The Daily Howler covers the media. In this post, it points to the daily dose of propaganda meant to distract and impress the public, when the government is in fact lying. The lying is facilitated by media protocols that encourage deference to the authorities. That’s why you seldom see a White House reporter say simply, “but that’s not true” or “that’s not what you said last week.”
Consider the way Commander Trump, and the media suits, have brought us our own North Korea.
If we were the rational animal, everyone would have realized, long ago, that something seems to be badly wrong with Commander Trump. Everyone would have taken the unfortunate measure of such statements as this:
“You have 15 people, and the 15, within a couple of days, is going to be close to zero.”
The commander said that on February 26. Yesterday, one month later, the actual number was at least 82,000. It was likely much greater than that.
In a rational world, it would have clear, a long time ago, that something was and is wrong with our bold commander.
There may be an issue of mental health. There may be an issue of cognitive impairment. There may be illness and impairment. But this would have been clear long ago.
In a rational world, rational people would have discussed these obvious possibilities. In our world, press corps elites declared that we mustn’t conduct such discussions.
We can finally taste the fruits of such conduct. We’ve ended up, all this week, watching North Korean TV.
What happens in North Korean TV? In our version of the system, useless elites find the craziest person in the society and put him on prime-time TV. They do it day after day after day.
The cases of coronavirus in the U.S. passed 100,000 in Friday, the most of any country in the world. But don’t worry. It’s all under control. The craziest person in our society said so.
Dear Leader
I don’t agree with the esteemed Howler — I consume news obsessively, mostly mainstream print media, and I see vast amounts of commentary on Trump’s mental and intellectual issues, lies, directly contradictory statements and so on. I’m currently listening to the book “A Very Stable Genius” by two mainstream Washington Post reporters, which is entirely devoted to documenting his unfitness. DH is just wrong about this. It’s true that the press is flummoxed about how to respond, especially given the number of Americans who don’t care and still admire Trump and his discrediting of the MSM. But it’s just not true that the MSM isn’t covering the insanity.
I agree with “carolinesf” I would be careful (yet?) in equating “the government” with dear-leader Trump. I think Trump is still the “away team” and there is enough of our government to be aligned with our HOME Constitution-related institutions and the oaths that so many still honor.
I am exhausted from the whole debacle . . . and then I see Cuomo every day . . . being what any President of the United States should be.
Try THAT in North Korea and see what happens. CBK
Trump thinks he is the government. He owns everything. Everyone must kiss his ring.
Perhaps Trump thought that limiting the number of tests would make the virus seem less intractable to a gullible public. Fewer tests mean fewer identified cases. The ostrich method that was used on the opioid problem before it becam so apparent.
Trump is America’s National Security Threat.
I think you’ve written this several times, Yvonne, & it does bear daily repeating (& was thus even before his election, which those dunderheads–& I’m being nice, here–who voted for him should have known), so, thanks.
I would emphasize the IS–as in “T IS the threat to America’s National Security.”
Stay healthy.
Never been a big fan of Brian Williams and have quit MSNBC, but saw this clip this morning and at fits here.
https://www.mediaite.com/news/brian-williams-savagely-mocks-dr-brixs-lavish-dear-leader-praise-of-trump-translated-from-the-original-north-korean/
Not only do we have a right to know, we have a duty to know what our Government is doing in our name. If there’s a criticism to be made today, it’s that the press isn’t doing enough to put the pressure on the government to provide information.
–Walter Cronkite
Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles.
–Walter Cronkite
It is not the reporter’s job to be a patriot or to presume to determine where patriotism lies. His job is to relate the facts.
–Walter Cronkite
Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.
–Walter Cronkite
Not only do we have a right to know, we have a duty to know what our Government is doing in our name.
–Walter Cronkite
Ethics must be reintroduced to public service to restore people’s faith in government. Without such faith, democracy cannot flourish. Your ambitious agenda is filling a desperate need.
–Walter Cronkite
Dear Walter (Cronkite): You write:
“It is not the reporter’s job to be a patriot or to presume to determine where patriotism lies. His job is to relate the facts.”
. . . but reporters cannot do so unless they live in a democratic or quasi-democratic state. So they already assume what you say it’s not their job to “presume where patriotism lies.”
Such is the difference between (a) what we talk about and (b) the political foundations that reside “under” not only WHAT we talk about, but THAT we are free to at all. CBK
Someone said that Trump is the only person who can make George W look good.
Not only is Trump a disaster for the U. S. but for the whole world. One disaster after another.
Make America Great again?
For sure. What ARE the principles for which we really stand? What kind of country and leader do we really wish.?
Democratic governess? For how long?
I’m going to post what one of my Trump friends says. To me what she thinks calls up the unquestioned patriotism that I had back in the fifth grade. The US flag is to be venerated and we are the best country in the world. As an adult, I find that to be simplistic. We cannot fix problems, and there are many, if we do not look to see that problems exist.
I had send a quote from the CDC telling about the number of tests that S. Korea had given vs what has been done in the US. Statistics from Johns Hopkins showed that the US is gaining rapidly in the number of infected people and that the number of infected in S. Korea is going down.
Guess facts from the CDC and Johns Hopkins are not as reliable as Trump.
…………………………………
“I remember a day when the media reported the news as it really was! Real truth about the events. I remember saying the pledge of allegiance everyday in school. I remember singing This Land is Your Land and other patriotic songs like God bless America and my high school choir was applauded to the max for such things. Walter Cronkite would turn over in his grave to hear all the Anti-American rhetoric from the media. I’m totally sick of it. I think they should all move to Venezuela or some such place. America is the greatest country in the world and are applauded by unbiased, non-profit individuals for our handling of this crisis! I am proud to be an American!!!”
I am always thinking about Walter Cronkite & Edward R. Murrow.
Miss them very much…
Well, the crazy thing is that Trump supporters and Republicans in general are actually the anti-American ones — they hate our public institutions; they want to get rid of our government; they oppose the principles the Statue of Liberty symbolizes; they oppose most of the Bill of Rights. They’re either liars or deluded when they absurdly claim to be patriots.
I’ll cut a little slack and say maybe not all Republicans. The current predominant Republican culture, though.
Woody Guthrie wrote “This Land is Your Land” as a protest song. The irony of its being hauled out as an example of patriotism is one I have often discovered.
Remember that Borowitz writes satire. He is a comedian.
……………………………………………
Fauci Gently Tells Trump Why He Can’t Hold Parade to Celebrate Great Job He Is Doing
By Andy Borowitz
March 28, 2020
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Dr. Anthony Fauci spent several hours on Saturday gently explaining to Donald J. Trump why it would be “a bad idea” to hold a giant parade to celebrate the great job the President is doing to combat covid-19, Dr. Fauci has confirmed.
Trump first raised the idea of a massive parade early Saturday morning, arguing that it would address the “biggest problem” created by the pandemic thus far: the lack of appreciation for his own efforts regarding it…
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/fauci-gently-tells-trump-why-he-cant-hold-parade-to-celebrate-great-job-he-is-doing?utm_source=onsite-share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker
Oh, carolmalaysia, thank you so much for that!!! LMAO!
Love that picture, as well–looks like IQ45 is scowling or fuming at Dr. Fauci. I do subscribe to Borowitz, but The New Yorker cuts off my access since I “reached my limit of free articles for the month.”
I’ll be able to read a few new ones next week (April–my, how time flies when we’re having fun), but if you or someone here could link then occasionally, that would be great.
Thanks again, & stay healthy.
Trump Says He’ll Ignore Key Oversight Provision in Stimulus Bill
7 HOURS AGO
President Donald Trump says he plans to ignore a key oversight provision in the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress this week.
The stimulus bill Trump signed on Friday afternoon creates a “special inspector general” who is supposed to notify Congress “without delay” if government agencies refuse to provide information needed to conduct oversight of the loans the administration will be doling out. In a statement released Friday evening, Trump announced he will not allow the inspector general to report to Congress without “presidential supervision.”
“I do not understand, and my Administration will not treat, this provision as permitting the [special inspector general] to issue reports to the Congress without the presidential supervision required by the Take Care Clause, Article II, section 3,” Trump wrote in a signing statement issued after he signed the bill…
https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/03/trump-says-hell-ignore-key-oversight-provision-in-stimulus-bill-1/
Trump hates independent auditors and oversight. Suppose the new IG reports that Trump got $200 million for his hotels.
Not filling departmental inspectors general posts is part of the authoritarian plan.
https://www.citizensforethics.org/five-ig-vacancies-coronavirus-response/
. . . consolidating that power . . . CBK
I don’t agree with the characterization of North Korea as backward and its leaders as crazy. And I don’t care whether Noam Chomsky has jumped on that bandwagon. He believes that Assad barrel-bombed his own people for gosh sake!