I’m seeing a lot of traditional, DC “bothsides” reporting lately, arguing that this is at some level a “normal” election between a center-left Democratic party and a center-right Republican party. This morning, Axios published a piece by Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei titled “Behind the Curtain: America's reality distortion machine,” which caused a stir in political media circles.
After I lit up Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei the same day for a sad joke of an article falsely implying the use of psychology, I was informed Axios became part of Cox's corporate media arm in 2022. https://samray.substack.com/p/counter-narcissist-cheat-codes-the
How did you go from a supposed Republican to supporting the far left? I get it Trump gets under your skin. TDS is real. What I don't understand is how you go from Republican - abandon all conservative values & embrace everything far left i.e Biden & his policies? You might have more credibility in critiquing Trump if you criticized Biden & his terrible policies. I find this same stance with your fellow Lincoln project types, MSNBC types ala Joe Scarborough, Michael Steele.
At least Sununu called out what he didn't like about Trump but he realizes Biden is much worse. You might think Trump is worse but you will never criticize Biden & the mess he created
People will rationalize away their vote for the end of the American democratic experiment. Oh, it won’t happen, oh I like his tiny hands, oh I want a tax cut extension, and with that Americans will enslave themselves to a cruel, vile, vindictive, corrupt and evil dictator called Trump.
Part of the issue is that while only one side "wants their president to govern like a dictator", "diving... into culture war cruelty", "backs Americas enemies abroad" **in practice** (in DC), out in the social media trenches, the edgeleft espouses these ideas (Biden should dismiss student loans outside of the legal system, aggressive anti-white anti-male anti-cis rhetoric, pro-Hamas) and for various reasons Democrats are widely conflated with that crowd.
The normalcy bias is terrifying! Voters across the globe are lulled into weighing policy choices when the overarching issues are fascism versus democracy.
In Canada, for instance, we have a ridiculous electoral choice shaping up:
1. a radically regressive “conservative” party populist allied with and backed by the global cabal of authoritarian regimes,
2. a flawed, corrupt Prime Minister, backed by generations of nepotism and social elites who balk at accountability and play political brinksmanship for the existence of the country,
3. an inept social justice warrior who can’t or won’t play hardball with ALL the political cards he’s given,
4. a Quebec-only political party unable and unqualified to govern the nation.
Our country is sleepwalking into a democratic crisis and nobody is calling this ballgame from the booth! It’s all ads for popcorn and hotdogs and accordion music!
Both sides is a crock of shit! It is a fallacy - false equivalency. One side is free, fair, follows and protects the Constitution. The other side is everything but that with treason in the mix. Two opposite sides. There is no both sides! Are you listening CNN?
Thank you for ALWAYS being the canaries in the coal-mine, Rick Wilson, Lincoln Project, & Molly Jong-Fast. Without robust, accurate journalism about the authoritarian threat the luxury of stable Democracy is impossible. Keep saying it... I'll keep amplifying it.
Just read the Axios piece. I agree with the writers that social media amplifies the loud mouths at the edges, but they fail to address the insidious effort that’s been underway for two generations to undermine American institutions and the general American public bystanders. Even nice people who help their neighbors can be transformed into informants and assistants when the “black or brown or red” shirts come knocking on doors. As an uncle who lived in Italy under Mussolini recounted: “you support who feeds you”.
We are at this juncture as a nation because elected federal and state officials who wear a Republican Party hat failed to speak up and failed to act each time they had an opportunity to expose the efforts to undermine the American institutions and norms that underpin life and living in the United States. They failed to clearly and publicly state that D. Trump and the MAGA party represented a threat to the Constitution and the rule of law. I hold the Mitch McConnells and John Thunes of the world responsible for the daily onslaught we have experienced for the past 8 years-2,920 days and counting. I can’t imagine what it is like to live with such little self-respect and so much political ambition that you would remain faithful to a loud-mouthed charlatan who got elected to the highest office in the land and proceeded to pillage and disparage wherever and whenever he and his handlers could. I can only assume it because they actually support the agenda to remake America into a nation controlled by the minority. Much as a hope and pray that regular citizens are fed up with these assaults on our sense of fairness and decency, I continue to worry that the American oligarchs and their autocratic political minions will prevail and will wield too much power and influence down to the ballot box.
In 2017 as they lined up to support their newly elected con man, I wrote a letter to Republican leaders expressing my observation that they were creating a “Vichy” government that ignored the threat he posed. Only Senator John McCain responded to me to acknowledge receipt of the letter and shared concerns. Frankly, I was not surprised that Senator McCain responded-he was just that kind of decent American.
A motor vehicle has the ability to do serious harm to others, if used incorrectly.
So does a firearm
Likewise social media can wreak havoc if used incorrectly.
Undoubtedly the intention in many cases
The first response of the reader,irrespective of their affiliation to a posting-for or against the claimed facts- should be to verify the claim via several independent sources
I think there's a second, more powerful bias at work here. I think that most journalists (like most people) consciously or unconsciously see elections through the capitalistic lens, as if a vote is a purchase, and parties are product brands. It's a terrible, moronic analogy on so many levels.
For example, I believe that's the driving sentiment behind the "Biden is too old" meme, even though Biden's age has proven to be a clear advantage the two main aspects of his job description: 1) getting elected in red states, and 2) twisting Joe Manchin's arm to score record wins. People want their ideal President to be both young AND electable in the same way they want to see the new Ryan Gosling movie at the Multiplex. How confusing it is that we all can't just buy the exact ticket to the exact show that we want, amiright?
With that capitalist lens, Trump is seen as just another product on the shelf. And if he's a product of the free market, he can't be all that bad. He's what millions of voters want. And since the voters are rational actors in a free market economy, so who are we to judge? It's crazy. There's no thought paid to actually protecting the democratic process. It's the ultimate zombie lie, dead-end thinking of Milton Freidman's Capitalism and Freedom.
Meanwhile, I know far too many young people who "can't bring themselves to vote for Biden" because of his support of Israel in Gaza. It's like saying, "I won't drink Coors beer because I won't support Adolf Coors." Again, the capitalist mindset. What they don't seem to realize that there's a can of Coors and a vile of poison, and they'll be forced to drink one or the other, like it or not. Or to go back to the movie analogy - one of two show is going to play, and we'll all be forced to watch it even if we don't buy a ticket.
In short, I believe that almost all of our political stupidity comes from this false equation, from the Muslims willing to boycott the general election, to the MAGA hostage taking, to the journalists unwilling to "take sides" against authoritarianism.
Is it enough that people like you are already pointing out where we’re headed if Trump wins, and people like us who follow you agree/see where we’re headed if Trump wins be enough to keep it from happening? Or is it too little too late?
I’m not sure what it will take to get people who think, “It can’t happen here” to pay attention, though maybe something like the AZ supreme court ruling that a law from freaking 1864 has primacy over AZ women’s lives might break through. Post election, perhaps if they see their liberal neighbors being rounded up and disappeared, or see them losing their jobs etc. for not being obsequious to the orange dear leader, they might finally get it.
By then it will be too late. It is probably going to be up to women, women who are furious, to save us.
A trump second term will be horrible for the whole world. How can foreigners interested in protecting democracy help? What are the actions that can be taken. Rick you should consider doing an article and primer on what can be done - legally of course.
Last night Rachel Maddow took down the mainstream media for soft balling their headlines about Rump's "new" abortion position. They used words like "shifting" his position rather than "flip flopping" or "back pedaling," or "contradiction" of his previous position. And that makes a huge difference because many people will only read a headline. The NYT is the worst of the bunch, and the arrogance with which they use euphemisms regarding Rump is infuriating. It's likely that this both sidesism and the $2 billion in free publicity the media gave Rump in 2016, coupled with their obsession about the complete non-issue of "Hillary's e-mails" is what gave us Rump the first time. And they are doing it again. And of course the headlines and even some of the articles didn't even mention the utter lies Rump said about Democrats literally murdering babies.
After I lit up Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei the same day for a sad joke of an article falsely implying the use of psychology, I was informed Axios became part of Cox's corporate media arm in 2022. https://samray.substack.com/p/counter-narcissist-cheat-codes-the
How did you go from a supposed Republican to supporting the far left? I get it Trump gets under your skin. TDS is real. What I don't understand is how you go from Republican - abandon all conservative values & embrace everything far left i.e Biden & his policies? You might have more credibility in critiquing Trump if you criticized Biden & his terrible policies. I find this same stance with your fellow Lincoln project types, MSNBC types ala Joe Scarborough, Michael Steele.
At least Sununu called out what he didn't like about Trump but he realizes Biden is much worse. You might think Trump is worse but you will never criticize Biden & the mess he created
Boo hoo Rick. Both sides are shit and filled with shit people. Quit cowering behind "drumpf"
People will rationalize away their vote for the end of the American democratic experiment. Oh, it won’t happen, oh I like his tiny hands, oh I want a tax cut extension, and with that Americans will enslave themselves to a cruel, vile, vindictive, corrupt and evil dictator called Trump.
Part of the issue is that while only one side "wants their president to govern like a dictator", "diving... into culture war cruelty", "backs Americas enemies abroad" **in practice** (in DC), out in the social media trenches, the edgeleft espouses these ideas (Biden should dismiss student loans outside of the legal system, aggressive anti-white anti-male anti-cis rhetoric, pro-Hamas) and for various reasons Democrats are widely conflated with that crowd.
The normalcy bias is terrifying! Voters across the globe are lulled into weighing policy choices when the overarching issues are fascism versus democracy.
In Canada, for instance, we have a ridiculous electoral choice shaping up:
1. a radically regressive “conservative” party populist allied with and backed by the global cabal of authoritarian regimes,
2. a flawed, corrupt Prime Minister, backed by generations of nepotism and social elites who balk at accountability and play political brinksmanship for the existence of the country,
3. an inept social justice warrior who can’t or won’t play hardball with ALL the political cards he’s given,
4. a Quebec-only political party unable and unqualified to govern the nation.
Our country is sleepwalking into a democratic crisis and nobody is calling this ballgame from the booth! It’s all ads for popcorn and hotdogs and accordion music!
Both sides is a crock of shit! It is a fallacy - false equivalency. One side is free, fair, follows and protects the Constitution. The other side is everything but that with treason in the mix. Two opposite sides. There is no both sides! Are you listening CNN?
Thank you for ALWAYS being the canaries in the coal-mine, Rick Wilson, Lincoln Project, & Molly Jong-Fast. Without robust, accurate journalism about the authoritarian threat the luxury of stable Democracy is impossible. Keep saying it... I'll keep amplifying it.
Just read the Axios piece. I agree with the writers that social media amplifies the loud mouths at the edges, but they fail to address the insidious effort that’s been underway for two generations to undermine American institutions and the general American public bystanders. Even nice people who help their neighbors can be transformed into informants and assistants when the “black or brown or red” shirts come knocking on doors. As an uncle who lived in Italy under Mussolini recounted: “you support who feeds you”.
We are at this juncture as a nation because elected federal and state officials who wear a Republican Party hat failed to speak up and failed to act each time they had an opportunity to expose the efforts to undermine the American institutions and norms that underpin life and living in the United States. They failed to clearly and publicly state that D. Trump and the MAGA party represented a threat to the Constitution and the rule of law. I hold the Mitch McConnells and John Thunes of the world responsible for the daily onslaught we have experienced for the past 8 years-2,920 days and counting. I can’t imagine what it is like to live with such little self-respect and so much political ambition that you would remain faithful to a loud-mouthed charlatan who got elected to the highest office in the land and proceeded to pillage and disparage wherever and whenever he and his handlers could. I can only assume it because they actually support the agenda to remake America into a nation controlled by the minority. Much as a hope and pray that regular citizens are fed up with these assaults on our sense of fairness and decency, I continue to worry that the American oligarchs and their autocratic political minions will prevail and will wield too much power and influence down to the ballot box.
In 2017 as they lined up to support their newly elected con man, I wrote a letter to Republican leaders expressing my observation that they were creating a “Vichy” government that ignored the threat he posed. Only Senator John McCain responded to me to acknowledge receipt of the letter and shared concerns. Frankly, I was not surprised that Senator McCain responded-he was just that kind of decent American.
A motor vehicle has the ability to do serious harm to others, if used incorrectly.
So does a firearm
Likewise social media can wreak havoc if used incorrectly.
Undoubtedly the intention in many cases
The first response of the reader,irrespective of their affiliation to a posting-for or against the claimed facts- should be to verify the claim via several independent sources
Not difficult,is it?
Thanks for this, Rick.
I think there's a second, more powerful bias at work here. I think that most journalists (like most people) consciously or unconsciously see elections through the capitalistic lens, as if a vote is a purchase, and parties are product brands. It's a terrible, moronic analogy on so many levels.
For example, I believe that's the driving sentiment behind the "Biden is too old" meme, even though Biden's age has proven to be a clear advantage the two main aspects of his job description: 1) getting elected in red states, and 2) twisting Joe Manchin's arm to score record wins. People want their ideal President to be both young AND electable in the same way they want to see the new Ryan Gosling movie at the Multiplex. How confusing it is that we all can't just buy the exact ticket to the exact show that we want, amiright?
With that capitalist lens, Trump is seen as just another product on the shelf. And if he's a product of the free market, he can't be all that bad. He's what millions of voters want. And since the voters are rational actors in a free market economy, so who are we to judge? It's crazy. There's no thought paid to actually protecting the democratic process. It's the ultimate zombie lie, dead-end thinking of Milton Freidman's Capitalism and Freedom.
Meanwhile, I know far too many young people who "can't bring themselves to vote for Biden" because of his support of Israel in Gaza. It's like saying, "I won't drink Coors beer because I won't support Adolf Coors." Again, the capitalist mindset. What they don't seem to realize that there's a can of Coors and a vile of poison, and they'll be forced to drink one or the other, like it or not. Or to go back to the movie analogy - one of two show is going to play, and we'll all be forced to watch it even if we don't buy a ticket.
In short, I believe that almost all of our political stupidity comes from this false equation, from the Muslims willing to boycott the general election, to the MAGA hostage taking, to the journalists unwilling to "take sides" against authoritarianism.
Is it enough that people like you are already pointing out where we’re headed if Trump wins, and people like us who follow you agree/see where we’re headed if Trump wins be enough to keep it from happening? Or is it too little too late?
I’m not sure what it will take to get people who think, “It can’t happen here” to pay attention, though maybe something like the AZ supreme court ruling that a law from freaking 1864 has primacy over AZ women’s lives might break through. Post election, perhaps if they see their liberal neighbors being rounded up and disappeared, or see them losing their jobs etc. for not being obsequious to the orange dear leader, they might finally get it.
By then it will be too late. It is probably going to be up to women, women who are furious, to save us.
A trump second term will be horrible for the whole world. How can foreigners interested in protecting democracy help? What are the actions that can be taken. Rick you should consider doing an article and primer on what can be done - legally of course.
MAGA - Make America Gilead Already
Last night Rachel Maddow took down the mainstream media for soft balling their headlines about Rump's "new" abortion position. They used words like "shifting" his position rather than "flip flopping" or "back pedaling," or "contradiction" of his previous position. And that makes a huge difference because many people will only read a headline. The NYT is the worst of the bunch, and the arrogance with which they use euphemisms regarding Rump is infuriating. It's likely that this both sidesism and the $2 billion in free publicity the media gave Rump in 2016, coupled with their obsession about the complete non-issue of "Hillary's e-mails" is what gave us Rump the first time. And they are doing it again. And of course the headlines and even some of the articles didn't even mention the utter lies Rump said about Democrats literally murdering babies.