In broadcasting this inflammatory filth.. The cable channels are as
culpable as Trump if American Muslims are attacked as a result.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I don't have the time to explain them in all their detail, but there explanations to be found on the web.
In a nutshell the so-called "equal time" rule applies to appearances by a qualified candidate on television during an election campaign.
A couple of things to keep in mind. The election that Trump is currently a candidate for is not the Presidency. It's the repub nomination. Or more specifically, a series of separate primary elections. At this point neither Trump nor the other repub candidates are qualified candidates nationwide (they're getting there, but certainly were not at the time of SNL). So at best, when Trump makes an appearance that triggers the "equal time" (really "equal opportunities"
rule, it only triggers the rule with respect to the other qualified repub candidates and only in the states where they've qualified and are campaigning.
More importantly, the rule is subject to four exceptions. If the airtime comes in a documentary, a scheduled newscast, a news interview show, or in the coverage of an on-the-spot news event, it doesn’t trigger the equal-time rules.
He'd go for bigger letter if he was feeling super-boastful!
He can't help himself. He can't policy-talk his way out of a wet paper bag ("I've got people who will come in and blah, blah, blah..." , so puffery and inflammatory rhetoric are all he's got.
Unfortunately, he's striking a chord with a certain segment of the population. It remains to be seen if they'll actually come out to vote.
