Fallout for the Washington Post seems to be not only continuing but growing. Jeff Bezos really sh*t the bed by cowering before Trump, as his counterpart on the west coast did with the Los Angeles Times in withholding endorsement of Kamala Harris for President. However, they aren’t alone in their cowardice. As you know Republicans overall are terrified Trump will turn on them, but it’s news and business leaders like Jamie Dimon and even Warren Buffet being too fearful of Trump retribution that should terrify us all.
I don’t get it. I really don’t. Trump has spent a lifetime talking the talk of retribution and threatening lawsuits. He’s lost a lot and more often than not quietly stopped suing before he lost in court. Only while President did he have any real power. He’s not President now and if supposed leaders, both in govt. (looking at you GOP) and business/finance actually LED Trump wouldn’t have had a prayer of getting a second stint in the Oval Office. Even if he’d gotten the nomination this year. One thing that’s long been apparent about Trump is that he LOVES to dish it out but he’s NEVER been able to take it. He pouts. Or goes into meltdown mode. But he’s as thin-skinned as they come and politics is the last thing they should get involved in. Getting attacked, fairly or unfairly is part of the game. And Trump can’t take people NOT kissing his ass, much less actual criticism! So what the hell have people been afraid off during these Trump years?
As for the Washinton Post the spin from the owner and publisher is that it’s ‘returning to its roots’ in not making an endorsement. Prior to 1975 the Post hadn’t done so. That much is true. However, prior to the Nixon years the Washington Post was more of a local/regional newspaper. Yes, being in DC and especially with the personal friendship between Kay Graham’s husband and JFK the Post engaged in political coverage that was read nationwide. However, it was a minor league paper compared to the New York Times.
Kay Graham never expected to find herself in charge and it took years for her to get her footing. It was her decision, in the midst of taking the family-owned paper public getting it into the Pentagon Papers story that turned the WaPo into a major player. Then came Watergate and all of a sudden it was a true match for the previously unchallenged NYT. Only THEN did it seem big enough to weigh in with something as important as an endorsement in a Presidential race. So please don’t buy into the spin of ‘returning to roots’ because those roots prior to the 1970s were nowhere near deep and strong enough to get that heavily involved in Presidential politics.
Like the Post and Los Angeles Times USA Today has also declined to make an endorsement. People can say no one reads it but that’s not entirely true. I know I sometimes read their articles, and on newsstands all over the place there are copies for sale. People DO read the headlines and one ‘above the fold’ stating an endorsement for Harris might be all people see but that’s all that really matters. Again though, as shocking and discouraging as the cowardice from major news outlets is what we are seeing from the business/corporate and finance world is worse.
On the one hand we have Musk tossing tens of millions (up into the hundreds when you add up all the PAC donations – not to mention the ‘in-kind’ promotion on twitter/X) to Trump and it’s clear he’s going to be richly rewarded by a new Trump administration. Then you have others, like WaPo owner Bezos who also owns Amazon and Blue Origin and has come to count on big govt. contracts cowering in fear. Major bankers like Jamie Dimon know damn good and well that Trump will be a disaster for the economy. So does Warren Buffett. Yet they and others have been cowed into silence.
In effect, these people who hold and COULD wield power you and I can only dream of are afraid of Trump and now pretty much openly admitting it. Unsaid is their plea, their coded desperate whispering to us “little” Americans to please, oh pretty please bail THEIR asses out. These guys who have all kinds of financial means to get the hell out if Trump comes for them, who have highly trained security details are begging, if not demanding that regular folks brave the MAGA intimidation at polling stations, at work and even in their churches to get out there and vote for Harris. And keep Trump from winning.
It’s not like we’ll see the pundit class talking about this phenomena this week. THEY after all have to answer to bosses at the major news outlets who, having (for increased ratings and therefore revenue/profits) created this monster scared sh*tless themselves! It’s not like Trump isn’t already threatening to pull FCC broadcast licenses.
Folks, we are already living with FASCISM and Trump is still only a freaking Presidential candidate! Both he and the GOP enablers including and especially Congress Critters have to be slapped down and HARD next week. Trump is already getting the kind of obedience dictators expect and get and the election isn’t even over yet. Imagine how much worse things will be if the worst happens and all of us don’t cast our votes for Harris and other Democrats. And convince others to do so.
I still think Harris and Democrats can and will win. But ONLY if we all follow through and do our duty and vote. And again convince others to do so. We are in the final sprint and we have to ‘run through the tape’ no matter how much our legs and lungs are screaming at us to slow down, that we’ve got it won. To quote baseball icon Yogi Berra “It ain’t over till it’s over” so let’s get it done.
And then if we do our part, I hope somehow a public humiliation campaign can be mounted against the COWARDS who could have and should have stood up BEFORE the election but gave in to fear and self-interest. And as for Bezos and Musk, I think we need to start pushing Democrats in Congress and President Harris to rethink the model NASA adopted of turning over so much of our space program to private interests.
Possible Trump found dirt on these billionaires and dangling it in front of their noses. Trump is a white collared gangster.
Trump ‘found’ it compliments of Epstein and Maxwell. It would be interesting to find out how many ‘at the top’ are pedos.
It wasn’t a matter of finding dirt on Bezos – Bezos other ventures, especially his biggest (Amazon) have big government contracts. As President Trump, thanks in large part to SCOTUS would have unchecked power and could easily cancel those contracts. A President so inclined (and Trump is) can use the Office to reward and punish businesses. It’s been mentioned that’s the reason behind Trump’s pushing tariffs so hard. He’d have the power to ‘grant exemptions’ at his whim and could therefore kill businesses that weren’t loyal to him, or even insufficient in their sucking up to him. Hell, he could demand ‘tribute’ as in a cut of their profits and by making it an “official act” what could be done?
He doesn’t need ‘dirt’ to intimidate if he’s back in the WH. SCOTUS has given Presidents almost unchecked power and everyone knows damn well Trump would abuse the hell out of it. So corporate and financial leaders are scared to death and want to avoid pissing him off. That unfortunately includes those in the news business.
I hope V.P. Harris and a democrat filled congress nails these mother-f*ckers. Tax them until the little pussies scream.
Rescind “Citizens United” ASAP!
Mary Trump’s piece today was about Trump.not getting the love and help.he needed as a toddler, and thus needing constant reassurance. I think it has revealed in his desperate need for constant praise and adoration from.his followers. You can see how he reacts to an overflow crowd at his oversized rallies: the only time you see him.truly smile.
To be a competent politician, you need to listen to the experts, have a certain humility to take their advice (No, Donalf?, having a relative at MIT does not make you an expert on hos to.stop a pandemic) andbe willing to.change policies when you are heavily criticized for them because they aren’t working.