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Shades of LBJ’s Cronkite Nightmare: Biden Loses CBS
AMAC Newsline ^ | May 26, 2023 | Shane Harris

Posted on 05/27/2023 4:58:54 AM PDT by billorites

In a stunning reversal from their prior blackout of the story, CBS News released an exclusive interview this week with an IRS whistleblower who is alleging that the Department of Justice intentionally stymied an investigation into potential tax law violations by Hunter Biden. The moment recalls memories of another famous incident of CBS suddenly turning on a Democrat president, when anchor Walter Cronkite broke with Lyndon B. Johnson’s stance on the Vietnam War, an incident that reportedly caused Johnson to remark, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost America.”

That watershed moment came on February 27, 1968, in the midst of the Tet Offensive. As American troops saw heavy casualties, Cronkite broke with the by then well-established media position of toeing the Democrat line and offered a devastating analysis of the U.S. position in Vietnam.

“It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate,” Cronkite told his millions of viewers. “To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past.”

Such comments may seem mild by today’s standards of bombastic and sensational media coverage, but they were shocking for a 1960s audience that was used to at least the veneer of objectivity.

For Johnson, it was a watershed moment. One by one, other media outlets also began breaking with the White House and criticizing the war. After Johnson “lost Cronkite,” he made a major rhetorical shift in his portrayal of the war effort, beginning to talk about moving toward “peace” rather than “victory.”

Just a few weeks after Cronkite’s famous dissection of the war, Johnson announced he would not seek re-election amid quickly evaporating public support. Media observers ever since have credited Cronkite with playing a large role in forcing Johnson out of the race.

Now, the country could be witnessing a similar watershed moment as CBS signals its willingness to treat the Biden family’s corruption with the scrutiny it deserves.

In the CBS report, 14-year IRS veteran Gary Shapley, who supervised the probe into the president’s son, said he felt duty-bound to sound the alarm about federal law enforcement’s mishandling of the investigation.

“There were multiple steps that were slow-walked — were just completely not done — at the direction of the Department of Justice,” Shapley said. “When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw deviations from the normal process. It was way outside the norm of what I’ve experienced in the past.”

More details of the story could be uncovered soon as Shapley is scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday. Although the testimony will not be open to the public, it could provide more evidence to aid in House Republicans’ ongoing investigation of the Biden family’s shady business dealings.

CBS’s coverage of the story signals the liberal media’s willful ignorance of the president’s corruption scandals could be coming to an end. That’s bad news for Biden, who has relied on the silence of the media to hide the growing mound of evidence pointing to his involvement in Hunter’s schemes.

After then-candidate Biden angrily claimed in 2019 that he had “never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings,” a series of revelations showed Hunter’s top staffers made more than 100 visits to the Obama White House to meet with the elder Biden.

As the narrative that he “never” spoke with his son about business began to implode, Joe Biden went on CNN last October in a feeble attempt to distract from the damning truths coming to light in spite of the White House’s attempted cover-up. In an interview with Jake Tapper that many slammed as “soft” and “weak,” the CNN host asked Biden how he responded “politically and personally” to the investigation into his son, then allowed the president to drone on about how “proud” he was of Hunter for “overcoming” his drug addiction.

Tapper failed to ask any follow-up questions, even though the Washington Post had reported just days earlier that federal agents alleged they had “sufficient evidence” to charge Hunter with tax and gun crimes.

But Biden’s personal baggage may now be more than even his media allies can ignore. CBS’s reversal could be the first sign that corporate newsrooms – and many in the Deep State who helped shield the Bidens from scrutiny – are getting nervous about potentially being implicated in the deepening scandal.

The media may also be concluding that the momentum building against Biden – evidenced in his increasingly dour poll numbers – will be too much to overcome in his bid for a second term. Rather than continuing to try and prop up the floundering president, the media might fully embrace the story in an attempt to drive Biden out of the race and replace him with someone who stands a better chance of winning in 2024.

Biden, for his part, may, like Johnson, come to the conclusion that if he’s lost CBS, he has indeed lost America.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: biden; cbs; johnson
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1 posted on 05/27/2023 4:58:54 AM PDT by billorites
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To: billorites

So they’ve given up on old Uncle Joe (& Kamala). Preparing the way for Gavin Newsome, no doubt.


2 posted on 05/27/2023 5:03:59 AM PDT by Twotone
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To: billorites

They’re not fooling anybody. Just like Cronkite, EVERYBODY at CBS will vote for the Democrat in November.


3 posted on 05/27/2023 5:05:56 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: billorites

Well, I wonder if one should also consider the contrast between what the American public generally thought of CBS and other “mainstream” media outlets back in 1968 and today’s not particularly pleasant regard of them.


4 posted on 05/27/2023 5:14:33 AM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966 )
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To: Twotone

Newt says to watch out for M. Obama. Since she’s never done anything but grift, she would be someone the Deep State could embrace without reservation.


5 posted on 05/27/2023 5:15:23 AM PDT by Rlsau1
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To: billorites

“Biden, for his part, may, like Johnson, come to the conclusion that if he’s lost CBS, he has indeed lost America.“

Biden never had America - the 2020 election was stolen.


6 posted on 05/27/2023 5:16:01 AM PDT by enumerated ( )
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To: Rlsau1

I doubt that Michelle is interested in working that hard. And white men won’t vote for an angry black woman. At least I hope they won’t.


7 posted on 05/27/2023 5:18:12 AM PDT by Twotone
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To: billorites
The media may also be concluding that the momentum building against Biden – evidenced in his increasingly dour poll numbers – will be too much to overcome in his bid for a second term. Rather than continuing to try and prop up the floundering president, the media might fully embrace the story in an attempt to drive Biden out of the race and replace him with someone who stands a better chance of winning in 2024.

That's what CBS is up to. They haven't all of a sudden decided to become journalists and report the truth. They want to get rid of Biden now and put someone else in there who will continue his putrid leftwing transformational policies.

My money is riding on Gavin Newsom. Once they get rid of Biden, Newsom will step in and the media will go into their 60/60/24/365 protection racket for the Dems.
8 posted on 05/27/2023 5:19:24 AM PDT by Dan in Wichita
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To: billorites

There must be more than poop in the demented dictator’s diaper for the DNC stenographers at C-BS to give up on him.


9 posted on 05/27/2023 5:19:40 AM PDT by DaBroasta
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To: billorites

CBS doesn’t have that kind of clout today. However, it’s promising.


10 posted on 05/27/2023 5:22:15 AM PDT by Ge0ffrey
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To: billorites

Joe has served his purpose but does not want to leave for the next Obama puppet so it’s the hard way Joe..... but you’re leaving!


11 posted on 05/27/2023 5:27:48 AM PDT by Lockbox (politicians, they all seemed like game show hosts to me.... Sting)
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To: billorites

…and that’s the way it is.


12 posted on 05/27/2023 5:28:51 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (Eccl 10:2 - The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. )
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To: Twotone

Who would Newsome demand as a VP?


13 posted on 05/27/2023 5:30:39 AM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: ad ferre non, velit esse sine defensione)
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To: billorites

The Tet Offensive was a major loss for the Viet Cong and basically ended them. But this report by Cronkite made America feel we were losing and started the withdrawal. Victory was torn out of our hands by the fecklessness of the media.


14 posted on 05/27/2023 5:30:42 AM PDT by wbarmy (Trying to do better.)
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To: Lockbox

Wonder who is going to make the “Goldwater walk”…


15 posted on 05/27/2023 5:31:13 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (Eccl 10:2 - The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. )
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To: Twotone

M. Obama would be Barak’s 4th term. No real work involved for her.


16 posted on 05/27/2023 5:36:53 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (Eccl 10:2 - The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. )
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To: Blueflag
Who would Newsome demand as a VP?

Dylan Mulvaney is too young, unless of course it identifies as being 35.

17 posted on 05/27/2023 5:38:42 AM PDT by Bernard (“the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God." JFK 1-20-61)
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To: Ge0ffrey

Agreed, its a crack in the damn...

Whether the other news orgs will follow suit, is the question.

I think now that Trump is consistently polling, even in their skewed polls well ahead of Biden, the puppet masters realize they have to do something...

They basically have about 8 months before primary voting begins, and while the Dem system is completely stacked in such a way that the popular vote literally means NOTHING in their primary process.. the super delegates can put whoever they want as the nominee regardless of the popular vote during the primaries... they know they have to get someone who they can at least place some plausible vote support behind... so the effort to replace Joe has to be going on behind the scenes no matter how much the claim “he’s our guy”.

RFK Jr would handily win the Dem primary in a fair fight, but they don’t want him either... Kamala sure as hell isn’t Heir apparent as much as they wanted her to be... so they must find someone else, and quickly.. they must destroy Joe while at the same time push some other Puppet.

I really don’t see how the flood gates won’t open over the coming months to take Biden out.. just like the flood gates of pushing Desantis, even though he has all the presence of a wet noodle live, particularly compared to the Republican frontrunner (Sorry Desantis supporters, but there is absolutely no X factor in this guy) have been going on for months now trying to take Trump out.

I am not sure who the Dems are going to find to push, but they have to do something quickly, they aren’t at the do or die moment yet, but its rapidly approaching.

They have floated a few balloons naming various names, but so far, none have really been pushed more than that. They could TRY to carry Old Mattress across the finish line, but I just don’t see it, she’s beyond a dud... We will see what happens... however if I were to lay odds, as much as they keep saying Joe’s their guy... I’d say odds of that actually being the case by the time votes start being counted in the primaries, that that will be the actual case are under 50%


18 posted on 05/27/2023 5:41:19 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: billorites

Their fear of Trump has forced their hand.


19 posted on 05/27/2023 5:43:52 AM PDT by MNnice
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To: billorites

In 1968 Vietnam was attacked by the North Vietnamese communists in the Tet offensive. The North Vietnamese attacked the South in the winter of 1968 and suffered heavy losses. The communists lost 48,000 men, America lost 249 men and the South Vietnam lost 500 men.

It was an overwhelming blow to the communists. They were defeated.

Walter Cronkite spent one and a half hours talking to General Frederick Weyand, then the man in charge of the forces in the South of Vietnam around Saigon. Walter Cronkite said:

“Well you’ve got a fine story. But I’m not going to use any of it because I’ve been up to Hue. I’ve seen the thousands of bodies up there in mass graves and I’m determined to do all in my power to bring this war to an end as soon as possible.”

In 1968 there was no CNN or FOX News, we had three network stations, CBS, NBC and ABC. There was no internet and the newspapers had a comment section that was filtered.

Walter Cronkite goes back to the states and releases this comment:

“It seems now more certain than ever,” Walter Cronkite told his audience in a de facto editorial, “that the bloody experience of Vietnam is a stalemate” and that the war was “unwinnable.” Cronkite’s statement and call for U.S. withdrawal helped turn public opinion against the war. It also demoralized American troops and Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, who was said to have declared that losing Cronkite’s support meant he had lost the backing of Middle America.

When Republican President Richard Nixon refused to withdraw U.S. forces from Vietnam, the Democrats used the Watergate scandal to topple his presidency. Cronkite played a key role in the political process that ousted Nixon — chiefly by broadcasting a news story every night on the CBS Evening News under the banner “Watergate.” At the time, Cronkite insisted that he was non-partisan, objective and fair. After his retirement, however, he acknowledged his liberal political views.

After Walter Cronkite retired he pushed for a one world government ruled by the United Nations where America would give up its veto powers.

He said that there had to be some middle ground between capitalism and communism.” “[T]he first priority of the new order,” he added, “must be a revision of the [American] educational system to … guarantee that each of our citizens will have equal resources to share in the decisions of the democracy, and a fair share of the economic pie.”


20 posted on 05/27/2023 5:53:07 AM PDT by Haddit
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