Let’s be honest a solid McAuliffe administration will be a whole lot less entertaining than the lunatic he’s running against. And that’s what all media has become, entertainment. And profitable entertainment at that.
Chet Huntley, David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite saw the writing on the wall decades ago and it was sad then. Now it’s just pathetic
i think it's mostly tied into this weird desire of DC press for Biden to fail and if McAuliffe loses they'll essentially pretend Biden was the candidate
After his movie "Network" had won Oscars, screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky was asked by a reporter if his story was a "prediction of the future." He replied, "No, I was writing about what's going on now."
Let's remember the reply of Hollywood Fuckup Jeff Zucker, who failed up from screwing up movies and TV to fucking up the country, when someone complained about CNN's 2016 free air time coverage of Trump's campaign: "Donald's always good for high ratings."
Thank you for speaking the truth on what the media has become entertainment news, nothing more nothing less. If we the people were not paying attention we would be hoodwinked by the smiling faces of news media. There are only a few real news people they are doing newsletters,blogs, podcast who still believe in truth. Thanks Eric for truth in your writing.
“A Scottish Judge Could Expose Donald Trump’s Shady Golf Finances”
I'm sick of 'could'. It's time for 'will'. This man should be in jail but instead he's still out in the world wreaking havoc on our democracy! Punish him for his crimes and watch how quickly his imitators start pulling back.
Keep your eye on the underreported investigation of Trump’s tax shenanigans involving his Westchester County NY golf course by Mimi Rocah as well as investigations of shady tax claims on other properties by NY AG Letitia James.
Yeah I'm growing impatient waiting on action for those too. He is a CAREER CRIMINAL and I'm absolutely stunned with disappointment that there aren't already charges loaded and ready to go.
I don’t understand why it isn’t a federal crime to threaten election officials. It is, by definition, terrorism — using intimidation in pursuit of political goals.
Most in the media refuse to take these domestic terrorists seriously. Like the GOP they want to move on from 1/6. While they may be personally concerned, professionally they view Dem warnings on everything from the loss of women's reproductive freedom to the loss of democracy as shrill hyperbole—and when it does happen, as in the virtual overturning of Roe v. Wade in Texas, say "why didn't Dems stop this?"
Garland advised the prosecutors on the McVeigh case; I'm holding on to the hope that he, like Biden, ignores the media siren song and is focused on quietly collecting the crucial evidence—taking on the small guys to get to the big guys. Otherwise they will get away with it—and do it again.
The DA investigating the shooting on the Rust set said it would take months to complete that investigation. Now imagine how much work goes into amassing the kind of hard evidence to convict a sleaze like Trump who has been using the courts as a shield for years. Dems talk about the danger to democracy all the time. But when few in the media take it seriously the message isn’t carried—and thus heard. As for the VRA, Neither Biden nor Chuck have any leverage over Manchin or Sinema. No other Dem will win WV and if Sinema is blackballed by Dems she’ll gladly take on a lucrative post-Senate job on the right. She doesn’t seem to care about her constituents or the country. It’s all about her. And Mitch is wooing both of them daily. Which is why Dems must get a larger majority to make them both irrelevant.
He's been a criminal since the day he smacked a teacher at age 6. Or the day he was caught, age 10, throwing rocks at the toddler in a playpen in the back yard of the house next door.
Amazing segment. Other than that piece do you recall any other media outlets covering that story? I don't but I stopped watching cable/network Not News shows years ago.
Especially online it’s depressing that most of the articles are someone’s opinion. That gives them carte Blanche to write any damn thing the boss tells them to. There very few real news sources anymore and it shows. The American people love a lurid show. Nothing less will do.
On this day, October 27, 1941, the Chicago Daily Tribune said of Japan: “She cannot attack us. That is a military impossibility. Even our base at Hawaii is beyond the effective striking power of her fleet.”
NYT had a piece yesterday about how Terry M was avoiding mentioning Biden—even though Biden was headed there to campaign with him at a rally. And beltway reporters and pundits are gleeful that the “race is tightening” in NJ.
Add to that the pile on from the left—see Charles Blow’s over the top column in the Times—and the ridiculous responses from readers who don’t understand the political realities (or how govt actually works). I have come to believe that the new beloved trope “Dems can’t message” is giving the old tried and true “Dems in disarray” a run for its money. Meanwhile, media never questions the veracity of the GOP’s “slogans” like “death panels” and instead choose to repeat them endlessly, while scoffing at every Dem utterance, posing doubt and even offering critiques. Which would be fine if they did it fairly and to both parties. But they don’t.
I am dreading next year’s coverage, but know that here in PA we Dems are already beginning the campaign—and we will work hard and win regardless of what the media says.
Yup working hard down here in Chester County to ensure that the write-in Maga School Board members do NOT get elected. We are texting, door-knocking and I am making calls to the seniors on the list I was given. GOTV!
I just received the MSNBC Daily email and one of the featured video clips is from The Beat with Ari Melber. The headline? "Glenn Youngkin might crack the GOP's Winning Formula for Swing States" 🙄
Understand totally; no cable news, have basically weaned myself off Twitter, only look at WaPo and NYT headlines and that's enough. Classical music and NOT NPR as well. Good luck up there in Luzerne County...saw Fetterman was up there recently. How is he received up there?
Read beyond the headlines (but carefully!). Often—though not always—they misrepresent what's in the story because it's all about clickbait. Here in LC it's all about the margins and keeping Matt Cartwright in the House. They are going after him hard, like they did in 20. I'm not a big Fetterman fan, but of course will support him wholeheartedly if he's the candidate. There isn't a lot of buzz; for all the Trumpkins here, most aren't hardcore. It's very laidback (apathetic?). People in the county pride themselves on "voting for the candidate, not the party" which is horse shit. It means they vote their prejudices, who they like vs who will actually work for them.
Oh yes. They willfully cling to their narrative and twist any and everything to fit. Even better was 2018 and all the “blue wave? Not so much” hot takes that turned out to be totally wrong because it was a blue tsunami.
I can't speak for Luzerne County, bet he's received well in Allegheny County. I'll be voting for him. I saw Connor Lamb set up a "Lamb for Senate" office here in Pittsburgh. The only way he'll get my vote is if he's the candidate. I will not vote for him in the primary. I've had it with moderates. We need PROGRESS!
We can't get progress until we get enough Dems to make a difference. 50 plus one gives us control but not enough of a margin to pass legislation. Plenty of moderates are on board with Biden's agenda, with two holdouts that the media portrays as moderates but who aren't, despite what they believe about themselves. I'm tired of progressives constantly sniping and whining that if they can't get their way and get everything now now now they aren't going to vote. Progress isn't easy and it's hard work that requires diligence. One or two votes in an election here or there isn't going to do it. Not sure why so many on the the left refuse to acknowledge this, and instead blame "messaging," or say Biden is mealy mouthed and weak, or throw out ideas like "primary Joe Manchin" without a cursory understanding of just how red WV is.
On a bright note, the Essential Politics newsletter from the LA Times highlights some interesting reporting they are doing covering Kamala Harris. Informative and a smart move on the paper’s part; a good a way to differentiate from the pack.
It wasn't that long ago that the recall of Governor Newsom in California was "a barometer of Democrats position nationally" and was seen as "surprisingly razor thin." The recall failed 65-35 and all of the media coverage turned to crickets.
Quite frankly the bullshit from the over-educated, under-intelligent, otherwise-unemployables of the DC Press Corpse are the best argument for their abolition. There's a reason why Charles P. Pierce calls Politico "Tiger Beat On The Potomac."
Politico and Axios both make me sick mainly because they used to be legitimate news sources and now they are just right wing cranks. I’m so disgusted I could spit.
The mainstream media has been successfully co-opted by the GOP. Years of GOP complaining about "the fake news media" have succeeded.
Any story that might sound positive for Democrats is reflexively treated as partisan and avoided lest the MSM be accused of 'liberal bias'. Conversely, any story that puts Republicans in a bad light is also seen as evidence of 'liberal bias' - so if they can't say anything good about the GOP they say nothing.
It's also why they spend so much time talking to angry white Trump voters in diners in the midwest or business men complaining nobody wants to work. So, where are the interviews with workers who quit or are on strike? Where are the interviews with people angry about anti-vax crazies? That would be 'political'.
Also, there's the thing Terry Pratchett observed in "The Truth" - people don't want 'news', they want 'olds': things that confirm their view of the world so they don't have to bother about troubling facts that don't fit. The MSM exists to serve up eyeballs to advertisers. Fox News sells rage to people looking for that adrenaline fix from anger, but ordinary news loses its audience if it upsets them or upsets them in ways they don't expect to be upset. Decades of GOP messaging that Democrats can't govern and are always wrangling has become the baseline for expectations.
Fear of liberal bias and those expectations are why Manchin keeps getting described as a moderate or a centrist, even though he is wildly out of step with a Democratic Party which is largely unified around Biden's agenda. The country is too - once they hear what it is really about and not the MSM messaging that only talks about the price.
Manchin needs to be usurped in the next election by the candidates in PA (my state), WI and Ohio or FL...I don't care which, but I want to see 3 new D senators so we can move beyond this madman and his cohort, curtsey-cute Sinema.
We're going to flip Toomey's seat in PA (and keep the governorship) and Ryan is a Sherrod Brown type who has a decent chance in Ohio. I don't understand Wisconsin—is it voter apathy? But they have a great organizer who is working hard to turn things around. Sinema has become a parody. That jean vest and the wigs? WTF? There's a fine line between quirky charming and annoyingly childish and she's demolished it.
Not the Dem party, the voters. They could have had Russ Feingold back and gave it to that buffoon Ron Johnson TWICE. I gave props to Ben. He's terrific.
Tim Ryan is a throwback "working class Dem" who is much beloved in his Youngstown area congressional district...an area loaded with laid off autoworkers. The Repub candidates are all trying be the Trumpiest Trumpster they can be. No policy or substance from them - all culture wars and election integrity nonsense (in a state Trump won). Ryan has a decent chance because he can get some votes from non-insane GOPers....as Sherrod Brown has done.
And the joke is on the people who voted for her. This morning I heard a couple of them interviewed (shock!) and they were really puzzled and upset by what she has been doing
Tweet of the Day making the rounds about Senator Denim: "The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled the "Bad to the Bone" must be played any time Senator Sinema arrives on the Senate floor."
Thanks for bringing up the insane reporting in the run up to the California recall. I remember hearing that there was very little reliable polling in the run up but the media was portraying it as an almost certain loss for Newsome. When he won in a landslide blowout most of the media quickly moved on to other negative narratives about Democrats, the only people who are trying to defend and strengthen our democracy and society. How silly can they be?
I keep thinking the media is deliberately trying to create self-fulfilling prophecies with their slanted coverage to damage Democrats.
This a significant problem nationwide. Biden campaign largely ignored troubling signs among Latino voters leading up to the 2020 election in Florida and elsewhere. Just because there's a lot of bad reporting these days, don't ignore reality.
We're not going to win some of these Latino voters because of their conservative religious beliefs (anti abortion, anti-gay, anti-feminist) and because of their antipathy to socialism—swallowing GOP lies hook, line, and sinker. I saw a really interesting report on MSNBC about the barriers to reaching a number of immigrant communities and how they get their news —often from one massively pro right-wing source in their (own) varied languages.
No doubt there are challenges but the Democrats shouldn't just write off these voters. The party is doing or trying to do many things to help them while their counterparts are busy encouraging a pandemic.
No one is writing them off. But the challenges are serious and the fact is, there are some we aren't going to get no matter what we say or do. It's about reaching those we can and my reps are well aware of this here in NEPA, where we have had a growth spurt of Latinos because of covid and lower (comparatively) cost of living.
The Press Corpse reminds me of a guy I knew (you'd know his name if I dropped it, so I won't because this isn't about him) who lived in Weimar Germany. In 1928, he "got" what the Nazis were about, and started warning his friends, all of whom not only ignored him but laughed at him (they were all Left intellectuals). As he put it, "By 1932, my friends called me a 'crank' on the Nazis, telling me they were clowns that deserved to be ignored. The night Hitler was called to the presidential palace to become Chancellor, I packed all my belongings and caught a taxi to the Berlin station, where I bought a one-way ticket on the Paris Express. When I returned 12 years later, all my friends who had told me the Nazi were clowns, were dead. Killed by the clowns."
As someone observing from the Philippines, it's sickening that the Beltway press is rooting against Biden just because he's "boring" compared to the chaotic Trump. Seriously, why did they decide to turn American politics into a fucking reality show a la the "Real Housewives" franchise where everyone is yelling or backstabbing against each other.
My country has turned to a dystopian telenovela in which the thuggish daughter of a homicidal maniac president and the son of a dictator & plunderer are vying for the presidency.
Aside from those two, there's a B-list actor turned mayor, a former ranking police chief with a killer reputation turned senator, and a boxer turned politician. The best candidate happens to the vice-president from the opposition party. The press here is complicit in treating politics like showbusiness.
The Beltway press should stop navel-gazing and look reality in the eye that those pompous assholes are complicit in destroying democracy.
I remember being in the Philippines BM (Before Marcos), and it was a country I really loved. Filipino friends over the past 40 years have talked about how the country never really survived his 20 years of misrule.
Indeed, it's tragic because the efforts of the previous administration under the late former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to slowly and surely rebuild the country's financial & economic standing globally have now gone down the toilet under the horrible administration of Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte who put us back into a similar position economically during the waning days of the Marcos conjugal dictatorship.
Michele Cottle in the NYT is more of the same today. Ugh. I wonder WHO exactly these people are talking to? Dems in diners? Here in PA 06 (Chrissy Houlahan), which is purple, we are preparing for the morons who are write-in candidates for our school board. We have three great candidates and I will be making calls and others are door-knocking, texting. I'm not really seeing the 'apathy' described by faux-news like Axios, Politico etc, but I sure do remember the hysteria about Gavin Newsom's recall election. Frankly, hysterical articles tend to BRING PEOPLE OUT. But yes, it does get old.
As I've been saying for a long time - when the autopsy of the coup is finally revealed, the MSM will be one of the main characters involved. The press has lost its ability to be objective. They stick to a narrative that makes no sense unless they are an active participant in aiding and abetting the Republican coup. 70 percent of this country support the progressive agenda put forward by Democrats. Yet the press sides with the minority who simply want to stoke chaos. Is it really a coincidence? As Malcom Nance often says, coincidences take a lot of planning.
My guess is most every NASCAR fan, whether they'll admit it or not would be disappointed if they spent all that dough to attend a race and there were no wrecks.
Why is the press rooting for a GOP win in Virginia?
Answer--the same reason they endlessly kissed Scott Brown's ass in 2010! They want Republicans in power and will do anything to get them in office to stick the shiv in the Democrats.
Brown's story was irresistible to the media: a glad-handing telegenic airhead, former Play Girl centerfold, who wasn't going to muddle an interview by offering policy views, and running as a Repubican for a seat that had been a Dem legacy. Media catnip!
It’s all a game to Our Failed Political Press ™ - and note that this is not journalism, this is pundits cosplaying journalists. Someone needs to ask these journalists to support their assertions. What is the evidence?
There really should be some sort of governing body for journalists like the American Bar Association is for attorneys.
Speaking of bias, the latest from The Claw News, a subscription newsletter (https://theclawnews.com) had this observation about a recent 538 polling story.
(ROC stands for Rule Of Claw - and the newsletter is enlivened with cat memes. I've added links to this, since they didn't cut and paste from the original newsletter.)
"The Claw News October 27th, 2021
A Shockingly Biased Republican Push Poll Is Incorporated Into 538 Averages. See The Proof HERE.
538 is the ultimate aggregator of political polls both valid and invalid, and somehow or another, they have a special sauce that assigns weights and creates adjusted leaders based on how biased they think one poll is versus another.
They seem to think themselves not just a publisher of statistics, but the ultimate arbiter of them. The problem is polls have long since moved beyond data collection and into the realm of propaganda. For my part, I do not believe in weighing already weighted statistical samples. Data is data. But when is data not data? When the collection of data manipulates the interviewee to the point where the entire collection is rendered invalid, or what we call a push poll.
I am not saying 538 is attempting to put their thumb on the scale. I am saying that in my opinion they should be more restrictive. They rate the poll in question as C/D which is not good, obviously, but that does not tell the whole story. If you allow skewed data into your averages, your averages themselves are skewed, no matter how much you try to adjust data collected with an agenda.
In order to fulfill Trump’s demand to discredit CNN’s poll, he needed to bring in an outsider capable of generating even more outrageous claims. Hence the appearance of “highly respected pollster” John McLaughlin, who is, in fact, a laughingstock within the profession.
538 can weight all it wants, but if the method of collecting data is biased the entire process is invalid..how could the results ever be valid?
Let me ask you a question-
“Many people think that Ford makes ugly, unreliable overpriced vehicles.”
Do you agree?
This question can introduce a response bias, or less likely a reverse courtesy bias.
Now look at this question-
As you are likely aware Ford is an American auto manufacturer. Is your opinion of Ford
1. Positive
2. Negative
3. Neutral/No opinion.
Simple question. Ford exists. What do you think of Ford?
Not, “Ford sucks.” Do you agree?
So let’s look at this so-called poll’s questions. Because these questions are so shockingly biased, I can not say for sure their question order, which could also greatly change the response validity.
Here is a sample of awful questions-
From what you have seen so far, are you worried about the future of America with Joe Biden as President?
All things being equal, do you prefer:1. Free Market Capitalism or. 2. Big Government Socialism?
I pause here to notate that this pollster got a response of 61 percent in favor of free market capitalism. But they were not satisfied, so they literally prove my whole point with the second question related to the topic.
All things being equal, do you prefer:1. American Capitalism or 2. Big Government Socialism?
This question received 76 percent in support.
But still not satisfied, they ask the question a third time, like this:
All things being equal, do you prefer…? 1. American Opportunity Society OR, 2. Big Government Socialism?
This got them to 78 percent support. So they are message testing propaganda to back capitalism. I get that. Let’s try another hypothetical question proposed by me to make a comparison:
We asked 1,000 consumers which do they prefer?
1. A souped up Dodge Charger
2. A 4 Cylinder Toyota Camry
We found 55 percent preferred the Charger.
When we asked it like this:
1. A souped up Dodge Charger with leather seats
2. A 4 cylinder Toyota Camry
We found 64 percent support for the Charger.
Finally when we asked it like this:
1. A souped up Dodge Charger with leather seats and a free Bose sound system
2. A 4 cylinder Toyota Camry
We found 75 percent of respondents preferred the Charger.
Conclusion?
75 percent of Americans prefer a Dodge Charger to a Toyota Camry.
But the questions continue to get worse in the McLaughlan poll.
Do you approve or disapprove of President Biden’s proposed new federal mileage tax which would tax a driver 8 cents for every mile they drive and cost the average driver over $1200 a year?
This question is not even accurate. President Biden has commissioned a study on various proposals, this being one of them though no amount is outlined. None of them have been formally proposed. (https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-907285011746)
CLAIM: President Joe Biden has called for a “driving tax” that is estimated to be 8 cents per mile.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The administration has not proposed that tax. A provision in Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill before Congress would establish a national study to assess how such a tax could be implemented. It would not actually enact that tax, nor it does not outline a rate of 8 cents per mile.
This is as close as it gets to a pollster hypothetically asking,
“President Biden wants to personally knock on your door and remove money from your wallet. Do you still like President Biden?”
Yet 538 thinks this poll is worth including?
Next:
Which of the following candidates are you more likely to vote for congress?A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE who supports allowing school choice for every American child. OR, A DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE who supports more funding for government run schools and raising salaries for government employed teachers
Government run schools? Do you mean public schools? Paid for by tax dollars from people like you and me, with a school board elected by people like you and me with accountability to you and me?
President Biden has urged the FBI to investigate some of the parents who have protested vigorously about Critical Race Theory curriculum at school board meetings.He has said that they may be domestic terrorists. Do you agree or disagree that these parents should be investigated?
The Department of Justice will mobilize the FBI in response to a spike in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members across the country.
In a memorandum released Monday evening, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI and U.S. attorneys' offices to meet in the next 30 days with federal, state and local law enforcement leaders to outline strategies for addressing the incidents, which have become more frequent and more volatile in recent months.
1.(Some/Other) people say that President Biden’s weakness in Afghanistan is emboldening China and making them think they can act militarily against Taiwan without fear of retaliation by the United States. OR, 2.(Other/Some) people say China knows that President Biden will stand firm for Taiwan.
Equivalent?
Question A1. asked of participants who identified as male voters:
Some people say eating ketchup will make you impotent. Others say it won’t.
Asking about your approval of President Biden at that point is like..
Are you still willing to eat ketchup?
And after all of that, the poll finds 48 Republicans, 47 Democrats in the generic ballot. This shows just how bad of shape the Republicans are in politically.
Look this is a company that message tests. Fine. Do your thing. But don’t present it as data.
James Carville co-runs with Stan Greenberg Democracy Corps, a political think tank and poll that message tests, though not with this kind of bias so their data is much less suspect.
But 538 takes this McLaughlan poll, sees it is a partisan poll which does not even begin to cover it, and assigns it a three point weight to the Democrats upon review.
So after thinking about it, only 72 percent, not 75, prefer a Dodge Charger to a Toyota Camry.
Thanks for clearing that up.
One more question-some people say 538 is not restrictive enough with the data they use for their poll aggregations.
Thank you. I did look at the list of 538 polls and how they rate them, but did NOT realize that they added these spurious pieces of 'science' to their average.
Let’s be honest a solid McAuliffe administration will be a whole lot less entertaining than the lunatic he’s running against. And that’s what all media has become, entertainment. And profitable entertainment at that.
Chet Huntley, David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite saw the writing on the wall decades ago and it was sad then. Now it’s just pathetic
i think it's mostly tied into this weird desire of DC press for Biden to fail and if McAuliffe loses they'll essentially pretend Biden was the candidate
Nail on the head Eric.
After his movie "Network" had won Oscars, screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky was asked by a reporter if his story was a "prediction of the future." He replied, "No, I was writing about what's going on now."
Let's remember the reply of Hollywood Fuckup Jeff Zucker, who failed up from screwing up movies and TV to fucking up the country, when someone complained about CNN's 2016 free air time coverage of Trump's campaign: "Donald's always good for high ratings."
yes, and I'm STILL 'mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore'...winning lines to shout out a window these days.
Thank you for speaking the truth on what the media has become entertainment news, nothing more nothing less. If we the people were not paying attention we would be hoodwinked by the smiling faces of news media. There are only a few real news people they are doing newsletters,blogs, podcast who still believe in truth. Thanks Eric for truth in your writing.
I remember those days fondly, as my parents watched our 16 in black and white tv in the 'den' as it was called at that time.
“A Scottish Judge Could Expose Donald Trump’s Shady Golf Finances”
I'm sick of 'could'. It's time for 'will'. This man should be in jail but instead he's still out in the world wreaking havoc on our democracy! Punish him for his crimes and watch how quickly his imitators start pulling back.
ugh me too. why is this guy *never* held accountable?
Keep your eye on the underreported investigation of Trump’s tax shenanigans involving his Westchester County NY golf course by Mimi Rocah as well as investigations of shady tax claims on other properties by NY AG Letitia James.
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/20/1047740062/trump-westchester-golf-club-criminal-investigation-property-tax-valuations
Yeah I'm growing impatient waiting on action for those too. He is a CAREER CRIMINAL and I'm absolutely stunned with disappointment that there aren't already charges loaded and ready to go.
Just last night at a turning point USA event an audience member asked Charlie Kirk when they get to start using guns & killing people for "stealing elections". This is no joke. Dems & prosecutors are not giving this threat to our democracy the gravity it deserves! https://twitter.com/existentialfish/status/1453020289407795209?t=OVL03qMLQFAV0a3jLbxXvg&s=19
I don’t understand why it isn’t a federal crime to threaten election officials. It is, by definition, terrorism — using intimidation in pursuit of political goals.
Most in the media refuse to take these domestic terrorists seriously. Like the GOP they want to move on from 1/6. While they may be personally concerned, professionally they view Dem warnings on everything from the loss of women's reproductive freedom to the loss of democracy as shrill hyperbole—and when it does happen, as in the virtual overturning of Roe v. Wade in Texas, say "why didn't Dems stop this?"
Garland advised the prosecutors on the McVeigh case; I'm holding on to the hope that he, like Biden, ignores the media siren song and is focused on quietly collecting the crucial evidence—taking on the small guys to get to the big guys. Otherwise they will get away with it—and do it again.
Im hoping for the same. Can’t tell a book ….he seems steadfast, honorable to me. Fingers crazy.
The DA investigating the shooting on the Rust set said it would take months to complete that investigation. Now imagine how much work goes into amassing the kind of hard evidence to convict a sleaze like Trump who has been using the courts as a shield for years. Dems talk about the danger to democracy all the time. But when few in the media take it seriously the message isn’t carried—and thus heard. As for the VRA, Neither Biden nor Chuck have any leverage over Manchin or Sinema. No other Dem will win WV and if Sinema is blackballed by Dems she’ll gladly take on a lucrative post-Senate job on the right. She doesn’t seem to care about her constituents or the country. It’s all about her. And Mitch is wooing both of them daily. Which is why Dems must get a larger majority to make them both irrelevant.
Trump has been a criminal since the 70s. Or put another way, for over 50 years.
He's been a criminal since the day he smacked a teacher at age 6. Or the day he was caught, age 10, throwing rocks at the toddler in a playpen in the back yard of the house next door.
She’s terrific!
I have more faith in Scotland than I do our current AG. They have the appropriate amount of outrage.
Yet Scotland has done nothing until now.
They did a cursory investigation awhile ago but public pressure and current events have inspired them to reopen the investigations.
Real Sports had a segment on Trump's quest to buy a golf course in Scotland. The people in Scotland despise him and Real Sports minced no words.
I saw it!
Amazing segment. Other than that piece do you recall any other media outlets covering that story? I don't but I stopped watching cable/network Not News shows years ago.
I know I saw it somewhere else too but I can't recall where.
It used to be the 5 W's - who, what, when, where, why. Now it is NARRATIVE.
I remember that from Journalism 101 in h.s., back in the day.
Now it's 1 W--Waffle and endlessly recite "Both Sides Do It"!
Especially online it’s depressing that most of the articles are someone’s opinion. That gives them carte Blanche to write any damn thing the boss tells them to. There very few real news sources anymore and it shows. The American people love a lurid show. Nothing less will do.
And prediction.
On this day, October 27, 1941, the Chicago Daily Tribune said of Japan: “She cannot attack us. That is a military impossibility. Even our base at Hawaii is beyond the effective striking power of her fleet.”
NYT had a piece yesterday about how Terry M was avoiding mentioning Biden—even though Biden was headed there to campaign with him at a rally. And beltway reporters and pundits are gleeful that the “race is tightening” in NJ.
Add to that the pile on from the left—see Charles Blow’s over the top column in the Times—and the ridiculous responses from readers who don’t understand the political realities (or how govt actually works). I have come to believe that the new beloved trope “Dems can’t message” is giving the old tried and true “Dems in disarray” a run for its money. Meanwhile, media never questions the veracity of the GOP’s “slogans” like “death panels” and instead choose to repeat them endlessly, while scoffing at every Dem utterance, posing doubt and even offering critiques. Which would be fine if they did it fairly and to both parties. But they don’t.
I am dreading next year’s coverage, but know that here in PA we Dems are already beginning the campaign—and we will work hard and win regardless of what the media says.
meanwhile, Trump bascially isn't allowed in the state of VA bc GOP afraid he'll lose the race
Yup working hard down here in Chester County to ensure that the write-in Maga School Board members do NOT get elected. We are texting, door-knocking and I am making calls to the seniors on the list I was given. GOTV!
I just received the MSNBC Daily email and one of the featured video clips is from The Beat with Ari Melber. The headline? "Glenn Youngkin might crack the GOP's Winning Formula for Swing States" 🙄
I have had to tune out and turn off so much because I end up screaming. Not complete withdrawal, but measured.
Understand totally; no cable news, have basically weaned myself off Twitter, only look at WaPo and NYT headlines and that's enough. Classical music and NOT NPR as well. Good luck up there in Luzerne County...saw Fetterman was up there recently. How is he received up there?
Read beyond the headlines (but carefully!). Often—though not always—they misrepresent what's in the story because it's all about clickbait. Here in LC it's all about the margins and keeping Matt Cartwright in the House. They are going after him hard, like they did in 20. I'm not a big Fetterman fan, but of course will support him wholeheartedly if he's the candidate. There isn't a lot of buzz; for all the Trumpkins here, most aren't hardcore. It's very laidback (apathetic?). People in the county pride themselves on "voting for the candidate, not the party" which is horse shit. It means they vote their prejudices, who they like vs who will actually work for them.
Remember all the msm reports about D apathy in the lead up to 2020? They seem to make it up as they go along.
Oh yes. They willfully cling to their narrative and twist any and everything to fit. Even better was 2018 and all the “blue wave? Not so much” hot takes that turned out to be totally wrong because it was a blue tsunami.
I can't speak for Luzerne County, bet he's received well in Allegheny County. I'll be voting for him. I saw Connor Lamb set up a "Lamb for Senate" office here in Pittsburgh. The only way he'll get my vote is if he's the candidate. I will not vote for him in the primary. I've had it with moderates. We need PROGRESS!
We can't get progress until we get enough Dems to make a difference. 50 plus one gives us control but not enough of a margin to pass legislation. Plenty of moderates are on board with Biden's agenda, with two holdouts that the media portrays as moderates but who aren't, despite what they believe about themselves. I'm tired of progressives constantly sniping and whining that if they can't get their way and get everything now now now they aren't going to vote. Progress isn't easy and it's hard work that requires diligence. One or two votes in an election here or there isn't going to do it. Not sure why so many on the the left refuse to acknowledge this, and instead blame "messaging," or say Biden is mealy mouthed and weak, or throw out ideas like "primary Joe Manchin" without a cursory understanding of just how red WV is.
On a bright note, the Essential Politics newsletter from the LA Times highlights some interesting reporting they are doing covering Kamala Harris. Informative and a smart move on the paper’s part; a good a way to differentiate from the pack.
In fairness this is a daily email. I didn't watch the video. I was just noting the headline that was used to describe it
I watched. headline is accurate—and segment is head banging.
Yeah, unfortunately political illiteracy isn't just a phenomenon on the Right.
It wasn't that long ago that the recall of Governor Newsom in California was "a barometer of Democrats position nationally" and was seen as "surprisingly razor thin." The recall failed 65-35 and all of the media coverage turned to crickets.
Quite frankly the bullshit from the over-educated, under-intelligent, otherwise-unemployables of the DC Press Corpse are the best argument for their abolition. There's a reason why Charles P. Pierce calls Politico "Tiger Beat On The Potomac."
Politico and Axios both make me sick mainly because they used to be legitimate news sources and now they are just right wing cranks. I’m so disgusted I could spit.
Reminder: The L word for the political media is not Liberal. The word is Lazy.
Also "ludicrous"
I can go for that!
Hey, is this the "Prof Green" who used to know "TC" when TC hung out on FleeceBlock?
Yes, it is! Good to see you!
comeon over to That's Another Fine Mess - tcinla757.substack.com
The mainstream media has been successfully co-opted by the GOP. Years of GOP complaining about "the fake news media" have succeeded.
Any story that might sound positive for Democrats is reflexively treated as partisan and avoided lest the MSM be accused of 'liberal bias'. Conversely, any story that puts Republicans in a bad light is also seen as evidence of 'liberal bias' - so if they can't say anything good about the GOP they say nothing.
It's also why they spend so much time talking to angry white Trump voters in diners in the midwest or business men complaining nobody wants to work. So, where are the interviews with workers who quit or are on strike? Where are the interviews with people angry about anti-vax crazies? That would be 'political'.
Also, there's the thing Terry Pratchett observed in "The Truth" - people don't want 'news', they want 'olds': things that confirm their view of the world so they don't have to bother about troubling facts that don't fit. The MSM exists to serve up eyeballs to advertisers. Fox News sells rage to people looking for that adrenaline fix from anger, but ordinary news loses its audience if it upsets them or upsets them in ways they don't expect to be upset. Decades of GOP messaging that Democrats can't govern and are always wrangling has become the baseline for expectations.
Fear of liberal bias and those expectations are why Manchin keeps getting described as a moderate or a centrist, even though he is wildly out of step with a Democratic Party which is largely unified around Biden's agenda. The country is too - once they hear what it is really about and not the MSM messaging that only talks about the price.
Manchin needs to be usurped in the next election by the candidates in PA (my state), WI and Ohio or FL...I don't care which, but I want to see 3 new D senators so we can move beyond this madman and his cohort, curtsey-cute Sinema.
We're going to flip Toomey's seat in PA (and keep the governorship) and Ryan is a Sherrod Brown type who has a decent chance in Ohio. I don't understand Wisconsin—is it voter apathy? But they have a great organizer who is working hard to turn things around. Sinema has become a parody. That jean vest and the wigs? WTF? There's a fine line between quirky charming and annoyingly childish and she's demolished it.
I'm not getting that WI is apathetic.....where are you getting that from? Ben Wikler is one of the best party chairs a state could have.
Not the Dem party, the voters. They could have had Russ Feingold back and gave it to that buffoon Ron Johnson TWICE. I gave props to Ben. He's terrific.
Tim Ryan is a throwback "working class Dem" who is much beloved in his Youngstown area congressional district...an area loaded with laid off autoworkers. The Repub candidates are all trying be the Trumpiest Trumpster they can be. No policy or substance from them - all culture wars and election integrity nonsense (in a state Trump won). Ryan has a decent chance because he can get some votes from non-insane GOPers....as Sherrod Brown has done.
I agree. He’s be great in the Senate for OHio and has really grown as a rep. I like him a lot. What a great team—Brown and a Ryan.
Agreed whole-heartedly about Sinema...she's a joke.
A bad joke.
And the joke is on the people who voted for her. This morning I heard a couple of them interviewed (shock!) and they were really puzzled and upset by what she has been doing
Tweet of the Day making the rounds about Senator Denim: "The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled the "Bad to the Bone" must be played any time Senator Sinema arrives on the Senate floor."
Thanks for bringing up the insane reporting in the run up to the California recall. I remember hearing that there was very little reliable polling in the run up but the media was portraying it as an almost certain loss for Newsome. When he won in a landslide blowout most of the media quickly moved on to other negative narratives about Democrats, the only people who are trying to defend and strengthen our democracy and society. How silly can they be?
I keep thinking the media is deliberately trying to create self-fulfilling prophecies with their slanted coverage to damage Democrats.
and for me, the media's immediate exit from Calif was the most telling....3 hrs after Newsom survived that story was flushed down the memory hole
exactly....what was that? Newsom won the election, oh, nevermind. We'll find something else.
Newsome didn’t just survive won in a landslide but that wasn’t interpreted as bad news for Republicans.
Except they pushed how Newsom's support among Latinos and Blacks dropped especially among men...
This a significant problem nationwide. Biden campaign largely ignored troubling signs among Latino voters leading up to the 2020 election in Florida and elsewhere. Just because there's a lot of bad reporting these days, don't ignore reality.
We're not going to win some of these Latino voters because of their conservative religious beliefs (anti abortion, anti-gay, anti-feminist) and because of their antipathy to socialism—swallowing GOP lies hook, line, and sinker. I saw a really interesting report on MSNBC about the barriers to reaching a number of immigrant communities and how they get their news —often from one massively pro right-wing source in their (own) varied languages.
No doubt there are challenges but the Democrats shouldn't just write off these voters. The party is doing or trying to do many things to help them while their counterparts are busy encouraging a pandemic.
No one is writing them off. But the challenges are serious and the fact is, there are some we aren't going to get no matter what we say or do. It's about reaching those we can and my reps are well aware of this here in NEPA, where we have had a growth spurt of Latinos because of covid and lower (comparatively) cost of living.
Of course….
If you followed local media here in Los Angeles they were endlessly kissing Larry Elder's ass.
Especially if you listened to Hate Radio which turned up the Elder crap to 11!
The Press Corpse reminds me of a guy I knew (you'd know his name if I dropped it, so I won't because this isn't about him) who lived in Weimar Germany. In 1928, he "got" what the Nazis were about, and started warning his friends, all of whom not only ignored him but laughed at him (they were all Left intellectuals). As he put it, "By 1932, my friends called me a 'crank' on the Nazis, telling me they were clowns that deserved to be ignored. The night Hitler was called to the presidential palace to become Chancellor, I packed all my belongings and caught a taxi to the Berlin station, where I bought a one-way ticket on the Paris Express. When I returned 12 years later, all my friends who had told me the Nazi were clowns, were dead. Killed by the clowns."
As someone observing from the Philippines, it's sickening that the Beltway press is rooting against Biden just because he's "boring" compared to the chaotic Trump. Seriously, why did they decide to turn American politics into a fucking reality show a la the "Real Housewives" franchise where everyone is yelling or backstabbing against each other.
My country has turned to a dystopian telenovela in which the thuggish daughter of a homicidal maniac president and the son of a dictator & plunderer are vying for the presidency.
Aside from those two, there's a B-list actor turned mayor, a former ranking police chief with a killer reputation turned senator, and a boxer turned politician. The best candidate happens to the vice-president from the opposition party. The press here is complicit in treating politics like showbusiness.
The Beltway press should stop navel-gazing and look reality in the eye that those pompous assholes are complicit in destroying democracy.
I remember being in the Philippines BM (Before Marcos), and it was a country I really loved. Filipino friends over the past 40 years have talked about how the country never really survived his 20 years of misrule.
Indeed, it's tragic because the efforts of the previous administration under the late former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to slowly and surely rebuild the country's financial & economic standing globally have now gone down the toilet under the horrible administration of Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte who put us back into a similar position economically during the waning days of the Marcos conjugal dictatorship.
Michele Cottle in the NYT is more of the same today. Ugh. I wonder WHO exactly these people are talking to? Dems in diners? Here in PA 06 (Chrissy Houlahan), which is purple, we are preparing for the morons who are write-in candidates for our school board. We have three great candidates and I will be making calls and others are door-knocking, texting. I'm not really seeing the 'apathy' described by faux-news like Axios, Politico etc, but I sure do remember the hysteria about Gavin Newsom's recall election. Frankly, hysterical articles tend to BRING PEOPLE OUT. But yes, it does get old.
As I've been saying for a long time - when the autopsy of the coup is finally revealed, the MSM will be one of the main characters involved. The press has lost its ability to be objective. They stick to a narrative that makes no sense unless they are an active participant in aiding and abetting the Republican coup. 70 percent of this country support the progressive agenda put forward by Democrats. Yet the press sides with the minority who simply want to stoke chaos. Is it really a coincidence? As Malcom Nance often says, coincidences take a lot of planning.
they do take a lot of planning....
My guess is most every NASCAR fan, whether they'll admit it or not would be disappointed if they spent all that dough to attend a race and there were no wrecks.
Everyone goes to races for the possibility of a crash. I've seen the reaction first-hand.
Why is the press rooting for a GOP win in Virginia?
Answer--the same reason they endlessly kissed Scott Brown's ass in 2010! They want Republicans in power and will do anything to get them in office to stick the shiv in the Democrats.
Brown's story was irresistible to the media: a glad-handing telegenic airhead, former Play Girl centerfold, who wasn't going to muddle an interview by offering policy views, and running as a Repubican for a seat that had been a Dem legacy. Media catnip!
yeah, exactly. I liked them better when they were "ink-stained wretches."
They thrive on "controversy" even more than Facebook does.
It’s all a game to Our Failed Political Press ™ - and note that this is not journalism, this is pundits cosplaying journalists. Someone needs to ask these journalists to support their assertions. What is the evidence?
There really should be some sort of governing body for journalists like the American Bar Association is for attorneys.
Speaking of bias, the latest from The Claw News, a subscription newsletter (https://theclawnews.com) had this observation about a recent 538 polling story.
(ROC stands for Rule Of Claw - and the newsletter is enlivened with cat memes. I've added links to this, since they didn't cut and paste from the original newsletter.)
"The Claw News October 27th, 2021
A Shockingly Biased Republican Push Poll Is Incorporated Into 538 Averages. See The Proof HERE.
538 is the ultimate aggregator of political polls both valid and invalid, and somehow or another, they have a special sauce that assigns weights and creates adjusted leaders based on how biased they think one poll is versus another.
They seem to think themselves not just a publisher of statistics, but the ultimate arbiter of them. The problem is polls have long since moved beyond data collection and into the realm of propaganda. For my part, I do not believe in weighing already weighted statistical samples. Data is data. But when is data not data? When the collection of data manipulates the interviewee to the point where the entire collection is rendered invalid, or what we call a push poll.
I am not saying 538 is attempting to put their thumb on the scale. I am saying that in my opinion they should be more restrictive. They rate the poll in question as C/D which is not good, obviously, but that does not tell the whole story. If you allow skewed data into your averages, your averages themselves are skewed, no matter how much you try to adjust data collected with an agenda.
The entire poll I am about to reveal is skewed. Now this poll is brought to us by (full data here https://mclaughlinonline.com/pols/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Monthly-October-Release.pdf) McLaughlan and Associates, a notorious GOP pollster famous for one of its founder’s association with Donald Trump. (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/trump-cnn-poll-14-biden-memo-john-mclaughlin.html)
In order to fulfill Trump’s demand to discredit CNN’s poll, he needed to bring in an outsider capable of generating even more outrageous claims. Hence the appearance of “highly respected pollster” John McLaughlin, who is, in fact, a laughingstock within the profession.
538 can weight all it wants, but if the method of collecting data is biased the entire process is invalid..how could the results ever be valid?
Let me ask you a question-
“Many people think that Ford makes ugly, unreliable overpriced vehicles.”
Do you agree?
This question can introduce a response bias, or less likely a reverse courtesy bias.
Now look at this question-
As you are likely aware Ford is an American auto manufacturer. Is your opinion of Ford
1. Positive
2. Negative
3. Neutral/No opinion.
Simple question. Ford exists. What do you think of Ford?
Not, “Ford sucks.” Do you agree?
So let’s look at this so-called poll’s questions. Because these questions are so shockingly biased, I can not say for sure their question order, which could also greatly change the response validity.
Here is a sample of awful questions-
From what you have seen so far, are you worried about the future of America with Joe Biden as President?
All things being equal, do you prefer:1. Free Market Capitalism or. 2. Big Government Socialism?
I pause here to notate that this pollster got a response of 61 percent in favor of free market capitalism. But they were not satisfied, so they literally prove my whole point with the second question related to the topic.
All things being equal, do you prefer:1. American Capitalism or 2. Big Government Socialism?
This question received 76 percent in support.
But still not satisfied, they ask the question a third time, like this:
All things being equal, do you prefer…? 1. American Opportunity Society OR, 2. Big Government Socialism?
This got them to 78 percent support. So they are message testing propaganda to back capitalism. I get that. Let’s try another hypothetical question proposed by me to make a comparison:
We asked 1,000 consumers which do they prefer?
1. A souped up Dodge Charger
2. A 4 Cylinder Toyota Camry
We found 55 percent preferred the Charger.
When we asked it like this:
1. A souped up Dodge Charger with leather seats
2. A 4 cylinder Toyota Camry
We found 64 percent support for the Charger.
Finally when we asked it like this:
1. A souped up Dodge Charger with leather seats and a free Bose sound system
2. A 4 cylinder Toyota Camry
We found 75 percent of respondents preferred the Charger.
Conclusion?
75 percent of Americans prefer a Dodge Charger to a Toyota Camry.
But the questions continue to get worse in the McLaughlan poll.
Do you approve or disapprove of President Biden’s proposed new federal mileage tax which would tax a driver 8 cents for every mile they drive and cost the average driver over $1200 a year?
This question is not even accurate. President Biden has commissioned a study on various proposals, this being one of them though no amount is outlined. None of them have been formally proposed. (https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-907285011746)
CLAIM: President Joe Biden has called for a “driving tax” that is estimated to be 8 cents per mile.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The administration has not proposed that tax. A provision in Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill before Congress would establish a national study to assess how such a tax could be implemented. It would not actually enact that tax, nor it does not outline a rate of 8 cents per mile.
This is as close as it gets to a pollster hypothetically asking,
“President Biden wants to personally knock on your door and remove money from your wallet. Do you still like President Biden?”
Yet 538 thinks this poll is worth including?
Next:
Which of the following candidates are you more likely to vote for congress?A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE who supports allowing school choice for every American child. OR, A DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE who supports more funding for government run schools and raising salaries for government employed teachers
Government run schools? Do you mean public schools? Paid for by tax dollars from people like you and me, with a school board elected by people like you and me with accountability to you and me?
President Biden has urged the FBI to investigate some of the parents who have protested vigorously about Critical Race Theory curriculum at school board meetings.He has said that they may be domestic terrorists. Do you agree or disagree that these parents should be investigated?
Stalking and threats of violence against school board members is not “protesting.” (https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-10-04/doj-to-investigate-threats-against-school-board-members)
The Department of Justice will mobilize the FBI in response to a spike in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members across the country.
In a memorandum released Monday evening, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI and U.S. attorneys' offices to meet in the next 30 days with federal, state and local law enforcement leaders to outline strategies for addressing the incidents, which have become more frequent and more volatile in recent months.
1.(Some/Other) people say that President Biden’s weakness in Afghanistan is emboldening China and making them think they can act militarily against Taiwan without fear of retaliation by the United States. OR, 2.(Other/Some) people say China knows that President Biden will stand firm for Taiwan.
Equivalent?
Question A1. asked of participants who identified as male voters:
Some people say eating ketchup will make you impotent. Others say it won’t.
Asking about your approval of President Biden at that point is like..
Are you still willing to eat ketchup?
And after all of that, the poll finds 48 Republicans, 47 Democrats in the generic ballot. This shows just how bad of shape the Republicans are in politically.
Here is the link to their usage in the generic ballot averages on 538. (https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-generic-ballot-polls/)
Look this is a company that message tests. Fine. Do your thing. But don’t present it as data.
James Carville co-runs with Stan Greenberg Democracy Corps, a political think tank and poll that message tests, though not with this kind of bias so their data is much less suspect.
But 538 takes this McLaughlan poll, sees it is a partisan poll which does not even begin to cover it, and assigns it a three point weight to the Democrats upon review.
So after thinking about it, only 72 percent, not 75, prefer a Dodge Charger to a Toyota Camry.
Thanks for clearing that up.
One more question-some people say 538 is not restrictive enough with the data they use for their poll aggregations.
Do you agree?
-ROC
Thank you. I did look at the list of 538 polls and how they rate them, but did NOT realize that they added these spurious pieces of 'science' to their average.