Sometimes you have to do a double take because something so brazenly lacks self-awareness. That’s what happened here when I saw this latest hot take emanate from CNN yesterday.
Apparently, Fox News had a few hosts float the idea that Biden doesn’t look well and that really hurt the sensibilities of liberals everywhere, including at the apples and bananas network. Of course, Biden has been filmed recently slurring his speech and he’s currently residing in protective custody, so is it really out of bounds for some analysts to speculate that something is going on with him?
According to CNN’s Chris Cillizza and Brian Stelter, this is completely out of bounds.
"There are ratings in partisanship — so Fox News engages in partisanship. But even partisanship should have its limits. And one of those limits should be raising entirely unfounded questions about a presidential candidate's health," writes @CillizzaCNN https://t.co/201R9S4S5T
— CNN (@CNN) June 10, 2019
Biden camp says "these are baseless lies meant to stoke fear in their viewers. It has no place in our public discourse, and anyone amplifying it bears some responsibility for giving it legitimacy it most certainly does not deserve" https://t.co/Eg6smwzTES
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 10, 2019
What makes this so hilariously hypocritical is that CNN has led the charge on speculating that Trump is mentally ill. They’ve hosted literally dozens off people making that case and Brian Stelter himself has personally opined that Trump is sick.
All of this based on absolutely nothing. Being thin-skinned is not a mental disorder. If it were, half the media would be institutionalized.
Here’s some shot and chasers for you from Cillizza and Stelter to prove the point.
— BT (@back_ttys) June 10, 2019
@brianstelter of CNN already took a giant crap on that line a long time ago Chris. Don’t throw stones in a glass house pic.twitter.com/Fc99bthKIv
— Charles Signorile (@CharlieSigs) June 11, 2019
— Ze311 (@deplorabl3_me) June 11, 2019
Even if someone who is inclined to hate Donald Trump wants to say “well, he is different!,” Cillizza once wrote this piece back in 2008 about John McCain.
Chris Cillizaa, by the way, also wrote an article titled "McCain's Health: What It Means" in 2008.https://t.co/XTErgQ2bhb https://t.co/jyMCc6OePB
— Humble Talent (@AHumbleTalent) June 11, 2019
As you can see, CNN and its analysts have been on the cutting edge of non-sensical, baseless claims of health issues regarding Republicans for a very long time. It takes a lack of self-awareness of astronomical levels to now come out and chastise Fox News for a few passing mentions about Joe Biden. That’s being kind though. I suspect this isn’t even really just about self-awareness. CNN simply lacks any shame whatsoever. They know what they are doing and simply don’t care because no one else in the mainstream will call them out for it.
Notice that Stelter quotes Sam Stein claiming that the questions of Hillary’s health in 2016 were baseless. She literally collapsed in public and had to be thrown into the back of a van like a piece of meat. She also had numerous, uncontrollable coughing fits while on the campaign trial. She was clearly sick, but CNN pretended it was out of line to bring it up and still wants to gaslight everyone today on the subject.
But when it comes to Donald Trump, they’ve got no problem trotting out talking heads to tell us how he should be removed via the 25th amendment because he’s mentally incapacitated or something.
It’s all just insanely hypocritical and Republicans shouldn’t let them dictate the terms. They chose to escalate this so it’s completely fair game to go after Biden for looking like a fail 76-year-old man who can barely make it through a speech.
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