Mainstream Media Accountability Survey

Just to put this in context I am going to provide the text of the 1st Amendment.

This survey has been posted on the Trump/Pence website;

https://action.donaldjtrump.com/mainstream-media-accountability-survey/

The above is called a PUSH POLL and it is obviously intended to elicit responses that will further the Trump regime agenda. And it is probably deliberate that it was posted at the same time that he chose to do a prime time rant against the media.

At this point it is worth referring to the 14 Signs of Fascism and specifically #6.

http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

Given Trump's denigration of the media and his attempt to scapegoat it for exposing his ongoing litany of failures it is patently obvious from that odious push poll that he looking for the justification to censor the media which would be a violation of the 1st Amendment.

If he can point to that poll and claim that "a majority" want him to censor the media then he will use that as a club to force some kind of control over the media.

As someone who took an oath to defend the Constitution this is not going to happen on my watch.

Time to update the poem again!

First Trump came for the Muslims and he was stopped by the courts.

Then Trump came after the media and We the People need to expose this flagrant violation of the Constitution.

The media might not always get the story straight but they are protected by the Constitution just as are our religion, free speech and the right of assembly. Trump wants to take away our rights and this is how he is setting about doing it in this instance.

I am speaking out because it is my duty to stand up against anyone who tries to take away our rights.

Where do you stand?

With Trump or with the Constitution of We the People?

 

the push poll is going to better identify his unique base of support and then help create a mailing list and a potential donor list for midterms. This is an old trick.

 

It's a survey,
I think not feasible to be used as a political leverage,
they can try using the proper channel like formal referendums against the media and I'm sure they will be battered by the legalities of the constitution.

I'm sure those who oppose the anti media idea could also sign in.
#OMG Trump is so childish.

 

Another non-issue. Getting peoples views on the MSM, even if it's a biased poll, can not by itself control what the MSM does.

Where were you when Obama was controlling what questions the press could ask him?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...7890b612299_story.html?utm_term=.057aba81c710

where were you when Obama was arresting journalists?

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/...ump-targets-journalists-thank-obama.html?_r=0

where were you when Obama used the espionage act more than all other administrations combined?

http://www.politifact.com/punditfac...apper-obama-has-used-espionage-act-more-all-/

Gee, no cries of being a fascist then. When are you guys going to stop making fools out of yourselves and stop throwing everything you can against a wall and hope and pray that something sticks?

 

Just to make my position clear, I take a very rigid view on constitutional interpretation. I am unconcerned if that interpretation leads to unpleasant consequences. Article V exists for a reason and it needs to be used more often than simply "reinterpreting" the text to meet your desired outcomes. For instance, I hold very strong views on abortion (I feel it should be legal and entirely unregulated by the Federal government), but I respectfully disagree with the opinion handed down in Roe v. Wade. This tends to get me into all sorts of (*)(*)(*)(*) with other pro-choice people, but as I said above... I am unconcerned.

[hr][/hr]

To abridge the freedom of speech is to use force or the threat of force to prevent someone from expressing themselves in a way which does not threaten or otherwise constitute imminent lawless action.

The press is simply the formal organization of individual speakers into an organization with a purpose. It is distinct such that government cannot argue that speech done in association is different to speech done individually. There is no right to, for instance, walk into the White House and ask the President a question. That is a privilege and a tradition.

Nor does the freedom of the press imply that the government cannot criticize the press and their conduct, unless that criticism itself constitutes force or the threat of force to prevent their association or expression. If they tried to shut down the Washington Post under threat of 5 years imprisonment, that would violate the 1st amendment. If the President says that the Washington Post wrongly reported something, that does not violate the 1st amendment. The press, by and large, simply enjoys the same right to freedom of speech and expression that we all do.

[hr][/hr]

I see nothing in the OP that abridges the freedom of speech. Sure, it's petty. But not unconstitutional.

I'm a big fan of criticizing Trump for things he is actually doing. For instance, his call to implement EU/Australian style defamation laws is repugnant and must be repelled. But, of note, it is the far left in Australia which defends these laws. Although I disagree with them, it is a reasonable position made in good faith.

 

Lol...Trump obviously hasn't even read the first sentence of the bill of rights.
What a maroon.

 

FAKE NEWS ALERT!

A survey isn't an attempt to "subvert" anything.

Its just a survey.

Trump is asking the people what they think rather than telling them what to think, as is standard operating procedure for Leftists.

 

You bring up a good point that Trump has stated during the campaign that he wants laws to give him the power to sue the media for "defamation". That is a means to control the media and we agree that they are repugnant.

As far as abridging freedom of speech and the media is concerned this is the first step along that road. Building support against the media means that there won't be an outcry when he and the GOP push for legislation that will curtail their freedom of expression. Yes, it will be cloaked in some BS name that sounds like "empowering the media" but the intent will be to give him the authority to suppress any content that displeases him.

The reason for this thread is to raise awareness of this very real possibility in the Trump Error (pun intended).

 

The press sucks and their liars. Trump has every right to tell them so, in front of us and in front of them.

 

Thank you for providing your opinion. I will put you down as being in the Trump supporter column and opposed to the Constitutional right of freedom of the press.

 

Defamation, not "defamation". Unless us Aussies and Euros also have laws against "defamation".

At best it is a prelude to the first step. This action does absolutely nothing whatsoever to abridge the freedom of speech.

Maybe, depending on how willing you are to speculate on his intent, you could argue that this will make it easier to at some future date abridge the freedom of speech.

 

A poll allows the citizenry to express its views. You seem to dislike that. What is your next step? Are you advocating for censuring polls by people/groups you disagree with? Are you willing to cloak your preconceived premonitions in the Constitution in order to silence those with opposing views? Are all polls unConstitutional in your opinion?

 

Lol...Trump sucks and is a complete liar. The press has every right to tell him so, in front of the whole world.
Too bad about the first amendment, eh?
Or are you one of those traitors who now wants to destroy the freedom of the press and the independence of the judiciary?
If so, move to Russia because we ain't putting up with that bull(*)(*)(*)(*) here.
And learn the difference between 'they're' and 'their' unless you like sounding like an illiterate like your great orange hope.

 

His poll says nothing about restricting speech. Read much ?

 

Excellent questions. Those on the left don't want to acknowledge their double standards, they simply want them adhered to.

Agreed. Although I'm not quite sure why anybody needs a poll to figure that out. I mean, why not just look at the Gallup trend line. That says it all...

I suppose. The real sad thing is that the Constitution's provisions for press freedoms are somehow taken as an allowance for press abuses. The press used to be concerned with treating the news with some semblance of objectivity and fairness. But now? The mainstream press acts as a de facto propaganda arm of the democratic party. If you think that's not true, please explain to us why we shouldn't conclude that press freedoms were subverted by the DNC at the consent of mainstream media outlets who allowed themselves to be manipulated by the DNC to back Clinton’s coronation as the Democratic presidential nominee. Remember, some of the emails released via Wikileaks show both CNN and Politico having articles which were pre-approved by the DNC prior to publication. Sorry, that's no longer press freedom, that's press collusion, pure and simple.

 

Do you understand the difference between a normal poll question that asks "Is Eggkiller presenting his opinion fairly" and a malevolent push poll question that asks "Is Eggkiller using slurs rather than facts to attack the OP"?

Substitute the term media for the name Eggkiller and that is exactly what the odious Trump poll is doing.

A push poll is a tool used to further an agenda that is usually detrimental to We the People.

The purpose of the OP is to EXPOSE this unAmerican agenda and to ensure that We the People do not lose our Constitutional rights.

 

Sounds like somebody is all pissy because their 10 point advantage from the media is evaporating. A small audience gets news from traditional sources now.

 

I have a pocket Constitution and nowhere in it does it say the president can't be critical of the free press. He's cool Obama used to criticize FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh so what?

 

'Is my name Donald Trump?' Answer YES or NO. If you answer YES, you love me and I win. If you answer NO then it's an alternative fact and I'll have to consult Kellyanne.

 

I think you're making too much of this.
Or it might just be that the media doesn't want the public to know the answers to the poll.
They are used to saying whatever they want whenever they want and don't like being called out themselves.
They (the majority of the media) have no problem with the fact they are trying to build support against this administration by their highly biased reporting.

 

Is that why the Incompetent-in-Chief now has an approval rating in the 30's and disapproval rating of 56% according to Pew?

 

I hate to burst your bubble but the media is only reporting the facts about what the Incompetent-in-Chief is doing and tweeting.

The media is not to blame for Trump making himself look bad.

 

That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the pathetic viewership of dinosaur media. Their lack of credibility is turning the movement into a stampede away from the paper and tv. Alex Jones wing nut podcasts gets more audience than msnbc and CNN combined.

Face it, progressives have temporarily at least lost the battle for media advantage.

 

I can see and hear what is happening quite clearly.

 

Good maybe the right can stop whining about the liberal media