My favorite parts:
The centre-left media went to sleep after the Iran-Contra scandal of 1986-87, dozed through the Clinton years, and were half-asleep and nodding when they approved Cheney and Bush’s war in Iraq and Obama and [Hillary] Clinton’s war in Libya. For obscure reasons, they have been quite certain that Western dismantling of yet another Arab country, Syria, is the surest path to a sane policy in the Middle East. All the mainstream outlets, with CNN and the Times at their head, have now re-emerged as anti-government centres of news, opinion, and news perceptibly mingled with opinion. But they are new to the work of ‘resistance’ and it shows.
-- snip --
[Jared Kushner's plan, or] any plan for back-channel privacy is properly viewed as an attempt to dodge the civic duty of all Americans to submit to US surveillance. Now that we know what we know about Putin, nobody should be free of surveillance: not the president or his advisers or his cabinet; and surely not members of Congress, either. And federal or state judges, and ordinary citizens – why not? The age of detesting Trump is the age of reliance on the deep state and trust in the ‘intelligence community’. If they can’t save us, who will? They need all the powers they have been given if they are to achieve what they must.
-- snip --
The unhappy pattern [of failing to differentiate between news that is true and rumor that you wish were true] anyway is starting to be noticed. The Times published a sharp letter to the editor a few days later that noticed how the paper had now crossed the line separating news analysis from invective ... This has happened across the board, in the culture of the Trump presidency: you see it in the newspapers, the magazines and in television. Mainstream media are speaking almost in unison; they are out of control with a consistency that shows they have forgotten what control feels like ... PEN announced that its annual Freedom of Expression Courage Award, which went to Charlie Hebdo in 2015, would be given in 2017 to the two million persons who participated in the women’s march against Trump.
-- snip --
Trump won election to the highest office in the US government by heaping contempt on government. In this, he confirmed and strengthened a tendency of the party he ran with, going back as far as the Reagan administration. The Democrats by contrast remain the party of what-government-can-do-for-you; and a substantial mass of their rank and file denies his legitimacy. He stole the election, they say; it was handed to him by Comey, or by Putin, or by an electoral college whose numbers have no right to cancel the votes of a majority of three million people. The trick, Democrats feel, is somehow to delegitimate Trump and the government he leads (it isn’t a real government) and then move in to take his place, but with a government that has somehow been relegitimated.
-- snip --
The best recourse of sanity to those who would rather defeat Trump than disgust his supporters may be simply to recall that he has at his back the massed weight and momentum of the Republican Party. It doesn’t much matter who is making use of whom: they are not about to part company, while the Democrats have to defend the shrinking redoubt of just 18 of 50 statehouses and a respectable but thoroughly confused minority in Congress. It is Republicans today who see themselves as makers of a revolution.
-- snip --
Nothing now would better serve the maturity and the invigoration of the Democrats than to give up any hope of sound advice or renewal from Bill or Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. They were pleasant to think about, but their politics have turned out wrong, and there’s nothing they can do for us now. ... You may curse Putin and Comey and misogyny and Wisconsin, but Trump is marching through the departments and agencies with budget cuts and policy changes that will be felt for years to come. Trump is the name of a cause and not just a person, and you can only fight him with another cause. The name of it might be climate change.
London Review of Books, you had me right up to "climate change."
18 comments:
TSB: That's a real good post! gwb
TSB: Looks like you are being channeled by the "Real Fly On The Wall" gwb
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-19/leftists-only-youre-cordially-invited-post-tea-and-crumpets-will-be-served
TSB: "Far Fig Nuggin" Here's some "collusion" for you. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-21/bmw-vw-and-daimler-operated-cartel-20-years-spiegel
German authorities first became aware of the
problem when they raided Volkswagen’s offices last year, searching for evidence that the company sought to rig steel prices. Instead, it found evidence of collusion between German automakers. Two weeks later, VW submitted a voluntary admission to antitrust authorities, as did Daimler in hopes of minimizing penalties. (So the German automakers have been cheating it's customers on quality and price for over 20 years thru price fixing and cheating on emissions. gwb
Is W. Dan Davenport MD and gwb one and the same?
"Doctor W. Dan" has a nice ring to it!
Shhhh!! Don't blow my cover!!gwb
Very good piece overall, thanks for pointing it out. However his political leanings are clear to me, at least:
snip:
"In this situation delegitimation by the Democrats would require them to renounce their own allegiance to constitutional democracy."
Digging dirt on POTUSes is but politics 101. It has always been and always will be in a land of free press. He's a Trump guy. But one that has his eyes open and is deeply concerned...as they all damn well should be. Trump's recent NYT inteview is filled with idiocy the press is barely mentioning. There is either something wrong with his brain or he doesn't care and on some level is seeking to be fired IMO.
This segues into the topic of Colbert, his take down of that interview on his 7/20 show is worth the 10 minutes btw, but to the point Colbert's been of late sucked into PDS. The author correctly points that out. However I saw signs Colbert may be coming to his senses in the footage he made this week in Russia. Nothing like being someplace to get the message, especially for the un-well traveled. Russians are people too, and people much closer to what we are than most. I have hope for Colbert yet.
A private theory on CNN: Ted Turner didn't care if it lost a little money or just broke even. He sold it for a billion to people who then OWED MONEY BIGLY. They dabbled in journalism for a short time...but...and with apologies to "Trainspotting"...they made a considered, informed, democratic decision to self-lobotomize as soon as possible. Just a theory...;). Anywho... suspect this truly adversarial relation with a POTUS may be healthy for them. They may begin to realize pretending to be journalists carries risk.
Best wishes,
Mark K.
Mark,
Thanks very much for your comment. I don't think the author is actually a Trump guy - he seems plenty anti-Trump - but I agree that the press is now completely adversarial for the first time since Watergate. I also agree with him that the Democrats ought to cut loose from Clinton World and find a whole new reason for being.
TSB: General Council for FBI under investigation for leaking classified information against Trump!! (Pretty interesting day.) gwb
TSB: No wonder they had so much trouble finding the sources of the leaks!!
TSB: http://www.kgw.com/news/woman-65-in-ne-portland-reports-sex-assault-break-in-and-car-burglary/459231264
This Mexican guy has been deported 20 times but now is protected by the Mayor and County Sherrif in Portland who have sworn not to turn anyone over to ICE. According to Federale, the new head of Homeland Security is going to accuse officials like this of smuggling dangerous criminals to get their cooperation. This is a good move! The elderly and Portland women in general are living in fear of drug addled, gun toting assailants. He might even go after Governor Moonbeam.
gwb
TSB: Great piece of journalism here on Debbie: Wasserman-Schultz And The Pakistani IT Scammers: "There's More Than Just Bank Fraud Going On Here"
"In Washington, it’s never about what they tell you it’s about... This is no run-of-the-mill bank-fraud
Looks like the biggest question is how did these two Pakistani brothers, their wives and other relatives all get top secret security clearances without any background checks, start at 4 x normal staffer pay, and seemingly never really do anything of value? Debbie wants that computer back from the Capital Hill Police that one of the brothers was arrested with. Could these guys be part of the Seth Smith murder? Could they have been blackmailing democrats?? Could Debbie squeal on the Clintons gwb http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-30/wasserman-schultz-and-pakistani-it-scammers-theres-more-just-bank-fraud-going-here
TSB: Tom Steyer spent $87 million backing Democratic candidates in 2016 making him numero uno in that category. Today he said the democrats need to get behind Bernie's vision for America and fight for equality, not jobs nobody can live on.
That makes me feel better about the $28 I spent on Bernie. I hope Chuckie Schumer is listening to Tom. gwb
TSB: Jeff Sessions has just expanded assett forfeiture to all 48 states, even in ones where it has been banned. (For example, in Texas, 45% of local police budgets are met by seizing funds from their citizens. Police only have to have a suspicion that you are doing something criminal. You have no legal recourse and they don't even have to charge you with a crime.
I guess that means if you get a parking ticket they can just tow your car straight to the police auction?? This is almost as disturbing as our moderate
rebels beheading teenagers in Syria. gwb
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/398169-episode-max-keiser-1104/
TSB: Get this up on the bulletin board ASAP!! gwb
Nasa offering six-figure salary for new 'planetary protection officer' to defend Earth from aliens
Job requires ‘frequent travel’ – but only US citizens and nationals can apply
TSB: Trump might not have a grasp on winning in AFG since it is Un-Winnable, but I really like his idea of basing Green Cards on a point system that emphasizes education achievement, speaking English and job skills that are needed as well as ability to be self-sufficient financially. This would result in a 50% reduction in Green Cards over the next 10 years.
Naturally this has bi-partisan opposition gwb
TSB:Debbie speaks out: I did the right thing and I'd do it again!!
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-03/debbie-wasserman-schultz-breaks-silence-awans-i-did-right-thing-and-i-would-do-it-ag
I guess selling classified information and blackmailing people is no crime if you are familiar with Pakistani elite culture. gwb
TSB: On the other hand, my $600 invested in Bitcoin when it was $1800 to $2200 is looking pretty good! Bitcoin·$3,126.00 That Mexican gold mine not doing so good still dancing around at 4 cents a share. Have to get some more intel from my mother in law. gwb Have a great weekend!
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