Caffeinated Politics

I only watch CBS News under very limited circumstances since Bari Weiss took the head at the news division. With the shift away from objective reporting to instead fluffing Donald Trump, while decimating CBS Radio News, the closest I come to the network is following the weekly viewership decline of Tony Dokoupil. Last week, an email reported that his time as the news anchor had seen a drop in viewership below 4 million people. Meanwhile, the ABC and NBC evening news shows are actually gaining viewers.

But tonight, James and I watched Donald Trump tell a national audience on 60 Minutes that he is not a rapist. Or a paedophile. It was almost like CBS News was saying sorry for being so rudderless for the past months.

Norah O’Donnell: The so-called manifesto is a stunning thing to read, Mr. President. He appears to reference a motive in it. He writes this quote, “Administration officials, they are targets.” And he also wrote this, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” What’s your reaction to that?

President Trump: Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re– you’re he– you’re horrible people. Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m– I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.

Norah O’Donnell: Oh you think– do you think he was referring to you?

President Trump: I’m not a pedophile.

Parents of college-age students across the nation surely were hoping that drinking games with shots were not taking place for every lie Trump told on national television during the interview. Inside the White House, words that never would be allowed on this page must have been unleashed by aides in full fury. Political consultants will use Trump’s responses in the interview to show future candidates and pols how to never respond to a question. No one can now claim that Trump is not a completely verified moron.

After I was back in my chair from literally jumping out of it. I thought of Richard Nixon. One of the names in any good trivia game is Joseph Ungaro, reporter for the Providence Evening Bulletin. On November 17, 1973, at a televised Associated Press Managing Editors convention in Orlando, Florida, Ungaro questioned Nixon regarding his income taxes during the Watergate scandal.

“The Journal‑Bulletin on Oct. 3 reported that you paid $792 in federal income tax in 1970 and $878 in 1971. Are these figures accurate, and would you tell us your views on whether elected officials should disclose their personal finances?”

But it was Nixon’s response that is long remembered.

Nxon acknowledged that the reported numbers were essentially correct. He explained that his low tax liability resulted from a large charitable deduction for donating his vice‑presidential papers, other allowable deductions, and his belief that he had followed all IRS rules. He stated his support for transparency and believed public officials should disclose their finances, adding that he had already done so voluntarily.

But later in the press conference, Nixon circles back after answering a different question about Watergate and returns to the previous subject of his personal finances and integrity. This is where the famous line appears.

“People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

We know what the facts are on that score with Nixon. And we know that if we were college students playing a drinking game during 60 Minutes, we would be way beyond tipsy.