“Follow the money”
Ok, so Woodward & Bernstein source Mark Felt (Watergate’s “Deep Throat”) never actually said that. At least not in those specific words but the sentiment holds. Felt’s guidance on that was crucial then, and it has applied many times since. As it does right freaking now.
There’s a simple reason Inflation is both a top news topic and why the coverage is placing the blame on Democrats. Corporate ad revenue. Journalism is addicted to it. They, especially famous “talent” (the people you see on TV) will of course hotly deny it but most, if not all of them allow their “journalism” to be shaped (and not for the benefit of accurately informing the public) to keep that sweet corporate ad money flowing in. At least some street hustler is honest about selling his or her body for money.
What set me off was looking at a piece by Egberto Willies (on DK) about CA Representative extraordinaire Katie Porter again making one of her presentations that forced a reluctant witness to admit a truth he didn’t want to admit.
FIFTY-FOUR percent of the current eight percent (plus) rate of inflation is going not to making/producing products for consumers but rather to corporate profits!
For a transcript you can read Porter’s presentation on Raw Story. But Willies made a point that mainstream media doesn’t want to touch this kind of thing, much less feature it over and over again. Doing so would piss off their corporate golden goose that lays all those golden (advertising dollars) eggs. The point though is that for a variety of reasons there would still be inflation this year, likely around four percent. That’s not nothing. However it’s twice that and what Porter revealed in that hearing is that over HALF of the current inflation rate is going to (increased) corporate profits!
I’ve recently written about how inflation is taking a bite out of my own butt. It sucks. It sucks more for a lot of people and families. And media outlets, even the supposedly “liberal” ones have been talking up, if not shouting from the rooftop the word INFLATION! Infuriatingly however there’s a lot, a LOT they don’t say. It is after all, like most things economic complicated. Except for individuals filling up a gas tank or paying the bill at the grocery store. Noticeably higher prices hit home. Personally. As I wrote recently, given the intentional, widespread dumbing down of America conservatives have spent years enacting it’s no surprise how easily the average American can be manipulated. Right now the corporate funded media machine is hard at work influencing Americans not just to think about inflation, but weaving a narrative that Democrats are to blame and Republicans will, if given a chance fix it. It’s a false narrative, because Democrats didn’t create the problem and have in fact been taking steps to deal with inflation. And Republicans have fought them. More importantly, other than “vote for me/us” Republicans haven’t advance a single proposal to deal with the problem.
And journalists refuse to call them (Republicans) out on that!
The “haves” as in corporate America have enjoyed ever increasing record profits through thick and thin. Senator Elizabeth Warren has explained over and over how they bit-by-bit lobbied their way to the kind of power, and money they now have.
And, as the title to this piece indicates that influence has taken over journalism and major outlets like a cancer.
Money. Money via advertising dollars. It makes media executives rich. It makes a lot of journalists rich too. Even those who might like to tell a realistic picture of things are prevented from doing so. I’ve said before many times and in many places that conservatives have for decades brayed about the “liberal” media pointing to surveys showing the majority of mainstream journalists are registered Democrats. However, that has always missed the point. So, I’ll say it again. It doesn’t matter what a reporter want to say, it matters what a news consumer actually gets to read, hear or see in the news! Editors, newsroom managers and executives above that level are the ones who ultimately decide what we see and hear. Not to mention the actual owners of various publications and media outlets!
THEY are in a very different demographic than the average reporter out there slogging out a living at some local paper, or local radio or TV station. And they have almost exclusively been Republicans. In favor of low taxes and limited government including regulation.
Money talks.
It can also buy silence. Or obfuscation. “Both siderism” in journalism is rampant. Does anyone believe it’s gotten that way by accident?
Those with lots of money have always had an ability to buy what they want, but it’s so out of control now that Americans are I fear willing to vote away the one thing that can give them a tiny measure of control – literally having the right to have their votes counted and the candidates they want placed into political office. The GOP has made it clear, and if they hadn’t been saying so blatantly since 2010 they sure as hell are doing so now that if they get back into power what average Americans want won’t matter. They will in conservative states that have been gerrymandered beyond all reason set aside the results of a free and fair election. They are after power. And they are far closer to it than people want to think about.
What do they intend to do with that power? Again, one thing Trump did was say all the quiet stuff out loud. No more dog whistles. The old, establishment GOP was aghast but I truly believe were shocked in 2020. Not that Biden won and by seven million votes, but that over ten million MORE people voted for Trump than in 2016! It wasn’t that long ago there would be swift and brutal electoral consequences for saying and doing things Trump, and an increasing number of conservatives did. But, even though Trump went down (as expected) in 2020 the GOP establishment was shocked that they had significant gains in the House. And that but for Trump shooting off his mouth in GA they’d still control the Senate!
So now, when there’s talk of defaulting on the debt unless Social Security and Medicare (and Medicaid) are gutted if not eliminated there’s crickets. Graham proposes a national abortion ban? If not crickets, then at most mealy mouthed “it’s a state issue” b.s. On so many issue where Americans back Democratic Party views (even a large proportion of conservatives!) the firebrands in the GOP are making it clear what they intend to do.
However it’s worse than that. Already a number of states are poised to allow gerrymandered legislatures override free and fair election results. As for Congress, while the Constitution allows states to administer elections control over federal elections is ultimately a federal matter. Yet a Republican Congress is ready to provide cover for states to grow bolder. And SCOTUS? All bets are off. A lot, in fact a ton of gaming out scenarios is taking place behind the scenes as I write this. If the GOP has a good night next month and Congress and the states put power (or more power) into GOP hands the ability of a Democratic President to veto GOP Congress Critters ceding authority over federal elections to the states might well be gone. Given their built in Electoral College advantage and what they will do if they win next month the GOP will go all out to make sure the WH turns red in 2024 and will probably succeed. I mentioned gaming out scenarios because of the “feeder” program the Fascist Federalist Society and affiliated groups have in place to get the cases they want before SCOTUS. So put a pin in that.
So we have conservatives openly saying they intend to do things the majority (often by strong margins) say they don’t want. And if not (yet) openly signaling more that’s worse. And yet voters, if polling is to be believed (oh how I hope it’s wrong) are poised to have over at least the House, perhaps the Senate and worse, give more control to RWNJs at the state level and the biggest driver of the turnaround in recent weeks is INFLATION!
Journalists can’t get enough of it. Of course, while Democrats can point to steps they’ve taken that will over time address much of the problem little is said about that. And for damned sure the one thing journalists, even those who are considered worthy of respect WON’T do is ask Republicans “What does the GOP propose to improve things?” Because they know the answer.
NOTHING.
It’s just that journalists, especially the talking heads, the “talent” on TV won’t put them on the spot. Again, some might want to do so but you won’t convince me marching orders have been given for them to avoid doing so. Besides, that “talent” happens to be in the upper income demographic, have made out like bandits under the consolidation of media outlets and they want their goddamned tax cuts just like other rich people!
Major Media is becoming increasingly monopolized. A handful of people control most of what you see/read and hear. They have benefited greatly from deregulation and the LAST thing they want is for their empires to be broken up. Same with the rest of corporate America. In addition to tax cuts, they want ever less regulation. And they have proven willing to employ their own version of WMD – Weapons of Mass DISTRACTION by which I mean major journalism outlets.
Again, I’m sure that if any big name journalist were to see this they’d go ballistic and insist no one from above influences their reporting. I call bullshit.
Please let Michael Moore be right. That there will be a blue wave in a few weeks. That we will keep control of Congress, and even win some key races at the state level. But I for one believe with every fiber of my being that Journalism is simply too addicted to all that corporate ad revenue to, in the limited time remaining correct their intentionally false narrative about the economy and inflation.
“Prostitution” isn’t a strong enough word. But I’ll take crap for using even that instead of a common and more fitting street term. A hyphenated one who’s first word is “crack.”
I believe Michael Moore is right and I’m no fan of his. He was right in 2016. He maintains a home in Michigan and apparently spends enough time there to get a sense of what’s going on, politically. The reason the MSM is screaming “inflation” is because that’s all they have to deflect from what’s really happening. Yes, gas and groceries are more expensive than they should be, but more people, especially young voters, understand that inflation is transitory and democracy and bodily autonomy are on the ballot.
Do they though? I’m not so sure. The younger voters are the ones eating up everything being thrown at them by f.b., twitter, tik tok, etc. The younger voters are largely responsible for keeping disposable clothing companies in business. The younger voters are certainly on their way to becoming, or actually have become, a vital consumer block. They notice just as readily as older folks do that prices on the things they purchase are skyrocketing. Do they realize much of this price increase is due not to inflation but to corporations taking advantage of it to earn yet more money? I don’t have an answer to that. I work with young adults every day and I do not see the intelligence…or rather the knowledge…that they are grasping this economic reality. I’m hoping other issues are more important to young voters but I am cognizant of the fact they devour everything they see on their cell phones. That is not a good sign.
Denis you nailed it on the door just as Luther did. I find myself feeling what a lot of people in Germany must have felt watching their country devolve into murderous fascism in the 30s. By 1945 the country was a pile of rubble. It only took 12 years after Hitler was put into power by the conservatives who believed they could control him. This time there is no country to run to. This time the entire planet is on the brink. This time 400,000 dead soliders won’t save us. The rich will feel it last but they won’t be spared & neither will their children. The character of police chief in Fargo, Margie was reviewing the carnage as she drove the killer to jail. She said “and all for a little bit of money. Don’t you know life is worth more than a little bit of money? Dont you know that? I don’t understand.” Neither do I.
January 6 was our very own Reichstag Fire. Only ours was seen live around the world as it happened. Worse, the rest of the world can see the very real possibility that our country will go the way of Germany but as you say this time, with so much of the same authoritarianizm rising in so many countries including some important allies of ours it’s not just our own country, but the world that is on the brink.
Conservatives will always go for the bright shiny and simple each and every time. Orange hair or B Jhonston’s unruly mop and their simple solution to all our problems political. Send someone to Parliament or Congress and just “shake things up a little bit” or “Drain the swamp” Well how many people in England are happy with B Johnston’s Brexit solution? And do you suppose for a moment that the Tory voters are claiming a victory, or even admitting that they voted for the golden mop, now that the dust is settling? Talk about repenting at leisure? Will any of those irresponsible for electing that total incompetent Pied Piper claim they put him there (Admit is probably a better word). No they are all busy blaming this on the Left! Just so typical. I can see why Meadows and Bannon and Jordan would support the MAGA Nut because they have their fingers very close to the pie already, but what makes the Fox Followers think there’s pie waiting for their misguided butts to get into? And of course they are busy blaming the Left as well? It’s always that way. I’m so sick of the whole bunch of them. But to quote Forrest Gump, Stupid is as stupid does!!!