Tuesday’s CBS Mornings had a piece in the second half-hour peddling a tiresome liberal media trope of melting down over election results that don’t go their way, especially when it comes to bemoaning the “far right” and “hard right” in Europe.
This time, they bemoaned the “hard-right,” “populist,” “right-wing” “backlash” that’s “shak[ing] up politics across Europe”, most notably in the Netherlands with Geert Wilders on the cusp of becoming prime minister. Check out examples here, here, here, here, and here for a sampling just from CBS.
Accompanied by the chyron “Europe’s Shift to the Right”, socialist co-host Tony Dokoupil teased a story about the “surprise election triumph, a result that leaves a longtime U.S. ally close to control by a hardline opponent of both Islam and immigration” that’s “part of a larger trend, a move to the right across Europe.”
After a break and with the return of both that chyron and a second one that knocked the Dutch for picking a “controversial far-right leader,” Dokoupil huffed that the “populist turn to the right in some European countries” included “a longtime right-wing political leader” appearing “primed to be the next prime minister of the Netherlands” and buoys hopes of the National Rally party in France.
Foreign correspondent Chris Livesay had the story from Rome about Wilders’s “victory that shaken up politics across Europe where mass immigration and a struggling post-pandemic economy are triggering a backlash.”
Annnd there it is. “Backlash”, one of many tried-and-true phrases the liberal media deploy when talking about right-of-center victories. Drink!
Speaking of deploying labels, Livesay had more for Wilders: “The hard-right firebrand is against mass immigration and has said he wants to close Islamic schools and mosques and now, following a stunning victory, Geert Wilders and his party are in pole position to form a coalition to lead the nation”.
Following unobjectionable quotes from Wilders about the need to put the “Dutch people...first again”, Livesay fretted Wilders’s performance was “the latest in a string of recent right-wing victories across Europe, making stunning gains in Austria and Germany, winning Parliament seats in Greece and general elections in Finland and Italy.”
Livesay looked down the road and warned that perennial French political figure and candidate Marine Le Pen from “the...far right...now has a considerable chance of becoming France’s next president.”
Ignoring the left’s European victories in countries such as Poland and Spain, the CBS reporter surprisingly hit on two major issues that’s caused the media’s beloved socialists to lose: “But why the sudden wins? A post-pandemic economy and runaway mass immigration to start, says political expert Nathalie Tocci.”
Tocci briefly expanded, but on immigration, she didn’t seem to empathize with concerns about unfettered immigration from Africa and the Middle East as she joined Livesay in using the “backlash” descriptor.
Before concluding with the fact that everything would change in Europe if Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election in the U.S., Livesay cued up a demonstrator from a left-of-center rally by fretting the economic and immigration concerns driving voters to the right at the ballot box has created “fears among its opponents.”
“I don’t want to normalize racism, divisiveness,” said demonstrator Thor Rydin.
To see the relevant transcript from November 28, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
November 28, 2023
7:35 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Coming Up; Europe’s Shift to the Right]
TONY DOKOUPIL: All right, coming up, a surprise election triumph, a result that leaves a longtime U.S. ally close to control by a hardline opponent of both Islam and immigration. We’ll show you how it’s part of a larger trend, a move to the right across Europe.
(....)
7:40 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Europe’s Right-Wing Shift; The Netherlands Elects Controversial Far-Right Leader]
DOKOUPIL: A populist turn to the right in some European countries is catching the world’s attention after a longtime right-wing political leader appears primed to be the next prime minister of the Netherlands, and a close ally in France, meanwhile, could get a boost from elections there next year. Chris Livesay in Rome looks now at the potential impact of all this, what it all means. Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LIVESAY: Good morning, Tony. It’s a victory that shaken up politics across Europe where mass immigration and a struggling post-pandemic economy are triggering a backlash. [CHEERS] He’s been called the Dutch Donald Trump, and not just for his hair. The hard right firebrand is against mass immigration and has said he wants to close Islamic schools and mosques and now, following a stunning victory, Geert Wilders and his party are in pole position to form a coalition to lead the nation with Wilders as its next prime minister. “The people have spoken,” he says. “We are sick and tired of this. We will make sure that Dutch people will be first again.” It’s the latest in a string of recent right-wing victories across Europe, making stunning gains in Austria and Germany, winning Parliament seats in Greece and general elections in Finland and Italy. Upset celebrated by Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far right, who now has a considerable chance of becoming France’s next president. “It is no accident that in many countries in Europe, the parties that defend the nation are winning,” she says. But why the sudden wins? A post-pandemic economy and runaway mass immigration to start says political expert, Nathalie Tocci.
NATHALIE TOCCI: There is definitely a backlash in immigration which tends to become a backlash when the economy starts suffering, and in general, the sort of economic fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, of course, we have war in the Middle East. You know, the general climate of uncertainty has really put a sort of a downer on — on economic recovery post-pandemic.
LIVESAY: All of it leading to a surge for the hard right and fears among its opponents, like at this rally in The Netherlands.
THOR RYDIN: I don’t want to normalize racism, divisiveness, and I think it’s important to remind everyone that these norms can easily shift.
LIVESAY: But perhaps the biggest boost to Europe’s hard right would be a second rise to the presidency for Donald Trump. That analysts say would reshape politics not just in the United States, but around the world as well, Nate.
NATE BURLESON: You’re right about that. Chris Livesay in Rome, thank you.
