I keep reading about how senile, demented, frightened, addled, uninformed, aged, out of touch, can't do the job, crooked, etc etc Joe Biden is. Joe Biden is none of those things! I've been around a long time and watched a lot of presidents misbehave, commit crimes, lie and generally fuck everything up but Joe Biden is not one of them.
Nothing is perfect but this messy, fucked up approach the media has taken is offensive in every sense of the word. What's wrong with them? Can someone explain this to me in language that actually makes sense or does the right have control over every talking head in some really way? Fuck this shit.
It's becoming more difficult to shout down the lies and push back on the purposeful misinformation. Sick to death of the media's whoring after Trump and ignoring the best president we've had in ages.
I left out the word "dark" in my last question. Anyway, it's axios, politico, nyt, the atlantic and more that continue to repeat the same old shit over and over again.
Indeed. The NYT and now Newsweek--read an a article where this female pundit was basically saying women need to understand that they don't have the power to make their own decisions and should get back into the kitchen because feminism failed them. NEWSWEEK published that. I mean sis, what the heck is going on?
Because MONEY. Circulation for the two major newspapers exploded during the Swamp Bastard's term. The CEOs raked it in. Same for cable. ESPECIALLY cable. The fat SOB makes money for them.
I know about the disgusting greed of the TV "news" bosses. But the NYT? I just have a harder time wrapping my head around why ANYONE would find it worth over 100 years of being trusted all over the world for a mere $100,000,000 or so -- especially when you're already a multi-billionaire to begin with...
I was at a party last weekend (I live in Mexico and there were mostly ex-pat democrats there) and this guy said he was concerned about Biden because of his gait! I of course pounced on this stupid remark and asked him, what the fuck does one's gait have to do with being a great president? I then went on to tout Biden's accomplishments as of course I saw the man shrinking before my eyes.
Shit, guys were in trouble when even our team is being easily brainwashed by the fucking media.
God, the Universe, any and all higher powers out or up there, HELP US!
Exactly--check out the latest TYT video. I tried to comment against those saying Biden needed to get trashed for not speaking up against Trump and his crimes and there were trolls' basically saying Biden is weak, we need new blood, all this mess. WTAF? Now is not the time.
I know. I've pretty much been tuning them out, as well. The only news anchor/show I listen to with any regularity is Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. He's a very smart man, and doesn't play BS games.
"I keep reading about how senile, demented, frightened, addled, uninformed, aged, out of touch, can't do the job, crooked, etc., etc., Joe Biden is" -- yet somehow the doddering old fool manages to be the mastermind behind the most organized, sophisticated Deep State operations in the history of man, alongside Soros. Do they even hear themselves sometimes?
I keep hoping for all the toilets in MAGA world to backup all at once, preferably when watching Trump on TV or PC. Just a little daydream to go with TFG and his golden throne... runneth over.
Indeed, which is why I give a side-eye to people screaming about how Democrats are just as bad and to vote third party. I might have joined the call for a viable party pre-Trump but not now. Maybe if we demolish Trump and his ilk, we can get a viable new party from the ashes, but this coming election is too important to split hairs. Let's slay the political dragon first.
Capitalism has ruined journalism. It’s all about those clicks, pushing outrage, and don’t even get me started on 24 hour news networks that will happily spend 3 hours speculating while staring at an empty podium
All power groups seek to control the message. In fairness all business per se seeks advantage - but I’ve no doubt the degenerate wealthy are more than a little desperate now.
The news on radio and television used to be a service, not a profit center, and was required to present opposing viewpoints. Newspapers were often locally owned rather than what we’re seeing with Sinclair. The fairness doctrine was eliminated when it should have been updated to include web-based news. Ironically, it was 60 Minutes that proved that the news could turn a profit. So, here we are...
Yes, he was. One of the worst. Don’t get me started on Trickle Down Economics Theory. The only thing that trickled down was lies and 4 decades of low wages for the American workers. Plus, the gradual stripping away of benefits. And the big business media loved him. They have become monopolies and that should end.
Unfortunately, it wasn't only big business who loved him. I knew some older women who had major crushes on him from his B-movie days. He wasn't a real, thinking, caring president. He was an actor playing the part of a president. He did enormous harm to this nation.
The reason everyone thinks Trump travels a lot is because the media loves to cover his plane on the tarmac or his motorcade. What is that about ! Not news.
And why the fuck do we care? Why does he have a motorcade with police escort? Does Ron Desantis get a police escort in every town he arrives at? Sorry,I’m in the dark🥹🤣😂
By law, all former POTUS are provided lifetime Secret Service protection. For now, it applies to TFG. What happens if and when he is found guilty and imprisoned, is another important question, because it has never occurred and tested.
You are correct, the number of motorcycles has not been established, but former presidents can use a motorcade which normally includes SUVs, cars, motorcycles, and in case of an emergency, an ambulance. It’s all part of the security detail afforded to former presidents.
I use it interchangeably. Perhaps we should give him new acronym TFFG. Then there would no disputing about whom we’re referring and you can use the FF in any order you might wish. 😉
According to Wikipedia: “From 1965 to 1996, former presidents were entitled to lifetime Secret Service protection, for themselves, spouses, and children under 16. A 1994 statute, Pub. L. 103–329, limited post-presidential protection to ten years for presidents inaugurated after January 1, 1997.[8] Under this statute, Bill Clinton would still be entitled to lifetime protection, and all subsequent presidents would have been entitled to ten years of protection.[9] On January 10, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, reinstating lifetime Secret Service protection for his predecessor George W. Bush, himself, and all subsequent presidents.[10]”
I guess it would have to go to Congress to change it, and given that the GOP has a slim majority, and that they’re mostly all beholden to TFFG, I don’t see that happening any time soon.
I have to admit it: I am SO DEPRESSED about the unending, dangerous, life-threatening BS of the MSM. What is the goal? To obliterate our democracy? They did one hell of a job of it 2016-2000. I felt sick each night when I looked at CNN, and pretty much throughout with the NYT. But NOW??! STILL??!! What is it? Are these guys all traitors? I'm getting more depressed every day. Well, that + enraged.
I am right there with you. And the only one my rage and anxiety is hurting is me. Bad for out health kd. And it is not helping our cause at all.
Walks, deep breathing, yoga, petting the cat, working with fiber, all help. Until I pick up the tablet or turn on the news. Then I am back in Alternative Universe Hell.
New Rule for Me:
I allow myself to read one article a day from MSM that has trump or former president in the title. Exceptions allowed should the words dead or convicted or incarcerated be included in the title.
I allow myself to read as many SubStack articles as I wish a day regardless of the topic.
I also watch PBS Newshour M-F and listen to NPR when driving.
I am much more sane now. Much less going down rabbit holes. And I feel more informed rather than less.
Hi Sky, I watched MSNBC 4 h/night during the days of the orange sadist. I honestly felt like this country was about to turn fascist, and I was determined to get my family OUT of here if/when that happened. I did read the NYT and WaPo every day. (Couldn't listen to NPR because I no longer drive. Great organization.) The SubStacks are saving my life. I subscribe to a dozen, and read several more. I had switched my listening over to MSNBC from CNN since the golden escalator incident in 2015. Now that fascism is not an imminent threat (and Rachel Maddow is gone, sigh...) I only listen for an hour most nights. Like you, I avoid anything re the O.S. other than enjoying catching up on his legal woes!! Nevertheless, I despair of the majority of Americans ever learning the TRUTH about what's really going on, as well as what did go on. I appreciate your empathy!
I need to keep reminding myself: "The outrageous statements are not grounds for emotional outrage; they are jet fuel that will propel us to victory—but only if we react with equal parts strategic thinking, unyielding determination, and disciplined intensity.
Robert Hubbell, Joyce Vance, Heather Cox Richardson, and Lucian Truscott, IV, are my “go to’s”. Also Jessica Craven! They are all terrific on Substack but I watch only MSNBC as they have a very diverse staff of journalists.
I miss the news broadcasts of my youth, when Walter Conkrite read the news, then saved the last five minutes for an editorial. No current broadcaster will ever be called The Most Trusted Man in America. We don't have any news programs left. It has been supplanted by punditry.
I sometimes worry that Joe Biden will be the last American President, because there are so many running that want to be dictator.
I remember seeing him in his boat offshore Bar Harbor in the early 70s. His boat stopped to render aid to a small boat, got the engine running then all were on their way. Hard to imagine any public figure doing that today.
Agreed. They are not in business to inform the public. They are in business to make money, no matter what it takes or means for the future of the country or world.
To most of them, it’s all about the ‘almighty dollar’! If it doesn’t put that dollar, and a lot of them, in their pockets, they aren’t interested. And unfortunately, with over 48% population now intrenched in this MAGA movement, that’s what’s lining the pockets of this bunch that call themselves ‘reporting the news’.
Actually, what they are reporting is nothing more than what people want to hear. Not what is actually going on!
As bad as FOX is after his disgraceful exit supposedly FOX tried to :turn the corner on Trump and the viewers wouldn't have it. I can't imagine them losing much market share to the 2 runner ups but they went back to delivery what they trained them to want in the first place. Complete feedback loop.
The corporate media has turned into garbage. Even NPR and PBS play the same game. When the Idiot Sedition Caucus goes to the podium, the media flocks to their shit fest. By contrast, when the Progressive Caucus does an event, they're nowhere to be found. They chase Republicans like greyhounds chasing a rabbit. I can't stand this bullshit about Biden's age. He's sharp and healthy. But go ahead media whores, keep underestimating him. When he kicks ass in 2024, you'll be scrambling to cover your worthless asses.
Biden keeps a grueling schedule. I doubt that people half his age could keep up. Look at the air miles he's put in just this month! Those long flights are exhausting. Not what a frail person could do, for sure. Roosevelt governed from a wheelchair. Imagine if Biden were ever seen in one! Don't forget senile Reagan, whose wife took over for him and protected him. Where were the MSM then??
We are BY FAR the healthiest, wealthiest, most well fed and sheltered people in history. And still we bitch. Americans are spoiled brats is all I can figure.
But we also have the largest homeless problems because of the closure of so many mental health institutions. Those must be carefully reinstated for those individuals who have extreme problems, like schizophrenia.
The third estate, news media, has been woefully terrible for some time. They will do anything within their power to create a close race between Biden and Trump because it is better for them in terms of eyes and ad revenue. Too Hell with news media being about informing and educating the public as was intended to be their role everything is about ad revenue and profitability of the news division. I firmly believe that the demise of our democracy was largely a product of FOX (so-called) news polluting the minds of millions producing a multitude of ignorant and gullible viewers that were the ready marks for Republican con job that Donny used to his advantage. We all need to hold the news media accountable for inferior, inadequate and often duplicitous news coverage of politics.
Couldn't agree more! And isn't FOX a product of the resulting "the fairness doctrine" legislation? Roger Allies said Nixon's impeachment wouldn't have happened had there been "a conservative news" station? So by extension, let's make sure no shifty fuckers are held accountable again, is what came next.
This makes me furious, always has. And where is the DNC? What's the strategy? Why is Kamala Harris not allowed to shine? Instead, we have all this worry about Joe's age, because nobody can picture her as president. What is the plan to get Joe's good news out there. How are they going to reach the Independents, and the Faux news watchers, or anyone else? The GOP has been buying up newspapers and media outlets, taking over talk radio and the tele-evangelists of media , gerrymandering, loading the courts, trading favors to billionaires for donations, FOREVER, and for years no one called them out, at least not loud enough. The Koch bros did their work for eons before anyone ever heard of them. Is Media worried about "both sides"? Or just worried about the side that pay the most?
With the gloves off, telling it like it is. Do not wait for the media to report truth. Do not expect that all the people can see what the truth is without someone spelling it out to them in technicolor. People have been voting against their own interests forever. So when things like Citizens United, Right to Work, and other euphemisms are used to disguise what a policy really is, it has to be called out loud and clear. You can't wait for them to figure it out on their own. Decades will pass before that happens.
You’re spot on. Frustrating to see people vote for their own demise. I do think writing/emailing or communicating these gross inadequacies in media coverage would help.... maybe. I for one will keep shouting-I don’t want to live in a dictatorship 🙄
Yep. Dems simply have never in my adult (paying attention) lifetime been able to effectively message.
Someone smarter than me needs to fix this and quickly!
I do like Biden’s “Build Back Better” and “Build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out” slogans.
Face it. Government is complicated and few people really understand. Like who knew that one lame ass Senator Tubby Tommy could bring the whole military promotion/appointment process to a halt for months?!!!!!
Few pay attention.
More rely on news outlets for information and context.
When those sources fail us as is happening now, we are way up a creek and no paddle to be found.
My dear lady, Dancing Fox. I have been preaching this for months and months. We have GOT to get started with phone calls to state, and federal elected officials demanding that this nonsense be squared away to the public. These MAGAPUBLICANS going back to their states and yelling all this nonsense that THEY are who’s voted for all of these accomplishments, it’s because of THEM that the government has kept going, that President Biden and Vice President Harris aren’t doing anything.
The owners of these newspapers need to start being blasted with phone calls telling them it’s high time they start reporting the truth of what’s really going on in Washington. Especially the New York Times. He’s a MAGA supporter. The owner of FOX is a MAGA supporter. Their phones need to be ringing 24/7, until they get sick of hearing from true Americans that they need to report the truth, not a pack of lies.
Keep on preaching, Dancing Fox! Hopefully one day, what we are preaching will sink in!
And share this post all over the place! I'm in some liberal facebook groups that regularly get Jeff's posts from me and they're always well-received and appreciated. I love it when I start seeing other people share the same post to the same group I did; that probably means they're also subscribing. And nobody is unfriending me for sharing to my own page, either.
Whatever your own social media might be, show 'em the posts, people!
Journalists have effectively lost all oversight and have no moral impetus of their own to do the right thing. Ever. Even here in Substack, about half the people I end up in arguments with claim to be journalists and that I should respect them because of that.
Why? Hunter S. Thompson did not march around demanding people respect him. He got the job fucking done and the respect came naturally. This new breed of click-seeking bloodsuckers who think they deserve both your respect and your monthly subscription for repeating other news outlets can fuck right off into the sun.
The media is gonna kill this fucking country and then when everyone's dead or starving or fighting a civil war to get democracy back they're gonna wonder why no one's reading their shitty, half-fucked articles and where all the profits went.
The redumplicans consistent message, regardless of the achieved outcomes, can be disheartening to any rational individual, potentially leading to a sense of resignation. Oh, wait, that is precisely the objective they desire, FFS!
Thank you (and a few others) for calling this out! Axios just lost big credibility and fuck them for posting this cheap shot. Journalistic integrity is becoming an oxymoron.
I keep reading about how senile, demented, frightened, addled, uninformed, aged, out of touch, can't do the job, crooked, etc etc Joe Biden is. Joe Biden is none of those things! I've been around a long time and watched a lot of presidents misbehave, commit crimes, lie and generally fuck everything up but Joe Biden is not one of them.
Nothing is perfect but this messy, fucked up approach the media has taken is offensive in every sense of the word. What's wrong with them? Can someone explain this to me in language that actually makes sense or does the right have control over every talking head in some really way? Fuck this shit.
It's becoming more difficult to shout down the lies and push back on the purposeful misinformation. Sick to death of the media's whoring after Trump and ignoring the best president we've had in ages.
I left out the word "dark" in my last question. Anyway, it's axios, politico, nyt, the atlantic and more that continue to repeat the same old shit over and over again.
I'm tired of it. 🤷♀️🙄😒
Canceled with NYT last week. They are nothing more than a gossip column, newsless, meaningless.
Indeed. The NYT and now Newsweek--read an a article where this female pundit was basically saying women need to understand that they don't have the power to make their own decisions and should get back into the kitchen because feminism failed them. NEWSWEEK published that. I mean sis, what the heck is going on?
So did I last month.
I did as well. They are actively and openly shilling for T****. They want those clicks. They're now no better than the NY Post.
But WHY??
Because MONEY. Circulation for the two major newspapers exploded during the Swamp Bastard's term. The CEOs raked it in. Same for cable. ESPECIALLY cable. The fat SOB makes money for them.
I know about the disgusting greed of the TV "news" bosses. But the NYT? I just have a harder time wrapping my head around why ANYONE would find it worth over 100 years of being trusted all over the world for a mere $100,000,000 or so -- especially when you're already a multi-billionaire to begin with...
Add WaPo, New York Magazine...Yeah, pretty much all of them.
WAPO is half sports news which I can't stand.
Newsweek too.
Add the Bulwark.
And CNN.
I was at a party last weekend (I live in Mexico and there were mostly ex-pat democrats there) and this guy said he was concerned about Biden because of his gait! I of course pounced on this stupid remark and asked him, what the fuck does one's gait have to do with being a great president? I then went on to tout Biden's accomplishments as of course I saw the man shrinking before my eyes.
Shit, guys were in trouble when even our team is being easily brainwashed by the fucking media.
God, the Universe, any and all higher powers out or up there, HELP US!
Wonder if that guy knew that FDR was in a wheelchair throughout WW II.
Or who FDR was.
Exactly--check out the latest TYT video. I tried to comment against those saying Biden needed to get trashed for not speaking up against Trump and his crimes and there were trolls' basically saying Biden is weak, we need new blood, all this mess. WTAF? Now is not the time.
Good for you!!!
MSNBC isn't much better lately with touting the tainted WAPO poll. All boils down to what makes them the 🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑
I know. I've pretty much been tuning them out, as well. The only news anchor/show I listen to with any regularity is Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. He's a very smart man, and doesn't play BS games.
follow the money- who owns the media?
Yup--bunch of Rupert Murdoch type moguls who have grown tired of pretending to be fair and balanced.
I know. It makes my blood boil.
"I keep reading about how senile, demented, frightened, addled, uninformed, aged, out of touch, can't do the job, crooked, etc., etc., Joe Biden is" -- yet somehow the doddering old fool manages to be the mastermind behind the most organized, sophisticated Deep State operations in the history of man, alongside Soros. Do they even hear themselves sometimes?
Say a lie often enough even the liar starts to believe it. They’re in election bullshit cycle 24.
Exactly! The Nazi handbook
Which is exactly what the twisted Trump playbook follows. If only this bullshit rhetoric would come back to bite him in his fat ass for a change.
It will, at the ballot box 🤞🏻
Well there's that.
I keep hoping for all the toilets in MAGA world to backup all at once, preferably when watching Trump on TV or PC. Just a little daydream to go with TFG and his golden throne... runneth over.
Indeed, which is why I give a side-eye to people screaming about how Democrats are just as bad and to vote third party. I might have joined the call for a viable party pre-Trump but not now. Maybe if we demolish Trump and his ilk, we can get a viable new party from the ashes, but this coming election is too important to split hairs. Let's slay the political dragon first.
💯💯💯
Capitalism has ruined journalism. It’s all about those clicks, pushing outrage, and don’t even get me started on 24 hour news networks that will happily spend 3 hours speculating while staring at an empty podium
Unfettered capitalism has pretty well ruined this country. And the media have been a bit part of it all.
It's actively destroying the planet as well.
Thank you, Supreme Court and Citizens United.
All power groups seek to control the message. In fairness all business per se seeks advantage - but I’ve no doubt the degenerate wealthy are more than a little desperate now.
The news on radio and television used to be a service, not a profit center, and was required to present opposing viewpoints. Newspapers were often locally owned rather than what we’re seeing with Sinclair. The fairness doctrine was eliminated when it should have been updated to include web-based news. Ironically, it was 60 Minutes that proved that the news could turn a profit. So, here we are...
Reagan is the one who did away with the Fairness Doctrine. Responsible for the beginning of Citizens United. What an awful president he was.
Yes, he was. One of the worst. Don’t get me started on Trickle Down Economics Theory. The only thing that trickled down was lies and 4 decades of low wages for the American workers. Plus, the gradual stripping away of benefits. And the big business media loved him. They have become monopolies and that should end.
Unfortunately, it wasn't only big business who loved him. I knew some older women who had major crushes on him from his B-movie days. He wasn't a real, thinking, caring president. He was an actor playing the part of a president. He did enormous harm to this nation.
👆👆👆THIS👆👆👆
All boils down to clicks and 🤑🤑🤑
The reason everyone thinks Trump travels a lot is because the media loves to cover his plane on the tarmac or his motorcade. What is that about ! Not news.
And why the fuck do we care? Why does he have a motorcade with police escort? Does Ron Desantis get a police escort in every town he arrives at? Sorry,I’m in the dark🥹🤣😂
By law, all former POTUS are provided lifetime Secret Service protection. For now, it applies to TFG. What happens if and when he is found guilty and imprisoned, is another important question, because it has never occurred and tested.
But a 40 motorcycle escort is not mandated.
You are correct, the number of motorcycles has not been established, but former presidents can use a motorcade which normally includes SUVs, cars, motorcycles, and in case of an emergency, an ambulance. It’s all part of the security detail afforded to former presidents.
Whenever I see “TFG” I’m pretty certain that means ‘The Fucking Guy’, then I have to remind myself that people aren’t swearing like I am.
I use it interchangeably. Perhaps we should give him new acronym TFFG. Then there would no disputing about whom we’re referring and you can use the FF in any order you might wish. 😉
The former fucking guy? The fucking former guy? The fucking fat guy? That fucking fat guy? All work.
Have now used the f-bomb more times than in the last 4 weeks total.
I will now go and wash my fingers off with soap!😂
TFFFG
Me, TOO!!! I can't get my mind to see those initials any other way!
Hahahahahahahaha
Congress can remove it by not funding it.
Like they defund all of the programs that help people.
I’ve wondered if Congress can remove his secret service detail. If anyone knows anything about this, please let all of us know.
According to Wikipedia: “From 1965 to 1996, former presidents were entitled to lifetime Secret Service protection, for themselves, spouses, and children under 16. A 1994 statute, Pub. L. 103–329, limited post-presidential protection to ten years for presidents inaugurated after January 1, 1997.[8] Under this statute, Bill Clinton would still be entitled to lifetime protection, and all subsequent presidents would have been entitled to ten years of protection.[9] On January 10, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, reinstating lifetime Secret Service protection for his predecessor George W. Bush, himself, and all subsequent presidents.[10]”
I guess it would have to go to Congress to change it, and given that the GOP has a slim majority, and that they’re mostly all beholden to TFFG, I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Well, not one president before the Schmuck ever encouraged their followers to commit an insurrection, so I would like to see that statute revised.
If Dems win the House and Senate in 2024, they could do it.
They certainly could and it could likely be applied retroactively to the TFFG. Just thinking about it makes me dreamy.
I have to admit it: I am SO DEPRESSED about the unending, dangerous, life-threatening BS of the MSM. What is the goal? To obliterate our democracy? They did one hell of a job of it 2016-2000. I felt sick each night when I looked at CNN, and pretty much throughout with the NYT. But NOW??! STILL??!! What is it? Are these guys all traitors? I'm getting more depressed every day. Well, that + enraged.
I am right there with you. And the only one my rage and anxiety is hurting is me. Bad for out health kd. And it is not helping our cause at all.
Walks, deep breathing, yoga, petting the cat, working with fiber, all help. Until I pick up the tablet or turn on the news. Then I am back in Alternative Universe Hell.
New Rule for Me:
I allow myself to read one article a day from MSM that has trump or former president in the title. Exceptions allowed should the words dead or convicted or incarcerated be included in the title.
I allow myself to read as many SubStack articles as I wish a day regardless of the topic.
I also watch PBS Newshour M-F and listen to NPR when driving.
I am much more sane now. Much less going down rabbit holes. And I feel more informed rather than less.
I leave it at that.
Onward through the fog.
Hi Sky, I watched MSNBC 4 h/night during the days of the orange sadist. I honestly felt like this country was about to turn fascist, and I was determined to get my family OUT of here if/when that happened. I did read the NYT and WaPo every day. (Couldn't listen to NPR because I no longer drive. Great organization.) The SubStacks are saving my life. I subscribe to a dozen, and read several more. I had switched my listening over to MSNBC from CNN since the golden escalator incident in 2015. Now that fascism is not an imminent threat (and Rachel Maddow is gone, sigh...) I only listen for an hour most nights. Like you, I avoid anything re the O.S. other than enjoying catching up on his legal woes!! Nevertheless, I despair of the majority of Americans ever learning the TRUTH about what's really going on, as well as what did go on. I appreciate your empathy!
Spot on kd. Spot on!
Onward through the fog!
I need to keep reminding myself: "The outrageous statements are not grounds for emotional outrage; they are jet fuel that will propel us to victory—but only if we react with equal parts strategic thinking, unyielding determination, and disciplined intensity.
Robert Hubbell, "Today's Edition", 9/8/23
Love TE by R Hubbell.
Excellent advice.
Onward.
Keep on truckin’
Here is the link. The quote is from the end of the blog.
Robert Hubbell, Joyce Vance, Heather Cox Richardson, and Lucian Truscott, IV, are my “go to’s”. Also Jessica Craven! They are all terrific on Substack but I watch only MSNBC as they have a very diverse staff of journalists.
For me, also Timothy Snyder.
kdsherpa, and Sky 777: I think a lot of people, millions, and so many in media, began to see from Trump that lies were as good as bullets.
They were effectively manipulating their target audience while ‘killing off’ the sensible and kind citizens dismayed by the preposterous untruths.
Money was flowing in. The game became to make as much money flow to ‘me and my enterprise’ as possible. Because, end times.
Truth got stampeded and left behind, unrecognizable and smashed to bits.
Truth is all we really have as the bedrock for a poised, inclusive and confident society. When that goes, look out!
Can we use our democracy and its laws to somehow show up the lies for what they are and legally put truth back where it belongs?
Outstanding analysis of media's role being aligned with that of the orange sadist.
The goal, of course, is making as much money as possible. That's what Capitalist societies do.
My fear is that there is a ton of back heal deal handshaking behind the scenes that is happening. Just hope that none of there BS plans will work.
I miss the news broadcasts of my youth, when Walter Conkrite read the news, then saved the last five minutes for an editorial. No current broadcaster will ever be called The Most Trusted Man in America. We don't have any news programs left. It has been supplanted by punditry.
I sometimes worry that Joe Biden will be the last American President, because there are so many running that want to be dictator.
I remember seeing him in his boat offshore Bar Harbor in the early 70s. His boat stopped to render aid to a small boat, got the engine running then all were on their way. Hard to imagine any public figure doing that today.
Agreed. They are not in business to inform the public. They are in business to make money, no matter what it takes or means for the future of the country or world.
So us paying customers need to pay for accurate news, which IMO comes from the Guardian, and certain blogs.
I donate $5/month to "The Guardian" via Paypal.
I’m a subscriber of the Guardian.
To most of them, it’s all about the ‘almighty dollar’! If it doesn’t put that dollar, and a lot of them, in their pockets, they aren’t interested. And unfortunately, with over 48% population now intrenched in this MAGA movement, that’s what’s lining the pockets of this bunch that call themselves ‘reporting the news’.
Actually, what they are reporting is nothing more than what people want to hear. Not what is actually going on!
As bad as FOX is after his disgraceful exit supposedly FOX tried to :turn the corner on Trump and the viewers wouldn't have it. I can't imagine them losing much market share to the 2 runner ups but they went back to delivery what they trained them to want in the first place. Complete feedback loop.
Yep, they went right back to doing what they fired Tucker Carlson for doing. Preaching all about Frumpy, and following the MAGA money!
Greed being the operative word....
Me too. I miss Uncle Walt.
Well said- I miss him too.
The corporate media has turned into garbage. Even NPR and PBS play the same game. When the Idiot Sedition Caucus goes to the podium, the media flocks to their shit fest. By contrast, when the Progressive Caucus does an event, they're nowhere to be found. They chase Republicans like greyhounds chasing a rabbit. I can't stand this bullshit about Biden's age. He's sharp and healthy. But go ahead media whores, keep underestimating him. When he kicks ass in 2024, you'll be scrambling to cover your worthless asses.
Biden keeps a grueling schedule. I doubt that people half his age could keep up. Look at the air miles he's put in just this month! Those long flights are exhausting. Not what a frail person could do, for sure. Roosevelt governed from a wheelchair. Imagine if Biden were ever seen in one! Don't forget senile Reagan, whose wife took over for him and protected him. Where were the MSM then??
Oh from your typing fingers to god’s ears.
May it be so.
And it is up to us to “Make it so!”
Where is Captain Picard and Star Fleet when you need them?
Let’s HOPE
We are BY FAR the healthiest, wealthiest, most well fed and sheltered people in history. And still we bitch. Americans are spoiled brats is all I can figure.
But we also have the largest homeless problems because of the closure of so many mental health institutions. Those must be carefully reinstated for those individuals who have extreme problems, like schizophrenia.
The third estate, news media, has been woefully terrible for some time. They will do anything within their power to create a close race between Biden and Trump because it is better for them in terms of eyes and ad revenue. Too Hell with news media being about informing and educating the public as was intended to be their role everything is about ad revenue and profitability of the news division. I firmly believe that the demise of our democracy was largely a product of FOX (so-called) news polluting the minds of millions producing a multitude of ignorant and gullible viewers that were the ready marks for Republican con job that Donny used to his advantage. We all need to hold the news media accountable for inferior, inadequate and often duplicitous news coverage of politics.
one of the first pieces I wrote when I started this substack was about the 1984 presidential race, so yeah, the media has been pulling this "close race" nonsense for a long time https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and
Wow...
Couldn't agree more! And isn't FOX a product of the resulting "the fairness doctrine" legislation? Roger Allies said Nixon's impeachment wouldn't have happened had there been "a conservative news" station? So by extension, let's make sure no shifty fuckers are held accountable again, is what came next.
Right the fuck on!!!
This makes me furious, always has. And where is the DNC? What's the strategy? Why is Kamala Harris not allowed to shine? Instead, we have all this worry about Joe's age, because nobody can picture her as president. What is the plan to get Joe's good news out there. How are they going to reach the Independents, and the Faux news watchers, or anyone else? The GOP has been buying up newspapers and media outlets, taking over talk radio and the tele-evangelists of media , gerrymandering, loading the courts, trading favors to billionaires for donations, FOREVER, and for years no one called them out, at least not loud enough. The Koch bros did their work for eons before anyone ever heard of them. Is Media worried about "both sides"? Or just worried about the side that pay the most?
Hey Lori, I’m with you. Messaging has never been the Dems strong suit. They need to be OUT THERE!! 🙄
With the gloves off, telling it like it is. Do not wait for the media to report truth. Do not expect that all the people can see what the truth is without someone spelling it out to them in technicolor. People have been voting against their own interests forever. So when things like Citizens United, Right to Work, and other euphemisms are used to disguise what a policy really is, it has to be called out loud and clear. You can't wait for them to figure it out on their own. Decades will pass before that happens.
You’re spot on. Frustrating to see people vote for their own demise. I do think writing/emailing or communicating these gross inadequacies in media coverage would help.... maybe. I for one will keep shouting-I don’t want to live in a dictatorship 🙄
Yep. Dems simply have never in my adult (paying attention) lifetime been able to effectively message.
Someone smarter than me needs to fix this and quickly!
I do like Biden’s “Build Back Better” and “Build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out” slogans.
Face it. Government is complicated and few people really understand. Like who knew that one lame ass Senator Tubby Tommy could bring the whole military promotion/appointment process to a halt for months?!!!!!
Few pay attention.
More rely on news outlets for information and context.
When those sources fail us as is happening now, we are way up a creek and no paddle to be found.
They get paid by the controversy and when there isn't one they create.
Thanks for this Jeff! I hope they listen!!
And call out people who comment online as well. I am tired of “70% think Biden is too old to be President”. Wrong.
And why no talk about TFG’s age? They are virtually the same age.
Which one is more active, more vibrant, more sane?
There it is again. ‘TFG’ - I’m certain everyone means The Fucking Guy, not former.
OK. That nickname works for me.
My dear lady, Dancing Fox. I have been preaching this for months and months. We have GOT to get started with phone calls to state, and federal elected officials demanding that this nonsense be squared away to the public. These MAGAPUBLICANS going back to their states and yelling all this nonsense that THEY are who’s voted for all of these accomplishments, it’s because of THEM that the government has kept going, that President Biden and Vice President Harris aren’t doing anything.
The owners of these newspapers need to start being blasted with phone calls telling them it’s high time they start reporting the truth of what’s really going on in Washington. Especially the New York Times. He’s a MAGA supporter. The owner of FOX is a MAGA supporter. Their phones need to be ringing 24/7, until they get sick of hearing from true Americans that they need to report the truth, not a pack of lies.
Keep on preaching, Dancing Fox! Hopefully one day, what we are preaching will sink in!
And share this post all over the place! I'm in some liberal facebook groups that regularly get Jeff's posts from me and they're always well-received and appreciated. I love it when I start seeing other people share the same post to the same group I did; that probably means they're also subscribing. And nobody is unfriending me for sharing to my own page, either.
Whatever your own social media might be, show 'em the posts, people!
Journalists have effectively lost all oversight and have no moral impetus of their own to do the right thing. Ever. Even here in Substack, about half the people I end up in arguments with claim to be journalists and that I should respect them because of that.
Why? Hunter S. Thompson did not march around demanding people respect him. He got the job fucking done and the respect came naturally. This new breed of click-seeking bloodsuckers who think they deserve both your respect and your monthly subscription for repeating other news outlets can fuck right off into the sun.
The media is gonna kill this fucking country and then when everyone's dead or starving or fighting a civil war to get democracy back they're gonna wonder why no one's reading their shitty, half-fucked articles and where all the profits went.
Indeed.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
The redumplicans consistent message, regardless of the achieved outcomes, can be disheartening to any rational individual, potentially leading to a sense of resignation. Oh, wait, that is precisely the objective they desire, FFS!
Thank you (and a few others) for calling this out! Axios just lost big credibility and fuck them for posting this cheap shot. Journalistic integrity is becoming an oxymoron.