The days when Univision anchor Jorge Ramos used to swear he would never go so far as to tell his audience how to vote are over.
The most well-known Hispanic newsman in the United States, once widely respected for pursuing tough, critical lines of questioning with all his political interview subjects, is now openly taking sides in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
During recent weeks, Ramos has unleashed two columns denouncing the Republican candidate for President of the United States as a “hater” and “threat to the American experiment”, stating that the country is on the verge of an “abyss…named Donald Trump” and expressing his hope that “civility and rationality will prevail in America once again” by early 2017.
Ramos’s move is in step with a disturbingly increasing number of journalists at the national level who, like him, are shedding the profession’s traditional conventions of impartiality in their election coverage, and justifying a stance of open, brazen opposition to Trump. A recent Columbia Journalism Review article seeks to justify just such an approach, by categorizing Trump’s political discourse as “deviant” and “outside the bounds” of legitimate controversy.
In other words, Ramos and journalists like him have concluded that Trump’s uber politically incorrect rhetoric is “dangerous” and they see themselves as morally obliged to “stand up and oppose it.” That explains why Ramos and journalists like him consistently and categorically vilify and label Trump as “racist”, “anti-immigrant” and “anti-Hispanic”, refusing to take into consideration any information or statements by the candidate and his supporters that contravene such sweeping accusations, moral condemnations, and epithets.
Specifically, Ramos’ tars Trump as “the primary driving force of…hate” and adds that “according to him, immigrants are the enemy.” Ramos goes on to intone: “America is facing a serious threat in Trump.”
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In order to justify his crass, over the top political jihad against Trump, Ramos studiously avoids any effort to parse the Republican candidate’s comments on immigration, nor consider that Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he welcomes legal immigration.
Nor does Ramos want to even consider indications that Trump’s running mate, former House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, has a record on immigration in Congress that could very well position him, as Vice President, to help reach a deal for sensible immigration reform that would simultaneously enhance border security and immigration law enforcement, while also enacting a mechanism to enable legal authorization for millions of gainfully employed, well-established and decent residents of the United States.
Ramos’ decision to openly take sides in this year’s presidential election is in keeping with both his family’s ties (his daughter Paola works for the Clinton campaign) and his network’s close ties to the Clinton campaign. Just recently, it was also revealed that last year, after Hillary announced her campaign for President, Univision paid her husband, former President Bill Clinton, a cool $250,000 to give a speech at the network’s Upfronts event.
Below are the complete referenced portions of Ramos’ most recent anti-Trump, pro-Clinton columns.
“A Threat to the American Experiment”
August 1, 2016
(text translated from original Spanish version)
“...the experiment called the United States is experiencing a crucial moment in its history. That is, it is at the brink of an abyss. The abyss, of course, is named Donald Trump.
…This election is defined by Trump. It will be 'yes' or 'no' to him.
…in Philadelphia, where almost two and a half centuries ago a small group of politicians and writers planned the future of the country. Everything was put on a fragile piece of paper. They thought of all the possible threats that the new nation could face. But they could never have imagined a megalomaniac billionaire using social media with sinister skill.
This permanent experiment in democracy, freedom, and equality that is the United States has, with Donald Trump, one of its most grave threats. We will soon know – on November 8 – whether lies and fear on Twitter end up prevailing."
“The Summer of Hate”
(text taken from English version)
July 19, 2016
“Hate has become the new normal in America.
…Trump is a hater. I’ve never witnessed such venom in American politics as in his campaign.
…I’m afraid that our summer of hate will linger at least until Election Day in November. I don’t see any indication that divisive attacks will decrease — on the contrary, as the election approaches, they might intensify.
However, I’d like to believe that because of the Trump factor, this era might go down in American history as a deeply tragic footnote. I’d also like to believe that by early 2017, civility and rationality will prevail in America once again. Of course, if Trump wins, that theory will go right out the window.”
