This morning, federal prosecutors charged Representative George Santos (R-NY) with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, and one count of stealing public funds.
What a great ad. Show snippets of the awful "town hall". Then add, "Do you want 4 more years of that? " Thank God, I did not watch that awful "town hall."
I'm with you JennSH! I didn't watch, not only because I can't bare to see his face, hear his voice nor listen to his insipid lies, I don't want to add even one more point to CNN's ratings. They don't deserve it!
I told my bro-in-law that there was no barf bag big enough and of course, didn't watch although I did joke with my hubby when we started the series we are watching that I really wanted to watch it instead.
Today’s letter shows why the Republican Party is in a death spiral.Assertions to the contrary remind of the man who jumps off a skyscraper. Halfway down, someone in a window yells, “How’re you dong?”
Mike? Hello? It's been an hour. Are you alright? If you survive, next time, "Do it Gangnam Style". You might not live it down, but you have a better chance of surviving.
“Gangnam Style" is a South Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam region of Seoul, where people are trendy, hip, and exude a certain supposed class.”
I think Heather buried the lede here. But when she got to it, she was comprehensive. I had been waiting breathlessly (well, perhaps not quite that eagerly) for her summary and I much appreciated what she wrote.
I watched a sizable chunk of it then turned off the tv with a deep sense of dread. It had been obvious to me that the idea of CNN hosting a town hall with Trump was a disaster in the making. What I didn’t know was that the network would stack the deck with a pro-Trump audience. What madness that was. It’s as if they were conspiring with Trump to rehabilitate him. Or perhaps they have designs of being Trump’s sweetheart media outlet now that Fox is in the midst of its come to Jesus moment. So they gave us a Trump rally. All that was missing were monster trucks.
Kaitlan Collins is the network’s rising young star. She is excellent - always well-prepared, substantive and thoughtful. She is also freaking 31 years old. Trump massacred her. For anyone who cares about women this was incredibly painful. She was thrown to the wolf and he ate her for lunch. CNN has a responsibility to nurture its rising talent. Making her Trump’s prey did her no favors. With an ape like him, why on earth would they have chosen her? He’s been doing his contemptuous thing with women for decades. She wasn’t going to stop him. Unwillingly, she time and time again ceded to him. She was non-sexual prey for him. Trump sloughed off her best efforts.
Just as Heather said, it turned out to be a rally. Trump slashed Democratic tires and broke their windows. And the goons in the audience cheered him on.
Biden’s post-debacle tweet was about the best that could have been done, when we all had absorbed the carnage he and his MAGA buddies in the audience inflicted. It is a fool’s game to believe that the Democrats can make ads off this. Anything they do in this direction will be simply singing to the choir.
On the other hand, Trump will fundraise like mad using this. He gave a master class in Trumpism - deflecting, raising laughter with ironic comments, picking his enormous scabs, knocking off softball questions without breaking a sweat. He was bold, aggressive, crushed fact checkers with his lies and left his crowd in jubilation.
CNN simply rehabilitated Trump in the eyes of his crowd. He has had a brutal start to his campaign, except inasmuch as deSantis has offered himself up as this campaign’s obligatory sock puppet. In one hour Trump brought wavering followers back into his embrace, offering the easily seduced a ride across the water on the crocodile’s back. And I have no doubt he gained a substantial number of new followers. Carpe diem - Trump’s malignant superpower.
Jesus, CNN. Get that new leadership out before they do real damage.
The above is not to be interpreted as hand wringing while conceding the election. In fact it will have served a good purpose if it wakes decent Americans to the clear and present danger Trump presents.
I honestly believed that the DOJ would have long since done its job and seen him off by now. In my naïveté I didn’t even consider there was as much as a non-zero chance he would be candidate. But the most powerful law in the land fucking fiddled while Trump cynically dodged.
Perhaps this will be a Pyrrhic victory for Trump. By all rights he should have little chance of winning a general election. But he’s beginning to feel like a winner again and that’s dangerous.
There are millions of Americans buried in the sad detritus of failed lives, unhappy and lonely. The cold hard predations of undisturbed capitalism have left them behind. Many have been raised by parents who themselves had long ago lost a sense of meaning in their lives. They are the poisoned fruit of the atrocious but historic Reagan revolution. They swim daily in the noxious fumes of social media. They are bleeding and dangerous. But Trump is their oxygen. They *thrill* to the danger that this master of chaos presents. They wish they were him.
Please God, this train has to be stopped. Last night was both flashback and fiasco.
Prof. Joyce Vance explains why the clock ticks slowly on indictments. Knowing this from her has made me wonder whether there will be more Republican Representatives to be indicted too. The leader of the Where's Hunter Biden pack, Jim Jordan should be indictable as far as I understand. Santos may just be the canary in the coal mine of Republican fascists to go down.
I think there’s a possibility of that as long as Trump doesn’t surge. The DOJ knew the length indictments take. But they wasted a year without investigating Trump while Garland made public to MAGA that he would be even handed. So weak!
Only when Casey Hutchinson threw open the doors did DOJ panic. Now we have Jack Smith, working with admirable directness, it seems. But he cannot expand time. He cannot push back the election date. We will be - at the very best - knee deep in appeals in November of 2024.
I still believe that Trump has shrunk his electorate because so many people not only despise him, but feel contempt for him.
Biden should win, but last night was damaging.
We are still 18 months away. There will be other things catch us totally by surprise. It’s Biden’s to lose but Fate plays with us.
This is a hard comment to "Like", but I agree with every word, especially your penultimate sentence. We CANNOT go through any more time under Trumpian-style dystopia.
CNN is under orders from Chief Reality Schmuck David Zaslav at WBD to "bring the network back to the center" (i.e., attract Republicans) and they have been mired at third place in ratings that they're in danger of being overtaken by NewsMax and becoming #4. So they decided to use the gameplan from Jeff ZuckerTheFucker (as we used to call him here in Hollywood) of bringing on Trump "because he gives us good ratings." There's a reason they're known as The Cretin News Network.
Tonight wasn't bringing CNN back to the center. It was adding legitimacy to the far right's embrace of cruelty and lies. Might be good for short-term ratings but far from a winning long-term play with democracy, the rule of law, and reality itself under attack.
I keep wondering what the outer boundaries of this "center" I keep hearing about are. The news calls Joe Manchin a "centrist" and Bernie Sanders "extreme left". Somehow the "center" keeps moving further right, and maybe that's just how things got so crazy. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley reportedly compared some of the Jan 6th rioters (which the RNC calls "ordinary citizens engaged in in legitimate political discourse") to "the same people we fought in World War II" which seems to contrast with the media's bland perspective.
"...the "center" keeps moving farther right..." EXACTLY. It is my firm belief that we have shifted so far right that Barak Obama was the best Republican President we've had since Eisenhower.
CNN is not in the business of supporting “democracy, the rule of law, and reality”. They are in the business of selling ads. That’s it. Broadcasting news is just the way they get “eyeballs” to sell to advertisers. CNN decided recently that Fox News’ “eyeballs” were up for grabs, so they’re making a play for them. This is a battle between Fox and CNN to see who can out-MAGA the other.
CNN didn't go into business to sell ads. It started as a new organization. And like countless other types of media, CNN knew that if it provided enough compelling content, it would amass a large enough audience to sell ads. Ads to pay for its operations. Its other main funding source is cable company carriage fees.
In news organizations, there's alway been tension between people who produce content and those who use it to generate revenue. Nowadays, the lowering of journalistic standards is much more common in the quest for increased revenue. This is especially the case with TV.
But there's a price CNN will bear. It has undoubtedly scared off some advertisers and will lose some viewers. It will have to sink much, much lower to lure away a significant number of Fox viewers for the long term.
Sorry, but you have it backwards. The news media in this country - newspapers, magazines, tv news, online news like Twitter and Facebook - make revenue by doing one thing. Which is selling ads. I worked in the media business for years, I saw it first hand. The news media publish/broadcast news stories to attract readers, so they can sell those readers to advertisers. Advertising is where 80% of news media revenue and profits come from. This is the reason that so many newspapers and magazines have folded in the past twenty years. Not for a lack of news, or subscribers, but because advertisers have abandoned print media for online ads. The ad revenue has moved to google, facebook, twitter, etc. CNN has no principles, they are hungry for ratings because higher ratings mean higher ad sales. And don’t be fooled by a few advertisers temporarily suspending ads when a news show does something outrageous. If the ratings are high, the advertisers will return.
This is the tragedy of American journalism. Civics classes teach us about the importance of journalism, which holds those in power up to scrutiny, and keeps citizens informed. And how do we pay for this crucial part of our democratic system? With ads for soft drinks, deodorant and viagra. When those ads moved to Google, Instagram or TikTok, news media went out of business. Local newspapers, often the only media paying attention to state and local government, have been closing at the rate of two per week for the past twenty years. Journalism is drying up, for lack of ad revenue.
I know exactly how media companies operate. I spent 30 years or so working for them, mostly at high levels on the editorial side. My point was you can't sell ads unless you deliver content that attracts a sizable audience and remains a compelling part of people's lives.
Newspapers in general had been suffering from declining readership long before the advent of online. (By the way, I led creation of the one of the nation's earliest online papers and later became GM as the operations grew.) The launch of Craiglist, Cars.com, and other niche online ad sites gutted traditional classified advertising. That revenue essentially paid for newsprint, which of course became prohibitively expensive, too. (Even papers that invested heavily in online early on eventually declined and withered, unlike notable exceptions like the NYT, WaPo, and WSJ.)
The growth of niche news websites and social media platforms, which took advantage of the low cost of entry vs. print, further weakened readership. Steady Draconian cuts ensued as ad revenue and subscriptions declined sharply. But the NYT, for example, has flipped the traditional revenue model. It had 8.8 million digital only paying subscribers at the end of 2022 , compared to 730,000 print.
One reason the NYT is successful is that it has vastly expanded its digital content beyond traditional content with many very popular niche sites appealing to specialized interests.
Ah yes, the wonderful word of "mind meddlers". (I had been tempted to use more colorful language here but thought better of it in the end to avoid the use of profanity.) The marketing industry's endless propensity to continue to "Sell Snake oil" to the gullible.
I learned something from the Dominion lawsuit against Fox. Which is that the audience drives the agenda. I used to blame Fox for selling lies and snake oil. Then I learned through their internal memos that the audience demanded lies and snake oil, and would abandon Fox if it told the truth. We know the answer to the chicken and egg question. It’s the deplorables we have to blame for Fox, not Fox we should blame for deplorables.
I had never watched CNN until in a hospital where MSNBC was not a choice (2018). Quickly assessed that the average intelligence of presenters was at least 10 points less than those on MSNBC. Have not looked to them for news except occasionally BBC since.
She was outmatched and her bosses knew it before the debacle! They wouldn’t send Acosta or Tapper or Anderson or John King, either of whom would have destroyed Trump! Licht thinks he will inherit Fox’s audience but this was only a one night stand so Licht destroyed his franchise.
Acosta, maybe, Anderson, doubtful, but Tapper and King have been toeing the both sides line too much to be credible. For there to be two sides to any argument both have to be truthful, and honorable. When the trumpster side wouldn't know a truth if it hit them ion the face, they have no claim to a side.
It seems to me more likely the four top stars vetoed the suggestion they host the “Clown-hall”. They know it was a sick-decision by the new (conservative) CNN prez. Kaitlin Collins got the short straw, but now will only be remembered for being incompetent and willingly sacrificed for CNN’s president’s intentional choice to move CNN to the maga-sphere. Last night confirmed my boycott of CNN since the new prez,was a wise choice.
They think she learned something working at The Daily Caller - what they don't understand is you had to be a 4th rate talentless incompetent to work there.
I'm thinking the Trump team probably had something to do with the selection of a moderator, so I wouldn't be too hard on Kaitlin. I wished she had been more assertive, and found myself saying "cut his mike" several times. Also, if I were her, I would have just walked out and stopped the whole thing.
There were a number of really outrageous comments that they should have prepared her to stop the show, stand up and say: Mr. Trump: if you don’t apologize publicly right now for that stupid and offensive comment, you have just proven that you are not qualified to serve America as its President in the future! The crowd would go wild but she would stand her ground. There were a number of those really outrageous statements by him such as the debt
...Because that is the only way of catching the attention of the self-anointed Papa-Doc-style President-for-Life for a handful of milliseconds...
[My Freudian-slipping fingers just made a lovely one. When typing President-for-Life, they left out the f in Life... And of course, that's IT -- PRESIDENT-FOR-LIES...]
As for wanting four more years of THAT, Drumpfie-Junkies, don't want four years, they want FOREVER.
It's an unbroken drip-feed of Rip-Roarin'-Round-The-Clock-Entertainment that they're drooling for... A Roman circus arena... Libs stuck with Presidenshal Barbs before burning at the stake...
I have a vague and quite possibly inaccurate memory from elementary school that the president retains the title even in retirement. Evens so it feels wrong to honor Trump in any respect. His entire presentation to society seems fraudulent.
Not only is using the title of office in reference to him distasteful and gag-reflex-causing, putting his name in a sentence gives me the same reaction. I follow Steven Colbert's practice of using 'T****' to refer to him in all writing. His name is a word that needs to be more narrowly limited to card games: in political writing and speech it should be banned as offensive, like the 'n' word.
TUMP's entire life has been fraudulent and crime riddled. I don't know how true it is, but i have read that when he was 11 years old he hit his teacher in the face and his equally corrupt Father put him in a military school. He was rotten to the core even when he was just a child.
Because that's what you call an ex-president. Basic decorum. Unappreciated by this poor piece of protoplasm, but basic. CNN deserves all the grief it's gonna get. It's trying to out-FOX FOX, which used to have the largest audience. These changes are coming after a management shift at CNN. When Bryan Stelter saw it, he jumped off the CNN ship as quickly as possible. I miss his show.
Kathy, just to be sure, I looked it up online. The only authoritative guideline I found (without spending hours) was a DOT guideline on how to address people at the White House. It confirms that it's appropriate to call a past president, "Mr. President ".
Also, I've seen other TV interviews of past president's such as Clinton or Bush in which the formal "Mr. President " was used. It was those observations that led to write my first comment in this thread.
Ironically, a column in Emily Post disagrees and says that's inappropriate, but whoever is writing that etiquette column wouldn't be what I consider an authority. That said, my gut tells me that addressing Trump, "Mr. President" is an assault on the dignity of that office.
Mad as hell and putting Twitter to good use to boycott CNN and their advertisers:
Hey you know what? Warner Bros. Discovery owns @CNN. Here’s their phone number. (212) 548-5555. It would be a shame if people flooded their phone lines to share their thoughts on tonight’s Traitor Town Hall. #BoycottCNN
Cable TV is dying. Media advertising is in a slump for now. But quite soon, it will pick up steam again and the money is shifting rapidly to streaming platforms and whatever shows up on your phone. CNN thinks that the remaining crumbs lie with the demographic that also watches Faux.
I haven't watched CNN since we cut the cord. It was so tiring. Endless loops of recycled "breaking news". The "town hall" yesterday was the last nail in the coffin for many of us. Ted Turner - you had a good thing going - you must be truly embarrassed. Like having a kid or grandchild that is busted.
Message to Chris Licht (CEO): you have gone to the dark side. Your resume was golden but your legacy will be "Titanic".
Yes, and they are trying to pick up viewers who have deserted Fox. When the defeated former president called his CNN interviewer a 'nasty person,' last night, she should have responded agressively with something like 'Not as nasty as you, you son of a bitch.' It was a personal insult to her and she should have responded in kind. But she didn't. She even shook his hand after the interview. I hope she washed it afterwards. CNN lacks the guts that MSNBC has. In addition to the campaign rally for the defeated former president, who continues to lie every time he opens his mouth, they also featured an overly friendly Wolf Blitzer interview yesterday with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, that more properly belonged on Fox.
Very good, BK. Yesterday, per Jessica Craven's ChopWood/Carry Water suggestion, I sent my email to CNN to protest the NH town hall (I like your "town squall" better!)
"I am writing to protest your providing a free platform to a twice impeached, convicted sexual offender, insurrectionist, and enemy of democracy whose strongest legacy will always be violence as an extension of our democratic processes (National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem)
"Per Siva Vaidhyanathan of The Guardian, 'Putting a microphone and three cameras on Trump as if he were just another candidate and not an instigator of the violent disruption of American democracy and leader of a conspiracy to overthrow the results of a national election is the height of journalistic irresponsibility.'
"If you really want to serve the people, provide your platform to serious candidates who will legitimately pitch their ideas to the American people."
Same. Sent my email before the thing was over. Now I have to figure out how to make up with my husband , who refused to even watch, and thought I was a fool for doing so. He was more than right. Giving oxygen to that dangerous, cruel monster of a man was a huge mistake for CNN. The worst part was watching the audience cheer his performance on , laugh about his sexual assault, and respond positively to his demeaning treatment of Kaitlyn Collins. What have we become?? I felt like I was watching old footage of a Hitler rally.
So long, CNN. You gave away whatever integrity you had left with this stupid move.
Indeed. Cable is in a spiral dive. Cut the cord. If you need some big network stuff, get it for free on the Roku channel. Want sports and everything else? YouTubeTV.
One of the most satisfying things we have done is to tell Comcast to take a hike.
Me too! It's one of the best decisions I have made. I told Comcast it was because I did not want to support Fox, as they would not allow me to have programing without it. I don't miss any of it! And I also wrote to CNN telling them what I thought about their having a Trump Town Hall, but obviously to no avail. Nice to hear that so many of us did the same. However, I do think it has damaged them more than they know. Time will tell....
I canceled Comcast about two years ago, because their rates got so high, and they are a monopoly in my area. Don't miss it. I watch clips of the important stuff on YouTube and read online WaPo and NYT. I'm more informed than I used to be and telling Comcast to take a hike gave me great satisfaction.
Rachel has a podcast you can listen to for free. Maybe Melber does too. I haven’t had cable tv in over 8+ years. Between NPR and other radio stations…I don’t miss my tv at all.
I appreciate your comments, Debbie. I simply do not find another commentator like Ari Melber. This guy reminds me of the best of Keith Olbermann. Melber is astute, belied by his career as a victor. And of course, Rachel Maddow on Mondays is a date nite for the wife and I.
Thank you for letting me know…I just added his podcast to my library 😊 I’ve actually heard him on All In with Chris Hays. I am a public library employee and find listening to these free podcasts is enough for me. I don’t have the extra funds to pay to view but I can certainly understand the joy in actually watching these wonderful commentators. Enjoy and take care.
Both Ari Melber and Rachel Maddow can be viewed on YouTube. Check out those offerings in making your decision (I haven't checked out the podcasts, but watch every day - Melber - and whenever she's on -Maddow).
I haven’t had cable since 2008. Streaming, podcasts and reading fill my days. Far less ads, which I detest ... really, I don’t need anyone to tell me what to spend my money on... I do fine by myself.
Thank you BK, I think I shall use that link. They've shrunk below low brow entertainment value... I dare not offer what level that might be in polite company. "Town squall" is dead on.
I agree it was stupid and CNN deserves the criticism. They might be trying to woo maganuts from FOX. I didn't watch. I do like some of their shows, though, so I will keep picking and choosing.
I did the same thing and wrote an email telling them that they lost all credibility give a minute of airtime to that pathological liar psychopath. I honestly don’t know what they were thinking, except maybe the new leadership at CNN want to capture some of Fox’s right wing audience. There was no way Katlin was going to control him and have an honest conversation. Trump totally steamrolled her to the delight of the audience. Sad!
I can't find where to send them feedback, because that link doesn't work any more. Have they taken down their feedback page? I wonder why they would do that. ☹️
If the link takes you to the home page, use the line drawing of the person in a circle, a common image for “my account” far right on bottom of screen. Then go to preferences, scroll to general and you should see Feedback and Contact Us. Use one or all. 😡 After sending a feedback text, I found the link works perfectly.
I could find appropriate choices there, So I asked them to make an automatic shutoff feature when the "STUPID"ity level accelerates such as the airing of the town hall meeting.
Just like the abortion issues are bringing out the vote so will the sexual assault issues among others. Trump can play to zombies and yes they will stick with him but Democrats have every substantial talking point now, they just need to use them, repeat over and over, your candidate is a sexual predator, repeat your candidate is a sexual predator, repeat...
Christopher, I used that "your candidate is a sexual predator" strategy throughout the first cycle of this horror show. Republicans DON'T CARE. It's a plus for far too many of them.
I think I'm a tad more optimistic than that, Alexandra. I remember writing friends after I woke up from a two day depression after Election night in November of 2016, that the 56% of white women who voted for Trump did so with one hand while covering their.....with the other.
Now, after years of his tedious sociopathy and in the wake of the Carroll verdict, he will certainly lose a significant amount of that vote. I don't see any segment of the population making that up for him, assuming he's not on the last train to Leavenworth by then in any event.
Daniel, I want to believe you. My personal experience is that there's a significant (and to me, suicidally depressing) percentage of white women who enable sexual predators and happily, madly vote for their own oppression - like all the anti-abortion fanatics who want to impose their superstitions on other women so no one has more freedom than they do.
It's very difficult to have any optimism for the US since Dobbs. But I can't tell you how much I appreciate YOUR optimism. Truly. This site, and you people, are lifesaving right now.
You have a painfully insightful point too, Alexandra. And I thank you for your kind and gracious words. We all have to hold onto each other with love and respect, and gird ourselves for the fight ahead.
My President has my unwavering and relentless support. As James Clyburn knew, no one in the country had the particular skill set and knowledge needed to bring us this far back from the brink. Biden is a hero, in my book.
Alexandra, it is not their own oppression unless it happens to them, which it won't. If they're still fertile and want an abortion, they can afford to procure one. If they're a victim of predation they can afford the legal fee and/or job change. The patriarchy benefits them so they vote for it. Evidence of patriarchal behavior with impunity is a bona fide.
Daniel, you brought back memories. I was volunteering at a Hilary campaign office in Berkeley, CA. I was totally sick. That business with Comey, what do you think?
They organized a grieving party the following Saturday......about `100 people showed up.
Yep. I agree with your half-sister. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Comey will never get off my personal shit list because of that. Not that he cares about what I think of him, but still.
Aside from all that he spewed forth in his filmed deposition (and confirming what a dastardly dude he is) one thing that I vividly noticed was how glowingly bright orange he was….maybe his tanning makeup is named Glorange?
I once heard him called an orange-haired orangutan. But these primates come by their color naturally. I heard light can distort brain cells...I wonder if Trump sits too long under the tanning machine.
Agreed. The 'town hall' I did not watch did not gain TFG any new supporters. It just made his base base giddy. He lost by 7 million, and his old voters are dying daily. We don't need to (and can't) convert a single cultist. We just need all sane Americans to get off their arses and help him lose by 11 million next time. The only thing that will break the cult's fever is chronic losing (or TFG's inevitable rendezvous with the actuarial tables).
Yes indeed and if I may interject, the defeats must include those members of congress who refuse to protect women’s’ reproductive rights, refuse to enact nationwide gun safety legislation and refuse to fight climate change that is very real! The 18-25s recognize these challenges and we must do all in our power to support their voter registration and turnout. So please, please, go to www.turnup.us/ asap as this amazing group of Harvard students is the most effective nonpartisan voter registration effort in the country! I believe I know what I’m talking about as my nonprofit nonpartisan foundation has registered 105,000 high school seniors BUT www.turnup.us/ does it much better so I am joining forces with them to save our Democracy in 24! Please help them now? Thank you! Sincerely, Ira Lechner
They would rather have a convicted sexual assaulter / twice- impeached / insurrectionist, that EVER vote for a liberal. R’s constantly say, “He may be a blowhard, but I like his policies”. Businessmen line up behind fascists because “it’s good for business”. If this were not true, they would be howling about mccarthy’s debt-ceiling position. They are not.
There is no unanimity among lifelong conservative families and these Trump crazies. That was proven in 2020 by a huge margin of 7 Million votes which included a substantial number of those business conservatives and middle of the road Indys. I submit that Trump has gotten crazier and three more criminal indictments in the next few months will cast him even closer to the worst of the worst radicals who can’t win except in Southern dictatorships!
I hope you're right, Ira. But we've seen how often they just decide to ignore it and line up behind him anyway. The media are going to have to do a h--- of a lot better than CNN just did.
The media tore up the Vietnam War and Nixon, yet ate out of Reagan's hand. It's not been the same since. I stopped watching commercial TV in the run-up to the GWB Iraq War. The newscasts I was seeing looked more like cheer-leading minus the colorful pompoms, rather than useful reporting.
Alexandra: he was so outrageous on so many issues that he thrilled his base but lost the Indys and 20% or more of the strictly business Rs! After three more indictments very soon, his total percentage will be about 35% at most! Watch !
By that reckoning, he's got it made. He can earn comfortably during the yawning years that remain of his life, punching the air on video and asking for money to save America. The overhead light will illuminate the shaven side fringes of silver hair, the baggy eyes, trembling wattles, and that voice with its falling cadence of a whine.
I have serious doubts about those possibilities Ira. 'Bidnis' types won't scream until their hit hard enough in the wallet. That should be a common mission for any and all opposed to their funded madness.
My husband is a R, (I am an I) and he certainly does Care. My point is that Biden won 2020 with over 7 million votes. I find it hard to believe that an R could win the next President in 2024
But this fight is NOT about character. If it was, being a jury-convicted-sexual-assaulter would matter. BUT this is all about raw power-mongering, and harnessing the willingly-violent-zombie-minority to do the dirty, fascist work for them. This “summoning” of our worst, darkest, hating impulses is a tool in the Mindf*ck War we are in for total minority control of the levers of power, and cultural content. CNN is another captured entity.
And all Reaganomics ever did was to greatly enrich the ultra-rich, and shrink the middle class. After 40+ years of this nonsense they certainly got their chance.
JL Graham, do you have the figures on what has happened to the middle class? I wonder how many Americans with “middle class incomes” still exist. Until the minimum wage is raised to $24 an hour, how can we have a middle class? Food inflation will continue with climate change and until price gouging is under control.
Why are you watching Donald Trump? He is a liar and a con man. All he ever does is lie. Why is CNN shamelessly giving a national spotlight to a liar and con man? To boost their sagging ratings. Despicable. That is not news, not journalism. That is self-serving propoganda.
Couldn't agree more. CNN embarrassed itself by putting on the Trump infomercial. I like Kaitlan Collins, but she was given a thankless job from what I here, as I certainly didn't watch. I watched two good games in the NBA conference semi-finals.
For CNN to run this Trumpian infomercial with what I hear included the usual knuckle draggers in the audience is horrific. Journalism set back.
Elaine, why am I watching Donald Trump? I suppose for the same reason I sometimes watch flying insects hit the bug zapper. He has an uncanny ability to avoid the grid, but hopefully, someday soon, we will be treated to his grizzly demise. The man is an absolute swine. I want to be there when it happens.
Well hello CNN! Move over, Fox News! I was prepared to be disappointed by a poorly produced town hall meeting that could give Trump a national prime time podium. I was totally unprepared to see what was clearly a well produced campaign event featuring Donald, complete with an audience that was obviously heavily biased toward him, enthusiastically applauding his rambling responses to softball questions from “randomly picked” audience members as he bulldozed the thin voiced moderator Kaitlan Collins all over the stage. All that’s left for CNN is to hire Tucker Carlson.
I have a feeling Kaitlan Collins will be leaving CNN in the near future. Why CNN would choose her, knowing how misogynistic Trump is, is beyond me. No surprise whatsoever that he steamrolled her. I did't watch, I wouldn't even if I could (I'm overseas presently), CNN is down the tubes as far as I'm concerned. One HAD to know this would be a circus for Trump. It doesn't seem like CNN bothered to have anyone but Trump supporters in the audience.
She pulled the short straw. Trapper, Anderson, King, and Blitzer all knew enough and perhaps were more contractually-able to say “NO!” to the career-suicide mission demanded by the CNN prez.
Absolutely excellent synopsis of the important stories of the day. The story about repub continued obstruction for the debt ceiling is only one example of wasting critical time that should be spent on governing, policies and legislation, such as gun laws, child and family policies, the environment. Simply the present and future. Add to that, the popularity of tfg and his town hall, ridiculously sponsored by CNN, the arrest of George Santos, ($500,00 bail!, where did that come from?) now that the repubs got their vote for Speaker of the House, how optimistic should we be that the American public will dump trump? We can hope more juries find him guilty and that the repub voters wake up. Gratitude to E. Jean Carroll for her courage in standing up to tfg. And the Jury that found tfg guilty. And to every woman and man who are speaking Truth to the power of corruption. Speaking Truth to Power. “As Biden tweeted after the performance: “It’s simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that?”
Morning, Lynell. Are we losing too much sleep when “ the more things change the more they stay the same”? At least we can sing: https://youtu.be/VzLXYENyJMQ
Perfect song choice, Irenie! And us (we?) being here on Heather's substack is so appropriate, for who knows more than anybody how true it is that the past and the present look so much alike!
Irenie, if any of us working folks performed at our jobs like many members of Congress do, we’d be let go for underperforming…and I’m mostly talking about the obstructionists and those who decide not to present bills put forward to be voted on. And for this they get paid?????!!!!! Some there are working hard, some are hardly working!
Yes, the obstructionists are paid, every one of them, whether they do their jobs or do nothing. You’re right. We and most professionals wouldn’t last long in our paid jobs if we did not perform. We’re evaluated. Voting is a slow form of evaluation.
Agree! Sadly, however, I think too many constituents do not pay attention to what their elected reps actually do (or don’t do) on the job. As for me, I subscribe to my reps (both Fed & State) newsletters and I follow their legislative actions and their support/voting record on legislation. I also take the time to contact them from time to time to let them know my opinions/views & thank them for doing a good job (I am VERY lucky to have great Fed/State reps)—I also do that by contacting the While House to let them know I support the Biden/Harris/Admin agenda and (most) of their actions. Of course being retired I have time to pay attention to this, something not everyone is able to do…but hopefully engaged folks will at least be “skimming” the information to stay informed. I am saddened by the voter suppression efforts as I am a firm supporter of making it easier for citizens to vote, not harder…after all, isn’t that what the USA democracy is supposed to stand for? Call me a Pollyanna, but I don’t want to stoop to dirty tricks to win elections as it has too big of a “yuck” factor for me.
I’m good with Pollyanna. I’m good with Ann of Green Gables. I’m good with sunny days and happier times. Just please get the obstructionists back on their meds.
“No medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat antisocial personality disorder.” ** Very difficult to treat. Must be voted out.
I think we would be wise to better acquaint ourselves with the symptoms as they can be highly seductive. Also, I detect traces of Jeckyll and Hyde in everyone, including in the mirror. It seems to me that over-the-top "sociopathy", with complete indifference if not enjoyment of harming others looks to me to be pretty much the same as what is also call "evil".
Says Hamlet: "The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape". Says Pogo; "We have met the enemy and he is us".
I have treated sociopathic horses with success. While the surgery may seem harsh to some, the long term benefits to both patient and handler are incalculably beneficial.
My wife, daughter, and I are quite fond of "Anne", including the recent TV series "Anne With an "E". That's the stuff that makes life a joy amid impermanence, perfidy and sorrow.
Some stand out as Let-Them-Hate-Us-So-Long-As-They-Fear-Us, and some stand out as liberators. Some want to control, and others to empower.
Both approaches "get things done", and violence is the "easy way"; but at what price? Varieties of these approaches can be found in families, organizations, societies; and be salient to recorded history, or only to a few, including couples; though there is likely to be carryover to posterity, and to society as a whole.
R's know every successful business needs marketing and sales people. So they've gotten some great ones elected. They're not supposed to be generating policy.
Shame on CNN for not going into that encounter without a clear and bipartisan strategy for fact checking. I don't THINK tfg is electable but half the country seems perfectly capable of voting for him because they're in love with chaos. I can only hope these points are true:
----A Biden campaign advisor told NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli: “Weeks worth of damning content in one hour…. It was quite efficient." ---
Well, every decent news agency BETTER get on that, like yesterday.
----It might turn out that, as journalist Ana Navarro-Cárdenas tweeted, “[Joe Biden] is the winner of tonight’s town-hall.” ----
----As Biden tweeted after the performance: “It’s simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that?---
Yes, the Town Hall, free campaign rally. There is no way CNN should have sponsored a Criminal on a national televised rally. A debate, maybe, but that should be between two or more real candidates. Real.
There are posts that might have been put up after yours, with the phone numbers and emails to let them know they did! I copy/pasted them here, below. Not sure the link will work this way, but at least you know what to look for above.
BK
4 hr ago
I sent my email to CNN prior to their "town squall" that I and my family are done with them and will no longer view or read any media associated with their logo. But, you can send yours today with the link below. It's very easy:
Feedback
Feedback
I also plan to do the same with their advertisers if anyone has that list & link(s).
Ellie Kona
3 hr ago
Mad as hell and putting Twitter to good use to boycott CNN and their advertisers:
Hey you know what? Warner Bros. Discovery owns @CNN. Here’s their phone number. (212) 548-5555. It would be a shame if people flooded their phone lines to share their thoughts on tonight’s Traitor Town Hall. #BoycottCNN
Alexandra, I sometimes think that it is good to be a senior citizen, because if we slide into fascism hopefully my final resting will soon arrive. BUT, I worry about my kids/grandkids. I swear that I'd emigrate and take them all with me, but I lack the funds to do so.
Miselle, i have had the same thoughts many times. Like the last scene in Fiddler On The Roof. But besides lacking the money to do it, I have to let my grown up grandkids choose their own way. So - all I can do, in my ninth decade - is live by example - keep reading and sharing Heather, Timothy Snyder, and every other anti fascist thinker and journalist I can find, vote, and refuse to take the knee to any easy way out.
Yes, Susan, I keep wondering and saying, why don’t you move to Canada? I would go too. But they don’t want to disrupt their kids’ and their own lives. I think at my age, over 75 and single, I need to be near family. Closest are 165 miles away and 3000 miles. I have many many friends, who have moved to Portugal and Spain. They have partners and grown children and courage. Like me, they have walked the Camino De Santiago numerous times, are open to learning new languages but the key I think is being connected to another person. Just in case. My kids’ generation believes they or I could hop on a plane, and be there. Wherever There is. The distance is the generation gap.
Phone Warner Bros. Discovery and tweet their number:
Hey you know what? Warner Bros. Discovery owns @CNN. Here’s their phone number. (212) 548-5555. It would be a shame if people flooded their phone lines to share their thoughts on tonight’s Traitor Town Hall. #BoycottCNN
I hope that everyone reading or quoting from the Prof's letter makes sure to include the sources for her comments. This blog provides proof of everything written unlike the unproven sources for everything produced by the magapublicans and all the rest. No proof there, merely propaganda. keep up the good work HCR.
I always do. I always source Dr. Richardson with her words I use and tell everyone where to find HER sources, which are extensive. Professors know how to research.
Watching that pathetic little putz Santos (soooo in need of an introduction of his face to a baseball bat - repeatedly) try to deflect by referring to the "Biden family" - "I'm only here four months and I'm indicted? They're here for years and nothing!" (maybe, little boy, because - like everything else you scum believe - there's no there there). I hope they give him 30 years.
Don't you think he can be forgiven for believing everyone does it and gets away with it? I mean look at all of these R's walking around free and unindicted!
Brilliant, educational, and timely. How you do it so consistently is beyond me. I wish I were a student and you were my professor. But then, I am, I suppose.
Thx Professor. I watched the “show”. The one who shall not be named just proved to me what a scourge he was on America and still is and I’m sorry to have to say that. I believe that he lost tonight, to the people that have enough common sense to see it for what it was, I hope. President Joe truly cares about America. Peace to everybody.
Comer, not Comey in the discussion of the report. Old habits die hard. :) (It's fixed now.)
lol ~
Not fixed yet.
no, Mr. Biden, I do not “want four more years of that.” Thank you for your common sense and good governance.
What a great ad. Show snippets of the awful "town hall". Then add, "Do you want 4 more years of that? " Thank God, I did not watch that awful "town hall."
I'm with you JennSH! I didn't watch, not only because I can't bare to see his face, hear his voice nor listen to his insipid lies, I don't want to add even one more point to CNN's ratings. They don't deserve it!
Same here, while part of me wanted some good laughs, CNN doesn't deserve any attention.
I got through about 10 minutes of it and had to turn it off. Ruined my evening. It was just horrible.
Only Trump's most fervent admirers would bare to see his face.
Here’s an NYT gifted article on the “town hall.” I didn’t watch it and the article brought my anger level down somewhat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/opinion/trump-cnn-town-hall.html?unlocked_article_code=lvm03czlj_7nb3o5N3TM6xkbHcNZpZb892U5WJxOQsRxI5Dn6sf2HBbPPVRzZdVtD16XYUj1RPgFLx8NF29uidf1cRaTWkvO1D8L6xmH5s81cxp68PNP4co4O6z4dqJnQowSSbA018h_kxY_aiMpGURqITSNrfvYlWqmEiUNnXO8_nkMDZgR9Ol5Uou9dMxmzBVUb7I_FTzpIleDmr668H8lRh69Q_DLcMtbW1AeqFZLxj8d1uvV7XPRSSU3L7bUEoEnjYA5iyLWpu3wxYMZ67Jkz7B3YHrdCgJil0UjPB5gBzRMlcy4aB_1Cz3SDj0hOpaeGYolGl91HJYUFg&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
"ever the peacock, always cuckoo." priceless.
Frank Bruni is a very gifted writer who in this particular column deftly eviscerates Trump. Highly recommend it.
Indeed !!
Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for the NYT article
What a fantastic opinion article. Thank you for sharing!
I told my bro-in-law that there was no barf bag big enough and of course, didn't watch although I did joke with my hubby when we started the series we are watching that I really wanted to watch it instead.
To clarify, it’s a Frank Bruni opinion piece.
Thanks for gifting that article. Good reading!
To ADD insult to injury here is a like to CNN's Meanwhile in America article regarding TrumptyDumpty's performance this month. Hope you enjoy as much as I did, the Strangeness of this apparent contradiction!! Bothsideism at its best. More theater of the absurd, I think. https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/inbox/id/AQMkADAwATIwMTAwAC0wMzQ1LTEwMjktMDACLTAwCgBGAAADCo7HiBQSl0WbDG4hPscz%2BQcAOtJulyByBUizSUjA%2FoKncwAAAgEMAAAAOtJulyByBUizSUjA%2FoKncwAGKxmo2AAAAA%3D%3D
Today’s letter shows why the Republican Party is in a death spiral.Assertions to the contrary remind of the man who jumps off a skyscraper. Halfway down, someone in a window yells, “How’re you dong?”
“Fine so far.”
Nope. My Dad said the line is, “So far, so good!”
M A,
You don't want four more years of these kinds of (recent) interviews? No matter how hilarious they are?
https://www.wsj.com/video/in-deposition-trump-says-historically-stars-can-grab-women-by-genitals/9925F3D8-9B68-45F9-9DC1-83467D65F42C.html
After all, FOR A MILLION YEARS STARS "have been grabbing them by the p****y". A million years "folks".
Recent interview with the WSJ...... The Leader of the Family Values Party speaks.
Headed off to wake my wife up "Family Values Style". Let's see how it goes but I am sure Trump must be right. How could he be wrong?
Would love to know who the stars were a million years ago....probably still hanging around in trees and giving the call of the wild.
Mike? Hello? It's been an hour. Are you alright? If you survive, next time, "Do it Gangnam Style". You might not live it down, but you have a better chance of surviving.
:-)
Jerry, I had to look up Gangnam style, and, even after reading, still am puzzled by the new term!
Still alive here, but, mostly because, as a gentleman, I think I can go my entire life without "grabbing" anyone, anywhere.
That is why I am not in the Family Values Party. Too "hands on" for me.
It's just a silly song and dance out of Korea that hit the American scene about a decade ago. No grabbing required.
With subtitles:
https://youtu.be/wMMp-09BHa0
“Gangnam Style" is a South Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam region of Seoul, where people are trendy, hip, and exude a certain supposed class.”
And it doesn't resemble Trump-style or Family Values Party-style, correct? No class, hip or trend there.
If you find it on YouTube with English subtitles, you'll see that the message is on the silly side, with respect. Almost an anti-Trump.
Exactly.
Omigosh I laughed out loud at "Headed off to wake my wife up 'Family Values Style'" - thanks, Mike!
Evil clowns with dangerous weapons. The "GOP" provides 'gallows humor".
Not that I don't laugh.
🤣🤣🤣
I think Heather buried the lede here. But when she got to it, she was comprehensive. I had been waiting breathlessly (well, perhaps not quite that eagerly) for her summary and I much appreciated what she wrote.
I watched a sizable chunk of it then turned off the tv with a deep sense of dread. It had been obvious to me that the idea of CNN hosting a town hall with Trump was a disaster in the making. What I didn’t know was that the network would stack the deck with a pro-Trump audience. What madness that was. It’s as if they were conspiring with Trump to rehabilitate him. Or perhaps they have designs of being Trump’s sweetheart media outlet now that Fox is in the midst of its come to Jesus moment. So they gave us a Trump rally. All that was missing were monster trucks.
Kaitlan Collins is the network’s rising young star. She is excellent - always well-prepared, substantive and thoughtful. She is also freaking 31 years old. Trump massacred her. For anyone who cares about women this was incredibly painful. She was thrown to the wolf and he ate her for lunch. CNN has a responsibility to nurture its rising talent. Making her Trump’s prey did her no favors. With an ape like him, why on earth would they have chosen her? He’s been doing his contemptuous thing with women for decades. She wasn’t going to stop him. Unwillingly, she time and time again ceded to him. She was non-sexual prey for him. Trump sloughed off her best efforts.
Just as Heather said, it turned out to be a rally. Trump slashed Democratic tires and broke their windows. And the goons in the audience cheered him on.
Biden’s post-debacle tweet was about the best that could have been done, when we all had absorbed the carnage he and his MAGA buddies in the audience inflicted. It is a fool’s game to believe that the Democrats can make ads off this. Anything they do in this direction will be simply singing to the choir.
On the other hand, Trump will fundraise like mad using this. He gave a master class in Trumpism - deflecting, raising laughter with ironic comments, picking his enormous scabs, knocking off softball questions without breaking a sweat. He was bold, aggressive, crushed fact checkers with his lies and left his crowd in jubilation.
CNN simply rehabilitated Trump in the eyes of his crowd. He has had a brutal start to his campaign, except inasmuch as deSantis has offered himself up as this campaign’s obligatory sock puppet. In one hour Trump brought wavering followers back into his embrace, offering the easily seduced a ride across the water on the crocodile’s back. And I have no doubt he gained a substantial number of new followers. Carpe diem - Trump’s malignant superpower.
Jesus, CNN. Get that new leadership out before they do real damage.
The above is not to be interpreted as hand wringing while conceding the election. In fact it will have served a good purpose if it wakes decent Americans to the clear and present danger Trump presents.
I honestly believed that the DOJ would have long since done its job and seen him off by now. In my naïveté I didn’t even consider there was as much as a non-zero chance he would be candidate. But the most powerful law in the land fucking fiddled while Trump cynically dodged.
Perhaps this will be a Pyrrhic victory for Trump. By all rights he should have little chance of winning a general election. But he’s beginning to feel like a winner again and that’s dangerous.
There are millions of Americans buried in the sad detritus of failed lives, unhappy and lonely. The cold hard predations of undisturbed capitalism have left them behind. Many have been raised by parents who themselves had long ago lost a sense of meaning in their lives. They are the poisoned fruit of the atrocious but historic Reagan revolution. They swim daily in the noxious fumes of social media. They are bleeding and dangerous. But Trump is their oxygen. They *thrill* to the danger that this master of chaos presents. They wish they were him.
Please God, this train has to be stopped. Last night was both flashback and fiasco.
Prof. Joyce Vance explains why the clock ticks slowly on indictments. Knowing this from her has made me wonder whether there will be more Republican Representatives to be indicted too. The leader of the Where's Hunter Biden pack, Jim Jordan should be indictable as far as I understand. Santos may just be the canary in the coal mine of Republican fascists to go down.
I think there’s a possibility of that as long as Trump doesn’t surge. The DOJ knew the length indictments take. But they wasted a year without investigating Trump while Garland made public to MAGA that he would be even handed. So weak!
Only when Casey Hutchinson threw open the doors did DOJ panic. Now we have Jack Smith, working with admirable directness, it seems. But he cannot expand time. He cannot push back the election date. We will be - at the very best - knee deep in appeals in November of 2024.
I still believe that Trump has shrunk his electorate because so many people not only despise him, but feel contempt for him.
Biden should win, but last night was damaging.
We are still 18 months away. There will be other things catch us totally by surprise. It’s Biden’s to lose but Fate plays with us.
Extremely well said. Completely agree. I naively thought TFG would have been charged already too.
How I can be so old and still so naive?
I always think good will prevail.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1656507322770833408.html
Michael Harriot of the Grio always has great takes!
An elegant analogy. I too don’t see hidden motivation in CNN.
“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately ascribed to stupidity.”
Thank you. :)
This is a hard comment to "Like", but I agree with every word, especially your penultimate sentence. We CANNOT go through any more time under Trumpian-style dystopia.
Simple answer to President Biden's question: "No f-ing way!!!!
Biden should have said, "four more years of that crap". Vulgar, but better for grabbing attention.
I wonder how much The Predatory Psychoath's team paid Kaitlin Collins to pretend to confront him. Her inadequacy was over the top.
Is Chris Leicht (formerly of Late Night with Steven Colbert) responsible for the CNN Town Hall for this?
CNN is trying to outfox Fox and, in the process, has ruined what was left of its already stained reputation.
CNN is under orders from Chief Reality Schmuck David Zaslav at WBD to "bring the network back to the center" (i.e., attract Republicans) and they have been mired at third place in ratings that they're in danger of being overtaken by NewsMax and becoming #4. So they decided to use the gameplan from Jeff ZuckerTheFucker (as we used to call him here in Hollywood) of bringing on Trump "because he gives us good ratings." There's a reason they're known as The Cretin News Network.
Tonight wasn't bringing CNN back to the center. It was adding legitimacy to the far right's embrace of cruelty and lies. Might be good for short-term ratings but far from a winning long-term play with democracy, the rule of law, and reality itself under attack.
I keep wondering what the outer boundaries of this "center" I keep hearing about are. The news calls Joe Manchin a "centrist" and Bernie Sanders "extreme left". Somehow the "center" keeps moving further right, and maybe that's just how things got so crazy. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley reportedly compared some of the Jan 6th rioters (which the RNC calls "ordinary citizens engaged in in legitimate political discourse") to "the same people we fought in World War II" which seems to contrast with the media's bland perspective.
"...the "center" keeps moving farther right..." EXACTLY. It is my firm belief that we have shifted so far right that Barak Obama was the best Republican President we've had since Eisenhower.
CNN is not in the business of supporting “democracy, the rule of law, and reality”. They are in the business of selling ads. That’s it. Broadcasting news is just the way they get “eyeballs” to sell to advertisers. CNN decided recently that Fox News’ “eyeballs” were up for grabs, so they’re making a play for them. This is a battle between Fox and CNN to see who can out-MAGA the other.
CNN didn't go into business to sell ads. It started as a new organization. And like countless other types of media, CNN knew that if it provided enough compelling content, it would amass a large enough audience to sell ads. Ads to pay for its operations. Its other main funding source is cable company carriage fees.
In news organizations, there's alway been tension between people who produce content and those who use it to generate revenue. Nowadays, the lowering of journalistic standards is much more common in the quest for increased revenue. This is especially the case with TV.
But there's a price CNN will bear. It has undoubtedly scared off some advertisers and will lose some viewers. It will have to sink much, much lower to lure away a significant number of Fox viewers for the long term.
Sorry, but you have it backwards. The news media in this country - newspapers, magazines, tv news, online news like Twitter and Facebook - make revenue by doing one thing. Which is selling ads. I worked in the media business for years, I saw it first hand. The news media publish/broadcast news stories to attract readers, so they can sell those readers to advertisers. Advertising is where 80% of news media revenue and profits come from. This is the reason that so many newspapers and magazines have folded in the past twenty years. Not for a lack of news, or subscribers, but because advertisers have abandoned print media for online ads. The ad revenue has moved to google, facebook, twitter, etc. CNN has no principles, they are hungry for ratings because higher ratings mean higher ad sales. And don’t be fooled by a few advertisers temporarily suspending ads when a news show does something outrageous. If the ratings are high, the advertisers will return.
This is the tragedy of American journalism. Civics classes teach us about the importance of journalism, which holds those in power up to scrutiny, and keeps citizens informed. And how do we pay for this crucial part of our democratic system? With ads for soft drinks, deodorant and viagra. When those ads moved to Google, Instagram or TikTok, news media went out of business. Local newspapers, often the only media paying attention to state and local government, have been closing at the rate of two per week for the past twenty years. Journalism is drying up, for lack of ad revenue.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/30/newspapers-closing-us-rate-two-a-week
I know exactly how media companies operate. I spent 30 years or so working for them, mostly at high levels on the editorial side. My point was you can't sell ads unless you deliver content that attracts a sizable audience and remains a compelling part of people's lives.
Newspapers in general had been suffering from declining readership long before the advent of online. (By the way, I led creation of the one of the nation's earliest online papers and later became GM as the operations grew.) The launch of Craiglist, Cars.com, and other niche online ad sites gutted traditional classified advertising. That revenue essentially paid for newsprint, which of course became prohibitively expensive, too. (Even papers that invested heavily in online early on eventually declined and withered, unlike notable exceptions like the NYT, WaPo, and WSJ.)
The growth of niche news websites and social media platforms, which took advantage of the low cost of entry vs. print, further weakened readership. Steady Draconian cuts ensued as ad revenue and subscriptions declined sharply. But the NYT, for example, has flipped the traditional revenue model. It had 8.8 million digital only paying subscribers at the end of 2022 , compared to 730,000 print.
One reason the NYT is successful is that it has vastly expanded its digital content beyond traditional content with many very popular niche sites appealing to specialized interests.
Ah yes, the wonderful word of "mind meddlers". (I had been tempted to use more colorful language here but thought better of it in the end to avoid the use of profanity.) The marketing industry's endless propensity to continue to "Sell Snake oil" to the gullible.
I learned something from the Dominion lawsuit against Fox. Which is that the audience drives the agenda. I used to blame Fox for selling lies and snake oil. Then I learned through their internal memos that the audience demanded lies and snake oil, and would abandon Fox if it told the truth. We know the answer to the chicken and egg question. It’s the deplorables we have to blame for Fox, not Fox we should blame for deplorables.
Exaxctly right.
Bringing in Trump does not bring the network to a center!
I had never watched CNN until in a hospital where MSNBC was not a choice (2018). Quickly assessed that the average intelligence of presenters was at least 10 points less than those on MSNBC. Have not looked to them for news except occasionally BBC since.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1656507322770833408.html
(Michael Harriot of the Grio)
And I only saw a clip of the townhall, but why was Kaitlin calling him Mr. President?
She was outmatched and her bosses knew it before the debacle! They wouldn’t send Acosta or Tapper or Anderson or John King, either of whom would have destroyed Trump! Licht thinks he will inherit Fox’s audience but this was only a one night stand so Licht destroyed his franchise.
Acosta, maybe, Anderson, doubtful, but Tapper and King have been toeing the both sides line too much to be credible. For there to be two sides to any argument both have to be truthful, and honorable. When the trumpster side wouldn't know a truth if it hit them ion the face, they have no claim to a side.
Anderson seemed to address the mess tonight.
Hope he didn't just support CNN
I’ll bet Tapper, Acosta and King refused to moderate this sh*t show. Last night confirmed my choice to boycott CNN.
It seems to me more likely the four top stars vetoed the suggestion they host the “Clown-hall”. They know it was a sick-decision by the new (conservative) CNN prez. Kaitlin Collins got the short straw, but now will only be remembered for being incompetent and willingly sacrificed for CNN’s president’s intentional choice to move CNN to the maga-sphere. Last night confirmed my boycott of CNN since the new prez,was a wise choice.
Excellent analysis and very possible! I hate to not watch John King and Acosta on weekends.
I know he isn't on CNN but I think Chris Hayes would have eaten him up and spit him out for the garbage he is!
Or Ari
They think she learned something working at The Daily Caller - what they don't understand is you had to be a 4th rate talentless incompetent to work there.
I'm thinking the Trump team probably had something to do with the selection of a moderator, so I wouldn't be too hard on Kaitlin. I wished she had been more assertive, and found myself saying "cut his mike" several times. Also, if I were her, I would have just walked out and stopped the whole thing.
There were a number of really outrageous comments that they should have prepared her to stop the show, stand up and say: Mr. Trump: if you don’t apologize publicly right now for that stupid and offensive comment, you have just proven that you are not qualified to serve America as its President in the future! The crowd would go wild but she would stand her ground. There were a number of those really outrageous statements by him such as the debt
He made their own correspondent look incompetent by his insults and demeaning treatment. If they were my employer, I’d be furious.
...Because that is the only way of catching the attention of the self-anointed Papa-Doc-style President-for-Life for a handful of milliseconds...
[My Freudian-slipping fingers just made a lovely one. When typing President-for-Life, they left out the f in Life... And of course, that's IT -- PRESIDENT-FOR-LIES...]
As for wanting four more years of THAT, Drumpfie-Junkies, don't want four years, they want FOREVER.
It's an unbroken drip-feed of Rip-Roarin'-Round-The-Clock-Entertainment that they're drooling for... A Roman circus arena... Libs stuck with Presidenshal Barbs before burning at the stake...
". And of course, that's IT -- PRESIDENT-FOR-LIES..."
The truth will out.
I thought the same thing! And,Kathy, it made me GAG!
Same here! From the start, she called him that! I could have screamed! And I did!
I have a vague and quite possibly inaccurate memory from elementary school that the president retains the title even in retirement. Evens so it feels wrong to honor Trump in any respect. His entire presentation to society seems fraudulent.
Not only is using the title of office in reference to him distasteful and gag-reflex-causing, putting his name in a sentence gives me the same reaction. I follow Steven Colbert's practice of using 'T****' to refer to him in all writing. His name is a word that needs to be more narrowly limited to card games: in political writing and speech it should be banned as offensive, like the 'n' word.
I have the perfect reference for him:
T💩
TUMP's entire life has been fraudulent and crime riddled. I don't know how true it is, but i have read that when he was 11 years old he hit his teacher in the face and his equally corrupt Father put him in a military school. He was rotten to the core even when he was just a child.
And shielded from pedestrian pressures and responsibilities by pots of money, he never really grew up.
It would be OK to call him Mr. Incompetent President or just Mr. Incompetent for short. Oh, and speaking of short.
I was half expecting her to call him sir with tears streaming down her face lol
Because that's what you call an ex-president. Basic decorum. Unappreciated by this poor piece of protoplasm, but basic. CNN deserves all the grief it's gonna get. It's trying to out-FOX FOX, which used to have the largest audience. These changes are coming after a management shift at CNN. When Bryan Stelter saw it, he jumped off the CNN ship as quickly as possible. I miss his show.
OK. Did not know that. SO there can be multiple folks called "Mr. president" in the same time period.
Kathy, just to be sure, I looked it up online. The only authoritative guideline I found (without spending hours) was a DOT guideline on how to address people at the White House. It confirms that it's appropriate to call a past president, "Mr. President ".
Also, I've seen other TV interviews of past president's such as Clinton or Bush in which the formal "Mr. President " was used. It was those observations that led to write my first comment in this thread.
Ironically, a column in Emily Post disagrees and says that's inappropriate, but whoever is writing that etiquette column wouldn't be what I consider an authority. That said, my gut tells me that addressing Trump, "Mr. President" is an assault on the dignity of that office.
Thank you.
I am told it is standard, just as a former secretary of state is called Madame Secretary when addressed formally.
Mad as hell and putting Twitter to good use to boycott CNN and their advertisers:
Hey you know what? Warner Bros. Discovery owns @CNN. Here’s their phone number. (212) 548-5555. It would be a shame if people flooded their phone lines to share their thoughts on tonight’s Traitor Town Hall. #BoycottCNN
https://twitter.com/Ty___Webb/status/1656473271263711232?s=20
#BoycottCNN's assault on Democracy & Sponsors
I will not purchase your products while you support @CNN #LookingAtYouCNN
@GEICO
@Amgen
@abbvie
@progressive
@TMobile
@NordVPN
@LaserSpineInst
@southbeachdiet
@officedepot
https://twitter.com/ActionDemocrat/status/1656260033573732352?s=20
I don't do twitter but I did call CNN this morning. Thank you, Ellie!
Just cancel your cable subscription.
MSNBC is well worth the outrageous cost of cable, especially Ari Melber.
I do not use any of these advertisers stuff, except t mobile. Thanks for posting this
Thanks Ellie!
Cable TV is dying. Media advertising is in a slump for now. But quite soon, it will pick up steam again and the money is shifting rapidly to streaming platforms and whatever shows up on your phone. CNN thinks that the remaining crumbs lie with the demographic that also watches Faux.
I haven't watched CNN since we cut the cord. It was so tiring. Endless loops of recycled "breaking news". The "town hall" yesterday was the last nail in the coffin for many of us. Ted Turner - you had a good thing going - you must be truly embarrassed. Like having a kid or grandchild that is busted.
Message to Chris Licht (CEO): you have gone to the dark side. Your resume was golden but your legacy will be "Titanic".
Yes, and they are trying to pick up viewers who have deserted Fox. When the defeated former president called his CNN interviewer a 'nasty person,' last night, she should have responded agressively with something like 'Not as nasty as you, you son of a bitch.' It was a personal insult to her and she should have responded in kind. But she didn't. She even shook his hand after the interview. I hope she washed it afterwards. CNN lacks the guts that MSNBC has. In addition to the campaign rally for the defeated former president, who continues to lie every time he opens his mouth, they also featured an overly friendly Wolf Blitzer interview yesterday with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, that more properly belonged on Fox.
Very good, BK. Yesterday, per Jessica Craven's ChopWood/Carry Water suggestion, I sent my email to CNN to protest the NH town hall (I like your "town squall" better!)
"I am writing to protest your providing a free platform to a twice impeached, convicted sexual offender, insurrectionist, and enemy of democracy whose strongest legacy will always be violence as an extension of our democratic processes (National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem)
"Per Siva Vaidhyanathan of The Guardian, 'Putting a microphone and three cameras on Trump as if he were just another candidate and not an instigator of the violent disruption of American democracy and leader of a conspiracy to overthrow the results of a national election is the height of journalistic irresponsibility.'
"If you really want to serve the people, provide your platform to serious candidates who will legitimately pitch their ideas to the American people."
Today may be too late, but here's the full article from Siva Vaidhyanathan. I was particularly impressed at his criticism of the media: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/10/cnn-trump-town-hall-election-media-coverage
Looking forward to a list/link of advertisers!
Same! And posted it for others.
Same. Sent my email before the thing was over. Now I have to figure out how to make up with my husband , who refused to even watch, and thought I was a fool for doing so. He was more than right. Giving oxygen to that dangerous, cruel monster of a man was a huge mistake for CNN. The worst part was watching the audience cheer his performance on , laugh about his sexual assault, and respond positively to his demeaning treatment of Kaitlyn Collins. What have we become?? I felt like I was watching old footage of a Hitler rally.
So long, CNN. You gave away whatever integrity you had left with this stupid move.
Just cancel your cable subscription and I will stop by and help you put up an antenna.
Or, better, just head over to the library for a book.
Honestly, I did not even know CNN was doing anything last night. No cable.
Indeed. Cable is in a spiral dive. Cut the cord. If you need some big network stuff, get it for free on the Roku channel. Want sports and everything else? YouTubeTV.
One of the most satisfying things we have done is to tell Comcast to take a hike.
Me too! It's one of the best decisions I have made. I told Comcast it was because I did not want to support Fox, as they would not allow me to have programing without it. I don't miss any of it! And I also wrote to CNN telling them what I thought about their having a Trump Town Hall, but obviously to no avail. Nice to hear that so many of us did the same. However, I do think it has damaged them more than they know. Time will tell....
I canceled Comcast about two years ago, because their rates got so high, and they are a monopoly in my area. Don't miss it. I watch clips of the important stuff on YouTube and read online WaPo and NYT. I'm more informed than I used to be and telling Comcast to take a hike gave me great satisfaction.
I've got to pay $170 per month to watch MSNMC and a few sports events.
I'm considering how much I value Ari Melber and once-per-week Rachel Maddow.
Well, I still realize I value them much more than $170/month. Especially Ari Melber!
Rachel has a podcast you can listen to for free. Maybe Melber does too. I haven’t had cable tv in over 8+ years. Between NPR and other radio stations…I don’t miss my tv at all.
I appreciate your comments, Debbie. I simply do not find another commentator like Ari Melber. This guy reminds me of the best of Keith Olbermann. Melber is astute, belied by his career as a victor. And of course, Rachel Maddow on Mondays is a date nite for the wife and I.
Thank you for letting me know…I just added his podcast to my library 😊 I’ve actually heard him on All In with Chris Hays. I am a public library employee and find listening to these free podcasts is enough for me. I don’t have the extra funds to pay to view but I can certainly understand the joy in actually watching these wonderful commentators. Enjoy and take care.
Both Ari Melber and Rachel Maddow can be viewed on YouTube. Check out those offerings in making your decision (I haven't checked out the podcasts, but watch every day - Melber - and whenever she's on -Maddow).
I'm interested in watching their broadcasts live, in real time. Is this possible w u-tube
I don't know, but I suspect there's a delay, not live.
We cancelled cable last week and while doing so, told them why
I haven’t had cable since 2008. Streaming, podcasts and reading fill my days. Far less ads, which I detest ... really, I don’t need anyone to tell me what to spend my money on... I do fine by myself.
We switched to an antenna recently. There are a few shows on CNN that I miss---Like W. Kamau Bell-Shades of America.
I liked that ''town squall'' you called that CNN crap show with TUMP. BK.
Thank you, I just did that.
I suggested equal time for Biden!
Thank you BK, I think I shall use that link. They've shrunk below low brow entertainment value... I dare not offer what level that might be in polite company. "Town squall" is dead on.
I agree it was stupid and CNN deserves the criticism. They might be trying to woo maganuts from FOX. I didn't watch. I do like some of their shows, though, so I will keep picking and choosing.
I don't think they'll ever get the MAGAts to come over. They still call it "Clinton News Network".
RE: Feedback: DONE! CNN is unwatchable.
I did the same thing and wrote an email telling them that they lost all credibility give a minute of airtime to that pathological liar psychopath. I honestly don’t know what they were thinking, except maybe the new leadership at CNN want to capture some of Fox’s right wing audience. There was no way Katlin was going to control him and have an honest conversation. Trump totally steamrolled her to the delight of the audience. Sad!
Thx for the link! My ears are still ringing for the choice language i offered 🤣
I can't find where to send them feedback, because that link doesn't work any more. Have they taken down their feedback page? I wonder why they would do that. ☹️
I was able to use the link just now. 🤷♀️
I just used the link, and it worked fine. Try again.
If the link takes you to the home page, use the line drawing of the person in a circle, a common image for “my account” far right on bottom of screen. Then go to preferences, scroll to general and you should see Feedback and Contact Us. Use one or all. 😡 After sending a feedback text, I found the link works perfectly.
Successful at 9:20 am EST, 5/11
I just used it and it was successful. 5:45 CDT
Thank you BK. Hmmm. Didn't go to a feedback page.
If you click on "Contact Us" the next page in the upper right corner should get you to the "Give Feedback" link
Link above does not work and can’t find feedback option.
Hmm. Don't know what else to do!
You were wise. Instant rise in blood pressure.
Don. Thanks.
Thanks, BK! Done!
Thanks! Done.
I could find appropriate choices there, So I asked them to make an automatic shutoff feature when the "STUPID"ity level accelerates such as the airing of the town hall meeting.
What if Congress salaries and pensions were first to stop if negotiated agreements on the debt fall through.
I've been saying this for such a long time. We need to hold their free ride hostage.
I LOVE that idea!
I do too!
YES, Marge!
I was thinking the same thing!
One can dream! And write to the White House, our reps and senators with the idea.
Absolutely Marge!
Just like the abortion issues are bringing out the vote so will the sexual assault issues among others. Trump can play to zombies and yes they will stick with him but Democrats have every substantial talking point now, they just need to use them, repeat over and over, your candidate is a sexual predator, repeat your candidate is a sexual predator, repeat...
Christopher, I used that "your candidate is a sexual predator" strategy throughout the first cycle of this horror show. Republicans DON'T CARE. It's a plus for far too many of them.
I think I'm a tad more optimistic than that, Alexandra. I remember writing friends after I woke up from a two day depression after Election night in November of 2016, that the 56% of white women who voted for Trump did so with one hand while covering their.....with the other.
Now, after years of his tedious sociopathy and in the wake of the Carroll verdict, he will certainly lose a significant amount of that vote. I don't see any segment of the population making that up for him, assuming he's not on the last train to Leavenworth by then in any event.
Daniel, I want to believe you. My personal experience is that there's a significant (and to me, suicidally depressing) percentage of white women who enable sexual predators and happily, madly vote for their own oppression - like all the anti-abortion fanatics who want to impose their superstitions on other women so no one has more freedom than they do.
It's very difficult to have any optimism for the US since Dobbs. But I can't tell you how much I appreciate YOUR optimism. Truly. This site, and you people, are lifesaving right now.
You have a painfully insightful point too, Alexandra. And I thank you for your kind and gracious words. We all have to hold onto each other with love and respect, and gird ourselves for the fight ahead.
We are all Cincinnatus now
Roman statesman.
(In reply to Alexandra, 4 h ago) And so is your President, who also needs your unwavering support, noisy if need be.
My President has my unwavering and relentless support. As James Clyburn knew, no one in the country had the particular skill set and knowledge needed to bring us this far back from the brink. Biden is a hero, in my book.
Well said Alexandra!!
Ditto.. despite my doubts, I do appreciate calculated optimism Daniel.
Alexandra, it is not their own oppression unless it happens to them, which it won't. If they're still fertile and want an abortion, they can afford to procure one. If they're a victim of predation they can afford the legal fee and/or job change. The patriarchy benefits them so they vote for it. Evidence of patriarchal behavior with impunity is a bona fide.
Becky, I agree that white women are LESS oppressed, but no woman has even close to full rights under patriarchy. That is still very much oppression.
We see it as oppression, but they see it as safety. "Daddy will take care of it". Oppression with benefits 😉
Not sure if anyone saw Frontline last night featuring Clarence and Ginni Thomas. I couldn't bear it!
Daniel, you brought back memories. I was volunteering at a Hilary campaign office in Berkeley, CA. I was totally sick. That business with Comey, what do you think?
They organized a grieving party the following Saturday......about `100 people showed up.
Comey! I had an anguished e-mail from my half-sister in Washington State: "That's going to cost her the Presidency!"
Yep. I agree with your half-sister. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Comey will never get off my personal shit list because of that. Not that he cares about what I think of him, but still.
Me too, Carey. A special place in hell.
"...last rain to Leavenworth ..." BRILLIANT material!
Fresh, topical, illustrative, visionary even! I can even hear the theme song ...
"Last rain to .... Leavenworth
And I'll meet you at the station
You can be here by 4:30
'Cause I've made your reservation"
Mind if I incorporate your phrase in my opines in the Wall Street Journal comments?
Feel free! Thanks for the kind words
Share more insightful prose!
The L.A. Times’ award-winning, political/business writer Michael Hiltzik offers pertinent facts for picking a President. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-05-09/column-in-praise-of-gerontocracy
I think the majority of women who voted for him were and still are dominated by their husband.
Really?! I must confess I hadn't thought of that, Elaine. May I inquire as to why you feel that way?
“Unfortunately, or fortunately”…….
Yeah, what kinda shit was that??
Aside from all that he spewed forth in his filmed deposition (and confirming what a dastardly dude he is) one thing that I vividly noticed was how glowingly bright orange he was….maybe his tanning makeup is named Glorange?
Right!!! and what I noticed was that his bald pate was clearly visible. That combover is having a struggle.
I once heard him called an orange-haired orangutan. But these primates come by their color naturally. I heard light can distort brain cells...I wonder if Trump sits too long under the tanning machine.
Fortunately or unfortunately, that denigrates orangutans.
Barbara, exactly.
But 20% are business Rs not crazies and this sick show will turn them away as well as a majority of Indys!
Agreed. The 'town hall' I did not watch did not gain TFG any new supporters. It just made his base base giddy. He lost by 7 million, and his old voters are dying daily. We don't need to (and can't) convert a single cultist. We just need all sane Americans to get off their arses and help him lose by 11 million next time. The only thing that will break the cult's fever is chronic losing (or TFG's inevitable rendezvous with the actuarial tables).
Yes indeed and if I may interject, the defeats must include those members of congress who refuse to protect women’s’ reproductive rights, refuse to enact nationwide gun safety legislation and refuse to fight climate change that is very real! The 18-25s recognize these challenges and we must do all in our power to support their voter registration and turnout. So please, please, go to www.turnup.us/ asap as this amazing group of Harvard students is the most effective nonpartisan voter registration effort in the country! I believe I know what I’m talking about as my nonprofit nonpartisan foundation has registered 105,000 high school seniors BUT www.turnup.us/ does it much better so I am joining forces with them to save our Democracy in 24! Please help them now? Thank you! Sincerely, Ira Lechner
Yes!!!!
But turn them away to what?
They would rather have a convicted sexual assaulter / twice- impeached / insurrectionist, that EVER vote for a liberal. R’s constantly say, “He may be a blowhard, but I like his policies”. Businessmen line up behind fascists because “it’s good for business”. If this were not true, they would be howling about mccarthy’s debt-ceiling position. They are not.
There is no unanimity among lifelong conservative families and these Trump crazies. That was proven in 2020 by a huge margin of 7 Million votes which included a substantial number of those business conservatives and middle of the road Indys. I submit that Trump has gotten crazier and three more criminal indictments in the next few months will cast him even closer to the worst of the worst radicals who can’t win except in Southern dictatorships!
I hope you're right, Ira. But we've seen how often they just decide to ignore it and line up behind him anyway. The media are going to have to do a h--- of a lot better than CNN just did.
The media tore up the Vietnam War and Nixon, yet ate out of Reagan's hand. It's not been the same since. I stopped watching commercial TV in the run-up to the GWB Iraq War. The newscasts I was seeing looked more like cheer-leading minus the colorful pompoms, rather than useful reporting.
And forever made the term 'Mission Accomplished' another sick joke.
Alexandra: he was so outrageous on so many issues that he thrilled his base but lost the Indys and 20% or more of the strictly business Rs! After three more indictments very soon, his total percentage will be about 35% at most! Watch !
Ira, I think I love you. :)
omg - lol !
By that reckoning, he's got it made. He can earn comfortably during the yawning years that remain of his life, punching the air on video and asking for money to save America. The overhead light will illuminate the shaven side fringes of silver hair, the baggy eyes, trembling wattles, and that voice with its falling cadence of a whine.
I do so hope you're anywhere near correct Ira.
It already is 35%
Agree
Well, CNN are now marching in lockstep to a different drum.
I’m counting on this- a tweet by Mike Memoli
A Biden campaign adviser’s summary of tonight’s town hall: “Weeks worth of damning content in one hour. … It was quite efficient."
I have serious doubts about those possibilities Ira. 'Bidnis' types won't scream until their hit hard enough in the wallet. That should be a common mission for any and all opposed to their funded madness.
My husband is a R, (I am an I) and he certainly does Care. My point is that Biden won 2020 with over 7 million votes. I find it hard to believe that an R could win the next President in 2024
Nancy, then you actually found one of the very few good ones left. I'm glad to hear it. But anyone voting Republican right now is enabling the horror.
Ditto Alex... so did I, and far, far more.
But this fight is NOT about character. If it was, being a jury-convicted-sexual-assaulter would matter. BUT this is all about raw power-mongering, and harnessing the willingly-violent-zombie-minority to do the dirty, fascist work for them. This “summoning” of our worst, darkest, hating impulses is a tool in the Mindf*ck War we are in for total minority control of the levers of power, and cultural content. CNN is another captured entity.
Agree! If it comes to the election it will be about character and he is a convicted sexual predator and that need to be repeated over and over
I do like your no holds barred distinction of the propaganda wars.
And all Reaganomics ever did was to greatly enrich the ultra-rich, and shrink the middle class. After 40+ years of this nonsense they certainly got their chance.
JL Graham, do you have the figures on what has happened to the middle class? I wonder how many Americans with “middle class incomes” still exist. Until the minimum wage is raised to $24 an hour, how can we have a middle class? Food inflation will continue with climate change and until price gouging is under control.
Why are you watching Donald Trump? He is a liar and a con man. All he ever does is lie. Why is CNN shamelessly giving a national spotlight to a liar and con man? To boost their sagging ratings. Despicable. That is not news, not journalism. That is self-serving propoganda.
CNN prostelgzing propaganda.
Couldn't agree more. CNN embarrassed itself by putting on the Trump infomercial. I like Kaitlan Collins, but she was given a thankless job from what I here, as I certainly didn't watch. I watched two good games in the NBA conference semi-finals.
For CNN to run this Trumpian infomercial with what I hear included the usual knuckle draggers in the audience is horrific. Journalism set back.
One tiny twist of the steering wheel, and he'll be calling them "the failing CNN".
Elaine, why am I watching Donald Trump? I suppose for the same reason I sometimes watch flying insects hit the bug zapper. He has an uncanny ability to avoid the grid, but hopefully, someday soon, we will be treated to his grizzly demise. The man is an absolute swine. I want to be there when it happens.
Well hello CNN! Move over, Fox News! I was prepared to be disappointed by a poorly produced town hall meeting that could give Trump a national prime time podium. I was totally unprepared to see what was clearly a well produced campaign event featuring Donald, complete with an audience that was obviously heavily biased toward him, enthusiastically applauding his rambling responses to softball questions from “randomly picked” audience members as he bulldozed the thin voiced moderator Kaitlan Collins all over the stage. All that’s left for CNN is to hire Tucker Carlson.
I have a feeling Kaitlan Collins will be leaving CNN in the near future. Why CNN would choose her, knowing how misogynistic Trump is, is beyond me. No surprise whatsoever that he steamrolled her. I did't watch, I wouldn't even if I could (I'm overseas presently), CNN is down the tubes as far as I'm concerned. One HAD to know this would be a circus for Trump. It doesn't seem like CNN bothered to have anyone but Trump supporters in the audience.
She pulled the short straw. Trapper, Anderson, King, and Blitzer all knew enough and perhaps were more contractually-able to say “NO!” to the career-suicide mission demanded by the CNN prez.
Yes, possibly.
Yup. See LeMoine Surlamont's succinct account a couple of posts further up.
Sad and a real indictment of CNN.
For sure!
Well-observed. "thin voiced moderator" is the unkindest cut of all. She must already being rueing the day.
Absolutely excellent synopsis of the important stories of the day. The story about repub continued obstruction for the debt ceiling is only one example of wasting critical time that should be spent on governing, policies and legislation, such as gun laws, child and family policies, the environment. Simply the present and future. Add to that, the popularity of tfg and his town hall, ridiculously sponsored by CNN, the arrest of George Santos, ($500,00 bail!, where did that come from?) now that the repubs got their vote for Speaker of the House, how optimistic should we be that the American public will dump trump? We can hope more juries find him guilty and that the repub voters wake up. Gratitude to E. Jean Carroll for her courage in standing up to tfg. And the Jury that found tfg guilty. And to every woman and man who are speaking Truth to the power of corruption. Speaking Truth to Power. “As Biden tweeted after the performance: “It’s simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that?”
Yeah, how did he post that bail? Oh wait, could it have been from Harlan and his boys, Leo and Koch?
Marlene, yes, “Harlen and his Boys, Leo and Koch”... in plain sight.
Morning, Irenie!
Morning, Lynell. Are we losing too much sleep when “ the more things change the more they stay the same”? At least we can sing: https://youtu.be/VzLXYENyJMQ
Perfect song choice, Irenie! And us (we?) being here on Heather's substack is so appropriate, for who knows more than anybody how true it is that the past and the present look so much alike!
History cannot be overrated!
Morning, Marlene!
Mornin’ to both you and Irenie! 💞
Irenie, if any of us working folks performed at our jobs like many members of Congress do, we’d be let go for underperforming…and I’m mostly talking about the obstructionists and those who decide not to present bills put forward to be voted on. And for this they get paid?????!!!!! Some there are working hard, some are hardly working!
Yes, the obstructionists are paid, every one of them, whether they do their jobs or do nothing. You’re right. We and most professionals wouldn’t last long in our paid jobs if we did not perform. We’re evaluated. Voting is a slow form of evaluation.
Agree! Sadly, however, I think too many constituents do not pay attention to what their elected reps actually do (or don’t do) on the job. As for me, I subscribe to my reps (both Fed & State) newsletters and I follow their legislative actions and their support/voting record on legislation. I also take the time to contact them from time to time to let them know my opinions/views & thank them for doing a good job (I am VERY lucky to have great Fed/State reps)—I also do that by contacting the While House to let them know I support the Biden/Harris/Admin agenda and (most) of their actions. Of course being retired I have time to pay attention to this, something not everyone is able to do…but hopefully engaged folks will at least be “skimming” the information to stay informed. I am saddened by the voter suppression efforts as I am a firm supporter of making it easier for citizens to vote, not harder…after all, isn’t that what the USA democracy is supposed to stand for? Call me a Pollyanna, but I don’t want to stoop to dirty tricks to win elections as it has too big of a “yuck” factor for me.
I’m good with Pollyanna. I’m good with Ann of Green Gables. I’m good with sunny days and happier times. Just please get the obstructionists back on their meds.
“No medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat antisocial personality disorder.” ** Very difficult to treat. Must be voted out.
**
https://www.psycom.net/antisocial-personality-disorder
I think we would be wise to better acquaint ourselves with the symptoms as they can be highly seductive. Also, I detect traces of Jeckyll and Hyde in everyone, including in the mirror. It seems to me that over-the-top "sociopathy", with complete indifference if not enjoyment of harming others looks to me to be pretty much the same as what is also call "evil".
Says Hamlet: "The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape". Says Pogo; "We have met the enemy and he is us".
I have treated sociopathic horses with success. While the surgery may seem harsh to some, the long term benefits to both patient and handler are incalculably beneficial.
My wife, daughter, and I are quite fond of "Anne", including the recent TV series "Anne With an "E". That's the stuff that makes life a joy amid impermanence, perfidy and sorrow.
Funny how those endearing characters find their way into our libraries, our hearts, and yes into our characters. “E” was superb.
Some stand out as Let-Them-Hate-Us-So-Long-As-They-Fear-Us, and some stand out as liberators. Some want to control, and others to empower.
Both approaches "get things done", and violence is the "easy way"; but at what price? Varieties of these approaches can be found in families, organizations, societies; and be salient to recorded history, or only to a few, including couples; though there is likely to be carryover to posterity, and to society as a whole.
"Voting is a slow form of evaluation." So well said, Irenie!
Barbara, I spent years working in a lab of a major medical center. If I worked the way they did, people would die. No joke.
R's know every successful business needs marketing and sales people. So they've gotten some great ones elected. They're not supposed to be generating policy.
Ah yes, our Nonvalue Added politicians. ... Your Fired.
I, too, am curious about the 3 anonymous donors who paid the bond for Santos.
Shame on CNN for not going into that encounter without a clear and bipartisan strategy for fact checking. I don't THINK tfg is electable but half the country seems perfectly capable of voting for him because they're in love with chaos. I can only hope these points are true:
----A Biden campaign advisor told NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli: “Weeks worth of damning content in one hour…. It was quite efficient." ---
Well, every decent news agency BETTER get on that, like yesterday.
----It might turn out that, as journalist Ana Navarro-Cárdenas tweeted, “[Joe Biden] is the winner of tonight’s town-hall.” ----
----As Biden tweeted after the performance: “It’s simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that?---
(I think I would literally rather die.)
Yes, the Town Hall, free campaign rally. There is no way CNN should have sponsored a Criminal on a national televised rally. A debate, maybe, but that should be between two or more real candidates. Real.
CNN really screwed up on this one.
Seems the new guy, CNN CEO Chris Licht, is just fine with crashing the country for ratings. It's the last straw. I'm done with CNN.
They want in on n that CBS action. “TFG is bad for America...but great for business.” Shameful for sure.
There are posts that might have been put up after yours, with the phone numbers and emails to let them know they did! I copy/pasted them here, below. Not sure the link will work this way, but at least you know what to look for above.
BK
4 hr ago
I sent my email to CNN prior to their "town squall" that I and my family are done with them and will no longer view or read any media associated with their logo. But, you can send yours today with the link below. It's very easy:
Feedback
Feedback
I also plan to do the same with their advertisers if anyone has that list & link(s).
Ellie Kona
3 hr ago
Mad as hell and putting Twitter to good use to boycott CNN and their advertisers:
Hey you know what? Warner Bros. Discovery owns @CNN. Here’s their phone number. (212) 548-5555. It would be a shame if people flooded their phone lines to share their thoughts on tonight’s Traitor Town Hall. #BoycottCNN
https://twitter.com/Ty___Webb/status/1656473271263711232?s=20
#BoycottCNN's assault on Democracy & Sponsors
I will not purchase your products while you support @CNN #LookingAtYouCNN
@GEICO
@Amgen
@abbvie
@progressive
@TMobile
@NordVPN
@LaserSpineInst
@southbeachdiet
@officedepot
https://twitter.com/ActionDemocrat/status/1656260033573732352?s=20
Awesome, Miselle! I just did a round of tweeting. Thank you!!
Hit 'em in the wallet Irenie !
Alexandra, I sometimes think that it is good to be a senior citizen, because if we slide into fascism hopefully my final resting will soon arrive. BUT, I worry about my kids/grandkids. I swear that I'd emigrate and take them all with me, but I lack the funds to do so.
Miselle, i have had the same thoughts many times. Like the last scene in Fiddler On The Roof. But besides lacking the money to do it, I have to let my grown up grandkids choose their own way. So - all I can do, in my ninth decade - is live by example - keep reading and sharing Heather, Timothy Snyder, and every other anti fascist thinker and journalist I can find, vote, and refuse to take the knee to any easy way out.
Yes, Susan, I keep wondering and saying, why don’t you move to Canada? I would go too. But they don’t want to disrupt their kids’ and their own lives. I think at my age, over 75 and single, I need to be near family. Closest are 165 miles away and 3000 miles. I have many many friends, who have moved to Portugal and Spain. They have partners and grown children and courage. Like me, they have walked the Camino De Santiago numerous times, are open to learning new languages but the key I think is being connected to another person. Just in case. My kids’ generation believes they or I could hop on a plane, and be there. Wherever There is. The distance is the generation gap.
Here's where to tweet to CNN and advertisers, and some phone numbers for complaints . Thanks, Miselle!
Use Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Ty___Webb/status/1656473271263711232?s=20
#BoycottCNN's assault on Democracy & Sponsors
I will not purchase your products while you support @CNN #LookingAtYouCNN
@GEICO
@Amgen
@abbvie
@progressive
@TMobile
@NordVPN
@LaserSpineInst
@southbeachdiet
@officedepot
https://twitter.com/ActionDemocrat/status/1656260033573732352?s=20
Phone Warner Bros. Discovery and tweet their number:
Hey you know what? Warner Bros. Discovery owns @CNN. Here’s their phone number. (212) 548-5555. It would be a shame if people flooded their phone lines to share their thoughts on tonight’s Traitor Town Hall. #BoycottCNN
Yes!!
I’m counting on this- a tweet by Mike Memoli
A Biden campaign adviser’s summary of tonight’s town hall: “Weeks worth of damning content in one hour. … It was quite efficient."
Jim Jordan continues to be worthless.
He was bounced on his head too many times back in his rasslin' days.
lol !
Ha!
That's no surprise.
Not worthless to tfg. If he goes down he takes everyone with him.
I hope that everyone reading or quoting from the Prof's letter makes sure to include the sources for her comments. This blog provides proof of everything written unlike the unproven sources for everything produced by the magapublicans and all the rest. No proof there, merely propaganda. keep up the good work HCR.
I always do. I always source Dr. Richardson with her words I use and tell everyone where to find HER sources, which are extensive. Professors know how to research.
They've taken a page from the Pillow Guy who has been promising bombshells for years now.
Watching that pathetic little putz Santos (soooo in need of an introduction of his face to a baseball bat - repeatedly) try to deflect by referring to the "Biden family" - "I'm only here four months and I'm indicted? They're here for years and nothing!" (maybe, little boy, because - like everything else you scum believe - there's no there there). I hope they give him 30 years.
Let's not join them in fantasizing about violent solutions.
Don't you think he can be forgiven for believing everyone does it and gets away with it? I mean look at all of these R's walking around free and unindicted!
Brilliant, educational, and timely. How you do it so consistently is beyond me. I wish I were a student and you were my professor. But then, I am, I suppose.
Thx Professor. I watched the “show”. The one who shall not be named just proved to me what a scourge he was on America and still is and I’m sorry to have to say that. I believe that he lost tonight, to the people that have enough common sense to see it for what it was, I hope. President Joe truly cares about America. Peace to everybody.
Might as well change all GOP congressional labels to (R-ASSWIPE). It saves time.
I could be wrong, but I think the Rs will blink. Too many of their masters live on capital gains to afford to take a severe haircut.