The "press" is not what it used to be. They are being driven by money hungry corporate overlords. The world is driven by money all the way to the media. I understand the personalities for the most part have to report what and how they are told to report. That is Corp way of life.
Again, as in so many facets of our lives, $$$$ drives the day. Personally, I prefer to be poor, and know my heart and soul is honest.. I am not hurting people this way
CNN, like too many mainstream outlets, is still wedded to the old namby-pamby style of reporting on Republican lies, bullying and other undemocratic behavior. Headlines are often the biggest problem because too often they simply repeat Trump’s claims. The linguist George Lakoff has been trying to make Democrats and the media understand how this works for a long time but has mostly been ignored. Trump has successfully used the tactics Lakoff has described to get away with wrongdoing literally for decades. Years ago he bragged about lying when he talked about how he uses “truthful hyperbole” to get his way.
This past June the Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan wrote about Lakoff’s recommendation that the media always use the “truth sandwich” approach when reporting on lies. To do this requires starting with the truth in the headlines — “Trump falsely claims....”, then describing the lies then ending with the facts. That technique has been shown to be effective because it immediately “frames” the story as debunking untruths rather than allowing the lies to “frame” the story.
This month Sullivan reported on an in-depth study by Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society that clearly shows it is mainstream media more than Russia or social media which is helping Trump spread his disinformation and chaos. Simply by writing headlines that repeat Trump’s claims with no indication that those claims are false, the media repeatedly helps spread his propaganda. The BK Center’s head Yochai Benkler also recommends using the truth sandwich tactic stop Trump from spreading misinformation.
Since 2016 the media has repeatedly blames Russia and social media for Trump’s ability to bamboozle the American people but this study shows that they are actually the ones most responsible. Funny how the study isn’t getting much attention. The WaPo has actually relegated Sullivan, a past public editor of the NY Times, to the Lifestyle section as if she is reporting on entertainment or fashion not information that is critical to our democracy.
“The Truth Sandwich” would work for the published news because they have the luxury of time before the next edition, but the broadcast/cable/streaming, etc., insists on putting a live mic in front of our Misinformer-in-Chief because everything must be immediate.
I still think that Jay Rosen has the correct prescription: record it, analyse it, fact check it, and if there is any newsworthiness then report the newsworthy bits on the next available broadcast. And if it is all vapid lies, well, say nothing (or say, “The president lied again today...” if you must.)
My guess is that is expensive to do the analysis and so the news orgs won’t do it. It’s the difference between scripted television and reality shows.
That is why they should not be constantly putting him on live. I think it was Eric who pointed out that they didn’t even cover Obama’s press conferences live towards the end of his presidency. They also had no problem not showing Hillary’s speeches live or otherwise.
I conceded that there appears to be coordination in the disinformation spew coming from the administration. However, I am not in the camp of some of the conspiracists on the left (Sarah Kendzior being a prime example) that Trump is some sort of mad genius pulling the strings like a Bond villain. He isn't. Trump is only ever in it for two things: His ego and his pocket. Between the two of those things, the ego comes first by a wide margin.
Trump's strength has always been being surrounded by henchmen. His lifelong association with the law firm of Cohn, Cohen and Barr is a perfect encapsulation of it. Trump is a brainless mass of desire for domination with no ability to put it into action. He sits behind a desk, half listens to people, pops off some sort of "get it done" fingersnap to the aforementioned henchman, and then waddles off to watch TV. This is what he's always done. He's lucky he's had shady people to put all of it into practice and for their own reasons - usually personal gain of some sort.
This doesn't mitigate the danger, but in my mind it does raise a question. What is in it for those around him to confuse people about the pandemic? The ones who are a lot smarter than him must have an agenda - what is that agenda? What's in it for them to want half a million to a million people dead? This is the part I don't get because it makes my brain want to go to a dark place about what these folks want.
What is in it for him from his point of view is if enough people don’t think this virus is a big threat then the stock market will continue to climb. He believes that is the key to his re-election. While is no genius in the broader sense in the past he has successfully used blatant lies and bullying to avoid taking consequences for his mistakes.
For decades his lies have been successful because the powers that be as well as the media refused to hold him accountable for all of his corruption, allowing him to create a false image of a successful businessman.
The Fed is manipulating the market. You have to read how they are doing it. As soon as Trump gets really mad (election loss or similar) he will pull the pin out of his pocket and pop that balloon. You will see crashing and burning everywhere. Yes, he is just the type of skank to do it.. Invest wisely and keep an eye on Trump's moods.. Your future depends on it.
The FED is fairly shielded from political interference. It doesn’t get its funding from Congress and the President cannot fire the chairmen who is appointed for four years. His term won’t be up until after Trump’s term is over, assuming he loses. I agree he can cause a lot of damage but the FED is not going to do his bidding.
He is a carnival barker. He's the three-card monte guy on the sidewalk taking money from unsuspecting rubes.
Once you see through his play, you don't fall for it anymore.
The only difference is that he used his father's name in NY and his money to make himself look successful. So, instead of taking $5 at a time, he takes thousands.
His Apprentice persona was just that, a persona. He's not some business genius, he's not some political savant. He's a snake charmer. He's Jim Jones.
And, if you're not part of the cult, you stare in wonderment asking "how can people fall for this crap?"
He's used Russian help, either wittingly or unwittingly. He's used outlets like Fox News and Breitbart and the National Enquirer. Should we give him credit to be smart enough to know what sells? Maybe. But, he's not playing some 4-D chess game. He's just following axioms of Barnum and Mencken.
He has also managed to lose unbelievable amounts of money for no good reason. He built the Taj and had it compete with his other casino, eventually bringing both of them down. Granted he was able to find ways of not taking all the loss on himself but it’s hard to believe with his ego that he really wanted to bankrupt those casinos. That goes for other business deals of his that went under. He compulsively pushes everything to the limit then when it comes crashing down around him he manages to bully and cheat his way out. The fact that those tactics have worked for him is the fault of our legal system which gives deference to the powerful and to the media which does the same.
As a much younger man, I would frequent the AC casinos. The Taj was out of the way - it was up at the north end of the city and not really in walking distance to the others. Went there once and never bothered again. It was gaudy (even by casino standards) and dead.
There are lots of stories about him ripping off subs or trying to bully an old lady whose house he wanted to bulldoze (no surprise he lost that court battle).
Just a successful businessman looking out for the little guy.
It's just amazing that these stories never stick to Teflon Don.
Over and above everything that's tawdry about Trump, I immediately discounted him as a worthy candidate for 2 reasons. 1) The multiple bankruptcies and 2) not paying his suppliers which resulted in many of them being forced to lose their businesses. Part of me is amazed that these 2 failures did not resonate with more Independent or moderate Republican voters. Or would they have been a bigger factor if the media had reported it more?
It's the fire hose of news. You can't actually put your mouth in front of it to drink, you'll get your face ripped off.
There are so many stories about trump - what he says, what he does, who he's paying off for sex, who he's insulting, what he's not doing and on and on.
The media focuses on the wrong things - I don't need another reporter wasting their question on why he won't denounce white supremacists. Move on. We know who he is, stop trying for some sound bite. Ask him about the painter that he stiffed for thousands of dollars. Ask him about the case coming up before SCOTUS that would get rid of pre-existing condition protections. Ask him about how he says he's a champion of DACA when his administration has stopped all applications.
There are so many important things to pound him on - emoluments, his debts, his use of "experts" like Scott Atlas and the demon sperm lady.
But, the press just can't seem to bring itself to ask him about it until they get an answer. Hammer him on it. Keep asking him or his latest press secretary. I'd rather him walk off in a huff because the press is being "mean" than have him pivot from covid deaths to how great the economy (stock market) is.
He gets away with it because the press allows it. Same thing with his surrogates.
He doesn't have a ton of money. He has a ton of real estate and a ton of liabilities to go along with it. What Trump has a lot of is flash, empty flaunts of bravado. And America loves its reality tv. If it weren't for things getting so bad this year, flash would once again have prevailed. But a pandemic is not well managed by flash. The country wants substance now but in a second they can turn for flash...just watch.
He has gotten most of his money from Deutsche Bank which has paid record fines for laundering Russian money. He has had deals with countries in the Middle East, the Philippines and even had some Chinese financing but Deutsche has been his main lender after his bankruptcies made other financial institutions avoid doing business with him.
His corruption was exposed years ago by reporters like David Cay Johnston and Wayne Barrett but the rest of the media ignored it and our government turned a blind eye. The Manhattan DA was given clear proof that Ivanka and Don Jr were committing real estate fraud by his prosecutors but he let them slide then later got a big donation from the Trump’s family lawyer. He did the same thing when he was giving proof that Harvey Weinstein had sexually assaulted a woman and he got a nice donation that time, too.
George W. Bush instructed the IRS to de-emphasize audits of the wealthiest in order to increase audits of low income people claiming the EITC. Republicans also defunded the IRS to limit their ability to audit wealth tax cheats so guys like Trump have been able to get away with cheating on their taxes. Republicans have also changed the rules to make tax avoidance legal for people like Trump.
But you are right that he is cunning in his ability to create a false public image and to manipulate people, the media and public officials. He has great instincts when it comes to those skills. But if those who are responsible for oversight had done their jobs he would never have succeeded.
The Courtesan Press in the US is as afraid of the right wing as much as the press in Russia is afraid of Putin. The former is naked supplication for personal gain, the latter is potentially a real life-or-death choice. I can see how those pampered with access and huge platforms might be confused.
I don't get it. At this point, what do they really have to lose? Their integrity?
If they ever stopped to think about it -- which they don't -- they'd realize that the entire reason for the "If the president says it, it's news" convention is the underlying notion that the president has so much access to so many experts that he always has at least some idea what he's talking about. When Trump calls Redfield and Fauci idiots, he's just the guy from The Apprentice talking.
Yes. Luntz worked with guys like Karl Rove to help create that alternate reality Rove bragged about. I was infuriated that NBC used Luntz to voter interviews and serve as an expert on communication. I remember Diane Rehm interviewing him about a book he had written. She was clearly outraged that he had written what was basically a manual for how to manipulate and mislead people. She tried to be evenhanded but anyone who listened regularly to her show couldn’t miss how disturbed she found it.
Trump has sowed so much confusion that even if the he loses the election, he's going to claim he won and a percentage of the public will believe him or not know what to think. There are scarier times ahead. We will soon know if our democracy will survive or will descend into the pit of autocracy. One thing is for certain, Vladimir Putin is the genius behind the destruction of the United States as we know it. Trump was simply the foolish puppet who only reacts and likes those that kiss his ass. Putin knew to do just that so that Trump would become his Trojan horse. As much as Trump despises the press, it appears as if they have helped him greatly. He should be more appreciative.
As long as we’re talking about creating a fog of ambiguity where no one knows anything, the NYTimes has an opinion piece about the ‘real’ divide: between political junkies and everyone else. It’s an infuriating exercise in bothsideism, lumping together partisans on both sides as being functionally equivalent, and calling for the muddled middle to be given primacy.
Wow! What a bizarre column. I was struck by this statement: “How can politics better match the opinions of a majority of Americans?“ The authors made it clear that the people they think we should match our politics to are the least informed. The authors should pay more attention to the challenge of how to better engage those people and give them the information they need to have informed opinions. For example the authors dismiss the fact that engaged people on the left believe that the influence of money in politics is a major problem facing us but low information voters say that low hourly wages are a major problem — as if the two issues aren’t related or that engaged Democrats don’t care about wages of low income workers.
I would bet that most uniformed people would say that rampant crime is a major problem because they have no idea that crime has dropped precipitously since the 90s all over the developed world. Should we base our political policies on that misperception or should the media address their failure to make the public aware of the drop in crime or that removing a lot of lead from our environments tracks closely with that drop? https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure-gasoline-crime-increase-children-health/
Imagine any healthcare journalist writing that we need to find a way to better match our health care focus to the opinions of the average person rather than finding a better way to inform them about the fact-based knowledge about the most important health issues they are likely to face. That would never happen but these political scientists are writing about politics as if facts don’t matter, just feelings and opinions.
The authors don’t mention Trump. Here is an excerpt:
“How can politics better match the opinions of a majority of Americans? The fact is, it’s not an easy problem to solve. We can try to give the hardened partisans less voice in the news. Featuring people who exemplify partisan conflict and extremist ideas elevates their presence in politics (though of course by definition, it is the partisans who are most closely watching the news who are also most likely to give their opinions).“
The authors lump everyone who is engaged in politics and takes it seriously as “hardened partisans” as if being engaged means you are unbending and extreme in your opinions. Talk about bothsiderism!
And, of course — it's always the Democrats fault! Part of the problem in the media isn't even the reporter who filed the story — but the editor who created the headline! smh
CNBC: Senate Democrats block GOP's $500 billion coronavirus aid bill as Pelosi-Mnuchin talks continue.
I so wish we could just blame echo chambers like Fox or Daily Caller or Breitbart for this mess. MAGAts watching Sean Hannity think trump is always right and if he says to inject disinfectant then by golly, that's what we should be doing. If Fox had ever had some sustained bit of journalism where they call out his idiocy, maybe it would have broken through the fog for a large portion (but, not all) of its viewers. They are culpable as well.
But, you're right. "Mainstream" media is not without blame. They form their headlines and the bulk of their articles with "he said, she said" and it's not until paragraph 28 that you find, no actually, trump is wrong.
I'm sure they'll learn their lesson as soon as Biden is sworn in. Just about the same time Republican congress critters will go back to pretending their fiscal conservatives.
This article by Margaret Sullivan — “ Trump doesn’t need Russian trolls to spread disinformation. The mainstream media does it for him” is a very good summary of strong evidence that it is the mainstream media not social media or Russia that is the most responsible for the disinformation that is wrecking our politics.
As Steve Bannon has said, right wing media serves to keep the base energized but it is the mainstream media that does the real damage to Democrats. The study Sullivan describes shows clearly that about 30% of US adults who are “less committed politically, and less uniformly committed to one or the other proposition, regarding fraud and mail-in ballots........watch the TV networks, CNN, and local TV, and they trust their local media. That local media, in turn, depends on syndicated news.”
Yes. Nothing like a Biden administration to inspire the media to talk about the real issues, which Democrats will of course be accused of not fixing fast enough, hurting Republicans' feelings and creating gridlock.
If Biden wins, next year is going to be a shit show. The pandemic will still be out of control, more people will have slid into poverty (8 million are poised to now), and the GOP will talk about nothing but austerity. If Dems win back the Senate, they're still going to have a hard time passing through spending bills. Joe Manchin could be the lynch pin and who knows how he'll vote on that.
I'm not sure why Biden would want to be president - next year is going to be horrible. And, he'll get all the blame. They blamed Obama for Bush's economy but gave trump credit for Obama's. Dems need to hammer home how badly the trump administration screwed up. Over and over.
I was just having this conversation with a friend who's been active in politics forever. I said the work will just be starting for we rank and file Democrats after the Biden victory. We're going to have to have Biden's back (as well as the elected Reps and Senators). I think we (and I'm including myself here big time) failed Obama too many times because we thought he was Superman and could handle it all. We should have taken to to the streets when McConnell blocked Merrick Garland. We should have supported local and state races in 2009/2010. We're going to have to pay attention, keep calling reps, and keep pushing back at the media, while supporting local party and candidates. I don't do nearly enough of that and I need to change my own behavior.
Biden is well aware of what he is walking into.. He walked right in to it with Obama, in 2008. Yes, Covid will still be with us, however we will have a President who will go straight to the "fix", and not use it to fatten his bank account, nor to gain more "me" time, just because.. The market and economy are not the same. Biden knows this. Trump has been pressing the market to look good, by buying up, Bonds. The Fed is manipulating the interest rates, and the perception of the true state of the Market. This country has been existing on falsehoods, since January of 2020. It is NOT what it is...
Being well aware and being able to control the narrative are two different things. A lot depends on whether the media decides to report objectively rather than returning to their usual focus on the negative.
Don't hold your breath! Fact checking is a beautiful thing. Media needs to put more money into the Art of Fact Checking. As a kid, we reasonable assumed Presidents and other politicians wouldn't lie. That, in and of itself is now considered a joke. Presidents lie, politicians lie, hell men and women of the cloth lie.. No matter how we get our news, we should be able to expect the truth. Media of any sort must stand up and quit trying to be the first horse out of the barn. How about doing the last second fact checking, in order to make your reporting honest and worth reading.. Please. We can't expect our young people to get smart by reading, when what they read is an out and out lie..
Seems impossible to know whether Trump creates confusion because he has adopted Putin's strategy or because he is just a bumbling idiot. But we do know that he creates world-class confusion. Not having the feeling that we understand things is uncomfortable for people, and we relieve that anxious feeling by trying to fashion theories that resolve the confusion. This need to understand if often stronger than the need for that understanding to be correct. So, even smart people lean into theories they would not begin to entertain when there is less confusion. We all know that Trump's army of rubes have adopted absurd theories, but the rest of us are susceptible as well. Stay on your toes.
Theodora whoever you are, you made my day. I have pushed Lakoff for many years when I ran Alternet. I wrote intro to first edition to “Don’t Think of an Elephant.” The media has enormously enabled Trump. Covid is only reason we are not facing 4 more years. If editors and writers don’t change ways, the future will be dark again. I just joined Press Run. Happy to know about Sullivan article and Harvard report. And glad there are smart people still pushing forward on framing.
First, reporters know well what’s going on. They choose (or their bosses choose for them) to make most of what Trump does acceptable. OTOH, the DC press corps have been supportive of the GOP since the Reagan administration. A recent example is the line that Congress is failing to enact a stimulus bill as oppose to Republican leader Moscow Mitch blocking same. But examples are legion.
And it’s not just Donnie making the state look inept, &c. That’s been something the GOP’s been working on since Reagan. The bigger problem isn’t Trump so much as the entire party.
As for Trump’s spew of BS, well, should be no surprise to anyone at all familiar with his career. The surprise, if any, is his inability or refusal to rise to the responsibilities of his office.
I am not disagreeing with Mr. Boehlert, because the overwhelming majority of those in the DC political media brothel (the chief chucktodd of them all, madam) don't do their jobs. But I'm wondering about whether this piece attributes too much to the occupant of the Oval Office. He may cause chaos, but I am not convinced that he has the mental or intellectual wherewithal to inflict it intentionally. Sometimes a spasm is just a spasm. I do not pretend to know, but he certainly has revealed several hallmarks of degenerative issues.
What’s also of note is that the kind of information warfare you are describing is also effectively the mission statement of Fox News and the Murdoch Press.
Thanks for saying out loud what we are all thinking Eric. The press needs to stop using pretty words to describe very ugly behavior.
yr welcome! it’s frustrating when something seems so obvious yet the press looks away
The "press" is not what it used to be. They are being driven by money hungry corporate overlords. The world is driven by money all the way to the media. I understand the personalities for the most part have to report what and how they are told to report. That is Corp way of life.
Again, as in so many facets of our lives, $$$$ drives the day. Personally, I prefer to be poor, and know my heart and soul is honest.. I am not hurting people this way
CNN, like too many mainstream outlets, is still wedded to the old namby-pamby style of reporting on Republican lies, bullying and other undemocratic behavior. Headlines are often the biggest problem because too often they simply repeat Trump’s claims. The linguist George Lakoff has been trying to make Democrats and the media understand how this works for a long time but has mostly been ignored. Trump has successfully used the tactics Lakoff has described to get away with wrongdoing literally for decades. Years ago he bragged about lying when he talked about how he uses “truthful hyperbole” to get his way.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/13/how-to-report-trump-media-manipulation-language
This past June the Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan wrote about Lakoff’s recommendation that the media always use the “truth sandwich” approach when reporting on lies. To do this requires starting with the truth in the headlines — “Trump falsely claims....”, then describing the lies then ending with the facts. That technique has been shown to be effective because it immediately “frames” the story as debunking untruths rather than allowing the lies to “frame” the story.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/instead-of-trumps-propaganda-how-about-a-nice-truth-sandwich/2018/06/15/80df8c36-70af-11e8-bf86-a2351b5ece99_story.html
This month Sullivan reported on an in-depth study by Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society that clearly shows it is mainstream media more than Russia or social media which is helping Trump spread his disinformation and chaos. Simply by writing headlines that repeat Trump’s claims with no indication that those claims are false, the media repeatedly helps spread his propaganda. The BK Center’s head Yochai Benkler also recommends using the truth sandwich tactic stop Trump from spreading misinformation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-doesnt-need-russian-trolls-to-spread-disinformation-the-mainstream-media-does-it-for-him/2020/10/06/9612d602-07da-11eb-9be6-cf25fb429f1a_story.html
Since 2016 the media has repeatedly blames Russia and social media for Trump’s ability to bamboozle the American people but this study shows that they are actually the ones most responsible. Funny how the study isn’t getting much attention. The WaPo has actually relegated Sullivan, a past public editor of the NY Times, to the Lifestyle section as if she is reporting on entertainment or fashion not information that is critical to our democracy.
the “truth sandwich” would be welcome!
The Truth Sandwich. Brilliant. I hope this becomes the media norm, because the lying didn’t start with Trump and it won’t end with him.
“The Truth Sandwich” would work for the published news because they have the luxury of time before the next edition, but the broadcast/cable/streaming, etc., insists on putting a live mic in front of our Misinformer-in-Chief because everything must be immediate.
I still think that Jay Rosen has the correct prescription: record it, analyse it, fact check it, and if there is any newsworthiness then report the newsworthy bits on the next available broadcast. And if it is all vapid lies, well, say nothing (or say, “The president lied again today...” if you must.)
My guess is that is expensive to do the analysis and so the news orgs won’t do it. It’s the difference between scripted television and reality shows.
That is why they should not be constantly putting him on live. I think it was Eric who pointed out that they didn’t even cover Obama’s press conferences live towards the end of his presidency. They also had no problem not showing Hillary’s speeches live or otherwise.
I totally agree that the Mainstream Media are the most insidious players for the reasons you stated.
Chaos Strategy is detailed in his 1987 book "The Art of The Deal". What could any of us possibly expect?
exactly. and the fact press hasn’t adjusted its coverage in 4 yrs ...
Indeed.
I conceded that there appears to be coordination in the disinformation spew coming from the administration. However, I am not in the camp of some of the conspiracists on the left (Sarah Kendzior being a prime example) that Trump is some sort of mad genius pulling the strings like a Bond villain. He isn't. Trump is only ever in it for two things: His ego and his pocket. Between the two of those things, the ego comes first by a wide margin.
Trump's strength has always been being surrounded by henchmen. His lifelong association with the law firm of Cohn, Cohen and Barr is a perfect encapsulation of it. Trump is a brainless mass of desire for domination with no ability to put it into action. He sits behind a desk, half listens to people, pops off some sort of "get it done" fingersnap to the aforementioned henchman, and then waddles off to watch TV. This is what he's always done. He's lucky he's had shady people to put all of it into practice and for their own reasons - usually personal gain of some sort.
This doesn't mitigate the danger, but in my mind it does raise a question. What is in it for those around him to confuse people about the pandemic? The ones who are a lot smarter than him must have an agenda - what is that agenda? What's in it for them to want half a million to a million people dead? This is the part I don't get because it makes my brain want to go to a dark place about what these folks want.
What is in it for him from his point of view is if enough people don’t think this virus is a big threat then the stock market will continue to climb. He believes that is the key to his re-election. While is no genius in the broader sense in the past he has successfully used blatant lies and bullying to avoid taking consequences for his mistakes.
For decades his lies have been successful because the powers that be as well as the media refused to hold him accountable for all of his corruption, allowing him to create a false image of a successful businessman.
The Fed is manipulating the market. You have to read how they are doing it. As soon as Trump gets really mad (election loss or similar) he will pull the pin out of his pocket and pop that balloon. You will see crashing and burning everywhere. Yes, he is just the type of skank to do it.. Invest wisely and keep an eye on Trump's moods.. Your future depends on it.
The FED is fairly shielded from political interference. It doesn’t get its funding from Congress and the President cannot fire the chairmen who is appointed for four years. His term won’t be up until after Trump’s term is over, assuming he loses. I agree he can cause a lot of damage but the FED is not going to do his bidding.
He is a carnival barker. He's the three-card monte guy on the sidewalk taking money from unsuspecting rubes.
Once you see through his play, you don't fall for it anymore.
The only difference is that he used his father's name in NY and his money to make himself look successful. So, instead of taking $5 at a time, he takes thousands.
His Apprentice persona was just that, a persona. He's not some business genius, he's not some political savant. He's a snake charmer. He's Jim Jones.
And, if you're not part of the cult, you stare in wonderment asking "how can people fall for this crap?"
He's used Russian help, either wittingly or unwittingly. He's used outlets like Fox News and Breitbart and the National Enquirer. Should we give him credit to be smart enough to know what sells? Maybe. But, he's not playing some 4-D chess game. He's just following axioms of Barnum and Mencken.
AND he has lawyers and others equally as disgusting/greedy...but possessing brains...to advise him or pull his strings.
He has also managed to lose unbelievable amounts of money for no good reason. He built the Taj and had it compete with his other casino, eventually bringing both of them down. Granted he was able to find ways of not taking all the loss on himself but it’s hard to believe with his ego that he really wanted to bankrupt those casinos. That goes for other business deals of his that went under. He compulsively pushes everything to the limit then when it comes crashing down around him he manages to bully and cheat his way out. The fact that those tactics have worked for him is the fault of our legal system which gives deference to the powerful and to the media which does the same.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/nyregion/donald-trump-atlantic-city.html
As a much younger man, I would frequent the AC casinos. The Taj was out of the way - it was up at the north end of the city and not really in walking distance to the others. Went there once and never bothered again. It was gaudy (even by casino standards) and dead.
There are lots of stories about him ripping off subs or trying to bully an old lady whose house he wanted to bulldoze (no surprise he lost that court battle).
Just a successful businessman looking out for the little guy.
It's just amazing that these stories never stick to Teflon Don.
Over and above everything that's tawdry about Trump, I immediately discounted him as a worthy candidate for 2 reasons. 1) The multiple bankruptcies and 2) not paying his suppliers which resulted in many of them being forced to lose their businesses. Part of me is amazed that these 2 failures did not resonate with more Independent or moderate Republican voters. Or would they have been a bigger factor if the media had reported it more?
It's the fire hose of news. You can't actually put your mouth in front of it to drink, you'll get your face ripped off.
There are so many stories about trump - what he says, what he does, who he's paying off for sex, who he's insulting, what he's not doing and on and on.
The media focuses on the wrong things - I don't need another reporter wasting their question on why he won't denounce white supremacists. Move on. We know who he is, stop trying for some sound bite. Ask him about the painter that he stiffed for thousands of dollars. Ask him about the case coming up before SCOTUS that would get rid of pre-existing condition protections. Ask him about how he says he's a champion of DACA when his administration has stopped all applications.
There are so many important things to pound him on - emoluments, his debts, his use of "experts" like Scott Atlas and the demon sperm lady.
But, the press just can't seem to bring itself to ask him about it until they get an answer. Hammer him on it. Keep asking him or his latest press secretary. I'd rather him walk off in a huff because the press is being "mean" than have him pivot from covid deaths to how great the economy (stock market) is.
He gets away with it because the press allows it. Same thing with his surrogates.
He doesn't have a ton of money. He has a ton of real estate and a ton of liabilities to go along with it. What Trump has a lot of is flash, empty flaunts of bravado. And America loves its reality tv. If it weren't for things getting so bad this year, flash would once again have prevailed. But a pandemic is not well managed by flash. The country wants substance now but in a second they can turn for flash...just watch.
The media also loves flash and excitement, clearly preferring that in normal times to substance and competence. Just ask Al Gore.
He has gotten most of his money from Deutsche Bank which has paid record fines for laundering Russian money. He has had deals with countries in the Middle East, the Philippines and even had some Chinese financing but Deutsche has been his main lender after his bankruptcies made other financial institutions avoid doing business with him.
His corruption was exposed years ago by reporters like David Cay Johnston and Wayne Barrett but the rest of the media ignored it and our government turned a blind eye. The Manhattan DA was given clear proof that Ivanka and Don Jr were committing real estate fraud by his prosecutors but he let them slide then later got a big donation from the Trump’s family lawyer. He did the same thing when he was giving proof that Harvey Weinstein had sexually assaulted a woman and he got a nice donation that time, too.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-ivanka-trump-and-donald-trump-jr-avoided-a-criminal-indictment
George W. Bush instructed the IRS to de-emphasize audits of the wealthiest in order to increase audits of low income people claiming the EITC. Republicans also defunded the IRS to limit their ability to audit wealth tax cheats so guys like Trump have been able to get away with cheating on their taxes. Republicans have also changed the rules to make tax avoidance legal for people like Trump.
But you are right that he is cunning in his ability to create a false public image and to manipulate people, the media and public officials. He has great instincts when it comes to those skills. But if those who are responsible for oversight had done their jobs he would never have succeeded.
The Courtesan Press in the US is as afraid of the right wing as much as the press in Russia is afraid of Putin. The former is naked supplication for personal gain, the latter is potentially a real life-or-death choice. I can see how those pampered with access and huge platforms might be confused.
I don't get it. At this point, what do they really have to lose? Their integrity?
If they ever stopped to think about it -- which they don't -- they'd realize that the entire reason for the "If the president says it, it's news" convention is the underlying notion that the president has so much access to so many experts that he always has at least some idea what he's talking about. When Trump calls Redfield and Fauci idiots, he's just the guy from The Apprentice talking.
The truth dies in Luntzspeak.
Yes. Luntz worked with guys like Karl Rove to help create that alternate reality Rove bragged about. I was infuriated that NBC used Luntz to voter interviews and serve as an expert on communication. I remember Diane Rehm interviewing him about a book he had written. She was clearly outraged that he had written what was basically a manual for how to manipulate and mislead people. She tried to be evenhanded but anyone who listened regularly to her show couldn’t miss how disturbed she found it.
As you commented earlier, George Lakoff and others have laid out strategies to minimize the effectiveness of Luntzspeak.
Trump has sowed so much confusion that even if the he loses the election, he's going to claim he won and a percentage of the public will believe him or not know what to think. There are scarier times ahead. We will soon know if our democracy will survive or will descend into the pit of autocracy. One thing is for certain, Vladimir Putin is the genius behind the destruction of the United States as we know it. Trump was simply the foolish puppet who only reacts and likes those that kiss his ass. Putin knew to do just that so that Trump would become his Trojan horse. As much as Trump despises the press, it appears as if they have helped him greatly. He should be more appreciative.
Of course I was implying evil genius. :)
As long as we’re talking about creating a fog of ambiguity where no one knows anything, the NYTimes has an opinion piece about the ‘real’ divide: between political junkies and everyone else. It’s an infuriating exercise in bothsideism, lumping together partisans on both sides as being functionally equivalent, and calling for the muddled middle to be given primacy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/opinion/polarization-politics-americans.html
Wow! What a bizarre column. I was struck by this statement: “How can politics better match the opinions of a majority of Americans?“ The authors made it clear that the people they think we should match our politics to are the least informed. The authors should pay more attention to the challenge of how to better engage those people and give them the information they need to have informed opinions. For example the authors dismiss the fact that engaged people on the left believe that the influence of money in politics is a major problem facing us but low information voters say that low hourly wages are a major problem — as if the two issues aren’t related or that engaged Democrats don’t care about wages of low income workers.
I would bet that most uniformed people would say that rampant crime is a major problem because they have no idea that crime has dropped precipitously since the 90s all over the developed world. Should we base our political policies on that misperception or should the media address their failure to make the public aware of the drop in crime or that removing a lot of lead from our environments tracks closely with that drop? https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure-gasoline-crime-increase-children-health/
Imagine any healthcare journalist writing that we need to find a way to better match our health care focus to the opinions of the average person rather than finding a better way to inform them about the fact-based knowledge about the most important health issues they are likely to face. That would never happen but these political scientists are writing about politics as if facts don’t matter, just feelings and opinions.
The authors don’t mention Trump. Here is an excerpt:
“How can politics better match the opinions of a majority of Americans? The fact is, it’s not an easy problem to solve. We can try to give the hardened partisans less voice in the news. Featuring people who exemplify partisan conflict and extremist ideas elevates their presence in politics (though of course by definition, it is the partisans who are most closely watching the news who are also most likely to give their opinions).“
The authors lump everyone who is engaged in politics and takes it seriously as “hardened partisans” as if being engaged means you are unbending and extreme in your opinions. Talk about bothsiderism!
And, of course — it's always the Democrats fault! Part of the problem in the media isn't even the reporter who filed the story — but the editor who created the headline! smh
CNBC: Senate Democrats block GOP's $500 billion coronavirus aid bill as Pelosi-Mnuchin talks continue.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/21/coronavirus-stimulus-update-senate-relief-bill-blocked-as-pelosi-mnuchin-talk.html
I so wish we could just blame echo chambers like Fox or Daily Caller or Breitbart for this mess. MAGAts watching Sean Hannity think trump is always right and if he says to inject disinfectant then by golly, that's what we should be doing. If Fox had ever had some sustained bit of journalism where they call out his idiocy, maybe it would have broken through the fog for a large portion (but, not all) of its viewers. They are culpable as well.
But, you're right. "Mainstream" media is not without blame. They form their headlines and the bulk of their articles with "he said, she said" and it's not until paragraph 28 that you find, no actually, trump is wrong.
I'm sure they'll learn their lesson as soon as Biden is sworn in. Just about the same time Republican congress critters will go back to pretending their fiscal conservatives.
This article by Margaret Sullivan — “ Trump doesn’t need Russian trolls to spread disinformation. The mainstream media does it for him” is a very good summary of strong evidence that it is the mainstream media not social media or Russia that is the most responsible for the disinformation that is wrecking our politics.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-doesnt-need-russian-trolls-to-spread-disinformation-the-mainstream-media-does-it-for-him/2020/10/06/9612d602-07da-11eb-9be6-cf25fb429f1a_story.html
As Steve Bannon has said, right wing media serves to keep the base energized but it is the mainstream media that does the real damage to Democrats. The study Sullivan describes shows clearly that about 30% of US adults who are “less committed politically, and less uniformly committed to one or the other proposition, regarding fraud and mail-in ballots........watch the TV networks, CNN, and local TV, and they trust their local media. That local media, in turn, depends on syndicated news.”
Yes. Nothing like a Biden administration to inspire the media to talk about the real issues, which Democrats will of course be accused of not fixing fast enough, hurting Republicans' feelings and creating gridlock.
If Biden wins, next year is going to be a shit show. The pandemic will still be out of control, more people will have slid into poverty (8 million are poised to now), and the GOP will talk about nothing but austerity. If Dems win back the Senate, they're still going to have a hard time passing through spending bills. Joe Manchin could be the lynch pin and who knows how he'll vote on that.
I'm not sure why Biden would want to be president - next year is going to be horrible. And, he'll get all the blame. They blamed Obama for Bush's economy but gave trump credit for Obama's. Dems need to hammer home how badly the trump administration screwed up. Over and over.
I was just having this conversation with a friend who's been active in politics forever. I said the work will just be starting for we rank and file Democrats after the Biden victory. We're going to have to have Biden's back (as well as the elected Reps and Senators). I think we (and I'm including myself here big time) failed Obama too many times because we thought he was Superman and could handle it all. We should have taken to to the streets when McConnell blocked Merrick Garland. We should have supported local and state races in 2009/2010. We're going to have to pay attention, keep calling reps, and keep pushing back at the media, while supporting local party and candidates. I don't do nearly enough of that and I need to change my own behavior.
Biden is well aware of what he is walking into.. He walked right in to it with Obama, in 2008. Yes, Covid will still be with us, however we will have a President who will go straight to the "fix", and not use it to fatten his bank account, nor to gain more "me" time, just because.. The market and economy are not the same. Biden knows this. Trump has been pressing the market to look good, by buying up, Bonds. The Fed is manipulating the interest rates, and the perception of the true state of the Market. This country has been existing on falsehoods, since January of 2020. It is NOT what it is...
Being well aware and being able to control the narrative are two different things. A lot depends on whether the media decides to report objectively rather than returning to their usual focus on the negative.
Don't hold your breath! Fact checking is a beautiful thing. Media needs to put more money into the Art of Fact Checking. As a kid, we reasonable assumed Presidents and other politicians wouldn't lie. That, in and of itself is now considered a joke. Presidents lie, politicians lie, hell men and women of the cloth lie.. No matter how we get our news, we should be able to expect the truth. Media of any sort must stand up and quit trying to be the first horse out of the barn. How about doing the last second fact checking, in order to make your reporting honest and worth reading.. Please. We can't expect our young people to get smart by reading, when what they read is an out and out lie..
No doubt. I’d rather they get it right than be first. Every network should have a Daniel Dale.
Seems impossible to know whether Trump creates confusion because he has adopted Putin's strategy or because he is just a bumbling idiot. But we do know that he creates world-class confusion. Not having the feeling that we understand things is uncomfortable for people, and we relieve that anxious feeling by trying to fashion theories that resolve the confusion. This need to understand if often stronger than the need for that understanding to be correct. So, even smart people lean into theories they would not begin to entertain when there is less confusion. We all know that Trump's army of rubes have adopted absurd theories, but the rest of us are susceptible as well. Stay on your toes.
Theodora whoever you are, you made my day. I have pushed Lakoff for many years when I ran Alternet. I wrote intro to first edition to “Don’t Think of an Elephant.” The media has enormously enabled Trump. Covid is only reason we are not facing 4 more years. If editors and writers don’t change ways, the future will be dark again. I just joined Press Run. Happy to know about Sullivan article and Harvard report. And glad there are smart people still pushing forward on framing.
Gotta disagree with a lot here.
First, reporters know well what’s going on. They choose (or their bosses choose for them) to make most of what Trump does acceptable. OTOH, the DC press corps have been supportive of the GOP since the Reagan administration. A recent example is the line that Congress is failing to enact a stimulus bill as oppose to Republican leader Moscow Mitch blocking same. But examples are legion.
And it’s not just Donnie making the state look inept, &c. That’s been something the GOP’s been working on since Reagan. The bigger problem isn’t Trump so much as the entire party.
As for Trump’s spew of BS, well, should be no surprise to anyone at all familiar with his career. The surprise, if any, is his inability or refusal to rise to the responsibilities of his office.
I am not disagreeing with Mr. Boehlert, because the overwhelming majority of those in the DC political media brothel (the chief chucktodd of them all, madam) don't do their jobs. But I'm wondering about whether this piece attributes too much to the occupant of the Oval Office. He may cause chaos, but I am not convinced that he has the mental or intellectual wherewithal to inflict it intentionally. Sometimes a spasm is just a spasm. I do not pretend to know, but he certainly has revealed several hallmarks of degenerative issues.
What’s also of note is that the kind of information warfare you are describing is also effectively the mission statement of Fox News and the Murdoch Press.