Well, the Beltway buffoons seem to be doing their part in tearing the Biden administration down.
Just watched the monologue of Late Night with Seth Meyers where he mentioned that Biden's disapproval ratings are at an all time high.
While the recent surge of Covid-19 cases due to a combination of Omicron & Delta variants, and the confusing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control played a part in the high disapproval ratings, the media shouldn't wash their hands of their role in Biden's bad ratings because they preferred to play up the bad news & downplay the good news.
It's disappointing the Beltway journalists prefer an unhinged, insecure & attention-hungry pathological liar like Trump over an occasionally gaffe-prone yet solid public servant like Biden for the reason that the chaos in the previous administration was profitable for their wallets, and their corporate overlords.
Ugh, it's disappointing that they're sticking the "Joe Biden's the next Jimmy Carter" narrative because it's financially profitable over actually reporting what the administration is doing without any spin.
They need to read the two new bios of Carter, Jonathan Alter’s “His Very Best” and Kai Bird’s “The Outlier”. Both are deeply researched and both authors came to the same conclusion — Carter accomplished many impressive things but gets no credit. Alter has said he was surprised to find what an effective president Carter had been which is disturbing coming from a supposedly serious journalist.
They know what they are covering, and occasionally one of their colleagues, but I've seen interviews with too many of them where they reveal their ignorance. (Maybe I'm just really cynical this morning.)
The media likes to pretend that all they do is hold up a mirror to public opinion. They won’t admit, apparently even to themselves, that they are deliberately shaping that opinion. I will never forget when journalists and pundits kept repeating Rove’s dishonest talking points about Al Gore the big liar. The media had to know they helping Rove distort the public’s opinion of Gore.
Many years ago, the media decided to stop reporting the news, instead choosing to shape it. The MSM has Fox News to point to when the news is criticized for being unfair. Fox is the obvious enemy of the people. However, the MSM has much blood on it’s hands when it comes to aiding and abetting an autocratic states of America.
That was an ongoing horror show, as the beltway media actively conspired to bring down a candidate because he didn't flatter them, give them nicknames, or provide them with lunches of lobster ravioli. Gore's campaign was foolish enough to rely on the media to provide fair, issues-oriented coverage.
I’m not convinced CDC is confusing people. They choose to be confused. CDC puts out the best information available, and immediately provides new information when applicable. It’s right wing bs that they are confusing people.
I'm in the middle but mostly agree with you. It's pretty amazing the media accuses them of having a confusing message—isn't it the media's job to question CDC to try to clear up the "confusion"? God knows they made Trump sound like he could string sentences and cogent thoughts together. I agree it seems like it's all over the place because the science and our knowledge of this virus keeps changing, but do think that the CDC (Walensky) caves to outside pressure—"why are we still wearing masks? I feel fine, why do I have to stay home for 10 days?" Media whining.
The media is DESPERATE for Covid to be over because they're "tired" and some insist "we should all get infected to get it over with because we are all going to get infected anyway" and besides dontcha know, it's MILD. Sorry, I don't want to take that chance with the older and immunocompromised in my life—or my own health. In my household, we're certainly out and about but take levelheaded precautions like masking (now N95s and KN95s) and keeping distance between strangers, as well as being vaxxed and boosted. It really, really isn't that difficult.
That's the thing. Many of the younger people get their news from alternate sources, like the late night shows (even the MM covers the highlights). At least they did; not sure if that holds anymore. So when Seth makes Biden and the Dems look like assholes, that's the message that gets through. They'll take the cheap shot for a laugh even if it's unfair or taken out of context. Jon Stewart used to do it too and admitted to it because, as he would say, Daily Show is a comedy show.
Trump has more baggage than the Delta Airlines lost & found. Any other candidate with a tenth of his baggage would be rightfully laughed off the stage, and yet the media and the GOP - both willing to ignore Trump's myriad failings and shortcomings - insist he not only will run for president in 2024, but that he likely will win. Filipkowski says it isn't the MSM's job or obligation to knock down rightwing bullshit, but it IS the MSM's job to point out Trump's and the GOP's bad faith and dishonesty because THAT is news.
I strongly disagree that it isn’t the MSM’s job to fight bad-faith, malicious propaganda and disinformation. It is most definitely their job to give the public the truth about important issues and that clearly requires debunking lies and misleading spin. The media certainly has no problem calling out Democrats for wrong information.
Our Founders didn’t give them unique constitutional protections so they could entertain themselves; they did it because they know a healthy democracy requires a well-informed citizenry.
Exactly. It’s the old saying, if one side says it’s raining and the other side says it’s not, look out the GD window fer chrissakes. Don’t just repeat their assertions and shrug your shoulders and walk away.
Democrats say it's raining, but according to the GOP, "who can define rain? Just because my colleagues across the aisle say it's wet outside doesn't mean it's raining. It could be a man watering his lawn." It's that stupid.
I disagree with Lincoln Project/Bulwark/Filipkowski that the Left doesn’t have good messages (and note that they would love to be this theoretical 5 people... for a fee). We have a ton of silver bullets but we lack the gun.
You cannot get your message out when the MSM is not interested it it, and there is no liberal equivalent to the mighty Wurlitzer of conservative media. This is a structural problem as well as a political problem.
Eric B, the only coverage I want to see about Trump is that he's subpoenaed to testify in front of the 1/6 Committee or is indicted by NYS for his shady business or Georgia for election interference or the DOJ. If and when he decides to run, will be bad enough. But unless there is hard news, good riddance.
Trump's idea of a press conference is him talking incessantly. Any attempt to ask him a question that hasn't been scripted or vetted and agreed to ahead of time is only a reason for him to say, "Excuse me," a dozen times and then pontificate some more.
Hopefully the law is closing in and he's nervous. That's my fantasy. Also at least for now journalists aren't as deferential as they were because of 1/6 and that he's no longer in the WH. He gets flustered when they don't fawn but instead press/push back.
His entire mindset consists of vendettas against "losers" and "RINOS," which at this point seems to be attracting mostly the lunatic fringe while most mainstream Republicans seem to be held hostage by the Trump "movement" - either support him or see your career go down the drain.
I was about to mention that I'd just heard an NPR inteview with the Traitor, recorded yesterday, but I see you mention it at the end of the article. At least they asked questions difficult enough that Trump hung up on them, cutting short what was supposed to be a 15 minute interview.
According to reports, Inskeep called Trump out on his election lies more than once and that was why he hung up on him. If Trump couldn't stand up to Inskeep, he really won't want to risk any other non-Fox, non-OANN, non-Newsmax interviewer.
The interview was scheduled for 15 minutes. I don't know which NPR listeners can bear hearing Trump for 15 minutes, perhaps it was a blessing that he bailed early.
We need to fire the beltway consultants and hire some Madison Avenue Mad Men. Also open a 24/7 war room to put out a clear and consistent message especially on weekends.
Ron Filipkowski speaks the truth. While I do think that the Dems are getting better at handling the media, it wouldn't hurt to have the best and brightest dazzling us with their data and powers of persuasion. As for the question, "...can someone run for President of the United States by hiding from the press during the entire campaign?" the answer is yes, they can try. It will not work but they can try. (Assuming TFG is around for 2024.)
Filipowski doesn’t say how those messages are supposed to reach the public. You can bet the media will either ignore them or criticize them. This is the same media that gave Trump a massive amount of live coverage but barely covered Hillary’s speeches or her proposals. The BBB bill’s proposed help for coal country that the United Coal Miners strongly support are the exact same things Hillary ran on. All the public ever hear about that was her “gaffe”
The one thing that might work is to run ads in key markets but that will require tons of money.
Start by using elected Democrats and surrogates. Like so: Senator what about the deficit? It’s bad. Less than a year into the Biden Administration, unemployment is at a fifty year low. The economy is booming. Next question. Etc etc etc and for every single politician and surrogate the same consistent message. Repetition and amplification is key. Use the same message for several days, or, if there’s a big issue in the media pivot to that. That’s where the five people and the war room comes in. And get the best Madison Avenue Mad Men money can buy, get rid of the beltway consultants. They set the message and everyone is responsible for getting it out. It’s what the GOP has been doing since Reagan and to great effect. Can’t anybody here play this game?
They do this already! Just because you aren't hearing it isn't their fault. Again, why do we know about critical race theory? Because the media gave GOP the megaphone and quoted then every time. Media DOES NOT do that with the Dems. They write a story about a Biden program and it's all about the optics and quotes from the GOP. They talk to Trump voters in diners. Plenty of Biden voters go to diners too, but they aren't interested in hearing what they have to say, unless they are "disappointed" with the Dems.
They do! They have coordinated messaging. They send out email and text blasts and use social media. I know because I follow many of them, POTUS, the WH, members of the cabinet and Congress, DNC, D3C, DNC, etc. Various members of the administration or Congress write op-eds for the major outlets. The president has and does use his bully pulpit and the Dems avail themselves of interviews. And yes, they do advertising—I've seen it because I live in one of those key markets.
So this idea that the Dems are doing nothing, I'm just tired of hearing it.
The Lincoln Project is already up and running and is doing exactly what Filipowski has suggested. Seems the Never Trumpers there are a bit more focused than the Dems. It would be smart for the DNC to hire the LP.
I love LP, but they take on one issue at a time, one candidate at a time. Dems are constantly taking flak from all sides—RW media, GOP, the progressives, and the MM media—on everything.
Take Biden's speech yesterday. It was declared 1) too late 2) About time 3) dead because it was too late 4) dead because it doesn't matter when he gave it because Manchin and Sinema are immovable objects 5) performative because all of the above.
I don't understand why the Dems have become a punching bag over just trying to do the right thing.
The Republicans haven't faced a lot of opposition for doing the wrong things (e.g. tax cuts for the wealthy, 2nd War against Iraq, extreme gerrymandering, obstructionism, etc.).
Seriously, the right-wing & mainstream media seem to be telling Dems that they'll never succeed in doing the right thing.
The progressives seem to be telling Dems that they aren't doing a perfect job.
Finally, the Republicans are just happy they're not getting the same level of extreme scrutiny unlike their colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
But just how would they do that? Social media? Thought pieces in the Times and Wapo etc? How would their messages get out to the wider world? Media amplifies messages and act as an echo chamber for the right—critical race theory anyone? They just do not and will not for the Dems. I just don’t get how this would work and I think it lets media off the hook too much. Per Filipkowski, it’s not the media’s job to push back against propaganda? They aren’t set up for partisan battles and shouldn’t be—you know calling a lie a lie or calling an authoritarian move authoritarian? Huh?
Trump bases his lies about a "rigged" election partially on the fact that Biden didn't hit the campaign trail as much as Trump did. Of course, the pandemic had everything to do with that, as well as the fact that the huge turn-out had to do with millions of voters desperate to get rid of Trump, and the convenience of mail-in ballots, but Trump is still raving that Biden couldn't have possibly gotten almost 80 million votes. Trump has lots of campaign money but will not declare his candidacy until the deadline, if he does so at all.
Let's remember one particular fact. Trump LOST the 2016 election as well. Not just in popular votes, but likely even in electoral votes as well. Much of Trump and the GOP's talks about how the election was "rigged for Biden" is pure projection, because they do the exact same thing themselves. Odds are vote totals were tampered with in 2016, and that Hillary actually DID win in The Blue Wall and several other states.
Remember, Hillary is the real 45th President. Al Gore is the real 43rd President. Andrew Gillum is the real Governor of Florida. Stacy Abrams is the real Governor of Georgia.
Without a proper investigation, we can only guess at whether "vote totals were tampered with in 2016," and we never got that. Of course Hillary won, but the tampering wasn't at the polls but was a massive, concerted effort by a GOP aided by foreign actors and dodgy social media campaigns (not to mention James Comey) to make sure a woman would not become president.
Trump got the ball rolling in 2915 when he repeatedly said that if he lost it would mean the election was rigged. He said the same thing in 2020. "much of," my foot - ALL of the claims that the 2020 was "rigged for Biden" are bullshit.
Trump will probably run again, because in the NPR interview he says the 2020 election has not been "resolved." Surreal that we see individuals like Trump and Joe Manchin so easily able to hold our government hostage. If Trump doesn't run, he will be the GOP cult's Oz behind the curtain.
The malignant narcissist simply cannot accept a defeat. Mary Trump said before the election that his whining about mail-in ballots and potential fraud was his diseased mind's way of preparing for a loss...an assurance from him TO him that the only way he could not win would be if the election was rigged. Same as 2015 - lather-rinse-repeat.
The "rigged election" thing has always been Trump's way of saving face because he cannot bear to be a "loser," which is why it's impossible to determine whether he'd throw his hat in the ring again. Somehow, I'm more inclined to see him as a troll, running the GOP from the sidelines and concentrating on getting revenge on people like McConnell. He has said that in 2016, he did not expect to win, which makes him believe even more that he won again in 2020.
For somebody who is fading from the press spotlight, his orange mug has polluted the front pages in one way or another nearly every single day since he got fired by the People. I agree that the DNC and others should go Whole Hog with a constant barrage of factual reveals from the Jan 6 committee, insiders and whomever else can provide them. If we're to be stuck with him indefinitely let's encourage a campaign of truth, relentlessly and aggressively calling out his lies and corruption until the reality of hisownself becomes a household gage for behavior unbecoming a responsible human being.
Supposedly, in a few recent "focus groups" with soft Dem voters, the participants didn't care about 1/6, didn't like it but see it as a big deal, and thought the Dems were making too much of it. That is supposedly what early research is telling the media, the GOP, and Dem groups ahead of the Nov elections. I cannot believe this is true, fervently hope it isn't true, but then no one ever lost a bet overestimating the stupidity of the American public.
The simple fact that MILLIONS of people want him ‘back in’, after 4 years of not even showing so much as a doodle on the back of a (diner) napkin re: healthcare, infrastructure, his taxes (!?) etc, makes me ill. Now, not only is kindness seen as weakness but acting in good faith is also. Where to go from here…
And now the msm is whining because Biden doesn’t hold press conferences. Haven’t heard a peep from them, till Eric’s piece today, about the peculiar silence of that attention seeking missile w/orange features down in FL.
They've been whining about that for about six months (or maybe more). They want regularly scheduled full press conferences so they can ask stupid questions like this one on 1/6, "Do you think your speech will actually divide the country more?"
"If the Democratic party had even five intelligent, relentless, full-time people working as a team to fight the right-wing disinformation war..."
You had me until the end there, Eric. The Democratic Party doesn't have intelligent relentless people? Fox News viewers would believe "irrefutable truths" if partisan 'Democrat' operatives presented them on Fox News (assuming Fox News would even put them on the air?) No, it ain't that simple.
Well, the Beltway buffoons seem to be doing their part in tearing the Biden administration down.
Just watched the monologue of Late Night with Seth Meyers where he mentioned that Biden's disapproval ratings are at an all time high.
While the recent surge of Covid-19 cases due to a combination of Omicron & Delta variants, and the confusing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control played a part in the high disapproval ratings, the media shouldn't wash their hands of their role in Biden's bad ratings because they preferred to play up the bad news & downplay the good news.
It's disappointing the Beltway journalists prefer an unhinged, insecure & attention-hungry pathological liar like Trump over an occasionally gaffe-prone yet solid public servant like Biden for the reason that the chaos in the previous administration was profitable for their wallets, and their corporate overlords.
failure seems to sell better
Ugh, it's disappointing that they're sticking the "Joe Biden's the next Jimmy Carter" narrative because it's financially profitable over actually reporting what the administration is doing without any spin.
They need to read the two new bios of Carter, Jonathan Alter’s “His Very Best” and Kai Bird’s “The Outlier”. Both are deeply researched and both authors came to the same conclusion — Carter accomplished many impressive things but gets no credit. Alter has said he was surprised to find what an effective president Carter had been which is disturbing coming from a supposedly serious journalist.
I have come to the conclusion that journalists do not actually follow the news.
Oh, they follow it, but the problem is that many of them create their own versions of it.
They know what they are covering, and occasionally one of their colleagues, but I've seen interviews with too many of them where they reveal their ignorance. (Maybe I'm just really cynical this morning.)
Back in those days it was ‘unseemly’ to toot your own horn… wow - how things have eroded… changed.
Also the role of John Anderson in Carter’s defeat is never mentioned. He split the anti Reagan vote.
The media likes to pretend that all they do is hold up a mirror to public opinion. They won’t admit, apparently even to themselves, that they are deliberately shaping that opinion. I will never forget when journalists and pundits kept repeating Rove’s dishonest talking points about Al Gore the big liar. The media had to know they helping Rove distort the public’s opinion of Gore.
Many years ago, the media decided to stop reporting the news, instead choosing to shape it. The MSM has Fox News to point to when the news is criticized for being unfair. Fox is the obvious enemy of the people. However, the MSM has much blood on it’s hands when it comes to aiding and abetting an autocratic states of America.
Indeed, the media seems to be selective over whether or not they're going to play their part in controlling the narrative.
That was an ongoing horror show, as the beltway media actively conspired to bring down a candidate because he didn't flatter them, give them nicknames, or provide them with lunches of lobster ravioli. Gore's campaign was foolish enough to rely on the media to provide fair, issues-oriented coverage.
I’m not convinced CDC is confusing people. They choose to be confused. CDC puts out the best information available, and immediately provides new information when applicable. It’s right wing bs that they are confusing people.
I'm in the middle but mostly agree with you. It's pretty amazing the media accuses them of having a confusing message—isn't it the media's job to question CDC to try to clear up the "confusion"? God knows they made Trump sound like he could string sentences and cogent thoughts together. I agree it seems like it's all over the place because the science and our knowledge of this virus keeps changing, but do think that the CDC (Walensky) caves to outside pressure—"why are we still wearing masks? I feel fine, why do I have to stay home for 10 days?" Media whining.
The media is DESPERATE for Covid to be over because they're "tired" and some insist "we should all get infected to get it over with because we are all going to get infected anyway" and besides dontcha know, it's MILD. Sorry, I don't want to take that chance with the older and immunocompromised in my life—or my own health. In my household, we're certainly out and about but take levelheaded precautions like masking (now N95s and KN95s) and keeping distance between strangers, as well as being vaxxed and boosted. It really, really isn't that difficult.
It does cave. Sadly. But it isn’t that hard to figure it out. I would hope we aren’t so easily confused.
That's the thing. Many of the younger people get their news from alternate sources, like the late night shows (even the MM covers the highlights). At least they did; not sure if that holds anymore. So when Seth makes Biden and the Dems look like assholes, that's the message that gets through. They'll take the cheap shot for a laugh even if it's unfair or taken out of context. Jon Stewart used to do it too and admitted to it because, as he would say, Daily Show is a comedy show.
Trump has more baggage than the Delta Airlines lost & found. Any other candidate with a tenth of his baggage would be rightfully laughed off the stage, and yet the media and the GOP - both willing to ignore Trump's myriad failings and shortcomings - insist he not only will run for president in 2024, but that he likely will win. Filipkowski says it isn't the MSM's job or obligation to knock down rightwing bullshit, but it IS the MSM's job to point out Trump's and the GOP's bad faith and dishonesty because THAT is news.
I agree it is media’s job, sadly they don’t designed/cable of handling it
I strongly disagree that it isn’t the MSM’s job to fight bad-faith, malicious propaganda and disinformation. It is most definitely their job to give the public the truth about important issues and that clearly requires debunking lies and misleading spin. The media certainly has no problem calling out Democrats for wrong information.
Our Founders didn’t give them unique constitutional protections so they could entertain themselves; they did it because they know a healthy democracy requires a well-informed citizenry.
Exactly. It’s the old saying, if one side says it’s raining and the other side says it’s not, look out the GD window fer chrissakes. Don’t just repeat their assertions and shrug your shoulders and walk away.
Democrats say it's raining, but according to the GOP, "who can define rain? Just because my colleagues across the aisle say it's wet outside doesn't mean it's raining. It could be a man watering his lawn." It's that stupid.
I disagree with Lincoln Project/Bulwark/Filipkowski that the Left doesn’t have good messages (and note that they would love to be this theoretical 5 people... for a fee). We have a ton of silver bullets but we lack the gun.
You cannot get your message out when the MSM is not interested it it, and there is no liberal equivalent to the mighty Wurlitzer of conservative media. This is a structural problem as well as a political problem.
Great line: "the mighty Wurlitzer of conservative media."
Eric B, the only coverage I want to see about Trump is that he's subpoenaed to testify in front of the 1/6 Committee or is indicted by NYS for his shady business or Georgia for election interference or the DOJ. If and when he decides to run, will be bad enough. But unless there is hard news, good riddance.
Trump's idea of a press conference is him talking incessantly. Any attempt to ask him a question that hasn't been scripted or vetted and agreed to ahead of time is only a reason for him to say, "Excuse me," a dozen times and then pontificate some more.
But he used to like it! something weird is happening …
Hopefully the law is closing in and he's nervous. That's my fantasy. Also at least for now journalists aren't as deferential as they were because of 1/6 and that he's no longer in the WH. He gets flustered when they don't fawn but instead press/push back.
It’s because he lost the election. The top tier journalists no longer go to his diatribes.
It's amazing, though, how much they miss him.
Depression.
Combined with dementia and drug addiction. #dcubed
Dude's in bad shape physically and mentally.
Which is why he won't run again, even if he wants to and ignoring the coming indictments.
He will also hold off on announcing a candidacy so he can grift at will rather than having to report contributions to the FEC.
Could his lawyers just be advising him to lay low (for him) - to avoid further incriminating himself via ‘rant’?…
Maybe. I wonder if he listens to lawyers though, since he’s so much smarter than them.
You’re right… I shouldn’t have ‘gone there’…😒🙄
Trump's not hiding anymore. He was interviewed by NPR and was utterly unhinged, fixating on the "rigged" 2020 election, after which he cuts and runs from the interview. https://www.npr.org/2022/01/12/1072204478/donald-trump-npr-interview-presidential-election-lies-vaccines?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20220112&utm_term=6199572&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=42043784&orgid=722&utm_att1=
His entire mindset consists of vendettas against "losers" and "RINOS," which at this point seems to be attracting mostly the lunatic fringe while most mainstream Republicans seem to be held hostage by the Trump "movement" - either support him or see your career go down the drain.
Doesn't stop the stenographers from kissing Trump's ass.
I was about to mention that I'd just heard an NPR inteview with the Traitor, recorded yesterday, but I see you mention it at the end of the article. At least they asked questions difficult enough that Trump hung up on them, cutting short what was supposed to be a 15 minute interview.
yes, hopefully a sign for things to come
Hopefully the fact that he couldn’t bully NPR will convince Trump to continue to avoid the media. Innskeep deserves a medal.
According to reports, Inskeep called Trump out on his election lies more than once and that was why he hung up on him. If Trump couldn't stand up to Inskeep, he really won't want to risk any other non-Fox, non-OANN, non-Newsmax interviewer.
turns out Trump hung up after 9 mins
The interview was scheduled for 15 minutes. I don't know which NPR listeners can bear hearing Trump for 15 minutes, perhaps it was a blessing that he bailed early.
We need to fire the beltway consultants and hire some Madison Avenue Mad Men. Also open a 24/7 war room to put out a clear and consistent message especially on weekends.
As long as there are subservient republican legislators willing to lie and forge documents on his behalf, he can sleep in.
Ron Filipkowski speaks the truth. While I do think that the Dems are getting better at handling the media, it wouldn't hurt to have the best and brightest dazzling us with their data and powers of persuasion. As for the question, "...can someone run for President of the United States by hiding from the press during the entire campaign?" the answer is yes, they can try. It will not work but they can try. (Assuming TFG is around for 2024.)
def agree re: Filipowski piece
Filipowski doesn’t say how those messages are supposed to reach the public. You can bet the media will either ignore them or criticize them. This is the same media that gave Trump a massive amount of live coverage but barely covered Hillary’s speeches or her proposals. The BBB bill’s proposed help for coal country that the United Coal Miners strongly support are the exact same things Hillary ran on. All the public ever hear about that was her “gaffe”
The one thing that might work is to run ads in key markets but that will require tons of money.
Start by using elected Democrats and surrogates. Like so: Senator what about the deficit? It’s bad. Less than a year into the Biden Administration, unemployment is at a fifty year low. The economy is booming. Next question. Etc etc etc and for every single politician and surrogate the same consistent message. Repetition and amplification is key. Use the same message for several days, or, if there’s a big issue in the media pivot to that. That’s where the five people and the war room comes in. And get the best Madison Avenue Mad Men money can buy, get rid of the beltway consultants. They set the message and everyone is responsible for getting it out. It’s what the GOP has been doing since Reagan and to great effect. Can’t anybody here play this game?
They do this already! Just because you aren't hearing it isn't their fault. Again, why do we know about critical race theory? Because the media gave GOP the megaphone and quoted then every time. Media DOES NOT do that with the Dems. They write a story about a Biden program and it's all about the optics and quotes from the GOP. They talk to Trump voters in diners. Plenty of Biden voters go to diners too, but they aren't interested in hearing what they have to say, unless they are "disappointed" with the Dems.
“Just because you aren't hearing it isn't their fault.” Whose fault is it?
They do! They have coordinated messaging. They send out email and text blasts and use social media. I know because I follow many of them, POTUS, the WH, members of the cabinet and Congress, DNC, D3C, DNC, etc. Various members of the administration or Congress write op-eds for the major outlets. The president has and does use his bully pulpit and the Dems avail themselves of interviews. And yes, they do advertising—I've seen it because I live in one of those key markets.
So this idea that the Dems are doing nothing, I'm just tired of hearing it.
And they appear on various non straight news outlets, from The View to Colbert to the Daily Show.
Well clearly what they’re doing isn’t working. What’s your solution?
The Lincoln Project is already up and running and is doing exactly what Filipowski has suggested. Seems the Never Trumpers there are a bit more focused than the Dems. It would be smart for the DNC to hire the LP.
I love LP, but they take on one issue at a time, one candidate at a time. Dems are constantly taking flak from all sides—RW media, GOP, the progressives, and the MM media—on everything.
Take Biden's speech yesterday. It was declared 1) too late 2) About time 3) dead because it was too late 4) dead because it doesn't matter when he gave it because Manchin and Sinema are immovable objects 5) performative because all of the above.
I don't understand why the Dems have become a punching bag over just trying to do the right thing.
The Republicans haven't faced a lot of opposition for doing the wrong things (e.g. tax cuts for the wealthy, 2nd War against Iraq, extreme gerrymandering, obstructionism, etc.).
Seriously, the right-wing & mainstream media seem to be telling Dems that they'll never succeed in doing the right thing.
The progressives seem to be telling Dems that they aren't doing a perfect job.
Finally, the Republicans are just happy they're not getting the same level of extreme scrutiny unlike their colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
My fantasy is that Jaime Harrison is hiding this group somewhere in a deserted factory in Virginia. #homeland
But just how would they do that? Social media? Thought pieces in the Times and Wapo etc? How would their messages get out to the wider world? Media amplifies messages and act as an echo chamber for the right—critical race theory anyone? They just do not and will not for the Dems. I just don’t get how this would work and I think it lets media off the hook too much. Per Filipkowski, it’s not the media’s job to push back against propaganda? They aren’t set up for partisan battles and shouldn’t be—you know calling a lie a lie or calling an authoritarian move authoritarian? Huh?
He will call in to Fox News on a daily basis. No questions.
Trump bases his lies about a "rigged" election partially on the fact that Biden didn't hit the campaign trail as much as Trump did. Of course, the pandemic had everything to do with that, as well as the fact that the huge turn-out had to do with millions of voters desperate to get rid of Trump, and the convenience of mail-in ballots, but Trump is still raving that Biden couldn't have possibly gotten almost 80 million votes. Trump has lots of campaign money but will not declare his candidacy until the deadline, if he does so at all.
Let's remember one particular fact. Trump LOST the 2016 election as well. Not just in popular votes, but likely even in electoral votes as well. Much of Trump and the GOP's talks about how the election was "rigged for Biden" is pure projection, because they do the exact same thing themselves. Odds are vote totals were tampered with in 2016, and that Hillary actually DID win in The Blue Wall and several other states.
Remember, Hillary is the real 45th President. Al Gore is the real 43rd President. Andrew Gillum is the real Governor of Florida. Stacy Abrams is the real Governor of Georgia.
Without a proper investigation, we can only guess at whether "vote totals were tampered with in 2016," and we never got that. Of course Hillary won, but the tampering wasn't at the polls but was a massive, concerted effort by a GOP aided by foreign actors and dodgy social media campaigns (not to mention James Comey) to make sure a woman would not become president.
Trump got the ball rolling in 2915 when he repeatedly said that if he lost it would mean the election was rigged. He said the same thing in 2020. "much of," my foot - ALL of the claims that the 2020 was "rigged for Biden" are bullshit.
Trump will probably run again, because in the NPR interview he says the 2020 election has not been "resolved." Surreal that we see individuals like Trump and Joe Manchin so easily able to hold our government hostage. If Trump doesn't run, he will be the GOP cult's Oz behind the curtain.
The malignant narcissist simply cannot accept a defeat. Mary Trump said before the election that his whining about mail-in ballots and potential fraud was his diseased mind's way of preparing for a loss...an assurance from him TO him that the only way he could not win would be if the election was rigged. Same as 2015 - lather-rinse-repeat.
The "rigged election" thing has always been Trump's way of saving face because he cannot bear to be a "loser," which is why it's impossible to determine whether he'd throw his hat in the ring again. Somehow, I'm more inclined to see him as a troll, running the GOP from the sidelines and concentrating on getting revenge on people like McConnell. He has said that in 2016, he did not expect to win, which makes him believe even more that he won again in 2020.
‘Meddling’ - the 2016 Word of the Year :/
👍👍👍
For somebody who is fading from the press spotlight, his orange mug has polluted the front pages in one way or another nearly every single day since he got fired by the People. I agree that the DNC and others should go Whole Hog with a constant barrage of factual reveals from the Jan 6 committee, insiders and whomever else can provide them. If we're to be stuck with him indefinitely let's encourage a campaign of truth, relentlessly and aggressively calling out his lies and corruption until the reality of hisownself becomes a household gage for behavior unbecoming a responsible human being.
I’m holding out hope this might happen
Supposedly, in a few recent "focus groups" with soft Dem voters, the participants didn't care about 1/6, didn't like it but see it as a big deal, and thought the Dems were making too much of it. That is supposedly what early research is telling the media, the GOP, and Dem groups ahead of the Nov elections. I cannot believe this is true, fervently hope it isn't true, but then no one ever lost a bet overestimating the stupidity of the American public.
The simple fact that MILLIONS of people want him ‘back in’, after 4 years of not even showing so much as a doodle on the back of a (diner) napkin re: healthcare, infrastructure, his taxes (!?) etc, makes me ill. Now, not only is kindness seen as weakness but acting in good faith is also. Where to go from here…
And now the msm is whining because Biden doesn’t hold press conferences. Haven’t heard a peep from them, till Eric’s piece today, about the peculiar silence of that attention seeking missile w/orange features down in FL.
They've been whining about that for about six months (or maybe more). They want regularly scheduled full press conferences so they can ask stupid questions like this one on 1/6, "Do you think your speech will actually divide the country more?"
PRECISELY
"Can you guarantee Santa will deliver all the toys on time?" lol
"If the Democratic party had even five intelligent, relentless, full-time people working as a team to fight the right-wing disinformation war..."
You had me until the end there, Eric. The Democratic Party doesn't have intelligent relentless people? Fox News viewers would believe "irrefutable truths" if partisan 'Democrat' operatives presented them on Fox News (assuming Fox News would even put them on the air?) No, it ain't that simple.
First, I am not a big Inskeep fan, but that tells you how republicans are: They can't handle even the simplest facts.
Second, Filipowski seems to be talking about Carville's war room, right?
Third, it's weird that he would hide from such a group of slugs.