Rejecting 70-year-old GOP nominee real estate tycoon Donald Trump, the nation’s conservative newspapers refused to jump on the Trump-train, less than 40 days before the election. Like the disgruntled “Never Trump” movement, filled with rejects from the 2016 campaign, the nation’s conservative papers can’t control their own sour grapes, ranting about Trump not being conservative enough. How many times did voters hear former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) insist Trump wasn’t a “true” conservative? Showing just how off the rails the Chicago Tribune went, it endorsed Libertarian Party Gary Johnson, knowing he couldn’t recall Sept. 8 the Syrian city of Aleppo, where a Battle Royale rages in Syria. “We reject the cliché that a citizen who chooses a principled third-party candidate is squandering his or her vote . . .” wrote the Chicago Tribune editorial board.
Chicago Tribune prefers to pick a candidate with such lacunae in his memory or knowledge of foreign relations he couldn’t name Sept. 29 a single foreign leader he liked or admired. “Look at the number of fed-up Americans telling pollsters they clamor for alternatives to Trump and Clinton,” said the Tribune board. Picking a candidate with memory impairments—or just plain ignorance—shows how desperate the Tribune to make headlines. Trump’s gone after the media for its dishonesty, especially the Arizona Republic endorsing Sept. 27 Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Prompting cancellations and death threats, the Arizona Republic epitomizes self-destructive conservatives, hell-bent on rejecting Trump out of sour grapes. Rejecting Trump mirrors the same vindictiveness as Sen. John McCain (R-Az.), still holding a wasteful grudge.
Whether you like or hate Trump or not, he mirrors most of the conservative agenda on taxes, free trade, abortion, Supreme Court picks, Christian values, etc. Endorsing Hillary, the Arizona Republic deserves the public’s ire, including a mutiny by subscribers and advertisers. Trump’s hated by conservatives because he made mincemeat during the primaries of the GOP’s best known conservatives like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.). Getting the endorsements of the New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, etc., show just how far papers are willing to go to denigrate Trump. Trump’s run his campaign as much against the mainstream media as Hillary. Sabotaging Trump at the first Oct. 26 NBC debate with a bad microphone shows how far Trump’s detractors are willing to go to gain a strategic advantage before Election Day.
Attacking Trump and endorsing Hillary, conservative papers continue their own version of the Never Trump movement led by Jeb and 2012 nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who would vote for Hillary to get back at Trump. Beating a competitive GOP field, Trump antagonized an already divided Republican Party where the internecine warfare between religious and fiscal conservatives and moderate Republicans imploded in the last two presidential elections. Trump’s populous message galvanized the GOP base seeking change in 2016. Going after both sides of the aisle, Trump’s irked Democrats and Republicans, finding little support with GOP elected officials. His message of blowing up a “rigged system” threatens not only Democrats and Republicans but the mainstream media who’s had a unquestioned lock on keeping the status quo.
When mainstream and conservative newspapers denounce Trump, it has more to do with calling the press out for dishonesty, corruption and manipulation. Even USA Today joined the anti-Trump bandwagon, calling Trump “unfit for the presidency.” To the mainstream and conservative media, Trump’s unfit for office because he criticizes the press for stacking the deck against him. Cherry-picking what they choose to report, last Monday’s NBC debate showed egregious media bias against Trump. Not only did they sabotage his microphone, 56-year-old Lester Holt raised controversial issues about Trump but not Hillary. Asking Trump about the “birther” issue, his un-filed taxes and past remarks about women, Holt held Trump’s feet to the fire. Holt asked nothing about Hillary’s controversial email scandal or how the Clinton Foundation took millions from Saudi Arabia and other foreign governments.
Getting endorsements of mainstream and conservative newspapers, Hillary establishes herself as the insider, status quo candidate. Hillary did a good job at the Oct. 26 debate at Hofstra University painting Trump as intemperate and dangerous, the exact message hitting voters. If Trump can’t redeem himself in the next debate, he’s going to have a tough slog to Nov. 8. Whoever remains undecided, another anemic performance could seal the deal with independents still sitting on the fence. Hillary’s polished answers make Trump look disorganized and unprepared for the White House. Trump’s last hope is if he can put Hillary on her heels, focusing the destruction of email evidence and the unthinkable amounts of cash taken into the Clinton Foundation by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States. If Hillary spends time explaining herself, she’ll wind up in the same boat as Trump in the last debate.
