The liberal media complex meltdown over the Trump-Putin summit shouldn't be a surprise.  Most everyone watching the joint press conference in real time recognized Trump's gaffe, but the resulting hysteria on the left is a clown show unparalleled.  Recently, we've watched the lefties jump from one outrage to the next, but this one has an extra layer of zeal that stinks of desperation – or something worse.

The Intelligence Community that Trump slighted is the same Intelligence Community chock-full of Deep State Democrat holdovers from the Obama administration who have been engaged in acts of sedition against our president since well before the election.  The president indirectly called them out instead of giving the left the acknowledgement it would have undoubtedly used as a stick with which to further bludgeon him.  Many of us wish Trump had chosen the high road, but it's hard to blame him.

Obviously, Trump does not communicate like a seasoned politician.  He has communication quirks that obfuscate his message sometimes when he's speaking extemporaneously.  He will make a statement that is succinct and clear, as if the words had been memorized.  Then, while his brain is busy working on the next thing to say, he will habitually reiterate what he just said, but in different terms that often undermine his point or even change the substance completely.  It's frustrating to watch, but actions, not words should be the yardstick by which we measure our leaders.  Isn't Trump the antithesis of Obama in this respect?  Call it rock-solid actions with a side of careless rhetoric.

The feigned outrage on the right is also insulting.  If the Intelligence Community is above reproach on the world's stage, then why isn't the president?  Why isn't this same level of GOP outrage directed at the DOJ and Jeff Sessions, who have allowed a duly elected president to come under full assault for the better part of two years without basis?  The answer is that the outrage is there, but the MSM amplifies everything that is pro-left and attenuates everything pro-right so it gets no traction.  This forces right-leaning media such as Fox News and talk radio to remain in a state of constant rebuttal to the narratives they are not controlling.  This isn't always the case, but it has been more so during the Trump era.  It is also worth noting that when Republicans express disagreement with Trump, this creates a "chum in the water" effect that sends the MSM into even greater hysterics, as we are seeing now.

The hyperbolic assertions on CNN and MSNBC have steadily escalated since 2016.  However, terms to describe the summit like "treason," "Kristallnacht," "Pearl Harbor," and "9-11" are a bridge too far, and everyone knows it.  What do the MSM hope to gain?  For sensible people, hearing outrageous assertions like these results in the immediate dismissal of everything that is said beyond that point.  Unhinged hyperbole routinely galvanizes base support behind the president even when he is in the wrong.  Yet the lefties continue trying to outdo each other.

The question we should be asking is, what does a deliberate rhetorical departure from facts do to the useful idiots out there?  Is it any wonder that groups like Antifa now exist?  The escalating tone has the potential to convince people that violence – not just protests and marches – is what is required to "save our democracy." 

Maybe the hyperbolic reaction on the left is because leftists see their prospects of impeachment dwindling.  The latest Mueller indictments were coupled with a painful admission that there was no collusion by Americans.  The witch hunt continues to decline in popularity.  Perhaps the MSM are feeling the desperation that nothing they do or say is going to undo the results of the 2016 election.

Opinion journalism is healthy when each side is represented equally and when there is distinction between straight news and opinions.  That straight news element is all but lost in the MSM, and our country is being torn apart because of it.  As a country, we need to get our heads around this.  Fake news is a moniker that doesn't go far enough to describe the MSM.  They are organized battalions of the Democratic Party.  They are corrupt.  They are a threat to democracy.  They don't try to hide their bias anymore.  They are lying to half of Americans through factual misstatements, omissions, and blatant demagoguery.  Being all in on one side of the argument is exactly what a state-run media system looks like.  Just ask Vladimir Putin.

Follow Michael on Twitter at @_MYoung.