A critic, Oscar Wilde once noted, is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. I'm a former journalist, and I can attest to the copycat nature of the lazy media. Most so-called journalists don't have any training (it's not required) and simply spew stuff they have read elsewhere. And given that right-wing media is nothing but nihilistic propaganda, we all face a formidable enemy. So you are absolutely right: we need to fight back with everything we have. I'll donate to Stacey Abrams again today....
WaPo’s Jennifer Rubin recently: rather than US politics being “polarized” the real issue is a “radicalized“ GOP. Agree! PS: Here in Athens, Georgia - Brian Kemp’s hometown and where Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker won the Heisman - efforts continue to keep Raphael Warnock in DC and get Stacey to the statehouse.
I disagree with our Robert on one thing in his excellent piece. It's not laziness that accounts for the members of the (presumably sane) media who are attackng Biden. Here's the real reason. They, like most of the GOP, have slipped into an alternative universe. Lewis Carroll called it Wonderland. We only get confused when we try to make sense of it.
Superb call to optimism, Robert! Stacey’s second run for Georgia governor should inspire those inclined to pessimism: if Stacey Abrams can remain hopeful, so should we. Thank you for dismissing the Press’s obsession with “the next shiny object” (an efficient put down, btw) for what it is, an abrogation of journalistic responsibility. We are on the right path. Marjorie Taylor Greene should shop for a designer straight jacket.
The rest of us needs to create a strong, clear message of what to do for the American People. Education was at the forefront in VA. Pay attention, Democrats. We go back to our message of how to help ALL people in this country. We have ways and have done that already. Talk about it. We can change the tone by calling out the wrongs, the lies and THEN going to the plan for how to make democracy and this country work better. The Republicans are the culture wars. The Democrats are the make-it-better doers. So. Do it.
Why do Democrats not do better in the media? One reason is that we are too nice. There have been numerous reports that counties that voted for Trump have far higher death rates from Covid than those that supported Biden. Most recently, NPR reported yesterday that, "people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden," and that, "[i]n October, the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth." Yet where is the Democratic office-holder who points out the obvious: Republicans have become the party of death. While the Select Committee goes on doing admirable work, where are Democrats in the House and Senate tweeting or making statements or giving speeches that say outright that January 6th was an attempt to overthrow the government, or that Republicans are still plotting to do that? We hear a lot of individual Democrats, and some journalists saying that, but where are the leaders? If senators or congressmen, or cabinet members, or even the President, would speak the unvarnished truth, the media would amplify it, same as they do for Republican nonsense, and worse. (With all that, I do not mean to suggest that the sky is falling, because it isn't, or that the truth will not win out, because I believe that it will. But it would be heart-warming to read or hear that our leaders are willing to stand up and call things what they are.)
Sadly, I could not finish this article this morning. I got past the part that reinforces Heather's point of no platform and stopped. Having just read "Popular Information" my tolerance level was over the top. This is why I watch PBS Newshour on YouTube also. I can skip the pundit parts, which leaves me with about 10 minutes of news I can tolerate. NPR has also gone the way of the ignored. I do not mean to say my head is in the sand, or up my ass, I am simply stating that do actively do something about this loss I must keep the Constitution as my guide, remember to think positively and for the common good, give my soul and heart a rest from time to time, and continue to carry on the truth of our situation. The world is watching, and fearing for us, bless them, but it is the citizens of this country that must carry the country forward, not listening to the despondent and lazy media everywhere and KNOW that we truth tellers will prevail. Perhaps I can come back to this page later in the day, or some other day when my soul shines more brightly.
The Republican platform is authoritarian. They don’t have the guts to say it out loud, not that it would make a difference to their base. Yesterday Beau of the Fifth Column said given a long enough time line, progressives always win. That may be so, but in this case I think the timeline exceeds 22 and 24. The media is cause for despair. To me, the future looks bleak.
I am writing this with tears in my eyes having returned from a trip to read about the school shootings. I am beyond tired of being bullied by people with a "warped sense of freedom." We must continue to fight for what is right and we must help President Biden pull our country forward. This is not just about President Biden, it is about all of us who value human dignity, care for our fellow citizens, and our shared values. The culture wars are fed by people who profit from division and make a buck at the expense of the majority. It is wrong and it has to be stopped.
A critic, Oscar Wilde once noted, is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. I'm a former journalist, and I can attest to the copycat nature of the lazy media. Most so-called journalists don't have any training (it's not required) and simply spew stuff they have read elsewhere. And given that right-wing media is nothing but nihilistic propaganda, we all face a formidable enemy. So you are absolutely right: we need to fight back with everything we have. I'll donate to Stacey Abrams again today....
WaPo’s Jennifer Rubin recently: rather than US politics being “polarized” the real issue is a “radicalized“ GOP. Agree! PS: Here in Athens, Georgia - Brian Kemp’s hometown and where Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker won the Heisman - efforts continue to keep Raphael Warnock in DC and get Stacey to the statehouse.
I disagree with our Robert on one thing in his excellent piece. It's not laziness that accounts for the members of the (presumably sane) media who are attackng Biden. Here's the real reason. They, like most of the GOP, have slipped into an alternative universe. Lewis Carroll called it Wonderland. We only get confused when we try to make sense of it.
Superb call to optimism, Robert! Stacey’s second run for Georgia governor should inspire those inclined to pessimism: if Stacey Abrams can remain hopeful, so should we. Thank you for dismissing the Press’s obsession with “the next shiny object” (an efficient put down, btw) for what it is, an abrogation of journalistic responsibility. We are on the right path. Marjorie Taylor Greene should shop for a designer straight jacket.
To your point about what the GOP stands for, I have for a while been calling it the Party of No--the G No P.
Media needs to self-correct. See Dana Milbank https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/03/biden-media-coverage-worse-trump-favorable/ in the Washington Post.
The rest of us needs to create a strong, clear message of what to do for the American People. Education was at the forefront in VA. Pay attention, Democrats. We go back to our message of how to help ALL people in this country. We have ways and have done that already. Talk about it. We can change the tone by calling out the wrongs, the lies and THEN going to the plan for how to make democracy and this country work better. The Republicans are the culture wars. The Democrats are the make-it-better doers. So. Do it.
Why do Democrats not do better in the media? One reason is that we are too nice. There have been numerous reports that counties that voted for Trump have far higher death rates from Covid than those that supported Biden. Most recently, NPR reported yesterday that, "people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden," and that, "[i]n October, the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth." Yet where is the Democratic office-holder who points out the obvious: Republicans have become the party of death. While the Select Committee goes on doing admirable work, where are Democrats in the House and Senate tweeting or making statements or giving speeches that say outright that January 6th was an attempt to overthrow the government, or that Republicans are still plotting to do that? We hear a lot of individual Democrats, and some journalists saying that, but where are the leaders? If senators or congressmen, or cabinet members, or even the President, would speak the unvarnished truth, the media would amplify it, same as they do for Republican nonsense, and worse. (With all that, I do not mean to suggest that the sky is falling, because it isn't, or that the truth will not win out, because I believe that it will. But it would be heart-warming to read or hear that our leaders are willing to stand up and call things what they are.)
Sadly, I could not finish this article this morning. I got past the part that reinforces Heather's point of no platform and stopped. Having just read "Popular Information" my tolerance level was over the top. This is why I watch PBS Newshour on YouTube also. I can skip the pundit parts, which leaves me with about 10 minutes of news I can tolerate. NPR has also gone the way of the ignored. I do not mean to say my head is in the sand, or up my ass, I am simply stating that do actively do something about this loss I must keep the Constitution as my guide, remember to think positively and for the common good, give my soul and heart a rest from time to time, and continue to carry on the truth of our situation. The world is watching, and fearing for us, bless them, but it is the citizens of this country that must carry the country forward, not listening to the despondent and lazy media everywhere and KNOW that we truth tellers will prevail. Perhaps I can come back to this page later in the day, or some other day when my soul shines more brightly.
The Republican platform is authoritarian. They don’t have the guts to say it out loud, not that it would make a difference to their base. Yesterday Beau of the Fifth Column said given a long enough time line, progressives always win. That may be so, but in this case I think the timeline exceeds 22 and 24. The media is cause for despair. To me, the future looks bleak.
I am writing this with tears in my eyes having returned from a trip to read about the school shootings. I am beyond tired of being bullied by people with a "warped sense of freedom." We must continue to fight for what is right and we must help President Biden pull our country forward. This is not just about President Biden, it is about all of us who value human dignity, care for our fellow citizens, and our shared values. The culture wars are fed by people who profit from division and make a buck at the expense of the majority. It is wrong and it has to be stopped.
Wonderful clarity; May we all spread it around!