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.
Yes; i forgot about Herschel Walker, who is a difficult candidate to talk about. He openly discusses his mental health challenges and claims to be better. We live in a society that believes in redemption and second chances. But part of his past includes allegations of domestic abuse, which would normally be disqualifying. Apart from that, he has no history of political involvement or community representation, so he should not be viewed as a viable candidate. But with Tommy Tuberville as a precedent, we must take Walker seriously.
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.
Hi, Richard. You raise a good point. If the GOP is no longer a political party, or a party that stands for nothing, shouldn't Democrats rebrand the GOP? I like "The Party of No" but I think that branding might appeal to Trump's base. So I applaud your sentiment, but wonder if we can come up with a better title?
Glad you liked the thought. It is definitely the Party of No, or perhaps the No Party.
My rebranding would be the “GNoP”, which is how I would regularly refer to it, although that might be too subtle for mass consumption.
Or perhaps a new take on the Know Nothing Party—the Do Nothing Party. You might recall that Truman won in 1948 by branding the Republican Congress as the Do Nothing Congress. I’m not sure that would sell, and, again, the Trump base might like that idea.
Short on other ideas for now, but if I think of anything else …
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.)
Hi, JJ. I meant to write about that study last night but ran out of steam (and space). I am still trying to understand whether the higher death rate is because of confounding factors. The study says that vaccination rates are lower in Trump-voting counties, so you would expect the death rate to be higher, on average. But what if those counties are older, more obese, and less healthy, on average? It seems logical that the higher death rate is due to the lower vaccination rate, but I can't tell if the study controlled for health and age factors that are noted above. If it did not, I think the cautious thing to say is that it made a difference in teh death rate, but how much is not clear.
Of course, I just confirmed your point, above, that Democrats are too nice. No one in the GOP would bring such a nuanced analysis to the study. They would exaggerate the conclusion and say if you vote for Biden, you are more likely to die.
And you've also confirmed that I was being simplistic--one reason Democrats are less "effective" in a shouting match is that we think more than the other guys before speaking. On the other hand, I remember an old movie in which Clifton Webb played a scoutmaster (this was a LONG time ago). When the boys were shouting and running around, he started singing the National Anthem. Quietly. One by one, the boys recognized what it was, and quieted down. That kind of thing works.
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.
well, I believe / hope that unlike other news outlets, the newsletter had a positive tone and recommended action steps. I try to avoid merely repeating bad news.
Dear Robert, You are one of the few I can read at all. Getting even half way through your's today was a big deal for me personally. Keep reminding people like me that the news is not all bad and there are literally millions of people who are not wanting to tear the Federal Government apart. And who give a fig.
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.
Hi, Carla. Your feelings are understandable and reasonable. But I agree with the commentator you cite above in that the only question is what we mean by "the future" when we say it looks bleak. Republicans plotted for 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. To them, the future was not measured in the next two election cycles. Stay strong, Carla, and keep the faith. We will win! it is only a matter of time.
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.
Yes; i forgot about Herschel Walker, who is a difficult candidate to talk about. He openly discusses his mental health challenges and claims to be better. We live in a society that believes in redemption and second chances. But part of his past includes allegations of domestic abuse, which would normally be disqualifying. Apart from that, he has no history of political involvement or community representation, so he should not be viewed as a viable candidate. But with Tommy Tuberville as a precedent, we must take Walker seriously.
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.
Hi, Richard. You raise a good point. If the GOP is no longer a political party, or a party that stands for nothing, shouldn't Democrats rebrand the GOP? I like "The Party of No" but I think that branding might appeal to Trump's base. So I applaud your sentiment, but wonder if we can come up with a better title?
Glad you liked the thought. It is definitely the Party of No, or perhaps the No Party.
My rebranding would be the “GNoP”, which is how I would regularly refer to it, although that might be too subtle for mass consumption.
Or perhaps a new take on the Know Nothing Party—the Do Nothing Party. You might recall that Truman won in 1948 by branding the Republican Congress as the Do Nothing Congress. I’m not sure that would sell, and, again, the Trump base might like that idea.
Short on other ideas for now, but if I think of anything else …
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.)
Hi, JJ. I meant to write about that study last night but ran out of steam (and space). I am still trying to understand whether the higher death rate is because of confounding factors. The study says that vaccination rates are lower in Trump-voting counties, so you would expect the death rate to be higher, on average. But what if those counties are older, more obese, and less healthy, on average? It seems logical that the higher death rate is due to the lower vaccination rate, but I can't tell if the study controlled for health and age factors that are noted above. If it did not, I think the cautious thing to say is that it made a difference in teh death rate, but how much is not clear.
Of course, I just confirmed your point, above, that Democrats are too nice. No one in the GOP would bring such a nuanced analysis to the study. They would exaggerate the conclusion and say if you vote for Biden, you are more likely to die.
And you've also confirmed that I was being simplistic--one reason Democrats are less "effective" in a shouting match is that we think more than the other guys before speaking. On the other hand, I remember an old movie in which Clifton Webb played a scoutmaster (this was a LONG time ago). When the boys were shouting and running around, he started singing the National Anthem. Quietly. One by one, the boys recognized what it was, and quieted down. That kind of thing works.
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.
well, I believe / hope that unlike other news outlets, the newsletter had a positive tone and recommended action steps. I try to avoid merely repeating bad news.
Dear Robert, You are one of the few I can read at all. Getting even half way through your's today was a big deal for me personally. Keep reminding people like me that the news is not all bad and there are literally millions of people who are not wanting to tear the Federal Government apart. And who give a fig.
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.
Hi, Carla. Your feelings are understandable and reasonable. But I agree with the commentator you cite above in that the only question is what we mean by "the future" when we say it looks bleak. Republicans plotted for 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. To them, the future was not measured in the next two election cycles. Stay strong, Carla, and keep the faith. We will win! it is only a matter of time.
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!