Posted on 02/05/2016 2:46:29 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
CNN's broadside of Ted Cruz is wrong. The network has denied that it bears any responsibility for Cruz's camp spreading rumors that Ben Carson might be quitting the presidential race. CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin even went so far as to call Cruz's explanation "BS" on the air.
Yet the network's claim can be true only in the most deceptive - in other words, the most Clintonian - sense. Instead of what the meaning of the word is is, CNN is parsing what the word indicate means.
Somewhat ironically, the network rests much of its case on tweets rather than on-air coverage. CNN concedes that during the Iowa caucuses the network reported that Carson would not be going from Iowa to New Hampshire as the other candidates would. But after Cruz's people used the report as their reason for suggesting Carson might be getting out of the race, CNN on Wednesday declared, "Senator Cruz's claims about CNN are false. At no point did the network indicate Dr. Carson would suspend his campaign."
While their embeds in the field may never have specifically reported that Carson was out, the network's live coverage - which included star anchor and face of CNN Anderson Cooper - not only operated on the assumption that Carson was withdrawing, but actually included speculation of where his voters would go after Carson left the race.
Here's a transcript of this segment of CNN's live Iowa coverage:
[snip]
The printed word doesn't fully capture the CNN panel's air of incredulity over Carson's stated reason for not going on to New Hampshire. Watching live, it was obvious that the moderator and the panel felt that Carson's campaign was toast.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
This is the end for Cruz if he doesn’t fire the staffer who email blasted out the fabricated info on Carson to 1,500 precincts. I imagine he will “resign” today or tomorrow before the debate. This can’t go on. Disenfranchising voters is as low as it gets.
Find me just one voter that was disenfranchised.
I remember all these same people being outraged over Mississippi, and rightfully so.
But somehow this was okay.
The unfortunate reality that seems to be missed here is that while you and others may spend time reading 50 threads dissecting this mess, the average voter (someone who is working and/or raising a family/or just not interested in the inner workings of politics) ONLY hears and believes that Ted did something dirty to win, and hurt gentle Ben.
That’s the reality you’re not facing.
Yes. The “sneaky Hispanic” conned the “stupid black man” out of his votes. Does the media and the white candidate pushing this get how racist this all sounds?...Behind closed doors is team Trump saying, “We can’t have an honest Hispanic win a presidential caucus with the help of the white Bible thumpers, can we? Let’s pretend we care about the pathological brain surgeon. Stand up for him. He’s going nowhere and we’ll get his voters and knock out that sneaky Cruz. Everyone will fall for it. The people are so stupid, anyway. Great Idea! Good!”
For all you know Carson is Trump’s VP pick!
How the story was used by the Cruz campaign has nothing to do with CNN. In the words of Steve King, "Carson looks like he is out."
No Carson was not out. Even so, King did not man up.
"I respect Ben Carson & regret any miscommunications. Perhaps @RealBenCarson r unaware of this CNN story
Let me rephrase that...
I am sorry caucus voters were [thankfully] ignorant of the entire CNN story I used to miscommunicate false information to voters.
There was no miscommunication. King knew exactly what he was saying--Carson was out, change your vote to Cruz. King is a seasoned politician having served in an elected office since 1997. He lied by what he did not say. Politicians do it so well.
I used King as an example, but others were involved. It smells of a coordinated effort immediately before and during the caucus vote hoping to manipulate voters into a drawing a false conclusion.
As a voter, I find it repugnant, more than a dirty campaign trick. Accepting it under 'that's they way the game is played' is why we are where we are in this point of time.
This does not speak well of Cruz. Blaming CNN misses the point. Cruz apologized for not sending out followup memos, not for the tactics ("fair game") used by his campaign. He looks less of a principled conservative and more like a ruthless politician who will do anything to gain the upper hand.
I disagree with anyone saying Iowa is over, move on, this is not that important or other reasons. It is important to voters [like me] not impressed with any primary candidate. My primary vote will go to the candidate I believe will screw me the least.
The first word you use is "apparently". Why, because everything written here is speculation. No proof was given that it was proven who made a fake twitter account to send out a fake tweets. Anonymous emails to news organization are something you could of done just as well as me. There is a reason the wiki page for Jeff Roe does not list these things as fact, it is all conjure. It makes the "talk" sections and no further. Even liberal wiki has some limits.
You say "Blaming CNN is ridiculous"... Yet somehow Jeff Roe planning to "reuse" a strategy with CNN's handy cooperation is NOT ridiculous. For weeks we at FR have been peering with great interest and speculating on Carson's next moves. When his campaign started shedding members I, as most everyone else, speculated it was the beginning to the end. When Carson was asked what he would do if he didn't fare well in Iowa, he said he would "reevaluate" his position (on continuing his campaign?). These jobs are high stress split second decision jobs and some people excel in doing them. Some people get paid to spin after the fact. Perhaps that is what you are doing? Who knows, this is politics and it is messy by design, it takes the place of open battle basically.
But to blow off a known fact that CNN posted this live (see link below for the CNN section I am sure you have see a dozen times already)... I assumed as many others that it was another signal of death of his campaign. (BTW... I am a Carson fan, he is my second distant choice though I don't like some gun issues with him). I took the news the same way I imagine Trump people did, it was already planted in my mind that it was coming soon anyway. Just as it was in Trump supporter too (though educated Trump fans did not look forward to him dropping out for obvious reasons). We all knew it was/is coming and still coming (Carson drops his private plane and fires more campaign workers).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCzksoprMP4
All I see is this issue is is a way to muddy water with very flimsy sticks that hold no weight. Why muddy the water? Well because if Carson does drop out, certain people want those fans to not drift as naturally to Cruz as expected. Thus the "fake" outrage and grasping at whatever mud they can find to sling.
Wow this story surely has legs. Have Steve King, Rick Tyler, and Bob Vander Plaats been disciplined yet? Ted still has time to clean up the mess he created before the debate tomorrow.
I didn’t read wiki as a source for Jeff Roe’s underhanded tactics. There’s lots of sources out there about it. Everybody can keep on spinning the blame everywhere but where it belongs, on Cruz’s desk. Talk about Trump being a crybaby, what is Cruz doing? Waaaaaa....waaaaaaa...waaaaaa....it’s not my fault, it’s Carson’s fault, it’s CNN’s fault...boo..hoo..hoo...if they can’t do better than take the insinuations of a news agency, CNN at that, and run with it as fact, that’s not saying much for them to lead the country. Couldn’t pick up the phone and verify it with Carson’s camp? How much sense does it make that Carson would quit minutes before the first state to vote starts voting? I’ve had enough of a POTUS that finds out everything from the news. I’m also sick of everyone making excuses for it. If Cruz should be the nominee (which won’t happen in a million years anyway), I would vote for him but I would prefer not to have to hold my nose when I do. If he’s got low lifes running his campaign what kind of people is he going to have around him if he would be POTUS? Even Rush said today that someone he’s known for years called to say he knows people that changed their vote because of it.
Don’t hold your breath. They are too busy ignoring Hillary’s felonious activity as State Dept.
Hey, this ain’t amateur hour! You want to play in the big leagues, you better be sharp and clear with your message. Don’t want people to misconstrue your message, then it better not be so vague. Cruz owes Carson nothing, though he had the decency to apologize, anyway, for the misunderstanding. CNN owes Carson nothing. They were just reporting what came out of the Carson camp. I suggest Carson pull up his “big boy panties” (should have a clean pair, since that’s what he went to Florida to get) and worry about getting his message out!
When all else fails, blame the victim.
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