What the MSM doesn’t seem to understand that Trump knows, leverages and emulates is that right wing media is built on cults of personality. It probably started with Bible Belt radio and the televangelists - then ramped up with the advent of hard right national celebrities like Rush Limbaugh. Fox was constructed as a network of mini cults of personality - from Bill O’reilly to Hannity and Carlson, et al. The audiences for that programming has always been devout believers because it reflects and amplifies their inherent biases and bigotries. They recite every talking point as though it were gospel. The punditry inspires fanaticism that the news operation reinforces by fleshing out the false narratives with pseudo-journalistic reporting. Not only is it impossible to peel off members of cult programming with legitimate journalism - the attempt only serves to reinforce confirmation bias in the cultists. Hiring MAGA insiders is seen as admitting MSM is desperate and failing or that an erstwhile MAGA apparatchik is discredited - no longer a loyal cult member. The right wing audience is conditioned to only move in one direction. From loyal to fanatical to radicalized.
Absolutely, it’s time to treat Trump as the existential threat that he is, but not just the networks!! The Courts must also!! It’s time, now, to treat him as anyone else out on bail would be treated.
Peter, if anyone else in the USA showed so much blatant abuse of judges (and their families!) they'd be thrown in jail for "contempt of court." But Trump gets away with it and then doubles down. What is his message for America? Don't trust the court system (or election system) unless you win!
It's a disgrace, and the people letting him get away with it are a disgrace.
If America survives (ie, if Trumpism gets thumped in November) then history will call the Trump era one of America's most insane episodes of mass psychosis.
I love the idea that Rick Wilson is trying to ask MSM outlets to cover Trump with more realistic gravitas. Though I doubt his pleas will have much effect.
Yesterday I watched Hallie Jackson in MSNBC practically gushing over the fact that Trump won the S.C. Primary. The headline read (and I’m not making this up): Trump wins by Landslide in South Carolina.
Yet, the numbers showed anything but a landslide. Dump got about 55% of the primary votes. Haley got 45%. Rick Wilson, of course, called this all along, that Haley had no shot.
But what pisses me off is that if Biden pulled those numbers in S.C. The headline on MSNBC would read: Biden loosing ground in South Carolina. Dems in trouble.
I swear they want Trump to win the presidency just so those lazy journalists don’t have to leave their air conditioned cubicles to actually walk the beat and find a story.
Their mindset: Trump makes our job easy. Who cares about democracy, the rise of fascism, or fantasies of alt-right religious genocide?
MSNBC is helping him win. Just like they did in 2016, because they’re afraid he won’t talk to them.
So Bill Maher had Esper and Zaharia on, both smart guys, and they discussed the Ronna Romney/NBC thing. As with most people discussing this they both took the position that NBC reneged on the deal because she has lied, when the reality is their various hosts were against her hire because she was instrumental in trying overturn the election. She and Trump were on a phone call to Michigan lawmakers urging them not to certify the election. That's her sin, not lying, everyone knows she lies, in fact most Republicans lie when asked about the election results. Zaharia was right about one thing, it would have been great TV to see Maddow interview her. She would have ripped her throat out, metaphorically of course. Esper then questioned who was in charge at NBC. When the talent gets together on the same page Mark, it's always the talent. Executives have proved time and again they are not the brightest as we saw with Licht at CNN. Whoever hired Romney in the first place should be fired as their lack of understanding is stunning.
CNN regularily has Republican guests on, in particular Scott Jennings and David Urban who always seem to try to outdo each other in what I refer to as a 'smirk off'. Each one tries to see who can get a smirky face the most while a Democrat panelists makes their point. As much as I hate to I will give Urban a little credit for what he said to Smerconish this weekend. As usual he did mention the changes in the election procedures in 2020 in Penn and for the first time ever he basically implied that the Democrats simply voted under the changes much better than the Republicans did. This of course is the 'issue' the Republicans always like to bring up when they state that there were issues in the election, but they never explain that the issue wasn't the changes but rather the issue was Trump who told his people not to vote by mail. I have never once heard an interviewer ask, 'did you not vote under the same rules as the Democrats', which of course allows the Republicans to keep pushing this point implying that the Dems cheated somehow.
So, should Romney ever have been hired? No. She has absolutely nothing to offer. It's America though, so she will probably walk away with a couple of million dollars, the executive who hired her will still get his/her bonus and we will be better off not having to see her try to justify her despicable treasonous behaviour. Sounds like she'd fit right in a FOX.
Cable news and mainstream media are intentionally created to stoke fear and anxiety. Turn it off. Polls do that too. Lots of alternative media to get better information and keep your blood pressure down. It’s driven by virality. It’s driven by something that triggers the other person to share it or to add to it. It has to have something that resonates and it’s not hard to find those things. When we repeat what is being presented to us, we become a part of the problem. Just find good things that resonates with you and then it will amplify out.
Yes, we need to escape this onslaught on insanity. I find more and more peace of mind just walking the dog and playing music and reading the Tao Te Ching and looking forward to getting out in the yard for "mud therapy" in the soon-to-be spring.
But no, we can't just walk away - the stakes are too high. I'm 77 and this is the fight of my life-time to help stop Trump/Putin and MAGA/Nazism from overtaking America. So I keep writing and working up articles for my newsletter.
But I guess the trick now is to keep a good balance between the need to fight back, and the need to keep sane.
You took it to another level. I thought MSM media failed US in 2016 and has been failing Democracy ever since but attributed this to naivety and a misguided definition of journalistic objectivity. Equating what aboutism with fairness and the muting of truth with objectivity. I did not consider that these were calculated strategies for attracting the lunatic fringe and MAGA die hards. You opened my eyes. Well done indeed.
Just outstanding and bracing, Rick! This was a deep dive as well as a wildly entertaining juggernaut. Appreciate it so much;). I accede my resistance to even one more subscription with this contribution of yours—I’m in. You are rising like cream. You are a treasure. Thank you ☺️
Thanks, Rick! You have laid it out so even network execs can’t unsee it.
Ignorant useful idiot …
Sadly journalism has become for profit propaganda.
What the MSM doesn’t seem to understand that Trump knows, leverages and emulates is that right wing media is built on cults of personality. It probably started with Bible Belt radio and the televangelists - then ramped up with the advent of hard right national celebrities like Rush Limbaugh. Fox was constructed as a network of mini cults of personality - from Bill O’reilly to Hannity and Carlson, et al. The audiences for that programming has always been devout believers because it reflects and amplifies their inherent biases and bigotries. They recite every talking point as though it were gospel. The punditry inspires fanaticism that the news operation reinforces by fleshing out the false narratives with pseudo-journalistic reporting. Not only is it impossible to peel off members of cult programming with legitimate journalism - the attempt only serves to reinforce confirmation bias in the cultists. Hiring MAGA insiders is seen as admitting MSM is desperate and failing or that an erstwhile MAGA apparatchik is discredited - no longer a loyal cult member. The right wing audience is conditioned to only move in one direction. From loyal to fanatical to radicalized.
Thank you for saying what everyone, it seems, is afraid to say.
You are so right about Trump! He is a dangerous person to all of America!!! He is a criminal wanting to a dictator over the United States!!!
Absolutely, it’s time to treat Trump as the existential threat that he is, but not just the networks!! The Courts must also!! It’s time, now, to treat him as anyone else out on bail would be treated.
Peter, if anyone else in the USA showed so much blatant abuse of judges (and their families!) they'd be thrown in jail for "contempt of court." But Trump gets away with it and then doubles down. What is his message for America? Don't trust the court system (or election system) unless you win!
It's a disgrace, and the people letting him get away with it are a disgrace.
If America survives (ie, if Trumpism gets thumped in November) then history will call the Trump era one of America's most insane episodes of mass psychosis.
It’s hard to believe that such a.beast even exists.
You're probably correct; hell, it could actually make MAGAs more violent
I wish you were my History, Philosophy, Political Science.....Professor. You are phucking brilliant.
I love the idea that Rick Wilson is trying to ask MSM outlets to cover Trump with more realistic gravitas. Though I doubt his pleas will have much effect.
Yesterday I watched Hallie Jackson in MSNBC practically gushing over the fact that Trump won the S.C. Primary. The headline read (and I’m not making this up): Trump wins by Landslide in South Carolina.
Yet, the numbers showed anything but a landslide. Dump got about 55% of the primary votes. Haley got 45%. Rick Wilson, of course, called this all along, that Haley had no shot.
But what pisses me off is that if Biden pulled those numbers in S.C. The headline on MSNBC would read: Biden loosing ground in South Carolina. Dems in trouble.
I swear they want Trump to win the presidency just so those lazy journalists don’t have to leave their air conditioned cubicles to actually walk the beat and find a story.
Their mindset: Trump makes our job easy. Who cares about democracy, the rise of fascism, or fantasies of alt-right religious genocide?
MSNBC is helping him win. Just like they did in 2016, because they’re afraid he won’t talk to them.
What children they all are.
Brilliant analysis. The days of Eric Sevareid and James Reston and Edward R. Murrow are long gone. Thanks for the input.
So Bill Maher had Esper and Zaharia on, both smart guys, and they discussed the Ronna Romney/NBC thing. As with most people discussing this they both took the position that NBC reneged on the deal because she has lied, when the reality is their various hosts were against her hire because she was instrumental in trying overturn the election. She and Trump were on a phone call to Michigan lawmakers urging them not to certify the election. That's her sin, not lying, everyone knows she lies, in fact most Republicans lie when asked about the election results. Zaharia was right about one thing, it would have been great TV to see Maddow interview her. She would have ripped her throat out, metaphorically of course. Esper then questioned who was in charge at NBC. When the talent gets together on the same page Mark, it's always the talent. Executives have proved time and again they are not the brightest as we saw with Licht at CNN. Whoever hired Romney in the first place should be fired as their lack of understanding is stunning.
CNN regularily has Republican guests on, in particular Scott Jennings and David Urban who always seem to try to outdo each other in what I refer to as a 'smirk off'. Each one tries to see who can get a smirky face the most while a Democrat panelists makes their point. As much as I hate to I will give Urban a little credit for what he said to Smerconish this weekend. As usual he did mention the changes in the election procedures in 2020 in Penn and for the first time ever he basically implied that the Democrats simply voted under the changes much better than the Republicans did. This of course is the 'issue' the Republicans always like to bring up when they state that there were issues in the election, but they never explain that the issue wasn't the changes but rather the issue was Trump who told his people not to vote by mail. I have never once heard an interviewer ask, 'did you not vote under the same rules as the Democrats', which of course allows the Republicans to keep pushing this point implying that the Dems cheated somehow.
So, should Romney ever have been hired? No. She has absolutely nothing to offer. It's America though, so she will probably walk away with a couple of million dollars, the executive who hired her will still get his/her bonus and we will be better off not having to see her try to justify her despicable treasonous behaviour. Sounds like she'd fit right in a FOX.
Cable news and mainstream media are intentionally created to stoke fear and anxiety. Turn it off. Polls do that too. Lots of alternative media to get better information and keep your blood pressure down. It’s driven by virality. It’s driven by something that triggers the other person to share it or to add to it. It has to have something that resonates and it’s not hard to find those things. When we repeat what is being presented to us, we become a part of the problem. Just find good things that resonates with you and then it will amplify out.
yes and no, Janet.
Yes, we need to escape this onslaught on insanity. I find more and more peace of mind just walking the dog and playing music and reading the Tao Te Ching and looking forward to getting out in the yard for "mud therapy" in the soon-to-be spring.
But no, we can't just walk away - the stakes are too high. I'm 77 and this is the fight of my life-time to help stop Trump/Putin and MAGA/Nazism from overtaking America. So I keep writing and working up articles for my newsletter.
But I guess the trick now is to keep a good balance between the need to fight back, and the need to keep sane.
You took it to another level. I thought MSM media failed US in 2016 and has been failing Democracy ever since but attributed this to naivety and a misguided definition of journalistic objectivity. Equating what aboutism with fairness and the muting of truth with objectivity. I did not consider that these were calculated strategies for attracting the lunatic fringe and MAGA die hards. You opened my eyes. Well done indeed.
Just outstanding and bracing, Rick! This was a deep dive as well as a wildly entertaining juggernaut. Appreciate it so much;). I accede my resistance to even one more subscription with this contribution of yours—I’m in. You are rising like cream. You are a treasure. Thank you ☺️