There’s no surprise that the media is a for-profit business. And as a person with a journalism degree, who works in the field, I used to generally agree that journalists were at least a little left of center on politics, as were most teachers, social workers and other low-paid, professionally-degreed persons. But the times they are a-changing.
First off, the title of this post refers to this article on Politico:
“Liz was a die-hard conservative” (referring to Elizabeth Warren):
www.politico.com/…
“For many years before she entered politics, the woman now at the forefront of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party was a Republican.”
That should give you the jist of this rabble-rousing tripe. Some 20+ years before she ran for president, she wasn’t a Democrat. Well, there are candidates running for the Democratic nomination for president right now who are still not Democrats. So wtf does that mean, Politico? People don’t change over time?
For the record, I am a Democrat. Registered as such since I was 18 in 1988. I did vote across lines a couple times, but that is all. And even that was apx 25 years ago. And I respect the hell out of Senator Warren. Although she is not my first choice in the primary, she is in the top 3.
Also for the record, I am a military veteran, liberal, upper middle-aged, straight white male in Oklahoma. I’m grateful that I haven’t succumbed to whatever disease is affecting the others in my general description, because fuck- they all have Trump’s syphilis-riddled mind. And while I won’t disclose my current favored candidate for the Democratic nomination, I will note that my #1 is not someone who matches my general stereotype, either.
Let’s just ignore the crap-fest that the media has become. Whether Fox News or CNN or even MSNBC (often), they all invite guests who are only known for being inciters of argument. Steve Bannon on MSNBC to talk about the Pope? Why? Is he a leading figure on theocracy or Catholicism? No? He’s just a has-been, one-time member of the administration? Why give him the air time? Oh, ratings. All of the networks and cable shows do this. Yes, I think Fox is 100x worse, but still. (I love Maddow, and she generally doesn’t fall into this trap.)
Add to this general media dysfunction that the Russians and others are intentionally feeding into our social and media mix. Fomenting distrust and anger. Their primary goal is probably just to get us to lose faith in our elections and government, or to not vote. If that happens, they win.
Democracy fails when people don’t vote.
I am going to vote in my state’s primary. I haven’t decided if I will vote with my heart or my brain (my favored candidate or the one I believe the most likely to put the best fight against Trump.) But I will vote. And I will vote for the Democratic Candidate for President on November 3, 2020. I will also help everyone I can get to the polls- I will be annoying as fuck to everyone I know, asking them if they voted yet, and providing information about how they can do so, early or in-person.
Incumbent presidents, even horribly corrupt and unpopular ones, have an incredible advantage on reelection. Jimmy Carter, probably the most beautiful human and Christian to hold the office (you can talk smack about his management abilities if you want) was the last to fail at reelection. Ford if you want to include him, but he wasn’t even a 1-term president. The last truly elected single-term president who tried for reelection was Herbert Hoover, 97 years ago.
That said, the current dickhead in chief has an advantage above his polling that we cannot ignore.
We have to fight hard. Or else give everything up.
*** (Well, yeah, shit- I forgot about George H. W. Bush, aka Bush 1. But he is easy to forget.- And yet, still, a much better person than the current occupier.)