NBC’s First Read crew of Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Carrie Dann has a stellar entry in the “are they pretending to be this stupid or is it not an act” competition. “Normalization” edition:
A week after Donald Trump's upset presidential victory, a common refrain from liberals and Trump opponents is that he shouldn't be normalized. Unfortunately for them, voters already normalized Trump [...] Now where Trump critics have a point is that so many of his actions and behavior haven't been normal, and they deserve scrutiny. The examples: His talk about jailing his opponent; his refusal to release his taxes; his suggestion (before he won) that the results would be rigged; and his disorderly transition with talk of a "Stalinesque purge." None of THAT is normal. But Trump as president-elect? That is the new normal.
Do I really have to explain this? See, guys, the thing several sentences down where you say “Now where Trump critics have a point is that so many of his actions and behavior haven't been normal, and they deserve scrutiny”? That is the point. But you missed some stuff. Like his appointment of a white nationalist as his top adviser. Like trying to get security clearance for his kids and/or his son-in-law.
So basically we have a straw man—that the media is taking serious fire for normalizing the fact of Trump’s election—followed by identifying the actual point being made with an “okay, so there is a point somewhere here” tone, followed by an extremely incomplete accounting of what’s at issue.
Bravo, guys. Way to send a signal that the media is on It.