This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Backfire

Years ago the media tried to destroy Jack Nicklaus because he was overtaking the great Arnold Palmer. They focused on his weight and castigated him constantly. He persevered, played his game and waited for people to see him as he really was. He became a beloved golfer. The mainstream media attacked Rush Limbaugh mercilessly for years. He also persevered, wrote best selling books, built the largest audience in history and now, their arsenal exhausted and ineffective, the tyrants leave him alone in grudging respect.

In the above examples of media prejudice, the efforts to destroy backfired and turned subjects of derision into sympathetic images. The reason they backfired is simple. The longer the overreaching continued without the desired result the more people recognized the media lies and deceit. Folks saw how the media’s claims were suspect and, eventually, untrustworthy. The public instinctively understood the media went outside the bounds of decency and began paying attention to actions rather than words.

Today, the media is doing it, again. Slowly, likes waves lapping at the shore, people are becoming immune to the constant drumbeat against their president. The unending accusations fail to materialize and, thus, forfeit the consideration of reasonable folks. Eventually, only the irrational will remain to pay attention to the slurs and false premises. As the media barrage continues without success it is going to turn Trump into one of the most admired presidents in our country’s history.

There is a lot of truth to the adage which claims the media can only destroy those they build up. Just ask Charlie Rose, Al Franken and Matt Lauer.

Jerusalem

I have always been a supporter of the state of Israel and their recognition by President Harry Truman in 1947. I have visited Israel and believe strongly in their existence as a nation.

But I don’t agree with President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital without requiring them to end , for example, the expansion of Jewish settlements or some other concrete actions that the Palestinians would approve of. I would rather that Israel and the Palestinian state sign a peace settlement that they both agree to.

Our European allies are aghast at this latest impractical advocacy of something radical to most without the approval or knowledge of most world leaders.

This story was originally published December 26, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, December 27, 2017."