But who will replace him? » « Dan Savage is not a fan of the Log Cabin Republicans

My expectations for this week are rather low

It’s time for the Republican convention in the under-appreciated city of Cleveland, Ohio…and I don’t think this event will buff the place. In case you were wondering who is speaking at the event, here’s the list.

MONDAY

Theme: Make America Safe Again

Headliners: Trump’s wife, Melania; Lt. Gen. (ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Army; Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont.

Others: Willie Robertson, star of “Duck Dynasty”; former Texas Gov. Rick Perry; Marcus Luttrell, retired U.S. Navy SEAL; Scott Baio, actor; Pat Smith, mother of Sean Smith, killed in the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya; Mark “Oz” Geist, member of a security team that fought in Benghazi; John Tiegen, member of Benghazi security team and co-author of the book “13 Hours,” an account of the attacks; Kent Terry and Kelly Terry-Willis, siblings of Brian Terry, a Border Patrol agent whose shooting death revealed the botched “Fast and Furious” gun-smuggling operation; Antonio Sabato Jr., actor; Mary Ann Mendoza, Sabine Durden and Jamiel Shaw, immigration reform advocates; Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas; David Clarke, sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wis.; Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis.; Rachel Campos Duffy, LIBRE Initiative for Hispanic economic empowerment; Darryl Glenn, Senate candidate in Colorado; Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Karen Vaughn, mother of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan; Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; and Jason Beardsley of Concerned Veterans for America.

Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi. And those damned immigrants.

In case you were concerned that you might miss some of those riveting speeches by exciting, happening people, don’t worry — just turn on your TV. It’ll be there, and there will be a fawning media gently and lovingly ‘reporting’ (this is a fancy word that means ‘describing’ or ‘repeating’ what is said) on it. If you’re hoping to maintain your equanimity during this week of awfulness, though, don’t read Paul Krugman. He knows what’s up.

Yet while most polls suggest that he’s running behind in the general election, the margin isn’t overwhelming, and there’s still a real chance that he might win. How is that possible? Part of the answer, I’d argue, is that voters don’t fully appreciate his awfulness. And the reason is that too much of the news media still can’t break with bothsidesism — the almost pathological determination to portray politicians and their programs as being equally good or equally bad, no matter how ludicrous that pretense becomes.

And he gives specific examples!

And in the last few days we’ve seen a spectacular demonstration of bothsidesism in action: an op-ed article from the incoming and outgoing heads of the White House Correspondents’ Association, with the headline “Trump, Clinton both threaten free press.” How so? Well, Mr. Trump has selectively banned news organizations he considers hostile; he has also, although the op-ed didn’t mention it, attacked both those organizations and individual reporters, and refused to condemn supporters who, for example, have harassed reporters with anti-Semitic insults.

Meanwhile, while Mrs. Clinton hasn’t done any of these things, and has a staff that readily responds to fact-checking questions, she doesn’t like to hold press conferences. Equivalence!

I think I’ll just vote “no confidence” in American media and keep the television off this week.

But who will replace him? » « Dan Savage is not a fan of the Log Cabin Republicans

Comments

  3. Dunc says

    Part of the answer, I’d argue, is that voters don’t fully appreciate his awfulness.

    This seems overly optimistic. A great many people seem to be actively enthused by his awfulness. It’s a feature, not a bug.

  6. Matrim says

    The bothsideism reminds me of a quote from the War Room, I can’t remember it ver batim, but James Carville says something to the effect of “Our numbers are off by 10%, their numbers are off by 200%, and the media says ‘See, they’re both lying!'”

  7. Vivec says

    It’s getting pretty blatant, particularly on CNN. The hosts will bring on trump supporters that do nothing but gish gallop and shout, and then just smile and look to the camera rather than actually attempting to moderate or fact check.

  8. robro says

    Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Army, hit the news recently because he called on Islamic leaders to condemn the attack in Nice. He prominently included Ayatollah Khomeini in his rant. Khomeini died in 1989, so he shouldn’t expect much response from him. Of course, the current Ayatollah is Khamenei, so you might forgive him confusing the names…they all sound the same, right. However, between 2012-2014 Flynn was the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, among other top intelligence positions. He was also on Trump’s short list for the VP job. Foot and mouth, the true measure of intelligence.

  9. Reginald Selkirk says

    This morning on NPR, they had Tucker Carlson commenting on the RNC convention.

  10. erichoug says

    I have a hard time not thinking about Cerebus the Aardvark during this election cycle.

    “Cerebus, previously little more than a mercenary thug and barbarian, finds himself so much in demand amongst High Society that they elect him as their candidate for Prime Minister. His opponent? Lord Julius’ goat. Not an anthropomorphic goat, but an actual goat. It’s a surprisingly close-run contest…. “

  11. says

    @9 They have Tucker on all the time, he was regaling the national radio audience with the claim that this year is totally 1968 all over again* and if Nixon could win, it’s Trump’s to lose! Naturally his liberal counterpart, Cokie Roberts, did not challenge him on this.

    I dunno, if Goldwater could get 40% surely Trump could, Goldwater flat-out wanted to start a nuclear war. Blue-as-hell liberal California voted “unconventional” Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger governor. Twice!

    * (minus the draft, war, multiple assassinations, race riots, and national guard occupation of several cities).

  12. says

    Even when Trump himself isn’t listed as a speaker, he will be speaking. For example, on the first night he will be introducing his wife, Melania.

    If that goes anything like his first joint press conference with his V.P. pick, Trump will speak at least three times longer than the supposedly featured guest.

    Press coverage of the convention is already annoying.

  14. says

    One of Trump’s comments in the 60 Minutes interview during which he repeatedly interrupted, corrected, and out-talked Mike Pence: “”I think I am, actually humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.”

    And just for fun, here’s something Mike Pence said about a Disney film:

    Despite her delicate features and voice, Disney expects us to believe that Mulan’s ingenuity and courage were enough to carry her to military success on an equal basis with her cloddish cohorts. Obviously, this is Walt Disney’s attempt to add childhood expectation to the cultural debate over the role of women in the military.

    That was in 1999. Pence lost that argument.

  15. Vivec says

    @13
    Good. Perhaps if the coup had just gone a little bit better, we’d have an Erdogan-less Turkey.

  16. says

    SC @13, there’s already strong support in Turkey for the conspiracy theory that the U.S. backed the coup attempt. CNN’s coverage will be used to support that rumor.

  17. says

    Vivec- Did Erdogan shoot your dog or something? I know Erdogan’s awful but the solution is not a CIA-led coup, you can ask Iran, Chile and Guatemala all about how those shake out.

  18. Vivec says

    @17
    He’s slowly turning my home into an authoritarian islamist shithole where you disappear in the middle of the night if you criticize him.

  19. Vivec says

    Well, that or he just sics a bunch of hardcore believers on you to jump you in an alley.

  20. says

    Good. Perhaps if the coup had just gone a little bit better, we’d have an Erdogan-less Turkey.

    *whoosh*

    SC @13, there’s already strong support in Turkey for the conspiracy theory that the U.S. backed the coup attempt. CNN’s coverage will be used to support that rumor.

    Yes, was discussed a bit on the Turkey thread.

  21. slithey tove (twas brillig (stevem)) says

    Pencester said (see @14):
    Disney expects us to believe that Mulan’s ingenuity and courage were enough to carry her to military success on an equal basis with her cloddish cohorts.

    What more is Pence expecting than ingenuity? Being smart ain’t enough for that clod of a gewbenor? He thinks being cloddish is enough to win a military victory? (I don;t think so)
    I guess Drumph picked the right doofus to accept being second-fiddle-sidekick to that bloviating orange turdnip.

    Re OP:
    I’m hoping for this shitshow to be quite entertaining (in a satiric sort of sense)

  23. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I’m trying to keep my blood pressure down, so I won’t be doing much more than reading news headlines. Besides, I have bills to pay.

  24. MJP says

    Trump supporters in the comments section on news sites seem to have become entitled to bothsidesism. If a site publishes a negative article about Trump, they invariably call the site “bias” [sic] and start postulating the Nefarious Media Conspiracy That’s The Only Way To Explain Why People Don’t Like Trump.

  26. says

    I’m furious at how they normalize Trump and his campaign. Chris Hayes on MSNBC has had several guests warning about this, but they continue with it. Worse, they host several people giving the Trump campaign advice on how to change their tone or focus or what language to set aside to stop alienating people. They couldn’t possibly think that if Trump could stop advocating openly fascistic policies, spewing conspiracy theories, sending out racist tweets, or dogwhistling to white supremacists it would change who he fundamentally is. So they’re suggesting better ways for his campaign too manipulate the public rather than informing the public about who he is and what he represents. I know I shouldn’t expect more from the corporate media, but these individuals should know the harm this does. I think in the future they’ll regret the role they played regardless of the outcome of the election.

  27. Rob Grigjanis says

    We are certainly living in interesting times. Incitatus’ anus being anointed and kissed in Cleveland is just the nauseating topper to a horrendous week year century of chickens coming home to roost.

  28. ck, the Irate Lump says

    MJP wrote:

    Trump supporters in the comments section on news sites seem to have become entitled to bothsidesism.

    This has been something that has been building for quite some time now. Anything less than outright deference to conservative candidates is treated like there is an organized campaign to demonize them. Instead of defend themselves from these false accusations or ignore them, the media plays along with them, and tries to give these people what they demand. It’s now at the point where if someone publishes a U.S. political article not about Trump, that’s used as evidence that the media hates him (‘cuz they ignored him).

  29. unclefrogy says

    it seems perfectly natural that those who make a living in media might tend to show some degree of deference toward the right-wing pro-fascists then the progressive liberal side of politics.
    the right-wing holds a grudge and does not tolerate descent well and has been known to punish those who believe in and practice free speech.
    the left is far more tolerant and is unlikely to do anything to them should the left become in power.

    uncle frogy

  30. robro says

    SC (Salty Current) @ #13

    Incidentally, during the Turkey putsch, CNN had CIA people on giving advice to the plotters.

    CIA people and similar operatives get on all kinds of news panel programs. Fox News is a parade of them. A friend of mine and I used to pick them out on McNeil-Lehrer News Hour panels. Sometimes they’re overt about it, but often they’re cloaked as foreign policy experts from various recognizable think tanks (e.g. Brookings, American Enterprise, CSIS), university institutes (e.g. The Hoover), or news organizations. It’s a good cover, and they seem so credible.

  31. David Marjanović says

    Good. Perhaps if the coup had just gone a little bit better, we’d have an Erdogan-less Turkey.

    Austrian proverb: “Nothing better ever comes afterwards.” You know how the coup of 1980 turned out, right?

    I’m furious at how they normalize Trump and his campaign.

    He’s the Republican candidate, and the Republicans are a normal party, right? Right? Also, of the two serious candidates, it can’t possibly be the case that only one is normal?

    That seems to be the mindset they can’t get out of.

    So they’re suggesting better ways for his campaign too manipulate the public rather than informing the public about who he is and what he represents. I know I shouldn’t expect more from the corporate media, but these individuals should know the harm this does.

    None whatsoever, because – as you just explained – he isn’t capable of taking them up on it.

    Asking “expert” interviewees what any and all candidates/parties could do better in their campaigns, and getting answers that have little to do with the world outside the interviewees’ skulls, is a very common trope of journalism over here; I’m not surprised to find it in the US as well.

  32. says

    He’s the Republican candidate, and the Republicans are a normal party, right? Right? Also, of the two serious candidates, it can’t possibly be the case that only one is normal?

    That’s not the meaning of “normal” in the sense being discussed. His candidacy is quantitatively and qualitatively abnormal. The vast number of lies, the fascistic rhetoric and policy proposals, the connections to white supremacism, the menacing tone toward minorities and journalists – these are often treated as campaign blunders or issues of strategy rather than as evidence of the very real threat the campaign represents. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and others who’ve challenged this framing are right to do so. It’s not normal in that sense. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime, and hope never to see anything like it again.

    (And Trump is not a “serious” candidate. Getting the nomination doesn’t magically transform him into one. He’s a joke.)

    None whatsoever, because – as you just explained – he isn’t capable of taking them up on it.

    The point isn’t that his campaign can or will pay attention – it’s the way they present the campaign to the public, making it seem a normal and basically acceptable aspect of politics rather than something that should be protested at every turn.

  33. says

    CIA people and similar operatives get on all kinds of news panel programs. Fox News is a parade of them. A friend of mine and I used to pick them out on McNeil-Lehrer News Hour panels. Sometimes they’re overt about it, but often they’re cloaked as foreign policy experts from various recognizable think tanks (e.g. Brookings, American Enterprise, CSIS), university institutes (e.g. The Hoover), or news organizations. It’s a good cover, and they seem so credible.

    Yes, I know, What’s striking about the report I linked to above is how open they were about the experience behind their particular expertise:

    Baer told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper that the Turkish coup was “not professionally done.”

    “I have been involved in coups before,” he said. “They should have taken CNN Turk and closed it down the first minutes, the radio station, social media, the internet. Even if they didn’t arrest [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, they should have taken care of all of that right at the beginning.”

    And the so-called journalists just take it all in, as the words roll along the bottom of the screen telling of a Venezuela in turmoil.