In case you missed it (and who could blame you if you did?), Donald Trump was back in North Carolina over the weekend doing what he does best: talking about himself and telling lies. A fine Capitol Broadcasting Company editorial on WRAL.com captured the essence of the event accurately with the headline: “‘America First’ rally puts truth last.”
Here are some excerpts:
Any rational, sober and honest person watching and listening would better describe them as “truth last” Republicans. Let’s hope they represent a fringe group.
The errors of fact, the errors of omission, the errors of exaggeration and out-and-out dishonesty was shocking – even given the former president’s lowly standard for truthfulness.
We’ll start with the crowd. Right Side Broadcasting Network – launched to stream Trump rallies – contended there were 20,000 people at the rally. Nearly every other independent report put the crowd at about 2,000 to 5,000 tops.
Among the other lowlights detailed in the essay:
- Congressman and Trump acolyte Dan Bishop trying bizarrely and delusionally to blame the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection on House Speaker Pelosi,
- Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Congressmen Madison Cawthorn taking to the podium to mouth nonsense about new Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (and women in general), and
- Congressman Greg Murphy telling whoppers about the opioid crisis.
And of course, there was Trump with lots of other through-the-looking-glass claims:
…Trump called former Gov. Pat McCrory — who is running in the GOP Senate primary — as “the bathroom governor.” Trump added “what a mess that was!” It was a reference to the disastrous HB2 law concerning gender designation for bathroom use that cost the state billions in canceled tourism, athletic and economic development opportunities. What wasn’t mentioned — it was Bishop who was the law’s chief architect when he was a state legislator.
…Finally there’s Trump’s error-filled speech. Set aside his lies about the election – which WAS NOT stolen – or his misstatements about Ukraine and Russia. What about his comments on wind energy? “Windmills, we want windmills all over the place. I don’t see any windmills here. … If you’re near a windmill and you have a house, your house is like pretty much worthless. Kills all the birds, ruins your landscapes and it’s the most expensive form of energy there is.” First, Scientific American reports that “wind energy is one of the cheapest sources of electricity.”
Second – just a two-hour drive east from Selma is the state’s major wind farm. Not only does it produce enough electricity to power 61,000 homes, the owners are the largest property taxpayers in rural Perquimans and Pasquotank counties. That is what a true jolt to the economy looks like.
Here’s the editorial’s on-the-mark conclusion:
You don’t make American great through the kind of prejudice and dishonesty on display at the Selma rally on Saturday. There was no surprise in Trump’s performance. North Carolina’s politicians at the event should know better and have offered something positive for North Carolina’s future. They’re a disappointment.
Click here to read the entire editorial.
