An Independent Take: Jim Acosta Throws a Tantrum and Gets a Timeout
CNN’s new designation should perhaps be *Childish* News Network.
For indeed, the once premier American news network has descended into acting like petulant children.
CNN itself reports,
“The White House said Wednesday night that it’s suspending the press pass of CNN’s Jim Acosta “until further notice.”
…White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced in a statement that Acosta would be stripped of what’s known as a “hard pass,” which gives him access to the White House grounds.
CNN has stood by their man and has declared that Acosta has the network’s full support stating,
The revocation of his pass “was done in retaliation for his challenging questions at today’s press conference,” the statement said. “In an explanation, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied. She provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better. Jim Acosta has our full support.”
The media at large has – utterly unsurprisingly – rallied to Acosta’s defense who has himself taken to social media to decry his oh so brutal ‘repression’, with many of the more hysterically frothing partisan pundits, calling for CNN to sue Trump over the affair.
But here’s the deal and note this is coming from an Independent who didn’t vote for Trump; Acosta absolutely deserves the suspension.
When it comes to white house correspondent conferences the entire procedure is based on etiquette and respect. There’s no mechanical efficiency to it whatsoever the President merely fields questions from raised hands in a flexible and *polite* atmosphere meant to inform voters, absent partisan bickering of information; that can later be used for partisan bickering on CNN and co.’s myriad of squawking head features.
Jim Acosta however determined it was actually a place for him to grandstand and ‘bravely’ virtue signal. See, when Trump paused for questions Acosta was one of the first hands he picked (true suppression at work) and Acosta asked a few questions.
Trump answered… and then answered again… and again, until after asking Acosta multiple times – with proper etiquette at first even – to be seated so the other hundred or so reporters sitting behind Acosta’s special snowflake CNN front row seat could also be given a chance to query the president things got somewhat ugly.
Acosta’s brief moment of attention culminated with him shrugging off a white house intern who meekly tried to pry the microphone from this narcissistic excuse for a reporter, but was rebuked as Democrats apparently only respect women when they’re accusing Republicans of misconduct…
While the White House is now receiving flak for apparently releasing a clip ‘doctored’ to make that exchange look nastier than it was (speeding up Acosta’s shove of the intern) the frantic pull to focus on currently transpiring doesn’t really seems to detract from the main issue of Acosta being… well, a jerk.
The Breakdown
Let’s be crystal clear, I’m no particular zealot of Trumpism (independent and didn’t vote for him) and in fact, almost always find the President’s exchanges with the media to be unappealing and oftentimes negative on his account.
But Trump is actually totally right here.
The White House Press Briefing is not Jim ‘Accoster’s’ special little playground where he can grandstand his personal views, it’s a hallowed place for America’s press to directly engage with America’s leadership to allow for a degree of transparency to Americans. It requires both parties to be respectful and to keep to century old customs of basic decency to actually function.
Imagine if all the reporters crammed to the rafters in that room had as self-inflated sense of importance as Acosta. Imagine if they all thought they deserved to ask as many questions as they wanted, were in the right to interrupt the President when answering, thought it fine to physically resist interns… it would be madness.
The reality is if everyone was as narcissistic as Acosta press conferences would have zero validity (as CNN does to Trump supporters now) and likely simply wouldn’t transpire at all.
It’s a shame the White House seems to have marred their own stance with a possible dash of their own fake news, but at the end of the day Jim Acosta didn’t get his press pass revoked for “asking questions” as CNN falsely declares; his pass was revoked for displaying a disdain for press etiquette and for throwing a tantrum.
This whole affair isn’t some crushing of the first amendment CNN would have you believe it’s one reporter being informed he isn’t welcome back to the room full of reporters because frankly, he acted like an ass.
If you’re still resistant to considering that to be the truth of the matter I leave you with this; remember when Jim Acosta pulled these stunts with President Obama..?
This moron needs to be banned for life from white house.
POLITE? RESPECTFUL? PROPER ETIQUEET? What President are you talking about … ourr, rude cnhildish, lout #45?
It’s about time this should have happened a long time ago. Bravo, for who ever revoked the press pass. I think all in the press who can not be courteous should have their press passes taken. This is just common decency, our president should be respected. Shame on some of these press people that have such double standards. They want to be respected but feel they can do and say what every they want. Let’s face it our country is losing our core values. Our very foundations are being stripped away. Christianity use to be common practice. Now evolution is the common thinking. I accountable to only myself. I do what I want and if anyone get screwed in the process oh well it is survival for the fittest. The problem with this is the weak and venerable are the ones hurt. So wonder we have do many children being trapped and murdered. Our nation needs to repent and start putting others first starting with God. He wants what is best for all. Not just a few.
I completely agree with your assessment of the Acosta fiasco. I do not understand why other reporters do not applauded this as Pres Trump was trying to be fair to everyone. Wish others would grow a pair and appreciate the respect Pres Trump tried to show them by spanking the spoiled rude kid. Like Pres Trump or not, he does try to be fair while constantly being berated and spun by the liberal media. Those media who cannot be honest and objective ARE “fake” news and treasonous. News should give the facts and let us draw our conclusions. If I want commentary, I will watch a talk show.
Acosta is an ass. FBI – TAKE HIM DOWN!
It’s about time !! He has no respect for the office or his fellow journalists. Good reddens to a guy working to improve CNN,s spiraling downward ratings.
Jim Acosta is a rude, arrogant, egotistical grand-stander and should have been barred from the press conferences long ago!
The Secret Service should be very concerned about his mental instability and hatred for Trump!
Perhaps the return of his White House hard pass should be approved only after examination by a panel of credible psychiatrists that deal in obsessive and hateful behavior!
CNN shows poor judgement in defending his inane, boorish behavior and as a result are still losing their viewing audience.
I used to watch CNN as my main source of news until they started down this path of insane, obsessive and hateful attacks against the President of the United States!
Whether you like Trump or not he is still our President and deserves the respect of that office!
I feel that CNN’s behavior is tantamount to treason and as such cancelled my cable channel that carries their “Crazy Network News!”
Also, Wolf Blitzer is mundane, humdrum and downright boring, time to give it up and go home Wolf, you’ve overstayed your usefulness as a “journalist!”
CNN needs a complete shakeup of personnel if they ever hope to regain the journalistic stature they once deservedly had!
SAD DOWNFALL!
It seems every time I watched a press conference it Acosta making a fool of himself. I would like never to see him again. He is an ass and wants confrontation and his questions are always negative and it seems it is about him and not the people of the country. Never anything nice to say but kissed the ass of our last President and never a confrontation question asked to Obama who is going to be voted the worst President ever and one of the main reason is the criminalization of the DOJ, FBI, IRS, EPA and other agencies.
Acosta has been displaying disrespect and disregard for traditions of respect and responsibility of journalists who have covered the White House and should have been thrown out months ago. He is a boorish bully who shamed all Americans with his tantrums and disgusting behavior. Trump is our representative to the world, duly elected by Americans, and deserves to be with courtesy and respect !
Good, it’a not like anyone read anything the churl wrote.
CNN is now and always, in my experience, been a very poor excuse for a News Network. They have been caught, more than a few times, reporting Totally FAKE NEWS, and doing other things that any other self respecting News organization would and should find abhorrent and disgusting, but which CNN seems to think is just fine and the proper way to conduct business…..Now we have this Jim Acosta who has absolutely NO RESPECT or understanding of simple Good Manners and Ethical Behavior and who CNN seems to think is their STAR and who every one else at CNN should emulate. Well in my opinion CNN and Jim Acosta are not worth the time to watch and listen too and I will not Listen or Watch CNN or any of the People they choose to hire….
Man this is the most outrageous right wing rag I have ever seen
Then don’t read it, so you can continue drinking the cool-aid!
Your stupidity is showing.
Acosta is a loud mouthed Liberal S.O.B. and got exactly what he deserved. He should have been kicked out of the WHITE hOUSE a YEAR AND A HALF AGO!!!
it’s a shame fake news cnn has resorted to such a low standard.acosta should never be allowed near any politician to grandstand the way he did. it was obvious he was trying to provoke Pres. Trump hoping he would do something stupid. anyone who watches this show needs to have their head examined. also don lemon needs to be fired because of his racist remarks on tv. to say that the problem with this country is because of “white men” is beyond stupid and racist at it’s core and he calls our president racist without any facts is quite hypocritical. fire acost and lemon.
Funny how the room full of reporter’s chanted Obama,Obama, when the same thing haw to him. Obummer took away the reporter WH pass no one said anything. I guess when the KING spoke no one dared oppose him or would be called a racist which happened all the time in HIS 8 years of doing nothing for the economy.
Jim Acosta is sorry, no good piece of sh– that should never be allowed to the White House or any of the President of the United States meetings or Rallies again. If CNN thinks they have their golden angel, then CNN should also be barred from the White House and all of the POTUS meetings. The FAKE NEWS NETWORK is HISTORY and the people running the net work are disgusting to America. Americans Thank God everyday that FOX NEWS is the preferred network and the journalist at FOX News are respectful of the POTUS.