I watched President Biden’s news conference and damn – it was a tour de force. He had some verbal gaffes of course which has been the case for his entire career due to his stutter. Still, he displayed masterful detail of complex subjects and there’s NO doubt he’s still got it all going strong in his brain housing group. When the thing ended it was Chris Haye’s hour on MSNBC and I was shattered over the capitulation of hosts, even Maddow to the Executive Suite. The all took shots at Biden, as did Alex Wagner once her show came on and the various talking head guests. She even gave quite a few minutes to Democratic Congressman Himes (from the Intel Committee) to “sadly” say the President needs to step aside.
I don’t speak for Ursula or Politizoom with what’s to follow. These are MY thoughts, opinions and perhaps borderline CT. However I keep saying that every four years the honchos in the news business dream of a brokered convention. Knowing MAGAs will never, ever abandon Trump and that the rest of the GOP has remained scared of him that meant their only hope this year would be the Democrats making their dream come true. Hence months, years even of a steady drumbeat of stories about President Biden’s age and “questions” (with his lifelong history of verbal gaffes regularly providing fresh fodder) was their chance. ‘Dems in Disarray’ has been a theme for far too long, and Trump who proved mentally incompetent as a candidate and President has devolved year after year since first sharting his way down his fake gold escalator in Trump Tower back in 2015. But relatively little has been made of that by news outlets.
After the debate disaster, even though Trump was also bad (not to mention his doing nothing but lying) the news bosses were like sharks with a bleeding whale in the water. THIS was their big chance. Take one bad night and define not just one of the most successful Presidencies in our history and an entire career by it, but use it to drum up news coverage that would scare Democrats. Sure enough it’s worked. Democrats, from elected ones to donors and power brokers have been defecting and it’s started to snowball. Just like the media owners/executives have wanted. If they can engineer a critical mass (and they’re getting there) and force the President out of the race the convention will be a free for all. Don’t kid yourself about VP Harris automatically getting the nod. But the point is they will have days, maybe five or six of sensational goings on that will line their pockets with ad revenue.
And much of the “talent” sees it the exact same way.
I’ve considered MSNBC a bulwark against that type of thing. Oh, they have contributors that have taken shots at this President and Democrats in general but there are hosts, especially in the weekday evenings that have offered a fair view of things. Not tonight. Right off the bat Hayes, Maddow, Reid and Jenn Psaki who worked for President Biden stuck knives in him. So did guests, and the same went on when nine pm rolled around.
You can’t convince me that orders didn’t come down from on high at NBC to undercut President Biden. No matter how well he did. And watching him host the NATO summit in DC this week and his having unscripted appearances (including a great one at the AFL-CIO meeting going on in DC this week) the bosses knew that the debate was an outlier. That President Biden could handle a press conference. I believe orders were given. And they were obeyed. If, as the bosses feared the President performed as he did in a news conference carried live by all the networks then by god find ways to play down how impressive he was. To create a ‘It no longer matters – he’s done’ narrative and give cover for a-holes like Congressman Himes to come on the air and with “regret” say it’s over for the President.
I’m sure it was the same or worse on every other network. Lawrence O’Donnell came on as I started writing this and he doesn’t seem to be falling in line from what I can tell. Good for him. Those I cited earlier should look at his example – and be ashamed of themselves. Even Rachel Maddow who I’ve considered a hero. How could ANYONE not praise the President? Say that clearly the debate was an outlier, just a weird instance of maybe being next to a tree struck by political lightening? How could they NOT spend their time noting how masterful the President was of all manner of detail and how empty headed and clueless Trump is and always has been?
Every time I think I can’t get more furious something like what I witnessed from MSNBC people from who I expected so much better happens. If I had a blood pressure cuff I’d be afraid to take my BP right now. However mark my words. In the Executive Suites and Boardrooms of media outlets the decision has been made. They WILL get their wet-dream of a brokered convention turned into reality. And I don’t know what means they used to coerce the “talent” on MSNBC to do what other networks have surely been doing tonight. But it’s clear they had something that got the job done.
Ok, so some of you who’ve read this think I’ve gone round the bend. I don’t think so. News outlets proved in 2016 they cared more about their bottom line than the good of the country. And the world. That’s still true. Maybe even more so now than then. Lucre, filthy lucre is the name of their game. And if browbeating the talent, even at MSNBC is required then that’s what they were willing to do. The tragedy is that so many important voices capitulated.
One last thought. Some years back the network tried to dump O’Donnell. Viewers rallied and forced the bosses to back down and renew O’Donnell’s contract. We might have to do it again. Since he wouldn’t play ball and throw pitches at President Biden’s head tonight you can bet the honcos will be out to get rid of him.
I was especially fuming with Alex Wagner having Michael Schmidt from the NYT on and letting him go on and on with the Times backed Biden bashing. I was glad Lawrence read in full the new NYT editorial on the disaster that tRump poses for all of us. Too bad it’s taken them so long to see the light. I’m also bummed at the capitulation of so many. I expected more of our MSNBC team, but so far, it only seems to be Lawrence holding the line.
npr which I usually rely on has gone to the tank for undermining the President while ignoring the rapist, felon, is just amazing to me. Biden somehow stumbles in a debate and all of trumps lies/crimes are somehow ignored by npr. I turned off my radio today when my sports person jumped into this, colin cowhead. He is on clear channel which we all know is a corrupt organization. I just want sports, colin cowhead was talking politics. I am done.
Then president Biden needs to keep blasting away. And to the hell with corporate/billionaire/mainstream entertainment media. I guess 30 pieces of silver is just a gratuity. Or all in a day’s knifing.
I agree Denis. MSM REALLY is NO LONGER a reliable news source. They are to tear down our country it seems. They are ready to knife one of the BEST Presidents of our time and let TFG off the hook. Project 2025 is scary. I downloaded it and it terrifies me. I would be happy to share this with anyone who wants it. It show EXACTLY what our country will be like. Share to everyone you know.
2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL
I guess this is the last hurrah by the msm before it ends up on the trash heap of history. Good riddance to garbage is all I can say since that is all it is–fux wannabes, garbage to the core.
Yeah, it takes me longer to disseminate news in this era what with having to track down sources and all the other rigamarole one needs to go thru to make sure it is reliable, but on the bright side it keeps my brain working closer to an optimal level. Not paying attention to msnbc, cnn, npr, etc. gives me more time so there’s that.
We shouldn’t have to be dealing with the media jumping on the “destroy our nation” bandwagon and yet here we are in in those straits in 2024. After the s.c. con xtians, the owners/publishers/etc. of media outlets WILL be the next ones up against the wall when the revolution comes—and it is coming. F*ck these pieces of sh* wanting to destroy our country and flush our constitution. F*ck them hard with 10 foot metal poles-sideways.
I’ve been suffering from this like all of us. We were all raised to believe in the invincible power of the media in politics. And the media themselves totally believe they have it. But I think this shitfest is seriously backfiring. Just like with the Supreme Court, they’ve blown their own credibility. And if the media is destroying their own credibility, that’s it for them, because without that they have no power. The American media is subject to feeding frenzies, and this is likely the most insane and destructive one we’ve ever seen. The other NATO journalists are aghast.The effects radiate through the media world itself (all reading each other) and all within their domain : pundits, politicians, donors, and yes, the cybersphere, which includes blogs like this one. But the effects are of limited if Biden uses the bully pulpit with more credibility than the media, and incomparably more than Trump. If Biden is the beacon of hope and Trump is the warning of destruction. Which is the case I think for most people. Word of Project 2025 is getting around fast. I did some research yesterday and the hard-ass magas represent about 12-15% of the electorate. People are way more scared of Trump and they like Biden the more they see of him. The “debate” had no effect in itself, only as a meme in the media.
This media frenzy against Biden has been going on all year, but it’s backfiring. Yes, it’s very upsetting because whatever our views, we’re intensely focused on the media. But I don’t think they’re having the effect they desire. Studies show that most people made up their minds long ago and they’re not changing. Trump is not attracting more voters and there is a lot of evidence that he’s losing them. Which means they are resistant and they know bullshit when they see it, just as you are doing here. To repeat: the media are destroying their own credibility, just like the supreme court. And through it all, it is still possible tol find good and honest articles on this subject, here of course but also on many other sites, and even in the mainstream amidst all the crap. I think first of the Phila. Inquirer — better than most, though they have not been free of bullshit articles either — and I don’t know where else. But also individual articles in some of the worst offending outlets. I don’t know who is following this issue, but I think it portends a major shift in how people get their information.
I apologize if this was too rambling, but my main point is that Biden is on top of all of this crap. The “doubts” and “fears” etc., etc. about him attributed to other Democrats are also grossly exaggerated by the same bullshit media. It’s 90% fiction. And very few actual voters pay any attention to it. They do pay attention to Trump stuff like Project 2025.
Dennis,
I’ve always admired Lawrence O’Donnell. What’s the best way of showing we have his back? E-mail addresses if possible.
No, I don’t think you’ve gone round the bend. I think they have.
I totally agree.
And thanks Denis, for voicing the same thoughts I have been having. What I have been seeing in President Biden’s appearances is that he has been powerful, eloquent, and way surpassing the need to demonstrate any cognitive skills in performing his duties and he is also injecting some of that pride in our country in the Nato gathering, with how he is conducting it. I don’t mind pomp and circumstance when it is not about the King, but for the people. It reminded me of how far we are from that pride in America that use to be. It has fallen, and it has bottomed out after the years of onslaught of Trumps poisonous commentary about anyone, anything but him. We are inundated with a form of PTSD induced shame. It almost seemed silly, what I was watching of the festivities, and I had to fight that feeling in myself. He has mocked everything that makes us better human beings. And whether we know it or not, we are less than we could be because of this. That cynicism that you see and hear in the media, I think stems partly from how jaded we have all become.
I will continue to write and speak on this, have come back to blogging here just now, because I have been reading you but not contributing, after burning out from years of time on Daily Kos, but I saw Ursula fighting and fighting so hard, and she needed some support. I hope I can help a little.
So good to have you here.
Here’s another item that shouldn’t be overlooked:
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/12/congress/clyburns-00167781
And google:
“United by their objections to Trump, congressional Dems largely close ranks behind Biden”
“The Biden-Trump presidential debate was a disaster, but not just for obvious reasons”
“‘No kings in America’: Biden slams U.S. Supreme Court ruling granting Trump immunity”
All from the Missouri Independent. I did not know of this publication, but from these articles it appears to justify its name, as they do not reflect the mass-media groupthink.
The Black Caucus has been steady as a rock, and so have a lot of the voters. Actually Morning Joe pointed out, when Biden was on a call with them, that people are taking away the results of the primary voters, that’s not democracy. Here is a letter I wrote one of the dissenters who is one of my reps, which I will excerpt.
…The problem that remains, with your solution, and I believe you are sincere about your beliefs and you are doing it with integrity, is first, in two months voting will begin, and how are you going to convince the voters who voted for Biden in the primary, to give up their votes and vote for who????? We wait your answer. We might feel so disenfranchised that we don’t voteand I am sure some won’t in an election that every vote is crucial.
In addition, that goes against our system of democracy and the will of the voters, who by last count 85% still want Joe Biden. He is doing well in his rallies, and many and most people still want him. So you are preempting that and assuming, imperiously that whoever you are going to come up with will win, and we who voted will just have to stuff it. That’s pretty straight out undemocratic. If you blow that, we end up with a disaster and a dictatorship. And don’t forget the Independent and undecides, how can you be sure they will like who you come up with, those odds aren’t good. The second problem is, Democrats are notorious for being contentious and not falling into step like the R’s do, and have a long history of it. How can you gamble that you will all, that is to say, you politicians, leaving the primary voters out, will agree on a candidate? I don’t see that happening easily, if at all, and you will have alienated much of the democrats, perhaps almost all 85%, who are being left out of this flagrant power play involving just the convention, and you elites doing this at the very last minute, with the predictable result of complete chaos and disunion and bad feelings, that will ensue from this debacle. These few elites, meaning you, are deciding all this for the rest of us? I think you are forgetting about all of us, a large majority who voted for Joe Biden. No matter how you slice this, it will be a shit show and only Donald Trump is going to win.
I beg you to reconsider what you are doing.
Please everyone contact these people especially if they are your reps. A letter is a chore but they listen, especially if it is a personalized letter.
Wow, that is a great letter. I’ve already contacted my congressman, I believe he is quite solid, He’s a member of the Hispanic Caucus. But I urged him to talk to his wayward colleagues (I didn’t use that term). Mostly I was thinking that he could say “I’ve been hearing from my constituents.”
It never ceases to amaze me how anyone can consider MSNBC a progressive news outlet.
The love child of Microsoft (the MS part) and General Electric, then owner of the NBC part, it has never been anything but a corporate shill for the status-quo.
It exists to make older Democrats think they are progressive and to sell them reverse mortgages.
Another reason I no longer subscribe to cable TV.
A sad time for American voters, having to decide to vote for an old man who is corrupt and mentally ill or one whose mental capacity has slowed up a bit more than we thought. .. I choose to vote for the Democrat party, knowing them as a group to heed the advice of wiser advisors than a corrupt mentally ill old man who never listens to anyone other than himself.
Did you watch Biden’s presser? He was sharp as a tack. Mixing up names occasionally is nothing new for him, and certainly there are much younger people who do that too.