How the liberal press will game the Trump-Hillary debate

How the liberal press will game the Trump-Hillary debate

—assuming Hillary shows up—

by Jon Rappoport

September 25, 2016

(To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Power Outside The Matrix, click here.)

I didn’t invent the liberal press. If the MSM were overwhelmingly conservative, I’d be writing about how they’re going to game Monday night’s debate.

Here’s the problem the MSM faces. Most Presidential debates are snoozefests during which the two candidates float high-flying, empty, vapid, brainless generalities. The press can then easily pick their favorite person, in the aftermath, because neither one said anything. But here we have something different:

Trump is famous for potent wise cracks; dismissive comments aimed at his opponents and the media; and sharp-tongued critiques of policies (e.g., Globalism) which are never aired during election campaigns. He’s a fast-talking cowboy who starts shooting as he’s walks through the door of the saloon.

So the MSM will have to scramble, to slant perception away from Trump and for Hillary.

It’s quite possible that, during the debate itself, a little army of liberal fact-checkers will analyze a Trump statement, decide it’s false, and relay the information to Lester Holt, the moderator, who will frame an accusatory question for Trump on the spot, hoping to catch him up and expose him.

Holt may also try to pop Trump for interrupting Hillary; portraying him as a rude, over-weaning, coarse jackass.

And if Hillary criticizes Trump on a foreign policy issue, and he comes back with one of his patented bombs—“You should talk, Hillary, you destroyed Libya and turned it into a hellhole”—Holt could insist Trump is going off the reservation and not replying directly to Hillary.

“Mr. Trump, I keep trying to bring you back to the subject at hand, and you keep wandering away from it…” (The MSM would replay that clip hundreds of times.)

Holt could do a lot of things to try to upset Trump’s rhythm and tempo and cast him in a negative light. You can bet Hillary’s people have been sending messages through to Holt, urging him to keep Trump on-topic, “so the debate doesn’t turn into an unseemly circus.”

Post-debate, the liberal press will certainly refrain from mentioning that many of Hillary’s remarks were substanceless generalities (her stock-in-trade). They’ll actually fill in the blanks for her. They always have.

If Hillary shows up and endures the full 90 minutes, without collapsing or leaving the stage in a coughing fit, the liberal press will automatically claim “she looked strong and fit” and her health is not a problem. “Apparently, those questions have been answered.”

If Hillary energetically pushes back against Trump just once, during the whole evening, even if she’s telling an egregious lie in the process, the MSM will seize on it, play it over and over, and crow about her “toughness.”

If Trump decides to tone it down and look and sound “Presidential,” the MSM will say he was “subdued” and off his game. If he attacks, they’ll say he was “un-Presidential,” as well as “sexist.”

If Hillary physically survives the debate, the MSM will say she’s “on track” to becoming the next President, “as the polls have indicated, despite Trump’s recent surge.” In other words, they’ll try to make it look as if she’s been running a seamless and successful campaign all along, based on her “vast experience”—instead of ducking reporters, hiding out, canceling events, and trying to find enough energy to carry on.

If Trump stumbles at any point, the MSM will punch that up, highlight it, run the clip over and over, and claim it shows he’s really unprepared for “the major leagues.” “He was exposed.” “He’s really an amateur, as many critics have warned all along.”

As usual, based on zero evidence, the MSM will claim Hillary played well to certain voting blocs: the young, unions, minorities, the elderly.

Any sort of vaguely competent performance by Hillary will be hailed as a major victory, as if a coma patient in an ER suddenly sat up and spoke a few complete sentences.

The MSM are well aware of her fragile health (“fragile” is an understatement), but they’re trying to sit on the information, despite huge pressure from independent reporters all over the Web. At this point, the MSM is like a starving dog that will seize on any bone in its vicinity and make it into a full-course banquet: “She walked, she talked, she was coherent. Therefore, she’s a genius.”

“Despite her recent bout with pneumonia, she appeared strong and in charge.”

If Hillary can’t finish the debate, if she has to leave the stage or collapses, the MSM will try to blame it on Trump.

Who will be in the house Monday night? Will we see a stacked deck? Will people shower Trump with boos? If things get very rough for Hillary, will a protest break out against Trump to give her cover?

Anything is possible, including lights in the hall going out; spotty audio; cutting the televised feed, due to “technical problems” or even “a mysterious hacker.” The MSM are quite aware that Trump has no respect for them. They’re terrified that, if Trump is scoring heavily at the debate, their status as dispensers of truth for the masses will take another major torpedo. They know the public’s regard for them is already plummeting.


power outside the matrix


I have reason to believe media honchos have been in touch with the Trump campaign, on the issue of “credibility.” They’re telling Trump people the debates must be conducted in a dignified manner, in order to preserve the reputation of the office of the Presidency.

Obviously, this effort is aimed at toning Trump down, convincing him to behave. In other words, the media are trying to get him to abandon his most popular approach and turn him into another android candidate.

If he falls for that one, he’s done.

You can be sure, as well, that people inside Trump’s own campaign (infiltrators and typically standard fools) are urging him to back off, act Presidential, and consolidate his gains. They’re telling him his best hope is to build better trust with voters by “acting normal.”

“Too many people are still scared of you, Donald.”

If he falls for that one, he’s done.

They may as well be telling him, “Act more like Hillary.” Hillary has a patent on that act. He can’t match it.

On Monday night, the MSM will be looking for any possible Trump sliver they can use to claim, “The man revealed himself as dangerous.”

That’s their hole card. That’s what they want to sell: “People all over America are feeling fear and disgust. They’re reluctant to believe what Trump is saying—and they doubt his ability to perform competently as President.”

Post-debate, the liberal press will try to take that position, based on something Trump said or did.

Trump can view all these obstructions as a mine-field he must navigate carefully.

But if he does, he’s done.

This is a national debate. For many, many viewers, this will be their first lengthy exposure to the candidates. Hillary will keep (vaguely) emphasizing her experience and credibility as a political leader, versus Trump’s complete lack of real knowledge. She’ll try to act like a frontrunner, a fount of confidence. Trump has to crash that celebration and ruin it.

And the liberal media have to characterize his attacks as something on the order of childish tantrums.

“Trump offered little in the way of substance. He was mostly bluster, and people could see it. Hillary, on the other hand, displayed restraint befitting a veteran who, certainly, based on the record, knows foreign policy like the back of her hand…”

Hillary, on stage, will have a few zingers ready to go, if things start to turn against her, if Trump’s energy is overwhelming her. Something like, “Donald, I know you. I’ve known you for years. How you can even think about running for President? The whole world is watching. Millions of people know you and your campaign are a sham, a fake. Why don’t you make everybody happy, pick up your marbles, and go home. Go back to your Tower and forget about it!”

Applause will break out in the hall, and the liberal press will hope and pray it spells the end of the Trump fantasy.

They’ve been trying to put this guy away ever since he announced his candidacy, and everything they’ve done has not only failed, it’s backfired.

Hillary should be their ultimate backup. She should be the one to seal his fate. After all, she’s supposed to be the next President, isn’t she?

Does she have what it takes to be a closer? Or is she so burned out and ill she can barely make it to the show?

According to reports, Gennifer Flowers, one of Bill’s former girlfriends, has accepted Trump’s invitation to sit in the front row at the debate. If so, it appears Trump is doubling down, and remains in full attack mode.

Jon Rappoport

The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.

31 comments on “How the liberal press will game the Trump-Hillary debate

  1. Dana Doran says:

    I’m guessing, because of the lights, that Hillary won’t be able to actually see Gennifer sitting in the front row….but, as long as Hillary thinks she’s there, that will be enough. On the other hand, while Mark Cuban might be drooling to be in the same position as Trump, he’s not. Trump doesn’t seem to really care – but, it will surely get those who have no interest in politics to show up to watch. Waiting for fireworks. Brilliant. But, you’re right….if they don’t pull the plug on the audio or video….they do have a 5 second delay.

  2. AndrewGallowayRolls says:

    ………if it happens!!????

  3. Theodore says:

    Hillary and her press surrogates mobilize…

    ~~~

    Mook on Debate: Clinton Shouldn’t Have to Spend Debate Correcting Trump’s ‘Lies’

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mook-debate-clinton-shouldnt-spend-debate-correcting-trumps/story?id=42330133

    ~~~

    Trump is trying to rig the debate by kneecapping Lester Holt

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/09/24/trump-is-trying-to-rig-the-debate-by-kneecapping-lester-holt/

    ~~~~

    Trump Calls NBC News Anchor And Fellow GOP’er Lester Holt A Democrat

    http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/20/494791154/oops-trump-calls-nbc-news-anchor-and-fellow-gop-er-lester-holt-a-democrat

  4. MA in MO says:

    What ever happens the narrative will be — Trump bad, Hit-lie-ary good. The only way Trump wins is to shine so brightly, so brillantly that there is no way they can change the narrative. The only way Trump wins the election is if it is such a landslide for Trump there is no possible way to rig the votes.

  5. mrcamillon says:

    The press should not be in the debate in any form at all. The debate should Lincoln Douglas debate. This were you speak for an hour and 30 minutes. Then who ever gets the chance. Know one can talk about any subject for this amount time. You will hear what this person thinks. The truth about this election the truth is not being told by my American press. For if the truth were told no one in there right mind would vote for Hillary Clinton.

  6. Harvey Krishman says:

    She’s gonna fold like a cheap lawn chair

  7. Mary Richter says:

    Haven’t watched a debate since the 1960s. Bunch of BS. I really hate reality tv and have already made up my mind on who I will vote for as I believe many of us have.

  8. From Québec says:

    Nobody tells Trump what to say or do. Trump is his own self. He will debate and come on the stage as Donald Trump, the unpredictable man.

  9. From Québec says:

    Funny Video Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump Outcome – Trump 2016

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VbR4B3HR9Q

  10. wally58 says:

    Trump will have her flooding her Depends with sewage right thru to her Chairman Mao pantsuit or Omar the Tentmaker dress. The odor will smell like a nursing home after dinner. The audience will begin to gag and then leave from her reeking aroma. Should be a real debate for the history books.

  11. Jon, as you have probably gathered, I’m neither a Trump-et nor a Hillary fan. Focusing on some of those “other perspectives”, I think we can decipher Trump’s “near guaranteed” key to success.

    Take the peoples of America and your fair, transparent voting system determining the, well, prime, absolutely and very best possible “for the people” pre-selected candidate becoming president is absolutely, unquestionably “representative” of the majority of the people, say, like Obama or Bush, right?

    If you don’t feel that way and decide that only pre-selected maggots and bullshit artists of the most despicable calibre preside over fake elections that offer nothing more than bribes and deception in lead up to another term of rabid social disenfranchisement, then how do the sanctions against the peoples of Iran work? Are their election “fair and above board”….different to the peoples of America in some way?

    Israel’s all for them, that is ever tougher sanctions against Iran. Ramp up the pace. Let’s move to nuclear war.

    Anyway, so is trump (though he hasn’t declared Armageddon…YET!) and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach tells us how Trump is presidential material and Hillary….well, isn’t.

    https://mantiqaltayr.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/a-kiss-with-a-spell/

    Best
    OT

  12. Mark T says:

    “The Democrats want this country to be absorbed by the rest of the world. They want a majority of state-dependent sheep who will give up their right to be free in return for the promise of free things. But such a system is doomed to crash and burn just like the USSR did and the way Venezuela is right now.”

    “If you want an independent, sovereign nation with a majority of free people who govern themselves and run their own lives, vote for me.”

    If you want to be ruled by liberal elites who fly around in private jets and then preach at you about greenhouse gas, then vote for her.”

    Case closed. But, that might be too many syllables for some people. A big chunk of Hilary’s base can’t focus any further than “gimme”. And, many of them would miss the USSR and Venezuela references.

  13. mark p says:

    Thank you for the funny and insightful analysis, Jon. You clearly understand how the Fourth Estate operates. Well said!

  14. jmilamdeal says:

    Tonight will be a real show and many people will b watching. Hillary will get every advantage and the whole show will be slanted by the MSM to her benefit.

  15. Jim Shaw says:

    I generally like your posts, Jon, but I can’t believe you can take Trump seriously.

    He’s so transparently an ignorant, greedy, pompous, opportunist who has no foundational beliefs except in his own greatness and the glory of great wealth.

    Yes, once in a while he’ll say something true that mainstream candidates would never say, but he has no commitment to any particular positions, and no commitment to public service.

    Here’s a perfect example of Trump pandering to the Israel Lobby, and saying, among other awful things, “[P]eace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State”:
    http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/25/politics/netanyahu-trump-clinton-meetings/index.html

    Moreover, Trump thinks that because he’s made some money, he’s some kind of genius, and any thought that pops into his head is profound. Really, most of his positions are based either on opportunism or simplistic, logically challenged thinking. Trump’s stand on immigration is a case in point. He ludicrously touts a border wall as the answer, completely neglecting that most illegal immigrants come here legally but then overstay their visas, and that legal immigration is (purposely) far too high. Trump did criticize corporate abuse of the H1B program for a while, but has softened his stance.

    The Clintons are venal, and I can’t stand the two main parties, nor do I think much of some of the alternative parties, but Trump is clearly not the answer.

    • From Québec says:

      I pity you for being so ignorant. It is clear, you haven’t been following the Trump’s campaign.

      So go ahead and don’t vote for him and lose your country to the NWO.

      • Jim Shaw says:

        Trump’s just the kind of easily manipulated ego that the puppetmasters love to place in power. He’s more likely to speed the advent of the NWO than impede it.

        The puppetmasters only prefer the Clinton’s because they’re more polished and less likely to say something inconvenient.

      • I really want Trump to “win” (sic) FQ….and when he does, I will never let you forget what you said before…after the gates of hell on Earth are opened.

        But….hey…..I could be wrong. ROFLOA!!!!!!!

        Please forgive my passion, Jon. It will be a once only outburst.

    • Bunny says:

      I agree with you.
      More concerned about pandering to big corporations. Corporations are in fact a legal fiction to avoid responsibility.

      So my family’s farm, which is about to be fracked, because Big oil went in and got the state to renege on property owner rights, and gave them the right to the minerals beneath the land no matter who owned it. If you do not sign a deal with them to have your wells and spring water destroyed for hundreds of years with toxic chemicals so they can make a quick buck and leave you holding the bag; they can go to your neighbor’s property and drill sideways into your property, destroying the groundwater and springs and leaving you with a non-arable piece of land that has been scrapped. All so their stocks gain a few dollars and the wealthy get paid.
      Either way you are screwed.

      This corporate malfeasance is the way most of the US economy actually functions. It is a circle jerk of shame.
      The main reason corporations exist- is to externalize cost (make the citizenry clean up their mess and bear the brunt of the costs for it)- and evade of responsibility. Hey the CEO is charged with maximizing profits no matter who gets hurt, he is just doing his job, and hey-they shareholders can’t be blamed either. These legal fictions can mam , kill , destroy WITHOUT REPERCUSSION.

      But the rest of us are put in jail if we are not responsible.
      This is the backbone of a class system.
      The corporations are the new aristocracy.
      Nothing has changed from feudal times, except that we no longer have an actual right to our own land.

      Hillary is Goldman Sach’s BFF, and Trump is in the Koch Brother’s pocket via Pence.
      (clue up, the VP is almost always the more powerful of the two – the president is largely a figurehead)
      Sorry I know I am rambling.
      This latest election is more of a charade than previous ones, I can’t believe anyone could take it seriously.

  16. arcadia11 says:

    i generally ignore the election-enthrallment msm-type posts here but i took a chance and opened yours hoping for a reality check. i chose wisely : – }

    it is sad and discouraging to me that “tonight will be a real show and many people will be watching” and even worse – voting. i was surprised to find this kind of candidate-backing, especially from so many subscribers and more especially, rabid fans of the farce, on this blog.

    when did people here start believing that “presidents” make the decisions? the president has no power – he makes no decisions. it doesn’t matter who is selected. it has never ever mattered.
    they are all playing the same game and it is an evil game. every candidate is a sicko. period.
    sane people do not run for such an office. sane people would not be allowed to do so.

    there is only one kind of person who wants in at this level (any level?) and that is a sociopath.
    primary or secondary, it doesn’t matter. but sane, conscious people do not want to rule over
    others – even if that ruling-over is in name only. government is irreparably corrupt and those who are drawn to participating in it are of that mentality and ethics level.

    don’t know what else to say.

    yet, i remain undaunted. : – o

    • Bunny says:

      Remain undaunted and yet haunted ,
      By the shadow cast of yor.
      O’er the bust of Pallas ,
      gleaming , scintillant ,
      awhile doth seeming,
      calling of the reckoning ,
      meaning nothing of what passed before.

      enough of that.

      Yes ..and we know it is true.
      The entire thing is a farce writ large .
      Exactly.

      The monied elite want us to spend endless amounts of time FIXING their system.
      It can’t be fixed.

      BTW
      anyone else getting WARNINGS about posting on Jon’s site by microshaft’ certificate warden?

  17. Bunny says:

    The press is neither “liberal” nor “conservative”..it is FAUX liberal or FAUX conservative, whichever position serves the CORPORATE purpose at hand. The Faux social issues are usually front and center;.

    The faux conservatives have a penis centered politics- their constant push for war, their constant focus on people’s sexuality and what is and is not allowable,their focus on corporate rights in ascendancy over people’s rights….because dammit Jon some animals are more equal than others.

    The Faux liberals have a (excuse the language) a-hole centered philosophy, of fighting the evil corporations and the evil conservatives by increasing government power (the same government OWNED outright by the banks-and corporations, yeah that will work), the constant tight focus on RACE, and Gender (whatever the hell that means these days) “equality” …because dammit Jon, some animals are more equal than others.

    The press is largely owned by six corporations, most of whom have overlapping interests with the War Industry (“Defense”), Big Oil (overlaps with Pharma) Big Pharma ,Medical industry, Health insurance scam industry, and Big Ag+ packaged food industry. Let’s be clear here…the US has a DEATH ECONOMY and these toxic products won’t sell themselves…which is why these huge conglomerates outright OWN the press to make sure they can release propaganda as news bites.

    The press’s groveling cheerleading during the Iraq war..ringing any bells there?
    The press has never been well respected, even in the time of Thomas Jefferson it was owned by the wealthy who got THEIR version of news items in print.

    Real conservatives focus on fiscal responsibility, and real liberals focus on human rights.The two are not mutually exclusive positions but have been split into faux positions by the press at the behest of their masters..

    This nation has NOT been free since the “founding fathers” , who were selected to amend the articles of confederation, co-opted it by writing the constitution, to ensure the wealthy would control the US. To ameliorate the sting of this betrayal they added the Bill of Rights as an after thought…The way the government treated the veterans of the Revolutionary war is a very very clear indication of who really rules this country…and it has been that way to this day.
    ALL of our elections have been a staged joke since then.

    This election is no exception,truly a joke..maybe the elites are getting sloppy because they are tired , or they think the population is too dumbed down to notice, but it is clear from these two preselected and regurgitated candidates, that the circus has come to town, and the clowns are not wearing masks this time.

    • arcadia11 says:

      just really bravo.

      thank you.

    • Well done. Correct.

      To add, the only reason the “founding fathers” were “free” was because they hadn’t planned for the gold hungry masses to exodus to the great plains. It was this that largely conflicted with the interests of the natives and turned America into the den of injustice it is today.

  18. From Québec says:

    The pseudo intellectual snobs will never be able to recognise the power of an individual who likes his country and want to save it by trying to make it great again..

    For these people, an individual have no power whatsoever.
    Pseudo intellectual snobs are losers.

  19. barn moose says:

    Trump? Imaginative? Logical? A dogmatic disruptor to date.

    Kellyanne Conway? Seems to be a there there. Can she dance the dullard Donald to some new and thrilling music?

    We shall see, Virginia, we shall see…

  20. tuscanforest says:

    I keep hearing about the liberal press. Is that the press – New York Times – that canned reporter Chris Hedges for coming out against the Iraq invasion? How about the Mercury News that dumped Gary Webb for his expose of the CIA’s selling of drugs in the inner cities? How about the “liberal” press – including the Nation – that refused to publish anything by Mark Lane about the Kennedy Assassination. Maybe we need to grow beyond that facile label and admit that the press – housing hundreds of CIA assets – is not liberal but oligarchical.

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