‘Never Trumper’ Historian Jon Meacham Continues His Sour Patterns of Predictable Thought

Broadcasting live from Music Row Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Michael Patrick Leahy was joined on the phone by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.

During the second hour, Leahy and Carmichael discussed historian Jon Meacham’s recent comments on Meet the Press where he again referenced Trump as being a monarchical ruler. Carmichael observed Meacham as a person filled with contempt and arrogance as he continues his repetitive anti-Trump narrative. He added that he thought Meacham would never speak with those who disagree with him and that for someone so intelligent, he lacks adding anything new to the conversation.

Leahy: We are joined now by our good friend and the original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael. Crom, good morning.

Carmichael: Good morning sir. How are you?

Leahy: I’m great. How was your Easter Sunday?

Carmichael: Well, we had a nice Sunday and time to reflect. But it was like so many other Americans, it was at home and without a church service.

Leahy: You know another American who was at home and apparently in kind of a sour mood was the venerable historian who lives in Nashville. Our friend who we’ve not yet met, Jon Meacham who kind of embodies the view of the left. Did you catch him on Meet the Press?

Carmichael: I did. I actually did catch him on Meet the Press.

Leahy: Well here’s what he had to say. Do you want to hear what he had to say?

Carmichael: Yes. Yes, please.

Leahy: OK. Here he is. Jon Meacham on Meet the Press.

(Jon Meacham clip plays)

Absolutely. It’s with keeping with his monarchical tendencies here. I think these briefings are really infomercials more than briefings. He is constantly selling his own reaction to the crisis in the face of facts. And I think that ultimately what you’re seeing with the numbers is Americans’ at some intuitive level understanding that the President is selling them. He’s not protecting them.

Leahy: Jon Meacham. What do you think of that comment?

Carmichael: Well, what we know is that Jon Meacham does not like Trump. He has made no secret of that. And he didn’t like Trump from the time he got elected. So I kind of put Jon Meacham in the category of the ‘Never Trumpers.’ If he opens his mouth and says the word Trump, then you know whatever words follow are negative. And I’m saying that as somebody who has never written a history book but is able to look at recent history.

Leahy: Jon Meacham is very predictable, isn’t he?

Carmichael: Very predictable and it’s kind of sad. You would think a person who could write history as well as he has written history, and he’s written a number of very fine history books. You would think that he would be more intelligent in the way that he approaches recent history. He reminds me a little bit of the analysts.

I don’t know if you remember that the Buffalo Bills lost two Superbowl’s on the last play because they missed field goals? He reminds me of the analysts who said if they had made their field goals they would have won the Superbowl. But they didn’t make those field goals. And they didn’t make them on purpose. I can say that because they missed.

Leahy: Yeah really. (Chuckles)

Carmichael: That is about the amount of deft that Jon Meacham adds to the argument because he can’t stand Trump. And if he were forced to say something nice I don’t believe he’d be able to do it.

Leahy: I don’t think he can, no. He can’t say anything nice.

Carmichael: And Chuck Todd is no different. Trump has said that the decision he makes about re-opening the government and the timing of it will be the most consequential decision of his presidency. Did you hear what Chuck Todd said? He said yes it would be if he makes the wrong one.

Leahy: Exactly. (Laughs) 

Carmichael: If he makes the right one it will because of somebody else. It won’t be because Trump analyzed all of the information made the right decision. It won’t be that. And Chris Wallace by the way, has gotten to be just as bad.

Leahy: Yeah. And Trump made that point.

Carmichael: I didn’t see Trump make that point but I watched Chris Wallace’s program. I will say that I think Trump’s policies have been very very good for America. And I’m talking about from the time he became President. I’m not for open borders. I believe that we need a lot more US manufacturing. I believe China is an adversary. And I believe Trump sees China to be an adversary. I think lower taxes are a good thing.

I think that Trump is doing more heavy lifting to help the Black community get a better education than the last 10 presidents combined. And he gets no credit from the left for anything because they are such pro-government people. What is hysterical about what Jon Meacham says is he calls Trump monarchical. He says that a lot. He says he acts like a king.

Leahy: He’s very predictable.  He always says he’s monarchical. Every time.

Carmichael: Every time. If there’s anybody that acts like a queen its Nancy Pelosi. (Leahy laughs) If there is anybody that has followed the law as a President it is Donald J. Trump because if he picked his nose Nancy Pelosi would impeach him.

Leahy: Yeah exactly. Crom, don’t you think Jon Meacham needs like a body language coach? Just look at him. He’s dripping with contempt when he talks. He’s almost sneering when he talks about Trump.

Carmichael: Contempt and arrogance are bedfellows. And I really don’t think that Jon Meacham talks to people who disagree with him otherwise he might be able to see a little bit more than he’s able to see. And he’s not able to see very much. He doesn’t add much to the conversation because as soon as anybody mentions his name and asks him to comment you already know what he’s going to say.

Leahy: Exactly. We could wind up one of those little wind-up dolls and say, Donald Trump, press the button and we’ll know exactly what Jon Meacham is going to say.

Carmichael: And it doesn’t even matter the time within history. He’ll still say exactly the same thing about Trump for three years. He has been saying exactly the same thing. When history changes in three years Meacham doesn’t have anything new to say.

Now here’s what’s going to be interesting. I don’t know when Trump is going to open the economy. When he does re-open it my best guess is that he is going to rely very much upon the governors. And I think it’s going to re-open in stages. I don’t think it’s going to re-open the whole country because the whole country didn’t shut down all at once. So my sense of it is that it won’t re-open very much May first. It really won’t.

I think Nashville for example, on a relative basis we didn’t get hit all that hard. But we got hit hard enough where we don’t want to go through this again. So we might open. It’s possible that no big events happen in Nashville. It could be that restaurants when they open they have to open with tables that are six feet apart. There’s going to be a lot of changes until we have a vaccine or until we have an extremely reliable treatment.

Leahy: Yes.

Carmichael: Almost like a pharmaceutical. You get it and you take it. It’s going to be very very uneven.

Leahy: I think you are right. By the way getting back to our friend whom we’ve never met, the venerable historian Jon Meacham who is stuck in the same patterns of thought. You mentioned something very important. You said you don’t think he talks to anybody who disagrees with him. I think that’s the case.

I think we could do a public service Crom. When all this is over. When you are able to come back in the studio and we’ll wear gloves and masks if need be. I think we ought to invite ole’ Jon Meacham to come in and hear from people who don’t agree with his ‘bad man orange’ theory of history.

Carmichael: Right. I think that would be good. I know it would be good for Nashville because Meahcam is if nothing else he is an intelligent person. And he’s written a number of very very fine history books. But it is sad. And the point I was making about Chuck Todd and Jon Meacham agreed with him that is when Trump said this will be the most consequential decision I’ve made.

Now Joe Biden would pass the buck. Joe Biden isn’t going to stand up and say I have to live with this decision because it’s my decision. Joe Biden has two things going for him. One is he wouldn’t be able to remember what he said about his decision. (Leahy laughs) And the other is that I did what the scientists told me to do. It’s their fault. Go talk to them.

Listen to the second hour here:

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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.

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