Hannity, probably about the beginning of 2015. I called him and said, ‘Listen, you’re nuts.’ We had this really blunt conversation. Things were better for a few months, and then it got back to being the same-old, same-old. Because I wasn’t going to be a right-wing idiot.”
He went on to say of Trump that he was a “symptom,” rather than a cause of the ugly political climate we find ourselves in.
The “echo chambers” of media have widened the chasm between citizens, according to the former Speaker, creating a nation of low-info voters. He makes a good point.
“It was modern-day media, and social media, that kept pushing people further right and further left. People started to figure out … they could choose where to get their news. And so what do people do? They choose places they agree with, reinforcing the divide,” said Boehner.
I can’t really argue with that. If media were more about giving the news straight, without putting their spin on it, in order to appeal to a certain base, then people would be forced to process the information and come to a conclusion, all on their own.
For example, you can turn on MSNBC and hear that Trump is Satan incarnate, or you can turn on Fox News and hear Sean Hannity offering to tongue bathe Trump as an act of worship, nightly.
Those who also think Trump is Satan will settle comfortably at MSNBC and have their opinions validated each night.
Those who likewise would like to tongue bathe Trump will park at Fox News and set their heads at permanent bobble.
Say what you want about Boehner and his time as Speaker. He’s not there now, so he’s not our problem, nor are we his. He’s just a guy speaking his mind, and it’s awesome!
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