Alex Triantafilou, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, recently posted this message on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter):
What they’ve done to this kid is damn near criminal. He owes NOBODY an explanation or apology. What he did is NOT “controversial” (the typical mainstream media adjective they use to show their filthy bias). He’s an American who can support whoever the hell he wants. If I were John Harbaugh, I would kick Abdul Carter off the team for creating this off-field distraction. I would call a team meeting and deliver ONE sentence: “This is a non-issue and everyone should shut up and play football.” Instead, and mark this down, the press and pundits will blame Dart for this “distraction.” This is something they would NEVER do if a player had introduced Obama, Biden or Kamala. I support@JaxsonDart
I get that Alex has a job to do. But I thought it would be illuminating to subject this post to some critical thinking. So here goes.
For background, Jaxson Dart is the quarterback for the New York Giants. Abdul Carter is a Giants linebacker. On May 22, Dart introduced President Trump at a rally in New York. The next day, Carter posted this message on X:
“Thought this s— was AI, what we doing man.” On the same day, Carter later posted on X: “Me & JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.”
So with that in mind, let’s do our exercise. First, and this is relatively minor, Alex misspelled Dart’s name. It’s Jaxson, not Jaxon. Second, Dart was born on May 13, 2003. In November of 2036, he will be 33. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the United States Constitution provides that a person “who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years” is ineligible for the office. So 2036 won’t work for Dart’s presidential run.
Let’s look at this phrase: “What they’ve done to this kid is damn near criminal.” Who is “they?” And what precisely did “they” do? It’s not clear. The next line might provide a clue: “[w]hat he did is NOT ‘controversial’ (the typical mainstream media adjective they use to show their filthy bias).”
So, it looks like Alex is referring to the usual suspects – the “mainstream media.” Fair enough. So I went to the New York Times’ website and searched “Jaxson Dart.” I found this one article. Interestingly, this article doesn’t use the word “controversial” (or “controversy”). It simply notes that one teammate reacted negatively to another teammate’s appearance at a Trump rally, and 10 hours later, posted that the beef had been squashed.
The New York Times is published in New York, where the Giants play. Assume Joe Burrow introduced Trump, and Tee Higgins objected on social media. That would be news on The Enquirer, all four TV stations and WLW. It’s news, whether you like it or not. I also searched CNN and MS Now. I found no articles about this incident on those sites.
The site that really covered the story was Fox News, which featured at least 10 separate reports. One included this headline: “Abdul Carter Talk To Dart Like A Man Not On Social Media.” That’s rich. Have they never seen Truth Social? Do they know the meaning of irony?
Another item lead with this paragraph: “After years of left-leaning athletes endorsing, promoting and even campaigning for Democratic Party politicians without incident, Jaxson Dart has faced immense criticism and set off a media firestorm by introducing President Donald Trump at a recent rally.” (Emphasis added.) But that item contains no links to any examples of the “media firestorm.” Likely because there was none. Oh, and three of the Fox News items included the word “controversy” in the headline.
I (and apparently Abdul Carter) completely agree with Alex’s next line: “He’s [Dart] an American who can support whoever the hell he wants.” But in the next breath, Alex undercuts this noble sentiment when he says: “If I were John Harbaugh, I would kick Abdul Carter off the team for causing this off-field distraction.” So, if I understand this, because he’s an American, Jaxson Dart can support whoever and whatever cause he wants. But if Abdul Carter, also an American, espouses an opinion, he should be cut. Got it. Totally consistent.
Alex concludes with this act of clairvoyance: “Mark this down, the press and pundits will blame Dart for this ‘distraction.’ This is something they would NEVER do if a player had introduced Obama, Biden or Kamala.”
Two things: First, that hasn’t happened. Second, I guess Alex forgot about Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s famous response to LeBron James and Kevin Durant’s political comments in 2018: “It’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid a hundred million dollars a year to bounce a ball … Keep the political commentary to yourself or … ‘Shut up and dribble.'” So, should Dart shut and pass? I am confused.
The 1995 film “The American President” ended with a speech from President Andrew Shepherd (portrayed by Michael Douglas), in which he talked about politicians manufacturing outrage and fear, and exploiting it. It was prescient then, and it is even more on point today. Maybe Alex can play it in the background while he bones up on the Constitution.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Critical thinking outmatches social media hypocrisy | Strictly Legal
Reporting by Jack Greiner, Special to The Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jack Greiner, Special to The Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
