McConnell’s hypocrisy and ability to lie while acting outraged never ceases to astound, but even more disturbing is the inability of any media entity to hold him accountable
McConnell’s hypocrisy and ability to lie while acting outraged never ceases to astound, but even more disturbing is the inability of any media entity to hold him accountable
Agree Suzanne, and the greatest offense is the silence of the press (broadcast media). This is so long past due addressing, and to our mutual peril. What, I ask is a "free press" that might be deserving of the constitutional protections afforded it ? Further, what responsibilities must be demanded of this "free press" ?
D4N, I read what you are talking about in The New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, VOX and other sources. HCR's 'NOTES' are full of links to the 'free press'. We are suffering from the loss of local, journalistic outlets. There are gulfs and gaps, but the landscape is not barren either. As citizens we deserve and need more; we also need to work together to get the 'free press' democracies cannot survive without.
Yes, Fern, that is the problem. Something like 30,000 jobs have been lost in journalism, but one of the bright spots is that individuals with remarkable skills—like Judd Legum and groups like ProPublica — have been able to flourish independently. And, of course, Substack gives someone like Heather Cox Richardson a platform, whereas in more conventional journalism, she might be reduced to sound bites as a talking head. The issue, of course, is that a reader has to be dogged to FIND trustworthy news, which is why I'm so happy that a man who seems to be an ordinary citizen, duped by Fox News, can seek reliief and maybe even have some credibility with like-minded individuals.
This is an exact happening , the common folk or close resemblance , get to have a say, yea 🙌
...it’s broader expose to the majority’s -our nation’s opinions -all the while overshadowed by the incessant bantering of the Jim Jordan’s , the Tuberville’s and the sickening minority cacophony .
After now years of NOT putting up clear evidence NOT shutting their lying lips NOT honoring their oaths, but with ‘still yet’ malice and deviant intent spewing hatred and placating this treasonous ‘base ‘. All this plus a SCOTUS that hands down verdicts that PUT DOWN trusted relied upon laws and on top of that won’t uphold any collective ethics that all other court appointees have to abide by...
I’m disgusted...period.
I’m so sick of hearing it I have turned off the TV, choose only to stream as NOT to have to listen to incessant commercials touting their product is the best, and delete most emails because they’re all asking for donations near 2 years out from an election . Money has become the driving source vs dedication and protection to principles for ...
WE THE PEOPLE!
The country is fine 🗣️HELLO !!!! 65-70% of which wants the freedoms being taken away by the very people we entrusted to care for it.
As for the people who keep voting the liars back in ...sorry isn’t exactly my sentiment
As for the dark money backing this BS...I hope you get to walk in the moccasins of the people who suffered from your selfish ignorance
As for the ‘Christian’ pastors/fellowship who walked away from His Path ...Lord forgive them ..for they DO know what they DO....
Permitting ‘Letters to an American’ , The Lucid, Hopium, and so many other excellent honest sources ...to be published in every state by the ‘free press’ to avail the majority of TRUTH , of FACTS vs what ifs / the could bes or out and out LIES...is such an excellent idea.
I’m going to VOTE 💙
I’m going to continue to pray for everyone with my tongue properly in my mouth
I’m going to speak out , encourage, and promote Democracy again, and again, and again...
Wow!!! Patricia, I wish I’d met you 40 years ago!!! You are a woman after my heart 💙! I LOVE everything you have said, and honestly, I couldn’t have said it any better! WOW!!!!!!!
Thank you Daniel, we have likely fought/worked for/taught the solutions together anyhow. Writing and my vote is the last vestige to bring what’s needed to the masses. I’m inspired by the best Heather , was my first introduction, and since then many more , many of whom I can afford only their teasers. Going back to the land MANY years ago is a limited income to pick carefully with.
So carry on with your charm , write , and be engaged , inspired, and a purveyor of truth. The world needs this ❤️
Like I said. I don’t know you, personally, but sure wish I did. You definitely sound like a really special woman. And, yes, Heather, E. Jean Carroll, Robert Reich, and several others are whim I read daily on here. There’s others I listen to their video podcast, and read their postings, but I’m unable to afford their subscriptions. On my little law enforcement and firefighting pension and lax social security, I can’t afford many of these subscriptions.
I’d spend over $200 a month if I had it, because since my wife passed last year, and me stint living in the woods and under a bridge before my youngest step-son found me and got me this place, all I have to do every day now is breathe with my oxygen machines, breathing machines, and lay here and read, and write. That’s my life now. Miserable as hell!
Let’s keep meeting like this …🤣🤭 Thank you for your service Daniel, a claim with no minimals, and the many who never could but wanted to….🙌 and enjoy the story too. Prayers for your Mrs. May your writing soar🫶
If the press is allowed to scapegoat ordinary Americans for ratings, what's next? Epps is a Trump fan who actually tried to stop the stampede to the doors of the Capitol on Jan 6th. The irony is that Fox needed to believe in the insurrection and the ludicrous "Stop the Steal," but it couldn't, so it ruthlessly took a man whose only crime was being there and objecting to what was happening, slandered him and ruined his life, for ratings. If a jury doesn't shut down Fox for good, there is no justice left in America.
Well answered by you. If we ever doubted the need for a free press, those doubts should have vanished as soon as fox started spewing lies and trying to kill our country.
We REALLY need to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. Thanks ronnie raygun!
An important point is support of the outlets we read. Subscriptions pay for the work. I can’t afford to pay them all, but my budget has been increasingly being targeted toward substack while maintaining a local, state and national newspaper, along with the Atlantic, Propublica, and Wapo. Spread the money around folks. Freedom isn’t free
Thomas Frank in his seminal book, "What's the Matter With Kansas," explains how propaganda promulgated by extreme right-wing groups use wedge issues (abortion, immigration, undeserving folks getting government handouts, gay rights, women's rights, etc.) to get ordinary people to vote against their best economic and social interests. That $32 trillion national debt has gone mostly into the pockets of the wealthy, at the expense of 98% of our population. The Right uses culture wars to drain our treasury.
I know. I am a 6th generation Texan. My family was among the first white settlors of Texas, arriving in 1830. My great, great uncle, William Depriest Sutherland, age 18, was one of those who died at the Alamo. Some of my cousins now support Texit and some only get their "info" from OAN, Fox and Newsmax. I joined the U.S. Army in 1960, was sent to Monterey, California to learn Chinese at the Army Language School. For me, California was "The Promised Land." I was born in Uvalde and started school there. Miss Annie Robb was a 3rd grade teacher there in 1946-1947. My family moved from Uvalde during the mid part of my 2nd grade so I was never in her class. She wasn't much taller than her students, white haired even then.
Love the story, keep telling it and be proud Richard . There are a lot of you , and other Texans , aware of what’s going on , the dangers it promotes, who will vote knowing to chose wisely not following the circus act. Thanks you for speaking out! ❤️☮️
I’ve loved a lot of ‘mutts’ , Jeri. Have no shame in saying/being ‘ in the fold’. And truly feel compelled to go out and search for the one lost hoping the 99 are safe during my ‘quest’.😉
Love your posts too. Thanks for your wonderful efforts.
The Texas War of Independence was fought because the white settlors wanted to keep slaves and Santa Anna objected. My great grandfather's brother was the one who died at the Alamo. It was a high price to pay. Our family has a two volumne genealogy put together in the 1950's. Of course, this cousin is not included, neither are some of those who were given up for adoption at birth (out of wedlock) and are just now learning what a huge family they have. We welcome them with open arms.
My family history gets more interesting in a number of respects. My great, great uncle, William Depriest Sutherland, had a younger brother, Thomas Shelton Sutherland who became my great grandfather. He was a slave owner and had a daughter with one of his slaves around 1850. We have now connected with her great, great granddaughter through DNA. I have wanted to get together with her as does my cousin, Christy Carpenter, the daughter of my cousin, Liz Sutherland Carpenter. But, she's not up to it at this time. So, perhaps in time.
And, in addition to Thomas Franks' book, there is the one by Nancy MacLean entitled "Democracy in Chains," described as The deep history of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America," a piercing examination of the Right's relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, stop action on climate change and alter the constitution."
In a word - we've got trouble, big time. They've got a 40-year lead on us.
Nancy is very good and thorough. She puts to rest any question about whether we're striving to save our democracy. I feel that our goal is that articulated by Frances Perkins last century: "The people are what matter to government, and a government should aim to provide all the people undere its jurisdiction the best possible life." And, add to that Albert Einstein's theory of government: "I am an adherent of the ideal of democracy , although I well know the weaknesses of the democratic form of government. Social equality and economic protection of the individual appeared to me always as the important ommunal aims of the state." We're at war with those who want a white Christian oligarchical autocracy.
My rent was just raised by $100 a month. I'm not going to be able to afford more than one or two Substacks. I can't afford newspapers. I read ProPublica for free. I hate WaPo.
Sadly, our “free press” has followed Rupert and the Money-making model for a while now. Where is Walter who, told it like it was, with nary a whiff of entertainment to be found. True, there are some journalists who have a voice, but investigative journalists are rarer than hen’s teeth,
while “opinion” journalists abound.
I still take a local paper, although I had to switch since the one I had subscribed to for 20 years decided to add 8 conservative opinion writers to their crew. Hell NO, said I.
Where is Paul Krugman - New York Times; where is Rachel Maddow - MSNBC; where is Christiane Amanpour - CNN and PBS; Where is Robert Woodward - Washington Post; Where is Eugene Scott - Washington Post; Where is Fareed Zakaria - CNN; Where is Kate Stafford - AP; Where is Sally Ho - AP; Where is Jeff Leen - editor in charge of The Washington Post's dedicated investigative units; Where is Carol Leonnig - Washington Post; Where is Amy Brittain - Washington Post; Where is Roger Cohen - New York Times; Where are Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb - Seattle Times...
Jeri Chilcutt, just a few names above, a little drop, a hint... We need more good journalists to cover local, state and rural areas, no doubt, but I wouldn't give credit to a villain of the facts for how expensive it is to run a newspaper. We are reaching the American people in different ways and need to focus on the areas that require much more 'free-press'.
Fern There are excellent journalists such as you mention, ProPublica, and other excellent news sources at The Atlantic and elsewhere. However, in our FALSE FACT environment, relatively few Americans bother to read or listen to critical thinking.
It took the House January 6th Committee to highlight for the public the calumny of the Capitol Hill insurrection.
We are, as my Chilean friends would say, in un dialog con mudos (a dialogue of mutes).
The water is available if someone is thirsty. As I once heard “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think.”
No argument here,, where I live Rupert rules the fools. Every day, I feel like I live in pre-war Germany where there is zip interest in MSNBC, WaPo, NYT, PBS, or anything besides Fox and clones. Sorry for the peek into my world.
What’s happening to CNN? I turned it on the other night and Kaitlin Collins was interviewing Mike Pence and he blathered on about the failed Biden administration and how Democrats are destroying our country. the next night Anderson Cooper interviewed Chris Christie who was (is) the only R attacking Trump, but also about how Democrats were ruining our country. Admittedly I turned them both off mid-interview but what’s happened to CNN that they’re giving time to these Republicans who are the real destroyers of our democracy?
Why don’t they report on the strength of the American economy because of Biden’s policies? I only see reported is the polling that shows most voters think Biden is too old to run, but evidently not Trump, who is nearly as old.
I unwisely tuned into the first few minutes of the Today show this morning. Besides the weather, one of the top stories was about the cocaine found in the White House and people (i.e., Republican members of Congress) upset that the Secret Service investigation has ended without any information released about how the cocaine got there and whose it was. Really, THAT's the most important national story?! Needless to say, I turned off the TV at that point.
This morning, MSNBC carried as part of the "breaking news" that the House narrowly passed the hotly contested NDAA -- and then proceeded to air the presser with McCarthy, Scalise, Emmer, Stefanik, Kiggans, and LaLota, in which they heaped criticism on Democrats, talked about "woke," and nearly broke their arms patting themselves on the back for having squeezed out a passage.
I'm personally disgusted that MSNBC aired the statements by this pack of power-mongering TFG sycophants.
The Republicans always seem to be nothing, if not consistently dedicated to heaping praise on themselves and being loathsome.
Republicans are the equivalent of clickbait. Look what 60 Minutes did recently by airing a puff piece about MTG, and CNN with its obscene Trump "town hall." It's a mentality that reminds me of the old freak shows, except that millions of Americans don't see Republicans as freaks. I see the same kind of thing even on my local news channels where they broadcast Republican-related stories but don't provide any rebuttal by Democrats.
Excellent Fern, I copied in addition to reading, to print later for others seeking good journalism.I share (as you know) what i subscribe to also. Often feels like a minimal effort to HELP our Democracy but often the best I can do anymore.
Thank you, Patricia, we are working together with millions upon millions more. Your words and commitment boost our efforts. I would like to add Politico, SLATE, ProPublica, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Nature Brief...I'll stop there, but there are more!
Politico, Seriously? Talking Points Memo, emptywheel, Dan Froomkin, the LA Times, BBC America are more.
I also think it should be made clear that there is always the danger of creating an echo chamber by only reading and watching news points of view we're comfortable with. This is what Fox News has done, and it would be worse if every one of us just huddled in front of MSNBC every night because Rachel Maddow and Ari Melber. But this is what a lot of people do. These people are "good" because they don't challenge you but justify your opinions.
It is not barren, but the mainstream media rarely calls out the lies. There are some good journalists, but overall “reporting” does not challenge their statements very often.. and HOW a is it that Fox is still the main source of news on our military bases???? This might be the most damaging of all .
'Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims as president. Nearly half came in his final year.' (THE WASHINGTON POST) I second the call for more journalism in local, state and rural areas. As disappointed as you my be with mainstream media, I am startled by how little effort and awareness many Americans have, including, perhaps, some subscribers, of the excellent journalism by reporters around the country as well as published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. As for the reporting on the 'lies', I see that subject covered quite a lot.
'Pinocchio effect' confirmed: When you lie, your nose temperature rises'
Source:
University of Granada
'When a person lies, he or she experiences a "Pinocchio effect", which is an increase in the temperature around the nose and in the orbital muscle in the inner corner of the eye. In addition, when we perform a considerable mental effort our face temperature drops, and when we have an anxiety attack our face temperature rises, according to a pioneering study that has introduced new applications of thermography.' (ScienceDaily)
Fox may be the main source of news on our military bases, but I'll bet the story about Sen. Tuberville holding up military promotions isn't even mentioned. (NPR had a good story about it yesterday, though.)
Suzanne, there are many accounts of military bases airing Fox News. I have not, however, been able to find any reports indicating that 'Fox is still the main source of news on our military bases????' as you wrote. That would be very bad news. I would like to follow up. If you have a source or sources for your statement, please provide me with the sources' names and links,. Thank you.
Thanks Fern. Problem seems to be that there are smaller numbers of 'us' that understand the divides > yielding a monstrous big problem in search of a large'ish medium. Small i can do little to effect changes that address the largest issue which is 'the megaphone of broadcast' monopoly, or in this case in particular - too many outlets and too few with willingness to advocate 'truth' - as it is on this plane, which is revealing and accepting 'facts in evidence'. Trying is all I've got brother. Thanks again...
Hi D4N. I think that I understand what you mean by indicating that the fragmentation of American society mitigates against any kind of common understanding among us. We may not agree on how big that middle is. The mid-terms were not the anticipated disaster and the economy is better than expected. I wonder as the evidence in various cases mount against Trump, whether a fair number of Republicans give up the ghost. I think that Trump is a model case and an important starting point. I could go through a number of other big obstacles but sticking with we have to keep working on this. We have no choice, D4N. There are no grounds for giving up.
Just in case everyone wants/needs a good news network to watch, may I offer one. I watch MSNBC myself. It has good, true, journalism that reports the truth of what’s really going on in the country/world on the political front. Good, bad, ugly, doesn’t matter. They have interviews and do fact-finding efforts to give the truth. It’s the only station I watch extensively. As a matter of fact, my TV doesn’t know anything about FOX Network. It never had been on that ridiculous channel.
Listening to a variety of experts substantiate their views and understanding of the news helps me LEARN and THINK about what's happening in the world. Heather and Joyce Vance (along with NYT, WaPO, The Atlantic, Atlanta Journal Constitution) are my reading go-to's, providing historical and legal context. Granted, as an elder citizen, I have more time and experience of my own to bring to the conversation, but there's always more to Truth than I'll ever carry in my own backpack.
Here's a source that will probably shock you - Vanity Fair. I am a subscriber and don't read the magazine. I get daily political reporting that in my view is outstanding. Surprises never cease. MSNBC is my primary newscast while I get a number of other newspapers and magazines - Mother Jones, The Atlantic, Boston Globe, Boston Herald (a right wing paper), Orlando Sentinel, Lakeland Ledger, NY Times, Washington Post and others.
You sound like a Partner in Time! And yes, Vanity Fair has terrific writers and articles. When people talk about "The Media" as a monolith of indistinguishable sources, they've no idea what they're talking about!
Yes, it is one of life's pleasant surprises, finding an unexpected source of information that is, in fact, informative. I don't understand their business model, but what the heck?
I subscribed a long time ago because they featured current events and social commentary. A few years ago I subscribed again, and it had gone to shit - celebrity articles, shopping, the usual dreck other magazines publish. I'm actually more sad about the pending demise of National Geographic's print magazine.
Is the magazine going to bite it? Wow, took it for decades, but cancelled when Rupert bought them. Think he later sold, but his DNA was likely still there.
Same here, my TV doesn't know anything about Fox Spews. And my TV has never been on that despicable channel either. I wouldn't watch that rotten garbage if someone held a loaded gun to my head. I had rather die than watch the excrement they spew on a daily basis. Fox Fascist spews should be what they call that vile poisonous TV channel.
I think it is going to get very costly for those kings of disinformation and outright blatant lies. Correct me if i am wrong, isn't the Smartmatic lawsuit next in line for them?? I remember reading that someone or some other company is going after them too. I sincerely hope they have to bankfupt and take that vile garbage off the air forever. They have caused so much hate and division with their traitorous lies and incitement of violence in America already.
Daniel Cooper Writes Daniel’s Thoughts & Opinions - "Just in case everyone wants/needs a good news network to watch, may I offer one. I watch MSNBC myself."
But does whoever does the rating take account of the colossal list to starboard that has taken place over the past three or four decades?
What was once boring centrism is now slated as "leftism" by people who call themselves "conservatives" but whose sole notion of what's to be conserved is at best "finders keepers".
At worst...
If Al Capone was among us now, he'd be a top GOP candidate for the presidency.
We generate overall news source scores based on scores of individual articles (in the case of online news sources) or episodes (in the cases of podcasts, radio, TV, and video-based sources).
Our current team of over 60 analysts, who are trained in our content analysis methodology, perform the ratings. Our analysts go through an initial 30 hours of training plus an additional 40 hours of ongoing training per year. Our analysts include academics, journalists, librarians, lawyers, military veterans, civil service professionals, and other professions that require high levels of rhetorical and analytical skills.
Each individual article and episode is rated by a pod of at least three human analysts at the same time. Each pod is politically balanced, meaning it contains one person who self-identifies as being right-leaning, one as center, and one as left-leaning. Articles and episodes are rated in three-person live panels conducted in shifts over Zoom. Analysts first read each article and rate them on their own, then immediately compare scores. If there are discrepancies in the scores, they discuss and adjust scores if necessary. The three analysts’ ratings are averaged to produce the overall article rating. Sometimes articles are rated by larger panels of analysts for various reasons–for example, if there are outlier scores, the article may be rated by more than three analysts.
Fine, thank you, but you have not addressed my main point about wildly varying criteria. What was center right in 1963 may be seen as far left in 2023.
Maybe it would help if one took historical cases... writings like Tom Paine's Common Sense... Or why not go further back and consider those of Montesquieu on the rights of blacks or Condorcet's on equal rights for women? Or fast forward to FDR's radio chats...
I just don't see a meaningful standard. Even adherence to truth is difficult to rate since it is so easy to use facts and true statements deceitfully, to proclaim fine principles as a screen behind which to commit crimes.
I can't help remembering conversations with a statistician about "lies, damned lies, and..."
Thanks for including the link. A source that gets updated for bias, leaning, and factual reporting. My goto aa they are separately looking to podcasts.
In reference to the press, once the "free market" principles got applied to the press, it gave conservatives the opening to set their agenda for press access. Tough question asking journalists began to find themselves without access. Then Fox and right wing media came along for the conservatives to hit the ait waves with friendly confines. In order for the MSM tough journalists to be able to talk to both sides, they had to softball their questions. No longer able to inquire and make the conservatives answer the tough questions, that is where we are today. Hungary suffers from this, Russia media today is the same as when the communists party ruled. The American conservative power players took notice how that worked and now are doing the same.
Historians and journalists are in danger in America.
Suzanne, I write to note, according to former Senator Claire McCaskill, that McConnell and fellow Senate Republicans, largely, have written off the 2024 presidential election and, instead, are principally focused on re-taking the Senate in 2024 with the intent of causing irreparable damage to Joe Biden. In turn, McConnell is focused on Republicans, in 2028, retaking the White House and controlling both federal chambers. Because the 2024 U.S. Senate map is daunting for Democrats, I would suggest, among the various 2024 priorities in which we are all engaged, that both retaining and expanding Democratic seats in the Senate be a top priority.
Let's not overlook the importance of getting out the vote when Republicans are trying to limit it. State by state, we need to end gerrymandering. Michigan and 20 other states have it. It works to make legislators work for voters instead of their party.
In addition to that, the importance of not letting politicians and political party officials serve on the Commission. I would note that about the difference between the results in Michigan vs Ohio where in Ohio the drafters of their constitutional amendment didn't include that provision, and the Republican Ohio Governor sat on their Redistricting Commission and of course, Ohio remains gerrymandered!
Yes! It was interesting here in Michigan. It was the Republican Party that sued to try to overturn that provision., first in State Court and then in federal court! Obviously they lost, but the NAACP has also filed suit claiming the commission lines eliminated solidly Black Districts. We are waiting to see if the latest Supreme Court ruling on the Alabama gerrymandering case where the lines were drawn to pack Black voters into less districts will be applied to Michigan, where that was never the intention, but making as many districts as closely competitive was the intended result of the redistricting as laid out in the language of the Constitutional Amendment. In doing so it broke up predominantly Black Districts inside the City of Detroit, and moved the district lines to include suburban areas that brought the new districts to half and half. I would argue with the NAACP that Blacks in Detroit are now better served by the new system, because nothing on the Black Agenda was ever accomplished Statewide until the new system has been put in place here. The new Michigan Budget skews funding back into Detroit, which has never happened under Republican Control! We are now awaiting the Court discisions. Ironic that because of discrimination and packing Blacks into smaller numbers of districts in Alabama, that the same case is being used to overturn Michigan District Lines that achieved the exact opposite!!!
Patricia, In the absence of federal voter protection safeguards, I am every bit as committed as you to instating protections at the state level. Accordingly, I would note I presented an argument for retaining and expanding Democratic Senate seats as a top priority, not the top priority.
Yup. Could see that coming all the way up north. Called strategic thinking. Only wish progressives were working toward the same goal for 2028, especially if the Democratic agenda faces the headwinds of Mr Biden's first term.
Mitch McConnell always finds his own version of truth
Since I started following US politics, I have known Mitch McConnell as a someone who tries as much as possible to consolidate Republican power even in the face of damaging truths. Seemingly fed up with the presence of Democrats, he often changes rules of the country's politics to find "the buttered part of the bread for the Republicans to eat." He knows, by all means, he has to deliver power to the Republican by bending the rules. Sometimes, Mitch McConnell flips the truth when it is hard and damaging to admit by terming that there exists "alternative truth" just to turn away political bullets. He is a friend to corporations and just makes sure that taxes do not hit them and that ensures that their campaign basket is too large and not limited to accommodate campaign donations. Mitch McConnell looks like a broker in the market who lies to traders and ultimately gets the lion share of the proceeds. It took him some months to acknowledged that Biden has won 2020 elections. He sometimes criticises Trump but at the same time backs off and denies any wrong doing by Trump. His behaviour is situational, his blood is Republican, and truth is an alien.
His behavior is similar to some of Africa's leaders especially opposition leader in Kenya Raila Odinga. He does not accept any election that he hasn't won. Up to date, he stages violent protests and claim that his elections are normally stolen, a fact that Supreme Court has confirmed contrarily. When the high costs of living was high when he was in government, he criticised those who were protesting. Recently, because he is not in government, he is protesting the high costs of living to find his angle of truth. According to him, he has to participate even when he has no value to the voters.
(I am a writer and researcher delving into politics, history, technology, etc. I have a mission in Africa: spotlighting underserved communities ignored by the traditional media. I am greatly indebted for the support I have gotten from this community by those who subscribed in large numbers. I have interesting newsletters for this week. You may, if interested, subscribe to my newsletter for free).
McConnell's stonewalling of Obama's 2016 SCORRUPTUS nominee because it was too close to a presidential election, and then doing an about face in October 2020, shows the slimy hypocrite in action. Now we have Tommy of the Turbervilles stonewalling military appointments, for "culture war"reasons, and ignoring the real war consequences to our national security. The party of law and order? The party of national security? The party that takes credit for the IRA after voting against it? "Simply pathetic."
I couldn't agree more, Suzanne. Millions of Americans were suckered by fake news. Hypocrisy is now the main ball swatted about by opposing parties. Elections will be held in inside carnival mirrors. The big question is whether common sense will prevail. Hopefully the tiny backlash against the extreme right gains steam.
My friend Lela and I were just discussing how and what causes narcissism and how it seems to be part and parcel of sociopathy and then what turns the sociopath into a psychopath by definition. We were trying to decide if Donald could legally be labeled a psychopath at this point because of the deaths he was personally responsible for causing during the pandemic, and also about Mary Trump's diagnoses of Trump, because we had both read her book, To Much and Never Enough! we started the conversation with " Have you heard what the Republican House Committees had done in the Christopher Wray hearings? " and on from there.
Equally disturbing is that one man can have so much power as to change the SCOTUS from one that actually tries to interpret the Constitution to a hard right take no prisoners blind to what the majority wants cabal.
I think the problem is that there are a bewildering number of moving parts in the American government. We had stability for a long time because there was a sense of proportion. Government was allowed to do its jobs between election (with some exceptions). Most people were deferential to the power of government and the assumption of expertise. This is obviously an imperfect system. Corruption can flourish. Legislators hang around until they are 90 because the perks are too obvious and generous.
But, allowing for certain spasms turmoil that engaged the attention of the electorate, the system worked - as a system - pretty much as the Framers had planned. There were (gasp!) gaps in political news when there was pretty much nothing to write about.
Now everybody is an expert. Everybody has a plan, except for those indulging in a scheme. People have exposed the essential hollowness of the Framers’ vision and are rushing in to fill the vacuum. Crises, mini and otherwise, are going viral. Moms for Liberty grab the media and start wreaking havoc. Turns out there’s not an East way to stop them. Judges openly make rulings based on their personal bias or benefactor. The campaign season runs for nearly every day we decide is a good day for breathing. In political defeat, politicians rarely lick their wounds. Instead they fund raise based on it.
The ship of state is taking on water and surely one day it will just sag into nothingness weighted down by false actors and invented crises.
Truthfully it’s getting boring. One damn thing after another and we can’t keep our eyes glued non stop. This hardly seems accidental. It’s no longer about holding on to the reins of power - it is more like a continual passing out of new reins to gratify the parched egos of the wannabes.
Totally agreed. How on earth does he keep getting reelected? Kentucky ranks about 52nd in the US in quality of life.... Yes, I know there are only 50 states.... but I will stick with 52nd....
McConnell’s hypocrisy and ability to lie while acting outraged never ceases to astound, but even more disturbing is the inability of any media entity to hold him accountable
Agree Suzanne, and the greatest offense is the silence of the press (broadcast media). This is so long past due addressing, and to our mutual peril. What, I ask is a "free press" that might be deserving of the constitutional protections afforded it ? Further, what responsibilities must be demanded of this "free press" ?
D4N, I read what you are talking about in The New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, VOX and other sources. HCR's 'NOTES' are full of links to the 'free press'. We are suffering from the loss of local, journalistic outlets. There are gulfs and gaps, but the landscape is not barren either. As citizens we deserve and need more; we also need to work together to get the 'free press' democracies cannot survive without.
Yes, Fern, that is the problem. Something like 30,000 jobs have been lost in journalism, but one of the bright spots is that individuals with remarkable skills—like Judd Legum and groups like ProPublica — have been able to flourish independently. And, of course, Substack gives someone like Heather Cox Richardson a platform, whereas in more conventional journalism, she might be reduced to sound bites as a talking head. The issue, of course, is that a reader has to be dogged to FIND trustworthy news, which is why I'm so happy that a man who seems to be an ordinary citizen, duped by Fox News, can seek reliief and maybe even have some credibility with like-minded individuals.
This is an exact happening , the common folk or close resemblance , get to have a say, yea 🙌
...it’s broader expose to the majority’s -our nation’s opinions -all the while overshadowed by the incessant bantering of the Jim Jordan’s , the Tuberville’s and the sickening minority cacophony .
After now years of NOT putting up clear evidence NOT shutting their lying lips NOT honoring their oaths, but with ‘still yet’ malice and deviant intent spewing hatred and placating this treasonous ‘base ‘. All this plus a SCOTUS that hands down verdicts that PUT DOWN trusted relied upon laws and on top of that won’t uphold any collective ethics that all other court appointees have to abide by...
I’m disgusted...period.
I’m so sick of hearing it I have turned off the TV, choose only to stream as NOT to have to listen to incessant commercials touting their product is the best, and delete most emails because they’re all asking for donations near 2 years out from an election . Money has become the driving source vs dedication and protection to principles for ...
WE THE PEOPLE!
The country is fine 🗣️HELLO !!!! 65-70% of which wants the freedoms being taken away by the very people we entrusted to care for it.
As for the people who keep voting the liars back in ...sorry isn’t exactly my sentiment
As for the dark money backing this BS...I hope you get to walk in the moccasins of the people who suffered from your selfish ignorance
As for the ‘Christian’ pastors/fellowship who walked away from His Path ...Lord forgive them ..for they DO know what they DO....
Permitting ‘Letters to an American’ , The Lucid, Hopium, and so many other excellent honest sources ...to be published in every state by the ‘free press’ to avail the majority of TRUTH , of FACTS vs what ifs / the could bes or out and out LIES...is such an excellent idea.
I’m going to VOTE 💙
I’m going to continue to pray for everyone with my tongue properly in my mouth
I’m going to speak out , encourage, and promote Democracy again, and again, and again...
I’m going to VOTE 💙
Wow!!! Patricia, I wish I’d met you 40 years ago!!! You are a woman after my heart 💙! I LOVE everything you have said, and honestly, I couldn’t have said it any better! WOW!!!!!!!
Thank you Daniel, we have likely fought/worked for/taught the solutions together anyhow. Writing and my vote is the last vestige to bring what’s needed to the masses. I’m inspired by the best Heather , was my first introduction, and since then many more , many of whom I can afford only their teasers. Going back to the land MANY years ago is a limited income to pick carefully with.
So carry on with your charm , write , and be engaged , inspired, and a purveyor of truth. The world needs this ❤️
Like I said. I don’t know you, personally, but sure wish I did. You definitely sound like a really special woman. And, yes, Heather, E. Jean Carroll, Robert Reich, and several others are whim I read daily on here. There’s others I listen to their video podcast, and read their postings, but I’m unable to afford their subscriptions. On my little law enforcement and firefighting pension and lax social security, I can’t afford many of these subscriptions.
I’d spend over $200 a month if I had it, because since my wife passed last year, and me stint living in the woods and under a bridge before my youngest step-son found me and got me this place, all I have to do every day now is breathe with my oxygen machines, breathing machines, and lay here and read, and write. That’s my life now. Miserable as hell!
Let’s keep meeting like this …🤣🤭 Thank you for your service Daniel, a claim with no minimals, and the many who never could but wanted to….🙌 and enjoy the story too. Prayers for your Mrs. May your writing soar🫶
I greatly appreciate your support, Patricia. I truly do. Of v CB purse we’ll continue to converse on here..
If the press is allowed to scapegoat ordinary Americans for ratings, what's next? Epps is a Trump fan who actually tried to stop the stampede to the doors of the Capitol on Jan 6th. The irony is that Fox needed to believe in the insurrection and the ludicrous "Stop the Steal," but it couldn't, so it ruthlessly took a man whose only crime was being there and objecting to what was happening, slandered him and ruined his life, for ratings. If a jury doesn't shut down Fox for good, there is no justice left in America.
Well answered by you. If we ever doubted the need for a free press, those doubts should have vanished as soon as fox started spewing lies and trying to kill our country.
We REALLY need to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. Thanks ronnie raygun!
An important point is support of the outlets we read. Subscriptions pay for the work. I can’t afford to pay them all, but my budget has been increasingly being targeted toward substack while maintaining a local, state and national newspaper, along with the Atlantic, Propublica, and Wapo. Spread the money around folks. Freedom isn’t free
Straight news isn’t free either, but Goebbels-style propaganda saturates the airwaves, wanted or not.
Thomas Frank in his seminal book, "What's the Matter With Kansas," explains how propaganda promulgated by extreme right-wing groups use wedge issues (abortion, immigration, undeserving folks getting government handouts, gay rights, women's rights, etc.) to get ordinary people to vote against their best economic and social interests. That $32 trillion national debt has gone mostly into the pockets of the wealthy, at the expense of 98% of our population. The Right uses culture wars to drain our treasury.
You just described Texas, it's not just Kansas anymore.
I know. I am a 6th generation Texan. My family was among the first white settlors of Texas, arriving in 1830. My great, great uncle, William Depriest Sutherland, age 18, was one of those who died at the Alamo. Some of my cousins now support Texit and some only get their "info" from OAN, Fox and Newsmax. I joined the U.S. Army in 1960, was sent to Monterey, California to learn Chinese at the Army Language School. For me, California was "The Promised Land." I was born in Uvalde and started school there. Miss Annie Robb was a 3rd grade teacher there in 1946-1947. My family moved from Uvalde during the mid part of my 2nd grade so I was never in her class. She wasn't much taller than her students, white haired even then.
Love the story, keep telling it and be proud Richard . There are a lot of you , and other Texans , aware of what’s going on , the dangers it promotes, who will vote knowing to chose wisely not following the circus act. Thanks you for speaking out! ❤️☮️
Thank you, Patricia. I am telling more in my reply to Dianna.
Great family history. Genealogy can make fools of the people who think that there are "pure" anything. We all are mutts,, pretty much
I’ve loved a lot of ‘mutts’ , Jeri. Have no shame in saying/being ‘ in the fold’. And truly feel compelled to go out and search for the one lost hoping the 99 are safe during my ‘quest’.😉
Love your posts too. Thanks for your wonderful efforts.
Thank you, from one mutt to another…
The Texas War of Independence was fought because the white settlors wanted to keep slaves and Santa Anna objected. My great grandfather's brother was the one who died at the Alamo. It was a high price to pay. Our family has a two volumne genealogy put together in the 1950's. Of course, this cousin is not included, neither are some of those who were given up for adoption at birth (out of wedlock) and are just now learning what a huge family they have. We welcome them with open arms.
Great history your family has!!
My family history gets more interesting in a number of respects. My great, great uncle, William Depriest Sutherland, had a younger brother, Thomas Shelton Sutherland who became my great grandfather. He was a slave owner and had a daughter with one of his slaves around 1850. We have now connected with her great, great granddaughter through DNA. I have wanted to get together with her as does my cousin, Christy Carpenter, the daughter of my cousin, Liz Sutherland Carpenter. But, she's not up to it at this time. So, perhaps in time.
And, in addition to Thomas Franks' book, there is the one by Nancy MacLean entitled "Democracy in Chains," described as The deep history of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America," a piercing examination of the Right's relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, stop action on climate change and alter the constitution."
In a word - we've got trouble, big time. They've got a 40-year lead on us.
Indeed they do, and they have set the stage for further cheating. Thanks for MacLean ref.
Nancy is very good and thorough. She puts to rest any question about whether we're striving to save our democracy. I feel that our goal is that articulated by Frances Perkins last century: "The people are what matter to government, and a government should aim to provide all the people undere its jurisdiction the best possible life." And, add to that Albert Einstein's theory of government: "I am an adherent of the ideal of democracy , although I well know the weaknesses of the democratic form of government. Social equality and economic protection of the individual appeared to me always as the important ommunal aims of the state." We're at war with those who want a white Christian oligarchical autocracy.
100%
And Florida, Idaho, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, Utah and a few others.
Clicks and likes are driven by divisiveness, right?
No way, Jose.!! (-:
People used to donate or tithe to their church. Journalism is my "religion". I pay for all the enlightening news sources.
Those you mentioned and The NY Times, New Yorker, Democracy Now, R. Reich, Heather,..plus Wikipedia and more.
My rent was just raised by $100 a month. I'm not going to be able to afford more than one or two Substacks. I can't afford newspapers. I read ProPublica for free. I hate WaPo.
As do I, Dave.
Sadly, our “free press” has followed Rupert and the Money-making model for a while now. Where is Walter who, told it like it was, with nary a whiff of entertainment to be found. True, there are some journalists who have a voice, but investigative journalists are rarer than hen’s teeth,
while “opinion” journalists abound.
I still take a local paper, although I had to switch since the one I had subscribed to for 20 years decided to add 8 conservative opinion writers to their crew. Hell NO, said I.
Where is Paul Krugman - New York Times; where is Rachel Maddow - MSNBC; where is Christiane Amanpour - CNN and PBS; Where is Robert Woodward - Washington Post; Where is Eugene Scott - Washington Post; Where is Fareed Zakaria - CNN; Where is Kate Stafford - AP; Where is Sally Ho - AP; Where is Jeff Leen - editor in charge of The Washington Post's dedicated investigative units; Where is Carol Leonnig - Washington Post; Where is Amy Brittain - Washington Post; Where is Roger Cohen - New York Times; Where are Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb - Seattle Times...
Jeri Chilcutt, just a few names above, a little drop, a hint... We need more good journalists to cover local, state and rural areas, no doubt, but I wouldn't give credit to a villain of the facts for how expensive it is to run a newspaper. We are reaching the American people in different ways and need to focus on the areas that require much more 'free-press'.
Fern There are excellent journalists such as you mention, ProPublica, and other excellent news sources at The Atlantic and elsewhere. However, in our FALSE FACT environment, relatively few Americans bother to read or listen to critical thinking.
It took the House January 6th Committee to highlight for the public the calumny of the Capitol Hill insurrection.
We are, as my Chilean friends would say, in un dialog con mudos (a dialogue of mutes).
The water is available if someone is thirsty. As I once heard “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think.”
I am reminded of an IBM ad from long ago: THINK OR THWIM.
No argument here,, where I live Rupert rules the fools. Every day, I feel like I live in pre-war Germany where there is zip interest in MSNBC, WaPo, NYT, PBS, or anything besides Fox and clones. Sorry for the peek into my world.
What’s happening to CNN? I turned it on the other night and Kaitlin Collins was interviewing Mike Pence and he blathered on about the failed Biden administration and how Democrats are destroying our country. the next night Anderson Cooper interviewed Chris Christie who was (is) the only R attacking Trump, but also about how Democrats were ruining our country. Admittedly I turned them both off mid-interview but what’s happened to CNN that they’re giving time to these Republicans who are the real destroyers of our democracy?
Why don’t they report on the strength of the American economy because of Biden’s policies? I only see reported is the polling that shows most voters think Biden is too old to run, but evidently not Trump, who is nearly as old.
I unwisely tuned into the first few minutes of the Today show this morning. Besides the weather, one of the top stories was about the cocaine found in the White House and people (i.e., Republican members of Congress) upset that the Secret Service investigation has ended without any information released about how the cocaine got there and whose it was. Really, THAT's the most important national story?! Needless to say, I turned off the TV at that point.
My thoughts it was a plant by a Republican.....Maybe, Kevin! Or his soulmate MTG!
Most likely it fell out of a visitor's pocket when they turned over their cell phone. It's just "Hunter Biden!!!" fodder for the Republicans.
This morning, MSNBC carried as part of the "breaking news" that the House narrowly passed the hotly contested NDAA -- and then proceeded to air the presser with McCarthy, Scalise, Emmer, Stefanik, Kiggans, and LaLota, in which they heaped criticism on Democrats, talked about "woke," and nearly broke their arms patting themselves on the back for having squeezed out a passage.
I'm personally disgusted that MSNBC aired the statements by this pack of power-mongering TFG sycophants.
The Republicans always seem to be nothing, if not consistently dedicated to heaping praise on themselves and being loathsome.
Republicans are the equivalent of clickbait. Look what 60 Minutes did recently by airing a puff piece about MTG, and CNN with its obscene Trump "town hall." It's a mentality that reminds me of the old freak shows, except that millions of Americans don't see Republicans as freaks. I see the same kind of thing even on my local news channels where they broadcast Republican-related stories but don't provide any rebuttal by Democrats.
It's been widely written about - CNN is shifting to the right. I don't watch TV news except for occasionally BBC America and NPR.
CNN was hurting for money! They are trying to get Fox viewers!
Excellent Fern, I copied in addition to reading, to print later for others seeking good journalism.I share (as you know) what i subscribe to also. Often feels like a minimal effort to HELP our Democracy but often the best I can do anymore.
Thanks for you superb commenting and input.
Thank you, Patricia, we are working together with millions upon millions more. Your words and commitment boost our efforts. I would like to add Politico, SLATE, ProPublica, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Nature Brief...I'll stop there, but there are more!
Politico, Seriously? Talking Points Memo, emptywheel, Dan Froomkin, the LA Times, BBC America are more.
I also think it should be made clear that there is always the danger of creating an echo chamber by only reading and watching news points of view we're comfortable with. This is what Fox News has done, and it would be worse if every one of us just huddled in front of MSNBC every night because Rachel Maddow and Ari Melber. But this is what a lot of people do. These people are "good" because they don't challenge you but justify your opinions.
It is not barren, but the mainstream media rarely calls out the lies. There are some good journalists, but overall “reporting” does not challenge their statements very often.. and HOW a is it that Fox is still the main source of news on our military bases???? This might be the most damaging of all .
'Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims as president. Nearly half came in his final year.' (THE WASHINGTON POST) I second the call for more journalism in local, state and rural areas. As disappointed as you my be with mainstream media, I am startled by how little effort and awareness many Americans have, including, perhaps, some subscribers, of the excellent journalism by reporters around the country as well as published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. As for the reporting on the 'lies', I see that subject covered quite a lot.
'Pinocchio effect' confirmed: When you lie, your nose temperature rises'
Source:
University of Granada
'When a person lies, he or she experiences a "Pinocchio effect", which is an increase in the temperature around the nose and in the orbital muscle in the inner corner of the eye. In addition, when we perform a considerable mental effort our face temperature drops, and when we have an anxiety attack our face temperature rises, according to a pioneering study that has introduced new applications of thermography.' (ScienceDaily)
Fern, darling, you never cease to amaze me! :)
Do I appreciate your warm embrace, absolutely; thank you, dear Marlene!
Fox may be the main source of news on our military bases, but I'll bet the story about Sen. Tuberville holding up military promotions isn't even mentioned. (NPR had a good story about it yesterday, though.)
Suzanne, there are many accounts of military bases airing Fox News. I have not, however, been able to find any reports indicating that 'Fox is still the main source of news on our military bases????' as you wrote. That would be very bad news. I would like to follow up. If you have a source or sources for your statement, please provide me with the sources' names and links,. Thank you.
And banks and hotels!
What?! Are you serious? I did not know this!
Thanks Fern. Problem seems to be that there are smaller numbers of 'us' that understand the divides > yielding a monstrous big problem in search of a large'ish medium. Small i can do little to effect changes that address the largest issue which is 'the megaphone of broadcast' monopoly, or in this case in particular - too many outlets and too few with willingness to advocate 'truth' - as it is on this plane, which is revealing and accepting 'facts in evidence'. Trying is all I've got brother. Thanks again...
Hi D4N. I think that I understand what you mean by indicating that the fragmentation of American society mitigates against any kind of common understanding among us. We may not agree on how big that middle is. The mid-terms were not the anticipated disaster and the economy is better than expected. I wonder as the evidence in various cases mount against Trump, whether a fair number of Republicans give up the ghost. I think that Trump is a model case and an important starting point. I could go through a number of other big obstacles but sticking with we have to keep working on this. We have no choice, D4N. There are no grounds for giving up.
Fern, in my area the paper is Republican owned. Actually, we have mostly obituarys and arrests of the drug users and dealers. It is sad!
It there a fair amount of local advertising as well? If so, it could than be simply an advertising supplement.
Yes! They do well during an election year!
Low cost, good revenue and no journalism. It is a cash register.
And it costs me $120 per year for 2 papers a week.
Just in case everyone wants/needs a good news network to watch, may I offer one. I watch MSNBC myself. It has good, true, journalism that reports the truth of what’s really going on in the country/world on the political front. Good, bad, ugly, doesn’t matter. They have interviews and do fact-finding efforts to give the truth. It’s the only station I watch extensively. As a matter of fact, my TV doesn’t know anything about FOX Network. It never had been on that ridiculous channel.
Listening to a variety of experts substantiate their views and understanding of the news helps me LEARN and THINK about what's happening in the world. Heather and Joyce Vance (along with NYT, WaPO, The Atlantic, Atlanta Journal Constitution) are my reading go-to's, providing historical and legal context. Granted, as an elder citizen, I have more time and experience of my own to bring to the conversation, but there's always more to Truth than I'll ever carry in my own backpack.
Here's a source that will probably shock you - Vanity Fair. I am a subscriber and don't read the magazine. I get daily political reporting that in my view is outstanding. Surprises never cease. MSNBC is my primary newscast while I get a number of other newspapers and magazines - Mother Jones, The Atlantic, Boston Globe, Boston Herald (a right wing paper), Orlando Sentinel, Lakeland Ledger, NY Times, Washington Post and others.
You sound like a Partner in Time! And yes, Vanity Fair has terrific writers and articles. When people talk about "The Media" as a monolith of indistinguishable sources, they've no idea what they're talking about!
Vanity Fair-YES
Surprising, glad to know
Yes, it is one of life's pleasant surprises, finding an unexpected source of information that is, in fact, informative. I don't understand their business model, but what the heck?
I subscribed a long time ago because they featured current events and social commentary. A few years ago I subscribed again, and it had gone to shit - celebrity articles, shopping, the usual dreck other magazines publish. I'm actually more sad about the pending demise of National Geographic's print magazine.
Is the magazine going to bite it? Wow, took it for decades, but cancelled when Rupert bought them. Think he later sold, but his DNA was likely still there.
Jesus Christ, for him it was merely an investment. You really think everything is political? Anyway, he sold it to Disney a long time ago.
Where Rupert is concerned, indeed I do. Political power means money, control, and who knows that better.
Lasley, I would add to your go-to list the Status Quo by Jay Quo.
Same here, my TV doesn't know anything about Fox Spews. And my TV has never been on that despicable channel either. I wouldn't watch that rotten garbage if someone held a loaded gun to my head. I had rather die than watch the excrement they spew on a daily basis. Fox Fascist spews should be what they call that vile poisonous TV channel.
I hope it’s getting very costly to lie as a network.
I think it is going to get very costly for those kings of disinformation and outright blatant lies. Correct me if i am wrong, isn't the Smartmatic lawsuit next in line for them?? I remember reading that someone or some other company is going after them too. I sincerely hope they have to bankfupt and take that vile garbage off the air forever. They have caused so much hate and division with their traitorous lies and incitement of violence in America already.
Same goes for Spewsmax and OANN. They are just as horrible as Fox Spews is.
They learned from the best.
Daniel Cooper Writes Daniel’s Thoughts & Opinions - "Just in case everyone wants/needs a good news network to watch, may I offer one. I watch MSNBC myself."
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗦𝗡𝗕𝗖 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟯 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀. -- mediabiasfactcheck.com/msnbc/
Media Bias - Strong Left/Reliability - Generally -- https://adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart/
But does whoever does the rating take account of the colossal list to starboard that has taken place over the past three or four decades?
What was once boring centrism is now slated as "leftism" by people who call themselves "conservatives" but whose sole notion of what's to be conserved is at best "finders keepers".
At worst...
If Al Capone was among us now, he'd be a top GOP candidate for the presidency.
Peter Burnett - "But does whoever does the rating take account of ..."
https://adfontesmedia.com/how-ad-fontes-ranks-news-sources/
We generate overall news source scores based on scores of individual articles (in the case of online news sources) or episodes (in the cases of podcasts, radio, TV, and video-based sources).
Our current team of over 60 analysts, who are trained in our content analysis methodology, perform the ratings. Our analysts go through an initial 30 hours of training plus an additional 40 hours of ongoing training per year. Our analysts include academics, journalists, librarians, lawyers, military veterans, civil service professionals, and other professions that require high levels of rhetorical and analytical skills.
Each individual article and episode is rated by a pod of at least three human analysts at the same time. Each pod is politically balanced, meaning it contains one person who self-identifies as being right-leaning, one as center, and one as left-leaning. Articles and episodes are rated in three-person live panels conducted in shifts over Zoom. Analysts first read each article and rate them on their own, then immediately compare scores. If there are discrepancies in the scores, they discuss and adjust scores if necessary. The three analysts’ ratings are averaged to produce the overall article rating. Sometimes articles are rated by larger panels of analysts for various reasons–for example, if there are outlier scores, the article may be rated by more than three analysts.
Fine, thank you, but you have not addressed my main point about wildly varying criteria. What was center right in 1963 may be seen as far left in 2023.
Maybe it would help if one took historical cases... writings like Tom Paine's Common Sense... Or why not go further back and consider those of Montesquieu on the rights of blacks or Condorcet's on equal rights for women? Or fast forward to FDR's radio chats...
I just don't see a meaningful standard. Even adherence to truth is difficult to rate since it is so easy to use facts and true statements deceitfully, to proclaim fine principles as a screen behind which to commit crimes.
I can't help remembering conversations with a statistician about "lies, damned lies, and..."
True here too, add BBC
Jeri Chilcutt -- "True here too, [good news network] add BBC.
Correction (I don't know how it got changed.)
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/bbc/
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗕𝗖 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁-𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Thanks for including the link. A source that gets updated for bias, leaning, and factual reporting. My goto aa they are separately looking to podcasts.
Glad to know
Maybe you merely agree with their slant. Think about it.
In reference to the press, once the "free market" principles got applied to the press, it gave conservatives the opening to set their agenda for press access. Tough question asking journalists began to find themselves without access. Then Fox and right wing media came along for the conservatives to hit the ait waves with friendly confines. In order for the MSM tough journalists to be able to talk to both sides, they had to softball their questions. No longer able to inquire and make the conservatives answer the tough questions, that is where we are today. Hungary suffers from this, Russia media today is the same as when the communists party ruled. The American conservative power players took notice how that worked and now are doing the same.
Historians and journalists are in danger in America.
Ś
Suzanne, I write to note, according to former Senator Claire McCaskill, that McConnell and fellow Senate Republicans, largely, have written off the 2024 presidential election and, instead, are principally focused on re-taking the Senate in 2024 with the intent of causing irreparable damage to Joe Biden. In turn, McConnell is focused on Republicans, in 2028, retaking the White House and controlling both federal chambers. Because the 2024 U.S. Senate map is daunting for Democrats, I would suggest, among the various 2024 priorities in which we are all engaged, that both retaining and expanding Democratic seats in the Senate be a top priority.
Let's not overlook the importance of getting out the vote when Republicans are trying to limit it. State by state, we need to end gerrymandering. Michigan and 20 other states have it. It works to make legislators work for voters instead of their party.
In addition to that, the importance of not letting politicians and political party officials serve on the Commission. I would note that about the difference between the results in Michigan vs Ohio where in Ohio the drafters of their constitutional amendment didn't include that provision, and the Republican Ohio Governor sat on their Redistricting Commission and of course, Ohio remains gerrymandered!
Wow...what a difference. Isn't it curious how Republicans are the ones who cry every decision not in their favor is politically motivated!
Yes! It was interesting here in Michigan. It was the Republican Party that sued to try to overturn that provision., first in State Court and then in federal court! Obviously they lost, but the NAACP has also filed suit claiming the commission lines eliminated solidly Black Districts. We are waiting to see if the latest Supreme Court ruling on the Alabama gerrymandering case where the lines were drawn to pack Black voters into less districts will be applied to Michigan, where that was never the intention, but making as many districts as closely competitive was the intended result of the redistricting as laid out in the language of the Constitutional Amendment. In doing so it broke up predominantly Black Districts inside the City of Detroit, and moved the district lines to include suburban areas that brought the new districts to half and half. I would argue with the NAACP that Blacks in Detroit are now better served by the new system, because nothing on the Black Agenda was ever accomplished Statewide until the new system has been put in place here. The new Michigan Budget skews funding back into Detroit, which has never happened under Republican Control! We are now awaiting the Court discisions. Ironic that because of discrimination and packing Blacks into smaller numbers of districts in Alabama, that the same case is being used to overturn Michigan District Lines that achieved the exact opposite!!!
Patricia, In the absence of federal voter protection safeguards, I am every bit as committed as you to instating protections at the state level. Accordingly, I would note I presented an argument for retaining and expanding Democratic Senate seats as a top priority, not the top priority.
Yup. Could see that coming all the way up north. Called strategic thinking. Only wish progressives were working toward the same goal for 2028, especially if the Democratic agenda faces the headwinds of Mr Biden's first term.
Mitch McConnell always finds his own version of truth
Since I started following US politics, I have known Mitch McConnell as a someone who tries as much as possible to consolidate Republican power even in the face of damaging truths. Seemingly fed up with the presence of Democrats, he often changes rules of the country's politics to find "the buttered part of the bread for the Republicans to eat." He knows, by all means, he has to deliver power to the Republican by bending the rules. Sometimes, Mitch McConnell flips the truth when it is hard and damaging to admit by terming that there exists "alternative truth" just to turn away political bullets. He is a friend to corporations and just makes sure that taxes do not hit them and that ensures that their campaign basket is too large and not limited to accommodate campaign donations. Mitch McConnell looks like a broker in the market who lies to traders and ultimately gets the lion share of the proceeds. It took him some months to acknowledged that Biden has won 2020 elections. He sometimes criticises Trump but at the same time backs off and denies any wrong doing by Trump. His behaviour is situational, his blood is Republican, and truth is an alien.
His behavior is similar to some of Africa's leaders especially opposition leader in Kenya Raila Odinga. He does not accept any election that he hasn't won. Up to date, he stages violent protests and claim that his elections are normally stolen, a fact that Supreme Court has confirmed contrarily. When the high costs of living was high when he was in government, he criticised those who were protesting. Recently, because he is not in government, he is protesting the high costs of living to find his angle of truth. According to him, he has to participate even when he has no value to the voters.
(I am a writer and researcher delving into politics, history, technology, etc. I have a mission in Africa: spotlighting underserved communities ignored by the traditional media. I am greatly indebted for the support I have gotten from this community by those who subscribed in large numbers. I have interesting newsletters for this week. You may, if interested, subscribe to my newsletter for free).
McConnell's stonewalling of Obama's 2016 SCORRUPTUS nominee because it was too close to a presidential election, and then doing an about face in October 2020, shows the slimy hypocrite in action. Now we have Tommy of the Turbervilles stonewalling military appointments, for "culture war"reasons, and ignoring the real war consequences to our national security. The party of law and order? The party of national security? The party that takes credit for the IRA after voting against it? "Simply pathetic."
Thank you for deleting the duplicate of you post. Cheers!
Cheers 🍻 @Fern Mcbride
You are a kind soul sir! I vastly appreciate your well thought out letters here, and will indeed subscribe.JD
Thank you so much @JD and welcome 🤝
He dug his ditch and now he doesn't want to lie in it, but has no problem lying about it.
Suzanne, they have ability, but they’re hedging their bets on the potential success of MAGA. If Trump gets power back, hell is coming with him
I couldn't agree more, Suzanne. Millions of Americans were suckered by fake news. Hypocrisy is now the main ball swatted about by opposing parties. Elections will be held in inside carnival mirrors. The big question is whether common sense will prevail. Hopefully the tiny backlash against the extreme right gains steam.
Sociopaths. All of them. Schoolyard bullies. Might makes right.
My friend Lela and I were just discussing how and what causes narcissism and how it seems to be part and parcel of sociopathy and then what turns the sociopath into a psychopath by definition. We were trying to decide if Donald could legally be labeled a psychopath at this point because of the deaths he was personally responsible for causing during the pandemic, and also about Mary Trump's diagnoses of Trump, because we had both read her book, To Much and Never Enough! we started the conversation with " Have you heard what the Republican House Committees had done in the Christopher Wray hearings? " and on from there.
Equally disturbing is that one man can have so much power as to change the SCOTUS from one that actually tries to interpret the Constitution to a hard right take no prisoners blind to what the majority wants cabal.
McConnell’s daily existence redefines the meaning of a sleazy politician!
I think the problem is that there are a bewildering number of moving parts in the American government. We had stability for a long time because there was a sense of proportion. Government was allowed to do its jobs between election (with some exceptions). Most people were deferential to the power of government and the assumption of expertise. This is obviously an imperfect system. Corruption can flourish. Legislators hang around until they are 90 because the perks are too obvious and generous.
But, allowing for certain spasms turmoil that engaged the attention of the electorate, the system worked - as a system - pretty much as the Framers had planned. There were (gasp!) gaps in political news when there was pretty much nothing to write about.
Now everybody is an expert. Everybody has a plan, except for those indulging in a scheme. People have exposed the essential hollowness of the Framers’ vision and are rushing in to fill the vacuum. Crises, mini and otherwise, are going viral. Moms for Liberty grab the media and start wreaking havoc. Turns out there’s not an East way to stop them. Judges openly make rulings based on their personal bias or benefactor. The campaign season runs for nearly every day we decide is a good day for breathing. In political defeat, politicians rarely lick their wounds. Instead they fund raise based on it.
The ship of state is taking on water and surely one day it will just sag into nothingness weighted down by false actors and invented crises.
Truthfully it’s getting boring. One damn thing after another and we can’t keep our eyes glued non stop. This hardly seems accidental. It’s no longer about holding on to the reins of power - it is more like a continual passing out of new reins to gratify the parched egos of the wannabes.
Nancy MacLean nails it in her book, “Democracy in Chains.”
Totally agreed. How on earth does he keep getting reelected? Kentucky ranks about 52nd in the US in quality of life.... Yes, I know there are only 50 states.... but I will stick with 52nd....