The Pulitzer winner founded the Intercept to challenge official narratives and protect editorial freedom. When editors abandoned those principles, spiking a controversial story, he was forced to quit
I disagree with Greenwald on many, many things. But I have always, always admired his willingness to call out the hypocrites, the panderers, the bullshitters — regardless of their status, their connections, and most importantly their party affiliation. He gives no fucks, and I adore him for that. And I will support him, with money made working for someone who I imagine he despises with the energy of a thousand suns. And that’s awesome, and it’s why I love Substack and independent press.
Another informative and insightful work from Matt Taibbi. I still fail to understand the need to include anti-Trump aspersions such as, "It’s a difficult time for reporters, with an unstable and potentially dangerous president," presented as apparently unassailable facts. The central fact to me is illustrated by the central premise of this article and the anti-journalism represented by this latest leftist crash-and-burn by the Intercept: The Left destroys everything it touches and Trump is simply the best tool normal people have to reintroduce sanity to our institutions and society.
"It’s a difficult time for reporters, with an unstable and potentially dangerous president,"
I too noticed that line. It's like some people just cannot help themselves, even when they are almost gagging on the red pill they just refuse to finally let it go.
Wow. With such an unstable and potentially dangerous president, I haven't noticed any journalists being jailed, beaten or repressed. Or have I missed all the news about journalist purges? Please educate us on how widespread this is under the trump terror.
Or perhaps Trump may not be worst unstable dictator ever?
In other words you don't know what the term "straw man" even means. And in other words, no one ever claimed Trump was "the worst unstable dictator ever", genius. Congrats on "disproving" a statement no one ever made.
Matt called trump an unstable and potentially dangerous president. I merely pointed out how that is incorrect. You don't know sarcasm when you read it.
LOL. The article admits the police identified a problem area and arrested everyone in the area. So the journalists were not specifically targeted. Is that all you have? An incident from the inauguration? C'mon you can do better than that - or perhaps you can't. Got anything more recent, you know from the past year? Every day for the past 4 years the mainstream press pushed anti-trump stories. Surely this most unstable of dictators has put a few of them in concentration camps.
The man throws tantrums whenever anyone criticizes him or asks him a mildly challenging question. When that man happens to be the president, yeah, it means he's potentially dangerous.
You ain't enlightened, dude, you're just another tribalist making excuses for your in group.
I think you are missing his point. The consolidation of the media combined with the rise of our new tech overlords who openly censor stories or hide them is far more dangerous than a senile sociopath or even possibly an idiot in the White House. Yes, Trump is dangerous, but primary because he is so easy to manipulate by the real crazies, and better prepared sociopaths. In any extent I personally believe he is history, due to his mishandling of the two most important issues to the American people, the economy and the plague, which i think is now endemic due to his actions. I live in the heart of the Republicans, many are not voting, and want him to go away.
Yeah, that war mongering, rampaging military industrial complex manipulated him right out of any wars for the first time in decades! And talk about being manipulated by sociopaths regrading a virus that 99% of everyone recovers from and you have to get a test for in order to find out if you actually have it! Guess you bought in on that scam, genius.
He's still a war criminal just like the rest. Guess you fell for that scam since he's been using his butt buddy in ISISrael as well as the Saudi's to commit his war crimes for him.
^^^textbook Trump fan fragility, aka the (real) Trump Derangement Syndrome^^^
Do you trust Taibbi's reporting and analysis? How about Glenn Greenwald's? Guess what - They both agree that Trump is potentially very dangerous to journalists and that he has behaved and spoken/tweeted in an unstable manner in the past, including while in office.
If I had to guess or make a bet, I would say you probably think that EVERYTHING the corporate mainstream media says about Trump is a lie. Like literally everything. Am I wrong and would I have lost any money on that bet?
And yet, neither has delineated exactly what danger he posits. I can respect their independence and professionalism - and back it up with a paid subscription for both - and still disagree with unsubstantiated claims.
Well he poses a real danger to all of the grey wolves in America he opened hunting season on yesterday. How about the danger to the Arctic National Wildlife refuge in Alaska he's giving away to oil interests? It always floors me how no one ever mentions the systematic environmental destruction his busy bee scum appointees have been working on the last four years. Every problem the US faces today will be magnified 100 fold when the real destruction starts kicking in.
I gave you a link to an article in The Independent (UK) below. Check it out. The situation is more complex than "curtailing press freedoms." Trump's rhetoric has gone as far as to say that the MSM (including MSNBC, NYT, CBS, etc.) are an enemy of the state and of the American people. Now - given my own knowledge on how each of those outlets helps war mongers and human rights violations by the U.S. and Israel go un-criticized, I would agree that they are enemies of the people, but that's me agreeing with Trump, it's me disagreeing.
Trump's rhetoric is definitely over the top, and in some cases, you could make a fair argument that it is dangerous (if it inspired acts of violence, for example). He's bombastic, he exaggerates, he makes shit up on the fly. But he has a point about the MSM, even if over-stated. As a group they have sold themselves to the Democrat party and become in effect a propaganda arm of the Democrats. That does make them an enemy of our system of self-government. It's sad that so few journalists, like Matt and Greenwald, can see this and have the courage to speak out.
Given Trump's experience with the "MSM" one could argue that they are an "enemy" or at least a tool of the enemy - how dare a sitting President criticize the CIA and FBI - outrageous!! Almost 4 years of non stop Russia, Russia, Russia and impeachment would rattle anyone's cage. Trump, with all of his flaws, is not going down without a fight. It's how he got elected. He's also vain and was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The sword cuts both ways. Dangerous? Sure. To himself? Sure. To the deplorables, no. And the circus continues. The MSM is helping, even feeding Trump's cause if you ask me. If you want to kill a fire, you have to start by not pouring gasoline on the fire.
I think the danger of Trump is obvious -- he's random, a loose cannot. The US ruling class may be evil, but it knows it has to take care of _some_ business to keep the proles from resistance and revolt. Trump will keep pushing until he gets a civil war or some other disaster going because he doesn't know what he's doing, or he doesn't care. What he knows is show biz, and that's it.
He TALKS randomly, and comes across as a loose cannon. But it’s all bluster and conflict-evoking (which is precisely what he likes). The world sees him, or should by now, for what he is — and acts/reacts accordingly. Detail: he gets stuff done in spite of everything put in his way by the Resistance or whatever they’re called these days — the ones Trump calls out as scum. We can probably survive another 4 years of Trump now that we realized who he is and what we’re dealing with. And there will never be another very much like him. OTOH, not sure how/if we could deal with Harris & Company and their likely successors as they lock in Socialist/Democratic rule long term. Don’t want to find out, thank you.
Are we done with the TDS projectile vomiting and attacking for this segment? So tiresome and reveals way more about the attackers than they are ever so obviously capable of comprehending.
Let's play a little game. I provide a quote, you guess who wrote it.
"Instead, Democrats were urged, imagine that a right-wing authoritarian, or a lawless demagogue, or a petty, vindictive tyrant won the presidency and inherited the framework of unrestrained, unchecked powers that Republicans implemented and Democrats expanded.
Totally agree. Doug's post perfectly reflects the binary/ partisan/tribal mentality so apparent in both Trump supporters and detractors, each looking for and accepting only that which pleases them, that somehow the obvious mendacity and corruption of the one, validates their hero. I don't know about any of them, but I've seen way more than one bar fight where both drunks were total assholes, and deserved each blow they got.
This I will say about Trump, fake both in his anti war and populist messages; he correctly identified the problems of the ingrown elite establishment, though insincerely, but perhaps even more importantly, like Luminol draws out unseen blood at a crime scene, Trump's mere presence has shown that the supposed high minded liberal press, which is in no way left, regardless of what Doug thinks, is in fact every bit as partisan and intellectually dishonest as anything from Fox, Breitbart, Limbaugh etc., and that liberal politicians are flag waving mindless yahoos when it suits their purposes, supposedly a preserve of the right.
Once again, I will vote third party, because, like you, I'm not tabulating which would be the lesser evil, as that seems a pointless task designed to keep us locked into the duopoly's rigged game, but prefer to see them as they are; just different evils over whom people needlessly squabble.
"Nothing will fundamentally change". Finally, some truth.
I disagree with the characterization of Trump detractors. I consider myself to be a Trump detractor because of obvious reasons (no, not fake news about Russia) and I would never vote for him. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go out and cheerlead or vote for Biden. There are more people in my group than you might think. The only difference between me and a lot of them is that they WILL vote for Biden. Thing is, none of them LIKE Biden because he's a corrupt, phony old asshole. But they'll vote for him anyway because not only is Trump a phony, corrupt old asshole too, but a much bigger jerk and a LOT of his supporters wield his being in office like a cudgel to friends and family on social media and in bars. Tell me this: how many times has a video gone viral where someone gets in another person's face and screams "BIDEN!!!" - Never. Didn't happen with Obama either.
But I'm with you on the last two paragraphs. Trump and his supporters have no idea what the actual left even is. They think it's only antifa and college professors and the mainstream corporate media (the last one is a laugh, but they all think it).
Wait, what? Have you somehow missed all the vicious anti-Trump vitriol spewed by lefties, on social media and otherwise? Not seen people's careers "canceled" for supporting Trump, or even just questioning the left-wing narrative?
And how many times has a Biden supporter been executed in the street over his political beliefs, as happened to a Trump supporter in Portland?
Please. Criticize Trump supporters for being obnoxious if you wish, that is your right, and I don't even necessarily disagree with you. But don't try to paint the other side as a bunch of peaceful angels, because they are not.
I should have been more clear when I said Trump detractors, as I meant to refer to those in the elite, both political and media, and not all those who dislike Trump, which includes me. These elites have no only made it possible for Trump to gain power with their horrible policies on war, trade, WS bailouts, etc. but their continued impersonations of Joe McCarthy and far fetched, fact free beliefs Trump is in the pocket of Putin, would have reelected him had there been no pandemic, as I'm assuming Biden will win this Tuesday.
Well said. I would only add that the ruling class doesn't like Trump because he is an embarrassment to them, not that they disagree with him on anything. He has exposed their game because he is such a buffoon and doesn't do it politely like the rest of them.
Correct. Trump is the political equivalent of the Picture of Dorian Gray, revealing all the corruption, sordidness and bullying that characterizes our elites, something the fake sophistication of Obama or even the fake country boy charm of W helped to gloss over. It amazes me to this day that people still believe both meant well; Obama only done in by those horrible Repubs, while W's intentions were good, he was just too gullible and led astray by Cheney. Truly evil people always leave an out and find the fall guy to excuse their behavior.
W's entire family is as corrupt as any other American "royalty" currently being utilized to cover up the ongoing criminal empire. What's amazing is how easily these thugs can be reinvented and resold to the Yankee doodle dumbf*cks who believe voting changes the empire's goals.
Yeah, Matt has destroyed Trump already - he's proven that point. He's reported those facts. He doesn't need to constantly berate every Trump move; he told you Trump would be the result of our problems. He knew Trump was always a problem.
This is exactly it. The truth has no political affiliation. That's what journalism at its very core is supposed to be striving for - finding the truth and sharing it with the public so that the public can make up their own mind.
So many people (including within journalist circles) seem to have forgotten this.
Agree with you 100%. I have commented on Matt's previous columns where he feels the need to bash trump first before making a pointed comment about the insanity of the left. It's as if he needs to establish anti-trump "bona fides" before criticizing the obvious insanity of the mainstream press which is now fully invested in anti-trump hate. I can kinda sorta understand it as a means of demonstrating he's not a shill for trump but in reality his opinion on trump is completely IRRELEVANT. The sickness and corruption on the left is the real story and it would be the case regardless of who occupied the white house. The leftists in academia and the mainstream press have (irony of ironies) made Trump into something like the last bastion of sanity before we all go over the precipice into total chaos. Greenwalds's resignation is a clear demarcation line that we have entered very, very dangerous times where intelligence propaganda is actively being used against american citizens. I consider myself a conservative republican but I came to the conclusion about a year ago that the CIA and FBI need to be disbanded completely and a complete overhaul of the DOJ is absolutely necessary before we can have any confidence in our federal government. Strange, scary and crazy times we live in.
So having been a conservative Republican growing up and into my early thirties I see where you see the left us bad. I don't disagree, they are bad. Problem is the Conservative Republicans are just as bad without the, "I'm smarter than you snear." Though the Republicans have the, "jesus loves me and I am morally holier than though." attitude. So looking to disband the CIA is a great start. Keep digging deeper on your side and you'll discover what a POS Gingrich, Delay, Bush Sr., Hastert, Limbaugh, Adelson, the Kochs, McConnell, and the very long list of Republicans. I k ow because I thought they were better till I stopped listening to the clips of W. and the right wong commentary that went with it and watched him for myself. He was a total buffoon. Gingerich was cheating on wife 2 with wife three while he was impeaching Clinton for Lying under oath. Which ironically is why he was kicked out of the Speakership for that exact same reason. There is no difference between the ruthless psychopaths at the top other than ones used degrees and "sophistication " for their identity and the other side uses Jesus and Morality. They are all the same.
The vast majority of conservatives I know actually aren't religious. But most of them like American flags. Just an observation.
Also, keeping digging and you'll find out what POSes literally EVERYBODY is, especially anybody in power in government, media, or industry. Humans!
I'm more interested in outcomes. If I wanted our political leaders to be good people or moral or, you know, not pathological narcissists, I would be forever disappointed. I'm much better with Trump than I am with the outcome records of either the Democrats or the Republicans, historically. Recent peace deals and relationship normalizations--that stuff is great. Not supporting Endless War is great (something I thought was not going to be the case, when Trump nominated Bolton). So . . . I'm fine with Trump. Would have preferred Tulsi Gabbard but I'm fine with Trump.
That's always a question. And I can't see the future, I just know the general state of the party could use adjustment--and that would be people like Tulsi and to a lesser extent Bernie Sanders. It's the ossified establishment types that need to get removed. Much prefer Tulsi as she wants to work with whoever to accomplish goals--actual goals, not political ones. Of course, that doesn't work with the Democrats and really doesn't work with the GOP, except Trump went around the system.
Do I wish it had been someone other than Trump? Yes. But we get what we get.
Don’t confuse the neocons with the conservatives. Not wasting money on useless wars is a conservative value. The neocons are all war, war, war. The Dems can have ‘em. If you’re voting along the side with warmongering neocon Colin Powell, you’ve lost what it meant to be left leaning for the last 20 years.
The Dems and the GOP have both had the neocons for year. And years. And years. Perhaps since WWII.
In some form or fashion. Although they wouldn't have been called neocons until more recently.
The main difference is the Dem neocons slapped on a peace symbol instead of an American flag. Can't seem to clean them out of the Democrats, maybe we can with the Republicans? Not holding my breath, though.
Take a breath, junior. With nearly 4 years under his belt, and with not only no wars started, Trump has withdrawn from most all the sites of conflict that his predecessors established, it is tough to see the delusions you clearly suffer under.
Speaking of never admitting error, you show up weekly to comment on Taibbi's pieces and in each such appearance demonstrate not merely your ignorance, but your failure to see the mirror in front of your own face.
Check that Obamacare plan you claim to love -- I am sure there is treatment for mental illness and for delusional thinking.
You used to be better at insulting me. What happened?
My final salvo:
Trumpers all say the same thing - or a version of it. Which is, that the arsonist is best to put out fire.
They have this view that Trump is going to find moral ground, and start running the country with blue states in mind. Never gonna happen.
Trump rules for them, and only them. And their view is that if we don't like it, move to another country. That ain't gonna fly.
If Trump wins, we'll never recover. We'll never get along. Or the only way we'd get along is if we give up. Which we'll never do.
I'll give 'em this. The Trump Crime Family is the payoff for a plan the right put in place years ago, going back to the early 1900's. It was all about the long game, how to rule from a minority position. They did it. They executed to near perfection.
Now, they're all about keeping people from voting. Because voting and elections were the centerpiece of their plan. The more Americans that vote, less chance they have at staying in power.
And yes, Democrats are at fault. They didn't vote in every neighborhood, town, city, state, and federal election. They forgot about civics class. People see that now.
Now, albeit too little too late, people are waking up. Just like Trumpers (the Tea Party) woke up when Obama was elected.
But if they think we're gonna put up with any more of this BS, they'd be wrong. We're Americans too (I know that's hard for them to say). We'll stand for our rights. And if we have to, we'll go toe-to-toe for them. Because we're Americans. That's what we do. What we won't do, is let them or anyone else keep trampling over us.
Do I want it to come to this? No fing way. Never in my weirdest dreams, did I think we'd be here. But here we are. And BTW, this is all part of their plan - turn us against each other. The coup de grace is when Trump declares martial law.
I want our country back. I want the Republican Party I once voted for back. I want a two party system. I wish Trumpers could understand. But they don't. I don't know why they defend a monster.
No one I know believes in socialism. Everyone I know wants lowest taxes. We love our country. Everyone I know is ready, willing, and able to to compromise. So is Biden.
The first step towards healing our country is to fire the Trump Crime Family.
Please. Get out there and vote on Tuesday as if your life depends on it.
I really don't expect him to start a war. If he wins and then does--then 100% I'll admit I was wrong. I have no problem admitting I was wrong. I voted for W. Bush. When I should have voted 3rd party or write-in. Iraq War--boy that was wrong. Even so, I was more hopeful that I was the one out of synch at the time and not Dubya . . . but nope. I was wrong.
I didn't vote for Trump. Not voting for Trump this time. Also not voting for Biden, so there's that.
As an observation, you seem to read a lot of things into what people don't actually write.
Hopefully you'll stop legitimizing the system all together at some point. They'll never admit to being an oligarchy as long as people continue to feed demand more bread and circus.
I disagree. Republican psychopaths want to enrich themselves while claiming the high ground. Democrat psychopaths want to tell you how to live, eat and breathe. There is a difference.
They both want your money. They push different sets of buttons but both have the same goal.
"The Republican and Democratic parties, or, to be more exact, the Republican-Democratic party, represent the capitalist class in the class struggle. They are the political wings of the capitalist system and such differences as arise between them relate to spoils and not to principles."-- Eugene Debs. Sept 1, 1904
And it has become more true in in the intervening 100+ years.
I have to disagree. Your saying high ground. I come from the religious right and they definitely want to tell you how to live, eat and breathe. Especially when your a child and if your female that is for a lifetime.
The claim of high ground by the religious right is not shared by me. In this country it would seem it is easy to leave the religious right especially if you relocate. In my opinion it is getting harder to leave the religious left. It's practically impossible to dissent from liberal orthodoxy regarding leftist positions on marriage, gender or race without being branded a backwards troglodyte no matter where one resides.
Trumpers all say the same thing - or a version of it. Which is, that the arsonist is best to put out fire.
They have this view that Trump is going to find moral ground, and start running the country with blue states in mind. Never gonna happen.
Trump rules for them, and only them. And their view is that if we don't like it, move to another country. That ain't gonna fly.
If Trump wins, we'll never recover. We'll never get along. Or the only way we'd get along is if we give up. Which we'll never do.
I'll give 'em this. The Trump Crime Family is the payoff for a plan the right put in place years ago, going back to the early 1900's. It was all about the long game, how to rule from a minority position. They did it. They executed to near perfection.
Now, they're all about keeping people from voting. Because voting and elections were the centerpiece of their plan. The more Americans that vote, less chance they have at staying in power.
And yes, Democrats are at fault. They didn't vote in every neighborhood, town, city, state, and federal election. They forgot about civics class. People see that now.
Now, albeit too little too late, people are waking up. Just like Trumpers (the Tea Party) woke up when Obama was elected.
But if they think we're gonna put up with any more of this BS, they'd be wrong. We're Americans too (I know that's hard for them to say). We'll stand for our rights. And if we have to, we'll go toe-to-toe for them. Because we're Americans. That's what we do. What we won't do, is let them or anyone else keep trampling over us.
Do I want it to come to this? No fing way. Never in my weirdest dreams, did I think we'd be here. But here we are. And BTW, this is all part of their plan - turn us against each other. The coup de grace is when Trump declares martial law.
I want our country back. I want the Republican Party I once voted for back. I want a two party system. I wish Trumpers could understand. But they don't. I don't know why they defend a monster.
No one I know believes in socialism. Everyone I know wants lowest taxes. We love our country. Everyone I know is ready, willing, and able to to compromise. So is Biden.
The first step towards healing our country is to fire the Trump Crime Family.
Please. Get out there and vote on Tuesday as if your life depends on it.
We all voted to end the idiotic bipartisan illegal wars, war crimes, fraud and exploitation of this empire which proves that voting doesn't change anything that actually matters.
You're either very naive or paid to spread propaganda.
One of the dumbest comments I've ever seen on a Taibbi article, and that includes at Rolling Stone, which is really saying something.
Trump has made numerous overtures and veiled threats against the media at large. If you don't think that the most powerful man in the world claiming EVERYTHING that doesn't paint him in a good light is "fake news" or telling Bob Woodward one thing about COVID-19 and hiding it from the public constitutes unstable dangerous behavior, I don't know what to tell you. Granted a whole sidebar could be had about whether Woodward should have shared that info, but that's not important to my points.
But to the most laughable part of your comment, would you mind please explaining how you can equate "the Left" (why is it always capitalized when used by Trump supporters) has anything at all to do with mainstream corporate media, which in case you happened to miss Matt Taibbi's piece about how CNN (and CBS and NBC) really don't mind and in fact think Trump is great for business. Who all is part of this "the Left" and what, exactly, have they destroyed - within the scope of journalism or anything else?
I think the "left" that is objected to is crediting the CRT crazy and insane therapeutic approach to public life approach that has led to cancel culture and whatnot.
Don Lemon announces he had to cull his friends over their Trump support. hahahahaha
words are violence but violence is speech.
Christina Blasey-Ford or whatever her name was and Fienstein's revelation with subsequent character assasination of Kavanaugh was "credible". IDK but me and Cletus think you have to prove you were actually in the same location at the same time at least once in your life before you can credibly accuse a man of attempted rape.
it's all crazy and all being attributed correctly or incorrectly to the "left"
For starters the left has destroyed the Intercept, which is why Matt wrote this article. Or do you consider the editors there to be mainstream corporate media?
I agree. In 2016 I think it was reasonable to imagine that Trump was "unstable and potentially dangerous", but now we've seen how he actually conducts himself in office. And yeah, he has a big mouth, but in terms of actual actions, he's been bringing the troops home, avoided any new foreign wars, and spearheaded historic peace agreements in the Middle East. At home he's presided over the best economy possibly in our nation's history, and refused to behave like a fascist dictator as so many feared, even when the COVID crisis presented a golden opportunity.
I think the "unstable and potentially dangerous" criticism is outdated.
What troops has he brought home ? Do you actually believe this shit ? Not one war ended and let's not forget he increased the violence and committed war crimes in Syria.
Which of these wars is ended ? I haven't heard of any peace treaties or an end to the war of terror. Is having other countries and private mercenaries do the killing any different ?
Formal recognition of and diplomatic ties with Israel by UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, so far. First time anything like that has happened since Jordan in 1994.
I said he's avoided *new* wars. First President to do that since, what, Carter?
He's also put Iran back in its box, and supported the new Iraqi prime minister who appears to be the first to actually take his job seriously.
In Syria, he put down IS and ended Baghdadi. You'll have to elaborate on his "war crimes".
After he increased troops and bombed more then Obomber. They all bring troops back home for a minute or two right before the election. Is this your first election cycle ? Why did you leave out his war crimes in Syria ?
I been watching Skutch, wondering when he/she/it was going to chime in.
According to my scorecard, he/she/it has never lost an argument. Instead, comments just stop. You Trumpers better start doin' pushups if you're gonna throw down with Skutch.
People like Doug are my favorite part of reading Taibbi comments. Matt has written about 87000000 words about how shitty Republicans and Trump are over the last 15 years; in no way does he think the republicans are victims, or correct in their ignorant thoughts. In no way does he support Trump or any Trump narratives. Matt is an independent journalist who reports without bias; it so happens that both sides, in a broken injust system, have serious issues. It also happens that one side still has significantly more (trump/right) which is why Matt has written significantly more words of disdain towards that side. I know the right wants to claim a side here, and you think he's on your team, but he has already destroyed the credibility and legitimacy of your team over the past 15 years. Thanks for reading.
Yeah well if that’s the case, he has manifested a whole new audience regardless. Looks like he will need to “re-educate” us on how ignorant we are in light of a slew of new political developments on all sides. Who knows, time has a way of shedding new light. However, many of his new subscribers aren’t gonna be as lay down easy as you are. The times, they are a changing.
What does this even mean? Yes, I can tell you just started reading Matt. Maybe go read a book or two he's written and check back in on your "Matt's on our team" nonsense.
I'm OK that Matt still thinks Trump is "dangerous". Personally, I would not vote for a Trump in 2016 (I did in 2020) - he appeared a bit crazy and was going to be trusted with nuclear buttons.
After 4 years Trump has proven to me he is anything but dangerous and crazy (he just knows how to sell himself to a crowd, as Matt has pointed out,.) Anyway...if 4 years are not enough to prove to Matt that Trump is not dangerous I still salute Matt for all his great work and don't mind skepticism in a great journalist. And hope he come around someday :) (Or...heck..maybe Trump was dangerous - - but if he was, we had a heck of a great, non-dangerous four years - - except Covid which was not Trump's fault.)
I can't speak for everybody, and I can't and didn't vote for Trump, but in my mind the best thing about Trump these last few years is that he's exposed our national politic for what it is. A corporate shell game that has sold our country out to anybody that has a check book.
We used to think the concept of a Deep State was just tin foil, but if you still believe the concept is BS, then I have some land to sell you. Can I get your Venmo information?
Yep! If anything the media will at least keep Trump honest because one whiff of scandal and it will be all over the place. Put Joe in and they will censor all negative press about him. It’s much safer to know than to not know. A vote for Joe Biden is a wish for America to go back to sleep as the elites and Deep State rob us blind.
But Trump is immune to it all. Since he blusters rather than act like it matters, he can basically get away with anything.
We have been through four years of constant scandal, and none of it has meant a damn thing. Why are you settling for, "this guy is honest about the fact that he's constantly fucking us over?" He's still fucking us over!
Four?!?! Four?!?! We've been through almost 50 years of scandals. Each administration worse than the one before it. Some admins were better at controlling the flow of leaked information than others.
I mean, I didn't think it would be remotely possible for any administration to be more corrupt than a Cheney administration, and then we get the Chicago clan come to town. If anything, Trump is just far more transparent because he's pissed off the back alley dwellars and they are coming to the forefront to scream about what's behind the curtain.
You are foolish if you think it's ever been better at any time in the modern era.
Yah but if they’re both fucking us over, I’ll still take the guy that believes in the Constitution than the psycho liberals who hate it. I’m all for reform, not a collapse of the best parts of America. I’m NOT throwing the baby out with the bath water.
I find it funny that anyone seriously maintains that there is not a deep state, because its existence has been jokingly acknowledged by government employees in just about every federal agency for just decades and decades. I don't mean that the deep state is some kind of sinister conspiracy, just that there is an actual reality to the fact that the bureaucrats have their own agenda and their permanence is a source of power just as significant as the titular power of the political appointees that supposedly run these agencies. Ask any SEC Associate Director who runs the SEC and the answer you are likely to get is "it's complicated." The Commissioners can and do drive certain changes but they can also be stymied and - more importantly - there are significant controversies that the staff actively seek to handle without elevating it to the Commission. Nothing I am saying here is remotely controversial among the professionals that work for, with and against these agencies. While I have no personal experience with the State Department or the intelligence services, I think there is just zero chance that they don't have the same dynamics that play out in the DoJ, FBI, the CFTC, the SEC, the OCC and even the FRB.
Exactly-- the veneer of the "good presidents (sic) " is off. It is laughable how many Americans care more that he is "the orange man" or they are embarrassed by his language and actions, than the fact that the US is a war mongering out of control dying empire which is spewing destruction and venom everywhere , even to its supposed allies.
I'm sure you've noticed, but Trump doesn't really have supporters (except maybe those on Wall Street). He has fans. Literally, they are fans like the fans of any sports team. Some, many really, rise to the level of "fanatic." Obama is the only recent president in my recollection who had anything approaching casual fandom, which was to be expected given that he replaced Bush/Cheney and that his campaign used a very PR-based marketing campaign and distinctive branding (Hope logo, for example). But Trump's fans put a whole lot more of their own identity into him than supporters of any politician in the US that I can recall. It's a brand too, just one that seems to inspire as much unquestioning, belligerent support from his fans as it does fake outrage and psuedo "resistance" from the corporate media and "intelligence" community.
Trump has supporters. I did not vote for him in 2016 but I am now a supporter, not a "fan". Here are some reasons:
Energy Independence for United States
Peace in Middle East - Israel, UAE, Bahrain
Pollution in US lower now than in Obama years
Does not take bribes ("contributions") from tech companies
Began ending reliance on China
Immense, proven improvement in wages/jobs of working class.
A better deal than NAFTA, the USMC agreement
Caliphate defeated, Al-Baghdadi eliminated
Corporate tax at 21% - creating jobs
Re-built military and VA
Price transparency for medical procedures
School choice - so strongly supported by inner-city families.
Jerusalem capital
Peace negotiations in Balkans (2nd Nobel Prize nomination.)
Lowest African American Hispanic and Asian unemployment ever
Opportunity zones
Historically Black Collage & Univ. funding
Criminal justice reform
Alliance with India as counterbalance to China
Right to try potential life-saving non-FDA approved drugs - many saved
Gave university males the right to defense against accusations
Korea negotiations (not great, but better than Obama admin.)
No Sanctuary Cities - support for ending this (so convicted criminals will leave)
1st Pres. in 39 years not to embroil U.S. in war
Yep - I made this list when carefully considering my vote.
If you consume only mainstream media (CNN/MSNBC/NYT et al) then you probably never heard of any of it. If you think any of it is false, look up the facts - the accomplishments here are true.
You didn't research any of these things. You just copy and pasted them off of the list of what he claims he did.
Since I doubt you'll listen to anything else, I'm going to speak to the thing I have direct experience with, as the wife of a veteran: things have gotten /worse/ for veterans under him. My husband was approved for Voc Rehab, but then there was Trump, and suddenly, it couldn't be justified, so it got revoked. He has a /harder/ time getting medical care now, because the Trump admin believes it isn't the responsibility of the VA, and he can no longer transfer his GI benefits to our child because the Trump admin changed the rules.
I don't have to look up that "accomplishment" because I know from direct experience that it isn't true. I know from watching my husband get his schooling taken away, getting his PTSD treatment taken away, having him almost die from cancer because of the state of the VA under Trump, (who by the way thinks my husband is a loser) -- it's a grift. Our government in general doesn't care about those who give the most for it, but my gods, at least most of them have the decency not to say it out loud.
Sounds like you’ve had an isolated bad experience and should speak to a patient advocate, they may be able to help. Veteran confidence in VA healthcare is at an all time high and clinical outcomes are outperforming the private sector. I’m certain there are many in VA who will help your family. All the best...
Sorry but I did. I created this list myself. I did not copy and paste one item. I do know surveys show approval from Vets on subject of VA is over 90% but I am sorry for what you are going through. Please know that a large number of people who were with Trump on the day an anonymous person made the "loser" statement claim said he did not say that. I would research what you are saying and perhaps will at sometime. At the moment I am a little hurt by what felt like hate toward me (you didn't research..you just copied and pasted).
Good to know I'm not the only mental one here. Whew. I was worried.
Any particular reason why you leave Fox out of the mainstream media list? They're #1 in just about every category. They own a bunch of media properties.
Yes - Fox while is "high" in ratings, get something like 2 or 3 million people watching - that is all. CNN and MSNBC together total about another 4 million watching each night. Cable news is just not that big anymore. Meanwhile the total watching all mainstream media (network news, PBS, programs like 60 minutes), plus reading the false information that is posted on the internet, is many, many more millions.
I am aware of all of this, but I would like to hear and engage with how the fans perceive things, rather than with how others perceive the fans. I don't think there's any way forward that doesn't involve that.
lol the internet... so believe it or don't I wrote this back in 2016, and never mailed it to the paper I was going to. It's my take on his "fans".
The Out of Touch and Trump's Junk March 8, 2016
In the media the question “Who can support Donald Trump?” is most often asked as a statement. The premise to a monologue about the idiocy of Americans. Idiocy brought on by underfunded schools, overfunded religion, talk radio, extreme individualism and racism. This monologue reflects the lack of experience of the speaker. Because the people who's opinions blanket the media consumed by the $80k and up demographic simply have zero frame of reference. Like asking a New York socialite for the torque value on a shovelhead. Torque? Shovelhead? Huh?
So their answers are all over the map. Usually missing the mark, always condescending in the way that an intelligent person condescends when they're expected to give an answer to something they know nothing about.
The latest puzzlement and faux shock is the reaction to Trump's response to the small fingers joke/meme that made its way into the press. That he responded at all obviously took some aback, the tone and content “shocked” them. (I say faux because as a society we revel in everything from Game of Thrones (violence) to Naked Dating (lust) to Piss Christ (irreverence) and more; commentators know this, nothing actually shocks them.)
I'm not puzzled.
In the early 80s I worked at an all night gas station in a bad area south of Seattle. Very bad – robberies, assaults, prostitution, drugs, murder. Contrary to popular opinion most people who live/work in such areas don't end up permanently scarred or dead. But they do see things. Late one night a customer pulled in to gas up his motorcycle. A biker straight out of central casting – on a chopped Harley, he was squat, big and dirty, full beard, black leather with club emblems, and a girl no older than 16 on the back. I was behind glass, and as he looked at me I was tamping a non-filter cigarette, getting ready to smoke. (For the uninitiated, that means holding the cig between your thumb and index finger and lightly tapping one end on a surface. That packs it tighter so the tobacco doesn't fall out when you puff.) He got done and came up to the booth.
“You jacking off in there?”
I looked at my cigarette and knew what he was saying, the motion of tamping and all.
“Nah... if I was it'd be a lot bigger than this.” Bravado, and it came out as dumb as it reads.
He laughed, not pleasantly. “Yeah, sure, lets see it!”
I was speechless at first, then made a lame remark about “not in front of your girl”. He laughs again and says “Don't worry about her, she's seen more dick than you know.”
I rolled over with “Hey man, umm... well... I'm not going to... hell, nobody would... hahahah... you first!”
And he did. Right there undid his jeans, pulled out and displayed his unerect wedding tackle.
“OK. Now you.”
My defeat was complete. “Man you got me...” and I rambled on like a complete dork.
“Hahahahahah, yeah, fucking chickenshit. Don't say shit you won't back up.”
Don't say shit you won't back up – that sums up perhaps THE request from much of the electorate this year. Our elected representatives have spent decades now not backing up what they say. Because reasons. Oh, and electorate, you're too stupid to truly comprehend the reasons, so just take our word for it. And here, listen to me say more shit, and vote for me!
Trump's rhetoric pours gasoline on that story line and sets it on fire. You want to dance around and play politics? Play the whisper campaign game about someone's penis size? (Cynically, I notice that though the story is “Trump talks about his junk” the truth is he didn't bring it up. His opponents, with allies in the press, did.) No need to whisper, here it is!
Trump will say shit and back it up. It's not possible? Who cares. How things work in Washington is such a black box, thanks to our current political class and their industry, activist and media supporters, that claims of “that's not possible” are met with cat calls. They have no credibility when they're so out of touch that they don't know that when someone insults your junk the only appropriate response is to whip it out and say put up or shut up. He's a narcissist? That's a hoot – Washington is Hollywood for ugly people; you cannot make it there now unless you are a narcissist so how is voting for someone already there voting against a narcissist? He's dishonest and money grubbing? When his probable general election opponent trades on her name and position for more money for one speech than many will see in their lifetime?
Who can support Donald Trump? At least some of them are people who are both dumber and smarter than their betters. They're truly stupid in the ways of politics, the nuts and bolts, the signaling and wheeling and dealing. But they're much more experienced, smarter, in the ways of real life, in their real life. They think they see someone they know, someone who will back up what he says. The media, and the rest of their betters, can't comprehend that because they've never had to live there.
“ Because the people who's opinions blanket the media consumed by the $80k and up demographic simply have zero frame of reference. Like asking a New York socialite for the torque value on a shovelhead. Torque? Shovelhead? Huh?”
This part is still so true. For all the talk of representation, the working class has none, regardless of race or color. And people of color fall into that group at a higher proportion than at any higher income level.
Over and over, the well off white people who purport to represent them (in dominant fashion on Twitter etc) say one thing while actual people of color, when polled, say something else.
Many years ago I was a union organizer and then did work for other lefty groups/causes. I used to abhor how the right wing used race to divide broke people who should be building coalitions. I probably don’t have to tell this group who does that now.
White people and people of color with a household income of 50K or less have infinitely more in common with one another than they do with people of any color who are in a higher income bracket.
I’m still hoping to have a major party leader who gets this, and fights for them. I think they could be elected easily if they could get out of their primary.
But I’m 46 years old, have been hoping for this for a quarter century, and will probably die hoping for it. It feels so close, but so far away.
See, this all makes sense to me when it comes to 2016. It doesn't make sense to me /now/, when as far as I can tell, he's demonstrated that he's nothing more than a grifter.
I am at the point where I'm honestly having trouble understanding anyone doing anything other than "protest" voting. Which, well...I suppose that's the answer, at least when it comes to your perspective, right? For a lot of people, Trump /is/ the protest vote.
But what if it doesn't blow it all up in the right way? What if it just makes it worse for everyone who's suffering? What is actually the way out of this, the way between acquiescence and a nuke?
Let's just talk about the first Covid relief bill.
Fancy Nancy announced the House were going home and would reconvene if needed.
Trump announced HE wanted an aid package and HE wanted it to be big to help Americans.
Fancy Nancy calls em back and now acts like she and the Dems and their MSM ghouls are the compassionate ones that had Americans best interest at heart all along.
And it is Ghoulish the way Dems and the Media are waiting with baited breath to be able to announce another death by Covid.
Yup, now. I really did write that in 2016, way before he was even nominated. And I neither voted for him nor thought he'd win; I'm smart, I knew Clinton would win. lol I was just so sick of hearing my workmates (I worked in education) and the press ramble about him and how stupid people are, and memories came flashing back when the little dick jokes started, that I... wrote.
I agree, but it strikes me as though you don't have any real life engagement opportunities with them? I do, in droves. I have Trump supporting friends, family and in-laws, not to mention co-workers. My statement is the product of 3-4 years of conversations and observations. So maybe I can help, maybe not - but I can probably fill you in on how many of his fans see things if you want.
I honestly wish I did have more Trump supporters in real life to engage with. It's turned out, much to my dismay, that my ties to conservative friends weren't as strong as I'd thought; they all jumped ship rather quickly when they found out I wasn't on the Trump train. Family members aren't forthcoming because they don't want to cause strife (which I can understand).
So, as it stands, most of my understanding comes from observation rather than actual conversation. And that leaves something to be desired.
I hope you can find some conversation from both perspectives. My brain feels better when pressed and my normal viewpoint is questioned. Echo chambers are cancerous. This place offers me different opinions and some balance.
Yeah makes sense. I'm sure you're also familiar with Qanon Casualties. If not it's basically a big subreddit for people who have lost friends or had their relationships with family members ruined by Qanon. In that case it may be more the other way around - i.e., the NON-believers unfriending the believers, but it's the same kind of deal. I definitely know Trump supporters who identify so deeply with Trump the brand that they basically told me to unfriend them or not to talk politics when I tried to have reasonable discussions about Trump's policies and statements. (never mind that they have no problem trolling other non-Trump supporters with memes and tweets) The majority of them cannot differentiate "fake" news from real news and have totally written off ALL mainstream media as 100% fake, which is actually understandable from my own left-leaning civil libertarian perspective after, well the last 60 years really. Iraq was the worst, and their total abandonment of Julian Assange comes pretty close.
Never thought about it like sports but that makes total sense. They literally believe he hasn't done any of the shit he has done or if they admit, say he did bankrupt 3 casinos, it wasn't his fault it was the economy or he declared bankruptcy and it was smart business. Not understanding how horrifyingly stupid or corrupt you have to be to bankrupt a casino, let alone 3. Anyway, good analogy.
Wall St. Big Tech and Big Pharma and big corporations are the big donors to Biden NOT TRUMP. Biden is outspending Trump at least 2 to 1. Wall St. are globalists looking for a quick buck with cheap labor outsourced.
Thanks. I agree that Democrats mostly have no idea why Trump's fans are so devoted to him and what they THINK he stands for. Nor do they really have any messaging that works to counter it left in their arsenals because 1) the corporate neoliberal Democrats stand for the exact same things as the corporate neoconservative Republicans and 2) they've wasted all that was left of their credibility post-Iraq war for the past 3 1/2 years.
The people that I know are for sure or I suspect will likely vote for Trump aren't what I would characterize as huge fans of his. None have any clue what Qanon is either judging from conversations I've had with them. Why they are going to vote Trump is simply because they are disgusted by the sanctimonious self righteous liberals that NEVER stop whining about him and they see as having thrown a non stop tantrum for the past 4 years. They are crystal clear about their disdain with the way the riots and lockdown measures have been handled with blatant hypocrisy in Democratically controlled cities and in my State. In short a HUGE reason many people are voting for Trump is simply because of the behavior of the Left and for some reason Democrats just can't grasp this. It's not that these people love Trump they just hate the people who they see as far more hysterical, annoying and dangerous.
Count me as one of those. The moral/cultural authoritarianism of the left, as embodied by CRT and "cancel culture", must be stopped. Trump has many faults, but at least he stands against those things. There are other reasons I support Trump this time (I did not in 2016), but this is the one that's driving me to vote straight-ticket 'R' for the first time in my life.
Great comment-and completely true. Someone like Mitt Romney would never have a chance against Hillary or Biden. Why-b/c they refuse to directly call out their bs. Trump does that-and did that in his first term. Why are the rappers giving him respect-b/c he honestly interacted with them, on their level, with their issues. Most GOP types wold have brushed off Ice Cube like the Ds did-while doing ridiculous kente cloth photo ops when the media was in peak hysteria mode. Trump hasn’t changed who is he is-for good or for bad, but his policy outcomes, on the whole, have been great. You would have to have a degree from Trump University to believe one thing out of Biden/Harris’ mouth regarding Covid, Russia, Ukraine, or China.
Well said. Also, what politician actually tries to implement his crazy "promises"? That alone suggest he is unstable. Build a wall? Cut taxes to the middle class? Negotiate with rocket boy? Slap tariffs on countries like China? Strike peace deals? Repeal ACA? Get out of paying for that cold war relic NATO? The angry power structures prefer malleable politicians, swayed by campaign contributions. He's a loose cannon! Deplorables vote for him because he actually tries or make the appearance of trying. How did a billionaire become a populist rock star? Worth studying for anyone that gets into politics. I predict the next finalists in the circus will be Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson vs. Kanye West. I'm guessing the Rock will be the Democrat and Kanye the Republican. The war of the media elite.
Trump voters don't really care what he stands for - they care that he's a useful symbol they can use to send a "Can you hear me now" message to the corporate, academic and media elites.
He is, as one wag recently put it, the "last middle finger left for them to wave."
There are many reasons people vote for the "disturber" and yes I agree that is one, but there are many real solid reasons the "deplorables" (she might as well said off with their heads 🙄) vote for Trump.
That was Michael Moore. This is a flawed analysis because the finger that Trump gives them is just political theater. I'm sure Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald would agree. Yes, Trump's fanatics believe that him being in office is a finger to the elites, but what does a finger get you in real life? Into a fist fight or ignored like a pariah. That's what's driving the record numbers of voting in Democrat areas - they are sick of the constant posturing and flipping of fingers and don't want to see 4 more years of it. In that manner, it worked for him in 2016 because people thought he would actually do some of the things he talked so much about. At the end of 4 years with COVID, the economy tanked and nothing to show for all the showmanship other than a few miles of new border wall in remote areas. I don't think that's enough to get him re-elected.
Thank-you! Read Chris Hedges America the Farewell Tour-- lots of reasons why Trump was elected. I remember telling my US colleagues that I thought Trump would be elected and I have NEVER received so much vitriol in response. Oh I am Canadian I don't know our system 🙄, SO much anger and bullying in response to my statement. Same when I said Obama won't change anything. Sigh--this is clearly what 75 yrs plus of obvious propaganda passing as education results in.
He's not the best - he's just what we've got. The last resort. The nuclear option against a world gone mad.
You can't express the "wrong" politics in the work place, or on TV, or on Facebook, or around friends and family, or...
So what's left but the anonymous ballot?
If the DNC is a violent street gang, Trump is the well dressed man from the Mafia politely but firmly suggesting that you pay your protection money to keep the gangs at bay. I'd obviously prefer to have neither, but gun to my head, I'd rather deal with the Mafia guy.
As I've written to one of the other Trumpers here, I was gonna get some help. Really I was. I was gonna go next week.
But then Trump told me he's not gonna lose. Which means for me, I lose our insurance that covers pre-existing conditions - "gone mad". So now I'm hosed.
See what you've done? Now you're going to have deal with all us crazies.
Well, you know, it seems to me it's ending up that way no matter what -- I can't say what I want today, but I'm pretty sure that tomorrow, I also won't be able to, whether it's street gang or mafia man.
There was a Biden rally in my area recently. Trump supporters showed up with bullhorns to drown out the speakers.
In the meantime, rights narrow, our sense of community flounders, healthcare grows more expensive, the pool of decent jobs shrinks, and we become ever more enraged. Is the nuclear option better, or does it just feel good, in the moment?
After 4 years of the insults, unsubstantiated demonizing and false accusations launched at Trump supporters daily on CNN, MSNBC, Twitter, through the young and inexperienced to the old and cynical (waving at Cher, et al)... that's a quite reasonable reaction.
I admire Trump's ability to restrain himself actually.
He's correct. No President has ever had the assault upon his person and family like Trump has - Clapper, Brennen, McCabe, Comey and all their high priced hypocrites in MSM personality pretending to be a Journalist collaborators have never sunk to this level of depraved personal attacks before.
I'm not exaggerating. Clapper, I believe it was, called Trump a traitor on CNN at the same time his private testimony to Congressional committees was that there was no evidence of collusion at the same time Schiff was repeatedly lying on those fake news shows and saying he had seen the evidence himself.
it's outrageous. Trump and his supporters are actually very very decent people or there would be way violence
well, I'm not a historian but certainly in my lifetime.
I think it's because the other Presidents' folded.
I think they sent Obama veiled threats; a couple from a reality show get past the Secret Service and attend a party they weren't invited to and I seem to remember thinking they were passive threatening him when they let a crazy jump the fence and get in the White House before apprehending him.
Also I think the rumors they gave him the coordinates to drone a doctors without borders clinic are plausible. Obama wanted reset with Russia, the spooks do not.
Trump hasn't folded. With the exception of not withdrawing troops which Trump has confirmed outright that the Generals were arrayed against him on that decision. The so called Fascist had mustache man in his cadre and didn't start a war.
but like Deco said better below, the coordination of the attacks with the spooks and MSM, the White House press corps, the overtly hostile social attacks on his cabinet and inner circle, the overtly hostile lies from the spooks, the overtly protective behavior for his opponents by the MSM and the spooks, the soft ball questions afforded Dem candidates, the daily misrepresentations and collective dishonesties... it's crazy.
it is off the chain crazy. There is no way in hell I could support the Dems in these crazy, anti-American, insane provocations.
The Swat FBI arrest of the absurd Roger Stone coordinated with CNN.
The Spooks set up, intimidation to plead guilty and bullshit charges of Gen Flynn.
The pretense that Mueller did anything of any merit - charging Russians that will never be brought to court to defend themselves and process crimes that arose from the harrassment of Americans that worked for Trump.
It is off the chain crazy. Chuckie Shumer told Trump the spooks have 7 ways to mess with him to Sunday. Interesting comment by an insider leading up to the election. I believe he told Trump exactly what he was in for.
I believe that other presidents have endured worse attacks. We've had war time and civil war era presidents, and assassinated presidents. That's as severe as an attack can get. But in terms of the coordinated and collusive wall of attacks by factions that have never been so allied, together with novel institutions and players wielding enormous power in support of that collusion, the attacks on Trump are unprecedented.
I'm for sure that Melania has looked at him and thought, wtf was so bad about living in Trump towers and minding our own business? but I'm also for sure, that's the point to the incessant harrassment - never about serious policy considerations but always on the level of a 3rd grade playground as if we're idiots.
Nobody knows what Pelosi et al want an extra trillion dollars for - the media couches it in simplistic terms of empathetic vs cold hearted and we are subjected to endless "American stories" of gloom and doom designed to make us support a policy whose slogan doesn't begin to explain the actual beneficiaries to the transfer of taxpayer dollars. Bail out the NY City DiBlasio decisions like not enforcing transit users to pay at the turnstile? Offering free healthcare and housing for illegals? Call us racists when we oppose those decisions as fiscally unsound and then hold us hostage to pay for the stupidity. Seriously. That is in itself enough to make one vote for Trump.
Then these arrogant career bureaucrats, politicians, spooks and media personnel that all believe they are better positioned to impose their viewpoints than a duly elected POTUS. Oh. and federal judges. Like the one from Hawaii who felt better positioned to design American immigration policy despite that being one of the areas implicitly assigned to POTUS.
Really. The arrogance is overwhelming. Then Trump comes along with his gold plated toilets, dumping ketchup on his ribeye and... hahaha the arrogant elites heads explode.
If only he were Indian American like Harris' mother that penchant for gold plated ostentatious decorating would be a virtue and ketchup on a ribeye would be folksy.
Let's not avoid the serious Cultural issues accompanying race relations either.
Take a President they have misconstrued what he said from the beginning regarding race and oppose his efforts to make successful inroads to lowering a wealth gap, unemployment number and income inequality. Then when the Democrats, whose bread and butter is keeping minority populations convinced that while they do nothing to help when they have the opportunity, they are still the ONLY option up next to dog whistling Klansmen dressed in business suits.
When those Democrats deliver nothing we are forced to continue to pretend that it's racism keeping incomes low and not the wholesale takeover of what used to pay well - construction, food processing - yes, chicken plants - by illegal immigrants willing to work long hours, live in cramped quarters and shop Walmart in order to send as much of that money as is possible outside the country.
You guys don't know any Trump supporters? Do you know any construction crews? Do you know illegals have no interest in unions, have no interest in better benefits, make no issues about their working conditions and have been known to work from day light to well after dark - doing roofing for instance, all day every day when the work is available? But "illegals" as a term is offensive! haha what a racket.
Yeah. There is an unholy alliance amongst Dems pretending to want open borders for humanitarian reasons. And it's hurting American wages. it's Econ 101.
And it's that fundamental dishonesty - pretending to be the party of unions and working class while really undermining working Americans all the way up through the middle class that adds rage.
And it's CRT, globalism, the incessant nonsense disputing America's exceptionalism, the 1619 project, stupid memes about how wonderful the African continent's cultural wisdom is (it takes a village) and Obama's apology tour - the Dems mostly take any rising issue that has grassroots support and some authenticity, monetize it, weaponize it and destroy it. :::shrugs::::
As long as McConnell keeps the senate the faux warfare waged by Democrats for America's under-served will continue!
They're creating a permanent underclass while they pretend to advance liberal goals and funnel money at their friends fake companies with ineffectual efforts to alleviate the conditions they themselves create.
And I voted for Obama twice and defended him against those who I arrogantly assumed opposed him because of Faux news.
Then, I retired and had time to watch those hearings I had never watched for myself while working and haphazardly catching the news.
Obama had no drama - he likes to say. Except he did. Lots and lots of controversy. It was just squelched.
Still there was a visceral dislike for him that made me uncomfortable. Endless email chains of Obama jokes and stories. McConnell refusing to work with him. I get it, it all bothered me at the time as well.
But the movement of wealth from the middle class home owners to the investor class under Obama should have been criminal.
The republicans prosecuted their own during the S&L crisis. Obama let everyone off the hook, torture, financial crimes, IRS destruction of evidence, Spooks fast and furious.
it's a giant mess. the political's class center hasn't held - the center has sold out and is one giant party waging faux wars against one another and exchanging power amongst themselves while funneling money to each other.
Trump is fringe. that's no longer an insult politically. haha
I hate to break your Dem hate up, but you do know all those businesses in the south with all those illegal aliens ain't a bunch of Dems right? They're God fearing, Murica first Republicans. They love the illegals because they get to pay shit wages and not treat them worth a shit. I agree the Dems are frauds, but let's stop with the one sided thing. I lived and worked among those honest, Jesus lovers and it ain't white folk mowing their lawns in Texas in August. It ain't illegals owning the construction companies or chicken plants or car washes or restaurants that use them. Those white Republicans that want all the illegals gone sure like to pick them up for work at Home Depot. Just be fair about the blatant lying and hypocrisy. There is plenty on the Jesus, libertarian side.
You said that "[n]obody knows what Pelosi et al want an extra trillion dollars for..." I'm not sure if you are saying you don't know or just that the public generally is not familiar, but in case it's the former, it's pretty straightforward and its crazy how little reporting it has gotten. The Dems are holding another covid-relief package hostage to Federal handouts to states. You can defend that as crucial support for governments on the front lines of covid if you like - others will argue that it is a blue state pension bail-out - but there is no denying that this is the main difference, measured by dollars to be spent. Trump is pushing checks to citizens and the Dems are insisting that unless some money is provided to the states as well, no one gets anything.
She’s amazing! I love that she’s so prepared. Reminds me of how I was in high school and college. Always had binder tabs and everything lol. She’s the best! She truly fights the propaganda with truth and even their own words!
Disagree. If you see a nail and you need a hammer, you get the hammer. If it's a screw, you get Joe. He's not a hammer. He's a screwdriver. Trump supporters think we need a hammer. Biden supporters think we need a screwdriver. LOL...or something like that. And I haven't even started drinking!
He isn't the best tool to reintroduce sanity. Insanity is guaranteed. At least with Trump I get someone that doesn't want to destroy our energy infrastructure like we have with Newsome here in California. That is the one thing that is not negotiable for me. I want natural gas and I want fossil fuel based transportation. Anyone that is not for that is out for me. I don't trust Biden or Harris on this. I could care less about all of the other stuff. But destroying our energy infrastructure and transportation systems is a bridge too far to me, and a lot of other people as well.
It doesn't need to be fossil fuel. But it needs to be a baseload energy source. A baseload energy source never stops producing energy. Nuclear, Geothermal, Tidal, Fussion, Fossil fuels. Wind and solar do not provide baseload energy and must be backed up by baseload energy sources. As a Californian when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow, we have to import energy from other states. This results in rolling blackouts, which I don't like.
I would be fine with renewables if they provided constant baseload energy. right now they do not. So making fossil fuels illegal or cost prohibitive through legislation is not a wise thing right now.
He's not. Because no one is. This is magical thinking. Sanity will either come or it won't--it has to be cultural and via osmosis and organically at this point. It's not coming from a politician or a political office.
LOL? Very well thought out reply. It was the UN that opposed Bush's invasion of Iraq. Is that something you're against? Please try to articulate at least one area of disagreement with the UN. Because in my experience it's mainly neocons who hate it.
Okay: The U.N. regularly puts grotesque violators of human rights on its human rights panel: Cuba, Venezuela, China. Yeah, I have lots of disagreement with the U.N.
And as much as Trump rails against the media, he has done nothing to curtail press freedoms. A lot of morally bankrupt activists posing as journalists are making a good living attacking Trump on air and in print.
Obama prosecuted more reporters for violating state secrets acts than Trump has, even though career bureaucrats have been violating public disclosure laws at a far, far higher rate under Trump than under Obama.
TDS is all too real, and even Matt seems to have a mild case of it.
"The U.N. regularly puts grotesque violators of human rights on its human rights panel: Cuba, Venezuela, China. Yeah, I have lots of disagreement with the U.N."
Psst....you forgot a few MAJOR human rights violators. Namely, the USA and Israel.
Julian Assange would disagree with you. Not even Obama (who Trump supporters cannot help but to bring up in ANY conversation about Trump) indicted Assange and subjected him to solitary confinement and torture. That is 100% on Trump.
You do know that Assange is being held in the UK, not the US, right? I do wish Trump had a better stance with regards to Assange, but up to this point his treatment is 100% on the UK government, regardless of who else has tried to influence their decisions.
P.S. Venezeula is not a "grotesque human rights violator" - that's absolute horseshit, especially compared to any single American war, let alone the aggregate.
"curtail press freedoms" is only part of the issue. It's not just the UN. Numerous journalism advocacy groups have said Trump is potentially dangerous to journalists/journalism.
"Its report, titled “The Trump Administration and the Media,” documents such Trump administration practices as using US Customs and Border Protection to question journalists and search their electronic devices at border crossings; Mr Trump's calls for boycotts of news organisations and for changes in libel laws to punish reporting he doesn't like; the ending of formal White House press briefings for more than a year; and Trump's repeated lies to discredit accurate reporting."
Or it "unstable and dangerous president" applies to Obama, to the extent he knew about the spying on Trump's campaign both before and after the 2016 election. Obama totally undermined the idea of a peaceful transition. Obama and Susan Rice and Jim Comey and the DOJ....and Clapper and despised Brennan at CIA. These people were all in the Obama administration. How dangerous is that? How can anyone have any faith in these institutions? Or faith in the next transition whenever it occurs?
I agree. "..unstable and potentially dangerous president" applies more to a potential Joe Biden. Trump has not started any wars. He has been getting us out of the Mideast. So I don't understand how the evidence supports that Trump is the problem....when the actual evidence supports that Joe Biden and the Democrats have dangerously entangled the CIA and FBI in a fake Russia story for the sole purpose of gaining power by lying. How is that not dangerous no matter what Trump says. Democrats impeached Trump while the FBI had the Hunter Biden laptop and never revealed anything. Forget being Republican or Democrat--doesn't it concern any rational American that our institutions are being undermined internally? That our media is a propaganda operation? That our best and most honest reporters are "stooges." Even the few that exist? Doesn't that weaken us as a country?
Thank you for this. There really are no Dems or Reps anymore; no Conservatives or Liberals or Libertarians. There really are only Populists (that Trump and Bernie represent) and Establishment boosters (every institution with power - media, federal and congressional bureaucracy, corporations, big tech - who are using BLM, antifa types as their shock troops, even tho they have limited control over them). I think we need to realize that's where the lines are now. Everything has been disrupted and shifted and it wasn't just because of Trump. This started during GHWB and the Clinton administration when both parties glommed together for the corporate good.
Have you followed the FIRE movement? Interesting twist on top vs bottom. For those that haven't heard of it, "Financial Independence, retire early" - Live a simple life, avoid excessive consumerism and save $ - having more people check out of materialism to gain independence from consumerism (the American way) is a trend worth watching because it changes your world view (and probably your political affiliation).
You'll go broke saving money, the interest rate isn't even keeping up with inflation.
Kill capitalism and you kill the need for constant growth and the usury of the elite with one stone.
Unity is key, checking out of the facade that is the government in every 5 eyes country is the only way of stopping the elite from bringing back slavery.
The prison industrial complex is the working model. People who can't leave, feed themselves, call in sick or retire. Meanwhile, wealth continues to concentrate almost as fast as control is.
It's his opinion. He's also making a point as to where is argument lies, as nobody in the MSM or on the left generally seems to perceive it: he is not defending Trump. He doesn't like Trump. He doesn't like Trump as president. He doesn't want Trump to win the election. Which is fine. That's a perfectly legitimate opinion, just as seeing Biden as dangerous or a poor candidate and not wanting him to win is.
Taibbi is primarily a media critic in his new reporting. This isn't about supporting Trump (what others say to the contrary) but critiquing the media's new approach to framing and shaping "news", rather than reportage. And how the MSM refuses to let ideas compete in full public view, but attempts to pick winners ahead of time based on their own biases and political or ideological orientations.
I watched the clip of his Joe Rogen chat. I have to say I stopped giving money to the Intercept because I felt it was becoming a Democratic cheer leader. I am so glad to see that Greenwald didn't drink the Kool-Aid (and was fighting the editorial expansion of power). Great integrity!!
Looking forward to seeing more from him with the Intercept chains gone.
Peak 2020 is listening to those stooges because they're being paid by CNN etc. to render their opinions on Foreign Policy. "Next on CNN, Jeffrey Dahmer will join us on how to meal prep for summer barbecues"
Comey, too. And, of course, the Bushes, the Clintons, Obama and most before them...war crimes, you know. Those same people gave us Trump. If Obama had done his job, we would have universal healtcare and education, have all our troops home and NATO disbanded, and no Trump.
Glenn and Matt are two of the best and will always be my first go-to reporters. Those others like them (and we all know who they are) also must report outside of mainstream. I took the New Yorker for years, famous for its fact-checking. Since they fell for the Russiagate lies and the Syria lies, and all the other lies (they hired Masha Gessen who is changing the quality even more), no longer. Some days I am disgusted by the Internet, yet it's the place to get real news, so am grateful for that. Thanks, Matt, for this writing. Way to go, Glenn.
"These fragments I have shored against my ruins." The fourth estate is a wasteland and our only resort is seek out individual truth seekers and ignore the rubble.
Matt and Glen are two of the best reporters working and I’m thankful that they’re able to go direct with Substack.
Agree!!
100% with you!
facts
I disagree with Greenwald on many, many things. But I have always, always admired his willingness to call out the hypocrites, the panderers, the bullshitters — regardless of their status, their connections, and most importantly their party affiliation. He gives no fucks, and I adore him for that. And I will support him, with money made working for someone who I imagine he despises with the energy of a thousand suns. And that’s awesome, and it’s why I love Substack and independent press.
Such a truly beautiful sentiment. When I think of those dollars provided by your employer going to Glenn and Matt I get giddy hahha
Another informative and insightful work from Matt Taibbi. I still fail to understand the need to include anti-Trump aspersions such as, "It’s a difficult time for reporters, with an unstable and potentially dangerous president," presented as apparently unassailable facts. The central fact to me is illustrated by the central premise of this article and the anti-journalism represented by this latest leftist crash-and-burn by the Intercept: The Left destroys everything it touches and Trump is simply the best tool normal people have to reintroduce sanity to our institutions and society.
"It’s a difficult time for reporters, with an unstable and potentially dangerous president,"
I too noticed that line. It's like some people just cannot help themselves, even when they are almost gagging on the red pill they just refuse to finally let it go.
Wow. With such an unstable and potentially dangerous president, I haven't noticed any journalists being jailed, beaten or repressed. Or have I missed all the news about journalist purges? Please educate us on how widespread this is under the trump terror.
Or perhaps Trump may not be worst unstable dictator ever?
How big a field did it take to provide the straw for THAT straw man? 50 acres? 100?
In other words trump is not an unstable dictator.
In other words you don't know what the term "straw man" even means. And in other words, no one ever claimed Trump was "the worst unstable dictator ever", genius. Congrats on "disproving" a statement no one ever made.
"Dazed and Confused" is right.
Matt called trump an unstable and potentially dangerous president. I merely pointed out how that is incorrect. You don't know sarcasm when you read it.
You may have missed this? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/business/media/journalists-arrested-trump-inauguration.html
LOL. The article admits the police identified a problem area and arrested everyone in the area. So the journalists were not specifically targeted. Is that all you have? An incident from the inauguration? C'mon you can do better than that - or perhaps you can't. Got anything more recent, you know from the past year? Every day for the past 4 years the mainstream press pushed anti-trump stories. Surely this most unstable of dictators has put a few of them in concentration camps.
The man throws tantrums whenever anyone criticizes him or asks him a mildly challenging question. When that man happens to be the president, yeah, it means he's potentially dangerous.
You ain't enlightened, dude, you're just another tribalist making excuses for your in group.
I think you are missing his point. The consolidation of the media combined with the rise of our new tech overlords who openly censor stories or hide them is far more dangerous than a senile sociopath or even possibly an idiot in the White House. Yes, Trump is dangerous, but primary because he is so easy to manipulate by the real crazies, and better prepared sociopaths. In any extent I personally believe he is history, due to his mishandling of the two most important issues to the American people, the economy and the plague, which i think is now endemic due to his actions. I live in the heart of the Republicans, many are not voting, and want him to go away.
Yeah, that war mongering, rampaging military industrial complex manipulated him right out of any wars for the first time in decades! And talk about being manipulated by sociopaths regrading a virus that 99% of everyone recovers from and you have to get a test for in order to find out if you actually have it! Guess you bought in on that scam, genius.
He's still a war criminal just like the rest. Guess you fell for that scam since he's been using his butt buddy in ISISrael as well as the Saudi's to commit his war crimes for him.
Passed the largest defense budget increase in US history so thinking he isn't some Quaker pacifist. Just wanted to make sure the boys got paid.
^^^textbook Trump fan fragility, aka the (real) Trump Derangement Syndrome^^^
Do you trust Taibbi's reporting and analysis? How about Glenn Greenwald's? Guess what - They both agree that Trump is potentially very dangerous to journalists and that he has behaved and spoken/tweeted in an unstable manner in the past, including while in office.
If I had to guess or make a bet, I would say you probably think that EVERYTHING the corporate mainstream media says about Trump is a lie. Like literally everything. Am I wrong and would I have lost any money on that bet?
And yet, neither has delineated exactly what danger he posits. I can respect their independence and professionalism - and back it up with a paid subscription for both - and still disagree with unsubstantiated claims.
Well he poses a real danger to all of the grey wolves in America he opened hunting season on yesterday. How about the danger to the Arctic National Wildlife refuge in Alaska he's giving away to oil interests? It always floors me how no one ever mentions the systematic environmental destruction his busy bee scum appointees have been working on the last four years. Every problem the US faces today will be magnified 100 fold when the real destruction starts kicking in.
The ANWR drilling zone is the size of a large airport, in an area-ANWR , the size of South Carolina.
I gave you a link to an article in The Independent (UK) below. Check it out. The situation is more complex than "curtailing press freedoms." Trump's rhetoric has gone as far as to say that the MSM (including MSNBC, NYT, CBS, etc.) are an enemy of the state and of the American people. Now - given my own knowledge on how each of those outlets helps war mongers and human rights violations by the U.S. and Israel go un-criticized, I would agree that they are enemies of the people, but that's me agreeing with Trump, it's me disagreeing.
Are you agreeing or disagreeing?
Trump's rhetoric is definitely over the top, and in some cases, you could make a fair argument that it is dangerous (if it inspired acts of violence, for example). He's bombastic, he exaggerates, he makes shit up on the fly. But he has a point about the MSM, even if over-stated. As a group they have sold themselves to the Democrat party and become in effect a propaganda arm of the Democrats. That does make them an enemy of our system of self-government. It's sad that so few journalists, like Matt and Greenwald, can see this and have the courage to speak out.
Given Trump's experience with the "MSM" one could argue that they are an "enemy" or at least a tool of the enemy - how dare a sitting President criticize the CIA and FBI - outrageous!! Almost 4 years of non stop Russia, Russia, Russia and impeachment would rattle anyone's cage. Trump, with all of his flaws, is not going down without a fight. It's how he got elected. He's also vain and was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The sword cuts both ways. Dangerous? Sure. To himself? Sure. To the deplorables, no. And the circus continues. The MSM is helping, even feeding Trump's cause if you ask me. If you want to kill a fire, you have to start by not pouring gasoline on the fire.
I think the danger of Trump is obvious -- he's random, a loose cannot. The US ruling class may be evil, but it knows it has to take care of _some_ business to keep the proles from resistance and revolt. Trump will keep pushing until he gets a civil war or some other disaster going because he doesn't know what he's doing, or he doesn't care. What he knows is show biz, and that's it.
He TALKS randomly, and comes across as a loose cannon. But it’s all bluster and conflict-evoking (which is precisely what he likes). The world sees him, or should by now, for what he is — and acts/reacts accordingly. Detail: he gets stuff done in spite of everything put in his way by the Resistance or whatever they’re called these days — the ones Trump calls out as scum. We can probably survive another 4 years of Trump now that we realized who he is and what we’re dealing with. And there will never be another very much like him. OTOH, not sure how/if we could deal with Harris & Company and their likely successors as they lock in Socialist/Democratic rule long term. Don’t want to find out, thank you.
Thank you! Well said.
LOL you haven't backed up a single one of your drive-by one liner comments yet. Just cheerleading and baseless insults, huh?
Are we done with the TDS projectile vomiting and attacking for this segment? So tiresome and reveals way more about the attackers than they are ever so obviously capable of comprehending.
I agree. It’s so tiring.
Let's play a little game. I provide a quote, you guess who wrote it.
"Instead, Democrats were urged, imagine that a right-wing authoritarian, or a lawless demagogue, or a petty, vindictive tyrant won the presidency and inherited the framework of unrestrained, unchecked powers that Republicans implemented and Democrats expanded.
That day has arrived. " (November 11, 2016)
That is no better than the woke MO. Any sentence, any parenthetical clause, that isn't woke disqualifies. That's his opinion. It's his right.
Meant to add that your comments are what free speech is about; you are expressing your opinions, not advocating censorship.
Matt was THIS close to put "potentionally" in front of "unstable" as well.
Totally agree. Doug's post perfectly reflects the binary/ partisan/tribal mentality so apparent in both Trump supporters and detractors, each looking for and accepting only that which pleases them, that somehow the obvious mendacity and corruption of the one, validates their hero. I don't know about any of them, but I've seen way more than one bar fight where both drunks were total assholes, and deserved each blow they got.
This I will say about Trump, fake both in his anti war and populist messages; he correctly identified the problems of the ingrown elite establishment, though insincerely, but perhaps even more importantly, like Luminol draws out unseen blood at a crime scene, Trump's mere presence has shown that the supposed high minded liberal press, which is in no way left, regardless of what Doug thinks, is in fact every bit as partisan and intellectually dishonest as anything from Fox, Breitbart, Limbaugh etc., and that liberal politicians are flag waving mindless yahoos when it suits their purposes, supposedly a preserve of the right.
Once again, I will vote third party, because, like you, I'm not tabulating which would be the lesser evil, as that seems a pointless task designed to keep us locked into the duopoly's rigged game, but prefer to see them as they are; just different evils over whom people needlessly squabble.
"Nothing will fundamentally change". Finally, some truth.
I disagree with the characterization of Trump detractors. I consider myself to be a Trump detractor because of obvious reasons (no, not fake news about Russia) and I would never vote for him. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go out and cheerlead or vote for Biden. There are more people in my group than you might think. The only difference between me and a lot of them is that they WILL vote for Biden. Thing is, none of them LIKE Biden because he's a corrupt, phony old asshole. But they'll vote for him anyway because not only is Trump a phony, corrupt old asshole too, but a much bigger jerk and a LOT of his supporters wield his being in office like a cudgel to friends and family on social media and in bars. Tell me this: how many times has a video gone viral where someone gets in another person's face and screams "BIDEN!!!" - Never. Didn't happen with Obama either.
But I'm with you on the last two paragraphs. Trump and his supporters have no idea what the actual left even is. They think it's only antifa and college professors and the mainstream corporate media (the last one is a laugh, but they all think it).
I voted for Howie Hawkins yesterday.
Wait, what? Have you somehow missed all the vicious anti-Trump vitriol spewed by lefties, on social media and otherwise? Not seen people's careers "canceled" for supporting Trump, or even just questioning the left-wing narrative?
And how many times has a Biden supporter been executed in the street over his political beliefs, as happened to a Trump supporter in Portland?
Please. Criticize Trump supporters for being obnoxious if you wish, that is your right, and I don't even necessarily disagree with you. But don't try to paint the other side as a bunch of peaceful angels, because they are not.
I should have been more clear when I said Trump detractors, as I meant to refer to those in the elite, both political and media, and not all those who dislike Trump, which includes me. These elites have no only made it possible for Trump to gain power with their horrible policies on war, trade, WS bailouts, etc. but their continued impersonations of Joe McCarthy and far fetched, fact free beliefs Trump is in the pocket of Putin, would have reelected him had there been no pandemic, as I'm assuming Biden will win this Tuesday.
Ditto on your vote for president.
Agree and I also voted Hawkins.
Well said. I would only add that the ruling class doesn't like Trump because he is an embarrassment to them, not that they disagree with him on anything. He has exposed their game because he is such a buffoon and doesn't do it politely like the rest of them.
Correct. Trump is the political equivalent of the Picture of Dorian Gray, revealing all the corruption, sordidness and bullying that characterizes our elites, something the fake sophistication of Obama or even the fake country boy charm of W helped to gloss over. It amazes me to this day that people still believe both meant well; Obama only done in by those horrible Repubs, while W's intentions were good, he was just too gullible and led astray by Cheney. Truly evil people always leave an out and find the fall guy to excuse their behavior.
W's entire family is as corrupt as any other American "royalty" currently being utilized to cover up the ongoing criminal empire. What's amazing is how easily these thugs can be reinvented and resold to the Yankee doodle dumbf*cks who believe voting changes the empire's goals.
Spot on. Trump is the elite without the sugar coating. He's seeking power and doesn't give a warm runny shit about anyone but his self and his legacy.
If that. He might be just gaming from one day to the next.
Yeah, Matt has destroyed Trump already - he's proven that point. He's reported those facts. He doesn't need to constantly berate every Trump move; he told you Trump would be the result of our problems. He knew Trump was always a problem.
What a cop out.
So to Trump fans, the unvarnished truth == cop out. Good to be reminded.
This is exactly it. The truth has no political affiliation. That's what journalism at its very core is supposed to be striving for - finding the truth and sharing it with the public so that the public can make up their own mind.
So many people (including within journalist circles) seem to have forgotten this.
Agree with you 100%. I have commented on Matt's previous columns where he feels the need to bash trump first before making a pointed comment about the insanity of the left. It's as if he needs to establish anti-trump "bona fides" before criticizing the obvious insanity of the mainstream press which is now fully invested in anti-trump hate. I can kinda sorta understand it as a means of demonstrating he's not a shill for trump but in reality his opinion on trump is completely IRRELEVANT. The sickness and corruption on the left is the real story and it would be the case regardless of who occupied the white house. The leftists in academia and the mainstream press have (irony of ironies) made Trump into something like the last bastion of sanity before we all go over the precipice into total chaos. Greenwalds's resignation is a clear demarcation line that we have entered very, very dangerous times where intelligence propaganda is actively being used against american citizens. I consider myself a conservative republican but I came to the conclusion about a year ago that the CIA and FBI need to be disbanded completely and a complete overhaul of the DOJ is absolutely necessary before we can have any confidence in our federal government. Strange, scary and crazy times we live in.
So having been a conservative Republican growing up and into my early thirties I see where you see the left us bad. I don't disagree, they are bad. Problem is the Conservative Republicans are just as bad without the, "I'm smarter than you snear." Though the Republicans have the, "jesus loves me and I am morally holier than though." attitude. So looking to disband the CIA is a great start. Keep digging deeper on your side and you'll discover what a POS Gingrich, Delay, Bush Sr., Hastert, Limbaugh, Adelson, the Kochs, McConnell, and the very long list of Republicans. I k ow because I thought they were better till I stopped listening to the clips of W. and the right wong commentary that went with it and watched him for myself. He was a total buffoon. Gingerich was cheating on wife 2 with wife three while he was impeaching Clinton for Lying under oath. Which ironically is why he was kicked out of the Speakership for that exact same reason. There is no difference between the ruthless psychopaths at the top other than ones used degrees and "sophistication " for their identity and the other side uses Jesus and Morality. They are all the same.
The vast majority of conservatives I know actually aren't religious. But most of them like American flags. Just an observation.
Also, keeping digging and you'll find out what POSes literally EVERYBODY is, especially anybody in power in government, media, or industry. Humans!
I'm more interested in outcomes. If I wanted our political leaders to be good people or moral or, you know, not pathological narcissists, I would be forever disappointed. I'm much better with Trump than I am with the outcome records of either the Democrats or the Republicans, historically. Recent peace deals and relationship normalizations--that stuff is great. Not supporting Endless War is great (something I thought was not going to be the case, when Trump nominated Bolton). So . . . I'm fine with Trump. Would have preferred Tulsi Gabbard but I'm fine with Trump.
I agree except I question the ability of Gabbard or any Democrat to stand against the absolute poison that party is planning for the United States.
That's always a question. And I can't see the future, I just know the general state of the party could use adjustment--and that would be people like Tulsi and to a lesser extent Bernie Sanders. It's the ossified establishment types that need to get removed. Much prefer Tulsi as she wants to work with whoever to accomplish goals--actual goals, not political ones. Of course, that doesn't work with the Democrats and really doesn't work with the GOP, except Trump went around the system.
Do I wish it had been someone other than Trump? Yes. But we get what we get.
You're fine with with the establishment being offended. Nothing will change due to the fact the system cannot change policy goals.
Yeah right. If Trump started a war, he will if the wins (read about Iran), you'll then just make up some excuse that makes you feel good.
What you'll never do, is admit you were wrong. That just doesn't happen in Trumper land.
Don’t confuse the neocons with the conservatives. Not wasting money on useless wars is a conservative value. The neocons are all war, war, war. The Dems can have ‘em. If you’re voting along the side with warmongering neocon Colin Powell, you’ve lost what it meant to be left leaning for the last 20 years.
The Dems and the GOP have both had the neocons for year. And years. And years. Perhaps since WWII.
In some form or fashion. Although they wouldn't have been called neocons until more recently.
The main difference is the Dem neocons slapped on a peace symbol instead of an American flag. Can't seem to clean them out of the Democrats, maybe we can with the Republicans? Not holding my breath, though.
Take a breath, junior. With nearly 4 years under his belt, and with not only no wars started, Trump has withdrawn from most all the sites of conflict that his predecessors established, it is tough to see the delusions you clearly suffer under.
Speaking of never admitting error, you show up weekly to comment on Taibbi's pieces and in each such appearance demonstrate not merely your ignorance, but your failure to see the mirror in front of your own face.
Check that Obamacare plan you claim to love -- I am sure there is treatment for mental illness and for delusional thinking.
You used to be better at insulting me. What happened?
My final salvo:
Trumpers all say the same thing - or a version of it. Which is, that the arsonist is best to put out fire.
They have this view that Trump is going to find moral ground, and start running the country with blue states in mind. Never gonna happen.
Trump rules for them, and only them. And their view is that if we don't like it, move to another country. That ain't gonna fly.
If Trump wins, we'll never recover. We'll never get along. Or the only way we'd get along is if we give up. Which we'll never do.
I'll give 'em this. The Trump Crime Family is the payoff for a plan the right put in place years ago, going back to the early 1900's. It was all about the long game, how to rule from a minority position. They did it. They executed to near perfection.
Now, they're all about keeping people from voting. Because voting and elections were the centerpiece of their plan. The more Americans that vote, less chance they have at staying in power.
And yes, Democrats are at fault. They didn't vote in every neighborhood, town, city, state, and federal election. They forgot about civics class. People see that now.
Now, albeit too little too late, people are waking up. Just like Trumpers (the Tea Party) woke up when Obama was elected.
But if they think we're gonna put up with any more of this BS, they'd be wrong. We're Americans too (I know that's hard for them to say). We'll stand for our rights. And if we have to, we'll go toe-to-toe for them. Because we're Americans. That's what we do. What we won't do, is let them or anyone else keep trampling over us.
Do I want it to come to this? No fing way. Never in my weirdest dreams, did I think we'd be here. But here we are. And BTW, this is all part of their plan - turn us against each other. The coup de grace is when Trump declares martial law.
I want our country back. I want the Republican Party I once voted for back. I want a two party system. I wish Trumpers could understand. But they don't. I don't know why they defend a monster.
No one I know believes in socialism. Everyone I know wants lowest taxes. We love our country. Everyone I know is ready, willing, and able to to compromise. So is Biden.
The first step towards healing our country is to fire the Trump Crime Family.
Please. Get out there and vote on Tuesday as if your life depends on it.
I really don't expect him to start a war. If he wins and then does--then 100% I'll admit I was wrong. I have no problem admitting I was wrong. I voted for W. Bush. When I should have voted 3rd party or write-in. Iraq War--boy that was wrong. Even so, I was more hopeful that I was the one out of synch at the time and not Dubya . . . but nope. I was wrong.
I didn't vote for Trump. Not voting for Trump this time. Also not voting for Biden, so there's that.
As an observation, you seem to read a lot of things into what people don't actually write.
Hopefully you'll stop legitimizing the system all together at some point. They'll never admit to being an oligarchy as long as people continue to feed demand more bread and circus.
I disagree. Republican psychopaths want to enrich themselves while claiming the high ground. Democrat psychopaths want to tell you how to live, eat and breathe. There is a difference.
They both want your money. They push different sets of buttons but both have the same goal.
"The Republican and Democratic parties, or, to be more exact, the Republican-Democratic party, represent the capitalist class in the class struggle. They are the political wings of the capitalist system and such differences as arise between them relate to spoils and not to principles."-- Eugene Debs. Sept 1, 1904
And it has become more true in in the intervening 100+ years.
I have to disagree. Your saying high ground. I come from the religious right and they definitely want to tell you how to live, eat and breathe. Especially when your a child and if your female that is for a lifetime.
The claim of high ground by the religious right is not shared by me. In this country it would seem it is easy to leave the religious right especially if you relocate. In my opinion it is getting harder to leave the religious left. It's practically impossible to dissent from liberal orthodoxy regarding leftist positions on marriage, gender or race without being branded a backwards troglodyte no matter where one resides.
If you dissent from right-wing positions in the wrong place, they'll try to kill you. Ask me how I know.
I love the word “troglodyte”. I always lol when it’s used. Cheers!
Also, completely agree with your statement!
Conservative 'Holier than Though' == Liberal 'Woke'. The difference is I'm not getting voluntold to attend trainings on Christian ideals at work.
Voluntold-first time I’ve heard that term. I like it!!
Depends on where you live but I agree with what your saying on the whole.
Trumpers all say the same thing - or a version of it. Which is, that the arsonist is best to put out fire.
They have this view that Trump is going to find moral ground, and start running the country with blue states in mind. Never gonna happen.
Trump rules for them, and only them. And their view is that if we don't like it, move to another country. That ain't gonna fly.
If Trump wins, we'll never recover. We'll never get along. Or the only way we'd get along is if we give up. Which we'll never do.
I'll give 'em this. The Trump Crime Family is the payoff for a plan the right put in place years ago, going back to the early 1900's. It was all about the long game, how to rule from a minority position. They did it. They executed to near perfection.
Now, they're all about keeping people from voting. Because voting and elections were the centerpiece of their plan. The more Americans that vote, less chance they have at staying in power.
And yes, Democrats are at fault. They didn't vote in every neighborhood, town, city, state, and federal election. They forgot about civics class. People see that now.
Now, albeit too little too late, people are waking up. Just like Trumpers (the Tea Party) woke up when Obama was elected.
But if they think we're gonna put up with any more of this BS, they'd be wrong. We're Americans too (I know that's hard for them to say). We'll stand for our rights. And if we have to, we'll go toe-to-toe for them. Because we're Americans. That's what we do. What we won't do, is let them or anyone else keep trampling over us.
Do I want it to come to this? No fing way. Never in my weirdest dreams, did I think we'd be here. But here we are. And BTW, this is all part of their plan - turn us against each other. The coup de grace is when Trump declares martial law.
I want our country back. I want the Republican Party I once voted for back. I want a two party system. I wish Trumpers could understand. But they don't. I don't know why they defend a monster.
No one I know believes in socialism. Everyone I know wants lowest taxes. We love our country. Everyone I know is ready, willing, and able to to compromise. So is Biden.
The first step towards healing our country is to fire the Trump Crime Family.
Please. Get out there and vote on Tuesday as if your life depends on it.
We all voted to end the idiotic bipartisan illegal wars, war crimes, fraud and exploitation of this empire which proves that voting doesn't change anything that actually matters.
You're either very naive or paid to spread propaganda.
Do you think, junior, that if you repeat a post, that makes it the thoughts of a sentient being?
One of the dumbest comments I've ever seen on a Taibbi article, and that includes at Rolling Stone, which is really saying something.
Trump has made numerous overtures and veiled threats against the media at large. If you don't think that the most powerful man in the world claiming EVERYTHING that doesn't paint him in a good light is "fake news" or telling Bob Woodward one thing about COVID-19 and hiding it from the public constitutes unstable dangerous behavior, I don't know what to tell you. Granted a whole sidebar could be had about whether Woodward should have shared that info, but that's not important to my points.
But to the most laughable part of your comment, would you mind please explaining how you can equate "the Left" (why is it always capitalized when used by Trump supporters) has anything at all to do with mainstream corporate media, which in case you happened to miss Matt Taibbi's piece about how CNN (and CBS and NBC) really don't mind and in fact think Trump is great for business. Who all is part of this "the Left" and what, exactly, have they destroyed - within the scope of journalism or anything else?
TL:DR: I found this article to be UNBiden and so will discount it in favor of news that makes me glad I'm not someone else and even tells me so!
I think the "left" that is objected to is crediting the CRT crazy and insane therapeutic approach to public life approach that has led to cancel culture and whatnot.
Don Lemon announces he had to cull his friends over their Trump support. hahahahaha
words are violence but violence is speech.
Christina Blasey-Ford or whatever her name was and Fienstein's revelation with subsequent character assasination of Kavanaugh was "credible". IDK but me and Cletus think you have to prove you were actually in the same location at the same time at least once in your life before you can credibly accuse a man of attempted rape.
it's all crazy and all being attributed correctly or incorrectly to the "left"
Christine Blasey-Ford's talk would have been appropriately taken at face value by a therapist in a private session.
As testimony against a Supreme Court nominee - that was crazy.
For starters the left has destroyed the Intercept, which is why Matt wrote this article. Or do you consider the editors there to be mainstream corporate media?
Got any proof the "left" destroyed it ? The elite funded it and that's who destroyed it. Why can't people think outside of the tribal partisan box. ?
I agree. In 2016 I think it was reasonable to imagine that Trump was "unstable and potentially dangerous", but now we've seen how he actually conducts himself in office. And yeah, he has a big mouth, but in terms of actual actions, he's been bringing the troops home, avoided any new foreign wars, and spearheaded historic peace agreements in the Middle East. At home he's presided over the best economy possibly in our nation's history, and refused to behave like a fascist dictator as so many feared, even when the COVID crisis presented a golden opportunity.
I think the "unstable and potentially dangerous" criticism is outdated.
What troops has he brought home ? Do you actually believe this shit ? Not one war ended and let's not forget he increased the violence and committed war crimes in Syria.
In Iraq, from around 7,000 in December 2016 to 3000 by year's end.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2017/11/27/26000-us-troops-total-in-iraq-afghanistan-and-syria-dod-reports/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/us/politics/iraq-troops-trump.html
In Afghanistan, from over 10,000 when he took office to 2,500 by year's end.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/us/politics/us-troops-afghanistan.html
Which of these wars is ended ? I haven't heard of any peace treaties or an end to the war of terror. Is having other countries and private mercenaries do the killing any different ?
Formal recognition of and diplomatic ties with Israel by UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, so far. First time anything like that has happened since Jordan in 1994.
I said he's avoided *new* wars. First President to do that since, what, Carter?
He's also put Iran back in its box, and supported the new Iraqi prime minister who appears to be the first to actually take his job seriously.
In Syria, he put down IS and ended Baghdadi. You'll have to elaborate on his "war crimes".
Syria, the assassination of an Iranian general, etc, etc. Why can't Trump "fans" admit to his war crimes ?
After he increased troops and bombed more then Obomber. They all bring troops back home for a minute or two right before the election. Is this your first election cycle ? Why did you leave out his war crimes in Syria ?
I been watching Skutch, wondering when he/she/it was going to chime in.
According to my scorecard, he/she/it has never lost an argument. Instead, comments just stop. You Trumpers better start doin' pushups if you're gonna throw down with Skutch.
That's because I have a job. You should try it some time.
People like Doug are my favorite part of reading Taibbi comments. Matt has written about 87000000 words about how shitty Republicans and Trump are over the last 15 years; in no way does he think the republicans are victims, or correct in their ignorant thoughts. In no way does he support Trump or any Trump narratives. Matt is an independent journalist who reports without bias; it so happens that both sides, in a broken injust system, have serious issues. It also happens that one side still has significantly more (trump/right) which is why Matt has written significantly more words of disdain towards that side. I know the right wants to claim a side here, and you think he's on your team, but he has already destroyed the credibility and legitimacy of your team over the past 15 years. Thanks for reading.
Yeah well if that’s the case, he has manifested a whole new audience regardless. Looks like he will need to “re-educate” us on how ignorant we are in light of a slew of new political developments on all sides. Who knows, time has a way of shedding new light. However, many of his new subscribers aren’t gonna be as lay down easy as you are. The times, they are a changing.
What does this even mean? Yes, I can tell you just started reading Matt. Maybe go read a book or two he's written and check back in on your "Matt's on our team" nonsense.
You're putting words in my mouth that I didn't say. What's wrong with you? It's like you're terrified.
"The Left"? Meaning what? You think anyone who opposes Trump is a Trotskyite?
I'm OK that Matt still thinks Trump is "dangerous". Personally, I would not vote for a Trump in 2016 (I did in 2020) - he appeared a bit crazy and was going to be trusted with nuclear buttons.
After 4 years Trump has proven to me he is anything but dangerous and crazy (he just knows how to sell himself to a crowd, as Matt has pointed out,.) Anyway...if 4 years are not enough to prove to Matt that Trump is not dangerous I still salute Matt for all his great work and don't mind skepticism in a great journalist. And hope he come around someday :) (Or...heck..maybe Trump was dangerous - - but if he was, we had a heck of a great, non-dangerous four years - - except Covid which was not Trump's fault.)
Why in the world do you think that Trump of all people is the best tool to reintroduce sanity?
I can't speak for everybody, and I can't and didn't vote for Trump, but in my mind the best thing about Trump these last few years is that he's exposed our national politic for what it is. A corporate shell game that has sold our country out to anybody that has a check book.
We used to think the concept of a Deep State was just tin foil, but if you still believe the concept is BS, then I have some land to sell you. Can I get your Venmo information?
Those are good enough reasons to give the guy your vote.
Yep! If anything the media will at least keep Trump honest because one whiff of scandal and it will be all over the place. Put Joe in and they will censor all negative press about him. It’s much safer to know than to not know. A vote for Joe Biden is a wish for America to go back to sleep as the elites and Deep State rob us blind.
But Trump is immune to it all. Since he blusters rather than act like it matters, he can basically get away with anything.
We have been through four years of constant scandal, and none of it has meant a damn thing. Why are you settling for, "this guy is honest about the fact that he's constantly fucking us over?" He's still fucking us over!
Four?!?! Four?!?! We've been through almost 50 years of scandals. Each administration worse than the one before it. Some admins were better at controlling the flow of leaked information than others.
I mean, I didn't think it would be remotely possible for any administration to be more corrupt than a Cheney administration, and then we get the Chicago clan come to town. If anything, Trump is just far more transparent because he's pissed off the back alley dwellars and they are coming to the forefront to scream about what's behind the curtain.
You are foolish if you think it's ever been better at any time in the modern era.
So Don Jr could profit from deals with Chinese or Ukrainian energy companies and get away with it right? Shoe on the other foot check.
Yah but if they’re both fucking us over, I’ll still take the guy that believes in the Constitution than the psycho liberals who hate it. I’m all for reform, not a collapse of the best parts of America. I’m NOT throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Why? He's one of the guys with a check book.
I find it funny that anyone seriously maintains that there is not a deep state, because its existence has been jokingly acknowledged by government employees in just about every federal agency for just decades and decades. I don't mean that the deep state is some kind of sinister conspiracy, just that there is an actual reality to the fact that the bureaucrats have their own agenda and their permanence is a source of power just as significant as the titular power of the political appointees that supposedly run these agencies. Ask any SEC Associate Director who runs the SEC and the answer you are likely to get is "it's complicated." The Commissioners can and do drive certain changes but they can also be stymied and - more importantly - there are significant controversies that the staff actively seek to handle without elevating it to the Commission. Nothing I am saying here is remotely controversial among the professionals that work for, with and against these agencies. While I have no personal experience with the State Department or the intelligence services, I think there is just zero chance that they don't have the same dynamics that play out in the DoJ, FBI, the CFTC, the SEC, the OCC and even the FRB.
Exactly-- the veneer of the "good presidents (sic) " is off. It is laughable how many Americans care more that he is "the orange man" or they are embarrassed by his language and actions, than the fact that the US is a war mongering out of control dying empire which is spewing destruction and venom everywhere , even to its supposed allies.
I'm sure you've noticed, but Trump doesn't really have supporters (except maybe those on Wall Street). He has fans. Literally, they are fans like the fans of any sports team. Some, many really, rise to the level of "fanatic." Obama is the only recent president in my recollection who had anything approaching casual fandom, which was to be expected given that he replaced Bush/Cheney and that his campaign used a very PR-based marketing campaign and distinctive branding (Hope logo, for example). But Trump's fans put a whole lot more of their own identity into him than supporters of any politician in the US that I can recall. It's a brand too, just one that seems to inspire as much unquestioning, belligerent support from his fans as it does fake outrage and psuedo "resistance" from the corporate media and "intelligence" community.
Trump has supporters. I did not vote for him in 2016 but I am now a supporter, not a "fan". Here are some reasons:
Energy Independence for United States
Peace in Middle East - Israel, UAE, Bahrain
Pollution in US lower now than in Obama years
Does not take bribes ("contributions") from tech companies
Began ending reliance on China
Immense, proven improvement in wages/jobs of working class.
A better deal than NAFTA, the USMC agreement
Caliphate defeated, Al-Baghdadi eliminated
Corporate tax at 21% - creating jobs
Re-built military and VA
Price transparency for medical procedures
School choice - so strongly supported by inner-city families.
Jerusalem capital
Peace negotiations in Balkans (2nd Nobel Prize nomination.)
Lowest African American Hispanic and Asian unemployment ever
Opportunity zones
Historically Black Collage & Univ. funding
Criminal justice reform
Alliance with India as counterbalance to China
Right to try potential life-saving non-FDA approved drugs - many saved
Gave university males the right to defense against accusations
Korea negotiations (not great, but better than Obama admin.)
No Sanctuary Cities - support for ending this (so convicted criminals will leave)
1st Pres. in 39 years not to embroil U.S. in war
Yep - I made this list when carefully considering my vote.
If you consume only mainstream media (CNN/MSNBC/NYT et al) then you probably never heard of any of it. If you think any of it is false, look up the facts - the accomplishments here are true.
Good list, but you left out getting the US out of that obscene arraignment with Iran.
“Arrangement”
You didn't research any of these things. You just copy and pasted them off of the list of what he claims he did.
Since I doubt you'll listen to anything else, I'm going to speak to the thing I have direct experience with, as the wife of a veteran: things have gotten /worse/ for veterans under him. My husband was approved for Voc Rehab, but then there was Trump, and suddenly, it couldn't be justified, so it got revoked. He has a /harder/ time getting medical care now, because the Trump admin believes it isn't the responsibility of the VA, and he can no longer transfer his GI benefits to our child because the Trump admin changed the rules.
I don't have to look up that "accomplishment" because I know from direct experience that it isn't true. I know from watching my husband get his schooling taken away, getting his PTSD treatment taken away, having him almost die from cancer because of the state of the VA under Trump, (who by the way thinks my husband is a loser) -- it's a grift. Our government in general doesn't care about those who give the most for it, but my gods, at least most of them have the decency not to say it out loud.
Sounds like you’ve had an isolated bad experience and should speak to a patient advocate, they may be able to help. Veteran confidence in VA healthcare is at an all time high and clinical outcomes are outperforming the private sector. I’m certain there are many in VA who will help your family. All the best...
You can always trust government to give accurate assessments when grading their own homework.
It stands to reason the outcomes would get better if you kicked off a bunch of "losers" from your case load.
All the best...
Sorry but I did. I created this list myself. I did not copy and paste one item. I do know surveys show approval from Vets on subject of VA is over 90% but I am sorry for what you are going through. Please know that a large number of people who were with Trump on the day an anonymous person made the "loser" statement claim said he did not say that. I would research what you are saying and perhaps will at sometime. At the moment I am a little hurt by what felt like hate toward me (you didn't research..you just copied and pasted).
Good to know I'm not the only mental one here. Whew. I was worried.
Any particular reason why you leave Fox out of the mainstream media list? They're #1 in just about every category. They own a bunch of media properties.
Yes - Fox while is "high" in ratings, get something like 2 or 3 million people watching - that is all. CNN and MSNBC together total about another 4 million watching each night. Cable news is just not that big anymore. Meanwhile the total watching all mainstream media (network news, PBS, programs like 60 minutes), plus reading the false information that is posted on the internet, is many, many more millions.
I am aware of all of this, but I would like to hear and engage with how the fans perceive things, rather than with how others perceive the fans. I don't think there's any way forward that doesn't involve that.
lol the internet... so believe it or don't I wrote this back in 2016, and never mailed it to the paper I was going to. It's my take on his "fans".
The Out of Touch and Trump's Junk March 8, 2016
In the media the question “Who can support Donald Trump?” is most often asked as a statement. The premise to a monologue about the idiocy of Americans. Idiocy brought on by underfunded schools, overfunded religion, talk radio, extreme individualism and racism. This monologue reflects the lack of experience of the speaker. Because the people who's opinions blanket the media consumed by the $80k and up demographic simply have zero frame of reference. Like asking a New York socialite for the torque value on a shovelhead. Torque? Shovelhead? Huh?
So their answers are all over the map. Usually missing the mark, always condescending in the way that an intelligent person condescends when they're expected to give an answer to something they know nothing about.
The latest puzzlement and faux shock is the reaction to Trump's response to the small fingers joke/meme that made its way into the press. That he responded at all obviously took some aback, the tone and content “shocked” them. (I say faux because as a society we revel in everything from Game of Thrones (violence) to Naked Dating (lust) to Piss Christ (irreverence) and more; commentators know this, nothing actually shocks them.)
I'm not puzzled.
In the early 80s I worked at an all night gas station in a bad area south of Seattle. Very bad – robberies, assaults, prostitution, drugs, murder. Contrary to popular opinion most people who live/work in such areas don't end up permanently scarred or dead. But they do see things. Late one night a customer pulled in to gas up his motorcycle. A biker straight out of central casting – on a chopped Harley, he was squat, big and dirty, full beard, black leather with club emblems, and a girl no older than 16 on the back. I was behind glass, and as he looked at me I was tamping a non-filter cigarette, getting ready to smoke. (For the uninitiated, that means holding the cig between your thumb and index finger and lightly tapping one end on a surface. That packs it tighter so the tobacco doesn't fall out when you puff.) He got done and came up to the booth.
“You jacking off in there?”
I looked at my cigarette and knew what he was saying, the motion of tamping and all.
“Nah... if I was it'd be a lot bigger than this.” Bravado, and it came out as dumb as it reads.
He laughed, not pleasantly. “Yeah, sure, lets see it!”
I was speechless at first, then made a lame remark about “not in front of your girl”. He laughs again and says “Don't worry about her, she's seen more dick than you know.”
I rolled over with “Hey man, umm... well... I'm not going to... hell, nobody would... hahahah... you first!”
And he did. Right there undid his jeans, pulled out and displayed his unerect wedding tackle.
“OK. Now you.”
My defeat was complete. “Man you got me...” and I rambled on like a complete dork.
“Hahahahahah, yeah, fucking chickenshit. Don't say shit you won't back up.”
Don't say shit you won't back up – that sums up perhaps THE request from much of the electorate this year. Our elected representatives have spent decades now not backing up what they say. Because reasons. Oh, and electorate, you're too stupid to truly comprehend the reasons, so just take our word for it. And here, listen to me say more shit, and vote for me!
Trump's rhetoric pours gasoline on that story line and sets it on fire. You want to dance around and play politics? Play the whisper campaign game about someone's penis size? (Cynically, I notice that though the story is “Trump talks about his junk” the truth is he didn't bring it up. His opponents, with allies in the press, did.) No need to whisper, here it is!
Trump will say shit and back it up. It's not possible? Who cares. How things work in Washington is such a black box, thanks to our current political class and their industry, activist and media supporters, that claims of “that's not possible” are met with cat calls. They have no credibility when they're so out of touch that they don't know that when someone insults your junk the only appropriate response is to whip it out and say put up or shut up. He's a narcissist? That's a hoot – Washington is Hollywood for ugly people; you cannot make it there now unless you are a narcissist so how is voting for someone already there voting against a narcissist? He's dishonest and money grubbing? When his probable general election opponent trades on her name and position for more money for one speech than many will see in their lifetime?
Who can support Donald Trump? At least some of them are people who are both dumber and smarter than their betters. They're truly stupid in the ways of politics, the nuts and bolts, the signaling and wheeling and dealing. But they're much more experienced, smarter, in the ways of real life, in their real life. They think they see someone they know, someone who will back up what he says. The media, and the rest of their betters, can't comprehend that because they've never had to live there.
Haha, that was an awesome read. Thank you.
“ Because the people who's opinions blanket the media consumed by the $80k and up demographic simply have zero frame of reference. Like asking a New York socialite for the torque value on a shovelhead. Torque? Shovelhead? Huh?”
This part is still so true. For all the talk of representation, the working class has none, regardless of race or color. And people of color fall into that group at a higher proportion than at any higher income level.
Over and over, the well off white people who purport to represent them (in dominant fashion on Twitter etc) say one thing while actual people of color, when polled, say something else.
Many years ago I was a union organizer and then did work for other lefty groups/causes. I used to abhor how the right wing used race to divide broke people who should be building coalitions. I probably don’t have to tell this group who does that now.
White people and people of color with a household income of 50K or less have infinitely more in common with one another than they do with people of any color who are in a higher income bracket.
I’m still hoping to have a major party leader who gets this, and fights for them. I think they could be elected easily if they could get out of their primary.
But I’m 46 years old, have been hoping for this for a quarter century, and will probably die hoping for it. It feels so close, but so far away.
See, this all makes sense to me when it comes to 2016. It doesn't make sense to me /now/, when as far as I can tell, he's demonstrated that he's nothing more than a grifter.
I am at the point where I'm honestly having trouble understanding anyone doing anything other than "protest" voting. Which, well...I suppose that's the answer, at least when it comes to your perspective, right? For a lot of people, Trump /is/ the protest vote.
But what if it doesn't blow it all up in the right way? What if it just makes it worse for everyone who's suffering? What is actually the way out of this, the way between acquiescence and a nuke?
Let's just talk about the first Covid relief bill.
Fancy Nancy announced the House were going home and would reconvene if needed.
Trump announced HE wanted an aid package and HE wanted it to be big to help Americans.
Fancy Nancy calls em back and now acts like she and the Dems and their MSM ghouls are the compassionate ones that had Americans best interest at heart all along.
And it is Ghoulish the way Dems and the Media are waiting with baited breath to be able to announce another death by Covid.
Some good points, but you do know that Trump's voters in 2016 were, on average, higher income earners than Hillary's right?
Yup, now. I really did write that in 2016, way before he was even nominated. And I neither voted for him nor thought he'd win; I'm smart, I knew Clinton would win. lol I was just so sick of hearing my workmates (I worked in education) and the press ramble about him and how stupid people are, and memories came flashing back when the little dick jokes started, that I... wrote.
I agree, but it strikes me as though you don't have any real life engagement opportunities with them? I do, in droves. I have Trump supporting friends, family and in-laws, not to mention co-workers. My statement is the product of 3-4 years of conversations and observations. So maybe I can help, maybe not - but I can probably fill you in on how many of his fans see things if you want.
I honestly wish I did have more Trump supporters in real life to engage with. It's turned out, much to my dismay, that my ties to conservative friends weren't as strong as I'd thought; they all jumped ship rather quickly when they found out I wasn't on the Trump train. Family members aren't forthcoming because they don't want to cause strife (which I can understand).
So, as it stands, most of my understanding comes from observation rather than actual conversation. And that leaves something to be desired.
I hope you can find some conversation from both perspectives. My brain feels better when pressed and my normal viewpoint is questioned. Echo chambers are cancerous. This place offers me different opinions and some balance.
Yeah makes sense. I'm sure you're also familiar with Qanon Casualties. If not it's basically a big subreddit for people who have lost friends or had their relationships with family members ruined by Qanon. In that case it may be more the other way around - i.e., the NON-believers unfriending the believers, but it's the same kind of deal. I definitely know Trump supporters who identify so deeply with Trump the brand that they basically told me to unfriend them or not to talk politics when I tried to have reasonable discussions about Trump's policies and statements. (never mind that they have no problem trolling other non-Trump supporters with memes and tweets) The majority of them cannot differentiate "fake" news from real news and have totally written off ALL mainstream media as 100% fake, which is actually understandable from my own left-leaning civil libertarian perspective after, well the last 60 years really. Iraq was the worst, and their total abandonment of Julian Assange comes pretty close.
Never thought about it like sports but that makes total sense. They literally believe he hasn't done any of the shit he has done or if they admit, say he did bankrupt 3 casinos, it wasn't his fault it was the economy or he declared bankruptcy and it was smart business. Not understanding how horrifyingly stupid or corrupt you have to be to bankrupt a casino, let alone 3. Anyway, good analogy.
Wall St. Big Tech and Big Pharma and big corporations are the big donors to Biden NOT TRUMP. Biden is outspending Trump at least 2 to 1. Wall St. are globalists looking for a quick buck with cheap labor outsourced.
Really what about sax playing, skirt chasing Bill Clinton?
Thanks. I agree that Democrats mostly have no idea why Trump's fans are so devoted to him and what they THINK he stands for. Nor do they really have any messaging that works to counter it left in their arsenals because 1) the corporate neoliberal Democrats stand for the exact same things as the corporate neoconservative Republicans and 2) they've wasted all that was left of their credibility post-Iraq war for the past 3 1/2 years.
The people that I know are for sure or I suspect will likely vote for Trump aren't what I would characterize as huge fans of his. None have any clue what Qanon is either judging from conversations I've had with them. Why they are going to vote Trump is simply because they are disgusted by the sanctimonious self righteous liberals that NEVER stop whining about him and they see as having thrown a non stop tantrum for the past 4 years. They are crystal clear about their disdain with the way the riots and lockdown measures have been handled with blatant hypocrisy in Democratically controlled cities and in my State. In short a HUGE reason many people are voting for Trump is simply because of the behavior of the Left and for some reason Democrats just can't grasp this. It's not that these people love Trump they just hate the people who they see as far more hysterical, annoying and dangerous.
Though I couldn't vote Trump I don't blame someone that votes for him for those reasons. I agree with the reasons.
Count me as one of those. The moral/cultural authoritarianism of the left, as embodied by CRT and "cancel culture", must be stopped. Trump has many faults, but at least he stands against those things. There are other reasons I support Trump this time (I did not in 2016), but this is the one that's driving me to vote straight-ticket 'R' for the first time in my life.
Great comment-and completely true. Someone like Mitt Romney would never have a chance against Hillary or Biden. Why-b/c they refuse to directly call out their bs. Trump does that-and did that in his first term. Why are the rappers giving him respect-b/c he honestly interacted with them, on their level, with their issues. Most GOP types wold have brushed off Ice Cube like the Ds did-while doing ridiculous kente cloth photo ops when the media was in peak hysteria mode. Trump hasn’t changed who is he is-for good or for bad, but his policy outcomes, on the whole, have been great. You would have to have a degree from Trump University to believe one thing out of Biden/Harris’ mouth regarding Covid, Russia, Ukraine, or China.
Well said. Also, what politician actually tries to implement his crazy "promises"? That alone suggest he is unstable. Build a wall? Cut taxes to the middle class? Negotiate with rocket boy? Slap tariffs on countries like China? Strike peace deals? Repeal ACA? Get out of paying for that cold war relic NATO? The angry power structures prefer malleable politicians, swayed by campaign contributions. He's a loose cannon! Deplorables vote for him because he actually tries or make the appearance of trying. How did a billionaire become a populist rock star? Worth studying for anyone that gets into politics. I predict the next finalists in the circus will be Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson vs. Kanye West. I'm guessing the Rock will be the Democrat and Kanye the Republican. The war of the media elite.
Trump voters don't really care what he stands for - they care that he's a useful symbol they can use to send a "Can you hear me now" message to the corporate, academic and media elites.
He is, as one wag recently put it, the "last middle finger left for them to wave."
There are many reasons people vote for the "disturber" and yes I agree that is one, but there are many real solid reasons the "deplorables" (she might as well said off with their heads 🙄) vote for Trump.
That was Michael Moore. This is a flawed analysis because the finger that Trump gives them is just political theater. I'm sure Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald would agree. Yes, Trump's fanatics believe that him being in office is a finger to the elites, but what does a finger get you in real life? Into a fist fight or ignored like a pariah. That's what's driving the record numbers of voting in Democrat areas - they are sick of the constant posturing and flipping of fingers and don't want to see 4 more years of it. In that manner, it worked for him in 2016 because people thought he would actually do some of the things he talked so much about. At the end of 4 years with COVID, the economy tanked and nothing to show for all the showmanship other than a few miles of new border wall in remote areas. I don't think that's enough to get him re-elected.
Thank-you! Read Chris Hedges America the Farewell Tour-- lots of reasons why Trump was elected. I remember telling my US colleagues that I thought Trump would be elected and I have NEVER received so much vitriol in response. Oh I am Canadian I don't know our system 🙄, SO much anger and bullying in response to my statement. Same when I said Obama won't change anything. Sigh--this is clearly what 75 yrs plus of obvious propaganda passing as education results in.
He's not the best - he's just what we've got. The last resort. The nuclear option against a world gone mad.
You can't express the "wrong" politics in the work place, or on TV, or on Facebook, or around friends and family, or...
So what's left but the anonymous ballot?
If the DNC is a violent street gang, Trump is the well dressed man from the Mafia politely but firmly suggesting that you pay your protection money to keep the gangs at bay. I'd obviously prefer to have neither, but gun to my head, I'd rather deal with the Mafia guy.
"gone mad".
Zactly!
As I've written to one of the other Trumpers here, I was gonna get some help. Really I was. I was gonna go next week.
But then Trump told me he's not gonna lose. Which means for me, I lose our insurance that covers pre-existing conditions - "gone mad". So now I'm hosed.
See what you've done? Now you're going to have deal with all us crazies.
Well, you know, it seems to me it's ending up that way no matter what -- I can't say what I want today, but I'm pretty sure that tomorrow, I also won't be able to, whether it's street gang or mafia man.
There was a Biden rally in my area recently. Trump supporters showed up with bullhorns to drown out the speakers.
In the meantime, rights narrow, our sense of community flounders, healthcare grows more expensive, the pool of decent jobs shrinks, and we become ever more enraged. Is the nuclear option better, or does it just feel good, in the moment?
After 4 years of the insults, unsubstantiated demonizing and false accusations launched at Trump supporters daily on CNN, MSNBC, Twitter, through the young and inexperienced to the old and cynical (waving at Cher, et al)... that's a quite reasonable reaction.
I admire Trump's ability to restrain himself actually.
He's correct. No President has ever had the assault upon his person and family like Trump has - Clapper, Brennen, McCabe, Comey and all their high priced hypocrites in MSM personality pretending to be a Journalist collaborators have never sunk to this level of depraved personal attacks before.
I'm not exaggerating. Clapper, I believe it was, called Trump a traitor on CNN at the same time his private testimony to Congressional committees was that there was no evidence of collusion at the same time Schiff was repeatedly lying on those fake news shows and saying he had seen the evidence himself.
it's outrageous. Trump and his supporters are actually very very decent people or there would be way violence
Given how things have been at other points in our history, I continue not to buy the notion that the attacks on him have been the worst ever.
well, I'm not a historian but certainly in my lifetime.
I think it's because the other Presidents' folded.
I think they sent Obama veiled threats; a couple from a reality show get past the Secret Service and attend a party they weren't invited to and I seem to remember thinking they were passive threatening him when they let a crazy jump the fence and get in the White House before apprehending him.
Also I think the rumors they gave him the coordinates to drone a doctors without borders clinic are plausible. Obama wanted reset with Russia, the spooks do not.
Trump hasn't folded. With the exception of not withdrawing troops which Trump has confirmed outright that the Generals were arrayed against him on that decision. The so called Fascist had mustache man in his cadre and didn't start a war.
but like Deco said better below, the coordination of the attacks with the spooks and MSM, the White House press corps, the overtly hostile social attacks on his cabinet and inner circle, the overtly hostile lies from the spooks, the overtly protective behavior for his opponents by the MSM and the spooks, the soft ball questions afforded Dem candidates, the daily misrepresentations and collective dishonesties... it's crazy.
it is off the chain crazy. There is no way in hell I could support the Dems in these crazy, anti-American, insane provocations.
The Swat FBI arrest of the absurd Roger Stone coordinated with CNN.
The Spooks set up, intimidation to plead guilty and bullshit charges of Gen Flynn.
The pretense that Mueller did anything of any merit - charging Russians that will never be brought to court to defend themselves and process crimes that arose from the harrassment of Americans that worked for Trump.
It is off the chain crazy. Chuckie Shumer told Trump the spooks have 7 ways to mess with him to Sunday. Interesting comment by an insider leading up to the election. I believe he told Trump exactly what he was in for.
I believe that other presidents have endured worse attacks. We've had war time and civil war era presidents, and assassinated presidents. That's as severe as an attack can get. But in terms of the coordinated and collusive wall of attacks by factions that have never been so allied, together with novel institutions and players wielding enormous power in support of that collusion, the attacks on Trump are unprecedented.
Because he’s the only one we have right now as crazy as he is.
Yep. He’s the only one who’s crazy enough to stand up against all the madness. I think it’s admirable.
I'm for sure that Melania has looked at him and thought, wtf was so bad about living in Trump towers and minding our own business? but I'm also for sure, that's the point to the incessant harrassment - never about serious policy considerations but always on the level of a 3rd grade playground as if we're idiots.
Nobody knows what Pelosi et al want an extra trillion dollars for - the media couches it in simplistic terms of empathetic vs cold hearted and we are subjected to endless "American stories" of gloom and doom designed to make us support a policy whose slogan doesn't begin to explain the actual beneficiaries to the transfer of taxpayer dollars. Bail out the NY City DiBlasio decisions like not enforcing transit users to pay at the turnstile? Offering free healthcare and housing for illegals? Call us racists when we oppose those decisions as fiscally unsound and then hold us hostage to pay for the stupidity. Seriously. That is in itself enough to make one vote for Trump.
Then these arrogant career bureaucrats, politicians, spooks and media personnel that all believe they are better positioned to impose their viewpoints than a duly elected POTUS. Oh. and federal judges. Like the one from Hawaii who felt better positioned to design American immigration policy despite that being one of the areas implicitly assigned to POTUS.
Really. The arrogance is overwhelming. Then Trump comes along with his gold plated toilets, dumping ketchup on his ribeye and... hahaha the arrogant elites heads explode.
If only he were Indian American like Harris' mother that penchant for gold plated ostentatious decorating would be a virtue and ketchup on a ribeye would be folksy.
Let's not avoid the serious Cultural issues accompanying race relations either.
Take a President they have misconstrued what he said from the beginning regarding race and oppose his efforts to make successful inroads to lowering a wealth gap, unemployment number and income inequality. Then when the Democrats, whose bread and butter is keeping minority populations convinced that while they do nothing to help when they have the opportunity, they are still the ONLY option up next to dog whistling Klansmen dressed in business suits.
When those Democrats deliver nothing we are forced to continue to pretend that it's racism keeping incomes low and not the wholesale takeover of what used to pay well - construction, food processing - yes, chicken plants - by illegal immigrants willing to work long hours, live in cramped quarters and shop Walmart in order to send as much of that money as is possible outside the country.
You guys don't know any Trump supporters? Do you know any construction crews? Do you know illegals have no interest in unions, have no interest in better benefits, make no issues about their working conditions and have been known to work from day light to well after dark - doing roofing for instance, all day every day when the work is available? But "illegals" as a term is offensive! haha what a racket.
Yeah. There is an unholy alliance amongst Dems pretending to want open borders for humanitarian reasons. And it's hurting American wages. it's Econ 101.
And it's that fundamental dishonesty - pretending to be the party of unions and working class while really undermining working Americans all the way up through the middle class that adds rage.
And it's CRT, globalism, the incessant nonsense disputing America's exceptionalism, the 1619 project, stupid memes about how wonderful the African continent's cultural wisdom is (it takes a village) and Obama's apology tour - the Dems mostly take any rising issue that has grassroots support and some authenticity, monetize it, weaponize it and destroy it. :::shrugs::::
As long as McConnell keeps the senate the faux warfare waged by Democrats for America's under-served will continue!
They're creating a permanent underclass while they pretend to advance liberal goals and funnel money at their friends fake companies with ineffectual efforts to alleviate the conditions they themselves create.
And I voted for Obama twice and defended him against those who I arrogantly assumed opposed him because of Faux news.
Then, I retired and had time to watch those hearings I had never watched for myself while working and haphazardly catching the news.
Obama had no drama - he likes to say. Except he did. Lots and lots of controversy. It was just squelched.
Still there was a visceral dislike for him that made me uncomfortable. Endless email chains of Obama jokes and stories. McConnell refusing to work with him. I get it, it all bothered me at the time as well.
But the movement of wealth from the middle class home owners to the investor class under Obama should have been criminal.
The republicans prosecuted their own during the S&L crisis. Obama let everyone off the hook, torture, financial crimes, IRS destruction of evidence, Spooks fast and furious.
it's a giant mess. the political's class center hasn't held - the center has sold out and is one giant party waging faux wars against one another and exchanging power amongst themselves while funneling money to each other.
Trump is fringe. that's no longer an insult politically. haha
I hate to break your Dem hate up, but you do know all those businesses in the south with all those illegal aliens ain't a bunch of Dems right? They're God fearing, Murica first Republicans. They love the illegals because they get to pay shit wages and not treat them worth a shit. I agree the Dems are frauds, but let's stop with the one sided thing. I lived and worked among those honest, Jesus lovers and it ain't white folk mowing their lawns in Texas in August. It ain't illegals owning the construction companies or chicken plants or car washes or restaurants that use them. Those white Republicans that want all the illegals gone sure like to pick them up for work at Home Depot. Just be fair about the blatant lying and hypocrisy. There is plenty on the Jesus, libertarian side.
You said that "[n]obody knows what Pelosi et al want an extra trillion dollars for..." I'm not sure if you are saying you don't know or just that the public generally is not familiar, but in case it's the former, it's pretty straightforward and its crazy how little reporting it has gotten. The Dems are holding another covid-relief package hostage to Federal handouts to states. You can defend that as crucial support for governments on the front lines of covid if you like - others will argue that it is a blue state pension bail-out - but there is no denying that this is the main difference, measured by dollars to be spent. Trump is pushing checks to citizens and the Dems are insisting that unless some money is provided to the states as well, no one gets anything.
His press secretary is better at standing up to the madness than he is. But he picked her so . . . there you go.
She’s amazing! I love that she’s so prepared. Reminds me of how I was in high school and college. Always had binder tabs and everything lol. She’s the best! She truly fights the propaganda with truth and even their own words!
The fact that something is the only tool available does not mean that it will accomplish the job.
Disagree. If you see a nail and you need a hammer, you get the hammer. If it's a screw, you get Joe. He's not a hammer. He's a screwdriver. Trump supporters think we need a hammer. Biden supporters think we need a screwdriver. LOL...or something like that. And I haven't even started drinking!
He isn't the best tool to reintroduce sanity. Insanity is guaranteed. At least with Trump I get someone that doesn't want to destroy our energy infrastructure like we have with Newsome here in California. That is the one thing that is not negotiable for me. I want natural gas and I want fossil fuel based transportation. Anyone that is not for that is out for me. I don't trust Biden or Harris on this. I could care less about all of the other stuff. But destroying our energy infrastructure and transportation systems is a bridge too far to me, and a lot of other people as well.
Why does it need to be fossil fuels?
It doesn't need to be fossil fuel. But it needs to be a baseload energy source. A baseload energy source never stops producing energy. Nuclear, Geothermal, Tidal, Fussion, Fossil fuels. Wind and solar do not provide baseload energy and must be backed up by baseload energy sources. As a Californian when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow, we have to import energy from other states. This results in rolling blackouts, which I don't like.
I would be fine with renewables if they provided constant baseload energy. right now they do not. So making fossil fuels illegal or cost prohibitive through legislation is not a wise thing right now.
He's not. Because no one is. This is magical thinking. Sanity will either come or it won't--it has to be cultural and via osmosis and organically at this point. It's not coming from a politician or a political office.
The UN has gone on record to say that Donald Trump and his rhetoric are potentially dangerous to the media.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/02/donald-trump-un-media-press-freedom-journalist-danger
Lol. The UN. Lol.
LOL? Very well thought out reply. It was the UN that opposed Bush's invasion of Iraq. Is that something you're against? Please try to articulate at least one area of disagreement with the UN. Because in my experience it's mainly neocons who hate it.
Okay: The U.N. regularly puts grotesque violators of human rights on its human rights panel: Cuba, Venezuela, China. Yeah, I have lots of disagreement with the U.N.
And as much as Trump rails against the media, he has done nothing to curtail press freedoms. A lot of morally bankrupt activists posing as journalists are making a good living attacking Trump on air and in print.
Obama prosecuted more reporters for violating state secrets acts than Trump has, even though career bureaucrats have been violating public disclosure laws at a far, far higher rate under Trump than under Obama.
TDS is all too real, and even Matt seems to have a mild case of it.
"The U.N. regularly puts grotesque violators of human rights on its human rights panel: Cuba, Venezuela, China. Yeah, I have lots of disagreement with the U.N."
Psst....you forgot a few MAJOR human rights violators. Namely, the USA and Israel.
Come on that doesn't count when it is in foreign countries does it?
"has done nothing to curtail press freedoms"...
Julian Assange would disagree with you. Not even Obama (who Trump supporters cannot help but to bring up in ANY conversation about Trump) indicted Assange and subjected him to solitary confinement and torture. That is 100% on Trump.
You do know that Assange is being held in the UK, not the US, right? I do wish Trump had a better stance with regards to Assange, but up to this point his treatment is 100% on the UK government, regardless of who else has tried to influence their decisions.
P.S. Venezeula is not a "grotesque human rights violator" - that's absolute horseshit, especially compared to any single American war, let alone the aggregate.
"curtail press freedoms" is only part of the issue. It's not just the UN. Numerous journalism advocacy groups have said Trump is potentially dangerous to journalists/journalism.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-journalists-media-democracy-fake-news-white-house-cpj-a9469586.html
From the article:
"Its report, titled “The Trump Administration and the Media,” documents such Trump administration practices as using US Customs and Border Protection to question journalists and search their electronic devices at border crossings; Mr Trump's calls for boycotts of news organisations and for changes in libel laws to punish reporting he doesn't like; the ending of formal White House press briefings for more than a year; and Trump's repeated lies to discredit accurate reporting."
How did I forget...France and the UK. Usually as part of American led wars.
Chill. We haven't initiated any wars for what...4 years now? Turn the page.
The same UN that allows Cuba and Sudan on the Human Rights Commission.......
Or it "unstable and dangerous president" applies to Obama, to the extent he knew about the spying on Trump's campaign both before and after the 2016 election. Obama totally undermined the idea of a peaceful transition. Obama and Susan Rice and Jim Comey and the DOJ....and Clapper and despised Brennan at CIA. These people were all in the Obama administration. How dangerous is that? How can anyone have any faith in these institutions? Or faith in the next transition whenever it occurs?
It's no different than Ronny Ray gun did to Carter with the October surprise.
Why are you still stuck on Obomber anyway ? This has gone on far longer than Obomber and goes clear back to at least the Kennedy's.
The elite have always ran this country and this world. Stop trying to blame it all on the Wall Street shill Obomber.
I agree. "..unstable and potentially dangerous president" applies more to a potential Joe Biden. Trump has not started any wars. He has been getting us out of the Mideast. So I don't understand how the evidence supports that Trump is the problem....when the actual evidence supports that Joe Biden and the Democrats have dangerously entangled the CIA and FBI in a fake Russia story for the sole purpose of gaining power by lying. How is that not dangerous no matter what Trump says. Democrats impeached Trump while the FBI had the Hunter Biden laptop and never revealed anything. Forget being Republican or Democrat--doesn't it concern any rational American that our institutions are being undermined internally? That our media is a propaganda operation? That our best and most honest reporters are "stooges." Even the few that exist? Doesn't that weaken us as a country?
So as long as we just maintain the seven we are already in we have a "stable" president ? Ha !
Thank you for this. There really are no Dems or Reps anymore; no Conservatives or Liberals or Libertarians. There really are only Populists (that Trump and Bernie represent) and Establishment boosters (every institution with power - media, federal and congressional bureaucracy, corporations, big tech - who are using BLM, antifa types as their shock troops, even tho they have limited control over them). I think we need to realize that's where the lines are now. Everything has been disrupted and shifted and it wasn't just because of Trump. This started during GHWB and the Clinton administration when both parties glommed together for the corporate good.
Wrong, there's just top and bottom going back centuries. Everything else has been a propaganda construct in order to keep those on top on top.
Have you followed the FIRE movement? Interesting twist on top vs bottom. For those that haven't heard of it, "Financial Independence, retire early" - Live a simple life, avoid excessive consumerism and save $ - having more people check out of materialism to gain independence from consumerism (the American way) is a trend worth watching because it changes your world view (and probably your political affiliation).
Common sense is now a movement!?!?
If it isn't already it needs to be a movement.
You'll go broke saving money, the interest rate isn't even keeping up with inflation.
Kill capitalism and you kill the need for constant growth and the usury of the elite with one stone.
Unity is key, checking out of the facade that is the government in every 5 eyes country is the only way of stopping the elite from bringing back slavery.
The prison industrial complex is the working model. People who can't leave, feed themselves, call in sick or retire. Meanwhile, wealth continues to concentrate almost as fast as control is.
Good luck everyone.
It's his opinion. He's also making a point as to where is argument lies, as nobody in the MSM or on the left generally seems to perceive it: he is not defending Trump. He doesn't like Trump. He doesn't like Trump as president. He doesn't want Trump to win the election. Which is fine. That's a perfectly legitimate opinion, just as seeing Biden as dangerous or a poor candidate and not wanting him to win is.
Taibbi is primarily a media critic in his new reporting. This isn't about supporting Trump (what others say to the contrary) but critiquing the media's new approach to framing and shaping "news", rather than reportage. And how the MSM refuses to let ideas compete in full public view, but attempts to pick winners ahead of time based on their own biases and political or ideological orientations.
Right you are sir!
I watched the clip of his Joe Rogen chat. I have to say I stopped giving money to the Intercept because I felt it was becoming a Democratic cheer leader. I am so glad to see that Greenwald didn't drink the Kool-Aid (and was fighting the editorial expansion of power). Great integrity!!
Looking forward to seeing more from him with the Intercept chains gone.
Why does anybody listen to Clapper and Brennan? They are the jerks who lied about “yellow cake uranium”. Didn’t anybody learn anything from that?
There are absolutely zero reasons why Clapper is not currently in prison.
(See above) Comey, too.
Peak 2020 is listening to those stooges because they're being paid by CNN etc. to render their opinions on Foreign Policy. "Next on CNN, Jeffrey Dahmer will join us on how to meal prep for summer barbecues"
nope
Because they say things that are useful to certain agendas with such glorious **gravitas**.
Comey, too. And, of course, the Bushes, the Clintons, Obama and most before them...war crimes, you know. Those same people gave us Trump. If Obama had done his job, we would have universal healtcare and education, have all our troops home and NATO disbanded, and no Trump.
They can't remember it is more than likely the case. On top of that, the same liars keep failing back into key positions.
Glenn and Matt are two of the best and will always be my first go-to reporters. Those others like them (and we all know who they are) also must report outside of mainstream. I took the New Yorker for years, famous for its fact-checking. Since they fell for the Russiagate lies and the Syria lies, and all the other lies (they hired Masha Gessen who is changing the quality even more), no longer. Some days I am disgusted by the Internet, yet it's the place to get real news, so am grateful for that. Thanks, Matt, for this writing. Way to go, Glenn.
"These fragments I have shored against my ruins." The fourth estate is a wasteland and our only resort is seek out individual truth seekers and ignore the rubble.
Add Scahill and The Gray Zone-- Max Blumenthal et al