Making News

Anybody who web surfed over to The California Republican could be forgiven for believing they were perusing an actual news site. A google search yields the description: “US, California, Central Valley news and sports.” The home page breaks down menu options such as national security and regional sports, along with water issues, a prominent concern in California’s Central Valley, and US news. The enterprise’s Facebook page labels it a “Media/News Company.” Nothing stands out to dissuade the casual browser they are looking at anything other than a regional internet news operation. Until they check who is funding it.

Perhaps nobody other than Trump, himself, rails against the press more than Devin Nunes. Like the man he seems ready to go to jail to protect, Nunes is a constant on Twitter, labeling virtually anything not wholly supportive of him the figment of mainstream media conspiracy. Certainly nobody with as important a committee chairmanship has been as willing to attack the media, parroting Trump’s “enemy of the people” sedition.

In fact, Nunes actually has his own fake news operation…really! …The California Republican. That’s right, if you can’t depend on others to carry your water, build your own well! Like Willy Wonka’s exacting confection standards, Nunes has gone in-house to make sure he gets the propaganda blend juuusst right.

He certainly can’t rely on his area’s real news operation, The Fresno Bee, whose editorial board has aptly tagged Nunes as “Trump’s stooge” for attacking the FBI and DOJ on the President’s behalf. A January editorial was to the point:

“He certainly isn’t representing his Central Valley constituents or Californians, who care much more about health care, jobs and, yes, protecting Dreamers than about the latest conspiracy theory”

Ouch! And it gets worse. The Bee has devoted investigative staff to digging into his financial interest in a winery being sued for sexual harassment, lurid allegations about cocaine use and sex professionals on a yacht owned by the company. This, apparently, was the last straw for Nunes, who has waged war against the Bee, devoting some of the $7 million his fealty to Trump has helped him raise to ads attacking the paper as allied with “radical left wing groups to promote fake news stories about me.”

Of course the Fox/AM universe has made 24/7 support of one of its darlings a top priority. It used to be called Hannity and Colmes before Fox conceded it insulted even the intelligence of its viewers and got rid of the latter. But calling it Hannity and Nunes would certainly be justified, given how often the congressman comes on to spin the latest outrage. On line, both The Daily Caller and Breitbart can’t produce enough Nunes content. Article after article on his quixotic quest against the Deep State Goliath. But that’s still not enough. If you want it done right…

Nobody can say The California Republican is shoddy, or done on the cheap. Its stories are crisply written and efficiently formatted. But the titles betray an agenda. On the national security front, support of ICE is a common theme. “Why did only 18 Dems” support a resolution backing ICE? The “Abolish Ice crowd won’t like the alternative,” avows another faux headline. On the more benign Agriculture and Water front…”Trump administration approves Central Valley water storage project.” “A massive win,” according to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Nunes is featured throughout, there’s even a sports item of him “welcoming” LeBron to California… with its “King Tax.” Public Union control of Sacramento, the lies of socialism, liberal meltdown over Kavanaugh, California’s budget future isn’t as good as it looks, etc. etc. The entire operation paid for out of Nunes campaign funds.

The subscription page actually has a box to check avowing one isn’t a robot, rather rich given the site and content seem tailor made for bot distribution schemes. One thing is clear; a good deal of thought went into the enterprise, and fair and balanced it ain’t. Nunes and his backers defend the site as sadly necessary to counter the plethora of lies the beleaguered crusader must endure. Seven million big ones can staunch a lot of slander!

The Federalist Papers pointed out the Founding Fathers differing views on just how free the US press should be, and what succinct protections should be accorded what even then they understood to be a powerful force for good and bad. Still, I doubt Hamilton could have imagined lawmakers literally creating their own set of facts. A monthly news letter is one thing, The California Republican quite another.

Like the sick joke that is Fox’s “Fair and Balanced” motto, Nunes and company, foremost the POTUS, traffic in disdain for the foundations of the republic. They aren’t simply oblivious to what freedom of the press means to pluralist governance, they are actively disdainful and nefarious toward the entire idea. Democracies respect and are guided by the best efforts to grasp truth. Authoritarians are guided by their best efforts to manufacture lies. Don’t believe me? Click on The California Republican. BC