Thank you for all that you’re doing, Eric. We need a constant “shout it from the rooftops” style from all of us, because our major media sure isn’t doing it.
What’s bugging me is that so many members of our current Congress knew about this plan—and did NOTHING to stop it. Meadows used to be in Congress—why did he get involved in this? (I know, he was Chief of Staff. But still!) All those like Lindsey Graham, who got phone calls—they said NOTHING? They are still in Congress saying NOTHING?
And Pence! My god, not only did he KNOW about it, he sensed that his life was in danger—he’s still saying NOTHING?
Graham knew about it before hand and then exploded after the terror he witnessed. He didn't appreciate the violence until he was exposed to it. Has anyone mentioned that profile in courage?
The Power Point coup should be second biggest story next to the damage caused by the tornadoes that affected Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri.
As a Filipino who spent the majority of his childhood reading, hearing and watching several coup attempts by rogue elements in military during the presidency of the late Corazon C. Aquino, it's disappointing that the American media outlets are suffering from a massive case of denial that the majority of the Republican Party has become a right-wing & authoritorian/fascist movement committed to a future where only white, Christian, and heterosexual people are the true Americans, and Democrats, liberals, LGBTQIA people, racial & ethnic minorities, non-Christians (Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, etc.) are fodder for genocide because they're un-American.
Seriously, some of those journalists with huge salaries, nice houses, and luxurious tastes should maybe consider that hobnobbing among the elites in Washington and big business have blinded their abilities to do their jobs. All the material possessions and acquired wealth they're built over the years will can disappear at any time. They should remember the reasons why the became journalists first. It wasn't fame, it wasn't money, it was their desire to seek the truth and hold the powerful accountable. They're not supposed to kiss the ass of any politician of any party. So, why are they willing to implicitly go along with the GOP's business as usual while ignoring the growing chorus of Democrats are telling them to do their part to save democracy.
Thanks, I'll admit to echoing a point made by Robert Reich from his Guardian column about journalists being too close to the rich & powerful that they've forgotten their actual jobs. The Beltway press is a good example of what happens when the powerful, in this case the GOP has managed to influence the way stories are covered in the way they allow the press to gain access to their members.
I agree that the tornado that leveled a 200 mile path in Kentucky and elsewhere should be a bigger story and it needs to be tied to the Global Warming problem (Yes, Global Warming was always the correct term. As the average temperature rises, the climate changes. Too many folks confuse climate with weather but I digress). However, if the coup succeeds, the efforts to combat climate change will vanish as Republican fascists once again stroke the balls of the oil billionaires.
The military has lied like hell about their involvement. They claim phone calls that they never made, wanted the National guard to protect pro trump people, and then when some honorable members demanded the guard get to the Capitol. They said create a plan and get back to me. See articles by Kyle Cheney and Amanda Carpenter on Twitter. They’re dirty.
Maybe WE THE PEOPLE should start having press conferences with the media. Asking them the tough questions on why they aren't asking the repugs these questions. Asking about trying to throw democracy out the door and put an insane man in the king chair. Just a thought maybe Jen P should invite WE THE PEOPLE to the next press conference and turn the tables on them and let us ask the questions. IJS
I make it a point to ask Biden bashing reporters on Twitter why they're undermining the last line between democracy and fascism, or why they're trying to destroy democracy.
Maybe you should ask them if the people who are paying their salaries are telling them to do that, or they simply don't like Biden and are okay watching the country burn down to the ground since they're too busy making book deals.
Seriously, the whole "greed is good" mantra from 80's really did a number on the American psyche.
Good questions that I will add to my tweets! Thank you. That and Reagan managing to convince the media and the rest of America that the government is the enemy. Plus the marginalization of critical thinking skills.
The whole "big government is bad and its overreach infringes upon our freedoms" rhetoric is really hypocritical of the Republicans since they're okay with statewide bans on abortions & anti-racist education.
Well, the Republicans & their allies in the right-wing media hate critical thinking skills, because the more people are willing to scrutinize their lack of policy, the slide to irrelevancy becomes faster.
I'm sure the majority of Republican voters don't want to be accused of being idiots. However, their inability to see that they're being deceived on the issues by their leadership is a problem.
I'm sure any of the social spending policies being put out by the Biden administration would help them a great deal. However, the GOP leadership is trying to block them because it helps people they don't like.
I see too many in the media who don't use critical thinking skills at all. I think many of them are lazy incurious narcissists who love sucking up to whomever they perceive is powerful.
One of our PR pals - you maybe ? - coined this great imo term, ‘Press Vanity’ to describe what drives the msm to remain caught in and choose to stay in the competitive world of bothsiderism and inadvertently or not, sucking up as you say 👍 and becoming both enablers of the Rs and betrayers of their trusts.
If they behave like this, it's either they've somehow buried their ability to use their critical thinking skills because they're afraid the hard questions might make their interview subject lose interest, or they should not be reporters in the first place (cough *Chuck Todd* cough *Dana Bash* cough).
Just a reminder that only a small number of reporters have book deals, and those journalists—Costa, Rucker, Leonig, Karl, Woodward—have been and are sounding the alarm about what the GOP tried to do and are doing now. It's not a crime to write a book and get it published, and writers often discover facts well after the events because of their investigative reporting.
Thanks for the clarification on the book deals part.
It's just frustrating that unlike those reporters you've mentioned who understand the seriousness of the ongoing crisis of American democracy, there are those who are willing downplay it because they're afraid of losing access to their Republican sources if they start asking the hard questions.
Absolutely! The Chuck Todds of the world. Don’t get me started on Maga Maggie. Todd DOES know the dangers—he talks about it from time to time then resorts to his usual bullshit. I think there are those who don’t know exactly how to cover it and many who just refuse to take it seriously despite the evidence in front off their faces. But I have my eye on the people up higher—their editors and publishers. The people like Buzbee and Baquet. I think they are a huge part of the problem. Seriously watch the showtime series (if you can) about the Times in the weeks after 11/16. It’s very interesting and illuminating.
I remember Jimmy Carter had meetings across the country where people could ask him questions. Of course Republicans would make assholes of themselves at those gatherings but Carter kept his cool.
“But her emails.” At this point this should be the only story the media is covering nonstop, with ongoing updates on the tornadoes. It’s astounding that they gave more daily column inches to the dead horse of HRC’s emails and Wikileaks “revelations” (Risotto anyone?) than to the attempted overthrow of an election. As one of those votes they tried to steal/nullify, I take this very, very personally.
Wapo did that amazing in-depth story on the failed coup yet why aren’t there a number of follow up stories day in and out—the kind of coverage they gave to Travelgate, Whitewater, the fist bump, the scream, the emails, etc? None of those stories were worthy of the relentless, breathless reporting each got. But this massive scandal? Meh. It really is gobsmacking. And any criticism of the media is derided as being churlish. That Haberman is still on the “Trump beat” is astounding. How many other former presidents have gotten this kind of devoted attention?
I remember Watergate, and that was minor league compared to this failed coup—which is the kind of big story that should have journalists drooling and heads exploding everywhere. We should be witnessing a feeding frenzy. Instead it’s a big yawn.
Instead, they still give Trump oxygen, pretending there is a question of whether his acolytes like Meadows and Stone have executive privilege, when several courts have quite pointedly ruled they do not (nor does Trump because the current president has waived it). To their credit, a number of journalists are speaking out, but it isn’t enough. And of course when most media do mention it, it comes down to “what are the Dems gonna do about it?” Once again turning it into a political “problem” rather than an existential crisis for the nation.
No wonder the GOP tried so hard to prevent the committee from even forming. They know so many of their Congress members are complicit. And yet the media yawns because it’s the GOP. Astonishing, infuriating, and terrifying.
Well, now at least y’all know the kind of nation we really are. A party dedicated to ensuring elections are rigged in their favor as a matter of law, federal rights that can’t be protected in federal courts, and a mainstream media that are water carriers for this.
What's to be gained by this purposeful slanting of the coup story? Are they waiting for a successful one to put a failed one into some catewampus perspective? Disappointment doesn't begin to describe the shirking of duty by the fourth estate. Ironically, I doubt there are plans for its survival circulating on similar Powerpoints in coup circles.
An aside that’s having me bursting at the seams. J Wagner wrote a piece about Kamala in WaPo today. The piece was pretty factual but Wagner had to throw in a mention about the turmoil in her office, totally irrelevant to the piece. The story reported that Kamala has successfully won commitments from some of the biggest names in industry to reinvest in Guatemala, El Salvador etc. Putting aside the argument about public/private projects, very impressive imo. The online version appeared in the ‘Politics’ section below just below cookie recipes!!!????? How about featuring it in ‘World News?’ Or make it front page news since immigration is such an important issue especially among the Rs. I couldn’t find a trace of the piece in the printed piece. REALLY?
I recall a story during the Bush years where intelligence agencies held meeting with Condoleezza Rice in a basement (White House or Pentagon I don't remember) and an attendee presented a Power Point featuring different methods of torture they wanted to use. Media reacted to that with their classic collective shoulder shrugging. I wonder if they added animation, silly emojis or gifs.
The Post published a story on the Powerpoint with a title so innocuous that I almost skipped reading it, but by the time I got halfway through it, I wondered aloud at why its author wasn't behind bars. Yeah, I talk to myself while reading the news, mostly to spew obscenities.
It is becoming more obvious that there was a conspiracy involving Trump, his closest acolytes and varied nefarious characters on the fringes, working in concert. I also think it's reasonable to believe Pence knows much more than he's been given credit for.
It's possible that the indifference shown by the press for this story comes from fear or even stupidity, where they just don't know what the rest of us see clearly. I have yet to see anyone delve deeply into the reasons why there is so much blind fealty to Donald Trump - what has he ever done for any of them? What is the end game? We voted him out but tens of millions of people bought the big lie that the crown was stolen from the mad king's head. What will they gain by their loyalty to this mediocre businessman who couldn't even make a profit from casinos and who spent his time on a silly TV show and by promoting phony wrestling matches?
My loss of trust in this country's resilience is nearly complete now, due in no small part to seeing a slow collapse of a free and dedicated news media. I'm afraid they'll become like the Egyptian media - we'll see not just one Tucker Carlson, but tens of him, all parroting the same pro-authoritarian message. But their current indifference is just as bad. Indifference is what usually causes evil to rise to power. Interesting how easily this Powerpoint story was overshadowed by the non-story of "Bidenflation."
The GOP are cowards. Trump has amassed a devoted cult following willing to use violence to attack his enemies and threaten those who do not toe the line. It’s a very real and scary threat, which is why like droves of election officials, including those in the GOP who can’t stomach it, are quitting their positions and seats. They helped create and feed this monster (him and his supporters), and now this is where we are.
It won't feel much different for most people at first, especially the millions who don't really pay attention to the news—and miss a lot of elections. The media will continue to write negative stories about the Dems; those who do any investigative reporting into the admin will be threatened by Trumpkin goons and pushed out by editors willing to go along to keep their jobs. Over time stories will become increasingly supportive of the WH and the admin, and will ignore or become even more sour on any opposition.
In addition, a GOP Congress will expand the SC—adding even more Federalist dreck—and this radical SCOTUS will accept challenges to Sullivan V. NYT and other cases that have enshrined press protections. The result will be the decimation of years of precedent. They will also expand Executive power even further. They have their sites set on hollowing out the commerce clause, which will make it difficult to create interstate laws and regulations protecting water, air, etc.
A GOP Congress will shut down any investigations into 1/6 or Trump and his cronies. It will pass voting "reform," which will codify state changes happening in TX, GA, etc into federal law, making it a lot harder for Indies and Dems to vote. Non GOP votes will be challenged and thrown out by local GOP election boards to ensure the GOP candidate wins. Watch the extreme states; their laws over Covid, public health measures like masking and contact tracing, public education, birth control and minority rights, gay marriage, immigration, etc will become the federal template. They will revoke natural born citizenship (it's been floated by Trump and the crazies), and finally repeal the ACA, replacing it with nothing. Infrastructure, environmental protections, worker's protections etc will be weakened, reversed, and where possible outlawed. Forget any kind of aid outside of red states in case of increasing natural disasters. Any member who disagrees will be threatened, censured, and stripped of any perks or privileges. The military will become a de facto praetorian guard, aided by private militias who will be encouraged to "keep the peace."
In addition, a GOP congress will begin Benghazi like investigations alongside DOJ "investigations" into the likes of Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, Biden, Obama, HRC, Letitia James, etc, and DOJ will start indicting. There will be mass resignations or firings across the govt and it will be positioned as "the president needs people he can trust."
That's just off the top of my head. Read or watch anything about the rise of fascism in the 1930s. Or read up on Hungary and Putin's Russia today.
The problem with your fellow Americans is that their strong belief in the greatness of your country despite its many flaws creates an inability for them to be curious about what's happening in other countries and how they may have policies which are much better than the good ol' U.S. of A.
That also goes for the inability of many Americans to see that there is an ongoing crisis of democracy. You're absolutely right that your fellow Americans should be reading about what happened in Europe, particularly Germany & Italy in 1930s or what's happening in Russia & Hungary.
I could also add the Philippines, my country and former American colony in the mix since nobody here thought we would have another dictator similar to the late Ferdinand Marcos. However, the election of Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency proved all of us wrong. However, unlike his idol Marcos, the current president is a vulgar idiot like Trump whose only solution to the many problems is violence & more of the same. My country is currently gearing up for general elections next year. The scary part is that the son of dictator, who's an entitled spolied brat with a coke habit (sound familiar?) is the frontrunner in the presidential race.
Yep. Now they are trying to take down Kamala Harris. Peggy Noonan criticized her for not being serious, for dancing in public, for being a bad boss blah, blah, blah — basically the same kind of attacks she always made against Hillary.
From what I have seen the media coverage of Harris has been non existent except for coverage of what anonymous sources have said about her. Most people have no idea of the substantive work she is doing because it has been ignored.
It's just fucking outrageous that this coup Power Point presentation isn't the number one news story in America. If this doesn't show how the press is hoping for another Trump run at the White House, simply for ratings or because they themselves are a part of the coup then I don't know what does. You would expect that Fox News would ignore this story but how can institutions like the New York Times and Washington Post not have gotten out their largest typeface font for this headline staggers the mind. This passive journalism makes me feel that regardless of the progress that President Biden and the Democrats have made, the Founders idea of a country that could be governed by the people is pretty much in the shitter. Just fucking outraged!!!
This morning's NYT newsletter's top story is, "America's anti-democratic movement is making progress." So Dave Leonhardt is aware of, and appears to lament what the GOP is doing to our democratic foundation, but doesn't connect the dots to his own newspaper's failure to ring the alarm bells. People think it is politics as usual because that is the media's tenor. As Eric noted, Trump's outrageous refusal to say he would respect the election's outcome was glossed over as a personality quirk - "Trump being Trump" -rather than as a clarion call to stop a lunatic from creating irreparable harm.
Once again the Belt Way Press are full of s*it! And I'm not sure what their end game is if there's not going to be country after their failure to call out the lies and all the members of congress who were in on the coup. Like seriously, you want inside information so you can be the first to break the news?! Newsflash there are plenty of opportunities to be first to call out what all the Republicans are doing and not doing.
Also there are Senators and Reps who were part of the insurrection and they have yet to be called to the carpet and stripped of their seats. Like why isn't any of that happening?? So very frustrating. I do hope that all Democrats keep calling out the press because they are the ones undermining all the good the Dems are trying to do. smh
Thanks Eric for your continued pressure and this newsletter is so very important.
Thank you for all that you’re doing, Eric. We need a constant “shout it from the rooftops” style from all of us, because our major media sure isn’t doing it.
What’s bugging me is that so many members of our current Congress knew about this plan—and did NOTHING to stop it. Meadows used to be in Congress—why did he get involved in this? (I know, he was Chief of Staff. But still!) All those like Lindsey Graham, who got phone calls—they said NOTHING? They are still in Congress saying NOTHING?
And Pence! My god, not only did he KNOW about it, he sensed that his life was in danger—he’s still saying NOTHING?
it's truly astonishing.
Graham knew about it before hand and then exploded after the terror he witnessed. He didn't appreciate the violence until he was exposed to it. Has anyone mentioned that profile in courage?
You’d think at least one ace reporter would try to get comments from him.
The Power Point coup should be second biggest story next to the damage caused by the tornadoes that affected Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri.
As a Filipino who spent the majority of his childhood reading, hearing and watching several coup attempts by rogue elements in military during the presidency of the late Corazon C. Aquino, it's disappointing that the American media outlets are suffering from a massive case of denial that the majority of the Republican Party has become a right-wing & authoritorian/fascist movement committed to a future where only white, Christian, and heterosexual people are the true Americans, and Democrats, liberals, LGBTQIA people, racial & ethnic minorities, non-Christians (Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, etc.) are fodder for genocide because they're un-American.
Seriously, some of those journalists with huge salaries, nice houses, and luxurious tastes should maybe consider that hobnobbing among the elites in Washington and big business have blinded their abilities to do their jobs. All the material possessions and acquired wealth they're built over the years will can disappear at any time. They should remember the reasons why the became journalists first. It wasn't fame, it wasn't money, it was their desire to seek the truth and hold the powerful accountable. They're not supposed to kiss the ass of any politician of any party. So, why are they willing to implicitly go along with the GOP's business as usual while ignoring the growing chorus of Democrats are telling them to do their part to save democracy.
great points
Thanks, I'll admit to echoing a point made by Robert Reich from his Guardian column about journalists being too close to the rich & powerful that they've forgotten their actual jobs. The Beltway press is a good example of what happens when the powerful, in this case the GOP has managed to influence the way stories are covered in the way they allow the press to gain access to their members.
Looking at YOU, White House Correspondents Dinner 😒…
I agree that the tornado that leveled a 200 mile path in Kentucky and elsewhere should be a bigger story and it needs to be tied to the Global Warming problem (Yes, Global Warming was always the correct term. As the average temperature rises, the climate changes. Too many folks confuse climate with weather but I digress). However, if the coup succeeds, the efforts to combat climate change will vanish as Republican fascists once again stroke the balls of the oil billionaires.
The military has lied like hell about their involvement. They claim phone calls that they never made, wanted the National guard to protect pro trump people, and then when some honorable members demanded the guard get to the Capitol. They said create a plan and get back to me. See articles by Kyle Cheney and Amanda Carpenter on Twitter. They’re dirty.
the whole National Guard story that day is a disgrace, local NG leaders were clearly denied chance to send in troops
One of the generals involved was Charles Flynn - Michael Flynn's brother. Wingnuttery runs in the family.
Maybe WE THE PEOPLE should start having press conferences with the media. Asking them the tough questions on why they aren't asking the repugs these questions. Asking about trying to throw democracy out the door and put an insane man in the king chair. Just a thought maybe Jen P should invite WE THE PEOPLE to the next press conference and turn the tables on them and let us ask the questions. IJS
I make it a point to ask Biden bashing reporters on Twitter why they're undermining the last line between democracy and fascism, or why they're trying to destroy democracy.
Maybe you should ask them if the people who are paying their salaries are telling them to do that, or they simply don't like Biden and are okay watching the country burn down to the ground since they're too busy making book deals.
Seriously, the whole "greed is good" mantra from 80's really did a number on the American psyche.
Good questions that I will add to my tweets! Thank you. That and Reagan managing to convince the media and the rest of America that the government is the enemy. Plus the marginalization of critical thinking skills.
The whole "big government is bad and its overreach infringes upon our freedoms" rhetoric is really hypocritical of the Republicans since they're okay with statewide bans on abortions & anti-racist education.
Well, the Republicans & their allies in the right-wing media hate critical thinking skills, because the more people are willing to scrutinize their lack of policy, the slide to irrelevancy becomes faster.
I'm sure the majority of Republican voters don't want to be accused of being idiots. However, their inability to see that they're being deceived on the issues by their leadership is a problem.
I'm sure any of the social spending policies being put out by the Biden administration would help them a great deal. However, the GOP leadership is trying to block them because it helps people they don't like.
I see too many in the media who don't use critical thinking skills at all. I think many of them are lazy incurious narcissists who love sucking up to whomever they perceive is powerful.
One of our PR pals - you maybe ? - coined this great imo term, ‘Press Vanity’ to describe what drives the msm to remain caught in and choose to stay in the competitive world of bothsiderism and inadvertently or not, sucking up as you say 👍 and becoming both enablers of the Rs and betrayers of their trusts.
If they behave like this, it's either they've somehow buried their ability to use their critical thinking skills because they're afraid the hard questions might make their interview subject lose interest, or they should not be reporters in the first place (cough *Chuck Todd* cough *Dana Bash* cough).
Just a reminder that only a small number of reporters have book deals, and those journalists—Costa, Rucker, Leonig, Karl, Woodward—have been and are sounding the alarm about what the GOP tried to do and are doing now. It's not a crime to write a book and get it published, and writers often discover facts well after the events because of their investigative reporting.
Thanks for the clarification on the book deals part.
It's just frustrating that unlike those reporters you've mentioned who understand the seriousness of the ongoing crisis of American democracy, there are those who are willing downplay it because they're afraid of losing access to their Republican sources if they start asking the hard questions.
Absolutely! The Chuck Todds of the world. Don’t get me started on Maga Maggie. Todd DOES know the dangers—he talks about it from time to time then resorts to his usual bullshit. I think there are those who don’t know exactly how to cover it and many who just refuse to take it seriously despite the evidence in front off their faces. But I have my eye on the people up higher—their editors and publishers. The people like Buzbee and Baquet. I think they are a huge part of the problem. Seriously watch the showtime series (if you can) about the Times in the weeks after 11/16. It’s very interesting and illuminating.
Also ‘Where’s My Roy Cohn?!’ doc on TFG… riveting…😳
This is a great idea, IMO
I remember Jimmy Carter had meetings across the country where people could ask him questions. Of course Republicans would make assholes of themselves at those gatherings but Carter kept his cool.
(Back in the day when accountability, shame and *generally caring about stuff* were ‘things’ :/ ?!)
That's soooooo mid 20th century. And quaint.
“But her emails.” At this point this should be the only story the media is covering nonstop, with ongoing updates on the tornadoes. It’s astounding that they gave more daily column inches to the dead horse of HRC’s emails and Wikileaks “revelations” (Risotto anyone?) than to the attempted overthrow of an election. As one of those votes they tried to steal/nullify, I take this very, very personally.
Wapo did that amazing in-depth story on the failed coup yet why aren’t there a number of follow up stories day in and out—the kind of coverage they gave to Travelgate, Whitewater, the fist bump, the scream, the emails, etc? None of those stories were worthy of the relentless, breathless reporting each got. But this massive scandal? Meh. It really is gobsmacking. And any criticism of the media is derided as being churlish. That Haberman is still on the “Trump beat” is astounding. How many other former presidents have gotten this kind of devoted attention?
I remember Watergate, and that was minor league compared to this failed coup—which is the kind of big story that should have journalists drooling and heads exploding everywhere. We should be witnessing a feeding frenzy. Instead it’s a big yawn.
Instead, they still give Trump oxygen, pretending there is a question of whether his acolytes like Meadows and Stone have executive privilege, when several courts have quite pointedly ruled they do not (nor does Trump because the current president has waived it). To their credit, a number of journalists are speaking out, but it isn’t enough. And of course when most media do mention it, it comes down to “what are the Dems gonna do about it?” Once again turning it into a political “problem” rather than an existential crisis for the nation.
No wonder the GOP tried so hard to prevent the committee from even forming. They know so many of their Congress members are complicit. And yet the media yawns because it’s the GOP. Astonishing, infuriating, and terrifying.
Well, now at least y’all know the kind of nation we really are. A party dedicated to ensuring elections are rigged in their favor as a matter of law, federal rights that can’t be protected in federal courts, and a mainstream media that are water carriers for this.
They wouldn't say, "mentally ill," they wouldn't say, "lie," and now they won't say "coup." The Marquis of Queensbury rules for the media.
mustn't upset the GOP
What's to be gained by this purposeful slanting of the coup story? Are they waiting for a successful one to put a failed one into some catewampus perspective? Disappointment doesn't begin to describe the shirking of duty by the fourth estate. Ironically, I doubt there are plans for its survival circulating on similar Powerpoints in coup circles.
(Normalization?)
I maintain they've been actively engaged in promulgating propaganda to support fascist takeover.
An aside that’s having me bursting at the seams. J Wagner wrote a piece about Kamala in WaPo today. The piece was pretty factual but Wagner had to throw in a mention about the turmoil in her office, totally irrelevant to the piece. The story reported that Kamala has successfully won commitments from some of the biggest names in industry to reinvest in Guatemala, El Salvador etc. Putting aside the argument about public/private projects, very impressive imo. The online version appeared in the ‘Politics’ section below just below cookie recipes!!!????? How about featuring it in ‘World News?’ Or make it front page news since immigration is such an important issue especially among the Rs. I couldn’t find a trace of the piece in the printed piece. REALLY?
It's as if the GOP stenographers are under the influence of Emperor Palatine and letting the hate flow thru them.
You're kinder than I. I literally see them as packs of rabid jackals tearing into Biden and Harris with snarling teeth and foaming mouths.
We’re still stuck in the ‘kindness is weakness’ mentality, I’m afraid… been here for awhile. SAD
Yes. The media just love their Republican Bully Daddies.
I’ve been to some sucky meetings, but that takes the cake. “Should have been a phone call, Mark.”
Honestly, they had a meeting, with Powerpoint slides about how to overthrow the government?
These guys are like the worst Bond villains ever.
Certainly there must be a distribution list and an attendees list. How hard can this be to get the indictments rolling?
I recall a story during the Bush years where intelligence agencies held meeting with Condoleezza Rice in a basement (White House or Pentagon I don't remember) and an attendee presented a Power Point featuring different methods of torture they wanted to use. Media reacted to that with their classic collective shoulder shrugging. I wonder if they added animation, silly emojis or gifs.
The Post published a story on the Powerpoint with a title so innocuous that I almost skipped reading it, but by the time I got halfway through it, I wondered aloud at why its author wasn't behind bars. Yeah, I talk to myself while reading the news, mostly to spew obscenities.
It is becoming more obvious that there was a conspiracy involving Trump, his closest acolytes and varied nefarious characters on the fringes, working in concert. I also think it's reasonable to believe Pence knows much more than he's been given credit for.
It's possible that the indifference shown by the press for this story comes from fear or even stupidity, where they just don't know what the rest of us see clearly. I have yet to see anyone delve deeply into the reasons why there is so much blind fealty to Donald Trump - what has he ever done for any of them? What is the end game? We voted him out but tens of millions of people bought the big lie that the crown was stolen from the mad king's head. What will they gain by their loyalty to this mediocre businessman who couldn't even make a profit from casinos and who spent his time on a silly TV show and by promoting phony wrestling matches?
My loss of trust in this country's resilience is nearly complete now, due in no small part to seeing a slow collapse of a free and dedicated news media. I'm afraid they'll become like the Egyptian media - we'll see not just one Tucker Carlson, but tens of him, all parroting the same pro-authoritarian message. But their current indifference is just as bad. Indifference is what usually causes evil to rise to power. Interesting how easily this Powerpoint story was overshadowed by the non-story of "Bidenflation."
The GOP are cowards. Trump has amassed a devoted cult following willing to use violence to attack his enemies and threaten those who do not toe the line. It’s a very real and scary threat, which is why like droves of election officials, including those in the GOP who can’t stomach it, are quitting their positions and seats. They helped create and feed this monster (him and his supporters), and now this is where we are.
Hypothetically, what happens after/if the dog catches the car?
Nothing good.
It won't feel much different for most people at first, especially the millions who don't really pay attention to the news—and miss a lot of elections. The media will continue to write negative stories about the Dems; those who do any investigative reporting into the admin will be threatened by Trumpkin goons and pushed out by editors willing to go along to keep their jobs. Over time stories will become increasingly supportive of the WH and the admin, and will ignore or become even more sour on any opposition.
In addition, a GOP Congress will expand the SC—adding even more Federalist dreck—and this radical SCOTUS will accept challenges to Sullivan V. NYT and other cases that have enshrined press protections. The result will be the decimation of years of precedent. They will also expand Executive power even further. They have their sites set on hollowing out the commerce clause, which will make it difficult to create interstate laws and regulations protecting water, air, etc.
A GOP Congress will shut down any investigations into 1/6 or Trump and his cronies. It will pass voting "reform," which will codify state changes happening in TX, GA, etc into federal law, making it a lot harder for Indies and Dems to vote. Non GOP votes will be challenged and thrown out by local GOP election boards to ensure the GOP candidate wins. Watch the extreme states; their laws over Covid, public health measures like masking and contact tracing, public education, birth control and minority rights, gay marriage, immigration, etc will become the federal template. They will revoke natural born citizenship (it's been floated by Trump and the crazies), and finally repeal the ACA, replacing it with nothing. Infrastructure, environmental protections, worker's protections etc will be weakened, reversed, and where possible outlawed. Forget any kind of aid outside of red states in case of increasing natural disasters. Any member who disagrees will be threatened, censured, and stripped of any perks or privileges. The military will become a de facto praetorian guard, aided by private militias who will be encouraged to "keep the peace."
In addition, a GOP congress will begin Benghazi like investigations alongside DOJ "investigations" into the likes of Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, Biden, Obama, HRC, Letitia James, etc, and DOJ will start indicting. There will be mass resignations or firings across the govt and it will be positioned as "the president needs people he can trust."
That's just off the top of my head. Read or watch anything about the rise of fascism in the 1930s. Or read up on Hungary and Putin's Russia today.
The problem with your fellow Americans is that their strong belief in the greatness of your country despite its many flaws creates an inability for them to be curious about what's happening in other countries and how they may have policies which are much better than the good ol' U.S. of A.
That also goes for the inability of many Americans to see that there is an ongoing crisis of democracy. You're absolutely right that your fellow Americans should be reading about what happened in Europe, particularly Germany & Italy in 1930s or what's happening in Russia & Hungary.
I could also add the Philippines, my country and former American colony in the mix since nobody here thought we would have another dictator similar to the late Ferdinand Marcos. However, the election of Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency proved all of us wrong. However, unlike his idol Marcos, the current president is a vulgar idiot like Trump whose only solution to the many problems is violence & more of the same. My country is currently gearing up for general elections next year. The scary part is that the son of dictator, who's an entitled spolied brat with a coke habit (sound familiar?) is the frontrunner in the presidential race.
The press is complicit.
Yep. Now they are trying to take down Kamala Harris. Peggy Noonan criticized her for not being serious, for dancing in public, for being a bad boss blah, blah, blah — basically the same kind of attacks she always made against Hillary.
From what I have seen the media coverage of Harris has been non existent except for coverage of what anonymous sources have said about her. Most people have no idea of the substantive work she is doing because it has been ignored.
See J Wagners Wapo piece today under cookie recipes. AHHHHHHH!!!!
Especially women with a darker skin tone than the ass who was obsessed with the feet of Pruneface Reagan!
St. Peggy - Patron Saint of Foot Fetishists.
How ironic is it that the 2 members of the Rump administration who showed the most integrity around this coup attempt are Bill Barr and Mike Pence? 🤯
As for the MSM - keep riding them! They have to break eventually, right?
yeah, that integrity list remains a very short one
Wondering if Barr/Pence will appear before 1/6 Committee? Wouldn’t that be a show😉
Not sure they have anything of value to add. They were asked to join the coup and they said no. We’ll see!
It's just fucking outrageous that this coup Power Point presentation isn't the number one news story in America. If this doesn't show how the press is hoping for another Trump run at the White House, simply for ratings or because they themselves are a part of the coup then I don't know what does. You would expect that Fox News would ignore this story but how can institutions like the New York Times and Washington Post not have gotten out their largest typeface font for this headline staggers the mind. This passive journalism makes me feel that regardless of the progress that President Biden and the Democrats have made, the Founders idea of a country that could be governed by the people is pretty much in the shitter. Just fucking outraged!!!
This morning's NYT newsletter's top story is, "America's anti-democratic movement is making progress." So Dave Leonhardt is aware of, and appears to lament what the GOP is doing to our democratic foundation, but doesn't connect the dots to his own newspaper's failure to ring the alarm bells. People think it is politics as usual because that is the media's tenor. As Eric noted, Trump's outrageous refusal to say he would respect the election's outcome was glossed over as a personality quirk - "Trump being Trump" -rather than as a clarion call to stop a lunatic from creating irreparable harm.
Notice how banal that headline sounds? Most readers' eyes probably glazed over when they saw it. "Progress" is such a bland word.
"All the BS the GOP Tells Us To Print"
More proof of the total capitulation of the press to Republicans.
Time named Elon Musk its' Man Of The Year...
Stacey Abrams would have been perfect…
Someone else on Twitter mentioned Officer Goodman & the others who defended the Capitol on 1/6!
How about that woman scientist who worked for years on the mnRA vax science (or did she already win last year)?
Hell, how about Pelosi for ‘going back in’ and CERTIFYING the votes!?
The Vaxx researchers did get recognized as ‘Heroes of the Year’: https://time.com/heroes-of-the-year-2021-vaccine-scientists/
Once again the Belt Way Press are full of s*it! And I'm not sure what their end game is if there's not going to be country after their failure to call out the lies and all the members of congress who were in on the coup. Like seriously, you want inside information so you can be the first to break the news?! Newsflash there are plenty of opportunities to be first to call out what all the Republicans are doing and not doing.
Also there are Senators and Reps who were part of the insurrection and they have yet to be called to the carpet and stripped of their seats. Like why isn't any of that happening?? So very frustrating. I do hope that all Democrats keep calling out the press because they are the ones undermining all the good the Dems are trying to do. smh
Thanks Eric for your continued pressure and this newsletter is so very important.