Like all of Bernie Sanders' supporters, I watched with shock and horror as Bernie was being marginalized by the media during his run for President. Even news anchors like Rachel Maddow and those of NPR were doing it; Rachel made no bones about her support for Hillary Clinton. I was appalled then and still am because Bernie's message, whi…
Like all of Bernie Sanders' supporters, I watched with shock and horror as Bernie was being marginalized by the media during his run for President. Even news anchors like Rachel Maddow and those of NPR were doing it; Rachel made no bones about her support for Hillary Clinton. I was appalled then and still am because Bernie's message, which he repeated over and over, was so important - that the 1% had more wealth than the 99% - and that billionaires were buying political offices. He was the only one called for a living wage and for an end to laws and practices that have led us to this horrific economic imbalance. As soon as it became clear to the powers that be that Bernie's message was gaining traction, that he was becoming very popular, they worked their magic through the media to marginalize him. That was when I stopped watching CNN, NPR, MSNBC. I lost all trust in these so-called news organizations. They have become propaganda outlets. And our country has suffered the consequences.
It wasn't just the media's doing; the DNC played a major part in scheduling debates, etc.
Bernie addressed a Fox Town Hall (Hillary refused to do so) and, to the shock of the hosts, got a standing ovation. He could have beat Trump.
Now Biden is trying to turn the Democratic Party back to its working-class constituency, but the media largely ignores that to harp on his age. I fear they'd rather have Trump than an FDR Democrat--which is all the more reason we have to vote for Biden.
Even IF their rightwing corporatist ideologies were not at play in the major media's preference for SCUMp, YES, he makes them much more coin in actual viewership revenue (both from ads, and cable subscriptions) because his chaotic, abjectly BOMBASTIC, clown car shit show is perceived as much more 'screen addictive' and enthralling/'charismatic' <-LOFL! than "old boring" Biden to so many in this land, sadly, due to the effing 'reality show' demanding, popular(ist) mentality of our society.
Beam me up, Scotty (yeah, I know that Kirk never said that, but still). :(
"I lost all trust in these so-called news organizations. They have become propaganda outlets. And our country has suffered the consequences."
Yes. And your comment is a major factor in why our country is in such dire straits.
But, IMO, the simplest reason is that, regardless of religious affiliation, racism, aversion to the common good, people become Trumpists is that they are addicts to the drug of entertainment, distraction and false promises that Trump and his ilk continually scream about to drown out their own immoral, criminal behavior and lull so many into false complacence necessary to ignore their own foolishness.
And let's not forget that the aforementioned "news organizations" do not, in the first place, profit from spreading propaganda as such. Instead, they profit from perpetuating and catering to what you rightly describe as an addiction to entertainment and distraction. There'd be no entertainment/distraction in showing the Biden administration or the Democratic Party plodding along in these unexceptional and unexceptionable efforts on behalf of a working-class constituency. Instead, the entertainment/distraction lies in the crassness and violence of (for example) Trumpism, and that's why (in this instance) Trumpism gets so much media coverage. The solution, or the first step toward one, would be for serious, progressive-minded people to POPULARIZE (in this instance) those unexceptional and unexceptionable efforts on behalf of a working-class constituency until a critical mass of the latter group starts noticing what's going on.
I respectfully disagree. First and foremost the cable media profit from eyeballs. They profit from the advertisers profiting from the eyeballs - not from 'perpetuating and catering to what you rightly describe as an addiction to entertainment and distraction.'
Maureen and Sally---kudos for bringing out these points! Could not agree more. The DNC's tanking of Bernie's campaign merely proved to independents and progressives that the Dem establishment was NOT interested in helping the working class.
Absolutely! Could not agree more. Meanwhile, Dr. Reich and others of his persuasion bash anyone who considers third-party candidates. We're supposed to overlook all the Dems' shortcomings, plus the DNC's pandering to Big Corp, and vote blue. Otherwise, we're supporting "fronts" for the GOP, as Reich phrases it. That label, especially relative to the Greens, is completely unfair. Insulting, even.
This is a perfect example of why Trump and Bernie supporters are two sides of the same coin. "My guy wasn't getting traction. Those women were sticking together. Hillary had no qualifications. It's all a big media conspiracy." Journalists miss a lot. They make erroneous assumptions. They both-sides everything. Sometimes they are just lazy or self-righteous. I write about this a lot. There is no conspiracy. Throughout presidential campaigns there has been an outside candidate that doesn't win, but influences the conversation and subsequent legislation. Clinton - whom 538 noted was as liberal in the Senate as Elizabeth Warren - found it easier to talk about poverty and free college after Sanders paved the way.
I would also urge you to examine where you're "Bernie was slighted" anger came from. Because you would have been the perfect Cambridge Analytica/Russian Troll Farm target. You are, in fact, acting on the trolls' behalf with this comment. Russian wants nothing more than for people in the U.S. to lose confidence in the very systems that keep democracy alive.
I'm not sure I would say Bernie was "slighted"......I'm sure he knows that politics is a tough game. I often thought that he recognized he hadn't a snowball's chance in hell of becoming president, and that he was there to move the dialogue in a positive direction. I still maintain that no one has done more to move the political rhetoric to the left than Bernie has done.
Absolutely agree! Politics is incremental. The right knows that, and has been working since the '80s to change the discourse, and then benefit from our changed assumptions that small government is good, that fewer taxes for the rich is helpful to the economy, that college should coast a bagjillion dollars, and that we should treat each other badly. I loved that Bernie got in the race in 2015. Here was someone - finally - saying what we all know in our bones is the right way to govern. He gave Hillary cover to publicly moved to the left herself. We were going to change the conversation, get new assumptions. Sadly, the need for immediate gratification from many of his supporters elected Trump. And only now - with the guy none of us saw as a progressive - that both discourse and policy is starting to change.
wow....I feel like I got something right amidst years of getting lost in what happened to people who voted for Trump. (Not to nit pick, but I think you spelled budjillion wrong.)
Thank you! I witnessed the Bernie and Ron Paul show back in the day. After seeing that both campaigns were stopped, I’ve realized there’s a bigger agenda here at play:
Maybe you are correct (in Bernie being able to take down SCUMp).
I still believe that this land, as a whole (EVEN including many leftist, progressive liberals) is WAY, WAY, WAY TOO ANTI-SEMITIC to EVER elect a Jewish POTUS, even if they could bring themselves to pull that lever for an admitted socialist. :(
People should get educated on what happened in 1930's Nazi Germany..and then take a look at the agenda of the Christian Reich Wing, and Trump's Project 2025 plan to to do away with the checks and balances of the Legislative and Judiciary branches, and concentrate all power in the Executive branch..with a dictatorship.
Yup - my father’s generation sacrificed their lives to save us from what we have in Trump and his MAGA. I also believe that the Republican Party is a an accomplice to Trump's crimes and treason.
The issues that we are facing were long in play before Bernie Sanders was running for President. I always stated that Congress is the bigger player and we still get hooked on that THE Presidential candidate will fix it all! Maybe blame FOX news for getting a monopoly on cable and feeding the toxic propaganda. MSNBC or Rachel Maddow had nothing on the anger that FOX fed. Time to understand that. Again it did not matter who the DEM Presidential Candidate was-- Democrats did not see the looming monster at the gate who against all predictions won the 2016 election.
Like all of Bernie Sanders' supporters, I watched with shock and horror as Bernie was being marginalized by the media during his run for President. Even news anchors like Rachel Maddow and those of NPR were doing it; Rachel made no bones about her support for Hillary Clinton. I was appalled then and still am because Bernie's message, which he repeated over and over, was so important - that the 1% had more wealth than the 99% - and that billionaires were buying political offices. He was the only one called for a living wage and for an end to laws and practices that have led us to this horrific economic imbalance. As soon as it became clear to the powers that be that Bernie's message was gaining traction, that he was becoming very popular, they worked their magic through the media to marginalize him. That was when I stopped watching CNN, NPR, MSNBC. I lost all trust in these so-called news organizations. They have become propaganda outlets. And our country has suffered the consequences.
It wasn't just the media's doing; the DNC played a major part in scheduling debates, etc.
Bernie addressed a Fox Town Hall (Hillary refused to do so) and, to the shock of the hosts, got a standing ovation. He could have beat Trump.
Now Biden is trying to turn the Democratic Party back to its working-class constituency, but the media largely ignores that to harp on his age. I fear they'd rather have Trump than an FDR Democrat--which is all the more reason we have to vote for Biden.
Maureen, I agree it seems they would rather have the former guy and I think they have a definite preference for the R Party. Makes me sick.
Me, too. Remember that some of the major media are owned by the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Jeff Bezos.
Even IF their rightwing corporatist ideologies were not at play in the major media's preference for SCUMp, YES, he makes them much more coin in actual viewership revenue (both from ads, and cable subscriptions) because his chaotic, abjectly BOMBASTIC, clown car shit show is perceived as much more 'screen addictive' and enthralling/'charismatic' <-LOFL! than "old boring" Biden to so many in this land, sadly, due to the effing 'reality show' demanding, popular(ist) mentality of our society.
Beam me up, Scotty (yeah, I know that Kirk never said that, but still). :(
Maureen, you're right. Isn't it so sad that when you follow the money, it always seems to go back to the big rascals and not the good guys (and gals).
Maureen ; Well said!
Thank you.
"I lost all trust in these so-called news organizations. They have become propaganda outlets. And our country has suffered the consequences."
Yes. And your comment is a major factor in why our country is in such dire straits.
But, IMO, the simplest reason is that, regardless of religious affiliation, racism, aversion to the common good, people become Trumpists is that they are addicts to the drug of entertainment, distraction and false promises that Trump and his ilk continually scream about to drown out their own immoral, criminal behavior and lull so many into false complacence necessary to ignore their own foolishness.
And let's not forget that the aforementioned "news organizations" do not, in the first place, profit from spreading propaganda as such. Instead, they profit from perpetuating and catering to what you rightly describe as an addiction to entertainment and distraction. There'd be no entertainment/distraction in showing the Biden administration or the Democratic Party plodding along in these unexceptional and unexceptionable efforts on behalf of a working-class constituency. Instead, the entertainment/distraction lies in the crassness and violence of (for example) Trumpism, and that's why (in this instance) Trumpism gets so much media coverage. The solution, or the first step toward one, would be for serious, progressive-minded people to POPULARIZE (in this instance) those unexceptional and unexceptionable efforts on behalf of a working-class constituency until a critical mass of the latter group starts noticing what's going on.
I respectfully disagree. First and foremost the cable media profit from eyeballs. They profit from the advertisers profiting from the eyeballs - not from 'perpetuating and catering to what you rightly describe as an addiction to entertainment and distraction.'
At least support your accusation with something resembling the truth.
Maureen and Sally---kudos for bringing out these points! Could not agree more. The DNC's tanking of Bernie's campaign merely proved to independents and progressives that the Dem establishment was NOT interested in helping the working class.
Absolutely! Could not agree more. Meanwhile, Dr. Reich and others of his persuasion bash anyone who considers third-party candidates. We're supposed to overlook all the Dems' shortcomings, plus the DNC's pandering to Big Corp, and vote blue. Otherwise, we're supporting "fronts" for the GOP, as Reich phrases it. That label, especially relative to the Greens, is completely unfair. Insulting, even.
This is a perfect example of why Trump and Bernie supporters are two sides of the same coin. "My guy wasn't getting traction. Those women were sticking together. Hillary had no qualifications. It's all a big media conspiracy." Journalists miss a lot. They make erroneous assumptions. They both-sides everything. Sometimes they are just lazy or self-righteous. I write about this a lot. There is no conspiracy. Throughout presidential campaigns there has been an outside candidate that doesn't win, but influences the conversation and subsequent legislation. Clinton - whom 538 noted was as liberal in the Senate as Elizabeth Warren - found it easier to talk about poverty and free college after Sanders paved the way.
I would also urge you to examine where you're "Bernie was slighted" anger came from. Because you would have been the perfect Cambridge Analytica/Russian Troll Farm target. You are, in fact, acting on the trolls' behalf with this comment. Russian wants nothing more than for people in the U.S. to lose confidence in the very systems that keep democracy alive.
I'm not sure I would say Bernie was "slighted"......I'm sure he knows that politics is a tough game. I often thought that he recognized he hadn't a snowball's chance in hell of becoming president, and that he was there to move the dialogue in a positive direction. I still maintain that no one has done more to move the political rhetoric to the left than Bernie has done.
Absolutely agree! Politics is incremental. The right knows that, and has been working since the '80s to change the discourse, and then benefit from our changed assumptions that small government is good, that fewer taxes for the rich is helpful to the economy, that college should coast a bagjillion dollars, and that we should treat each other badly. I loved that Bernie got in the race in 2015. Here was someone - finally - saying what we all know in our bones is the right way to govern. He gave Hillary cover to publicly moved to the left herself. We were going to change the conversation, get new assumptions. Sadly, the need for immediate gratification from many of his supporters elected Trump. And only now - with the guy none of us saw as a progressive - that both discourse and policy is starting to change.
wow....I feel like I got something right amidst years of getting lost in what happened to people who voted for Trump. (Not to nit pick, but I think you spelled budjillion wrong.)
I agree with your assessment of Russia, but I do not calibrate my reactions/behavior/opinions/assemssments according to how it will play in Russia.
Wow, your misunderstanding of what I wrote explains a lot.
Wow, your disdainful attitude explains a lot - to me.
Thank you! I witnessed the Bernie and Ron Paul show back in the day. After seeing that both campaigns were stopped, I’ve realized there’s a bigger agenda here at play:
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-we-need-to-stop-voting-in-presidential
Maybe you are correct (in Bernie being able to take down SCUMp).
I still believe that this land, as a whole (EVEN including many leftist, progressive liberals) is WAY, WAY, WAY TOO ANTI-SEMITIC to EVER elect a Jewish POTUS, even if they could bring themselves to pull that lever for an admitted socialist. :(
(I do HOPE that I am incorrect on this though!)
Yeah - you're probably right, tragically. What is the deal with anti-semitism in 2023? I just don't get it. WHAT is the deal??
People should get educated on what happened in 1930's Nazi Germany..and then take a look at the agenda of the Christian Reich Wing, and Trump's Project 2025 plan to to do away with the checks and balances of the Legislative and Judiciary branches, and concentrate all power in the Executive branch..with a dictatorship.
Yup - my father’s generation sacrificed their lives to save us from what we have in Trump and his MAGA. I also believe that the Republican Party is a an accomplice to Trump's crimes and treason.
The issues that we are facing were long in play before Bernie Sanders was running for President. I always stated that Congress is the bigger player and we still get hooked on that THE Presidential candidate will fix it all! Maybe blame FOX news for getting a monopoly on cable and feeding the toxic propaganda. MSNBC or Rachel Maddow had nothing on the anger that FOX fed. Time to understand that. Again it did not matter who the DEM Presidential Candidate was-- Democrats did not see the looming monster at the gate who against all predictions won the 2016 election.
I think the fact that Bernie had a heart attack while
on the campaign trail had something to do with marginalizing him.