Politics in the Media

[Padma]

Peter Hart did a focus group with Trump supporters on Tuesday night. http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-voters-dismiss-their-champion-s-controversies-hacking-fears-n695896

This article was negative, but still more positive than Hart and the NBC political director who were interviewed yesterday on MTPD.  Basically, they were struck by how it came down to (1) self interest, that they thought he'd change their lives (in terms of issues this meant "jobs" and "Obamacare repeal/change");  (2) the Trump persona that they love; (3) the "long leash" they will give him before he disappoints them.

They both agreed that supporters use a lot of Trump's own wording to an unusual degree.

[Fable]

12 minutes ago, Padma said:

This article was negative, but still more positive than Hart and the NBC political director who were interviewed yesterday on MTPD.  Basically, they were struck by how it came down to (1) self interest, that they thought he'd change their lives (in terms of issues this meant "jobs" and "Obamacare repeal/change");  (2) the Trump persona that they love; (3) the "long leash" they will give him before he disappoints them.

The last paragraph of that article says it all!  

Quote

We finally had somebody who was a true person," said Marcy. "He wasn't in the politics, he wasn't into the same old climbing this political ladder. It was finally somebody who was, who started like us, like everybody who works, who goes to work every day." 

[Padma]

Negative coverage of Hillary Clinton soared in the final two weeks of the campaign.

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/7/13872580/media-coverage-presidential-election

[Nidratime]

Quote

We finally had somebody who was a true person," said Marcy. "He wasn't in the politics, he wasn't into the same old climbing this political ladder. It was finally somebody who was, who started like us, like everybody who works, who goes to work every day." 

I didn't know so many working class Americans started out by getting a million dollars from their father to buy and sell real estate. Nor that every time they went into bankruptcy, they were rescued by their millionaire parents.

[Duke Silver]

 

[PatsyandEddie]

Hannity is a disgrace to the human race. Assange is narcissistic, arrogant slimebag. 

[Duke Silver]

Wow...fallout from Eichenwald's appearance on assface Tucker Carlson's show.  Carlson, shockingly, wouldn't let Eichenwald answer a question, so he is doing so now on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/809563905089556481

 

Seriously...wow.  Go to Eichenwald's twitter feed....

 

Hahahahahahahaha Olbermann is re-tweeting each of Eichenwald's tweets, thusly:

 

Fuck....looks like Kurt deleted the entire lengthy string of tweets.  Crap, wish I had screenshotted more than the 3 above.

[Padma]

27 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

Crap, wish I had screenshotted more than the 3 above.

Darn! But the ones you showed are amazing.  Makes complete sense, too, when you take it together with "Trumped" the memoir the president of Trump's Atlantic City casino, Trump Plaza, wrote in around 1992 about his time with him through the mid 80s to early 90s when, crazily over-extended, he went bankrupt in NJ.

The hyped up boss who compulsively roamed around the kitchens late at night for something to eat, never slept, was very "on" but not interested in any details about his business, was impulsive and showing poor judgment in his affair with Marla Maples (and other things, including business0, and was on a frenzy of acquisitions--jet, helicopters, buildings, casinos, Mar-a-Lago, the second largest yacht in the world and so on.

Jack O'Donnell's description of Trump made you wonder, "Is he doing cocaine?" even though he was supposed to be very drug-and-alcohol averse.

Amphetamines would also work. And fit in with another obsession he had at the time--weight loss.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just came across this via Tumblr. Thank you Smithsonian Magazine for putting this out. About the rise of Mussolini and Hitler and how the media treated them.

Source: smithsonianmag.com

------------------------------

And about Eichenwald, some asshole assaulted him via flashing gif. He has epilepsy. His wife came on via his account to say he had a seizure. Just because Eichenwald did what he did, doesn't mean that he should be harassed. It's one thing to hold someone accountable, but another thing to do something sick like the above.

Sources: thedailybeast and Kurt Eichenwald's twitter feed

[Duke Silver]

[Chicken Wing]

6 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

Bias, bias, bias. Everything is bias, apparently. As a journalist by trade, can I just say how deeply saddened, offended and sickened I am that so many people, entire factions of the populace, have so little regard for truth and factual information that they in fact rely on the proliferation of misinformation and lies in the media to further their agendas?

Edited December 16, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[sistermagpie]

23 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

 Let's get celebrities to tell us what to do, it worked so well during the last election. Oh, wait, never mind.

Except for that one celebrity who's making treason cool again, of course.

[BBDi]

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

Except for that one celebrity who's making treason cool again, of course.

There's the rub. Trump supporters have drunk that particular Koolaid and believe that a billionaire who has fucked over small businesses while relentlessly pursuing attention and celebrity is one of them. Nothing will dissuade them of it. 

The thing is - I think we learned from the campaign that they are not moved by all the celebrities who hate Trump, and in fact are probably put off by the Dems' parade of stars. So at best this approach is ineffective and at worst it's counterproductive. 

[sistermagpie]

15 minutes ago, BBDi said:

The thing is - I think we learned from the campaign that they are not moved by all the celebrities who hate Trump, and in fact are probably put off by the Dems' parade of stars. So at best this approach is ineffective and at worst it's counterproductive. 

Agreed. And honestly, I don't even think the people behind the videos are necessarily thinking "People love these celebs and will listen to them" because a lot of them are probably preaching to the converted anyway. Chances are if you know who some of these people are you're already horrified by Trump.

But then, as Don Cheadle once was saying to someone on Twitter, celebrities are also regular Americans. They can have an opinion like anyone else, and they also have access to media they can put together. So I get them wanting to do something--but sometimes they can be making things worse. It's not like every other profession deserves a voice except actors. A lot of them are probably genuinely politically engaged people and some (not all) are very informed certainly more informed than plenty of Trump supporters that have been showcased on TV at times. 

I will point out that often the same people telling celebrities to shut up are the first to post about whatever celebrity they agree with. 

[Duke Silver]

[Lantern7]

Canadian weighs in on why an Electoral College reversal would be a bad thing. Basically, the Republicans would wind up installing their own guy instead of letting Hillary have it, and the result could be bad, if not worse. Personally, nothing scares me worse than Plan T . . . and I'm a white guy. Maybe that was the GOP's plan the whole time?

[MulletorHater]

9 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

Good for them!  I love VF and have had a regular and online subscription with the magazine for years.  

On a shallow note, looking at that picture, one would never guess that the Drumpfs' child is on the other side of the room sitting astride a stuffed lion with toy limos on the floor and looking quite miserable and disconnected.  Poor kid.  Even in this so-called family photo, it speaks volumes about who is the most important entity in that family, and it's definitely not the child whose needs should be paramount to both parents.

[izabella]

8 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Canadian weighs in on why an Electoral College reversal would be a bad thing. Basically, the Republicans would wind up installing their own guy instead of letting Hillary have it, and the result could be bad, if not worse. Personally, nothing scares me worse than Plan T . . . and I'm a white guy. Maybe that was the GOP's plan the whole time?

Republicans want Trump in office first.  Once that happens, they probably don't give a shit if he's impeached for one of his  many conflicts of interest or treason (though they will fight it with a ferocity the Dems can't begin to muster).  If he's impeached, welcome to Pence-land, and they're probably just fine with that.

But the EC COULD elect for Hillary if enough electors change their votes.  They won't do it, though. 

[stormy]

Heard on the Stephanie Miller Show this morning.

A clip of trump's bitch, Arnold Schwartzenegger,  "there's no blue states or red states, it's the United States.  We have to unite, stop whining".

I feel better already.

[AntiBeeSpray]

12 minutes ago, stormy said:

Heard on the Stephanie Miller Show this morning.

A clip of trump's bitch, Arnold Schwartzenegger,  "there's no blue states or red states, it's the United States.  We have to unite, stop whining".

I feel better already.

What a flip flopper. He hated Drumpf. 

News to Ahhh-nold: There is NO uniting around this fascist. People are NOT whining, they're scared and concerned. Big difference. 

[FilmTVGeek80]

8 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Let's get celebrities to tell us what to do, it worked so well during the last election. Oh, wait, never mind.

A) They're not trying to tell US what to do. They're appealing to electors, which most regular folks aren't. And B) given that Hilary overwhelmingly won the popular vote, it kind of did work.

 

16 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Haha The Trump effect: Vanity Fair already to use Trump to gain subscribers:

 

3 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

 

Guess it's working HaHa!

[Duke Silver]

[zxy556575]

I was hoping -- HOPING! -- that the (non-Fox) broadcast media had learned something after the travesty of this campaign and were working to correct their mistakes. But no. They actually cut away from regular news programs this week to cover Kanye's visit with Trump. AS IF IT WERE NEWS!!

I quit watching TV news these days, but the late night talk show hosts all included it in their monologues. Even if they're mocking it, that still makes it newsworthy.

I die a little more each day, I swear.

[Lantern7]

I don't follow the news networks. "Yeezy Meets Sleazy" isn't noteworthy?

[Duke Silver]

[DollEyes]

A couple of media-themed tweets, the first, from The Last Word host/ex-public school teacher Lawrence O'Donnell, about spelling:

Quote

We aren't born caring about spelling. We are taught to care about it, to worry about mistakes. I want presidents who worry about mistakes.

Next, Matthew Dowd:

Quote

Whomever isn't outraged about a foreign government undermining our democracy is either a deluded partisan, or doesn't care about our republic.

On another note, here's a story originally published by the Independent, a British newspaper, which features yet another example of Trump's deep-fried fuckery:

Donald Trump Thanks Black People For Not Voting

[stormy]

I watched the last five minutes of CNN's Smerconish this morning.  He was running 2016 highlights of his show .

One was exchange was with a trump-to-be voter in what looked like a town hall setting.

This woman was saying her reason for voting trump was because she wanted to be be able to say Merry Christmas again.

Smerconish:  you can't say Merry Christmas in this country?

Lady:  No

Smerconish:  (basically) you've been watching too much FOX and believe all their BS

[Medicine Crow]

I'm wondering why no one has mentioned how much it's going to cost to provide security for the whole Trump family, their wives & husbands, children, etc.  It's probably going to cost the country a whole lot, but no one has even brought it up!!!???

[stormy]

^^^ the way I see it is that as long as it's a republican no one gives a shit.  Besides, the dems probably do but there's nothing they can do about it.

[Padma]

Some groups are paying $500,000 for an ad buy this weekend for the awful "Celebrities" ad.

Seriously? Why does anyone think that ad would persuade any elector to not vote for Trump? "Wow! TV and movie stars!"

That ad irritates me so much that it would even make me reconsider voting for Hillary. (for a minute)  Absolutely nothing about it shows WHY Trump is dangerous. Nothing about his crooked finances and complete lack of transparency......Putin's puppet....evil Cabinet...his lies ....no checks and balances.... how hedoesn't give a rat's ass about the middle class, etc. and is a huge threat to democracy and the Constitution (also how he will be breaking the law--in violation of Emoluments Clause--on Day 1 and doesn't care). So much more. They have...zip. (But one thing that stays with you is the message, "You don't have to vote for Hillary!")

What a colossal waste of half a million dollars.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/6bc944f2-8036-3940-aaae-1cb82b186ff7/gop-electors-targeted-with.html

[TheGreenKnight]

Stupid question, but shouldn't there be an even split between Democratic/Republican electors per state?

[Padma]

47 minutes ago, TheGreenKnight said:

Stupid question, but shouldn't there be an even split between Democratic/Republican electors per state?

Sadly, when you vote for the candidate, you're voting for the slate of electors for that candidate, winner take all. I know Maine and another state have some proportional distribution thing, but I'm just not sure we would need the electoral college even if it worked like that. I like the idea of preventing a demagogue, but... but....

....in 2016 we saw that it doesn't work like that so, really, is there still any point, no matter -how- you apportion them?

[stormy]

CNN has had on author Kate Andersen Brower (her book is First Women) to discuss Melania's role (although she seems to think Ivanka will be the most powerful first lady ever).  Kate is so annoying.

She ends every segment the same way.  By the time September rolls around, Melania will be settled into the White House and working full time as First Lady.

I just don't see this.  Sadly, Melania is not equipped to be FLOTUS.

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, stormy said:

CNN has had on author Kate Andersen Brower (her book is First Women) to discuss Melania's role (although she seems to think Ivanka will be the most powerful first lady ever).  Kate is so annoying.

She ends every segment the same way.  By the time September rolls around, Melania will be settled into the White House and working full time as First Lady.

I just don't see this.  Sadly, Melania is not equipped to be FLOTUS.

Melania isn't equipped to be First Lady. Trump picked her because he wanted someone who would be seen and not heard. Donald picked Ivana because she was smart, outspoken, and hardworking. It was those same qualities that caused him to lose interest in her I suspect out of jealousy because she was becoming almost as well known as him. Ivana would have been a good first lady. Marla, while never the greatest intellect, has never been thought of as shy or retiring. Marla might have been a decently visible first lady.

Melania is a different story. She's arm candy or as I call it a "sex watch." It's terrible I know. A sex watch is a partner who is a trophy that is good in bed and that a man likes to flash around others to make the other men jealous. However, you know the one question people never ask about a gold diamond encrusted Rolex--does it keep good time? That's Melania. No one, including Trump, cares if Melania is actually useful.

Trump didn't pick her because she had opinions that he was interested in. Functionally, I think Ivanka is going to take that role. Ivanka may operate a little like Grover Cleveland's sister by taking the role of First Lady for half the term and giving Melania an opportunity to grow into being First Lady.

[Lantern7]

At long last, Doonesbury faces the un-face-uppable.      Anybody else hoping Alpha House tanks so that Garry Trudeau has to consider coming back to daily comics? Also: would he replace the president-elect's image with an icon? So far, we've had a bodiless voice (George H.W. Bush), a floating waffle (Clinton) and an asterisk (Dubya). Obama was always off-panel, and Ron Headrest existed separately from Reagan.

ETA: I was just thinking of presidents. The only other ones I remember are floating feather (Dan Quayle), lit bomb (Newt Gingrich) and massive arm and hand (Arnold Schwarzenegger). (Shit, I got that name auto-corrected)

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

Anybody else hoping Alpha House tanks so that Garry Trudeau has to consider coming back to daily comics?

FYI, Alpha House has been cancelled.  Trudeau still doesn't seem to want to go back to daily comics.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, ebk57 said:

FYI, Alpha House has been cancelled.  Trudeau still doesn't seem to want to go back to daily comics.

Thanks. Given his age and the current climate, I don't really blame him. It would be nice if the characters got a send-off. My biggest nitpick is that I don't know how Mike Doonesbury's glasses stay on his face.

[DollEyes]

Charles M. Blow's last column of the year:

Donald Trump, This Is Not Normal!

Edited December 19, 2016 by DollEyes

[Lantern7]

Editorial Cartoonist for the Daily News. The guy is hit-or-miss, but today's entry made me laugh harder than it should have.

[Duke Silver]

All of this nutjob Steve Bannon, Alex Jones & Michael Flynn conspiracy theory crap that will be heaving it's way through the West Wing finally made me thinks of this:

The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory

YMMV, but I think it's a good read; worth the time.

--------------------

^^ I assume this will be auto-merged w/ my previous message even though it has zero to do with it, so the dotted lien is to seperate...

Anyway, DAMN, the GOP has zero shame when trolling.  Gowdy is the messenger for this????  Seriously???  hahahahahahahaha

[BW Manilowe]

Eichenwald's going after the idiot who Tweeted the strobe light to him.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/newsweek-writer-goes-twitter-user-allegedly-causing-seizure-957631

[MulletorHater]

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Editorial Cartoonist for the Daily News. The guy is hit-or-miss, but today's entry made me laugh harder than it should have.

Is it me, or does Natasha bear a striking resemblance to Melania?

Not saying that she's a spy or mole, who used Drumpf's lust to infiltrate, but I hear things; and it's what people are saying.

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Editorial Cartoonist for the Daily News. The guy is hit-or-miss, but today's entry made me laugh harder than it should have.

Is it me, or does Natasha bear a striking resemblance to Melania?

Not saying that she's a spy or mole, who used Drumpf's lust to insinuate herself into his confidence.  It's how spies infiltrate, ya know?  Now, I'm not saying it's true, but I hear things; and it's what people are saying.

Edited December 20, 2016 by MulletorHater

[PatsyandEddie]

12 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Eichenwald's going after the idiot who Tweeted the strobe light to him.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/newsweek-writer-goes-twitter-user-allegedly-causing-seizure-957631

Good! Kurt doesn't strike me as the type to give up. I hope this jerk can be identified, prosecuted and convicted. Cyber bullying is becoming so commonplace that it's disturbing. WTF is wrong with people? 

[Ocean Chick]

57 minutes ago, PatsyandEddie said:

Good! Kurt doesn't strike me as the type to give up. I hope this jerk can be identified, prosecuted and convicted. Cyber bullying is becoming so commonplace that it's disturbing. WTF is wrong with people? 

Maybe we should let Melanoma know about this, as she has already stated that cyber bullying would be her "cause" as First Lady?  I'm sure she'll be right on it.  Heh.

[Duke Silver]

[MulletorHater]

5 hours ago, Ocean Chick said:

Maybe we should let Melanoma know about this, as she has already stated that cyber bullying would be her "cause" as First Lady?  I'm sure she'll be right on it.  Heh.

Heh!  She's too busy starring in her own version of Green Acres to be bothered with the mundane duties of being a First Lady.  After all, she just adores a penthouse view; whether she loves Drumpf remains to be seen, but I'm sure she said, "Daaah-link, give me Park Avenue!"  She won't even get a chance to take over decorating the living quarters given Drumpf's taste for the garish, gold-gilded and gross.

I sure would like to see how she could credibly make this cyber bullying crusade work given that she had less than to fucks to give about the Jewish journalist who wrote a negative profile of her for GQ and who was later subjected to vile anti-Semitic rants and death threats.  While Melania indicated she doesn't "control [her] fans" and that there were people out there who went too far, she felt that the reporter "provoked them."  Apparently, the reporter also provoked the phone calls she received, incorporating automated recordings of Hitler's speeches.  

In that respect, Melania is just like her husband.  When their "fans" lash out in the most vicious ways imaginable, they don't have jack shit to say about it.  Other than, "just stop."

[callmebetty]

2 minutes ago, MulletorHater said:

Heh!  She's too busy starring in her own version of Green Acres to be bothered with the mundane duties of being a First Lady.  After all, she just adores a penthouse view; whether she loves Drumpf remains to be seen, but I'm sure she said, "Daaah-link, give me Park Avenue!"  She won't even get a chance to take over decorating the living quarters given Drumpf's taste for the garish, gold-gilded and gross.

I sure would like to see how she could credibly make this cyber bullying crusade work given that she had less than to fucks to give about the Jewish journalist who wrote a negative profile of her for GQ and who was later subjected to vile anti-Semitic rants and death threats.  While Melania indicated she doesn't "control [her] fans" and that there were people out there who went too far, she felt that the reporter "provoked them."  Apparently, the reporter also provoked the phone calls she received, incorporating automated recordings of Hitler's speeches.  

In that respect, Melania is just like her husband.  When their "fans" lash out in the most vicious ways imaginable, they don't have jack shit to say about it.  Other than, "just stop."

I've heard it said, really truly people are saying it, that Melania gave a statement and it was "Ven they go low, ve go high."  She has the best words.

[Duke Silver]

Rush Limbaugh w/ his pre-emptive douchebaggery, how predictable.

[mustbekarma]

14 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

Rush Limbaugh w/ his pre-emptive douchebaggery, how predictable.

Promise?  I don't see a problem with that.  If I don't like what Trump's doing, I'm definitely speaking up.

[stormy]

Melania should stop reading KellyAnne Conway's words.

Fact is, I don't want any of them in the White House.  And I hope Miss January stays in NY for the entire four years.

I can imagine that hateful, bitchy Ivanka was happy to shove her aside.

By the way, from what I saw on something last week, Ivanka's been busy working the phones to members of congress to push her child care plans.  I'm sorry, this is unacceptable to me.