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Here’s the take from Politico‘s Playbook on these violations of the Hatch Act:

“according to most every straight-faced expert, it’s a violation of the Hatch Act.......do you think a single person outside the Beltway gives a hoot about the president politicking from the White House or using the federal government to his political advantage? Do you think any persuadable voter even notices?“

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2020/08/26/this-is-absolutely-not-how-it-works-490188

This is the attitude of the same people who went berserk over HIllary’s legal use of her private email server. But don’t worry this will all change if Biden gets elected. The Republican smear machine will relentlessly attack Democrats for even the appearance of violating the law and the mainstream “liberal” media will willingly become their echo chamber.

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The CCCP has made it clear that they agree with Apparatchik Meadows.

Republicans are above the law.

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I emailed this to Ms. Sullivan, whom I worship.

I wanted to pass along something a friend told me. He works on Capitol Hill. You've undoubtedly seen the rope line where reporters stand and shout questions as senators leave the chamber.

I wonder if anybody remembers Bob Corker. Of course. Well, recall that he offered mild criticism of the incumbent and was hailed as a Great Principled Statesman. My friend told me that Corker would always stop at the line and chat, ask about their families, etc.

Elizabeth Warren never stops there. She's headed off to do something. Note the coverage of her. Not just sexist.

So, there's a reason I have no hope for most political reporters. And this article was a reminder of why.

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There have been two sets of rules for decades now. The Republicans constantly complain about the liberal press. What liberal press? Your many articles of the double standard surely point out that the idea of a liberal press is nothing more than Republicans howling at the moon. For anyone wondering how does a country go from a democracy to an autocracy, just follow what the press is not doing. There's your answer.

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Every time someone says trump is a dictator wannabe my blood literally boils. What else does he need to do. We’re past genocide (deliberate covid-19 spread +Portland). Past the militia requirements. Past state tv propaganda machine. His wife came out in military garb to address the nation, trolling us with untruths. He’s allowed the hunting of our soldiers and has yet to confront Putin(press amnesia in full effect). The media is fully subsidized.

What else does he have to do or say to predicate what’s to come and what is? People are now seeing the dangerous situation we’re in bc the media on both sides are maintaining the temperature and managing the public perception.

They are running a mega severity softening campaign that’s beyond the scope of 2016.

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press just refuses to describe Trump’s radical behavior accurately

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The New York Times decided early on that the Clintons and anyone associated with them simply were not their kind of people. Therefore, every single thing any of them did was vilified beyond all reason because all of them dared to rise above a class structure that required the approval of the Times staff. The elitism there smells as bad as the subway station named after them.

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sad but true. I could write 15 columns on what NYT did to Al Gore during 2000 campaign

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The Times allegedly hated the Clintons as a result of Howell Raines' personal pique at seeing someone else take his own mantle as the "Golden Boy From Arkansas." The Gore hate was supposed to have been generated in the Press pool because Gore and his staff didn't coddle them the way the Bush campaign did.

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This piece shows off Mr. Boehlert's best talents. He skillfully takes us back to times almost forgotten to remind us of the time we are painfully experiencing now. He shows how far media coverage, and almost everything else, has been sucked into the Trump sewer. This method of reminding us how far coverage has sunk works so much better than his alternative method of posing the hypothetical: "Can you imagine what the media would make of...some Trump horror...if it had been a democrat?"

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much thanks...i do enjoy putting today’s failings in historical context

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Today's Pundiratty's would sneer at notion of "historical context" as being "quaint". Of course, that assumes they even have the word quaint in their vocabularies. Historical context is critical and I also appreciate how you integrate it into your posts.

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I forgot to add that WaPo has an article about why the Hatch Act violations matter.

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Has anyone reported on a cause of death for Robert Trump yet? Did I miss it? The President's younger brother was given a memorial service at "the people's house," but the people have not yet been given a straight answer as to why he died. Could a release of his death certificate still be forthcoming?

The reason to wonder, besides the obvious (was it COVID-related?) is the journalistic issue involved. If the President's brother's cause of death, just as appears on the death certificate, can be so easily hidden from the public, how easily could the powers-that-be (whoever those people specifically are) hide whatever documents that exist around this President which might help the government, or the voters, decide whether he should remain in office: his school records, his tax returns, or (my pet peeve) his stolen medical records?

Is ANYONE still working on that story? WHY is Robert Trump dead?

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Bob Somerby's Daily Howler chronicled how the Corporate Controlled Conservative Press led by the liars at the New York Times endlessly slandered Al Gore and kissed up to Dumbya. If anyone needs a refresher of how the Gang of Four--Michael Kelly, Tim Russert, Tweety Matthews and Maureen Dowd fresh from their leading the Clinton impeachment went all out to stick the shiv in Al Gore check out The Daily Howler archives.

As for now, the CCCP is in full Trump worshipping mode because he brings in the cash. That's all they care about. And they will gladly trash Joe and crucify Hunter. Oh and we can see how the Hillary haters in the CCCP are now gleefully playing the race card with Kamala painting her as the typical black woman with an attitude...

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oh gosh yes, Daily Howler stands as the definitive source for analysis of Gore media coverage

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Gee, and all this time I thought the mainstream media was being controlled by the Libs. LOL

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Nailed it again, Eric. Examining the Times’ coverage of Gore’s supposed “corruption” compared with their enabling of a totally lawless Administration was right on the mark.

Question: How much of this Times and general media hypocrisy is a generational thing? Are the new breed of journalists and editors more accepting of Hatch Act style corruption because it’s so common in the Trump era and they’ve become immune?

On another note, I’m even a bigger fan now that I’ve read you’re into The Mavericks. Favorite album? I discovered them in 1995 when I heard Music For All Occasions.

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that’s a good question. when NYT declares war on Clinton’s in 90s I assumed people would grow out of the culture over time. but as we saw in 2016, that did not happen with new generation.

fav Mavs album? probably “He’ll to Paradise” or “Crying Shame.”

Funny story: in my previous life I worked at Billboard magazine and when their first record came out I invited them to place our office. so they came in, set up shop in my cubicle while drummer played a cardboard box

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Eric, very cool Mavs story. I was working at Times Mirror Magazines in '95 as ME of the Sports Custom Publishing Division and our Art Director next to my office would play Mavericks CDs and I heard them through the wall and they got my attention. Been a big fan ever since. Listen to the song "Things I Cannot Change" and tell me if you think that will a change of one line in the lyric it could be a song about 9/11.

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This has been going on far too long for this to be generational. For example David Broder, the august “Dean of Washington Journalism” was a big offender when it came to double standards. He was born in 1929.

The media shrugged off Reagan’s ridiculous “apology” for his blatant violation of our constitution with his reckless Iran Contra conspiracy. In what objective world would saying “ My heart and my best intentions tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not” earn a pass for serious law breaking? The media gave the same pass to Bush I despite the fact that he repeatedly lied about his Iran Contra involvement and withheld his diary of those meeting he claimed to have been “out of the loop” on. And they soon dropped their outrage pardoning all of his co-conspirators. The Independent Counsel was planning to use Bush’s diary as evidence in Caspar Weinberger’s trial so Bush had clearly covered up his own complicity. The media just knew he was a man of principle so they let it go.

I was a teen when Nixon’s handlers let it be known he was having a PR makeover which would portray him as the “New Nixon”. I was shocked when short time later the media started talking about the “New Nixon“ as if this change was substantive, not a PR manipulation. The late Jack Germond attributed this huge mistake to the media feeling guilty for having been mean to Nixon when he ran against JFK.

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There ought to be a special level of hell reserved for Broder and Fred Hiatt who gladly conspired with Judith Miller and the liars at the Times to beat the war drums for Dumbya.

I will never forgive any of them for lying us into a war, brainwashing my son to kill Muslims for Jesus...and that led to his death along with thousands of other innocent people.

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I would love to contribute $6 a month. But I can't find a donate button or other means of doing so.

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