Sep 27, 2023·edited Sep 27, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
Because what we refer to as the media is simply not real news. It’s entertainment dressed as information, propaganda playing its part in our pretend democracy all the while maintaining the status quo and keeping the masses feeling like we have actual debates. The bigger question is why we spend so much time watching and discussing media outlets that have failed to properly report on every major event of the last half century. I’d love to see a post on the outlets you suggest we turn to instead of these false sources of discussion and news. Let’s drain the media swamp of clicks and viewers and ad money. It’s one thing to know the real role of these outlets is to distract us with bread and circuses. But when even the most learned among us continue to willingly pay tickets to the show, it really begs the question of why we should expect them or the country to change if we are not willing to make even the smallest changes in our own information consumption habits.
And what is it that makes Trump seem vigorous? It is his expression of rage, that is the superpower he uses to give him the illusion of vigorousness and power. I was entranced by the movie “Network” that came out in 1977. It was “Sidney Lumet and Paddy Chayefsky’s gruesome prophecy turned reality.” (Koraljka Suton)
“I wanted everyone, every man, woman or child to realize that they had a choice. I wanted them to know that they have the right to get angry, to get mad. They have the right to say to themselves, to each other, to the world at large, that they had worth, they had value. The speech wrote itself, because that was Beale’s battle cry for the people.” —Director Paddy Chayefsky on Howard Beale’s “Mad as Hell” speech (in the movie “Network” 1977)
Trump comes across as vigorous because he is utilizing the drug of anger and he is encouraging his followers to express their rage also. That is why his rallies are so compelling. He tells his followers and his minions that they have the right to be angry and them he masterfully directs their rage to the wrong institutions and individuals. This makes great drama and the news media feeds on it just as did the fictitious network that capitalized on Howard Beale’s rage in the award-winning move, “Network.”
Biden utilizes logic, rationality and compassion and it just does not sell to corporate-owned profit-driven media.
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is an impulse-control disorder characterized by sudden episodes of unwarranted anger. The disorder is typified by hostility, impulsivity, and recurrent aggressive outbursts. People with IED essentially “explode” into a rage despite a lack of apparent provocation or reason.
The last time these candidates appeared on a stage together they shocked me. As a group, they were asked, "If Donald Trump is convicted of a crime would you still support him if he wins the Republican party's candidacy for President in the 2024 election?" All save two raised their hands and signaled their support for Trump regardless if he has been convicted of a crime and stands as a known criminal. These people would have no problem casting their votes for a man who has been indicted on more charges than I have had teeth pulled from my mouth. How can supposedly honest people support a criminal as their choice for president? Who left the door open and let human decency float out the door like a foul order passed from someone's lower gastrointestinal region. There shouldn't have been a single hand raised after being asked that question. It shames our country and our people in the eyes of the world to have others think we're that blind. To even contemplate electing a convicted criminal to the office of the President is an affront to everything this country has ever stood for. What lunacy has overtaken the thinking of the people we call our neighbors? It would make more sense to enlist the help of Charles Manson, even though the guy is dead, if you needed of a character witness. The problem this country is facing isn't Donald Trump it's reaching the lost members of our society who have chosen to follow a man who hates our legal system and would love to bring down the government that supports it. How the good people of this country got duped into standing behind this guy is beyond me but to initiate a fix we first must reach the mob whose feet are firmly entrenched in Trump's mud. Perhaps Mr. Gaetz might offer the multitude a "Matt" to wipe their feet on.
The additionally disturbing part of that gop debate was when the question was "Would you still support....." and most of them tried to assess how the others were going to vote before raising their own hands ..... It was PATHETIC. . . and as to your very strong point about how "the good people of this country got duped into standing behind this guy..." I'd suggest reading Cassidy Hutchinson's new book "Enough" if you missed her hour-long appearances on Rachel Monday night and then again on Lawrence last night. As Mark Meadows' former aide, she makes a point about how even she was behind tfg (even though he was extremely difficult to work around) and it wasn't till toward the end when surreptitious planning re Jan. 6 and other related activities were being frantically planned right under her nose that she began to struggle with the realities that he and his supporters were doing anything OTHER than supporting the Constitution and our democracy. She says that one of the reasons she is speaking out and also wrote the book is to possibly help others like her see how they were duped so they might dis-engage, and how important it is for those of us who were not duped to be more understanding of, and kinder to, those who may be struggling the way she did when trying to make sense of it all.
MM--Cassidy Hutchinson, that young lady has her hands full. What a terribly position for Trump to have put her in. Everything about the guy is a lie. I would hate to consider his childhood, someone suffered on a daily basis. As for Cassidy, the truth will out, as it were.
even Bill Barr who says Trump should not be near the oval office said he'd vote for him if he was the nominee (or at least wouldn't vote for a Democrat) What is wrong with these people?!
Think about Germany in the early 1930's. Donald, and there's your answer. People who are frightened and confused will turn to any strongman, no matter how evil, so long a he promises them a path to paradise. They don't realize how many bodies, including their own will line that path..
Fay --I've placed Trump in that time period on numerous occasions basically because that is where, what mentality he has, comes from. Hitler's Germany.
This is not new behavior for Donald; he has practiced this behavior for decades. Since becoming politically active and no longer the darling of the media that he was (in some folks minds) during his reality show days he has acted out even more. Not saying he couldn’t be developing dementia, just that this isn’t new behavior for him. It’s just exasperated by the fact that he knows he lost the 2020 election and his increasing legal woes
It is not trump's impulsivity that is disturbing. It is that he is a bold, unabashed fascist. It is that his effort to confuse millions of people is working. It is that he pontificates cruel, racist rants as if what he has to say is meaningful or based on truth. It is his endlessly offensive objectification and violation of women. It is that he repeats "sleepy Joe" a zillion times, and 75% of Americans are in a trance that eclipses Biden's huge accomplishments, his many wonderful appointments, and his even hand through this political 8.0 on the Richter Scale. It is that he has set out to destroy everything so he can become king of the world. And yes, I completely agree, Prof. Reich, he is absolutely nuts.
Just because he doesnt burst out in anger at all times doesnt mean he isnt this way even during his calm times. Small slights you and I would consider not worth our attention can be all encompansing "attacks" that he needs to repell with violent rhetoric and or actions. It's a throwback to cavemen type interactions when life and death were on the line. We are so far removed from those perilous times now that there is nearly no instance where thought patterns like his serve any meaningfull purpose or use in a civilized society. Some see his behaviour as "strength" when in reality his behaviour is as a monkey throwing his shit at a passersby who he believes is threatening his person. That shows a very weak mentality.
He has been a bully his entire life and never held accountable till now. And MANY people who worked near him all the time because they were part of the "Oval Office" circle have said that he constantly created an overcharged atmosphere of high anxiety and chaos, lashing out at anyone loudly and angrily if they even tactfully & gently suggested going a route different from the one he wanted, or if he didn't get his way on something. He is also well-known for continual threats of all sorts, some outright and some subtle. Mitt Romney's new book, "A Reckoning" also reports many behind-the-scene situations, discussions, comments, etc regarding fellow gop senators who would privately confess that they disagreed with everything tfg was doing but who voted in support anyway because their wives and children were being threatened... some even wanted to support the impeachments but were too scared to and voted to acquit. And this had been going on for a looong time. But his everyday followers see strength and they believe he is protecting them. They do not see that that kinds of things he threatens publicly to do to others (hang mike pence; execute Mark Milley, etc) could ultimately be done to THEM.
I do wondwr about the bravery of our representatives and senators. They at least stand a chance of affording security if they spoke out against Trump. Its the folks like Shay Moss and Ruby Freeman who get the shaft and have true bravery for pursuing Giuliani and Trump in court.
Exactly what I was thinking. Why couldn’t Romney with his integrity and clout have steered fellow members to do something? I don’t know what the procedures were available to them.
I have no idea if he bursts out in anger at any ole time. I thought it was a behavior he used to make himself look stronger than he feels. He also seems to be more angry as he is facing the legal battles. Also, don’t know about dementia in his case. I bet Melania does though.
At first I was thinking Trump may be utilizing stimulants, But your diagnosis of IED seems more accurate. It also seems an accurate description of Howard Beale in “Network."
Daniel, I agree with ur comments. I chose the one most people also chose, that being the Media sees their ad dollars increase if they say polls say it’s a tight race between Biden & the felony laden former guy! I don’t believe any Polls & especially not polls this early in the election cycle. I see bad things happening to this Trump party @ the Primary. At the last minute they are going to be faced with their candidate being sent to prison & nobody wanting any of the debate candidates so they will have to choose one of them anyway or bring in a sneak candidate to run against Biden. It’s really an effed up party with no platform or direction. Too bad for them bec they are a disgusting bunch of lazy do nothing people in Congress who always shut down the government bec they won’t negotiate over a budget. It’s their form of toddler temper tantrum that causes hatred of government! They prefer gridlock over work & like to brag about it! President Biden should tell all Rethuglicans in Congress they also will forfeit their salary but have To come to work anyway like regular Mission Essential employees! Their tantrums are getting old so they should suffer for causing them !
Also I want to add to your comments🤬😂🤣👍 because they are a bunch
of lazy do nothing people in Congress who are willing to tout all the stuff they intend to accomplish, act like they have done a lot, and take home a nice paycheck.
True that Carol! It raises my blood pressure just thinking about their laziness to solve the issues & the damages to our economy, people’s livelihoods & our government! It’s not healthy for anyone or anything to have to go thru these sham shutdowns!
Trump hasn't changed in over a decade. My medical opinion is that he is a narcissistic personality disorder. It was evident in childhood, fuelled his dishonest business practices, found orgasmic pleasure in being a TV star. The only effective weapon is to ignore him. He's under a mild gag order already, so ignore him. P. 5. "In other news " the second string regional host 25 words or less...
So Trump really isn’t outraged at the way our country is going or hammering in his ideology, he just has programed his anger to dovetail with the speeches he is giving? What is Adderall? I can google it.
I chose that option as well. Remember, Trump is a private citizen who can and has limited his public appearances. So, he does appear vigorous in the few rallies he holds. The public does not know his energy level in the long intervals between speeches, or his general health. Biden, in contrast, is always in the public eye because he is president, so we don't always see him at his best.
Yes, but he also does not couple the compassion with language about why they are truly hurting, nor with big ideas to tackle the actual problems. The nation has been sold out, exploited, picked apart by corporate vultures and every working person not born to wealth or not rich from it knows this is in their heart. But Biden and Dems don't call it out like they should, so Trump fills it in and redirects it any way that will serve his purpose.
I'm very glad he did that, but I'm referring to the national policies and major addresses on the matter that we need. These short clips after carefully assessing it's politically safe to say the right thing are killing the party and the country. The real truth could rally the masses in the direction we need, but instead, alternatives facts are steering us into an abyss.
Ian, you are right, so how do we get the honest message out when our media are to such a great extent conservative corporate owned? They don't want the truth out there. It might actually get people motivated to do something about the current situation and they don't see their future in media made better by an honestly informed populace.
One thing I think we need to do is engage social media experts to circumvent the usual channels. We need to take advantage of the same hyper-local targeting that corporations and right wing advocacy groups are using to go directly to people....not through radio and tv news and that nonsense. It's just not worth the effort required to succeed through those mediums anymore. I also think we need to rally young people way more than we are doing, as they are always most effective at getting messages out using new technology and driving the news cycles.
Ian ; Agree! ; I have been supporting Inequality Media when I can afford to. They post on media that I rarely go to, like tik tok and snap chat. Places my 20 somethings are on all the time. They reach a younger audience.
Yes, but it bothered me that the bull horn he had seemed to do nothing to amplify his speech. And he is not a naturally bombastic speaker, so to me it also made it seem that he might not have had the energy to be professionally "fierce" and "fiery". I don't think it was anyone's fault. They were outside and it seemed a bit windy. But it's something his people might want to keep an eye on for the future.
Although Robert Reich deserves some of the credit, I believe the "middle out" meme originated with Nick Hanauer. Read his book "Gardens of Democracy" and his blog, "PitchforkEconomics.com" Not that they disagree on much, if anything, Hanauer's perspective adds to your understanding, especially his view of capitalism as an ecosystem rather than a zero-sum game as Republicans wrongly view it.
Ian, I agree that Dems have not been able to get out the message that the rich corporations and individuals who are buying and controlling so much of our government do not have our best interests at heart, or rather anyone's interests except their own and the money they have been accumulating. It's like the way various media have been portraying to rural people that Democrats have forgotten them when Democrats have regularly proposed programs to get electricity (1930s), internet (since the 1990s), and renewable energy (in the 2000s) into rural areas. They somehow don't hear that Republicans constantly block such programs even for their own constituents. Republicans have proposed nothing that will help rural Americans, but are presented as though they are the ones who care for the people. I don't understand how fogged in one has to be to not see what is real. I guess it is easier to wallow in misery and misinformation instead of voting for people who actually care about them and will get programs going for their communities. It won't happen with Republicans in charge. That is a certainty.
The crucial point. When there is a void others will fill it. LIke the hollowness of communism in the Breshnev era. Even when there are big ideas like IRA it's not sold well. Maybe Dem leadership doesn't call it out because, in the words of the great reggae master Eddy Grant, "only them that feels it knows." Many lack youthful passion.
It’s called insanity, narcissism and Adderall, but the problem is stupid people vote on emotions.
WE HAVE TO VOTE!!!
Remember we were here before. Hillary tried to warn us. But Trump won and look what happened. Are we going to let that happen again? We have 2 choices. Biden (sanity and democracy)or Trump (sociopath criminal, incompetent and autocracy). Imagine how it would be if he were back in the Oval. That should certainly get you to vote for Biden.
Marc, you are right about the anger. It must be a human trait that lets anger have so much power in our lives. The problem or a problem as I see it is that Trump is nearly never challenged related to his absent ideas, his insults, his inaccurate direction of his cult's anger. When he is interviewed, the interviewers allow him to rule the room while he blurts out more nonsense, innuendo, and just plain lies. I know I have mentioned this before, but when one does not call at least some of the lies "lies," it appears that the reluctance on the part of the interviewer is that Trump is really right and the interviewer is just trying to cause trouble for him because of their agenda. It's nonsense of course, but anger can pretty much take away, at least temporarily, our ability to reason. Trump's "rallies" are designed by Trump's handlers to get the people to the level of significant anger rather quickly, then maintain it throughout most of the speech, though not enough to exhaust the party-goers. They need enough energy to take their anger out into the real world. Trump can lie, babble, lie some more, insult, talk treason, lie even more, just as long as the time between the anger points is not too long. I suspect the people are primed to hear only the familiar anger points and insults and the rest is pretty unimportant. They may not even register consciously the various lies because they go by quickly. They do lodge in the people's subconscious just waiting to be blurted out when with friends and others. Trump's handlers are very good at this. The Steves and the shadow group that keeps the lies, threats, etc. going even though Trump is not supposed to be issuing threats have been very effective and are gloating over their success. They are daring the judges in the cases to do anything to their darling Donnie, their meal ticket, and, they have been right so far that the judges in the cases have done nothing to Trump while any other indicted person who had disregarded or just plain flouted a judge's order would be in jail. I don't understand how anyone thinks trump has anything to offer anyone except, clearly he does because his fan club needs their anger fix daily or they can't get up the energy to support candidates and issues that are clearly against their own interests and benefit. That is a serious illness that We the People have neglected. We need some quality treatments for it. Perhaps forcing Trump into house arrest with no internet connection could help as a kind of antibiotic for the infection. It will never happen, but it could help.
Hello, I see you have a name I am familiar with and believe at one time you were a neighbor and friend in San Diego. Would that be the same Judy Dyer? I hope you don’t mind me asking on this site.
No San Diego, I have lived in Chicago, NJ, NYC, Merida Mexico for 15 years and Boulder for the last 5 summers to get away from the hot humid weather here.
I understand,from some who would know, that the drug of anger is not the only drug Trump uses. He does not drink alcohol but has used an at times abused cocaine and other drugs for a surge of energy. Also, he is reported to have very little emotional control and verbally attacks many in service to him.
Biden is not even in the same league. The full organizational demands of the office would slow any of us down. His recall and depth of knowledge on topics is impressive, even as word recall is lagging at times.
Ian, thanks, I am interested in what news sources people trust. Me --- 1. I like PBS the best. They are national and international news not entertainment. I trust them highly, but I stay on guard like I do with any news group for any hint of feeling like I am being manipulated. 2. DW News.out of Germany. I trust less than PBS, but I like them. 3. For my community and state, I listen to locally produced NPR shows (although they have been infiltrated in recent years, so I stay on guard). 4. I have to admit I turn to MSNBC for both news and entertainment, so my trust factor is much lower than for the above.
M Tree: I fast forwarded on a couple of recorded MSNBC shows last evening, because of blatant 'both sides ism'. It is frustrating to see tfg treated as an equally legitimate candidate running against President Biden. Yes: they often go into the litany of his transgressions when they are about to talk about him. "The twice impeached 4 time indicted blah blah blah.". But then they go along like he is a real serious worthy contender, with little, if any, reference to the fact that there is the 14th amendment and disqualification clause, which can and should be enforced. " If only it can: but how?" So pathetic : so maddening. If there was a will...
M Tree: I feel the same way: Jen Psaki was remarking on Rachael Maddow's interview with Cassidy Hutchinson coming up after her show. It was something I did not want to miss, and I recorded it. Very good news there! So I go through the news shows, looking for real news. Sometimes I strike gold!
I like Democracy Now, In These Times, BBC, Common Dreams and NPR. Some of these are labeled as progressive, but I judge the quality of sources by how often they seem to get things right.
I subscribe to several writers here on Substack; Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, Greg Olear, Jeff Tiedrich, Fred Wellman. On You Tube I’m a big fan of Beau of the Fifth Column(if you aren’t familiar, I can highly recommend), Meidas Touch, Talking Feds, Keith Olberman and several others if they aren’t redundant. I also subscribe to UNDERSTANDABLY by Bill Murphy on a different newsletter platform. This keeps me pretty well informed except for the truly local stuff but that’s what neighbors are for.
“The bigger question is why we spend so much time watching and discussing media outlets that have failed to properly report on every major event of the last half century.”
Haven’t patronized those outlets in ages. None of us should.
Sadly these corporate monoliths are vertically integrated megacorporations that have "news" outlets as just one of their holdings. Their corporate policy preferences will always color their coverage.
The issue is simple. Trump's life of crime can't compared to President Biden's age. One is a natural progression we all will experience while the other sees our world through the eyes of deranged sociopath. I really can't make any rational comparison. Any individual exhibiting the signs Mr. Trump has shown this country over and over again should consider a change of residence, one where there are medical professionals trained to care fore patients like the former President. This country is up in arms about the lack of help our society gives people in need of mental help. OK NIMH, here is a prime example of someone in need of mental help. Have at it, please. Before the guy can do any more damage to our country.
As for accolades, President Biden deserves a standing ovation for everything he has done to help this country and Trump deserves our disapproval because of all the terrible things he has done to our people.
Karl--That bitter taste in your mouth is the remnants of all the crap Trump has been throwing at us for the past 8 years and we as a society are sick of the obnoxious flavor.
Why he has not been disqualified from running under the 25th. Amendment as completely UNHINGED is beyond me unless he has to be actually IN OFFICE FOR A PSYCH EVAL TO BE ACCOMPLISHED! Why not demand he have such as Eval as a “candidate” before ballots are printed? No legitimate physician in the field of psychiatry would do less than lock him up NOW.
Judith--Take a deep breath, relax, and understand how you feel is shared by half the people in this country. The other half is still waiting for their boat to dock.
How better to keep on a level with your constituents? That way, you can tailor your speeches to their interests and away from the issues that matter: "Hey, he (or she) shares my interests. They got my vote!
To directly reply on your request for media alternatives: Mother Jones, In These Times, Democracy Now, Common Dreams, Jacobin, Media Matters. Yes they all have their perspectives. There is no such thing as bias free media. At least these outlets wear it on their sleeves and give one a good starting point for critical review.
Yes, for years my late husband, a liberal and PHd organic chemist, watched an average four hours evening main media news nightly. I tried to keep up but came to believe it was a waste of time when they failed to properly report on every major event that permitted Bush and friends to take us into an 18 year hunt for Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. When I look back at the major events and see exposed the glaring misrepresentations of the facts or lack thereof - they failed to do their job to inform the American people. Yes, a circus not even the best dictator can come up with to diffuse their information. I think my husband watched even though he wasn’t getting Walter Krondite material it had become analogous to his favorite football team.
And this is my main concern. The factors that allowed this to happen are all still in place. The profit motive, the incestuous connections between who owns the media while also owning weapons manufacturers, banks, etc. Even the Trump coverage right now has shown the same media outlets that allowed his ascension will go right back to putting him back on top without a thought because it is short-term profitable. Never mind it may ruin their lives, country and democracy...but that media system is designed to profit through distraction and spectacle, now actual news.
Ian while reading your post another question(s) surfaced for me. As all things evolve and change…are we witnessing a change in “media outlet-ery”? Is this the time that providing factual news is the “new business” of citizens interested in a functioning democracy? I think some of this is happening but had never had words to express it. Thank you for jogging thoughts today!
Ian, right now, at least for now, I'm liking Scripps News outlets, like channel 5 TV in the Cleveland Ohio area. Dispassionate fact delivery it 'seems' for now.
I gave up on watching CNN and MSNBC a couple years ago. My main sources now include: Prof. Reich’s excellent blog; the Intercept; Inside Climate News; Hightower Lowdown; Prof. Reich’s media group; and emails from Daily Kos and OurRevolution. These and numerous other nonprofits are committed to truth telling. They are out there, and deserve our gratitude and support.
The ONLY corporate media I watch on rare occassion is MSNBC clips on Youtube. They are often willing to viciously critize the criminal, sex offender ex president.
99.999% of my news comes from independent media. Especially Farron Cousins, Jesse Dollemore, David "Pacman" Pakman, and Brian Tyler Cohen. (The "Pacman" name came from Howard Stern of all people who is apparently a fan!)
This discussion is all well and good, but here it's more a question of marketing, consistent with The Young Turks criticism of the Democrats' perception at the moment - at about 5 min 50 sec into the clip, toward the end. Although marketing in this society is very important - the communication issue - it fails to hit the >real< mark, the real issue that underpins it all:
- FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY ISSUES GRAVE WARNING TO OL' P01135809'S OPPONENTS:
Which will be right out of the Heritage Foundation playbook for establishing the "Unitary Executive," as discussed here, for which ol' P01135809 is a serious avatar.
- THE CONSERVATIVE PLAN TO TAKE OVER THE COUNTRY (YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS.):
Especially since Trump has recently warned Biden that Biden is on course for starting WW II, when Trump clearly meant WW III. Or that the Iraq War was started by Jeb Bush.
On another media failure, it was depressing to watch Dana Bash Sunday on State of the Union, interviewing Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett, tax cutter and darling of the Heritage Foundation. They were discussing his willingness to shut down the government because of the budget deficit.
He kept repeating, in a drawling southern monotone: “Ma’am, you can’t keep spending 7 trillion dollars a year when you’re only taking in 5 trillion.” To which the obvious response should have been “Well Congressman, the deficit was created by a $2 trillion tax cut to the corporations and to wealthy Americans by Donald Trump. Jeff Bezos pays less in taxes than a corporate secretary. Why don’t you just raise taxes on those who can afford to pay, and allow your constituents to sleep at night?”
By law, the issue is whether he is a threat of harm to himself or to others to warrant a civil commitment for a psychiatric examination.
For example, The Florida Mental Health Act, commonly referred to as the Baker Act, focuses on crisis services for individuals with mental illness, much like an emergency department is for individuals experiencing a medical emergency.
Execution of Milley? Kill Mike Pence?. After Trump disparaged them, some of the judges overseeing Trump's criminal cases have received threats. U.S. District Judge Chutkan, who is presiding over the federal election subversion case in Washington, has increased security after a woman was arrested for threatening to kill her.
Judge Chutkan will be deciding whether to apply the Jack Smith request that she limit what Trump can say publicly about it. Citing a slew of social media posts on the platform Truth Social, prosecutors accused Trump of making "inflammatory public statements" that sought to influence potential jurors and intimidate witnesses.
IMHO psychiatrists can establish that the statements show Trump has a mental illness and due to the mental illness, he is unable to control himself. Without care or treatment, he will pose a serious threat to himself or others.
All good. The MMPI in particular may be useful for those not giving good effort, e.g. litigants seeking financial compensation for allegations of brain damage. Trump has to agree to take the tests and might blow all of them, with meaningless results.
However, somewhere in Walter Reed there is an MRI of Trump's brain. In my experience, most radiologists are not terribly good at identifying focal atrophy, such as might be seen in frontal dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or even Alzheimer's. They will tend to say "diffuse atrophy consistent with age." We need well-trained people to scrutinize the scan. Presumably, this will first mean bringing in the lawyers to deal with HIPAA and the Constitution. But, from a strictly medical perspective, the kid gloves approach has gone on long enough. There is something seriously wrong with Trump and this needs to be addressed for the sake of the country and the sake of the world. If Trump had been an ordinary citizen he would have had a full workup long ago.
When I heard Defense Base Act IED cases, lots of head injuries. I had people who had graduated from service academies who had a low IQ post trauma, people who had complete personality changes, etc.
Most of the physicians who testified in my head cases were neurologists, some with dual certifications in radiology. The non invasive tests substanatiate or rule out the MRI diagnosis.
In most cases of head injury the MRI is normal, and you are relying on neuropsychological testing. For technical reasons, the so-called "advanced MRI techniques," such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging, should not be used in individual subjects. However, if the MMPI shows good effort, and there is a decline in expected intelligence, this is really all you need. In my opinion, MRI is used and abused in many head injury cases. A normal study does not necessarily mean there is no brain damage.
On the other hand, when it comes to early dementia, the MRI is very useful.
Daniel Solomon : isn't threatening a judge reason to put tfg into a jail cell until his trial? Why can't she revoke bail and stop his obstruction of justice? He can cause a mistrial by putting so many falsehoods out there for his base,, jurors etc.
We've discussed this before....has to hold a hearing. IMHO DOL/Jack Smith is a wuss. Should have asked for a lot more...increased bail, monetary sanctions, etc. This not the only time he's done it....civil coercive contempt. Make him stop.
Regarding the Burchett remark, it’s important to note that federal government spending is subject to completely different considerations than individuals, corporations, or state and local governments. Why? Because the federal government is the SOURCE of money! It doesn’t have to “take it in”, it CREATES it. Government spending is the money gets into the economy in the first place.
The issue is not the sheer level of spending but whether or not the money is being utilized to meet the true needs of the country and its citizens, or is it simply further enriching those who already have way too much wealth to begin with.
What I can't understand is why nobody complains when the banks create money to give corporations loans. It's the exact same money creation mechanism. Only complaining is when banks or feds are giving regular people money.
Thanks for the supportive response Debbie! I'm reading a new book that explains this to a "T". The title pretty much sums it up: "Wealth Supremacy - How the Extractive Economy and Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today's Crises" by Marjorie Kelly.
Please also see my lengthy reply to Michael Hutchinson somewhere along this thread.
Bill, maybe this is what you're saying, but the way I understand it is that there is a difference between debt and deficit. The deficit is that kitchen table thing of money in, money out. The government takes in $x in income taxes and spends $y. The difference, x-y is, by definition, the deficit. If the deficit rises year after year, then this influences the rate of inflation. The debt, which so many get exercised about, is much more nebulous. For example, if someone borrows $1 million to start a business the the national debt goes up $1 million, even though the lender is a US bank, so debt is a general measure of indebtedness. This could represent a positive sign of economic activity, for example someone starting a business. It's a little known fact that the British National Debt in the 19th Century, at the peak of imperial power and wealth, ran 150% of GDP. In modern American terms, this would mean $45 trillion, which we are nowhere near.
Anyway, the national debt includes not only the deficit but also inflation. It is therefore inevitable that it goes up every year. It's not a big deal, but politicians make it a big deal by warning about the "Debt Ceiling" and all that BS. It no longer surprises me that the only politicians doing this are Republicans, the same people who have no problem blowing a hole in the deficit by cutting taxes on the wealthy.
Ah, thanks so much Michael for bringing this up! There’s so much confusion about the way our modern money system works that it allows disingenuous shills like Burchett to bamboozle the public into allowing policies not in their own interest.
You’re right that there’s a difference between national “debt” and “deficit” but it’s different than popularly thought. For you and me (and any other non-federal entity), we accumulate or borrow money, then can spend it. In the latter case, a debt is a loan that needs to be repaid. At the federal level it sort of works backward, since we have a debt-based currency system. At the start of a budgetary cycle, money is literally spent (not “borrowed”) into existence — created ex nihilo (out of nothing). It then flows through the economy, does its work mediating commerce, then ideally is recalled (through taxation and loan repayment) at the end of the fiscal year, so the next spending cycle can begin.
In other words, “National debt” is basically the money supply, (And if this is the first time you’ve heard this, you may have trouble believing it. It took me 10 years to fully accept that this is how it works.) Debt itself, at any level, isn’t a problem so long as the funds are spent on productive activity and meet the actual needs of the country and its people.
“Deficit” however, *is* a problem when spending in the current cycle can’t be fully recovered before the next. Why does that happen? Basically, the wealthy, whose goal is to enjoy ever-increasing wealth, are of course reluctant to give up even penny of their accumulating hoard — and the capitalist system as implemented enforces that above all else (remember 2008?). So the recovery has to be taken from the rest of us in the form of taxation, cuts, diminished services, wage stagnation, increased fees and tuition, etc.
Alternatively, the harms from the above can be slowed to some degree if the economy is expanding — hence the constant pressure for economic “growth”. But things can only grow so far in a closed system (like planet Earth). Eventually, we will run out of things to monetize, and the we’ll either have a Mad Max sort of world, or we will evolve to a new society where the needs life are valued as more important than the needs of nonliving capital.
Also, she could list some specific government services, such as weather reports or road funding or making sure our food is safe and ask which he wants to cut. It is the job of the government to provide services to the people of this country, which requires spending money. Republicans repeatedly convey a message that the government spends money only because politicians like spending taxpayer money.
It's also the duty of the government to tax, as Adam Smith pointed out in Wealth of Nations, 1776, and we have not had nearly enough taxation of the rich since Ronald Reagan.
Michael Hutchinson, I congratulate you for making it through that whole segment. I didn't, only got a little ways in and I couldn't take his nonsense anymore.
Clown shows deferred for a few minutes will reappear for ill-informed rump fans who fall into oligarchy pulling strings on this century’s Howdy Doody. Or is he more like Clarabel— always tooting his own horn w/o a meaningful word to say?
Familiar in MI with Heritage and Tea Party influences not to mention Betsy Prince DeVos ( no education background not stepping over public school threshold until named SecEd by Trump) financing so many charter schools in MI. Stopped counting how many homes Amway owners possess nieces employing a scheduler for one family’s 7 yachts.
Right, she and her family’s wealth have so much clout in Grand Rapids MI it would make you sick to grasp the extent of it. I like to read the other side’s ideas for pursuing truth and defending liberty in the Imprimis journal (someone anonymous began sending it to me and it just keeps arriving year after year) that comes out of Hillsdale College, and like the Heritage Foundation, none of the contributing scholars sounds a peep against Trump. I have found some glaring omissions and out and out lies in a few arguments. But nonetheless it keeps my critical thinking skill sharpened.
I read that if T-rump is elected a nearly-900 pp. document will be released by Heritage and government officials and laws will be abolished. Haven’t found more about this, but I need to focus on more positive future developments daily. Did your info come from Imprimis, Carol?
I just came from the Australian Democracy Museum with a huge display about freedom of the press and its responsibility to report accurately and truthfully. Every US journalist should be required to see it and read it all. Honesty and integrity in US reporting is gone; making $$$ is what rules. American has gone to the dogs fighting over the bone of audience.
I think anyone who is is a real journalist, is feeling as frustrated as the rest of us. The real problem rests in the management and owners, who purchase newspaper and magazine companies; loading those companies with impossible debt. The owners/shareholders demand a market level return on their investment dollars. Consequently, management will cut departments (usually the hard news and investigative journalist staff first) that doesn't generate sufficient ad revenue to pay for itself. It's a vicious, vicious cycle. Molly Ivins, who had at least two--maybe three--newspapers sold out from under her, wrote about this democracy-threatening problem quite often.
Professor Reich: in your poll, i answered "other" because you didn't mention the press' fear of losing their jobs for reporting the truth.
basically, i think the press is well aware that "fear of appearing partisan" is merely a false flag for their real fears. of course, there are a vast sea of so-called journalists who are mere stenographers, so there's that, too. but journalism (in general) pays poorly, demands long hours, doesn't (in my experience) reward ethics or deep thought and careful research & writing, and often hinges on pleasing an often impossible-to-please boss. and owner.
especially the billionaire owner, these days.
cuz THAT'S a big reason that the press stubbornly refuses to tell their readers and the electorate the truth.
In the broadcasting business, your success depends a lot on the viewer's opinion of you. Too many negative opinions from the viewers, and you are out of a job! That's why a Fox News host will never say something good about Biden!
- The truth is Biden is competent and has an impressive record of accomplishments asl President.
- The truth is Trump is inept and was an utter failure as President.
- And if the media reported the truth the results of the coming election would be an obvious foregone conclusion and people would stop following election news. Which means millions upon millions upon millions of ad revenue the news shows and papers would not get.
So the media HAS TO have it look like it’s a horse race. They HAVE TO promote questions about Biden’s age and downplay Trump’s crimes and make the two seem equivalent.
Anything else means the networks get no viewers, no millions for running political ads, the reporters get no “special” report airtime to make themselves famous, no book deals.
If the media reported the truth about Biden and Trump as noted in your comment, the right wing members in my family would think they were being lied to and would "change the channel"! They want to hear "facts" that confirm their biases. I think there are millions of people like them in our country, and I wish I knew what is the solution to this problem! By the way, who watches the "Sunday news shows" like Meet the Press and State of the Union? I don't know anyone who does.
I watch Velshi , Jen Psaki and Simone. I have never liked "Meet the Press, and am unaware of State of the Union. Even the title of ''State of the Union' seems presumptuous: I want to watch the real thing, delivered by the President. Tired of beng i'massaged' by greedhead owned and operated pundits .Im very wary of BS . Tired of it, actually.
Considering Bernie Sanders is a year older than Biden, I would suggest we deny at our peril a fundamental, albeit regrettable, fact—that age and rhetorical fluency often get conflated. While my post is not intended to dismiss the false equivalences nor the media’s repeated failures to ask the obvious follow-up questions to expose deceptions and get at verifiable truths, I, nonetheless, would submit that Biden’s inability to take full advantage of the bully pulpit places further demands on us to help beat back the lies, the falsehoods, the hatred, and the divisiveness within which much of the GOP traffics.
Barbara, I don't call them the GOP or Republicans anymore. They are just the American Fascist Party promoting violence, corruption, misogyny, and psychopathology. It's Hitler all over again and every other sociopathic dictator that's ever walked the Earth. So far, our democratic republic is holding and millions of us have been activated in its defense.
Madeline, Thank you for writing. While, in my view, your portrayal represents about a third of the party, I sense the other two-thirds, for a host of reasons, none of which is commendable, have failed to beat back the extremists determined to tear down the structures of government established to balance one another’s powers and protect the country from the misdeeds and manipulations born of greedy and self-serving impulses. As for the millions of us, many of whom have found homes within the thousands of local, state, and federal grassroots organizations, I take heart from the presence of so many who are eager to work as well as they can to shape a more generous common future.
Murdoch still tries to control us Aussies through regional newspapers too. But we don't fall for his bull shit like Americans do. He had to leave the country to get rich and scam off Brits and Yanks. We exported him. We don't like him either!
On the Meidas Touch they do a comparison of what Trump is saying and what Biden is saying that I watch. Its not what they were/are doing at this point in their presidency, but it is like night and day and enlightening.
If we're collectively afraid of what trump's base would do if a judge or politician said "Stop" to trump's lying and bullying well I say we all collectively need to press-to-test that button and endure the noise and panicking that MAGA crowd would incite until the bubble of fear pops and we're all freed from that fear. Hopefully...hopefully some Rs would abandon their lust for power and trump's approval and vote for a secular American politic.
I agree with you completely, Mark…my sentiments exactly. Being scared of the reaction of crazy MAGA people with guns is like caving in to the mafia. What's required is the use of the law to keep those people in check if and when they try to use violence to threaten us.
I could not agree more with the sentiments expressed by yourself, Madeline Taylor and Mark Gray above. Incarcerate the orange nazi. Today. That's the FIRST STEP towards stopping the insanity. That's the ONLY way to SHUT HIM UP.
Unfortunately, most, but not all of the media, is a sham. Honest reporting for the sake of America doesn't seem to be a priority. Money, ratings, fear of losing a job...whatever feeble excuses one can think of, the horrid truth is that something as important as the future of our country doesn't seem to be important nor valuable to the media. It is frightening that Trump should even be thought of as a candidate in a sane world. I sometimes wonder how history will view this period if, there is a country left to consider what is happening. As you have pointed out the comparisons between the two men is absolutely ludicrous. How could anybody begin to defend such insanity?
The profit motive often outweighs objectivity, truth and accuracy. Nowhere more so than in the news media. And money = power so moral values take a back seat.
Biden is sane. Trump is nuts Robert, may I quote you, please? I'd be rolling on the floor if I wasn't in bed. It's going to be a good day beginning with such a laugh.
In many instances, such as Faux News, media outlets prefer to tell people what they like to hear to keep their viewer ratings high. And like Faux News, unfortunately, most of the U.S. media outlets have become profit driven businesses that use algorithms to decide what to publish to push up profits, rather than news organizations driven by the desire to seek out and publish the truth with advertising dollars being used as a way to fund such journalism.
kevin gershom sicard ; If they were telling people (humans) what "they want to hear", there would be more about the 14th amendment cases going in Colorado(?) and Michigan, and any other place where there is a desire to see him off the ballot.
donney trumpet 🎺 every word is now and since Jan 6 been Intended to get him out of accountability for his attempted coup and overthrow of our democratic government .
His blunders are designed to reinforce his upcoming “ alzheimer’s, I have a mental disability defense” with the goal of a reduced reduced prison sentencing.
He knew what he was doing on Jan 6 and its legal implication if it failed.
Now we are seeing his long game for a sentencing, and or pardon.” I’m just and orange hued grandfather that had corrupt legal advice” house arrest is worse case full pardon his best case .DINT BE FOOLED his mental “slips”
Are calculated long game “Get Trump out of Jail Free “window dressings...
steveandjanereed ; He wants us all to be afraid if he does not get his way. just be glad you don't actually Live with him!! Justice must smack him down Bigly! . Secret Service detail and all! Otherwise he will be a prisoner, hiding from the world for the rest of his life! ; Hiding behind his 'keepers'! Never really a free man again!
Because what we refer to as the media is simply not real news. It’s entertainment dressed as information, propaganda playing its part in our pretend democracy all the while maintaining the status quo and keeping the masses feeling like we have actual debates. The bigger question is why we spend so much time watching and discussing media outlets that have failed to properly report on every major event of the last half century. I’d love to see a post on the outlets you suggest we turn to instead of these false sources of discussion and news. Let’s drain the media swamp of clicks and viewers and ad money. It’s one thing to know the real role of these outlets is to distract us with bread and circuses. But when even the most learned among us continue to willingly pay tickets to the show, it really begs the question of why we should expect them or the country to change if we are not willing to make even the smallest changes in our own information consumption habits.
I chose “Biden seems frail, Trump vigorous.”
And what is it that makes Trump seem vigorous? It is his expression of rage, that is the superpower he uses to give him the illusion of vigorousness and power. I was entranced by the movie “Network” that came out in 1977. It was “Sidney Lumet and Paddy Chayefsky’s gruesome prophecy turned reality.” (Koraljka Suton)
“I wanted everyone, every man, woman or child to realize that they had a choice. I wanted them to know that they have the right to get angry, to get mad. They have the right to say to themselves, to each other, to the world at large, that they had worth, they had value. The speech wrote itself, because that was Beale’s battle cry for the people.” —Director Paddy Chayefsky on Howard Beale’s “Mad as Hell” speech (in the movie “Network” 1977)
Trump comes across as vigorous because he is utilizing the drug of anger and he is encouraging his followers to express their rage also. That is why his rallies are so compelling. He tells his followers and his minions that they have the right to be angry and them he masterfully directs their rage to the wrong institutions and individuals. This makes great drama and the news media feeds on it just as did the fictitious network that capitalized on Howard Beale’s rage in the award-winning move, “Network.”
Biden utilizes logic, rationality and compassion and it just does not sell to corporate-owned profit-driven media.
Trump vigorous: Adderall?
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is an impulse-control disorder characterized by sudden episodes of unwarranted anger. The disorder is typified by hostility, impulsivity, and recurrent aggressive outbursts. People with IED essentially “explode” into a rage despite a lack of apparent provocation or reason.
Daniel Solomon: Early dementia can exhibit that kind of sudden explosive rage, too, I read.
This evenings debate--
Donald Hodgins <silencenotbad@gmail.com>
11:15 AM (0 minutes ago)
The last time these candidates appeared on a stage together they shocked me. As a group, they were asked, "If Donald Trump is convicted of a crime would you still support him if he wins the Republican party's candidacy for President in the 2024 election?" All save two raised their hands and signaled their support for Trump regardless if he has been convicted of a crime and stands as a known criminal. These people would have no problem casting their votes for a man who has been indicted on more charges than I have had teeth pulled from my mouth. How can supposedly honest people support a criminal as their choice for president? Who left the door open and let human decency float out the door like a foul order passed from someone's lower gastrointestinal region. There shouldn't have been a single hand raised after being asked that question. It shames our country and our people in the eyes of the world to have others think we're that blind. To even contemplate electing a convicted criminal to the office of the President is an affront to everything this country has ever stood for. What lunacy has overtaken the thinking of the people we call our neighbors? It would make more sense to enlist the help of Charles Manson, even though the guy is dead, if you needed of a character witness. The problem this country is facing isn't Donald Trump it's reaching the lost members of our society who have chosen to follow a man who hates our legal system and would love to bring down the government that supports it. How the good people of this country got duped into standing behind this guy is beyond me but to initiate a fix we first must reach the mob whose feet are firmly entrenched in Trump's mud. Perhaps Mr. Gaetz might offer the multitude a "Matt" to wipe their feet on.
The additionally disturbing part of that gop debate was when the question was "Would you still support....." and most of them tried to assess how the others were going to vote before raising their own hands ..... It was PATHETIC. . . and as to your very strong point about how "the good people of this country got duped into standing behind this guy..." I'd suggest reading Cassidy Hutchinson's new book "Enough" if you missed her hour-long appearances on Rachel Monday night and then again on Lawrence last night. As Mark Meadows' former aide, she makes a point about how even she was behind tfg (even though he was extremely difficult to work around) and it wasn't till toward the end when surreptitious planning re Jan. 6 and other related activities were being frantically planned right under her nose that she began to struggle with the realities that he and his supporters were doing anything OTHER than supporting the Constitution and our democracy. She says that one of the reasons she is speaking out and also wrote the book is to possibly help others like her see how they were duped so they might dis-engage, and how important it is for those of us who were not duped to be more understanding of, and kinder to, those who may be struggling the way she did when trying to make sense of it all.
MM--Cassidy Hutchinson, that young lady has her hands full. What a terribly position for Trump to have put her in. Everything about the guy is a lie. I would hate to consider his childhood, someone suffered on a daily basis. As for Cassidy, the truth will out, as it were.
even Bill Barr who says Trump should not be near the oval office said he'd vote for him if he was the nominee (or at least wouldn't vote for a Democrat) What is wrong with these people?!
Think about Germany in the early 1930's. Donald, and there's your answer. People who are frightened and confused will turn to any strongman, no matter how evil, so long a he promises them a path to paradise. They don't realize how many bodies, including their own will line that path..
Fay --I've placed Trump in that time period on numerous occasions basically because that is where, what mentality he has, comes from. Hitler's Germany.
Well said!!
⁹⁰
Well said, should be read on every news channel
This is not new behavior for Donald; he has practiced this behavior for decades. Since becoming politically active and no longer the darling of the media that he was (in some folks minds) during his reality show days he has acted out even more. Not saying he couldn’t be developing dementia, just that this isn’t new behavior for him. It’s just exasperated by the fact that he knows he lost the 2020 election and his increasing legal woes
It is not trump's impulsivity that is disturbing. It is that he is a bold, unabashed fascist. It is that his effort to confuse millions of people is working. It is that he pontificates cruel, racist rants as if what he has to say is meaningful or based on truth. It is his endlessly offensive objectification and violation of women. It is that he repeats "sleepy Joe" a zillion times, and 75% of Americans are in a trance that eclipses Biden's huge accomplishments, his many wonderful appointments, and his even hand through this political 8.0 on the Richter Scale. It is that he has set out to destroy everything so he can become king of the world. And yes, I completely agree, Prof. Reich, he is absolutely nuts.
My mother, in early dementia, would explode not with rage but funny stuff.
It’s why we didn’t recognize it.
I recognize clearly tRumps lack of inhibition.
He’s close to insane. But it might just be dementia.
Just because he doesnt burst out in anger at all times doesnt mean he isnt this way even during his calm times. Small slights you and I would consider not worth our attention can be all encompansing "attacks" that he needs to repell with violent rhetoric and or actions. It's a throwback to cavemen type interactions when life and death were on the line. We are so far removed from those perilous times now that there is nearly no instance where thought patterns like his serve any meaningfull purpose or use in a civilized society. Some see his behaviour as "strength" when in reality his behaviour is as a monkey throwing his shit at a passersby who he believes is threatening his person. That shows a very weak mentality.
He has been a bully his entire life and never held accountable till now. And MANY people who worked near him all the time because they were part of the "Oval Office" circle have said that he constantly created an overcharged atmosphere of high anxiety and chaos, lashing out at anyone loudly and angrily if they even tactfully & gently suggested going a route different from the one he wanted, or if he didn't get his way on something. He is also well-known for continual threats of all sorts, some outright and some subtle. Mitt Romney's new book, "A Reckoning" also reports many behind-the-scene situations, discussions, comments, etc regarding fellow gop senators who would privately confess that they disagreed with everything tfg was doing but who voted in support anyway because their wives and children were being threatened... some even wanted to support the impeachments but were too scared to and voted to acquit. And this had been going on for a looong time. But his everyday followers see strength and they believe he is protecting them. They do not see that that kinds of things he threatens publicly to do to others (hang mike pence; execute Mark Milley, etc) could ultimately be done to THEM.
I do wondwr about the bravery of our representatives and senators. They at least stand a chance of affording security if they spoke out against Trump. Its the folks like Shay Moss and Ruby Freeman who get the shaft and have true bravery for pursuing Giuliani and Trump in court.
Exactly what I was thinking. Why couldn’t Romney with his integrity and clout have steered fellow members to do something? I don’t know what the procedures were available to them.
My understanding is Donald has meticulously copied his father's domination and bullying of him and others.
quite possibly but I think what really elevated his "mafia" skills was his relationship w/ roy cohn.
I have no idea if he bursts out in anger at any ole time. I thought it was a behavior he used to make himself look stronger than he feels. He also seems to be more angry as he is facing the legal battles. Also, don’t know about dementia in his case. I bet Melania does though.
As for me, discussions of media bias bring on severe episodes of Tourette's! 🤣
At first I was thinking Trump may be utilizing stimulants, But your diagnosis of IED seems more accurate. It also seems an accurate description of Howard Beale in “Network."
Maybe it's both and possibly more; his niece, Mary Trump, would suggest he's got many mental illnesses going on.
Yes, her book was an eye opener as was Woodward's books about his problems in the oval office right from the start.
Daniel, I agree with ur comments. I chose the one most people also chose, that being the Media sees their ad dollars increase if they say polls say it’s a tight race between Biden & the felony laden former guy! I don’t believe any Polls & especially not polls this early in the election cycle. I see bad things happening to this Trump party @ the Primary. At the last minute they are going to be faced with their candidate being sent to prison & nobody wanting any of the debate candidates so they will have to choose one of them anyway or bring in a sneak candidate to run against Biden. It’s really an effed up party with no platform or direction. Too bad for them bec they are a disgusting bunch of lazy do nothing people in Congress who always shut down the government bec they won’t negotiate over a budget. It’s their form of toddler temper tantrum that causes hatred of government! They prefer gridlock over work & like to brag about it! President Biden should tell all Rethuglicans in Congress they also will forfeit their salary but have To come to work anyway like regular Mission Essential employees! Their tantrums are getting old so they should suffer for causing them !
Also I want to add to your comments🤬😂🤣👍 because they are a bunch
of lazy do nothing people in Congress who are willing to tout all the stuff they intend to accomplish, act like they have done a lot, and take home a nice paycheck.
True that Carol! It raises my blood pressure just thinking about their laziness to solve the issues & the damages to our economy, people’s livelihoods & our government! It’s not healthy for anyone or anything to have to go thru these sham shutdowns!
add borderline personality disorder
Trump hasn't changed in over a decade. My medical opinion is that he is a narcissistic personality disorder. It was evident in childhood, fuelled his dishonest business practices, found orgasmic pleasure in being a TV star. The only effective weapon is to ignore him. He's under a mild gag order already, so ignore him. P. 5. "In other news " the second string regional host 25 words or less...
My opinion is that he is effective in evoking potential harm to himself and others.
The media is obsessed.
If I were his lawyer, I'd allege he is unfilt to stand trial to aviod the consequences of organic brain syndrome and ask for your opinion.
His best and only defense is insanity.
So Trump really isn’t outraged at the way our country is going or hammering in his ideology, he just has programed his anger to dovetail with the speeches he is giving? What is Adderall? I can google it.
Psychopath. No conscience. Blames others to hide his deceit. Deliberate harm to others. Ask the Capitol police.
Lol Daniel..
I'm a bit surprised nobody's mentioned Judge Engoron's ruling yesterday, that ol' P01135809 lives in a "fantasy world!"
I chose that option as well. Remember, Trump is a private citizen who can and has limited his public appearances. So, he does appear vigorous in the few rallies he holds. The public does not know his energy level in the long intervals between speeches, or his general health. Biden, in contrast, is always in the public eye because he is president, so we don't always see him at his best.
Along with the media never showing Biden at his best!
Yep. MSM is NOT our "friend".... every bit as damaging as faux, imo.
he may be a public citizen but he has a strong hold on the republicans in the Senate
Yes, but he also does not couple the compassion with language about why they are truly hurting, nor with big ideas to tackle the actual problems. The nation has been sold out, exploited, picked apart by corporate vultures and every working person not born to wealth or not rich from it knows this is in their heart. But Biden and Dems don't call it out like they should, so Trump fills it in and redirects it any way that will serve his purpose.
Ian ; Actually, President Biden's speech on the picket line excoriated greed y corporations very well. I think he has been studying Robert Reich! 😀
I'm very glad he did that, but I'm referring to the national policies and major addresses on the matter that we need. These short clips after carefully assessing it's politically safe to say the right thing are killing the party and the country. The real truth could rally the masses in the direction we need, but instead, alternatives facts are steering us into an abyss.
Ian, you are right, so how do we get the honest message out when our media are to such a great extent conservative corporate owned? They don't want the truth out there. It might actually get people motivated to do something about the current situation and they don't see their future in media made better by an honestly informed populace.
One thing I think we need to do is engage social media experts to circumvent the usual channels. We need to take advantage of the same hyper-local targeting that corporations and right wing advocacy groups are using to go directly to people....not through radio and tv news and that nonsense. It's just not worth the effort required to succeed through those mediums anymore. I also think we need to rally young people way more than we are doing, as they are always most effective at getting messages out using new technology and driving the news cycles.
Ruth Sheets ; Inequality Media reach places most of our generation don't go, like Snap chat and Tik Tok, I give to them when I can.
Ian ; Agree! ; I have been supporting Inequality Media when I can afford to. They post on media that I rarely go to, like tik tok and snap chat. Places my 20 somethings are on all the time. They reach a younger audience.
always safe; always playing not to lose.
Who plays to lose?
Yes, but it bothered me that the bull horn he had seemed to do nothing to amplify his speech. And he is not a naturally bombastic speaker, so to me it also made it seem that he might not have had the energy to be professionally "fierce" and "fiery". I don't think it was anyone's fault. They were outside and it seemed a bit windy. But it's something his people might want to keep an eye on for the future.
Although Robert Reich deserves some of the credit, I believe the "middle out" meme originated with Nick Hanauer. Read his book "Gardens of Democracy" and his blog, "PitchforkEconomics.com" Not that they disagree on much, if anything, Hanauer's perspective adds to your understanding, especially his view of capitalism as an ecosystem rather than a zero-sum game as Republicans wrongly view it.
Ian, I agree that Dems have not been able to get out the message that the rich corporations and individuals who are buying and controlling so much of our government do not have our best interests at heart, or rather anyone's interests except their own and the money they have been accumulating. It's like the way various media have been portraying to rural people that Democrats have forgotten them when Democrats have regularly proposed programs to get electricity (1930s), internet (since the 1990s), and renewable energy (in the 2000s) into rural areas. They somehow don't hear that Republicans constantly block such programs even for their own constituents. Republicans have proposed nothing that will help rural Americans, but are presented as though they are the ones who care for the people. I don't understand how fogged in one has to be to not see what is real. I guess it is easier to wallow in misery and misinformation instead of voting for people who actually care about them and will get programs going for their communities. It won't happen with Republicans in charge. That is a certainty.
The crucial point. When there is a void others will fill it. LIke the hollowness of communism in the Breshnev era. Even when there are big ideas like IRA it's not sold well. Maybe Dem leadership doesn't call it out because, in the words of the great reggae master Eddy Grant, "only them that feels it knows." Many lack youthful passion.
It’s called insanity, narcissism and Adderall, but the problem is stupid people vote on emotions.
WE HAVE TO VOTE!!!
Remember we were here before. Hillary tried to warn us. But Trump won and look what happened. Are we going to let that happen again? We have 2 choices. Biden (sanity and democracy)or Trump (sociopath criminal, incompetent and autocracy). Imagine how it would be if he were back in the Oval. That should certainly get you to vote for Biden.
Marc, you are right about the anger. It must be a human trait that lets anger have so much power in our lives. The problem or a problem as I see it is that Trump is nearly never challenged related to his absent ideas, his insults, his inaccurate direction of his cult's anger. When he is interviewed, the interviewers allow him to rule the room while he blurts out more nonsense, innuendo, and just plain lies. I know I have mentioned this before, but when one does not call at least some of the lies "lies," it appears that the reluctance on the part of the interviewer is that Trump is really right and the interviewer is just trying to cause trouble for him because of their agenda. It's nonsense of course, but anger can pretty much take away, at least temporarily, our ability to reason. Trump's "rallies" are designed by Trump's handlers to get the people to the level of significant anger rather quickly, then maintain it throughout most of the speech, though not enough to exhaust the party-goers. They need enough energy to take their anger out into the real world. Trump can lie, babble, lie some more, insult, talk treason, lie even more, just as long as the time between the anger points is not too long. I suspect the people are primed to hear only the familiar anger points and insults and the rest is pretty unimportant. They may not even register consciously the various lies because they go by quickly. They do lodge in the people's subconscious just waiting to be blurted out when with friends and others. Trump's handlers are very good at this. The Steves and the shadow group that keeps the lies, threats, etc. going even though Trump is not supposed to be issuing threats have been very effective and are gloating over their success. They are daring the judges in the cases to do anything to their darling Donnie, their meal ticket, and, they have been right so far that the judges in the cases have done nothing to Trump while any other indicted person who had disregarded or just plain flouted a judge's order would be in jail. I don't understand how anyone thinks trump has anything to offer anyone except, clearly he does because his fan club needs their anger fix daily or they can't get up the energy to support candidates and issues that are clearly against their own interests and benefit. That is a serious illness that We the People have neglected. We need some quality treatments for it. Perhaps forcing Trump into house arrest with no internet connection could help as a kind of antibiotic for the infection. It will never happen, but it could help.
Don't forget his alleged use of ACTUAL drugs! I mean, his eldest is CLEARLY into cocaine.
Trump is like God: an angry psychopath....reigning down terror. That's one reason the "christains" idolize him.
Yes, the mythological gods of the Greeks, for example, were embraced to motivate and control society.
the Christian god has a bad track record, although no one seems to acknowledge this. His little humans are the worst animal ever.
Hello, I see you have a name I am familiar with and believe at one time you were a neighbor and friend in San Diego. Would that be the same Judy Dyer? I hope you don’t mind me asking on this site.
No San Diego, I have lived in Chicago, NJ, NYC, Merida Mexico for 15 years and Boulder for the last 5 summers to get away from the hot humid weather here.
Great analysis!
I understand,from some who would know, that the drug of anger is not the only drug Trump uses. He does not drink alcohol but has used an at times abused cocaine and other drugs for a surge of energy. Also, he is reported to have very little emotional control and verbally attacks many in service to him.
Biden is not even in the same league. The full organizational demands of the office would slow any of us down. His recall and depth of knowledge on topics is impressive, even as word recall is lagging at times.
Ian, thanks, I am interested in what news sources people trust. Me --- 1. I like PBS the best. They are national and international news not entertainment. I trust them highly, but I stay on guard like I do with any news group for any hint of feeling like I am being manipulated. 2. DW News.out of Germany. I trust less than PBS, but I like them. 3. For my community and state, I listen to locally produced NPR shows (although they have been infiltrated in recent years, so I stay on guard). 4. I have to admit I turn to MSNBC for both news and entertainment, so my trust factor is much lower than for the above.
Let me also suggest the Christian Science Monitor, you don't have to be a Christian Scientist to read it. 8 Pulitzers and never sued for libel.
David Reno, thanks!
M Tree: I fast forwarded on a couple of recorded MSNBC shows last evening, because of blatant 'both sides ism'. It is frustrating to see tfg treated as an equally legitimate candidate running against President Biden. Yes: they often go into the litany of his transgressions when they are about to talk about him. "The twice impeached 4 time indicted blah blah blah.". But then they go along like he is a real serious worthy contender, with little, if any, reference to the fact that there is the 14th amendment and disqualification clause, which can and should be enforced. " If only it can: but how?" So pathetic : so maddening. If there was a will...
Laurie Blair, I agree. It makes you wanna scream, and sometimes I do. That helps!
M Tree: I feel the same way: Jen Psaki was remarking on Rachael Maddow's interview with Cassidy Hutchinson coming up after her show. It was something I did not want to miss, and I recorded it. Very good news there! So I go through the news shows, looking for real news. Sometimes I strike gold!
Laurie Blair, yes the interview with her is of interest as real news, striking gold.
I like Democracy Now, In These Times, BBC, Common Dreams and NPR. Some of these are labeled as progressive, but I judge the quality of sources by how often they seem to get things right.
Yes, Democracy Now!
Ian, thank you, I will check out the ones you listed that I am unfamiliar with.
Yes Democracy Now - Amy Goodman
I subscribe to several writers here on Substack; Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, Greg Olear, Jeff Tiedrich, Fred Wellman. On You Tube I’m a big fan of Beau of the Fifth Column(if you aren’t familiar, I can highly recommend), Meidas Touch, Talking Feds, Keith Olberman and several others if they aren’t redundant. I also subscribe to UNDERSTANDABLY by Bill Murphy on a different newsletter platform. This keeps me pretty well informed except for the truly local stuff but that’s what neighbors are for.
Pretty much my list too. Beau doesn’t have half the subscribers that he should have. I’m in awe of both him and Heather!
SPW, thank you so much for your robust list. I'll check out the several I am unfamiliar with.
I also listen to various international news and I like Amy Goodman. At least they give you a varied perspective to help frame your thoughts.
Carol A. Heasley, thank you!
You’re welcome.😎
“The bigger question is why we spend so much time watching and discussing media outlets that have failed to properly report on every major event of the last half century.”
Haven’t patronized those outlets in ages. None of us should.
I am another one that hasn't patronized them in 2 decades now. They are biased and up TUMP's rear end.
Sadly these corporate monoliths are vertically integrated megacorporations that have "news" outlets as just one of their holdings. Their corporate policy preferences will always color their coverage.
Christopher--Aside from our last discussion I would like to apologize, my comment was way out of line and characteristically not me.
“my comment”
Singular?
Brilliantly on point.
The issue is simple. Trump's life of crime can't compared to President Biden's age. One is a natural progression we all will experience while the other sees our world through the eyes of deranged sociopath. I really can't make any rational comparison. Any individual exhibiting the signs Mr. Trump has shown this country over and over again should consider a change of residence, one where there are medical professionals trained to care fore patients like the former President. This country is up in arms about the lack of help our society gives people in need of mental help. OK NIMH, here is a prime example of someone in need of mental help. Have at it, please. Before the guy can do any more damage to our country.
As for accolades, President Biden deserves a standing ovation for everything he has done to help this country and Trump deserves our disapproval because of all the terrible things he has done to our people.
Karl--That bitter taste in your mouth is the remnants of all the crap Trump has been throwing at us for the past 8 years and we as a society are sick of the obnoxious flavor.
Why he has not been disqualified from running under the 25th. Amendment as completely UNHINGED is beyond me unless he has to be actually IN OFFICE FOR A PSYCH EVAL TO BE ACCOMPLISHED! Why not demand he have such as Eval as a “candidate” before ballots are printed? No legitimate physician in the field of psychiatry would do less than lock him up NOW.
Judith--Take a deep breath, relax, and understand how you feel is shared by half the people in this country. The other half is still waiting for their boat to dock.
😂🤣 Yes, I do have difficulty relaxing and letting the theater play itself out. I’ll try to do as you ask. 🕊️💃🏼🎵🎶
Judith--A set of really good head phones. A little Joni Mitchell or Judy Collins and let the troubles drift away for a moment.
What can we expect from a public who makes a sport out of voting on who presents the best commercials during the Super Bowl?
and who pays more ATTENTION to that game and those commercials than to its own politicians.... :(
How better to keep on a level with your constituents? That way, you can tailor your speeches to their interests and away from the issues that matter: "Hey, he (or she) shares my interests. They got my vote!
…and the overriding stench of modern American capitalism.
Way beyond capitalism.
Trump testified under oath that he could get the Saudis to buy his properties for more than they’re worth.
Wonder why they’d do that?
To directly reply on your request for media alternatives: Mother Jones, In These Times, Democracy Now, Common Dreams, Jacobin, Media Matters. Yes they all have their perspectives. There is no such thing as bias free media. At least these outlets wear it on their sleeves and give one a good starting point for critical review.
Yes, for years my late husband, a liberal and PHd organic chemist, watched an average four hours evening main media news nightly. I tried to keep up but came to believe it was a waste of time when they failed to properly report on every major event that permitted Bush and friends to take us into an 18 year hunt for Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. When I look back at the major events and see exposed the glaring misrepresentations of the facts or lack thereof - they failed to do their job to inform the American people. Yes, a circus not even the best dictator can come up with to diffuse their information. I think my husband watched even though he wasn’t getting Walter Krondite material it had become analogous to his favorite football team.
And this is my main concern. The factors that allowed this to happen are all still in place. The profit motive, the incestuous connections between who owns the media while also owning weapons manufacturers, banks, etc. Even the Trump coverage right now has shown the same media outlets that allowed his ascension will go right back to putting him back on top without a thought because it is short-term profitable. Never mind it may ruin their lives, country and democracy...but that media system is designed to profit through distraction and spectacle, now actual news.
Ian while reading your post another question(s) surfaced for me. As all things evolve and change…are we witnessing a change in “media outlet-ery”? Is this the time that providing factual news is the “new business” of citizens interested in a functioning democracy? I think some of this is happening but had never had words to express it. Thank you for jogging thoughts today!
Ian, right now, at least for now, I'm liking Scripps News outlets, like channel 5 TV in the Cleveland Ohio area. Dispassionate fact delivery it 'seems' for now.
I gave up on watching CNN and MSNBC a couple years ago. My main sources now include: Prof. Reich’s excellent blog; the Intercept; Inside Climate News; Hightower Lowdown; Prof. Reich’s media group; and emails from Daily Kos and OurRevolution. These and numerous other nonprofits are committed to truth telling. They are out there, and deserve our gratitude and support.
I don't go to social media for news. Public Radio and Television are providing balanced trustworthy information and analysis.
The ONLY corporate media I watch on rare occassion is MSNBC clips on Youtube. They are often willing to viciously critize the criminal, sex offender ex president.
99.999% of my news comes from independent media. Especially Farron Cousins, Jesse Dollemore, David "Pacman" Pakman, and Brian Tyler Cohen. (The "Pacman" name came from Howard Stern of all people who is apparently a fan!)
This discussion is all well and good, but here it's more a question of marketing, consistent with The Young Turks criticism of the Democrats' perception at the moment - at about 5 min 50 sec into the clip, toward the end. Although marketing in this society is very important - the communication issue - it fails to hit the >real< mark, the real issue that underpins it all:
- FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY ISSUES GRAVE WARNING TO OL' P01135809'S OPPONENTS:
https://youtu.be/DmWWI9cq1J4?si=3qaCLsUHOBBqxZ7p
Which will be right out of the Heritage Foundation playbook for establishing the "Unitary Executive," as discussed here, for which ol' P01135809 is a serious avatar.
- THE CONSERVATIVE PLAN TO TAKE OVER THE COUNTRY (YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS.):
https://youtu.be/9k3UvaC5m7o?si=IeeofGtutJqiblwx
Apparently, you can buy the document for $35 from the Heritage Foundation - or download the PDF: https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
Exactly Ian. 👍🏼
View Humphrey Bogart's similar speech in Deadline USA
"Why no mention of Trump’s mental condition?"
Especially since Trump has recently warned Biden that Biden is on course for starting WW II, when Trump clearly meant WW III. Or that the Iraq War was started by Jeb Bush.
On another media failure, it was depressing to watch Dana Bash Sunday on State of the Union, interviewing Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett, tax cutter and darling of the Heritage Foundation. They were discussing his willingness to shut down the government because of the budget deficit.
He kept repeating, in a drawling southern monotone: “Ma’am, you can’t keep spending 7 trillion dollars a year when you’re only taking in 5 trillion.” To which the obvious response should have been “Well Congressman, the deficit was created by a $2 trillion tax cut to the corporations and to wealthy Americans by Donald Trump. Jeff Bezos pays less in taxes than a corporate secretary. Why don’t you just raise taxes on those who can afford to pay, and allow your constituents to sleep at night?”
But, not a peep.
By law, the issue is whether he is a threat of harm to himself or to others to warrant a civil commitment for a psychiatric examination.
For example, The Florida Mental Health Act, commonly referred to as the Baker Act, focuses on crisis services for individuals with mental illness, much like an emergency department is for individuals experiencing a medical emergency.
Execution of Milley? Kill Mike Pence?. After Trump disparaged them, some of the judges overseeing Trump's criminal cases have received threats. U.S. District Judge Chutkan, who is presiding over the federal election subversion case in Washington, has increased security after a woman was arrested for threatening to kill her.
Judge Chutkan will be deciding whether to apply the Jack Smith request that she limit what Trump can say publicly about it. Citing a slew of social media posts on the platform Truth Social, prosecutors accused Trump of making "inflammatory public statements" that sought to influence potential jurors and intimidate witnesses.
IMHO psychiatrists can establish that the statements show Trump has a mental illness and due to the mental illness, he is unable to control himself. Without care or treatment, he will pose a serious threat to himself or others.
A psychiatric examination these days should include an MRI of the brain to exclude focal atrophy.
How about the MMPI? Luria/Nebraska, Halstead,/Reitan tests to diagnose brain disfunction? IQ?
All good. The MMPI in particular may be useful for those not giving good effort, e.g. litigants seeking financial compensation for allegations of brain damage. Trump has to agree to take the tests and might blow all of them, with meaningless results.
However, somewhere in Walter Reed there is an MRI of Trump's brain. In my experience, most radiologists are not terribly good at identifying focal atrophy, such as might be seen in frontal dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or even Alzheimer's. They will tend to say "diffuse atrophy consistent with age." We need well-trained people to scrutinize the scan. Presumably, this will first mean bringing in the lawyers to deal with HIPAA and the Constitution. But, from a strictly medical perspective, the kid gloves approach has gone on long enough. There is something seriously wrong with Trump and this needs to be addressed for the sake of the country and the sake of the world. If Trump had been an ordinary citizen he would have had a full workup long ago.
When I heard Defense Base Act IED cases, lots of head injuries. I had people who had graduated from service academies who had a low IQ post trauma, people who had complete personality changes, etc.
Most of the physicians who testified in my head cases were neurologists, some with dual certifications in radiology. The non invasive tests substanatiate or rule out the MRI diagnosis.
In most cases of head injury the MRI is normal, and you are relying on neuropsychological testing. For technical reasons, the so-called "advanced MRI techniques," such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging, should not be used in individual subjects. However, if the MMPI shows good effort, and there is a decline in expected intelligence, this is really all you need. In my opinion, MRI is used and abused in many head injury cases. A normal study does not necessarily mean there is no brain damage.
On the other hand, when it comes to early dementia, the MRI is very useful.
Trump would not be able to mantain enough concentration to take the MMPI.
Daniel Solomon : isn't threatening a judge reason to put tfg into a jail cell until his trial? Why can't she revoke bail and stop his obstruction of justice? He can cause a mistrial by putting so many falsehoods out there for his base,, jurors etc.
We've discussed this before....has to hold a hearing. IMHO DOL/Jack Smith is a wuss. Should have asked for a lot more...increased bail, monetary sanctions, etc. This not the only time he's done it....civil coercive contempt. Make him stop.
I don't think she'll do any of that....
Retired psychologist here. I have long predicted Trump’s lawyers will say he is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
But wouldn't this also make him ineligible to run for President?
Not a lawyer. Ask them. They’re always figuring out ways to get around common sense. 🥺
True, how else can a lawyer prosper?
EXACTLY WHAT I JUST SAID but with fewer details; thank you!
Regarding the Burchett remark, it’s important to note that federal government spending is subject to completely different considerations than individuals, corporations, or state and local governments. Why? Because the federal government is the SOURCE of money! It doesn’t have to “take it in”, it CREATES it. Government spending is the money gets into the economy in the first place.
The issue is not the sheer level of spending but whether or not the money is being utilized to meet the true needs of the country and its citizens, or is it simply further enriching those who already have way too much wealth to begin with.
Exactly right, Bill Miller.
What I can't understand is why nobody complains when the banks create money to give corporations loans. It's the exact same money creation mechanism. Only complaining is when banks or feds are giving regular people money.
Thanks for the supportive response Debbie! I'm reading a new book that explains this to a "T". The title pretty much sums it up: "Wealth Supremacy - How the Extractive Economy and Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today's Crises" by Marjorie Kelly.
Please also see my lengthy reply to Michael Hutchinson somewhere along this thread.
Bill, maybe this is what you're saying, but the way I understand it is that there is a difference between debt and deficit. The deficit is that kitchen table thing of money in, money out. The government takes in $x in income taxes and spends $y. The difference, x-y is, by definition, the deficit. If the deficit rises year after year, then this influences the rate of inflation. The debt, which so many get exercised about, is much more nebulous. For example, if someone borrows $1 million to start a business the the national debt goes up $1 million, even though the lender is a US bank, so debt is a general measure of indebtedness. This could represent a positive sign of economic activity, for example someone starting a business. It's a little known fact that the British National Debt in the 19th Century, at the peak of imperial power and wealth, ran 150% of GDP. In modern American terms, this would mean $45 trillion, which we are nowhere near.
Anyway, the national debt includes not only the deficit but also inflation. It is therefore inevitable that it goes up every year. It's not a big deal, but politicians make it a big deal by warning about the "Debt Ceiling" and all that BS. It no longer surprises me that the only politicians doing this are Republicans, the same people who have no problem blowing a hole in the deficit by cutting taxes on the wealthy.
Ah, thanks so much Michael for bringing this up! There’s so much confusion about the way our modern money system works that it allows disingenuous shills like Burchett to bamboozle the public into allowing policies not in their own interest.
You’re right that there’s a difference between national “debt” and “deficit” but it’s different than popularly thought. For you and me (and any other non-federal entity), we accumulate or borrow money, then can spend it. In the latter case, a debt is a loan that needs to be repaid. At the federal level it sort of works backward, since we have a debt-based currency system. At the start of a budgetary cycle, money is literally spent (not “borrowed”) into existence — created ex nihilo (out of nothing). It then flows through the economy, does its work mediating commerce, then ideally is recalled (through taxation and loan repayment) at the end of the fiscal year, so the next spending cycle can begin.
In other words, “National debt” is basically the money supply, (And if this is the first time you’ve heard this, you may have trouble believing it. It took me 10 years to fully accept that this is how it works.) Debt itself, at any level, isn’t a problem so long as the funds are spent on productive activity and meet the actual needs of the country and its people.
“Deficit” however, *is* a problem when spending in the current cycle can’t be fully recovered before the next. Why does that happen? Basically, the wealthy, whose goal is to enjoy ever-increasing wealth, are of course reluctant to give up even penny of their accumulating hoard — and the capitalist system as implemented enforces that above all else (remember 2008?). So the recovery has to be taken from the rest of us in the form of taxation, cuts, diminished services, wage stagnation, increased fees and tuition, etc.
Alternatively, the harms from the above can be slowed to some degree if the economy is expanding — hence the constant pressure for economic “growth”. But things can only grow so far in a closed system (like planet Earth). Eventually, we will run out of things to monetize, and the we’ll either have a Mad Max sort of world, or we will evolve to a new society where the needs life are valued as more important than the needs of nonliving capital.
Isn’t debt borrowing from our children’s and theirs’ future economies?
Not really. Money always represents someone else’s debt. Read David Graeber's DEBT,The First 5000 Years.
Also, she could list some specific government services, such as weather reports or road funding or making sure our food is safe and ask which he wants to cut. It is the job of the government to provide services to the people of this country, which requires spending money. Republicans repeatedly convey a message that the government spends money only because politicians like spending taxpayer money.
It's also the duty of the government to tax, as Adam Smith pointed out in Wealth of Nations, 1776, and we have not had nearly enough taxation of the rich since Ronald Reagan.
Michael Hutchinson, I congratulate you for making it through that whole segment. I didn't, only got a little ways in and I couldn't take his nonsense anymore.
Clown shows deferred for a few minutes will reappear for ill-informed rump fans who fall into oligarchy pulling strings on this century’s Howdy Doody. Or is he more like Clarabel— always tooting his own horn w/o a meaningful word to say?
Amen!
That interview is depressing. I don't know what her response should have been, but no response of substance is unacceptable.
And trust me I know well. You can’t be any dumber than Tim Burchett ma’am or no ma’am.
Familiar in MI with Heritage and Tea Party influences not to mention Betsy Prince DeVos ( no education background not stepping over public school threshold until named SecEd by Trump) financing so many charter schools in MI. Stopped counting how many homes Amway owners possess nieces employing a scheduler for one family’s 7 yachts.
Right, she and her family’s wealth have so much clout in Grand Rapids MI it would make you sick to grasp the extent of it. I like to read the other side’s ideas for pursuing truth and defending liberty in the Imprimis journal (someone anonymous began sending it to me and it just keeps arriving year after year) that comes out of Hillsdale College, and like the Heritage Foundation, none of the contributing scholars sounds a peep against Trump. I have found some glaring omissions and out and out lies in a few arguments. But nonetheless it keeps my critical thinking skill sharpened.
I read that if T-rump is elected a nearly-900 pp. document will be released by Heritage and government officials and laws will be abolished. Haven’t found more about this, but I need to focus on more positive future developments daily. Did your info come from Imprimis, Carol?
I just came from the Australian Democracy Museum with a huge display about freedom of the press and its responsibility to report accurately and truthfully. Every US journalist should be required to see it and read it all. Honesty and integrity in US reporting is gone; making $$$ is what rules. American has gone to the dogs fighting over the bone of audience.
I think anyone who is is a real journalist, is feeling as frustrated as the rest of us. The real problem rests in the management and owners, who purchase newspaper and magazine companies; loading those companies with impossible debt. The owners/shareholders demand a market level return on their investment dollars. Consequently, management will cut departments (usually the hard news and investigative journalist staff first) that doesn't generate sufficient ad revenue to pay for itself. It's a vicious, vicious cycle. Molly Ivins, who had at least two--maybe three--newspapers sold out from under her, wrote about this democracy-threatening problem quite often.
Look to Australia? They gave us Rupert Murdoch.
They were smart enough to get rid of him?!
Perhaps that's why Murdoch couldn't survive in Australia.
Maybe that's why Murdoch poisoned ZuS.
Poisoned the US, I meant.
Good to clarify. I thought it was a special code I was out of the loop.
You can edit your post, click the three dots. Fyi.
Ty
Professor Reich: in your poll, i answered "other" because you didn't mention the press' fear of losing their jobs for reporting the truth.
basically, i think the press is well aware that "fear of appearing partisan" is merely a false flag for their real fears. of course, there are a vast sea of so-called journalists who are mere stenographers, so there's that, too. but journalism (in general) pays poorly, demands long hours, doesn't (in my experience) reward ethics or deep thought and careful research & writing, and often hinges on pleasing an often impossible-to-please boss. and owner.
especially the billionaire owner, these days.
cuz THAT'S a big reason that the press stubbornly refuses to tell their readers and the electorate the truth.
In the broadcasting business, your success depends a lot on the viewer's opinion of you. Too many negative opinions from the viewers, and you are out of a job! That's why a Fox News host will never say something good about Biden!
GrrrlScientist : I felt the same about that poll.
- The truth is Biden is competent and has an impressive record of accomplishments asl President.
- The truth is Trump is inept and was an utter failure as President.
- And if the media reported the truth the results of the coming election would be an obvious foregone conclusion and people would stop following election news. Which means millions upon millions upon millions of ad revenue the news shows and papers would not get.
So the media HAS TO have it look like it’s a horse race. They HAVE TO promote questions about Biden’s age and downplay Trump’s crimes and make the two seem equivalent.
Anything else means the networks get no viewers, no millions for running political ads, the reporters get no “special” report airtime to make themselves famous, no book deals.
It’s simply all about the money! 💵💰💲
If the media reported the truth about Biden and Trump as noted in your comment, the right wing members in my family would think they were being lied to and would "change the channel"! They want to hear "facts" that confirm their biases. I think there are millions of people like them in our country, and I wish I knew what is the solution to this problem! By the way, who watches the "Sunday news shows" like Meet the Press and State of the Union? I don't know anyone who does.
I sometimers watch them, though less these days. Esp the parts where pols come on and talk their predictable talking points.
I watch Velshi , Jen Psaki and Simone. I have never liked "Meet the Press, and am unaware of State of the Union. Even the title of ''State of the Union' seems presumptuous: I want to watch the real thing, delivered by the President. Tired of beng i'massaged' by greedhead owned and operated pundits .Im very wary of BS . Tired of it, actually.
Take an inventory...bet they have a lot to lose.
They should learn from Fox v Dominion, and govern themselves accordingly.
Tru.p served a purpose: Waking up the elites to having sold out the country (NAFTA, China, etc.) We forget/ignore that at our peril.
Considering Bernie Sanders is a year older than Biden, I would suggest we deny at our peril a fundamental, albeit regrettable, fact—that age and rhetorical fluency often get conflated. While my post is not intended to dismiss the false equivalences nor the media’s repeated failures to ask the obvious follow-up questions to expose deceptions and get at verifiable truths, I, nonetheless, would submit that Biden’s inability to take full advantage of the bully pulpit places further demands on us to help beat back the lies, the falsehoods, the hatred, and the divisiveness within which much of the GOP traffics.
Barbara, I don't call them the GOP or Republicans anymore. They are just the American Fascist Party promoting violence, corruption, misogyny, and psychopathology. It's Hitler all over again and every other sociopathic dictator that's ever walked the Earth. So far, our democratic republic is holding and millions of us have been activated in its defense.
Madeline, Thank you for writing. While, in my view, your portrayal represents about a third of the party, I sense the other two-thirds, for a host of reasons, none of which is commendable, have failed to beat back the extremists determined to tear down the structures of government established to balance one another’s powers and protect the country from the misdeeds and manipulations born of greedy and self-serving impulses. As for the millions of us, many of whom have found homes within the thousands of local, state, and federal grassroots organizations, I take heart from the presence of so many who are eager to work as well as they can to shape a more generous common future.
Stats show that the Republican Party is shrinking...and the youth vote can trump (pun intended ) and swamp them in 2024.
Very well said Madeline Taylor!
Thank you...we have a country and a planet to save and we'd better know what we're up against so we can predict their behavior ahead of time.
Murdoch still tries to control us Aussies through regional newspapers too. But we don't fall for his bull shit like Americans do. He had to leave the country to get rich and scam off Brits and Yanks. We exported him. We don't like him either!
well thanks alot!
I would also like to see a comparison of what Trump was doing at this point in his term contrasted with Biden’s current agenda.
On the Meidas Touch they do a comparison of what Trump is saying and what Biden is saying that I watch. Its not what they were/are doing at this point in their presidency, but it is like night and day and enlightening.
If we're collectively afraid of what trump's base would do if a judge or politician said "Stop" to trump's lying and bullying well I say we all collectively need to press-to-test that button and endure the noise and panicking that MAGA crowd would incite until the bubble of fear pops and we're all freed from that fear. Hopefully...hopefully some Rs would abandon their lust for power and trump's approval and vote for a secular American politic.
I agree with you completely, Mark…my sentiments exactly. Being scared of the reaction of crazy MAGA people with guns is like caving in to the mafia. What's required is the use of the law to keep those people in check if and when they try to use violence to threaten us.
Yes. To do otherwise is how fascism gains strength until it becomes unstoppable. It is most imperative to stop intimidation NOW.
I could not agree more with the sentiments expressed by yourself, Madeline Taylor and Mark Gray above. Incarcerate the orange nazi. Today. That's the FIRST STEP towards stopping the insanity. That's the ONLY way to SHUT HIM UP.
Unfortunately, most, but not all of the media, is a sham. Honest reporting for the sake of America doesn't seem to be a priority. Money, ratings, fear of losing a job...whatever feeble excuses one can think of, the horrid truth is that something as important as the future of our country doesn't seem to be important nor valuable to the media. It is frightening that Trump should even be thought of as a candidate in a sane world. I sometimes wonder how history will view this period if, there is a country left to consider what is happening. As you have pointed out the comparisons between the two men is absolutely ludicrous. How could anybody begin to defend such insanity?
Greed is a disease!
Because we don’t have a liberal press in this country. If we ever did Nixon would have went to prison and Trump would be there now.
The profit motive often outweighs objectivity, truth and accuracy. Nowhere more so than in the news media. And money = power so moral values take a back seat.
...and thankyou Robert for your work for the common good.
Biden is sane. Trump is nuts Robert, may I quote you, please? I'd be rolling on the floor if I wasn't in bed. It's going to be a good day beginning with such a laugh.
Susan St John ; Insane!
Laurie Blair, perfect!
In many instances, such as Faux News, media outlets prefer to tell people what they like to hear to keep their viewer ratings high. And like Faux News, unfortunately, most of the U.S. media outlets have become profit driven businesses that use algorithms to decide what to publish to push up profits, rather than news organizations driven by the desire to seek out and publish the truth with advertising dollars being used as a way to fund such journalism.
kevin gershom sicard ; If they were telling people (humans) what "they want to hear", there would be more about the 14th amendment cases going in Colorado(?) and Michigan, and any other place where there is a desire to see him off the ballot.
donney trumpet 🎺 every word is now and since Jan 6 been Intended to get him out of accountability for his attempted coup and overthrow of our democratic government .
His blunders are designed to reinforce his upcoming “ alzheimer’s, I have a mental disability defense” with the goal of a reduced reduced prison sentencing.
He knew what he was doing on Jan 6 and its legal implication if it failed.
Now we are seeing his long game for a sentencing, and or pardon.” I’m just and orange hued grandfather that had corrupt legal advice” house arrest is worse case full pardon his best case .DINT BE FOOLED his mental “slips”
Are calculated long game “Get Trump out of Jail Free “window dressings...
Are you familiar with the mafia Don who played this card to the fullest extent.
Yes he got ratted out by his own guys.
Lots have played this game and won trumpet 🎺 is mostly assuredly playing the long game . Delay delay delay..,
I’m innocent... I got religion...
I’m just an old man ( con) ...
I’m not mentally stable I have Alzheimer’s ( a note from a Doctor)...
Still think he'll split. Losing control of his income producing properties.....
Yeah still not real sure he will be the nominee. That actually worries me.
steveandjanereed ; He wants us all to be afraid if he does not get his way. just be glad you don't actually Live with him!! Justice must smack him down Bigly! . Secret Service detail and all! Otherwise he will be a prisoner, hiding from the world for the rest of his life! ; Hiding behind his 'keepers'! Never really a free man again!
Steveandjanereed : He needs to be stopped and kept away from power !
Biden has our back!!! NOT TRUMP !!!