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Even MSNBC has been non-stop "inflationinflationinflation" coverage.

Meanwhile: In his last year in office, Trump was impeached twice, hid CDC data that led to over 500k deaths in USA, conspired to overturn election results, and organized a violent attack of the US Capitol & he is STILL the GOP’s ‘man’ for 2024. Credit: @caslernoel

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I worry about a fourth? Fifth? (Have lost count) Covid surge because of the idiots who won’t get vaxxed. We have followed the Europeans and they are enduring a fourth wave now. How long will media cover news of the Trump admin’s CDC interference last year? Or is that over already? Side note: In addition to horse dewormer, some Trumpkins who got the vaxx are bathing in borax to “expel” or neutralize it’s “effects.” We are a nation of stupid.

Yes, prices are higher. Media with few exceptions are doing a crap job of explaining why, instead highlighting each piece of the supply chain as crisis! Disaster! Shelves were empty of necessities for months last year and not a peep. Yet NOW the sky is falling. The upside is most readers of both the NYT and Wapo have been pushing back on the negative Biden coverage in the comments. They recognize it for what it is.

One of the storylines that rattles my brain is the framing around subpoenas and the 1/6 commission. Beltway media pose this too as a game of chicken, when everyone knows they themselves would be in jail if they didn’t comply. There is no “choice” here for Bannon et al yet the media set it up as if there were. And then there is Michael Flynn’s call for one national religion. WTF media? He was one of the main instigators in the attack on schools and school boards campaign. We’re in a real crisis here with this kind of crap. I’d also love to see some stories accompanying the “oh goody GOP will waltz to victory in 22” coverage with just what that could/would mean for the country.

If wishes were horses. . .

And it’s only Monday.

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And not one word in the corporate media about the reason gas prices are so high. That reason being that murderous Saudi Royal MBS is slowing oil production for OPEC because Biden won't call him on the phone and make nice the way Trump used to. His nose s so far out of joint that an unnecessary arms sale isn't even enough to make him happy. As with Afghanistan, Biden is making the correct policy choice, but the MSM has no interest in telling it. Repeating GOP talking points is ever so much easier.

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And then there's the Corporate Controlled Conservative Press firing off a whole bunch of hit pieces on Kamala. The Press Corpse wishes Pence was back still screwing up the pandemic response in the same manner that he let HIV run unchecked in Indiana.

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Either the press is aiding and abetting the Republicans or they are positioning themselves for the inevitable right-wing coup hell bent on creating an autocracy here in the US. On Friday, Thom Hartmann outlined a very scary scenario when he compared what's happening here with what occurred in Chille in 1973 when a successful coup ended their democracy. The press there for months ignored the signs that a coup was underway simply to keep themselves in the good graces of the new authoritarian regime. Many opposing the coup were rounded up, tortured and killed in local stadiums. While that might seem an unlikely scenario here because I still believe our military wouldn't support such a coup, I wouldn't have ever imagined just ten years ago what we've witnessed over the last five. The press is not doing its job. That much is clear.

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Krugman's essay is a must-read, I said to myself Friday. Not surprised to see it make Press Run. Thanks for your efforts, Eric.

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I don’t know much about the dismal science of economics (not a science, btw), but I do know the pressroom mantra: if it bleeds it leads.

Our Failed Political Press buried the good jobs news and now they are highlighting the bad inflation news out of proportion are exactly one-and-the-same. And to put those stories into context —as they should— it would paint a terrible picture of how The Former Guy damaged the economy. And we cannot have that, now can we?

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The Press routinely stay focused on trying to play "gotcha" instead of amplifying all the good that is actually being done in what I think is a relatively short time. We all say the Dems need to work on messaging which I completely agree with however we also need the media to play a role in actually covering the good messaging we are speaking about. At every turn it's like a fight. I hope the Dems have figured out that they can't rely on the press and have to go into communities and talk about all the things that are beneficial to everyone in both bills. Explain it to folks like they are 3yrs old. Thanks for all you do Eric. And also nice to see you this weekend on MSNBC getting the word out.

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founding

The headline of one of WaPo’s top stories today:

“ Americans more critical of Biden’s pandemic response, Post-ABC poll finds”.

The article goes on to describe parents’ dissatisfaction with their schools handling of the pandemic.

The good news is the WaPo also has an opinion article by Jennifer Rubin — “ Gosh, fights about schools might be hyped“ — describing polls showing the majority of parents are actually supportive of the measures their schools have taken:

“61% of the public supports requiring face masks to be worn in schools by students, teachers, and staff,” down only a few points since September. Meanwhile, “Support levels for school-based vaccine mandates remain stable for both teachers and staff (59%, compared to 60% in September) and students age 12 and older (53%, compared to 51% in September).”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/14/gosh-fights-about-schools-might-be-overhyped/

In the past criticism of these kinds of faux balance, “trash the Democrats” media games would not have been published by those media outlets guilty of playing them. At least WaPo regularly has articles by Rubin, Greg Sargent, Paul Waldman and Margaret Sullivan but those are not usually featured on their main webpage, at least not until later in the day when they have drawn a lot of readers.

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This isn't the whole inflation story but a lot f what's behind is here:

https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/too-big-to-sail-how-a-legal-revolution

There's also the inflation of companies raising prices for no better reason to increase profit margins and they can get away with it because there's actually not all that much of a free market.

But beating up on Biden over inflation scratches two itches for the mainstream: Beating up a Democrat and inflation fear mongering. The later reflects the Powers That Be's fears from inflation generally and the inflation of the 60s and 70s more so. Inflation, generally, hurts the elite and the little people not all that much. So for the former, inflation is something of an existential problem.

But the problem of our masters' inflation phobia is that it came from a period that both prices and wages were growing. We have essentially no net significant wage growth. Wages for shitty jobs are going up but, by and by, not especially much -- it's not like they're all paying living wages. Meanwhile, there's been some wage deflation higher up the chain where some work from home jobs have gotten wage cuts.

So to a huge extent your current inflation is as noted in my first paragraph, which of course the mainstream will never report. Too, it would make the Biden bashing obviously less credible and effective.

Then again, anyone who relies on the mainstream to be enlightened...

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What's the context? Where's the big-picture perspective? Once upon a time, editors relished asking these questions, and like it or not reporters came back with answers.

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As always, Eric methodically eviscerates the media for its arrogant mendacity and breathtaking mediocrity.

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If the Beltway media wants to report on a freak show of dysfunction, they can look to my country, the Philippines for truly incompetent and corrupt leadership of gargantuan proportions. Since the general elections in my country is happening May next year, the press has been reporting on the endless political drama surrounding Sara Duterte, the daughter of the current president. Well, that sorta ended on the weekend after she declared her candidacy for vice-president. Her alleged running mate is Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son of the dictator. In between all the craziness, was rumors that her father was going to run for vice-president himself (later revealed that he was running for senator instead). Christopher "Bong" Go, her father's special assistant (who had zero political experience until he ran for senator in 2019) is running for president, moving up from his previous plan to run as vice-president. Behind the scenes, the one trying to pull the strings is former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Seriously, does the Beltway press want what is happening in my country to also happen in America?

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I confess that when I hear insane traitors like Justices Thomas and Alito talk about revisiting NYT v. Sullivan, I think, actually, reducing some protections would be helpful if it weren't for the fact that this court would rule that the First Amendment is unconstitutional because it contradicts the Preamble, or some such.

All of that said, the greatest threat to this country and planet is not the republican party. It's #2 to the political media, whose members are, with a few rare exceptions, disgraces to journalism.

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Masterful piece today - thanks.

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My wife and I have been food shopping for 20 years, and every week we say the same thing, wow, how expensive it was. I don't recall ever saying, wow, that cost us almost nothing. Especially with some items like meat, that seem to fluctuate a lot. Same thing with gas, I have no idea what it cost on a year by year basis, just that it was better than what I heard in the city or overseas.

Again, if the media didn't drive the "crisis" narrative, most people would just consider the price increases as they always do, just what it is.

Is it me, or does it seem that members of the media tend to do the both sides nonsense until they write the book. Then for the book, it's how much a danger the Republican party is, how dangerous Trump was and is.

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