It's clear that the term "Liberal Media" was a concoction from Republicans. No Republican politician ever seems to come under the same scrutiny as Democrats. While Fox News is the obvious right wing mouth piece, make no mistake that the other outlets are at least owned by conservative billionaires. MSNBC is the only channel that leans the furthest to the left but there are examples from that network that makes me shake my head as was the case with the intense interview of Joe Biden by Mika Brzenzinski of his alleged sexual misconduct that shortly thereafter completely unraveled. Trump never faced that level of interrogation from Mika or any other outlet. The Republicans are the obvious blockers of a new stimulus. But the media can't get themselves to say that. I don't understand defending the Republican Party especially when they are only Republicans in name. There is no liberal/conservative debate between Democrats and Republicans anymore. That debate now happens entirely within the Democratic Party between its left wing and the moderates. The Republicans are Fascists. Their actions and words prove it everyday. So it is even worse for the media. They are defending Fascism.
I'll add WaPo, "White House considers unilateral moves amid stalemate in Congress." You are correct that republicans can't legislate. Think "Repeal, Replace." With control of all three branches and following 8 years of chanting, nothing was passed. Specifically, when the light was turned on, and the press reacted to massive public interest in healthcare, and against repeal and replace with no idea how to govern, the coverage was better and disaster was avoided.
They’re terrified of the “liberal media bias” trope that Fox “News” ingrained in them in the 90s. It would be nice if they would just fight back, especially since Trump accuses them of it anyway. I mean, what the hell is wrong with being called liberal? The majority of the population is liberal. They should embrace it. Or Democrats should start massively accusing them of a conservative bias, which would at least be accurate.🙄
However... this morning on MSNBC Kristen Welker was subbing for Craig Melvin and was ALL OVER Speaker Pelosi, constantly for five minutes, as to why she's not compromising and why she's holding up relief for millions of Americans. It sounded like I was watching Fox instead of MSNBC. I tweeted disdain at Welker. She's new at anchoring and this is how she acts? Repubs will certainly eat it up.
Unemployment payment is determined by each State. This additional money is just the federal money on top of the regular unemployment. Maybe the amount is the problem and not enough was ever given to begin with. Why doesn't each state create their own package and increase the amount themselves? or extend the unemployment? Why do they need Federal money? What about the policy that you can only receive unemployment for so long? How can you apply for unemployment twice in a row? Why does it have to always be about political groups and not about policies? Why does it always have to do with Congress and not at the City and State level?
Your statement "More specifically, the Republican Party does not want to govern and doesn't see the federal government as an instrument to help working Americans..." is, simply, profound.
This is a particular favorite issue of mine, and I must say, I was out of town and behind on reading The New York Times, so it wasn't until the weekend that I came upon an article from a week before in which Carl Hulse, The Times's normally much better chief correspondent in DC, had a piece about the failures of "Congress." But he and The Times have the habit of claiming the existence of bipartisanship where it does not exist (I refer you to their coverage of Lamar Alexander, whom the media like; therefore, they tolerate his treason and bigotry).
Eric, is there anything that can be done about the both siderism that plays out in the headlines? It is so frustrating to read this daily. What is so difficult about calling out the GOP for this? I don’t think there is a way to exercise accountability for the editors of the NYT who write the headlines?
Also, (sorry I have to, seeing the comments) , it would be nice if authors of opinion pieces would just come our & say it. Hes not leaving, say it with me, lol. Also this morning He put someone in the Pentagon that the senate wouldnt confirm. Approx 3-4 weeks ago they started a "thing", where Ice will train any citizen that wants to, they said in immigration & fire arms. I cant remember if they said 6 weeks or 6 mos, I'm guessing 6 weeks. When my state required a CCW to carry, a one day class covered class & practice. I realize many will assume it's for at the border,it isnt. I seriously wish ppl would get caught up to speed. My conservative friends that I make a point of sharing TONS of info with them. Sadly, (extremely) they arent paying much attn & it appears that's intentional. They think something would be obvious, & a few have been. But when you arent looking...also his campaign is taking the state of PA (& talking about NV) regarding ballot drop boxes.yes, it's a state issue, and it's not the Gov's job to deal with covid19. When it comes to trying out his secret police, or stealing the election he will make an exception. I think he expected most to vote with machines, that's why he keeps going on about mail. If you are voting by mail, pls check your registration every month in case you are on the purge list, call your BOE, or S.O.S. , & find out how early u can vote, do it asap, (will help with usps, also), drop off if you can
Thank you for this article. The use of “Congress” has just fried me for the last several years—but I never thought to call it out. Learned helplessness, I guess. Thank you for reminding me of the need to be both vigilant and responsive.
No, yeah, you're right, Eric, and I think you may have mentioned something about that when you were on The Michelangelo Signorile Show. More people see the regular stories — heck, the headlines — than the opinion pieces (or opinion headlines), right? Shucks.
It’s worse. Apparently the Republicans in the Senate can’t get a plan together. So there are at least 4 parties negotiating: Trump’s White House, Mitch & Republican “mainstreamers”, Republican “deficit hawks”, and Democrats.
Though the good news is that Trump himself is strangely silent on the issue, only wanting to send out more checks with his name on them.
oh it was complete fiasco in terms of GOP not even being able to come up with an agreed plan until 48 hrs before relief checks expired. that just made the Both Sides coverage more absurd
But Eric’s point is that the media is reporting this as equally both sides’ fault and that is what the average person who doesn’t follow politics closely will hear.
I was furious when I read this article, “Congress deeply unpopular again as gridlock on coronavirus relief has real-life consequences” by Paul Kane in yesterday’s WaPo. It is a egregious example of that bothsiderism. Kane leads off with:
“After a springtime boomlet of bipartisan legislation, Congress has slid back into its familiar posture of hitting gridlock on everything....”
Kane then proceeds to prove his point that Dems are equally to blame by citing polls showing that the public’s approval ratings of Congress have dropped as a result of not passing a new relief bill, but making the point that “Democrats suffered the largest drop in approval, from 39 percent in May to 20 percent in late July” as proof.
No mention of the fact that McConnell could have easily passed the bill if he had brought it to a vote. He had more than enough Democrats to pass the bill with those Republicans who were also willing to vote for it. I heard McConnell say that some of his people wouldn’t vote for it because they are worried about the debt (Ha!) but that he doesn’t agree with them. Clearly Mitch wants the bill but doesn’t like the optics of needing Democrats’ votes, i.e. he doesn’t want a truly bipartisan bill. Kane ignores this important fact because it disproves his preferred storyline. Of course approval of Democrats plummets when this is the kind of reporting that comes from highly respected mainstream sources.
Then there is the fact that approval numbers for Republicans were already so low they can’t decrease that much. Regression to the mean is real. No, for Kane the bigger drop for Democrats is proof they are not doing the right thing!
Kane is the Post’s senior Congressional correspondent. Pathetic and deplorable “reporting”.
You will appreciate this article by Esquire’s Charles Pierce. He calls out the WaPo for yet another faux balance article that blames Congress instead of the Republicans foe the impasse.
I agree that this is entirely on the Republican Party and their adherence to a political philosophy that is akin to a religion on their part. However, I've seem more than one instance of Democrats or others on the left saying that Democrats should not agree to anything unless X is also part of the deal. I'm sorry, but people need to pay rent and feed themselves. If the Democrats in Congress can get Republicans to extend the $600 then do it. Worrying about the USPS or whatever else right now is extra.
It's clear that the term "Liberal Media" was a concoction from Republicans. No Republican politician ever seems to come under the same scrutiny as Democrats. While Fox News is the obvious right wing mouth piece, make no mistake that the other outlets are at least owned by conservative billionaires. MSNBC is the only channel that leans the furthest to the left but there are examples from that network that makes me shake my head as was the case with the intense interview of Joe Biden by Mika Brzenzinski of his alleged sexual misconduct that shortly thereafter completely unraveled. Trump never faced that level of interrogation from Mika or any other outlet. The Republicans are the obvious blockers of a new stimulus. But the media can't get themselves to say that. I don't understand defending the Republican Party especially when they are only Republicans in name. There is no liberal/conservative debate between Democrats and Republicans anymore. That debate now happens entirely within the Democratic Party between its left wing and the moderates. The Republicans are Fascists. Their actions and words prove it everyday. So it is even worse for the media. They are defending Fascism.
Thanks Eric.
I'll add WaPo, "White House considers unilateral moves amid stalemate in Congress." You are correct that republicans can't legislate. Think "Repeal, Replace." With control of all three branches and following 8 years of chanting, nothing was passed. Specifically, when the light was turned on, and the press reacted to massive public interest in healthcare, and against repeal and replace with no idea how to govern, the coverage was better and disaster was avoided.
They are the party of "no."
they’re clearly are party of no, even during economic collapse—press just doesn’t want to be honest
It’s astonishing really, the links the American mainstream media will go to to help Republicans destroy our country.
“Republicans just ruined the lives of millions of struggling Americans as the economy falls off the cliff.” Well-said.
It’s like press doesn’t want to acknowledge how radical GOP has become
They’re terrified of the “liberal media bias” trope that Fox “News” ingrained in them in the 90s. It would be nice if they would just fight back, especially since Trump accuses them of it anyway. I mean, what the hell is wrong with being called liberal? The majority of the population is liberal. They should embrace it. Or Democrats should start massively accusing them of a conservative bias, which would at least be accurate.🙄
They've ruined it more than we can even imagine right now, but they are all good, prez is good, all that matters, clearly
We can give WaPo's Amber Phillips some props on her reporting of this subject from her 5-Minute Fix column on Thursday morning.....
https://bit.ly/2PwTZeq
However... this morning on MSNBC Kristen Welker was subbing for Craig Melvin and was ALL OVER Speaker Pelosi, constantly for five minutes, as to why she's not compromising and why she's holding up relief for millions of Americans. It sounded like I was watching Fox instead of MSNBC. I tweeted disdain at Welker. She's new at anchoring and this is how she acts? Repubs will certainly eat it up.
Unemployment payment is determined by each State. This additional money is just the federal money on top of the regular unemployment. Maybe the amount is the problem and not enough was ever given to begin with. Why doesn't each state create their own package and increase the amount themselves? or extend the unemployment? Why do they need Federal money? What about the policy that you can only receive unemployment for so long? How can you apply for unemployment twice in a row? Why does it have to always be about political groups and not about policies? Why does it always have to do with Congress and not at the City and State level?
Your statement "More specifically, the Republican Party does not want to govern and doesn't see the federal government as an instrument to help working Americans..." is, simply, profound.
This is a particular favorite issue of mine, and I must say, I was out of town and behind on reading The New York Times, so it wasn't until the weekend that I came upon an article from a week before in which Carl Hulse, The Times's normally much better chief correspondent in DC, had a piece about the failures of "Congress." But he and The Times have the habit of claiming the existence of bipartisanship where it does not exist (I refer you to their coverage of Lamar Alexander, whom the media like; therefore, they tolerate his treason and bigotry).
Eric, is there anything that can be done about the both siderism that plays out in the headlines? It is so frustrating to read this daily. What is so difficult about calling out the GOP for this? I don’t think there is a way to exercise accountability for the editors of the NYT who write the headlines?
Can I pay with paypal or no? I'm waiting on a new debit card in the mail, & mail is screwed up right now.
Hi! this newsletter uses Stripe instead of PayPal. so when yr new card arrives you can try it. thanks
Thx
Also, (sorry I have to, seeing the comments) , it would be nice if authors of opinion pieces would just come our & say it. Hes not leaving, say it with me, lol. Also this morning He put someone in the Pentagon that the senate wouldnt confirm. Approx 3-4 weeks ago they started a "thing", where Ice will train any citizen that wants to, they said in immigration & fire arms. I cant remember if they said 6 weeks or 6 mos, I'm guessing 6 weeks. When my state required a CCW to carry, a one day class covered class & practice. I realize many will assume it's for at the border,it isnt. I seriously wish ppl would get caught up to speed. My conservative friends that I make a point of sharing TONS of info with them. Sadly, (extremely) they arent paying much attn & it appears that's intentional. They think something would be obvious, & a few have been. But when you arent looking...also his campaign is taking the state of PA (& talking about NV) regarding ballot drop boxes.yes, it's a state issue, and it's not the Gov's job to deal with covid19. When it comes to trying out his secret police, or stealing the election he will make an exception. I think he expected most to vote with machines, that's why he keeps going on about mail. If you are voting by mail, pls check your registration every month in case you are on the purge list, call your BOE, or S.O.S. , & find out how early u can vote, do it asap, (will help with usps, also), drop off if you can
Also PLEASE get everyone u know registered. Its gotta be a huge win, otherwise we are stuck
Thank you for this article. The use of “Congress” has just fried me for the last several years—but I never thought to call it out. Learned helplessness, I guess. Thank you for reminding me of the need to be both vigilant and responsive.
Eric,
Well, there is this piece in WaPo this morning...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/08/02/gops-stimulus-disaster-starts-with-president
good opinion piece! now we just have to move that mentality to news pages where too many reporters hide behind Both Sides shield.
No, yeah, you're right, Eric, and I think you may have mentioned something about that when you were on The Michelangelo Signorile Show. More people see the regular stories — heck, the headlines — than the opinion pieces (or opinion headlines), right? Shucks.
Still, I’m glad opinion writers are hitting this point. it’s a start!
Mr. Boehlert,
It’s worse. Apparently the Republicans in the Senate can’t get a plan together. So there are at least 4 parties negotiating: Trump’s White House, Mitch & Republican “mainstreamers”, Republican “deficit hawks”, and Democrats.
Though the good news is that Trump himself is strangely silent on the issue, only wanting to send out more checks with his name on them.
oh it was complete fiasco in terms of GOP not even being able to come up with an agreed plan until 48 hrs before relief checks expired. that just made the Both Sides coverage more absurd
But Eric’s point is that the media is reporting this as equally both sides’ fault and that is what the average person who doesn’t follow politics closely will hear.
I was furious when I read this article, “Congress deeply unpopular again as gridlock on coronavirus relief has real-life consequences” by Paul Kane in yesterday’s WaPo. It is a egregious example of that bothsiderism. Kane leads off with:
“After a springtime boomlet of bipartisan legislation, Congress has slid back into its familiar posture of hitting gridlock on everything....”
Kane then proceeds to prove his point that Dems are equally to blame by citing polls showing that the public’s approval ratings of Congress have dropped as a result of not passing a new relief bill, but making the point that “Democrats suffered the largest drop in approval, from 39 percent in May to 20 percent in late July” as proof.
No mention of the fact that McConnell could have easily passed the bill if he had brought it to a vote. He had more than enough Democrats to pass the bill with those Republicans who were also willing to vote for it. I heard McConnell say that some of his people wouldn’t vote for it because they are worried about the debt (Ha!) but that he doesn’t agree with them. Clearly Mitch wants the bill but doesn’t like the optics of needing Democrats’ votes, i.e. he doesn’t want a truly bipartisan bill. Kane ignores this important fact because it disproves his preferred storyline. Of course approval of Democrats plummets when this is the kind of reporting that comes from highly respected mainstream sources.
Then there is the fact that approval numbers for Republicans were already so low they can’t decrease that much. Regression to the mean is real. No, for Kane the bigger drop for Democrats is proof they are not doing the right thing!
Kane is the Post’s senior Congressional correspondent. Pathetic and deplorable “reporting”.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/paul-kane/
I also was pretty upset with that article.
You will appreciate this article by Esquire’s Charles Pierce. He calls out the WaPo for yet another faux balance article that blames Congress instead of the Republicans foe the impasse.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a33498174/republicans-pandemic-relief-bill-failure/
Meant to post this link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-coronavirus-economy-crisis/2020/08/02/209bbac0-d340-11ea-9038-af089b63ac21_story.html
I agree that this is entirely on the Republican Party and their adherence to a political philosophy that is akin to a religion on their part. However, I've seem more than one instance of Democrats or others on the left saying that Democrats should not agree to anything unless X is also part of the deal. I'm sorry, but people need to pay rent and feed themselves. If the Democrats in Congress can get Republicans to extend the $600 then do it. Worrying about the USPS or whatever else right now is extra.
I didn’t even have chance in column to address the insane WH provisions initially proposed in relief bill—like renovating $$ West Wing
And $$ to move the FBI building so Trump’s hotel could get more business from his corrupt friends overseas. 🙄