Oooh - this is going to leave a mark. NY Times columnist admits he was 'wrong' about Trump's supporters, says Russian collusion story was a 'hoax'

NY Times columnist admits he was 'wrong' about Trump's supporters, says Russian collusion story was a 'hoax'


The New York Times published a series of op-eds by its opinion columnists Thursday that began with the phrase "I Was Wrong About." As part of the collection, Bret Stephens admitted he was wrong to label Trump supporters "appalling."

Stephens said, "The worst line I ever wrote as a pundit" was the first he ever wrote about Trump: "If by now you don’t find Donald Trump appalling, you’re appalling."

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"What Trump’s supporters saw was a candidate whose entire being was a proudly raised middle finger at a self-satisfied elite that had produced a failing status quo," he asserted.

"I was blind to this," Stephens admitted. "I belonged to a social class that my friend Peggy Noonan called ‘the protected’," he said and acknowledged his own financial luxuries.
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Stephens admitted Trump supporters' anger was not "unfounded or illegitimate" nor "aimed at the wrong target."

"Trump voters had a powerful case to make that they had been thrice betrayed by the nation’s elites," Stephens conceded. "First, after 9/11, when they had borne much of the brunt of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to see Washington fumble and then abandon the efforts," he wrote.

"Second, after the financial crisis of 2008, when so many were being laid off, even as the financial class was being bailed out," he continued. "Third, in the post-crisis recovery, in which years of ultralow interest rates were a bonanza for those with investable assets and brutal for those without."

Stephens also cited "the great American cultural revolution" that occurred in the 2010s in which "traditional practices and beliefs" shifted.

"It’s one thing for social mores to evolve over time, aided by respect for differences of opinion. It’s another for them to be abruptly imposed by one side on another, with little democratic input but a great deal of moral bullying," Stephens remarked.

Stephens also admitted the Russian collusion narrative - "the Steele dossier and all the bogus allegations, credulously parroted in the mainstream media, that flowed from it" - that marred Trump's presidency was an "elaborate hoax" and that "there’s just no other word for it".

https://www.foxnews.com/media/ny-tim...?intcmp=tw_fnc

It’s a start, but ultimately pointless. Even if every journalist/pundit admitted what sane people have known for years, we’re still stuck with the current, incompetent shell of a man president now. There’s no righting the ship while millions are fed propaganda 24/7, and believe they’re actually watching news. Opening networks/publications to 10 figure punitive damage settlements might help, but will never happen.

Yeah, this is nothing more than the left’s favored tactic of publishing “mistakes” on the front page, letting them damage their political opponents, then finally publishing the retraction weeks later, buried somewhere on the bottom of page 30 where few will see it. The damage is already done; there is no way to undo it at this point.

Funny how all the media’s “mistakes” always seem to f damage the right and help the left, isn’t it.

Yeah, this is nothing more than the left’s favored tactic of publishing “mistakes” on the front page, letting them damage their political opponents, then finally publishing the retraction weeks later, buried somewhere on the bottom of page 30 where few will see it. The damage is already done; there is no way to undo it at this point.

Funny how all the media’s “mistakes” always seem to f damage the right and help the left, isn’t it. Originally Posted by Smarty1

Agreed - this is yet another reason why trust in the media is at an all time low. They lie in lockstep for the left

Yeah, this is nothing more than the left’s favored tactic of publishing “mistakes” on the front page, letting them damage their political opponents, then finally publishing the retraction weeks later, buried somewhere on the bottom of page 30 where few will see it. The damage is already done; there is no way to undo it at this point.

Funny how all the media’s “mistakes” always seem to f damage the right and help the left, isn’t it. Originally Posted by Smarty1

The laptop from hell comes to mind. What was it, 50 ‘current and former intel officials’ putting out a statement that it was Russian disinformation? Guess our intelligence guys aren’t very intelligent, but I’m still waiting for the retraction.

Agreed - this is yet another reason why trust in the media is at an all time low. They lie in lockstep for the left Originally Posted by berryberry

It’s also the government that has lost all credibility. The DOJ was all over the Trump-Russia hoax and completely ignoring blatant crime and corruption of the Biden grifter cabal.

It’s also the government that has lost all credibility. The DOJ was all over the Trump-Russia hoax and completely ignoring blatant crime and corruption of the Biden grifter cabal. Originally Posted by Jacuzzme

True - with libtards in charge in DC we now have a two tier justice system. We saw that when Eric Holder was held in Contempt of Congress for failing to turn over documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. but was never prosecuted.

Contrast that with Steve Bannon who was held in contempt of Congress and prosecuted by Senile Biden's DOJ for not participating in the libtard's Soviet style show trial, and not being allowed to even put on most of his defense by the Democrats DC judge

Two systems of justice - one for libtards, one for conservatives