SECOND IN A SERIES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2024 — Walter Seifert was revered. A professor of public relations in (then) Ohio State University’s School of Journalism for 25 years, Seifert was one of the founders of the Public Relations Student Society of America and had a passionate devotion to helping students succeed. I was fortunate to be one of them.
“There’s only one thing I hate,” Seifert said in his classes. “People who hate.”
We’ve lost Professor Seifert’s wisdom in the U.S in 2024.
Certainly, the media has lost it. The New York Times posted an opinion column about a vice presidential candidate on Saturday. The headline used “Blood and Soil Nationalism” in describing Republican Party Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance.
According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Blood and Soil was an “early Nazi slogan used in Germany to evoke the idea of a pure ‘Aryan’ race and the territory it wanted to conquer.” Thousands of Times subscribers (we may never know the exact number) sent complaining emails and put out social media messages opposing the horrific headline. The Times changed it, after the damage had been done.
The New Republic lost it. Below is a photograph of the cover of its June 2024 issue, which devoted itself editorially to a false premise of what would happen to America under a “Fascist Regime” should Trump be re-elected.
What was truly shocking came on early Sunday afternoon, when news another assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump surfaced. It wasn’t until 8:50 pm Sunday night that the Biden White House issued a statement condemning the attack and expressing concern for the safety of Trump. Some media outlets, such as MSNBC, BLAMED TRUMP for the attack and called on him to ‘tone down’ the rhetoric in his campaigning.
And it was “business as usual” for many Democrats on their social media platforms on Sunday afternoon. AFTER the assassination attempt, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries posted on his “X” account: “Extrema MAGA Republicans are the part of a national abortion ban and Trump’s Project 2025. We must stop them.” Let’s examine the two lies and the declaratory statement here:
- Trump has never called for or supported a national abortion ban. (Cong. Jeffries is employing a common rhetorical technique here called the straw man fallacy.)
- He has repeatedly and insistently disavowed any involvement with Project 2025 for more than two months. (Another straw man fallacy.)
- So Cong. Jeffries, HOW do you “stop them”? With a bullet?
Let’s be clear: There’s plenty of blame to go around on both sides.
More than eight years ago, I wrote this on my personal blog about Donald Trump: (You can view the whole post here — https://jkerezy.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/media-memo-2/ )
He (Trump) routinely calls people “stupid” and “dummy.” One writer catalogued 64 occasions that he called someone “loser.” These were not off-line, backstage, overheard, not-to-be-repeated comments. They were publicly and intentionally tweeted, recorded and presented.
WHY NOT TRY THREE?
There is a simple and positive alternative to all this hate: Focus on facts and issues. Stop the politics of personal attacks, and do it beginning with US. Try this the next time you are talking politics with a co-worker, friend, classmate or neighbor.
You back Kamala Harris for president? Great! Tell me three things she stands FOR.
You back Donald Trump for president? Great! Tell me three things he stands FOR.
Let’s focus on issues. Let’s focus on whose policies and plans will make America better, safer, and more prosperous for the next four years.
Drop the hate. Replace it with inquisitive minds which examine the stands and policies of the two candidates on the major issues and challenges facing our nation.
A lot more soul-searching needs to happen. We need to end the hate. And that’s far more important than who gets the majority of the votes come November 5.
Let me conclude with words which are very similar to what I posted in that story more than eight years ago. Personally, the only solace I’m seeing so far in the 2024 presidential campaign is that I have a still higher calling than that of a U.S. citizen/voter. I belong to a heavenly kingdom, and when I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior it means that His place as Lord is far more important than the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
SOURCES
https://newrepublic.com/series/37/trump-2024-american-fascism-series
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