31 Comments
founding

I woke up this morning and turned on Morning Joe to see what the Beltway Club was chattering about and was treated to a discussion about bipartisanship between Joe and Richard Haas. Both men clearly believe there are Republican moderates who can be worked with. At least Joe bothered to point out that Republicans only get concerned about debt when Democrats are in power but other than that it was nauseating.

Axios has also been pushing some serious bothsiderism with this description of what happened last summer with the police reform bills that had been introduced:

“....... the debate largely devolved into partisan bickering”.

https://www.axios.com/police-reform-bill-tim-scott-reintroduce-2a2a07a7-d2a3-4bc0-a33d-db45f9d8b123.html

Apparently Democrats demanding that we make it easier to hold police accountable, demilitarize the police and ban dangerous practices like choke holds and no-knock warrants for drug raids is considered “bickering”

As for Jeb Bush I totally agree. His record in Florida was anything but conservative. For example he pushed hard to profitize our schools. And then there was Jeb using his daddy’s administration to make it easier for for Florida crooks like Miguel Recarey and Camilo Padreda to cheat our government out of millions as to get the terrorist Orlando Bosch out of the slammer. The media hushed all of that dirt up.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/dec/02/usa.books

I am still puzzled by the kid glove treatment the media has always given the Bush family. They are hell bent on crowning them “American Royalty” and a family of great principle which requires overlooking all kinds of family dirt — Prescott’s financing of Hitler and getting his bank’s assets seized under the Trading with the Enemy Act; Poppy’s involvement in Iraqgate and Iran Contra and his pardons of his fellow conspirators, his personally approving the racist Willie Horton ad then lying about it, vetoing the Motor Voter bill because it would make it easier for minorities to register to vote and more. And then their was the media’s unwillingness to tell the truth about Dubya which Eric covered in depth in his book “Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush”.

I know that the media gives a pass to Republicans in general but it seems to me that they are willing to go even further to whitewash and normalize the Bushes.

Expand full comment

The media refuses to use the term that best describes the congressional GOP approach: negotiating in bad faith. No finer example than Chuck Grassley on Obamacare, demanding and obtaining concession after concession, and then voting against his own changes. Grassley iced that cake by telling the media that his ultimate no vote was prompted by the fact that he and his fellow Republicans had been shut out of the legislative process. The Old Testament god would have unleashed a lightning bolt at that point.

Expand full comment

Again: The mainstream political press has overwhelmingly worked as promoters of the GOP than reporting on let' say something more factual like what forty years of Republican dominance has done to the nation: Increase of racism, promotion and furthering of an extractive, exploitative, impoverishing economy and weakening the state to the point that we had the murderous responses to the pandemic.

What's amusing/not amusing was in the days after the 1/6 attempted putsch when the political press feared it doing existential harm to the GOP during the course of which there was approximately no discussion why a toxic, harmful, destructive party like the GOP is needed by the nation. As I keep ranting, since the pandemic took hold, the mainstream press isn't just engaging in shitty political reporting but doing actual harm to the nation. I suppose you can call the mainstream political press The Other Pandemic.

Expand full comment

The press is completely in bed with the Republican Party. It's not hard to see what today's Rep Party is all about. They are fascists who have still not condemned the Big Lie. The country is moving to a more diverse, liberal agenda and the power hungry Republicans only message is fear of non white people. They have no policy that the majority of Americans are interested in. Even the "one percent" can see the benefits of a robust infrastructure plan. A great roadway system, high speed rail, renewable electric grid, and broadband investments ultimately creates countless jobs and puts money in their pocket. The Republicans are only interested in power, nothing more. And sadly the press continues to aid and abet them.

Expand full comment

Mr. Boehlert: Suggest the problem is in the fuzziness definition of “moderate”.

Indeed a “Republican moderate” is willing to discuss issues with President Biden. A “Republican radical” is trying to reverse the election outcome.

“Moderate” is a comparative term. If used solely among Republicans “moderate” looks different than used among Democrats or the population in general.

Further suggest “the Media” searches for “moderate Republicans” because calling out the Republican Party for its actions would lead into the “liberal media” meme so heavily pushed for 50 years or so.

Expand full comment

The media seems to have forgotten the meaning of the word, "compromise."

That means that the Republicans must offer something the Democrats want in exchange for receiving something they themselves want.

Simply asking that the bill be reduced by two-thirds is not an offer of compromise. It's a surrender demand.

Expand full comment

Our Failed Political Press ™ has to invent reasonable Republicans because if they do not, then they have to admit that they do not exist. Admitting that they do not exist means that our Failed Political Press ™ must admit that they have been wrong about everything since at least the Reagan years, and who is going to keep David Brooks up to his neck in nubile assistants, Thomas Friedman in taxi cabs, and Peggy Noonan in gin?

Expand full comment

Now, first, we ARE talking about the diseased thousandth-of-a-cent streetwalkers who comprise the DC political media brothel and its satellites. So none of this should be a surprise.

But, second, I am reminded of Tip O'Neill's line about the dynamic columnizing duo of "Errors and No Facts," as Rowley and The Prince of Darkness, Evans and Novak, were known. There would be some inside stuff about something in the House, and then, about three weeks later, a throwaway line, "Representative So-and-So is really doing a great job," and that's how he'd know who the inside sources were. Well, as we know from the decline in bylines from "The Habes," when you cultivate inhuman beings as sources, you become their plaything.

Expand full comment

How does one play both sides when the likes of Jim ‘wrestling coach see no evil ....’ Jordan and Kevin McCarthy are clearly craven and unserious, to put it kindly? I’ve turned from a ‘never Dick Cheney’ person to rooting for his tough as nails daughter against all those ‘scared to death of the other guy’s’ fan boy ‘moderates’ - ha - in her caucus. Btw and imo, AM Joe tries to play the intellectuals’ approach to bothsiderism, thus portraying themselves as a cut above the fray when they are insiders too. At least they talk nicely to one another. Lord knows, the story is about the Rs betraying our democracy, not about any moderation within their party. The press seems trained to report a phony narrative in order to make nice nice with their sources

Expand full comment

Once upon a time there were actually Liberal Republicans like Jacob Javitz, Dick Schweicker and Charles Mathias. But one by one they were purged out of the party replaced by rabid nuts like Al D'Amato and Toomey.

Yet the Corporate Controlled Conservative Press continues to push the BS about Moderate Republicans even though that species went extinct when Newt got control of Congress. But that won't stop the Presstitutes from their adoration of Murkowski and especially Susan Collins--the only Collins Barnabas wouldn't sink his teeth into...

Expand full comment

I usually have NPR so dogs have human voices on and distracts when people come over; I walk into the kennel (I run a rescue) and I hear on All Things Considered, 'what will we hear tonight from President Biden?' and another reporter says 'well certainly we thought we would hear a joint session to Congress sooner than this'.....CLICK. I don't even want the dogs listening to this garbage.

Expand full comment

Eric, what do you think Lynyrd S. did with his Rebel flag after he found out Curtis Lowe was his pa ?

Expand full comment

"A serious, GOP counter-proposal for Biden’s $2.3 trillion proposal would be in the $1.6 billion range." ... Did you mean $1.6 Trillion?

Expand full comment

Hey there, I think there's a typo here: "Spoiler: They're not. A serious, GOP counter-proposal for Biden’s $2.3 trillion proposal would be in the $1.6 billion range."

I think that is supposed to read "$1.6 trillion" ?

Expand full comment

Mr. Boehlert: you write this morning, "A serious, GOP counter-proposal for Biden’s $2.3 trillion proposal would be in the $1.6 billion range." I think you meant to write $1.6 TRILLION. $1.6 billion would definitely not be "serious."

Expand full comment

The sins of the Beltway clique are visited on the homogenously friendly local news reader.

Expand full comment