Here is J.E. Dyer writing at the The Lid blog challenging people to read so their “biased ears” don’t confuse them:
Monday, 16 July 2018, is a turning point in the affairs of men. But the lexicon and orthodox canon of Western progressivism aren’t able to frame or describe the event in a useful way. Trump’s critics aren’t having the exploding-head reaction because of what he actually said, but because of what their ears heard him say, through a filter of orthodoxy which they are just incapable of removing.
We’ve been hearing about the joint Trump-Putin press conference all day. The refrain from every side is the same: Trump was soft on Putin, and he “slammed,” or at least failed to back up, his own intelligence agencies regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.
There is no need to document chapter and verse on all the high-profile figures who have come out to say Trump needs to walk this back. That has been done elsewhere, and I commend examples to your perusal (and here, and here for reactions from Twitter polloi).
But it is far, far more critical for you to read what Trump actually said in the press conference (link below). The importance of doing that cannot be overemphasized. I think it is better, in fact, to read what he said, rather than trying to take it in and reflect on it from watching Trump in a video.
You will find if you listen to Trump’s words, that he did not “slam” his intelligence agencies. He didn’t even directly address whether Putin sought to interfere in the 2016 election (although he did say Putin’s denial of that was “strong and powerful.” No, those aren’t the adjectives I would choose, but Trump rarely uses the adjectives I would select for any topic. Neither did Obama, for that matter)
Read more: The Lid
Image credit: www.lidblog.com.
