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Lies, Politics and Democracy: Tim Alberta (interview) | FRONTLINE



Tim Alberta is a staff writer for The Atlantic. He formerly served as chief political correspondent for Politico and is the author of American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump.

The following interview was conducted by the Kirk Documentary Group’s Mike Wiser for FRONTLINE on May 6, 2022. It has been edited for clarity and length.

This interview is being published as part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind our documentaries. Explore the transcript of this interview, and others, on the FRONTLINE website:

#Frontline #Interview #TimAlberta

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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.

CHAPTERS:
Trump’s Initial Claims of Fraud in the 2020 Election – 0:00:00
The Response from Graham and Cruz – 0:05:48
Cruz and the 2016 Election – 0:11:31
Pence Joins the Ticket – 0:39:59
Trump’s Early Presidency and the Republican Response – 0:46:04
Trump and Charlottesville – 0:53:48
The First Impeachment – 0:57:06
Republican Leadership in the Wake of the 2020 Election – 1:09:14
Jan. 6 and the Aftermath – 1:20:41
The Republicans Exile Liz Cheney – 1:29:56

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50 comments
@chuckthompson5724

The convention was the point in time that broke Ted Cruz and destroyed the Republican party. Cruz became a sycophant and the party wass dissolved.

@РодионЧаускин

Davis Kimberly Johnson Shirley Clark Elizabeth

@lynettejenkins9213

Good for you Tim for speaking the truth

@johnbirk843

Soldiers risk life and limb to defend democracy, they are heroes.

Republicans won't even risk their job to defend democracy, they are cowards.

@johnbirk843

How the Republican party copied the methods of cults to control voters and then Trump came along and took it over.

3 or 4 decades ago, my wife and I were watching the Sunday news shows like face the Nation and I noticed something different.

When Democrats were asked questions, the answers had diversity, some a little more liberals some a little more conservative most in the middle.

When the Republicans were asked questions on the Sunday news shows, word for word for word, they answers were identical.

One thing I knew from scientific research, is that all data has a certain variability due to underlying quantum chaos which are inherent in all results, if the data is identical with no variation, it is generally considered faked.

I turned to my wife and said "the Republicans are turning into a cult"!

Many religions and cults are started by a person with a Grand vision and good intentions, however there's always a danger in all organizations, namely that a sociopathic/psychopathic individual, with no moral boundaries can take it over and turn it into something evil, I believe this is how the Republican party turned into a cult, they decided to go down a path of disinformation and then someone like Donald Trump came along and took it over as a tool for his own greed and grandiosity.

Perhaps the following statement could be used to combat Republican disinformation:

Republicans have trigger/catchphrases, why shouldn't Democrats have one. Like this:

"ANOTHER REPUBLICAN HALF TRUTH, THAT'S A WHOLE LIE

Scientia Habet Non Domus,
(Knowledge Has No Home)

@marygemmacapodanno2035

These Republicans would rather betray their oaths of office and the people of the United States than to be seen working with Democrats. The Republican Party has allowed one evil man to end our Democracy as we have known it for 248 years. Can they comprehend the gravity of what they have done? They have allowed Donald Trump to get away with egregious, criminal and treasonous behavior with impunity. Why? Who is he? After watching this program, I know the answers. Thank you, Tim Alberta, for your most excellent work.

@SuzanneCook-f2x

The Right wing politicians who gave cover to drumpf sold their very souls to the devil. There is NO revovering from that. They will someday be called to judgement, they will have to atone.

@susanmagalas3074

What an interesting conversation. Cannot believe I just found this now. It would be very interesting to have a conversation with Tim Alberta at this stage of the upcoming election.