Michael Beschloss: The Internet and Fox News and Its Imitators ‘Set the Stage for a Demagogue, Donald Trump, to Come in’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT MELBER I ░░░░░░░░ curious what you think ░░░░░░░░ can make of the ░░░░░░░░ as it unfolds And ░░░░░░░░ in our past shows ░░░░░░░░ guidance for things that ░░░░░░░░ unprecedented and then have ░░░░░░░░ precedent like holding these ░░░░░░░░ officials who are presumed ░░░░░░░░ accountable Putting them on ░░░░░░░░ for coup attempts BESCHLOSS ░░░░░░░░ think one way to ░░░░░░░░ at it Ari is ░░░░░░░░ s travel back to ░░░░░░░░ not entirely wonderful world ░░░░░░░░ the mid 1990s That ░░░░░░░░ a time that two ░░░░░░░░ happened Number one the ░░░░░░░░ was beginning to spread ░░░░░░░░ you could have social ░░░░░░░░ sites in this case ░░░░░░░░ wing radical sites that ░░░░░░░░ all sorts of information ░░░░░░░░ potentially billions of people ░░░░░░░░ had never happened before ░░░░░░░░ history Before then it ░░░░░░░░ have to be some ░░░░░░░░ standing on a street ░░░░░░░░ with some crazy flyer ░░░░░░░░ was a big difference ░░░░░░░░ our country The other ░░░░░░░░ is that we have ░░░░░░░░ beginning of Fox News ░░░░░░░░ imitators in 1996 untethered ░░░░░░░░ fact very eager to ░░░░░░░░ right wing radical narratives ░░░░░░░░ didn t connect to ░░░░░░░░ evidence I m not ░░░░░░░░ them entirely but maybe ░░░░░░░░ entirely a coincidence that ░░░░░░░░ 2004 you remember how ░░░░░░░░ Americans thought that Saddam ░░░░░░░░ behind anyone 9 11 ░░░░░░░░ he was not After ░░░░░░░░ the number of Americans ░░░░░░░░ thought that Barack Obama ░░░░░░░░ a Muslim not a ░░░░░░░░ And that went up ░░░░░░░░ was possible because of ░░░░░░░░ new technology And particularly ░░░░░░░░ cable network and its ░░░░░░░░ So that set the ░░░░░░░░ for a demagogue Donald ░░░░░░░░ to come in 2016 ░░░░░░░░ this technology the cable ░░░░░░░░ websites that would amplify ░░░░░░░░ message reaching all sorts ░░░░░░░░ people that Richard Nixon ░░░░░░░░ have in 1974 and ░░░░░░░░ a view of himself ░░░░░░░░ was not true A ░░░░░░░░ successful businessman That s ░░░░░░░░ he campaigned as The ░░░░░░░░ I m making is ░░░░░░░░ most of American history ░░░░░░░░ might have had a ░░░░░░░░ run for president but ░░░░░░░░ person would have been ░░░░░░░░ by a party structure ░░░░░░░░ say you can t ░░░░░░░░ our nomination Or might ░░░░░░░░ been stopped by traditional ░░░░░░░░ media saying this is ░░░░░░░░ he s saying that ░░░░░░░░ not true and he ░░░░░░░░ be barred from the ░░░░░░░░ MELBER Right BESCHLOSS As ░░░░░░░░ Nixon was in Watergate.”