To watch Senate President Pro-Tem Phil Berger in an interview or on the senate floor, you would think he’s a thoughtful, measured, and serious man. He’s generally considered one of the three most powerful people in the state. To read his social media accounts, though, you could be forgiven if you thought he was a college Republican troll.
The News & Observer and Facebook have called out Berger for altering headlines and photos posted as news articles on his Facebook page. That’s in clear violation of Facebook rules and blatantly misleading his followers. Talk about fake news.
Most of the headlines are devoted to attacking Roy Cooper. It’s a familiar theme. Berger spends an inordinate amount of his time on twitter criticizing Cooper. He’s becoming North Carolina’s version of Donald Trump.
The national media jumped on the story. AP South tweeted: “This tweet has not been altered: Staff of NC @SenatorBerger rewrites headlines about Gov. @RoyCooperNC on Facebook.” Berger should be furious with his staff. Instead, Berger’s crew is pushing back.
Like Trump, Berger’s staff, presumably with his blessing, is attacking the press and Facebook. Republicans have had a rocky relationship with the media in North Carolina almost since they took power. This time, though, Berger and crew are misleading the public about what publications say in clear violation of a company’s policy. Somebody should be apologizing, not attacking.
Can you imagine the outrage if the News & Observer made up quotes and attributed them to Berger? That’s essentially what Berger has done on his Facebook page. That’s more than fake news. That’s lying.
The GOP has been feuding with the press for years. But it’s not always been that way. They cheered on investigations that hurt Democrats from Meg Scott Phipps to Mike Easley. They touted the N&O’s investigation of the Rural Center and used it as justification for cutting funding and support. I remember when liberals were dropping their subscriptions because the paper had become too conservative for their taste.
The current episode highlights disturbing trends in politics. Tribalism has replaced ideology and objectivity. Berger’s supporters are rallying to his defense while acknowledging that they both changed the headlines and violated Facebook policy. They’ll stick with Berger because he’s on their team, not because he’s right.
One of the most powerful people in the state is attacking the press, not for what they’ve done or said but for asking to be quoted correctly. That has authoritarian overtones. Berger and company want to create their own version of reality by demonizing the media. They’re pushing propaganda, not truth.
Finally, Berger is demeaning the office of the President Pro-tem. He should be above the pettiness of both his tweets and Facebook page. His social media should reflect his personality and demeanor. They do neither. Instead, they leave us wondering, which Phil Berger is the real one: The measured good natured man in the TV interviews, or the petty, vindictive one on social media?
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
The level of lies and absurd claims by the Republican Party and its members is insulting, shameful, and, in some cases, slanderous and libel. They must believe that a deluge of “alternative facts” will allow them to exert some level of mind control. And, as ridiculous as it may sound, it seems to be working. At least at some level. It is mind boggling to realize that there are actually people so deluded by hatred and ignorance that they believe the inane nonsense being spewed from sea to shining sea. If they are not held accountable this will only continue to get worse.
In the face of these concocted lies and fabrications by the highest elected officials in our NC legislative branches of government in NC and by our President, who sets the (low) standard for their behavior, we have no other option than to continue to call them out – thank your Mr. Mills – and to be committed every day to take some action such as calls, editorials, emails, but most of all some political action to help restore democracy in our state and nation. That our nation is now an official plutocracy and that NC is among the least democratic state in the U.S. is a point of shame and must be resisted!
“His social media should reflect his personality and demeanor.”
I’m thinking that we are. The face of the real Phil Berger.
Trump is giving people like Mr. Berger free licence to lie, distort the truth and not really be held accountable. Tribalism is the new word we really don’t need in our free and open society,
What I love was that his folks pushed back that Facebook didn’t fully comprehend their OWN company policies regarding this.
What bothers me is that no one has figured out how to deal with the likes of Berger and Trump. That have the media thrown off balance most of the time. Does the media investigate their bogus claims? Will that legitimize them? What of importance is the media ignoring when they are trying to validate these absurdities. This is excellent strategy. The most powerful people in the state and nation take advantage of rampant institutional mistrust to usurp even more power from the people and the press. It’s remarkably effective, so why would they stop it?
They are not going to stop because, as Mills notes, tribalism has taken over the national Republican Party and the NCGOP, too.
What advances the tribe over other groups is paramount–even if it’s wrong-headed, unethical, dishonest, bad precedent setting, or an outright fabrication or lie. Tribalism is why the gerrymandering, voter suppression, and attacks on the executive branch and gay/civil rights have been so egregiously undertaken in NC by Republicans since 2010.
It’s possible that I won’t live long enough to see the day that Berger and the NCGOP get their just desserts. But that doesn’t stop me, each morning, from wishing bad political fortunes on Berger, Moore, and all their fellow Republican miscreants.
Is he trying to grow a beard and failing, or does he only shave once in a while? Every time I see his face I look for the nearby cup where I can give him a quarter. Combine the seedy looks with his repulsive agenda, and you get, well, the new North Carolina Republican.