403 Comments

Since Fox is now in the middle of renegotiating its cable fees in this time of turmoil, is there an opportunity for us to contact our cable companies and demand that fox channels not be part of the the standard cable packages? Cable companies could require subscribers to select and choose Fox separately. If Fox could be deprived of all the revenue it currently gets by default from every cable subscriber, we could strike a serious blow against this cesspool of lies.

Expand full comment

I am all for this goal. But... dear lord, why don't y'all just DROP CABLE?!?!

There is clearly a generational divide here. I cannot understand why *anyone* is still subscribing to cable at all. Unless you are a sports junkie, there is no logical rationale to doing so. Almost everything is online now. Every major corporation has launched a streaming service, and you can subscribe to everything you could want to see, and do so on a monthly basis for less than cable. Absolutely no one I know in my age bracket ever watches actual television at all. Waiting for a show to begin at a certain hour is so antiquated, as is the idea of someone picking your programming lineup for you, period. It genuinely seems like gifting someone a smart phone and having them call the operator on it.

To anyone younger, Fox isn't a source of fear, it's a joke. "How many older relatives have YOU lost to Fox?" No one watches it, because no one watches cable. And no one watches cable because that is the dumb thing your great-aunt watches Fox on. Ew. Netflix and Chill FTW, amirite bae?

When it comes to arts & entertainment, every library should have a decent DVD selection. For FREE! If you want to learn facts in visual format, there is more on YouTube than you could ever get from Discovery Channel. For FREE! If you care about news, you should not even be watching news at all, you should be *reading* it. Subscribe to a newspaper of record plus maybe some independent newsletters, support real journalists for a fraction of the cost, and leave the talking heads out to dry!

You are getting a worse product, delivered to you less efficiently, at a higher price. Please, somebody here, help me. Make it make sense.

Expand full comment

Drop cable?

I did in 1992. No time for trash.

Plus, I prefer to work, read, or do yard work over any time at all on TV.

Expand full comment

I dropped tv many years ago. Don't own one. Don't miss it.

Expand full comment

Likewise.

Expand full comment

Yep, going on 5 years no TV…and happy!

Expand full comment

I don't own a smart phone either. A flip phone works for me.

Expand full comment

I don’t have a smart phone either…only got a cell ph years back to use while traveling out of state & rarely use it, but carry it with me in case of emergencies. I have a pre-paid plan for $5 month & I loved my old, very small, cell with a slide-out qwerty keyboard, so I could easily do the rare text msg. Well well well…when 5G came along I was told my old phone would not longer operate, I went into may carrier to get a new phone…they tried and tried to upsell me into a smart phone (they are WAY too big if all you want to do is make a call or send a text)—I kept asking will my $5 a month plan work with this phone? If not, I do not want it—why pay for something I’ll hardly use. Finally the guy went in the back & probably dug around at the bottom of some drawer and came out with a flip-phone. Jeez…I hate the thing…the size is right, but the features suck & I don’t bother even trying to send a text because it’s such a hassle type out (no qwerty on this phone). Have been searching the ‘net for alternatives & think I have come up with one that will work w/ my flip’s SIM card…fingers crossed!

Expand full comment

Interesting. I did not either for years because it just seemed ridiculous to spend that kind of money for a trinket.

Then, my daughter punted off her iPhone 6 to me and said I was missing all of the family texts/communication now that they had gone off to college.

So, I started using it. She sends me all kinds of stuff, so, honestly, I don't mind it really.

Expand full comment

Very good Barbara. You are, of course, welcome to help me with my yard work as well!

:-)

Expand full comment

No cable for us either. I read my news and listen to podcast. And guess what, my life is free of commercials. 😁

Expand full comment

We dropped cable back in 2012 when we were still in our 60s. Don't assume older people are the ones hooked on faux.

Expand full comment

It is clear there is a generational divide in to regard to cable tv. And I’m on the “wrong” side of it. Allow me to offer a couple of points on the topic.

First, there is logic in your piece and it is well-written. However, the attitude that comes across is that of an extremely impatient teacher, explaining something for the third time. I can clearly hear the not so sotto voce, “They just don’t GET it!“. Let me assure you that many of us do get it and are still with cable. Also your riff in gifting somebody a cell phone is dripping with condescension. We are not dumb, at least those of us who contribute to Heather’s posts. We are quite sentient and maybe once in a while worth listening to. Had you dialed it back a bit, I might have read your piece a second time.

Secondly, there is a huge group of us who have cell phones and computers who still see worth in having cable. People develop routines as they mature and some of us build routines around certain shows. For myself, I learn some of what I pick up about the national scene from Anderson Cooper and Rachel Maddow. When the latter was on nightly, my wife and I enjoyed watching the two shows back to back, using a PVR to see them at a suitable time in the West Coast.

Which brings me to my third point. The options for streaming have proliferated so as to become equal in price to cable - or more. I subscribe to the NYT, two newsmagazines, and support Slate, Gaslit Nation, and Preet Bharara in podcasting. Very occasionally I will want to watch a show, but inevitably I’ll find that it is not on Netflix, the only other outlet I subscribe to. Trying to follow all the streaming services is like going down an endless rabbit hole.

Clearly the younger generation doesn’t see the point of cable tv. None of my four children have it. But in the end these are discretionary dollars. They e made a choice for rational reasons. My wife and I have made a separate choice.

Be patient. The end is nigh for cable. And while you’re waiting please don’t lecture us.

Expand full comment

*Sigh* Here I was trying to add as much personality as I could muster before bed to my comment to make it as clear as possible the tone was supposed to be lighthearted, only to wake up and find I am apparently still an arrogant ageist "dripping with condescension" whose main goal was lecturing Eric on his status as an obsolete troglodyte lacking "sentience." Guess I'll have some serious soul-searching to do with my therapist this week. Geez. Can't win 'em all I guess.

Look, Eric, obviously how you spend your money and time is how you spend your money and time. If basic cable works for your wants and your pocketbook, have at it and God bless. My query at the end was genuine. I can't see the value in it from my angle. I'm under no illusions that is the only angle.

That said, all human beings enjoy routine, not just one who have "matured." Routine can often become calcified, and a change-up can become beneficial. If your routine involves Cooper and Maddow, no you will not find them on Netflix, but you will find them on a bevy of streaming bundles that cost somewhere in the range of what most folks pay for cable, with both an added element of convenience as well as more leeway in what other outlets you support. Which was, after all, the initial topic at hand here. And it doesn't take an "endless rabbit hole" to figure this out. It all pops up on Google right away. Oh, gosh, there I go dripping with condescension again. Mea maxima culpa.

Expand full comment

Will,

It's all in the interpretation. And I sort of get Eric's response. Although I think you are being misinterpreted and have the best of intentions. Your sense of humor may be better received by some than others. Ha Ha Ha.

Here's my take. Most cable packages offer the "DVR" function. So you can watch Rachel or Anderson anytime you want. And to each his own.

Personally, I am one of the millions who hates Comcast ("Xfinity") with such a passion that there are no words for it. We switched to Fios (internet only) sometime ago. $50 a month for 300 mbps. Thrilled. Want live stupid TV? The ROKU app is adding free channels every week, it seems.

But again, to each his own. We don't watch ANY TV news or commentary. When we do tune in, we look at each other and just say "yup, I knew that, yes, I read that this morning, yup, thanks, next..." We are readers of news. By 10:00 am we both know everything to know. As to the opinionating on cable...meh. I have my own opinions and if I need new ones, I find them right here. And they are as relevant and cogent as anything on a large flat screen from people wearing too much makeup. 4K HDR backlit OLED screens are more revealing than I need. "Look at those wrinkles on him!"

Someday we should talk about the streaming channel scams. How many to watch and how many to pay for. Without vigilance, the total TV bill can easily meet or exceed the cost of cable. The good news is that we all have choices. You, me, Eric and everyone else. It just takes more energy and time to pick what's best for our homes. Oy.

Expand full comment

Well said. The latest streaming kerfuffle is Amazon. Now, in addition to Prime there is Prime Video for which I pay "Prime" monthly fees and an additional fee for packaged items such as PBS Masterpiece. There are older movies available on Prime subscription, but newer movies are billed separately, i.e. Avatar the Way of Water is $20.00!! Every time arch capitalist Jeff Bezos goes up in his rocket ship I hope he stays there. Likewise for Elon Musk, but for different reasons.

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

I was giving everyone a day of grace until you showed up like a runaway freight train. Your style is a breathless pace which moves in paces. Your humor is unexpectedly funny. Your serious side does not escape one. One door you could have kicked open today was that of the constant. Change. Thank the species for the ability of youth to adjust to things hurtling their way. Those who won’t look cannot see. Don’t change a thing. My children didn’t hear a word I said and clearly they made their own beds well. Your voice is heard received and well accepted. Play on. I had a Republican horse a while back that didn’t look too good. Come to find out he was blind.

Expand full comment

Will, try as hard as you might to make it seem this way, you are not a victim in this discussion. (Which, by the way, is a subtle tactic to turn the blame back on anyone who disagree).

You are simply, I would assume a younger person making a strong argument for streaming over cable. You write well and are easily able to make it seem like there is no other rational choice. But the effect of your verbal stickhandling in your first comment was to make it seem as if there is no other virtuous or rational choice. That was what I found objectionable.

I do not feel as if I am calcified. I am fully aware that Cooper and Maddow or not on Netflix. I used it only to note my chagrin that when interesting series come up, they are spread over a number of streaming options, which is several too many, as I “stream” content other than television, written in particular.

American capitalism always goes for broke. The marketplace does not operate efficiently. It takes a really informed and rational consumer to step outside the the excessive subdivision and wait for a degree of consolidation in the market. For now, I choose to wait and hope that happens. I ignore the streaming television opinions and use cable for a bit of news and a fair bit of hockey and baseball.

I think the consolidation may come. Fenway Sports Group is an example where this is happening. When there is sufficient consolidation, the days of cable will hit the wall hard.

It would be good to have this discussion face to face. I’ve had it with all of my kids separately and essentially they made your points (and a few more) respectfully. I suspect that, first impression excluded, any discussion with you would not be as irksome as this has been. You certainly have the writing chops. I’ll close here, and hope to have not offended you by the exchange. I am chagrined when I find things getting ad hominem, and I have certainly contributed enough of that today.

Expand full comment

Eric, I assure you I don't think I am the victim in this discussion, nor am I offended. I don't think it is possible for there to be a victim in this discussion. It's a discussion. About cable, of all things. I agree this would likely have a different tenor if face-to-face. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised this comment of mine, of all things, has triggered so many responses.

I do not find anything "virtuous" about forgoing cable versus keeping it. (How odd would I be to assign a moral value to something like that?) I do stand by the view from my vantage point that there is little rational reason for *most* (not all) to hang onto a subscription, such that a concerted effort to use consumer leverage via cable to effect change in revenue seems baffling to me. I suppose my observation simply boils down to how most individual people don't watch anywhere near enough TV daily - of any variety - to have much use for everything that is provided on a cable package, so the idea of tailoring your viewing options makes infinitly more sense to me, if prices and technological infrastructure permit. Yet folks below have provided some reasons, so I got to learn something today, which is always nice.

P.S. Of course subscribing to every major streaming service would be massively expensive, which is why "churn" (customers cycling through options monthly) has quickly become a thing. Leave it to the suits to come up with even more new words for "those plebians finding ways to outwit our racket."

Expand full comment

We just had this discussion about cable. We do watch a lot of college sports. My techie says it would be a huge hassle to change the internet, phone, etc. We also have several streaming services because we like Brit TV and foreign series. He doesn't feel like going through the hassle to change, so we still have cable. If it dies before we do, then I guess we won't.

Expand full comment

Michele, I wonder if this streaming-centric proposal would work?

Provided that high speed internet is available, drop cable; get a Roku box like Bill Alstrom mentioned; add PBS on it, then add Britbox, which provides loads of content for any anglophile; layer on a VOIP service for phone like Vonage, Ooma or Ring Central. The initial setup will take a small adjustment but after that, you're cable free with lots of customization possible. My $.02.

Expand full comment

Excellent comments.

In addition to lecturing, throw in pompous, pedantic, and petulant.

Just what one needs to convince someone.

Expand full comment

Agreed. I'm already paying for an internet hook-up, why pay for cable too? I cut the cord about 10 years ago - WAY less obnoxious ads, WAY cheaper, and I don't support the likes of Faux News. I also use a Linux based OS, so viruses are not so big a problem either. Ciao!

Expand full comment

I cut cable 30 years ago, when I figured what I was paying for was my now ex watching stuff the kids shouldn't see, and Disney wasn't worth that price. Yes I miss college football games I'd like to see. But the savings and reclaiming my choice is viewing is worth it.

Expand full comment

And now you can get Disney through streaming. Mine's included with my cellphone plan. Yeah Hamilton and Lady and the Tramp.

Expand full comment

What cell phone plan?

Expand full comment

Although I no longer believe it is on offer, for a while Verizon partnered with Disney to give several months of the Disney Plus streaming channel free to consumers who signed up for the Verizon Super Unlimited Whatever Plan. Seems odd bedfellows to me, but my cousin and his family took advantage and were very pleased.

Expand full comment

I was off cable for ten years and when I retired and downsized, I didn’t even hook up the TV. It was so LIBERATING! I streamed shows and news at my leisure (60 Minutes or SNL for Monday breakfast—what a treat!). Now that I live with my fiancé we have probably hundreds of channels available through Spectrum yet basically watch the same few programs. But he is a sports junkie, so we’re trapped. So i WILL call Spectrum and ask them to drop Fox.

Expand full comment

We have Spectrum, too, and several years ago, we switched to a cable plan that provides access only to a handful of channels that WE selected. It made sense, since we don't watch much TV.

Expand full comment

I would love to choose which channels to watch! Which cable plan service do you have?

Expand full comment

Oops! I think I now understand that you have a plan through Spectrum that allows you to select channels of your choosing. I’ll check into this.

Expand full comment

Rose, according to the bill, it's called TV Choice. I didn't know about it until I asked about a less expensive cable option. I don't think it's widely publicized.

Expand full comment

I have never had cable TV. Never saw a need for it. We watch PBS.

Expand full comment

The very people who watch fox are the ones to re direct. If they are not watching fox , the radio has the same rants. My husband reads tractor manuals not books or sub stack. TV news is his source of info. We do not watch fox or other garbage. For many TV is how they wind down @ the end of the day. I realize how u get your information is personal choice & learning style but some of the comments reinforce perceptions of intellectual snobbery liberals are accused of.

Expand full comment

Hey, there is nothing wrong with tractor manuals! Your husband has an impressive (to me!) set of skills via them. And yes, there can be a tone in some circles of "Oh, you DON'T subscribe to The Atlantic and The Economist? How do you evah stay aware?"

Personally, I am very pro-TV! At the end of day, or any other time! I guess I see cable specifically in economic terms, or holistic ones. If what you have works for you, then it works! But if you are paying for something you don't use much, or ending up paying for something you don't support, or could get the same product in a more convenient fashion for a similar price... why ever would you not?

Expand full comment

Yours & the other comments made me think re alternative solutions. Living rural some of the urban advantages are not available & I am not geeky enough to understand all the stuff on the web besides trusting. The radio shack in town is run by someone offering a free gun to anyone who signs up for a cable service . MT does not have an Apple Store, the nearest is in Spokane or Boise ID. I have lived in the Bay Area & Seattle so moving to MT was & continues to be a cultural shock but also insight into a different view of the lay of the land. I am exploring alternatives to cable & hoping they will work.

Expand full comment

I dont know where you live in MT but it definitely has a different lay of the land. And there is so much good there...........that it seems a waste to have all those Republicans in power.

Expand full comment

You still have a Radio Shack? I think its been a while since they disappeared here - but on the other hand - doubt a free gun would be an option!

My son keeps my computer & TV (still have media center) functioning, and I still have basic cable - got rid of many channels a while ago, and then there is my ROKU - which is great. Hope my small cable company continues - I'm rural too.

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

Man after my heart. Recommend Steiner Tractor and Yesterday’s Tractor. So much to read so little time. (sigh)

Expand full comment

He reads only for information so reading for pleasure is a very foreign concept to him. Why schools need to value all the different learning styles.

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

Well duh Carole . The names I threw out are for parts and maintenance videos. I was able to get the video for the complete tear down of my diesel JD3020 engine. Snap. Done. Pat on my back. Off to the hay wars.

Expand full comment

Duh! I wish i knew more . The how of doing this!!

I guess I could ask a teenager...or a 9 years old.

Thank you Will of Cal

Expand full comment

Well, I'm pretty tech incompetent, so not the right person to ask... But pretty much if you have a Smart TV, or one of those FireSticks, or are willing to use a computer as a TV, the sky is the limit (Yes, savvy family/friends are helpful, too.) We purchased my Grandma a Smart TV in her late 80s, and she got the hang of it! The key was helping her make the connection that the different apps or streaming services are really just channels, and you change between them like you would change the channel.

Trouble is, due to hip/leg issues over the pandemic she spent less and less time sitting in her living room, where we had put the fancy TV! We kept offering to move it to the bedroom, but she insisted it stay where company could use it. What company? It was the pandemic! People are weird.

Expand full comment

Agreed, and frankly, FNC should loose their right to broadcast on public airways. They abused that privilege with proven lies. And for heaven’s sake get them off military bases.

Expand full comment

We dropped cable years ago, realizing we were watching the same few channels and paying for all manner of junk we never touched. We got Disney for the grandkids (and ME!), Netflix, etc., etc., and it doesn't cost half of what cable did. Better yet, when we find we aren't using a particular app, we unsub until something piques our interest and then sign on again. We keep the local paper (digital) for local news and digital subscriptions here on substack and a few other places. It's so darn convenient. (And Will? We're in our seventies ya little whippersnapper! so don't paint us with that "generational divide" brush of yours! JK, love your always on point comments here. Keep up the good work.

Expand full comment

“It genuinely seems like gifting someone a smart phone and having them call the operator on it.” What?? You can’t? 😃

Expand full comment

I kid my spouse that her smart phone is like a diode (engineering term, only passes current in one direction.) because she only uses it to call out. Has improved over time, she now checks the weather forecast. She does love her iPad.

Expand full comment

My techie just laughs about my phone. I can call out. We had to buy me a real camera because I kept accidentally taking selfies. I did finally this week memorize my cell phone number after not knowing it for years. I forget to keep the thing charged. Not a techie and basically like on and off.

Expand full comment

Finally - someone after my own heart! My son insists I have a cell phone so I put it in the car when I go somewhere - then put it back on the charger when I get home. I still have a landline (included in my cable) and IF I want to talk to someone - I do it at home in comfort - NOT in the middle of the grocery store etc! I guess that makes me an old fossil! Oh well....

Expand full comment

I just celebrated my 80th, so I am definitely an old fossil. I like to have the phone when I am driving the car and by myself. Otherwise, it resides in the charger. We do not have a land line, but several phones that are all over the house for our home phone. Techie does not want to change because it would be a very large pain. I don't pretend to understand how all this stuff works. I don't like to talk on the phone anyway, so am happy to be unavailable most of the time.

Expand full comment

This very senior person did it (me)....dropped cable to rid myself of fees that included Faux. To my surprise, I realized that I was rarely using cable anyway.... can easily stream everything

Expand full comment

I never subscribed to cable to begin with. I stopped even watching Network TV in 1986. Not virtue so much as I just don't have time!

I watch a lot of news on YouTube and have found lots of really good stuff on Substack. I also get email newsletters from my favorite sources, and find YouTube sufficient when I decide yo check put a right wing video to see what they're up to.

Everyone I know who has cable has been complaining fir years that they can't get the programs they want and get stuck paying for a lot they don't want. So. Yeah! Cut the cable!

Expand full comment

Ahh, the arrogance of youth.

Expand full comment

Yesterday I was once again blown away with credentials of many of you regular informative respondents here. Today I am made to feel an interloper. We are in our eighties, in fact my husband is in his late 80’s. We watch cable. This feels like saying, “I am an alcoholic.” It’s ridiculously expensive, but my husband is barely mobile and basically has three pleasures: reading, TV, and “his” computer ( a PC which is apparently different than my iPad or smartphone.) I frequently have to get him out of pickles with both the TV and computer. We get the L.A. Times daily, as we have for going on 61 years. I read this letter, usually at dawn, and read significant portions aloud or summarize for him. I go to library for both of us, especially when he wants something that has piqued his interest, usually historical. We watch favorite sports (although usually with book in hand or iPad.) My daughter and I watch Netflix or Prime when he’s faded for the evening. Again, I will launch my plea to have Fox removed, but it really is too much for us to get rid of cable. It is really, really difficult to keep up with the fast pace of technology. I’m really proud of what all I am able to do, but there is a limit. This does not keep me from being politically active! I have marched in almost every one here in Orange County since the appearance of T. I’ve canvassed for voters, written hundreds of postcards, mostly for Katie Porter, but a great many to voters in GA and PA. We are old but patriots. My husband a former Naval officer , and I a 20-year Selective Service board member and local chair. Quit with the words of aghast at our use of what is convenient and workable for us. We are current, informed, and active in our own way. As you can see, the comments this morning touched a button for me. Arrogance always does.

Expand full comment

Sue, your stamina is inspiring! Thanks for everything you do! An interloper you most certainly are not. Young, old, black, white or purple, we are in this together! The use of media or tech is an insignificant portion of what makes someone an active citizen, obviously. Everyone knows what works for them. I personally just find how people get attached to things perplexing and humorous.

I plan on supporting Katie for Senate. Maybe we will run into each other at an event :-)

Expand full comment

Thank you, Will, for kind response. Would be great to see you at Katie event, though I am limited to OC these days as long freeway drives unnerve me...this after commuting during college and my long teaching career.

Expand full comment

Sue, you seem like a very active and involved 80-something. Kudos to you! I'm in my 80's as well and, yes, it seems as though inventions and revisions to things happen all around us, every day, and it can seem hard to keep up. But criticisms aside - you just keep doing you!

Expand full comment

Yup - Will's comment touched a button for me too, but then stopped to think his comments are usually right on the nose - so maybe just different generation thing. I'm in your age bracket (just so you know) and also a big fan of Katie Porter so we do have much in common, as we do with many who "show up" here. There are more "with" us here than against us Sue. Maybe older but INFORMED!

Expand full comment

I'm 80. I have DISH satellite service and have for years because of the variety of its programming, its reliability, and its usually excellent customer service. I prefer dealing with a single company to shopping around for streaming services and winding up paying perhaps almost as much as I pay DISH. I like being able to record programs and zip through commercials when I watch them. I do also have Netflix. Those are more than sufficient for me.

Expand full comment

I'm also a "recorder and zip thru" Mim. Works for me

Expand full comment

Here it is important to read your comment. Thanks.

Expand full comment

We've never had cable and for at least a decade have watched very little TV. Of course, we are also out of the loop with what the 'young people' are watching these days. Reading and listening are my speed--and I am grateful for LFAA for such an excellent gathering of information and its historical context. Thank you!

Expand full comment

I was with you until you mentioned getting DVDs from the library. Who still has a DVD player?

Expand full comment

People who like DVDs, like me! Movie nuts! (My fellow cin-eh-mah nerds will insist you shell out for a 4K HD Blu-Ray, to which I say ain't nobody got time for that bougie nonsense.) You can buy one for a really low price now. Some are just little squares that can hook up to a desktop.

Now if only I knew what to do with that stack of family home videos...

Expand full comment

Ha! I still have my old video player, DVD player and CD audio 5-disc carousel…don’t have a smart TV (or smart phone for that matter), tho’ do have still perfectly good flat screen TV (not ginormous cuz I don’t have the wall space & besides I’d be sitting too close, like the front row at a movie theatre). Part of switching things up is just inertia & the old getting ‘round to it’ problem.

Expand full comment

Currently I am looking for a CD player as I gave away my old one years ago and now I am wanting to listen again to Great Courses. Checking out the thrift stores today.

Expand full comment

I do, but the only video I put in there is my 20+ year old yoga DVDs, that are not found on YouTube. I’m glad I have it though because my TV is glitchy and doesn’t want to connect with Netflix via my wifi, but my blue ray dvd player will. And it will also connect to YouTube for qigong practice, which my Apple TV box won’t do anymore unless I replace it. I definitely need to upgrade many of my devices, and I will soon.

Expand full comment

We were curious to see what Fox would broadcast in place of the ?ucker Carlson show. What we saw was a blank screen.

This national news station is off the air on Spectrum TV's feed in Midcoast Maine.

A satisfactory outcome.

Expand full comment

Seriously a blank screen? Nothing broadcast in a one hour slot? Yikes! Great!

Expand full comment

Maybe it was a local arts program doing a representation of the black hole Faux Noise created in our culture? Brava!

Expand full comment

That is something we can do tomorrow call email local cable companies ditch fox I like it!

Expand full comment

Actually we also want to contact Comcast, Xfinity, Verizon, Direct TV, Dish and other major carriers to make Fox a choice, not a we have to take it.

Expand full comment

The really smart choice is to dump Comcast, Xfinity, Verizon, Direct TV, Dish and start reaching to real investigative journalists instead of infotainment channels selling confirmation bias.

Expand full comment

about the only way to do that is Roku on TV...but I assume you're saying dump the TV for info...

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

That’s what we did.

Expand full comment

Worked for me 35 years ago, and still does.

Expand full comment

do you watch anything on TV ?

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

Or an Apple TV. I'm on my 2nd Apple TV. I technically had cable for 23 years while I lived in a condo in the Seattle area, because it came with the condo fee, but I hadn't used it since I got first a Roku, and then my first Apple TV. (Can't recall how long ago it was, but it's been close to 10 years, I think.) I am 73 years old.

Typically I'll wait to subscribe to a streaming channel until there are 2 or 3 shows I'd like to check out, and then I'll get it for a month or two. Right now there really isn't anything on anywhere, but I suspect I'll be re-subscribing to Showtime soon to see season two of Yellowjackets.

I watch a few news-related things via YouTube, but I primarily get my news online from various sources. The Guardian is my online "paper" of choice.

Expand full comment

Check out "The Diplomat" on Netflix.

Expand full comment

Like I said above, what about streaming ? & OAN, Truth Social, even though it's barely treading water.

Expand full comment

Can’t imagine who would want to stream that puke, but Fox is on Roku…. Truth Social can just die, what tripe…

Expand full comment

These people are troglodytic mutants who enjoy being gullible and possessing 4 or 5 working brain cells, 2 of which are on life support.

Expand full comment

Good description: cesspool of lies!

Expand full comment

Frischberg's "blizzard" taken to the dark side . . .

Expand full comment

Cable, yes, but what about STREAMING ?

Even if it was taken off of streaming, Youtube very likely has a dozen channels catering to conservatives for Every " Ring of Fire " or David Pakman, even though I've not checked.

Expand full comment

Yes you are right about streaming channels but where is the leverage?

Expand full comment

Hmm - Give me time to think about that one then get back to you.

Expand full comment

we can't "coral" all of it. There's too many portals now. The best leverage on Fox is probably through the biggest advertisers. Take away a few of them and that might get some results. We NEED to bring back the Fairness Doctrine for NEWS.

Expand full comment

FOX isn't reliant on ad dollars. This is why ratings don't matter to them, even though they're constantly puffing out their chest and touting how good they are. FOX makes it money via the carriage fees they charge the cable MSO for pumping their signal into our homes. And they're currently negotiating with the cable companies to raise those fees which will be passed on to us, the cable subscribers. The only way to get rid of FOX on your cable is to get rid of cable. Cut the cord.

As far as the Fairness Doctrine, Reagan killed it in 1987. And it never applied to cable at the time. The Fairness Doctrine only applied to broadcast television because the signal is carried over the public airwaves at no charge to the viewer. The television stations (not the networks) require a license to broadcast and there are requirements that need to be met each time that license has to be renewed. Whereas for cable, the viewer must pay to receive the signal, no use of public airwaves required. No licensing. Cable was, and still is, largely unregulated.

Which is why you can find R-rated material on cable. You pay to have the signal delivered, so you have the ability to see, hear any type of material you'd like. Skinemax, anyone?

Expand full comment

I 'cut the cord' about 10 years ago. PBS has an excellent website, as does CNN, MSNBC, and the 3 "major networks" - NBC, ABC, CBS. What I don't miss are the repetitive, mind curdling ads. Plus, I'm not wedded to a particular time to watch the news. I already pay for an internet hook-up, why pay for cable as well? A big caveat are the algorithms that feed us only what we want to see and hear, rather than whole content. That is one reason why I subscribe to LFAA.

Expand full comment

Maria, thanks for the info. So if you want TCM, HBO, Netflix, MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, PBS, BBC, Paramount & the broadcast networks...how do you accomplish that without including Fox ?

Expand full comment

That makes sense - which means that it might happen, with a Pyrrhic victory.

Expand full comment

Who are the advertisers?

Expand full comment

Common Cause is fighting this. Just signed a petition with them against the Fox Fee.

Expand full comment

I'm sure others have posted but here is the SUPER EASY information you need to phone or message your cable company to demand they drop Fox as part of a standard package: https://www.nofoxfee.com/

Takes under a minute to really stick it to Fox where it hurts.

Expand full comment

Comcast # is regular CS # so it takes forever and I still couldn't talk to a person!

I did leave a message not to let Fox increase my bill and 2 of them seemed to work but I can't be sure!

Expand full comment

Ugh. I used the messaging. Maybe a quick letter is faster, then.

Expand full comment

I'll do that too, will send to the Pres of Comcast, Michael J. Cavanaugh, 1701 JFK Blvd. Philadelphia, PA 19103 mailing address, (866) 429-0152 phone; fax is 215-981-7790.

Expand full comment

Let's start a movement to leave ou cable companies. My friends with discs say it works fine.

Expand full comment

What are discs?

Expand full comment

I think Lan means dish. As in satellite dish.

Expand full comment

Thx -- I'm very reluctantly sidling into 21st century technology, and figured that "discs" were just one more thing I didn't know about.

Expand full comment

Hey, who knows? I am making an assumption.

Maybe Lan's friends spend all their time on Frisbee!

Expand full comment

But not everywhere do dishes work. Something to consider : reading for some people is difficult & the visual information along with auditory input makes getting their information from tv easier. There should be a way to project onto a tv direct from the internet

Expand full comment

There is. Connect your computer to your TV with an HDMI1 cable. I have a MacBookPro laptop and a 14-year-old Panasonic TV (58" screen was my indulgence for movie watching). It's not even a smart TV. (I don't want any Big Brother tuning into my living room.)

Expand full comment

Charles, In a word, no, not a chance. Cable companies like making money. Fox is the biggest cable news channel. Fox has the leverage in this deal.

Expand full comment

Every significant battle looks impossible at the start. Let’s begin, anyway. Here is your start. HTTPS://www.NoFoxFee.com

Expand full comment

Indeed!

Worth the listen for the boost it gives:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qthe5AGEdto

Expand full comment

This is not a new battle, nor one that we can win. Movements like “nofoxfee” and “unfoxmybox”have been in existence for many years. They don’t work. Fox News is the most lucrative channel (not just news channel) on cable tv.* If you want to hurt cable providers, start a movement to cancel cable subscriptions.

* from IndieWire “Fox News Channel closed out its seventh straight year as the most-watched cable-TV channel in primetime (and in daytime, as well).”

Expand full comment

Here is what Tom Nichols of "The Atlantic" wrote today: "The Republican Party has mutated from a political organization into an authoritarian movement."

This emergence has been obvious for years and Trump, Fox News, Lindsay Graham, and a host of others planned and attempted a coup. They should have been prosecuted for their crimes

long ago. Good grief!! Most of it was done in public. I pray that the failure of our politicians, DOJ, our "news" media, and everyday common sense Americans to prevent it is not a prelude to the loss of our democracy and freedom. Over 140 members of Congress voted to overturn an election. They belong in jail, not Congress! This was an insurrection. Remember Hitler came to power legally.

Expand full comment

Pace Tom Nichols, the Republican party has not "mutated". It was hijacked a long time ago. As smartly and discreetly as Putin's little green men grabbed Crimea.

Those that financed the hijacking understood that stormtroopers and swastika-type armbands would get them nowhere. A respectable name, that of Grandma's Old Party, would do the trick. Perfectly.

The Big Bad Wolf ate Grandma and donned Grandma's nightdress and nightcap...

Which, being translated, means the hijackers have those political essentials, hair (well coiffed) long teeth (well whitened) and the (would-be Alpha) males wear dark suits and ties...

Appearances, appearances...

*

As for the idiot word "authoritarian" -- I am sorry, but that is precisely what this 5 1/2 to 6 syllable monstrosity is when taken out from academe and plonked in the political boxing ring, even Fuehrerprinzip has 4 syllables -- can no one here find a better word for mob-boss-rule?

Apartheid had "baaskaap" -- but won't Timothy Snyder's word TYRANNY do?

The label "Republican Party" provides cover for tyranny, for a movement to overthrow the American Republic and replace it with an Empire.

Expand full comment

They wear red ties and tell lies. Fox magnifies their noise on Fox Noise.

Expand full comment

Even the supreme court is rotting from wthin. The is a plague in the land, as Sophecles would say

Expand full comment

Yes. Why are seditionists seated in Congress? That’s been my question since 2021.

Expand full comment

Good question Karen. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has three (3) triggers not one ( 1) as misreported by some Platforms. Each trigger is an independent basis for legal action.

Not much case law on the topic but, but is time create new law.

Expand full comment

This is my question as well.

Expand full comment

Bravo, Lan . I love straight talk

Expand full comment

So do I. It puts the ground back beneath your feet.

Expand full comment

All true. In plain sight.

Expand full comment

The “Freedom Caucus” is a gang of traitors.

Expand full comment

Thank you Lan!

I had to write your name three times before the “ miracle fone” could accept the spelling!!! Not only given up cable 20 years ago, starting to think through giving up this addictive hand held explosive.... who needs it!??

My god, give me my copper back Verizon so I can depend on my land -line in an emergency! So much unknown because we have NO CONTROL over which cancer is hitting our brains via cell phones! Let’s tell congress to start protecting us not infecting us!

Expand full comment

When they took away our copper to replace it with fibre optic, they assured me the battery power would be alive for about 8 hours if the fibre optic connection went down so that the way we used to be assured of access to emergency would still work for that 8 hours. Never had to test that--so far.

Expand full comment

YES!!!

Expand full comment

It strikes me today - and not for the first time - that a binding thread in the tapestry of events profiled here is how the desires of the American right wing threaten safety and security in ways clear yet multifaceted, and unmistakably enormous.

It is clear now that, should America recede from its involved stance in promoting democracy and opposing autocracy, from Ukraine to Central Africa, the balance of power between the two forces would tip in ways too bone-chilling to contemplate for anyone who wishes to see the next period of human history belong to those nations who at least attempt on the face of it to have their citizens lead lives of peace and free will. Yeah yeah yeah, the US has abused its power over the years, CIA meddling yadda yadda yadda tell me what I don't know. The fact remains: we are The Bulwark. A US leadership indifferent or sympathetic to the threats of autocracy and dictatorship will result in a violent, unstable world throughout the next century. Period. Having effective US leadership is a matter of safety for everyone in the world, not just here, and we need to feel that responsibility when we exercise the privilege of casting our vote.

Yet even when it comes to hot button domestic issues, the current actions and attitudes of the right wing violate our safety. Gun worship means schools, churches, grocery stores, even knocking on a neighbors' door are no longer safe. Pro-"life" has taken safety from millions of childbearing-age women, for whom an unwanted encounter or a common miscarriage could be life-ruining or life-ending. "Tough on crime" has taken safety from our brethren of color, for whom a busted tail light could mean the last time you see your kids. Is the water you drink and the air you breathe safe? Not in Jackson or Flint. Is the train you're riding on safe? Not in East Palestine. Heck, forget just physical safety. Thought the dollar as currency was safe? Debt ceiling standoff says think again. Thought your personal dollars were safe? The lassiez-fare shysters of Silicon Valley Bank say think again. Librarians and teachers aren't safe to do their jobs free of bans and intimidation. Actually, no one can teach or learn or dress or speak or walk or love outside of the prescribed ways without intimidation, legal or social or personal, or all of the above. Where is the safety in that way of life, exactly? Nowhere. Not even in the chambers of the US Capitol Building itself.

And that is why these folks are on their way down. All people wish, really, is to feel SAFE and happy. Political orginazations have exploited that need since forever. But when everything you do revokes that safety in such overt ways? For so many people at once?

Good luck with your newfound lack of popularity. It's SAFE to say.

Expand full comment

Well said, Will. The coffee hasn't kicked in enough yet for me to reply cogently to many of the topics here. I do so hope that common sense will rise above the fear and hatred that the current RepubliQan party espouses, and there are enough of us who know that no civilian "needs" a military grade semiautomatic weapon capable of firing from 8-100 specifically designed rounds of ammunition.

Expand full comment

The NYT had an article yesterday Ally about how ducks and other game birds have protections in that you can’t have more than 3 shells in any gun that is used to hunt them, I may be wrong but I think that’s a federal regulation, at any rate it’s good to know that ducks have more protections than children. WTF!!!!! I have hunted most of my life and have never needed more than 3 shots. 10, 20, 30, 100 round magazines are only useful for killing people, they have no legitimate purpose in the sport of hunting.

Expand full comment

Agreed, 100%.

My Sheriff’s Department transitioned from .357 revolvers to 9mm semi-automatics in the late 80’s. A lot of the “dinosaurs” (older cops) were not in favor, arguing that a 15 round magazine would encourage “spray and pray” rather that “real” marksmanship. With a new Sheriff in 1996 (from outside the department) we transitioned again, this time to a 7 round .45. Since my retirement, they now have a high capacity magazine.45.

I have to wonder about what the dinosaurs said, and wonder if they weren’t right.

I do know that our OIS events seldom result in the discharge of a full magazine, and represent good marksmanship.

Expand full comment

Ally, here is a YouTube vid of Jordan Klepper at a gun show; his commentary, interviews (both spontaneous & planned) are brilliant and very scary…at the end he asks folks what kinds of weapons should be off limits…scary answers! Edit: Oops forgot to post the vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmJkxCpSKMY

Expand full comment

Will, your second paragraph makes an important point that too many Americans -- typically those who get their news from Fox -- overlook. I'm so tired of reading letters in our local newspaper about how the U.S. is spending all this money to help Ukraine when there are so many pressing domestic needs. They just don't get it.

Expand full comment

The calm confidence and competence of Blinken and Biden in the ongoing events in Africa and elsewhere is inspiring to anyone watching. Not as splashy as a spoiled brat getting a minor comeuppance but far more important.

Expand full comment

Amen for Blinken and Biden!

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

We should not be surprised that Tucker is out. Money talks louder than the 2021 warning when Tucker Carlson broadcast a show from Hungary. He was greatly impressed by Viktor Orban. I listened to the Fresh Air Interview about the show; he was excited, like a child, with his ability to work in Hungary. As if he were a representative of the United States. We know that more meetings, including the repub party in Hungary and USA met with Orban. From the Guardian, 2021 “Carlson, the most watched host on Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, spent all week hosting his show from Budapest and promoting Hungary as a model for America’s future. His target audience was the Trump base that turned a blind eye to his four-year war on institutions that culminated in a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol.” Not an elected representative of the United States, yet acting in that capacity. Yes, Tucker and TFG and the repubs taking our country on the road to Fascism. That wasn’t enough for Fox to say goodbye to their moneymaker. But in the end it was about Money. https://amp.theguardian.com/media/2021/aug/07/tucker-carlson-hungary-viktor-orban-donald-trump

Expand full comment

Thank you Irenie. I am following as best I can Abby Goodman's two (2) lawsuits. Both her complaints were amended 8 days ago to cover new allegations. One case is venued in SDNY.

Per Katie Robertson at NYT on 4/24 the lawsuits are aimed at Fox Corp, Fox News, Fox executives, Tucker & 'several' Tucker producers. Robertson (media reporter from Australia) quoted Abby's Attorney as stating Tucker's Deposition is in the "near term" which I read as before Memorial Day. I am inerested in the documents that Abby requested for Tucker's deposition because she knows they exist.

Murdoch has torched underlings before in UK litigation. This time, Abby Goodman is not taking the Fall for Rupert & Son.

Expand full comment

Bryan, it’s a tangled web, isn’t it? The more complicated, the more roads to travel, the more to be missed or ignored.

Expand full comment

I know HRC covers matters that will matter decades ahead. I am more focused on 2024 the White House campaign politics. Ms Grossberg speaks very well for herself as demonstrated by her interview on "Deadline White House" today, msnbc 4 pm Eastern. Grossberg is an expert on male power megalomania in a hostile workforce.

Expand full comment

Tucker Carlson is gone from Faux News, but I have a feeling he will not be silent for long.

Expand full comment

And Maddow reminded us last night that Fox at one point did the same thing to Glen Beck and then again to Bill O’Reilly and nothing changed. I hope that this time will be different.

Expand full comment

And you can hear both Bill O'Reilly and Glen Beck on their own FM radio shows that broadcast their lies continually throughout America. Tucker I'm sure will have a welcome place with them and others who use truth discriminately. Many on the right listen to radio more than they do TV. -saw-

Expand full comment

He’ll have to be for a while. I listen to Keith Olberman’s podcast every morning. He said today that Tuck Tuck is still getting paid his outrageous salary BUT can go nowhere else if he wants to continue pulling down that filthy, capitalistic lucre of Rupert’s. Keith did happen to mention that RT offered him a position.

Lord love a duck! What a rotten nest of vipers this country has allowed to breed. Somehow we’ve forgotten that the freedom we’ve been allowed to enjoy comes the responsibility to maintain it for our future generations. We’ve all failed to some degree for things to have gotten this bad.

Expand full comment

Only now looking back to the growth of American fascism from 1933 to 1941 , can we suppose that absent Pearl Harbor and Germany’s treaty obligation to declare war on the United States after we declared war on Japan we might have experience then what Trump’s Republican party of white christian supremacists are desperate to accomplish now.

It is nothing less than a gradual creation of a one party state based on their worship of a mythic American history, the moral certainty of the Catholic and Evangelical churches, White, Anglo-Saxon cultural hegemony based on blood purlity. In a word, the Republican party seek permanent illiberal political power by the degradation of our diverse democracy into an illiberal apartheid state

Expand full comment

Japan saved us from ourselves, if one looks back far enough. Like the Nazi rally at Madison Square Gardens in 1939.

Expand full comment

I don't know history well enough to know what other circumstances might have or might not have forced our hand to react to and combat the Axis, but there could have been no lasting peace with those obsessed with absolute power.

Expand full comment

Excellent point . . .

Expand full comment

I see it as an expression of pathological narcissism, which manifests in many ways. It seems to me to be humanity's most destructive tragic flaw, perhaps though technological amplification, to be a likely path to our own extinction, should we fail to exert the foresight to prevent it. We never really could afford to play that game, but now the impacts are global. It's time to get a grip.

Expand full comment

Bad news for the far right = good news for the rest of us

Expand full comment

Several thoughts:

1st: Tucker Carlson leaving Fox is not enough to shield Fox from further liability. Still, this is a sign that Fox will start singing a slightly different tune, I'm still worried about Newsmax and One America News (OAN). I'm also worried about the issue of requiring media outlets to make a good faith effort to stick to truth. It's what the main stream media does, except Fox, to various levels of accuracy.

2nd: Sudan is a cluster-f*. Can democracies band together and offer incentives that overwhelm what Russia and the Wagner group or China with its Belt and Road Initiative offer? It's good that Blinken said there won't be any U.S. troops in Sudan. I sort of assume that he means formal troops, not special-ops troops, and I am concerned about possible escalation. Also, while Sudan is in the new now, I'm not forgetting about Haiti, a failed state in our region that the Chinese and maybe the Russians will try to exploit.

3rd: Where is VP Harris? Will she be part of the 2024 ticket? (Will outside pro-democracy groups like the Lincoln Project continue to try and win voters' hearts and minds? It will be an uglier fight than we experienced in 2020,)

4th: Are all of Trump's legal challenges enough to stop that Orange Zombie sucking more blood from the American body politic? Waiting for the good guys to win at the last minute doesn't sound like a fun movie to watch.

Expand full comment

(EDIT: I wrote this comment misunderstanding what Jerry was intending to ask above. I stand by the contents in general, and will leave it up, but if I understood more clearly what he was trying to convey, I would have taken a slightly different tone. Ahem.)

Most of these are worthy things to wonder, Jerry. Except...

"3rd: Where is VP Harris?"

She's wherever the administration wants her to be at any point, doing Vice Presidential things, which almost never seem impressive to anyone, because the job itself is hilariously un-influential. But, as someone whose family has gotten the chance to watch her from the beginning (in the SF Bay Area), underestimating this woman's drive and intelligence is an amateur mistake.

"Will she be part of the 2024 ticket?"

Yes. Obviously. Geez. Next.

"Will outside pro-democracy groups like the Lincoln Project continue to try and win voters' hearts and minds?

The Lincoln Project is a buncha crocodile-tear-crying ex-Repubs with an oversized ad budget. Actual pro-Democracy groups like Indivisible or The States Project are getting results without the fanfare, because they are actually full of passionate people seeking real policy change, and have been in the trenches, not on TV.

"It will be an uglier fight than we experienced in 2020."

No, it won't. '20 was maximum ugly. '24 will likely also be maximum ugly. So, the same. Except that defeating a psycho in power is way more dangerous a proposition then defending a non-psycho in power.

Expand full comment

Thank you, Will, re VP Harris.

Expand full comment

Will, if you have the time and wherewithal, I and I trust others, would appreciate your repeating your 3rd comment about VP Harris every single time some individual says "We need someone stronger than Harris. We must have a VP candidate who is seen as...yadda yadda yadda."

Good heavens, people.

Expand full comment

Heck, I am stealing Will's comment, and will use it as necessary!

Expand full comment

**drags comment out from garage to edge of yard, places cardboard sign saying "FREE" gingerly on top, gazes wistfully for a moment, then walks back inside**

Expand full comment

In your mind, it seems that my comment on VP Harris was a statement that someone else could be better. That's a misconception, probably because you've read Wil's dismissive response. I am an admirer of hers, and am simply wondering if she should be more visible as the campaign ramps up. I am quite comfortable with the idea that VP Harris might become President Harris.

Expand full comment

Actually, I have not seen nor read your comment, Jerry, so I do not think I was referring to you. I hope, too, she is more visible. I trust they both will be more visible. I was impressed that she was seen/referenced 11 times in the excellent announcement video and someone remarked that Biden appeared not at all in Obama's second-term campaign announcement. Thank you for your comment.

Expand full comment

I'll have to look for that video on YouTube. I was too busy building maps to advocate for more trails for active transportation, connecting neighborhoods to parks, schools, and shops without needing cars.

It's a passion of mine.

(Between you & me, I think that working with Joe Biden so closely and learning how government really works makes VP Harris the ideal candidate.)

Expand full comment

Thank you for mentioning the two

pro-Democracy groups and yes,

Kamala for VP!!

Expand full comment

"Geez", you say.

While you can count on my household's vote for the democratic ticket in 2024, I can't say that about most of my neighbors in our area. The Lincoln Project was something they actually griped about. I personally didn't know about the other projects - I might have donated. But considering that Biden won by over 7 million votes nationally but by a margin of less than 100,000 in a handful of swing states, it seems that the Lincoln Project might have done some good. "Crocodile tears"? I guess if you were a Republican mirror image of yourself, you'd call them Rinos, since you're such a purist.

My comments on Kamala Harris came from a persistent and deep concern about the strength of the Democratic messaging to the diverse Main Street USA citizens that broke for the MAGA message in 2020. While of course fighting voter suppression is great and critically necessary, better messaging could actually overcome suppression efforts. There are many voters who wouldn't vote for another Republican, if their bubbles were penetrated. That's why I commented about Fox, Newsmax, and OAN. My neighbors listened to them and voted.

I guess you sound so sure of yourself because you live in the San Francisco bubble. I wonder if you'd be less dismissive if you lived elsewhere. Frankly, your snotty response initially makes me doubt everything you say. Think about how that plays to non-supporters.

Geez. Next.

Expand full comment

Jerry, I am sorry I completely missed the boat on what you were attempting to communicate with your post. I have edited my comment to add a note expressing such. I will say, though, that the part of your post I responded do did not really give any indication as to your intent, and was framed as a series of questions. I, appreciating the rest of your post, chose to respond to the questions.

You're making all sorts of assumptions about me, probably because I shared the location where I grew up. I actually don't live in San Francisco (though I think it's lovely). The area I currently live in is almost exactly 65-35 Democrat. That's quite blue, but one third of people is quite a big proportion, and if you think I can walk around completely unexposed to challenging viewpoints, you would be mistaken. I have also lived in Orange County, ground zero for Nixon/Reagan. I have family that comes from, or lives in Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and Wyoming. Some of them are *gasp* conservative! Many (most?) of my friends growing up were religious and/or conservative, as were a few friends later on. This may shock you, but there are even conservative people in community college up here! University of California, too! And - I know it's hard to believe - but we were able to converse civilly! I myself am pretty liberal, true, but I don't consider myself a progressive at all, mostly because I oppose the purity of rhetoric that you seem to somehow think I'm partaking in. The idea that I live in a "bubble" based on my demographic, or my attitude, is by now a tired and reductive trope. My feelings aren't hurt that you didn't like my attitude or comment, but please refrain from painting a picture about my life experience or ability to interact with people that is untrue. I'm going to continue to give my occasional posts here spicier lil' dashes of personality, and save my diplomatic tone for my election volunteering.

I appreciate that you wish to think the best of your neighbors, and since I lack the arrogance you seem to think I possess, I won't for a second pretend I know them better than you. But based on evidence we have available to us, what compelling evidence is there for the narrative of weak Democratic messaging leading to "Main Street USA citizens that broke for the MAGA message in 2020." No one really "broke" away in 2020. The coalitions of 2016 held almost exactly, the MAGA vote was almost exactly the same, and Biden won by very marginally improving on the citizens I think you are referring to. More working class people voted Democrat than Republican, especially nonwhite and/or union members. Is there any evidence that The Lincoln Project in particular played any role in the winning coalition? Just because people were aware of it and talking about it doesn't mean it actually changed any significant number of votes, and that is the sole measure of success for a political action group. This idea that these poor folks who listen to talk radio and Faux Noise would wise up and vote just like us if only they could somehow get the right info is just another form of liberal condescension. They have free will, they have free access, and they are using it, just not in the way we would like. The "right" info is perpetually just a channel flick or a conversation away, yet here we remain. No brilliant messaging will change the minds of folks who clearly are not currently shopping for other products on the marketplace of ideas.

Expand full comment

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. You are right. I made too many assumptions about you. Rereading your note, now that my brain is engaged, I see that it was actually entertaining.

My thinking about voters breaking towards Trump centered on heavily-Hispanic Texas counties on the Mexican border, who were very concerned about immigration and crime. Immigration problems won't be solved quickly, but aside from policy statements and battling resistant Republican lawmakers, can a more hopeful picture of the future be painted by Democrats to overcome the fear stoked by Republican shouting points?

Regarding trying to get the right info in front of news media consumers, I'm simply hoping that the legal troubles that Fox, OAN and Newsmax are in will cause a few more people to question their own assumptions. After all, that's my own personal journey from a generally-pro-Republican voter to a no-Republicans-for-a-while voter. The final catalyst was my retirement, which gave me time to watch the 1st impeachment proceedings live. I believed the witnesses and was puzzled at Republicans' protection of Trump. Then came the pandemic and the politicization of public health and the attacks on established science. I came to clearly see the Republican party as a menace, and saw my earlier support of limited government as noble, but a bit naïve. If I can change when my mix of information changes, can't that be true for others? Is that liberal condescension? Or is that intellectual evolution? Aren't lower-education, people who's first language isn't English, and even some Republicans capable of the same evolution?

Expand full comment

VP Harris will be a big part of the 2024 campaign

Expand full comment

We need someone stronger than Harris. We must have a VP candidate who is seen as a credible replacement for an old Biden.

Expand full comment

Copied from Will from California, about 4 posts above this one: 3rd: Where is VP Harris?"

She's wherever the administration wants her to be at any point, doing Vice Presidential things, which almost never seem impressive to anyone, because the job itself is hilariously un-influential. But, as someone whose family has gotten the chance to watch her from the beginning (in the SF Bay Area), underestimating this woman's drive and intelligence is an amateur mistake.

"Will she be part of the 2024 ticket?"

Yes. Obviously. Geez. Next.

Expand full comment

What exactly about Harris makes her not an exemplary replacement for Biden? Could it possibly be her lack of external genitalia or her brown skin?

She’s doing a great job as VP. Anyone paying attention to whatever news manages to seep out into the chaos surrounding the former administration overwhelming the news cycle should be able to see that. She doesn’t get much press, but that’s fairly common for a VP. It doesn’t mean she’s not doing her job, and doing it well. I’d ask you to notice many press releases from the White House, which often state that “The Biden-Harris administration announces...” The commitment to her is apparent, and welcome to me.

Expand full comment

Amen. Can't wait for one of the minefield issues/initiatives she has taken on to have a change of success through outside conflgration of events, leading the press to wildly swing back into "Is she... the FUTURE??" mode, because egads folks will do anything for some drama.

Expand full comment

Harris is seen as perfectly credible as a potential president, and we know this for a fact because a majority of American voters *literally already* voted for her as #2 on a ticket with the same older President. We don't need anyone "stronger." (WTF does that even entail?) Biden picked her of his own volition because - like every other successful Presidential campaign - he decided she would be an asset that would help him win, which, again, she did. Harris herself ran a well-publicized campaign for President, and did about as well as Biden did in '08 (i.e. not many inroads, but much good press). I don't recall him being viewed as questionably "strong" or "credible." Maddening. I would be more than comfortable with President Harris.

Also, stressing the importance of the VP in conjuction with Biden's age insinuates that he could keel over at any moment, which is totally ageist, and a right-wing troll line to boot. He is a sharp leader who is holding the world together and needs our support. Both of them are.

Do better.

Expand full comment

PLEASE see Will from Cal's 3RD comment above about VP Harris.

Expand full comment

That’s one heck of a news day! ⚡️

Expand full comment

They took their time about it, but I do believe the chickens are finally coming home to roost.

Expand full comment

From your lips to god’s ears! I hope so!

Expand full comment

I'm an atheist, but OK. Whatever it takes. :)

Expand full comment

Whew! Ain't it the truth?

Expand full comment

Thank you Heather.

For all of today’s bombshells, you had me at, “Bad news is likely to continue to mount for the far right.” 🙏🏻

Expand full comment

Almost like a weather report opening . . .

Expand full comment

"What have you done for me lately, Joe Biden?" Here's a look back at Biden's first two years in office:

https://americanindependent.com/democrats-congress-president-joe-biden-2021-2022-accomplishments/

A bit more critical, but hey, with a narrow legislative majority peppered with a regular dose of filibustering, what's a president to do but soldier on?

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/11/biden-2022-midterms-policy-record-approval/671941/

Just for fun, here's what the White House has to say about itself. It's all good, don't ya know!

https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/

Expand full comment

Morning, Lynell, and thank you!

Expand full comment

Yes, McCarthy and company are playing right into the hands of Putin and China. It's disturbing that I've heard that "mainstream" repub politicians have always taken cues from Carlson, Bongino and others. I've heard Alex Jones and other's go tippy toe to the line of praising Putin saying something to the effect that ' After all, Russians are just like "us" ? Anyway, they're just making money and don't care about the integrity of the U.S. And the far right media is licking their chops to get Tucker Carlson. He's going to be in more demand than ever when he starts operating further under the rock than he has been already. Thanx HCR.

Expand full comment

."...sends the opposite message to our allies and our adversaries: that America is divided, distracted and can’t be counted on.” That is a core problem that's just not going away until some of the systemic problems are solved.

Expand full comment

Unbridled "road rage" can result in tragedies; and for what? You don't want a road-rager driving the bus you are taking, no? Or piloting the country you are part of? Life has a way of getting real.

Expand full comment

Road ragers. I’m adopting this!

Expand full comment

Even before Trump won in 2016, I knew his Presidency would be a disaster on so many levels. Around that time, it had also become obvious that America was being attacked through social media. Not just America, I was suspicious of the problems going on in Australia and in the UK with Brexit being a major focus. I also wondered who benefits with America out of the picture, and China & Russia immediately jumped to mind.

I started asking myself questions about what could happen if America was out of the picture as a global force. I thought we’d fracture into smaller countries and resemble Europe. We’d have to bargain with each other, with former US ally countries, and probably non-ally countries for peace, protection, and economic deals.

With so much extremism in Red States, it wouldn’t be hard to see leaders in those regions from Alaska onward leaning towards Russia, which would be a disaster for Canada, Mexico, & Central America.

America has always been a thorn in their side for various reasons, but with USA out of their way, they can feel more confident that they’ll have less strong countries telling them “No” about invading other countries. Russia could March across Europe and China could overtake other Asian countries like Taiwan, Philippines, and then Japan and Korea. It would be a domino effect.

If Americans remain divided, it’s inevitable that we will fracture. I just don’t see a way to compromise with extremists.

Do women give up freedom by giving up a say about when we give birth? If we can’t control pregnancy, it’s hard to work. If we can’t support ourselves, we’re more vulnerable to getting stuck in bad marriages. Many men get angry about strong women, feminists, etc, but don’t want to own up to the fact that they made life for women so difficult and miserable that it forced them to band together and fight for the vote and to have rights. Why would sensible women ever want to lose rights?

Do we sacrifice a few groups of people like Transgender and Gay/Lesbians?

Do we become a Christian Theocratic Republic to appease the Christo-Fascists?

Do we allow a race-based hierarchy to become law instead of just unspoken rules?

If we remain fractured into these intolerable hierarchies and allow the subjugation and exclusion of groups we may or may not like, then we’re doomed to be as weak as an America that is fractured into smaller countries. We will be subject to predation from others.

We need some way to show Americans what will happen to them on their own level. Ultra rich people will survive, they’re beyond being subject to a single country. Regular people will bear the burdens.

United we stand, divided we fall.

Expand full comment

Women have not “given up” anything- reproductive freedom has been legislated away from half the people in America by power hungry politicians to claim to represent their constituents but vote for their own interests.

Expand full comment

You’ve misunderstood, perhaps I was unclear in my rush as I needed to get ready for work.

I’m saying this divided America is dangerous for us as Individuals, as a country, and for a large number of other countries. But how do we bridge the divide? Do we do the unthinkable to appease the extremists by ALLOWING (a different action than them outmanoeuvring our Rights politically) extremists to dictate controls over our reproductive control? Etc.

(Don’t get me wrong, I am aware there is no appeasing abusers by conceding power over any group anywhere.) I doubt even that would work. You can’t sacrifice one group to save the rest because no other group would be safe after that.

But how do we fix this problem? There’s so much disinformation and ignorance. They only way I can really think of is to show Americans the truth of what is really going on underneath the culture wars and various scenarios about what happens if America fractures, what happens without regulations, what happens if we let abusers abuse certain groups, what happens without Separation of Church & State, etc.

Expand full comment

Where does the Wagner group get it’s funding? Are the beholden to Putin?

Expand full comment

Wagner gets their funding by being given control over natural resources and mining operations in the countries where they supply military training and security to dictators. Locals are forced to work in the mines for low wages. Putin partially funds them as well for military and troll farm operations.

They keep their costs down.They aren't paying the prisoners they recruited to fight for them in Ukraine. They are paid with HIV and Hep-C meds since those meds were unavailable in Russian prisons and with pardons for a 6-month enlistment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/world/europe/russia-wagner-group-hiv-prisoners-ukraine.html

If you want an exhaustive dicussion of Wagner interconnected operations sand funding see the politico article below.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/18/russia-wagner-group-ukraine-paramilitary-00083553

Expand full comment

Thank you for this Georgia. I think. Waaaaay beyond creepy.

Expand full comment

Herb Prigozhin was once Putin’s caterer. They are thick as thieves, with some recent spats. Putin was the initial funder for the highly paid Wagner mercenaries in Africa. Some of these groups appear to be self supporting as Praetorian Guards to more than six African authoritarians. Also, they seem to grab lots for loot.

When Prigozhin flexed his muscles against a soggy Russian military, it was only Putin who could have authorized pardons for Wagner recruits from prison. It seems certain that Putin is still funding Wagner.

Expand full comment

It is owned by a Russian Oligarch - Prigozhin.

Expand full comment

Oligarchs steal with abandon

Expand full comment

Ding dong, Carlson is out! Which big liar? The wicked liar!

I hope this is just the beginning of big changes at Faux News!

Expand full comment

I'm worried that he'll run for president . . .

Expand full comment

Why worry? The presidency is a step down in salary and way less fun. He's got half a brain or maybe more, so he's likely realized that what's been revealed during discovery will quash his chances. But then again, there are American norms and then there are Trumplican norms. I guess I choose not to worry because I need to live a life with less stress.

Expand full comment

The issue is power--not salary. I remember when my bizarre prediction that T would win in 2016 was met with scoffs . . .

Expand full comment

Good point. Maybe I should worry more.

Expand full comment

But he's very very wealthy. For real and not a la tfg.

Expand full comment

Ms. Gilbert, I doubt Carlson would run for president, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Trump were to announce shortly that Carlson will be his VP running mate in 2024. Can you imagine the juice that would inject into Trump's waning base? Not just one, but TWO victims on the ballot! It may be their best shot.

Expand full comment

MTG would never allow Tucker to take her spot on the ticket.

Expand full comment

Good point . . . but she and TC could have a fun run . . .

Expand full comment

And the award for Most Egregious Liar goes to.... (the envelope please).

Expand full comment

Mr. Surlamont (Any relation to Ms Souslamont?): WOW! What a concept! What a team of . . . dare I say . . . Batman and Robin-esque Crotch-Hounds? I can hear the theme song as they swoop in . . . They could make Epstein's Pleasure-For-Creeps plane look like a Lego helicopter--

Expand full comment

Good one!

Expand full comment

Joanne, Ms. Souslamont and I parted ways a number of years ago. Now it's just me and my cat up here. On the score, may I suggest Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries?

Expand full comment

Le Moine avec un chat sur la mont?

While Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries is appropriate on many levels, given the characters involved, I'm partial to the kitsch of the Batman Theme . . .

Expand full comment

Ouch! Can you imagine the shows they'd put on? I'm talking about "campaign rallies".

Expand full comment

This is a very scary thought. I don’t know if he could appeal to the base in the same street level way Trump does. It would help if he and Trump became enemies, which weirdly didn’t happen after Carlson’s disparaging text came out.

Expand full comment

Terrifyingly possible. I think he can appropriate T's voters, and maybe even gain more . . .

Expand full comment

Maybe we can hope for multiple lawsuits against him. Or an exposé from his wife? Or a tantrum.

Why do good people die and so many truly evil people keep living?

Expand full comment

"Why do good people die and so many truly evil people keep living?"

Because Karma and the Almighty are comforting lies and the actual universe is chaos. Pretty much all we can do is use the free will we possess to improve things when whenever possible.

(I'm getting the feeling you were speaking rhetorically, though.)

Expand full comment

Yes--taking up lots of time and costing lots of money with multiple lawsuits is a good way to go, but it will enhance his vote-seducing martyrdom. The wife probably signed a prenup not to ever . . . um . . . expose him. Wonder what are she and the son up to-- A T tantrum would just excite his followers. He only throws the "best" tantrums.

Expand full comment

I keep having to be reminded there are actual women who actually marry these pathetic losers. They must have had to divorce their self-worth first.

Expand full comment

Facts don't matter.

Expand full comment

Well, not to some people. A whole lotta 'em.

But facts matter a lot to most people, and everyone here. So.

Expand full comment

President?

...Of what? Where?

Expand full comment

Carlson. Here.

Expand full comment

No.

It went to rejoin the Sopranos.

Expand full comment

"No" what?

What went to join the Sopranos?

Expand full comment

If he does & WINS..... OH, CANADA.

Expand full comment

" . . . glorious and free . . ." Evokes the wave of expatriation during the Vietnam non-War.

Expand full comment

I would like to see the big lies winding down, but they are still FNC's bread and butter. I have not watched Fox except in the home of a relative and in waiting rooms, but I gather Tucker was the most consistently irresponsible offender, or certainly one of them, and it makes sense that he would get the boot. But I have yet to see signs that Fox is contrite, and to that degree Tucker may be more of a scapegoat for the legal and optics blowback from the company's way of doing business.

Expand full comment

Fox teaches people to hate. Talk about grooming!

Expand full comment

And as Lieutenant Cable observed, "You've got to be carefully taught . . ."-- Ironic that the tune was considered communist and dangerous to the American way of life.

Expand full comment

In waiting rooms, so far, I’ve changed Drs, therapists and any public waiting area that has ANY cable news network on. Not just FOX, CNN, MSNBC or any political news. It’s bad for business to advertise your political views. Keep that stuff at home. I’ve walked out of business and appointments for this exact reason.

Expand full comment

The only two waiting rooms I've been in with TV's on (a dentists office and a gastroenterology procedure practice) run HGTV.

Expand full comment

Hope you’re feeling well.

Expand full comment

Doing very well, thanks for asking.

Expand full comment

That’s funny. HGTV has become my great stress relief. Being caregiver and having politics rule the airwaves necessitates watching something so removed from my life. I laugh at my “dated” house and some of the decisions the designers make, and relax. No thinking involved, just enjoyment.

Expand full comment

HGTV and the British Baking Show…

Expand full comment

OOH! My nail salon always has HGTV on . It’s fun to watch Hilary and David on Love it or List It!

Expand full comment

Fox is the third network he’s been fired from.

Expand full comment
Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

Since they don't think they've done anything wrong, why would Fox express contrition?

Expand full comment