What with the Beltway media reduced to curling into a collective, catatonic fetal position and shouting random poll numbers, and the Republican Party overrun by the zombies and hobgoblins it used to keep stashed in the basement, as a Liberal you usually have to really strain to see any signs of the truth of our current condition flickering in the background of the wasteland of our political media.
But every now and then a small platter of exquisite Truth with a capital "T" gets served up during the shank of the evening by one of Comcast's more disobedient stepchildren.
Don't get me wrong: where our broken and complicit media is concerned, we are deep into the weeds of Kremlinology these days --
During the Cold War, lack of reliable information about the country forced Western analysts to "read between the lines" and to use the tiniest tidbits, such as the removal of portraits, the rearranging of chairs, positions at the reviewing stand for parades in Red Square, the choice of capital or small initial letters in phrases such as "First Secretary", the arrangement of articles on the pages of the party newspaper Pravda and other indirect signs to try to understand what was happening in internal Soviet politics...-- and any outfit that give Joe Scarborough his own show and routinely hands its cameras over to the liars and hacks of Mark Halperin, Ann Coulter, Dana Loesch, Michael Steele and Hugh Hewitt is clearly not involved in the telling-you-the-truth business in any way.
However, respect must be paid to Mr. Chris Hayes for putting former Obama speechwriter, Mr. Jon Lovett, on teevee to say some of the truest things you will hear anywhere (outside of the vituperative Liberal blogosphere where we have been saying such things every day for years) during this election cycle:
10 comments:
Sadly, whispers in the front row of the heavy metal concert:
"“All over the world, autocratic-minded rulers, from Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to Russian President Vladimir Putin, have learned that de facto control of the political content of television is perhaps the most important lever of power in our day. They have learned that it does not matter politically if 15% or even 25% of the public is well informed as long the majority remains in the dark. The problem has not been censorship, but something very nearly censorship's opposite: the deafening noise of the official megaphone and its echoes - not the suppression of truth, still spoken and heard in a narrow circle, but a profusion of lies and half-lies; not too little speech, but too much. If you whisper something to your friend in the front row of a rock concert, you have not been censored, but neither will you be heard.”
Jonathan Schell
I like how he refers to conservatives as "cons" in his tweets. That may be standard practice for all I know, as I'm not on twitter, but I like it nevertheless.
-Doug in Oakland
One small step for liberals... Is anyone really listening other than the choir?
any outfit that give Joe Scarborough his own show and routinely hands its cameras over to the liars and hacks of Mark Halperin, Ann Coulter, Dana Loesch, Michael Steele and Hugh Hewitt is clearly not involved in the telling-you-the-truth business in any way.
You forgot giggly GOP dingbat Nicolle [sic] Wallace, the woman who worked to inflict Sarah Palin on us before rattily abandoning that sinking ship. She's a Green Room gremlin at MSNBC, constantly on air at all hours, and has never, ever had a useful comment or observation or special knowledge. And again, she cannot speak a sentence without giggling, because she's so savvy and it's all a big joke to her.
While some in the print media may be, belatedly, comporting themselves relatively well, the Vast Wasteland on the broadcast side must not only straighten up and fly right, but walk over splintered glass in self-flagellation for a decade before the Lord deigns to forgive their sins.
Perhaps "forgive" is too big a word here.
It is highly possible the HW Bush's announced vote for Clinton might be sort of family personal.
It does have an aura of country over party.
I could truly use a superhero about ow and would like to think our ex President is capable of displaying this statesmanship that the political party he once led may benefit from an elder statesman. Politicians like to tell you how their "Leadership" is what you should vote for. When most of us are looking to vote for a representative
to represent us.
We have been watching the dismantling of a great society for quite some time.
Attacking teachers and rearing down public schools. But keeping your tax dollars for them.
Attacks on educational materials and curriculum. Demanding to teach "patriotism"
Altering history books. That we may repeat history.
Eradication of unions, organized labor. Self greed society capitalism.
Militarized police.
Privatizing the profits and socializing the losses.
Using religion to control the masses.
It is a long list and more is on the way.
As it stands with the GOP loyalists. At this apex in their ideological neurosis extreme. They could nominate Pee Wee Herman, Yosemite Sam (cartoon character) or Vladimir Putin (himself) and they would provide him with at least 45% of the electorate.
I see it as when one is heart rooted in hate of the other. Hate so raging natural and fed a light daily diet. To allow it to be hungry but still nourished to grow and fester. We get what most of you have been privy to for quite some time.
Sometimes and lately more often. It manifests itself into a anger that dresses up in military cloths with NAZI emblems adorned. Car load of A Porsche trunk full of ammo with several weapons. A Houston man goes what used to be called postal.
Like a cartoon of the titanic sinking with everyone taking selfies with the ship sinking behind them.
I ask,
Are their enough good people that will act in the present to promote the promise of a better future?
Have to agree with commenters above; this is preaching to the choir, whispers at a concert, a fart in the wind. Anybody watching Chris Hayes is already in the democratic tent. 45% of the electorate doesn't give a rat's ass about truth. Evangelicals are coalescing behind Trump. They don't care that this makes them hypocrites and liars. As long as they win, the ends justify the means. Trump is ahead in the polls in Iowa and Ohio. Florida is a dead heat. I've become increasingly pessimistic recently, looking at the polls, and the debate reactions I've read strike me as liberals smelling each other's farts. Oh, Hillary illuminated Trump's racism and sexism? Who fucking cares? Was there anybody who didn't know this already? Trump can't be hung around the g.o.p.'s neck like an albatross if he wins the election.
Holy crap Driftglas! Do you know what I just learned? Martin Luther King was a conservative! How do I know? Because the infallible David Brooks just told us!
"The real problem is the crappy conservatives we have nowadays. Conservatives in my time used to be people you could look up to, with positive ideas, moderate but optimistic religiosity like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a humanistic appreciation for progress, and now they're all nothing but a bunch of reactionaries. These kids make me sick." Poor David has a weak stomach and can't stand all these reactionaries, like his pal George Bush. Ooops!
Too bad Coretta Scott King isn't still alive. She would have been wonderfully surprised to learn her husband was a real conservative!
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/opinion/the-age-of-reaction.html?mtrref=yastreblyansky.blogspot.com&gwh=FC7F39C79D8CCB11D7BC98A4FB4A1FC6&gwt=pay&assetType=opinion
Re: liberal intellectuals were right about Trump's ability to carry momentum to the nomination, conservatives missed the mark. driftglass, you and I called it way back the end of 2015, good for us. That isn't worth a squirt of piss right now. My sanguine outlook was fueled by Trump pissing off so many people, that his 'anti' vote would make the difference in the election. Clinton pointed out Trump's racism and sexism in the debate, that's such a watered-down story right now, we've heard that one dozens of times by now. The press has normalized the abnormal, and whatever the outcome in six weeks, this campaign has dealt a 'new-and-improved' malignancy to the political process. You can literally do _anything_ now, and if you do it for long enough, no one cares anymore. We have hit peak 'anti' Trump. Clinton has to connect with Black people, women, and the youth in the next six weeks. Firm up Hispanics. The youth vote is critical, I am telling you, look at Brexit. the youth couldn't be bothered to give a shit, and they didn't vote, and they right fucked their future by doing that. This is a long-standing problem, and this six weeks, there has to be a positive move in getting out the youth vote. I interact with young adults daily, and I can tell you, all they know is both sides suck. They might be against trump, but all they hear is bad about Hillary. They couldn't really give a shit about politics, it sucks right? And who has to reach these young adults? Fuddy-duddy school marm 70 years old Hillary Clinton, who all you hear about is 'scandals'. Clinton needs to come up with an answer to ease the school loan problem, and she needs to rock the vote. And not The Boss and U2, get Beyonce and Kendrick Lamarr and Taylor Swift. Make them care about participating in the political process, show them that they can actively make their own and other lives better and it's not all bullshit. Clinton needs to connect with the fringes of the democratic coalition, the people that demographically or whatever you would figure to be in the tent, but aren't. Liberals need to rock the vote. And stop thinking that just because Trump is a buffoon, that makes a difference. 45% of the electorate don't give a fuck. The 10% of the population that can be swayed one way or the other is up for grabs. Clinton, and we, have to grab it. 'Anti' Trump has maxed-out. 'Pro-' Clinton has to happen.
Great clip but, holy crap, if Chris Hayes would just shut his word hole and let his guests speak without interruption it'd have been a lot better.
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