Last night George Stephanopolous of ABC News asked President Joe Biden, over and over, whether he has the mental acuity and stamina to be president for another term. The president answered him, over and over, making clear that he has no plans to exit the race unless the “Lord Almighty” asks him to get out. This was billed as the first sit-down interview with Joe Biden since his “debate” with convicted felon and pathological liar Donald Trump nine days ago.
We have no reason to assume the pressure from the media and panicking Democrats will subside. Quite the contrary, as the hysterical media reaction has only intensified, with The New York Times inparticularillustrating the meaning of “feeding frenzy.” In less than a week, according to journalist Jennifer Schulze’s count, the Times had published 70 stories, 20 opinion columns and four podcasts about Biden’s performance, in addition to the editorial board’s editorial the day after the debate insisting Biden should leave the race. Forget simply covering the news: This pile-on by many news outlets seems determined to force Biden out. Just this morning, after the 22-minute interview, the Times published five more stories. Clearly, the coming days and weeks will be increasingly challenging for the president to talk about anything else as the constant haranguing about his age continues.
None of us know yet what the end of this will be: Will the aggrieved naysayers in the media and worried Democratic leaders succeed in driving Biden out? Could the NATO summit in Washington this coming week or a series of energized performances on the campaign trail quell the growing unrest? Will Biden decide that the he cannot break through the onslaught, making the prospect of beating Trump harder and the necessity of handing over the reins unavoidable? Is it just a matter of time, as the Democratic National Convention approaches on August 19, that VP Kamala Harris is anointed? Despite a terrible “debate” night and obvious signs that, yes, Biden has aged, I have remained unwilling to abandon him—as long as I continue to believe that he can do the two most important things: Do his job as president and beat Donald Trump.
Which brings me to the not surprising but deeply dispiriting disproportionate coverage of the likely GOP nominee, whose danger to the republic is a five-alarm fire and yet he continues to avoid the kind of intense coverage currently pummeling Biden. I’m not quick to assume that any of the major media outlets “want” a fascistic, authoritarian rule shaped by the Heritage Foundation’s oppressive Project 2025 agenda and led by a carnage-loving “king” bent on retribution and immunized by the Supreme Court to do as he wishes. But the failure of the media to confront Trump the way that they are confronting Biden now is dangerous malpractice of the highest order. I understand that the firehose of lies and desecrations is so insistent that it’s hard to choose a target, but the time is ticking away to figure this out.
So I ask: When will there be a real interview of Trump? What will it take to shift the dynamic and motivate the media—currently on Biden hyperdrive—to escalate its coverage of Trump’s lies, cognitive unraveling, track record of cruelty and violence, and ongoing hostility to democracy that puts America’s future in such jeopardy? Will it be Judge Tanya Chutkan’s coming hearing on what aspects of Trump’s role in Jan. 6 represent “unofficial” acts and are therefore free to prosecute? Will it be a rising chorus of voices on the dangers of Project 2025 that makes Trump’s latest lie that he knows nothing about it or the people involved finally too much to tolerate? How about during the Republican National Convention that starts July 15? Or do you worry that the failure to hold this man to account—this obvious double standard—is inescapable? These are tough issues, I know.
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and for this community to hear from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated.
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*Photo: Screenshot of ABC News interview of President Biden by George Stephanopolous on July 5, 2024.
It’s the Democrats eating their own once again. Just like Al Franken had to go, and he is a saint compared to every one of the Republican weasels in either house.
And the media ringing their hands all day and all night about Biden’s failures while not considering that if Biden set an orphanage on fire, on Christmas Eve, he would still be an incredibly better man than Trump.
I love MSNBC, watch it every day, and these days I feel like it’s 2016 and it’s “but Hillary’s emails” all over again. I still think the media made a mountain out of a molehill and cost her the election.
I so agree. I'm furious that the media has uniformly normalized Trump. He fell asleep everyday in his CRIMINAL TRIAL. They barely covered the crimes or framed the trials in terms of his incessant wrongdoing. And they never said much about his inability to stay awake-a sign of a dottering fool. OR that Biden was actually answering the questions. Trump was nothing but lies and gibberish.
Not to mention the babbling at his rallies of sentences that descend into gibberish, and the slurring of his words. And the relentless lying. If anyone thinks Trump has no serious mental health issues, they haven't been paying attention.
Yes,I agree.The Dems eating their young to me, is the equivalent of James Comey announcing 6 days before the 2016 election that he was considering reopening the case against Hillary Clinton “But her emails” effectively ruining her chances and leaving her campaign in shambles.The damage then was irreparable and with what they are doing to Biden, the same result may happen.This is one of the biggest hit jobs that I have witnessed since that time.I have said before, as evil and malicious the Republican Party is, they stand by their man to a fault.All of the horrible bs that Trump spews like oral dysentery daily is A-ok by them.I am very resentful that this is happening and of course I will support the Dem candidate against Trump.As Joy Ann Reid said, she would vote for Biden”if his brains were in a jar” but damn.
This is how fascists win. You’ve noticed that most of our news media are owned by conservatives and Wall Street hedge funds. Our last two county papers just fell to a hedge fund. This is how they operate. Victor Orban has been instructing CPAC every step of the way, and getting standing ovations while doing it.
Don’t agree with setting an orphanage on fire on Xmas eve would make Biden a better man. That’s a low dive for a POTUS to do, but we all know Biden would never do that so Trump will always lose out on real life comparisons of Biden.
Well, in fairness, if TFG were to be the one setting an orphanage on fire, he'd say it was in the periphery of some official act and claim immunity. And once it got to SCOTFG to assess his claim, we all know how that would turn out. Cannot even believe this whole nightmare.
The point wasn't that burning down an orphanage would make Joe a better man; it was that Joe would still be a better man than donald, in spite of such a heinous act.
On top of all the ridiculous email stories which pushed down HRC’s vote count, James Comey added a big shove (to lower her vote count further) which was just too much because of his timing.
HRC has said this herself.
Comey spoke out in July and then twice more, just before the 2016 election. In July, Comey broke DOJ policy by speaking out to say there would be no charges. Then kept talking and said some crap about HRC having been egregiously careless — without example or details. Just threw out the accusation, unsubstantiated.
The next time with just before the 2016 election. This time to say the FBI was going to review a computer they’d found which belonged to an aide of HRC. HRC said she was just recovering in the polls from that public announcement when Comey came out a second time; this time to say nothing new was found on the computer they’d searched. The polls dipped, again, and, according to HRC, there just wasn’t time to recover after Comey spoke out and brought the whole damn thing up again.
BTW, when Colin Powell was Sec of State, he used a private email server — AOL, no less — and recommended HRC do so, too. HRC did Powell one better (more secure than AOL). She used a private email server set up when Bill was POTUS and she turned over copies to the state Department. (It’s not clear if Powell bothered.)
So, we’ll never know who would have won in 2016 if James Comey had just followed DOJ policy and kept his big fat mouth shut. It sure would be better if we did know. That’s the election I wish we’d had — you know the one the rules say we should have had.
Comey couldn’t shut up about HRC. But what Comey kept quiet was that the FBI was investigating the Trump campaign. So Comey knew how to follow DOJ policy when it suited him. He just wanted to put his big fat thumb on scale against HRC. He tried to cover over his gaffe by explaining that “everyone knew HRC would win” — bite me.
Very well stated! I wish more people would discuss what Comey did! So many Democrats decided not to vote during this election that effectively handed us the Dumpster fire. Democrats need to vote in a block for every single Democrat up and down the ballots for the rest of our lives. Enough of the fear and the hand wringing! As FDR said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Let’s make this a blue tsunami people!
Kevin McCarthy bragged on Hannity’s show hearings the House held on the HRC drove down her poll numbers. McCarthy was defending himself from Hannity’s “What has the House accomplished?” Hannity responded to McCarthy “I give you credit for that.”
I’m so tired of the phony GOP ‘lawfare” whining. The GOP investigates whoever they see as the potential or elected Dem president Couldn’t get traction on Obama. Got warmed up at least 10 yrs ago (Benghazii). Then pivoted to never ending emails & Biden/Ukraine etc Funny thing about the Ukraine “investigations” the GOP were in favor of what Biden did, until Donnie came along. After all it was the official policy of the US and allies.
Trump will avoid an interview. He prefers to ask and answer his own questions—unless it is a huge ego stroke, and I can’t see Taylor Swift offering to sit down with him. She wouldn’t be safe with the famous lech. He still needs to answer every question put to him at the debate because he didn’t answer a single one.
I do think his feet must be kept to the fire with demands for press conferences and interviews coming in torrents. The more he opens his mouth, the worse he will show himself to be. Leaving him untouched for a week is ridiculous. Few outlets said anything about his July 4 tweet. His evil ideas should be put before the public every day. Exposing him is far more important than investigating whether or not Biden is old.
That wasn't a "real journalist interview" that Stephanolopous produced. Only one question again and again and again. Would have been much better had he moved on to ask about other important current topics - like recent Supreme court cases for example.
I was astonished by President Biden's patience while being asked the same question over and over in different ways. I would have told Stephanopoulos to ask a new question or shut up. The only point of that so called interview was to give the wrong impression that Biden wouldn't answer the question. I guess George didn't like the answers. Journalistic malpractice.
I would actually like to see someone other than Swan, since he has already done it and done it well. But who else is there out there who would be good at it = Rachel Maddow but he would never agree to that, even Nichole Wallace would do a good job - the rest of them have become hacks.
Perhaps Trump's narcissistically pathological ego could be tricked into sitting for an interview with Heather Cox Richardson, by offering him a chance to show Biden up (recalling Biden's wonderful interview with HCR, was it last year?) And Trump likely has absolutely no idea who HCR is, so it might work.
I was so frustrated watching that interview. I can only imagine Biden’s frustration and thought he handled it well. Doesn’t anyone else have an elder in their family who, yes, is slowing down, but is still the one you go to for thoughtful and sage advice?
I recently finished reading Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs and was struck by what he had to say about press coverage during the Civil War and how it parallels what we're seeing right now, with the disproportionate hysteria over Biden's mental fitness drowning out the existential threat Trump poses to democracy itself (during the Civil War, every Union setback was magnified and success minimized, whereas the Confederacy experienced the opposite). Here is what Grant wrote then; sure sounds a lot like what we're seeing with the MSM today, where every setback or struggle by Biden is magnified beyond belief whereas Trump's deranged behavior is overlooked and treated as old news.
“Battles had been fought of as great severity as had ever been known in war, over ground from the James River and Chickahominy, near Richmond, to Gettysburg and Chambersburg, in Pennsylvania, with indecisive results, sometimes favoring the National army, sometimes to the Confederate army; but in every instance, I believe, claimed as victories for the South by the Southern press if not by the Southern generals. The Northern press, as a whole, did not discourage these claims; a portion of it always magnified rebel successes and belittled ours, while another portion, most sincerely earnest in their desire for the preservation of the Union and the overwhelming success of the Federal armies, would nevertheless generally express dissatisfaction with whatever victories were gained because they were not more complete.” — “Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant,” page 364
I wrote an entire piece about this dynamic before the debate fallout took it to a whole new level:
Grant’s Memoirs should be required reading in any Civil War course. The original edition is also a work of publishing art, with foldout maps of campaigns in case the reader has trouble following Grant’s lucid descriptions.
Couldn't agree more. Also worth noting that during the 1864 campaign, Lincoln had been pretty much written off the way Biden is being now. In fact, perhaps the only person in American history who was counted out more times by the pundit class than Biden was Lincoln. Many of the same people demanding that he step down now said he should defer to Hillary in 2016 (how did that work out?) and wrote him off as too old and uninspiring in 2020 (before he won the primaries going away against the largest field of candidates ever to seek a major party's presidential nomination). I guess the pundits think the third time will be the charm.
I wonder if Biden was supposed to defer to Hillary because of the gender issue. Many thought after having a black (bi racial) Obama presidency it was time for us to have a female president, but obviously that didn’t work out too well. One has to wonder if Biden could have beaten Trump in 2016. And then there was the Bernie factor too, that went south in a discouraging way. We’ll never know of course but history will do well to remind us that picking a nominee for POTUS is never a simple act.
The President's son, Beau, was sick with cancer, he passed in May of 2015. Biden said publicly that is why he didn't run in 2016. He is a good man, who would be ending his second successful term, preparing to pass the torch to another Dem, had life not thrown him another terrible break.
Of course they do - the Heritage Foundation is extremely tactical. What they have accomplished so far has been brilliant. I’m speaking from a “war” point of view - because that’s what is going on - war. I’ve been saying it for years. I lived among very powerful men previously but I am honest and they were- well - like Project 2025. Now I watch and comment while being protected by not nice people.
How would an opponent country take down the best military in the entire world. There’s only one way - attack from within.
It’s right out of the Art of War.
How was Troy defeated?
How was any powerful nation taken down? Have them fight each other. Then while they are fighting each other they enemy is free to operate.
Hence the bump stock decision by the Supreme Court.
None of the Ultra wealthy will be effected. Their money is offshore. The powerful people I knew moved their money offshore. I was “shut up”. So I sent the information I had gathered to my congressional representative - just like John Travolta sends his files to the EPA at the end of the movie “The Client”. But again the corrupted Supreme Court is one step ahead c/o the wealthy Heritage Foundation and Leonard Leo because they are dismantling the very agencies that can track that offshore money.
Grant's memoirs are so compelling; parts read as if they were written to guide us in our present day.
The line that struck me in the heart was his simple observation that still speaks today, "Many thought Robert E Lee couldn't be defeated. But I knew Lee."
It hit me like a ton of bricks that this quiet man, like few others, was not afraid of Lee.
Grant had known Lee all of his adult life, from West Point through the Mexican War and beyond. He knew the 'halo effect' that swirled around Lee. He knew Lee's style.
And he knew he could defeat him.
And it was Grant, though often dismissed by history, who saved the Union.
Never full of himself, Grant soldiered on and did the work.
And these are the people who do the work of victory.
"In less than a week, according to journalist Jennifer Schulze’s count, the Times had published 70 stories, 20 opinion columns and four podcasts about Biden’s performance, in addition to the editorial board’s editorial the day after the debate insisting Biden should leave the race. Forget simply covering the news: This pile-on by many news outlets seems determined to force Biden out." How about that NYT editorial by the Hitler-lookalike, MATTHEW WALTHER, who turns out to be Major MAGA apologist?! "Why You Shouldn't Vote" was the title of his piece of crap.
WHAT is going on, do you think?? Is it ALL about money? I vividly remember Les Moonves, the (President?) of CBS, rubbing his hands together in October, 2016, and bragging, "There's no way he's gonna win. Meanwhile, we've made a BILLION!"
We know entertainment conglomerates own the major networks. So, yeah, it’s about drama, clicks, and $$. Reminds me of the titans of industry who are still much lauded for their innovation etc. as they played footsie with Hitler to make $$.
My question is - Will they keep this up whenever we might have an authoritarian president (no matter their name) to keep themselves off the hit list? We know it’s not a Donnie joke. He’s been enjoying the havoc he created with his ‘enemy of the people’. He tried out not so minor things during his administration that got little scrutiny that should terrify them. At the least, his administration secretly obtained phone info from WaPo, CNN and NYT reporters. And then there is this database — note that it was used to detain, interrogate reporters and others, sometimes detaining them in MX when they tried to reenter the US.
Les Moonves not the President of CBS … the PREDATOR of CBS … shocked that he wasn’t on the JE flight logs or perhaps he was and the NYT is looking the other way on that as well…
I canceled my long-term subscription to the NYT yesterday, and told them it was because of the incessant one-sided badgering of Biden while nearly ignoring the craziness of TFG. I wonder why Dash Sulzberger, publisher and chair of NYT, has such a vendetta against Biden?
I read that it was because President Biden refused to give him (the NYT) an exclusive interview. trump-like temper tantrum, wouldn't you say? -- vindictive
I tried to comment on several NYT Biden bashing columns and they weren’t allowing comments. Cowards! I guess they got tired of all the people saying they were going to cancel subscriptions!
I saw the link to Walther’s article 🤮 and refused to try to open it.
OTOH, we should not expect better from those who support or give a free pass to maga. A free pass to “we’re not a democracy” “democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb deciding what’s for dinner. You don’t want that.( Speaker Johnson parroting one of their fave talking points.)
trump doesn't and didn't during the debate answer a single question. He pivots. That's why FLOTUS congratulated President Biden for answering every question.
This is obviously a perilous moment in the history of our country and not a normal election.
I say that no matter what question is asked and in every speech the President gives between now and November he only talks about freedom over oppression. Democracy over a fascist dictatorship. Over and over and over again. Quote Project 2025. Talk about reforming the SC. Talk about what happens to a democratic country when it loses it's Democracy to a fascist dictatorship.
Scare the shit out of people to drive them to the polls. It's justifiable because it's the truth.
What is actually going on with the media???!!! It’s getting scary. I’ve cancelled by NYT subscription and turned off CNN…actually not watching any news. Reading clear headed and honest Substack like this!
Any pushback against a media determined to tilt the playing field against Biden needs to come from We the People. As often as they raise the prospect that Biden is too old we need to remind them that Trump is going to turn America into his own personal vision of a hell scape on earth beholding to him.
And we have a means to do that.
We now have an interesting connection between the so-called supreme courts decision on immunity and that of Project 2025. They fit like a hand in a glove. Project 2025 is geared to give unlimited power to the presidency. And the presidency now has immunity for "official acts."
Trump and the Heritage Foundation are trying to put daylight between themselves as they understand that Project 2025 is deeply unpopular. A lot of voters are seeing the light and connecting the dots. And this is our leverage.
We can take every opportunity to speak out on public forums and remind people exactly what awaits us all should Trump prevail this Nov.
Alright, let’s tear through the fog of complacency and get to the raw nerve of this mess. When, oh when, will we witness an interview of Trump that doesn’t tiptoe around the truth like a scared mouse in a cat’s lair? We need a journalist with the guts of a kamikaze pilot, someone who won’t back down, who’ll drill into Trump’s rhetoric until the facade crumbles and the ugly truth is laid bare for all to see.
Judge Tanya Chutkan’s hearing might just be the stick of dynamite we’ve been waiting for. Imagine if this hearing finally exposes Trump’s hand in the January 6th debacle, classifying his actions as criminal. The media would have no choice but to pounce, digging their claws in deeper, fueled by a newfound legitimacy to hold him accountable.
And then there’s Project 2025, a sinister plot straight from the dystopian nightmares of Orwell and Huxley, crafted by the puppeteers at the Heritage Foundation. Trump’s laughable claims of ignorance about this plan are a transparent lie. The media should be tearing this apart, revealing the deceit and demanding answers. This isn’t just political theater; it’s a potential death knell for democracy.
As the Republican National Convention looms, the media stands at a crucial juncture. Will they finally seize the moment to scrutinize Trump’s platform with the precision of a sniper, or will they continue their lopsided fixation on Biden’s every misstep? This double standard is not just annoying; it’s a powder keg ready to blow. If the media continues to give Trump a free pass, they’re not just failing in their duty—they’re complicit in the rise of authoritarianism.
We need a press corps with the tenacity of rabid wolves, journalists who will sink their teeth into the truth and not let go until every last shred of deception is torn away. The stakes have never been higher. This is a battle for the soul of the nation, and the media must rise to the challenge, wield their pens like swords, and cut through the lies that have shielded Trump for far too long. The future of our democracy hangs in the balance.
WOW! “Kamikaze pilot...stick of dynamite....sniper....powder keg...rabid wolves...swords!” I absolutely LOVE your imagery. And agree with every word. RIGHT ON!!
I also wonder if MSM is actually afraid of Trump, the Project 2025 Authoritarian God Squad, and Maga-Corporate alliance. In other words, are they essentially obeying tyrants in advance (per @Timothy Snyder)?
But the feeding frenzy is disgusting and the tail is wagging the dog. They are making this news and creating this Biden handwringing zeitgeist by their ad nauseam repetition, coupled with neglect of other crucial stories—like you said.
No, there will not because our corporate media is owned by GOP billionaires who want project 2025 installed and Trump as their are dictator. There has been no news this week despite the Epstein files release, more lies & how he still is a convicted felon awaiting trials on 55 more felony charges
True. Minor little things like that happening out in the world.
• Iran somewhat unexpectedly elected a new somewhat more moderate leader to replace the one in the plane crash.
• There appears to be sizable progress in a peace settlement for Gaza. Although Netanyahu (whose power depends on war) is sending out signals that he will stall. This comes after the IDF has publicly said it has made enough progress to favor a truce. It does not have the equipment, ammunition etc. to continue fighting in Gaza and defend against Hezbollah.
I cannot thank you enough for your insightful, calm, reasoned and realistic assessment of this current media dump. We are now at a point where media pundits (e.g. Michael Smerconish) are criticizing the public for pushing back on this inordinate amount of coverage about Biden's mental acuity. He claims it is their "journalistic duty to examine the president's mental capacity." Even if I agreed with this fatuous claim, the public might benefit from one story and then MOVE ON. The media does a great job of moving on from really important stories (i.e. climate change, Supreme Court crisis, wars in Israel and Ukraine, women's health crisis resulting from insane attacks on reproductive rights), but cannot move past weeks and weeks of asking Joe Biden if he feels 'up to the job.' If I were President Biden I would shoot back: "Does the media feel up to the job of covering the nation's concerns about being driven toward a fascist society since Trump never answered any questions posed to him during the debate."
I agree with your term "feeding frenzy". Seriously, what is going on here? It's a case of eating one's own, a tragic case of hubris on the part of the media, which sees itself as the anointed "decider" of this question. Trump is certainly rubbing his hands in glee.
So is Putin! Is this the price of corporate takeover of news? They want a few more GOP tax cuts? I would think the press would back iden against fascism...but that does not appear to be true!
I've said it before, too, that it's "but her emails" all over again. The REAL stolen election was in 2016 after the character assassination of Hillary Clinton by the press and James Comey. So many people I know told me then that they couldn't vote for her, but could rarely give me a solid reason. I'm suspecting it was the daily headlines about her "dishonesty". Really?? Compared to tffg???
The felony convictions and dishonesty of tffg and his family have been completely ignored, as has his blathering about sharks, batteries, movie characters and other non-sequiturs, all while we hear the (again) incessant drumbeat of complaints about President Biden's competence, and about his son, Hunter (who has hurt no one but himself and his family).
President Biden has been the most accomplished President in many decades, but all his achievements, including undoing all the harm that incompetent orange bastard unleashed on the US -- indeed, on the entire planet, are also totally ignored. He's rarely taken to task about his continuous stream of outrageous lies, nor does he answer any question coherently. Why isn't HE being told to step down (preferably into a jail cell)?
I guess the Washington Post appreciates irony with it's disingenuous slogan, and the New York Times should just insert the word "Fox" somewhere into its name.
Instead of reporting that Trump told 28 lies in the debate, I want the public to hear the fact checking behind each lie. I want the public to hear more about Project 2025 and how it would change our country and their lives instead of focusing on Biden’s age. If the press is going to call for a cognitive exam for Biden, they should call for a psychiatric exam for Trump.
Seth Abramson went line-by-line from the debate transcript and counted 601 lies. Why isn’t that being discussed by the shameful MSM? When debates were normal, everyone including the media would have ousted dumpster fire as a candidate and he would have been forced to drop out. Make no mistake, this was NOT a debate. I ask anyone saying Biden should drop out, have you ever been personally confronted on a national stage by a sociopath and narcissist that lies with every word coming out their mouths? I don’t think many of us would do well under those circumstances, young or old!
What happened at the debate was described by another Substacker I just discovered (a family therapist) as classic intimate relationship terrorism. She's seen stuff like this hundreds of times in her practice, and I tell you it sure fits the bill. Biden was trying his best to keep up, and did so quite admirably, considering that he was dealing with what was essentially an assault incident. I'm with him 100% and have been broadcasting my opinion loud and clear these days.
In addition to my previous comment, I sent this to The New York Times: “Your ongoing and unbalanced coverage of and prejudice against President Biden is grossly unfair and the epitome of bad journalism. Where is your coverage of Donald Trump and his incessant lying? Where is your coverage of his disavowal of and ignorance of Project 2025? The Times’ ability to exist is due to the First Amendment which, if Trump perchance is elected in November, might be on the table for a major change. A President Trump will wilt to the wiles of his undemocratic supporters like The Heritage Foundation, and the rights of citizens, and possibly newspapers will be exorcised in a new and fascistic United States of America. And where will The Times be then?”
When all the conversations about you are negative you need to change the subject. The presidential immunity SCOTUS decision is so outlandish, Biden needs to look like a man of action by official acting something bold. Then Trump may take the bait for an interview. He showed when he didn’t debate in the primaries, he feels he’s only duty bound to win.
Yes. Take advantage of the new rules in an ethical way that shows the priorities of the the Biden-Harris Administration. If the Supremes want to stop him, they'll have to leave their summer vacations to do so. And even if he's stopped by them, it would show he is fighting.
I’m not optimistic - Big-j journalism has gone from reporting the story to being the story. It’s going to be up to all of us to write the story on November 5th.
MAGA is uncomplicated & loud, so their message carries easier. They’re willing to break the rules, so they’re effective at stopping our progress. And they’re without shame, so they can do or say anything. No one has proven able to get over this. But WE don't have time limits, advertisers or corporate bosses. Pro-democracy Americans need to get the word out about the dangers of Trump and Project 2025.
How do we go about doing this? Canceling my NYT subscription is too small for this task. Who will push what's in Project 2025 if the media won't? Will MSNBC do it?
I have become convinced the majority of the members of the media want a Trump Presidency. They don’t care about our democracy, but the guaranteed chaos of a Trump democracy would provide unlimited stories and more money in their pockets. I used to be a faithful MSNBC, but the daytime anchors have become unwatchable
I don't agree that "the majority of the members of the media want a Trump Presidency". The evidence points to an inability to consider the consequences of their actions. Too many of them are immature in their thinking abilities. To them, their job as journalists is to create catchy headlines and clicks for their paper. On a personal level, they want to be seen as clever and ahead of their peers. Not all of them, by any means: I've seen a number of journalists who are speaking out. They are ignored, unfortunately not just by editors but sadly by us. Too many of us are as caught up in this silly argument as they are.
We need to be calling them out by demanding that they cover Trump in the same way, instead of wailing amongst ourselves. I came to this substack today because someone I respect recommended I read this post. That is because I wrote a letter to a journalist who had jumped on the Biden age bandwagon without question. I said that every story that mentions Biden's "age" issue needs to also go into a review of Trump's behavior, because the way it is being covered is irresponsibly one-sided.
WE need to be the people who call them on it, who write the rebuttals, who demand that they actually act like journalists. We need to do it every time, every day, to every journalist (and editor) who fails to adhere to the most basic of journalistic tenets: be fair, be honest, and tell the whole story. I know we come together to share our concerns, and that is valid, But just complaining about it to people who already agree isn't going to change how this election is covered. WE have to make noise. Repeatedly, with clarity, and without rancor, but with the conviction that the media owes us more than clickbait.
The total number of people over 65 living alone will reach 1.5 billion by about 2050. Who will remember them and go to bat for them starting now? Trump? Joe will go……
Absolutely what I wondered when I watched the battery of different versions of the same accusation Biden suffered through while his opponent spouts fantasies, lies, and rambles through his uninformed perception of history, with little pushback from most mainstream media people. This was a full-on assault on a candidate who may stutter and stumble, but whose character and statesmanship are proven assets. There seems to be a clear choice at the moment---democracy with its flaws or autocracy with a narcissistic sociopath at the helm. Even if Joe Biden steps down, there are other choices who make infinitely more sense than Trump and a bleak future.
Well Steve, as they say in Vegas, "Journalism has left the building". MSM is only click bait anymore and they believe proffit margins, due to social media, will improve under Fascism by contract producing propaganda.
When hell freezes over? The devil has many faces, he would never allow the veil to be lifted. Besides, he would just change masks and his friends would love his making fools.
Don't mean to hijack, Steven, but damn, Stephanopoulos was nasty. We shouldn't let these things go. They grow without merit and the story becomes the thing. But the truth is, without Biden, Trump will most assuredly win. They all have to know that. Is that really what they want?
A friend said to me this morning “Biden must really worry the GOP, as the criticism is over the top”. I agree. If they didn’t see him as a viable threat, they would simply ignore him. Biden impresses me as a person who is open to the opinions of his trusted advisors. Trump showed us for 4 miserable years that he would fire anyone who disagreed with him. There is no room in his world for an opinion more valid than his own. This alone is why Biden is the more attractive candidate, along with the fact that Trump is a convicted felon, and will never have the best interest of America at heart. I still wonder what Putin has on him. Thank you for your continued efforts. Much appreciated!
The mainstream press should formally request a 20 minute biweekly interview with Trump and then report each day on how long he has declined such an interview. No one in the press is holding him to account for failing to explain his candidacy and his plans for a second term. The press should NOT let up on documenting his effort to remain invisible to voters.
The never Trumpers are out in force and it reminds me that Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace helped bring us Alito and Robert’s and let’s not forget Sarah Palin and that debacle. And who can forget the stories about Joe Scarborough?
These people became among others our trusted news sources. Nicole Wallace just discovered Project 2025 this week.
I read the whole damn thing months ago. I am old like Joe Biden. And if you take what they are writing and saying ad nauseam about Biden and extrapolated it out to my crowd maybe nobody over the age of 75 should not be allowed to vote or be tested prior.
There is precedent for that sort of thing a few years back. Maybe we should go back to literacy testing or how about just white men who own property? I live it NC. We elected a lieutenant governor 4 years ago who says people like me need to be killed and as a women he gets to decide the appropriate length of my skirt. People in a church in Bladen County NC on Jume30 gave this guy a round of applause. Donal Trump, the Supreme Court, the Heritage Foundation and their Project 2025 are incestous . And the NYT, CNN, Washington Post, MSNC et al have fulfilled Donald Trump’s wish. They are now fake news.
In the immortal words of a great son of North Carolina:
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and failed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that it why I succeed.
I took a history of the Civil War class my senior year at a southern university in 1972. There was one question for the write everything you know in a blue book in a timed forum final exam. We read for one whole semester. I was a history minor and also took WW2 history. Very long story short for a moron sorority girl at 21 years old here is the question: what are the strategy and tactics of the Union Army that allowed them to win the Civil War. Five A’s were given in a big class big university. I did really well accidentally. 😂 So I challenge us in this community to remember what we learned in kindergarten and upper school and remember the strategy and tactics that elected Joe Biden in 2020. It was during the worst of covid. Vaccines were not out fully. Mail in ballots were attacked by Louis DeJoy. Lines to vote in masks were intentionally hours long. But we went to the polls and 81.2 million people across all walks of life voted Trump out. We will do so again with more voters. Trump has lost support not gained it.
I have had that same question even before the debate!!! Why are the media avoiding having sit down interviews with the Orange Idiot?? Why are we not talking about and questioning him about Project 2025? Why is NO ONE just asking, WHY ARE YOU LYING????
1) The media is already ignoring the info about Trump, Epstein, and 12 year old girls so I’m going to assume there’s an equivalent immunity in the press for any Trump acts, no matter how heinous.
2) I doubt the interviewer exists who could keep Trump on task unless electric shocks were allowed.
3) The recurrence of exposure of Trump’s crimes during Chutkan’s open court review of Jack Smith’s evidence might move the needle, especially if the Biden-to-old-OMG-that-debate! meltdown goes the way of the Genocide-Joe-campuses-in-chaos story that was all the thing before summer killed it.
I fear that there will never be the interview you seek. It appears the "main stream" media have no interest in honest and fair coverage; it doesn't seem to be their business model.
Yes, Trump needs an unscripted live tv interview. The last interview I remember was with Time, a written transcription and nothing live. And even in the written form he sent chills up my spine.
I canceled my subscription to the NY Times. I no longer felt I could trust them. There has not been enough serious reporting regarding of the NY felon's lies and crimes. Now the lying whiner wants to have everyone believe he knows little if anything about Project 2025. We can pretty much bet he has not read because it is well known he does not read, but many of his cult followers have had a hand in writing this 900 page manifesto. He knows what's in it! If you believe he doesn't, I have bridge I will sell you.
I canceled my subscription to NY Times for 2 months. If they come around, I’ll reinstate. If not, it will be permanent. This week I’m planning to cancel my WaPo for same reason. I cannot pay any newspaper for a one-sided attack on a presidential candidate. I’ve had enough. WaPo now simply counts the number of politicians who urge Biden to step aside. What kind of high school-level journalism is that? Disgusting, shameful, and antidemocratic.
Think of it this way. That is 192 times President Joe Biden’s name was in front of peoples’ eyes and the felon’s name was not. That is 192 times the President’s name was imprinted in people’s minds and the tfg was not. It is one way of getting Honest Joe’s name out there regardless of how it was done. That means if people are talking about Honest Joe, his name is mentioned over and over again, irrespective of content. This can really be seen as a positive thing, I think. GO HONEST JOE!!
What can we do to have the media interrogate the authoritarian thug? I need to take action and yes I am canvassing and phone banking - and yet something needs to be done to address this issue as you so clearly state !
I’m so sick of the media trying to sell us a bill of goods, are they on trump payroll???? I stand with Joe Biden, he is the man. He has given us all a better world.
Like Prof Heather Cox-Richardson said on her TikTok chat, she believes the Media is “creating” a story. Heather stated she has spent the last 6 weeks with POTUS and he is fine! Shame on George Stephanopoulos for hounding the President for the answer George wanted. POTUS answered. NEXT QUESTION!
I’m so glad that you have written this post. I am sick and tired of the New York Times. I’m not reading their comments anymore because they are so impossible. I did read Tressie Cottam’s opinion peace in the Times today and I wrote her an email telling her to stop trying to depress anybody who wants to get rid of Trump and the Republicans from working to do that. She just says it’s all hopeless in the end of things and there’s nothing that we can do even though we are in the majority. Can you get somebody to ask Trump to have an interview? Also, I have noticed that 2022 photograph of Trump without make up, which shows how old he is, much older even than Biden. I think that should be put on buses and billboards everywhere.
Thank you for the thoughts, well said! Biden represents the "shiny new thing" to sell articles, while Trump's lies are so expected now that no one really pays attention. But as you point out, Trump SHOULD be confronted with them. That's a huge part of the media problem--they won't. And Trump would never agree to an interview of rapid-fire and fact-checked questioning like Biden did, not even for 22 minutes! So it is up to Biden himself (and Kamala) to do the media's work for them. This of course is why Biden's debate performance was so worrisome: if he isn't up to the task of communicating and refuting all of the lies, who will? How will that effect the voters?
I'm for Biden staying on IF HE CAN WIN. That begins by humbly responding to concerns--a real physical and cognitive test. Why hasn't he already done this? Why did he tell George he hasn't even watched his debate performance? With this way of not handling the situation and blaming the press, he runs the risk of losing, regardless of what is "fair".
Please note - the so-called “debate” was not a debate. It was yet another opportunity for agent orange to spew his poisonous lies. There were no challenges to him by the moderators, as he was allowed to tell his lies every time he spoke. He covered up his disgusting body with a suit and orange face paint. Note also - Biden did not fail. Even if he were in a wheelchair, a coma or a coffin, he would have outperformed agent orange many fold.
And now agent orange would have his followers believe he knows nothing about and had nothing to do with the creation of project 2025. Evidence abounds to the contrary of this lie.
The press will not push agent orange because they are making too much $$$$ from the chaos right now (as in 2016). So it is up to all of us to convey the message about kevin roberts and agent orange’s pet project 2025. Maybe cancel your subscriptions to the ny times and wapo as well.
Vote Blue in November and tell a friend about project 2025. If we prevail, maybe something can be done about one of the real enablers here - cj feckless roberts. moscow will go away on his own and then go to hell for what he has done.
My short answer to your question is I Don’t Know. I can’t recall an interview during the last election campaign either. Joe Biden will most likely spend the rest of this campaign defending himself. Many fine political careers have been derailed by a single misstep. For Ted Kennedy it was Chappaquiddick. Nixon had Watergate. When it was revealed that Tom Eagleton, George McGovern’s running mate had been hospitalized for depression, he was booted off the ticket. In 1988 Gary Hart slept with Donna Rice (horrors!). Why does Trump seem to be the glaring exception? In my 67 years on planet earth I have not seen anything as remotely frightening and terrifying as conditions are now. Trump’s crimes and shortcomings are so well documented and transparent that he has a very real chance of winning in November almost defies belief. His life is an open book. The issues are not rocket science. And yet 74,000,000-a number I still can’t get my head around-voted for him in the last election. There seems to be a kind of malignant willful ignorance in America. I fervently hope and pray that history doesn’t repeat itself.
This is exactly right, Steven. I have no problem with there being concerns about Biden's suitability after his poor performance during the debate. However, I have a very big problem with the complete pass given to Trump about his debate performance. Over 30 lies in a 90 minute span. Isn't that disqualifying as well? Where is the call for Trump to withdraw after that? Or, more importantly, after being convicted for financial fraud and for sexual assault? Why didn't the NY Times call for Trump to withdraw after his convictions? Or because of January 6? My issue is not with their concern about Biden but rather the complete lack of symmetry in dealing with Trump
I agree with everything you say. But the media will never change. It will continue put Biden’s every word, every day under a microscope. Meanwhile Trump gets a free pass. He remains an existential threat to our democracy. But not enough people seem to care. What a tragedy
I’m not sure that not enough people care. We have to work as hard as we possibly can to let them know what the aches are in this election and get them out to vote.
It’s the Democrats eating their own once again. Just like Al Franken had to go, and he is a saint compared to every one of the Republican weasels in either house.
And the media ringing their hands all day and all night about Biden’s failures while not considering that if Biden set an orphanage on fire, on Christmas Eve, he would still be an incredibly better man than Trump.
I love MSNBC, watch it every day, and these days I feel like it’s 2016 and it’s “but Hillary’s emails” all over again. I still think the media made a mountain out of a molehill and cost her the election.
I so agree. I'm furious that the media has uniformly normalized Trump. He fell asleep everyday in his CRIMINAL TRIAL. They barely covered the crimes or framed the trials in terms of his incessant wrongdoing. And they never said much about his inability to stay awake-a sign of a dottering fool. OR that Biden was actually answering the questions. Trump was nothing but lies and gibberish.
Not to mention the babbling at his rallies of sentences that descend into gibberish, and the slurring of his words. And the relentless lying. If anyone thinks Trump has no serious mental health issues, they haven't been paying attention.
Yes,I agree.The Dems eating their young to me, is the equivalent of James Comey announcing 6 days before the 2016 election that he was considering reopening the case against Hillary Clinton “But her emails” effectively ruining her chances and leaving her campaign in shambles.The damage then was irreparable and with what they are doing to Biden, the same result may happen.This is one of the biggest hit jobs that I have witnessed since that time.I have said before, as evil and malicious the Republican Party is, they stand by their man to a fault.All of the horrible bs that Trump spews like oral dysentery daily is A-ok by them.I am very resentful that this is happening and of course I will support the Dem candidate against Trump.As Joy Ann Reid said, she would vote for Biden”if his brains were in a jar” but damn.
I’m with Joy! I’d vote for Biden if he was on life support and they had to duct tape him to the Oval Office desk!
This is how fascists win. You’ve noticed that most of our news media are owned by conservatives and Wall Street hedge funds. Our last two county papers just fell to a hedge fund. This is how they operate. Victor Orban has been instructing CPAC every step of the way, and getting standing ovations while doing it.
We are marching(goose stepping) headlong into Nazism.
Exactly. Ruth Ben-Ghiat has been warning us for the last 10 years about Trump. She is an expert on fascism.
The US is caught up in a massive death wish.
No, the media is.
If Trump wins, he will eventually shut them down in favor of Truth Social.
Absolutely Malcolm.
I think people are still in denial or are simply not paying attention.
Please leave me out of that unfortunate generalization.
Don’t agree with setting an orphanage on fire on Xmas eve would make Biden a better man. That’s a low dive for a POTUS to do, but we all know Biden would never do that so Trump will always lose out on real life comparisons of Biden.
Well, in fairness, if TFG were to be the one setting an orphanage on fire, he'd say it was in the periphery of some official act and claim immunity. And once it got to SCOTFG to assess his claim, we all know how that would turn out. Cannot even believe this whole nightmare.
And the biggest fire anyone ever set.
And the media would shrug and say oh it’s Trump being Trump and would either not cover it or bury it on page 13.
The infamous “page 13.”
The point wasn't that burning down an orphanage would make Joe a better man; it was that Joe would still be a better man than donald, in spite of such a heinous act.
On top of all the ridiculous email stories which pushed down HRC’s vote count, James Comey added a big shove (to lower her vote count further) which was just too much because of his timing.
HRC has said this herself.
Comey spoke out in July and then twice more, just before the 2016 election. In July, Comey broke DOJ policy by speaking out to say there would be no charges. Then kept talking and said some crap about HRC having been egregiously careless — without example or details. Just threw out the accusation, unsubstantiated.
The next time with just before the 2016 election. This time to say the FBI was going to review a computer they’d found which belonged to an aide of HRC. HRC said she was just recovering in the polls from that public announcement when Comey came out a second time; this time to say nothing new was found on the computer they’d searched. The polls dipped, again, and, according to HRC, there just wasn’t time to recover after Comey spoke out and brought the whole damn thing up again.
BTW, when Colin Powell was Sec of State, he used a private email server — AOL, no less — and recommended HRC do so, too. HRC did Powell one better (more secure than AOL). She used a private email server set up when Bill was POTUS and she turned over copies to the state Department. (It’s not clear if Powell bothered.)
So, we’ll never know who would have won in 2016 if James Comey had just followed DOJ policy and kept his big fat mouth shut. It sure would be better if we did know. That’s the election I wish we’d had — you know the one the rules say we should have had.
Comey couldn’t shut up about HRC. But what Comey kept quiet was that the FBI was investigating the Trump campaign. So Comey knew how to follow DOJ policy when it suited him. He just wanted to put his big fat thumb on scale against HRC. He tried to cover over his gaffe by explaining that “everyone knew HRC would win” — bite me.
Very well stated! I wish more people would discuss what Comey did! So many Democrats decided not to vote during this election that effectively handed us the Dumpster fire. Democrats need to vote in a block for every single Democrat up and down the ballots for the rest of our lives. Enough of the fear and the hand wringing! As FDR said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Let’s make this a blue tsunami people!
Kevin McCarthy bragged on Hannity’s show hearings the House held on the HRC drove down her poll numbers. McCarthy was defending himself from Hannity’s “What has the House accomplished?” Hannity responded to McCarthy “I give you credit for that.”
I’m so tired of the phony GOP ‘lawfare” whining. The GOP investigates whoever they see as the potential or elected Dem president Couldn’t get traction on Obama. Got warmed up at least 10 yrs ago (Benghazii). Then pivoted to never ending emails & Biden/Ukraine etc Funny thing about the Ukraine “investigations” the GOP were in favor of what Biden did, until Donnie came along. After all it was the official policy of the US and allies.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/03/politics/gop-senators-echoed-biden-on-ukraine-reforms-kfile/index.html
There's no question in my mind, whatsoever: the MSM elected the Orange Sadist.
Trump will avoid an interview. He prefers to ask and answer his own questions—unless it is a huge ego stroke, and I can’t see Taylor Swift offering to sit down with him. She wouldn’t be safe with the famous lech. He still needs to answer every question put to him at the debate because he didn’t answer a single one.
I do think his feet must be kept to the fire with demands for press conferences and interviews coming in torrents. The more he opens his mouth, the worse he will show himself to be. Leaving him untouched for a week is ridiculous. Few outlets said anything about his July 4 tweet. His evil ideas should be put before the public every day. Exposing him is far more important than investigating whether or not Biden is old.
I would pay to see a real journalist interview Trump. Like Jonathan Swan
That wasn't a "real journalist interview" that Stephanolopous produced. Only one question again and again and again. Would have been much better had he moved on to ask about other important current topics - like recent Supreme court cases for example.
I was astonished by President Biden's patience while being asked the same question over and over in different ways. I would have told Stephanopoulos to ask a new question or shut up. The only point of that so called interview was to give the wrong impression that Biden wouldn't answer the question. I guess George didn't like the answers. Journalistic malpractice.
George is the one who has lost his group.
He seemed to be trying to humiliate the president.
Well, George Stephanopolous...
I completely agree with that assessment. I just could not believe what I was watching.
Again … Swan did a masterful interview, ripping apart tfg’s claims during prior campaign.
I would actually like to see someone other than Swan, since he has already done it and done it well. But who else is there out there who would be good at it = Rachel Maddow but he would never agree to that, even Nichole Wallace would do a good job - the rest of them have become hacks.
Perhaps Trump's narcissistically pathological ego could be tricked into sitting for an interview with Heather Cox Richardson, by offering him a chance to show Biden up (recalling Biden's wonderful interview with HCR, was it last year?) And Trump likely has absolutely no idea who HCR is, so it might work.
Or Dr.Szell from “Marathon Man.”
Is it safe?
Where are the Jonathan Swans? So sorely needed.
Tell Trump that. Maybe that's the only way to get him in the hot seat.
I was so frustrated watching that interview. I can only imagine Biden’s frustration and thought he handled it well. Doesn’t anyone else have an elder in their family who, yes, is slowing down, but is still the one you go to for thoughtful and sage advice?
FROM A RHODES SCOLAR…DIDNT COMPORT HIS HISTORY, AND WAS A CONDESCENDING, SO CALLED FAIR AND A DISGRACE TO THE PRESIDENT 🇺🇸🌵💙🧐
I really felt Stephanopoulos was pushing hard for Biden to say he would step down. That bothered me. And I am really glad Biden refused to do that.
I recently finished reading Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs and was struck by what he had to say about press coverage during the Civil War and how it parallels what we're seeing right now, with the disproportionate hysteria over Biden's mental fitness drowning out the existential threat Trump poses to democracy itself (during the Civil War, every Union setback was magnified and success minimized, whereas the Confederacy experienced the opposite). Here is what Grant wrote then; sure sounds a lot like what we're seeing with the MSM today, where every setback or struggle by Biden is magnified beyond belief whereas Trump's deranged behavior is overlooked and treated as old news.
“Battles had been fought of as great severity as had ever been known in war, over ground from the James River and Chickahominy, near Richmond, to Gettysburg and Chambersburg, in Pennsylvania, with indecisive results, sometimes favoring the National army, sometimes to the Confederate army; but in every instance, I believe, claimed as victories for the South by the Southern press if not by the Southern generals. The Northern press, as a whole, did not discourage these claims; a portion of it always magnified rebel successes and belittled ours, while another portion, most sincerely earnest in their desire for the preservation of the Union and the overwhelming success of the Federal armies, would nevertheless generally express dissatisfaction with whatever victories were gained because they were not more complete.” — “Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant,” page 364
I wrote an entire piece about this dynamic before the debate fallout took it to a whole new level:
https://craiglazzeretti.substack.com/p/yanks-in-disarray-how-press-coverage?r=tm6pf
Grant’s Memoirs should be required reading in any Civil War course. The original edition is also a work of publishing art, with foldout maps of campaigns in case the reader has trouble following Grant’s lucid descriptions.
Couldn't agree more. Also worth noting that during the 1864 campaign, Lincoln had been pretty much written off the way Biden is being now. In fact, perhaps the only person in American history who was counted out more times by the pundit class than Biden was Lincoln. Many of the same people demanding that he step down now said he should defer to Hillary in 2016 (how did that work out?) and wrote him off as too old and uninspiring in 2020 (before he won the primaries going away against the largest field of candidates ever to seek a major party's presidential nomination). I guess the pundits think the third time will be the charm.
I wonder if Biden was supposed to defer to Hillary because of the gender issue. Many thought after having a black (bi racial) Obama presidency it was time for us to have a female president, but obviously that didn’t work out too well. One has to wonder if Biden could have beaten Trump in 2016. And then there was the Bernie factor too, that went south in a discouraging way. We’ll never know of course but history will do well to remind us that picking a nominee for POTUS is never a simple act.
The President's son, Beau, was sick with cancer, he passed in May of 2015. Biden said publicly that is why he didn't run in 2016. He is a good man, who would be ending his second successful term, preparing to pass the torch to another Dem, had life not thrown him another terrible break.
Many felt that way going into the Obama presidency.
Speaking of not simple: You know the GOPers have a strategy once the Dems do enough damage to themselves.
https://newrepublic.com/post/183439/heritage-foundation-plan-swing-states-biden-replacement
Of course they do - the Heritage Foundation is extremely tactical. What they have accomplished so far has been brilliant. I’m speaking from a “war” point of view - because that’s what is going on - war. I’ve been saying it for years. I lived among very powerful men previously but I am honest and they were- well - like Project 2025. Now I watch and comment while being protected by not nice people.
How would an opponent country take down the best military in the entire world. There’s only one way - attack from within.
It’s right out of the Art of War.
How was Troy defeated?
How was any powerful nation taken down? Have them fight each other. Then while they are fighting each other they enemy is free to operate.
Hence the bump stock decision by the Supreme Court.
None of the Ultra wealthy will be effected. Their money is offshore. The powerful people I knew moved their money offshore. I was “shut up”. So I sent the information I had gathered to my congressional representative - just like John Travolta sends his files to the EPA at the end of the movie “The Client”. But again the corrupted Supreme Court is one step ahead c/o the wealthy Heritage Foundation and Leonard Leo because they are dismantling the very agencies that can track that offshore money.
It’s true. It is Putin and China’s plan to destroy us from within. People really should stop cooperating.
I suspect the some of the ultra-ultra-wealthy fancy themselves as future powerful oligarchs. Not a very safe ‘job’.
They are diabolical
Thank you for this.
Grant's memoirs are so compelling; parts read as if they were written to guide us in our present day.
The line that struck me in the heart was his simple observation that still speaks today, "Many thought Robert E Lee couldn't be defeated. But I knew Lee."
It hit me like a ton of bricks that this quiet man, like few others, was not afraid of Lee.
Grant had known Lee all of his adult life, from West Point through the Mexican War and beyond. He knew the 'halo effect' that swirled around Lee. He knew Lee's style.
And he knew he could defeat him.
And it was Grant, though often dismissed by history, who saved the Union.
Never full of himself, Grant soldiered on and did the work.
And these are the people who do the work of victory.
Let it be so in 2024.
From your lips . . .
"In less than a week, according to journalist Jennifer Schulze’s count, the Times had published 70 stories, 20 opinion columns and four podcasts about Biden’s performance, in addition to the editorial board’s editorial the day after the debate insisting Biden should leave the race. Forget simply covering the news: This pile-on by many news outlets seems determined to force Biden out." How about that NYT editorial by the Hitler-lookalike, MATTHEW WALTHER, who turns out to be Major MAGA apologist?! "Why You Shouldn't Vote" was the title of his piece of crap.
And that column was published on the 4th of July. Terribly irresponsible.
WHAT is going on, do you think?? Is it ALL about money? I vividly remember Les Moonves, the (President?) of CBS, rubbing his hands together in October, 2016, and bragging, "There's no way he's gonna win. Meanwhile, we've made a BILLION!"
We know entertainment conglomerates own the major networks. So, yeah, it’s about drama, clicks, and $$. Reminds me of the titans of industry who are still much lauded for their innovation etc. as they played footsie with Hitler to make $$.
My question is - Will they keep this up whenever we might have an authoritarian president (no matter their name) to keep themselves off the hit list? We know it’s not a Donnie joke. He’s been enjoying the havoc he created with his ‘enemy of the people’. He tried out not so minor things during his administration that got little scrutiny that should terrify them. At the least, his administration secretly obtained phone info from WaPo, CNN and NYT reporters. And then there is this database — note that it was used to detain, interrogate reporters and others, sometimes detaining them in MX when they tried to reenter the US.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/source-leaked-documents-show-the-us-government-tracking-journalists-and-advocates-through-a-secret-database/3438/
Les Moonves not the President of CBS … the PREDATOR of CBS … shocked that he wasn’t on the JE flight logs or perhaps he was and the NYT is looking the other way on that as well…
By the Hitler lookalike, with the mustache & hairstyle no less…
I canceled my long-term subscription to the NYT yesterday, and told them it was because of the incessant one-sided badgering of Biden while nearly ignoring the craziness of TFG. I wonder why Dash Sulzberger, publisher and chair of NYT, has such a vendetta against Biden?
I read that it was because President Biden refused to give him (the NYT) an exclusive interview. trump-like temper tantrum, wouldn't you say? -- vindictive
I canceled mine as well. And for the same reason.
Sad that this important paper has gone down so far in reliability for truth.
I tried to comment on several NYT Biden bashing columns and they weren’t allowing comments. Cowards! I guess they got tired of all the people saying they were going to cancel subscriptions!
I saw the link to Walther’s article 🤮 and refused to try to open it.
OTOH, we should not expect better from those who support or give a free pass to maga. A free pass to “we’re not a democracy” “democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb deciding what’s for dinner. You don’t want that.( Speaker Johnson parroting one of their fave talking points.)
trump doesn't and didn't during the debate answer a single question. He pivots. That's why FLOTUS congratulated President Biden for answering every question.
This is obviously a perilous moment in the history of our country and not a normal election.
I say that no matter what question is asked and in every speech the President gives between now and November he only talks about freedom over oppression. Democracy over a fascist dictatorship. Over and over and over again. Quote Project 2025. Talk about reforming the SC. Talk about what happens to a democratic country when it loses it's Democracy to a fascist dictatorship.
Scare the shit out of people to drive them to the polls. It's justifiable because it's the truth.
I agree! Take off the gloves and unleash the true gravity of this felons agenda!
Fascism flourishes when people lose hope.
All these attacks on President Biden's age are causing people to lose hope that he can win.
The loathsome corrupt rapist trump is just the figurehead for now until he becomes useless and is assassinated. Fascism is the enemy.
What is actually going on with the media???!!! It’s getting scary. I’ve cancelled by NYT subscription and turned off CNN…actually not watching any news. Reading clear headed and honest Substack like this!
Same here. There is no actual news anymore. It’s all consolidated belly wash.
Follow the money.
Any pushback against a media determined to tilt the playing field against Biden needs to come from We the People. As often as they raise the prospect that Biden is too old we need to remind them that Trump is going to turn America into his own personal vision of a hell scape on earth beholding to him.
And we have a means to do that.
We now have an interesting connection between the so-called supreme courts decision on immunity and that of Project 2025. They fit like a hand in a glove. Project 2025 is geared to give unlimited power to the presidency. And the presidency now has immunity for "official acts."
Trump and the Heritage Foundation are trying to put daylight between themselves as they understand that Project 2025 is deeply unpopular. A lot of voters are seeing the light and connecting the dots. And this is our leverage.
We can take every opportunity to speak out on public forums and remind people exactly what awaits us all should Trump prevail this Nov.
THIS.
Alright, let’s tear through the fog of complacency and get to the raw nerve of this mess. When, oh when, will we witness an interview of Trump that doesn’t tiptoe around the truth like a scared mouse in a cat’s lair? We need a journalist with the guts of a kamikaze pilot, someone who won’t back down, who’ll drill into Trump’s rhetoric until the facade crumbles and the ugly truth is laid bare for all to see.
Judge Tanya Chutkan’s hearing might just be the stick of dynamite we’ve been waiting for. Imagine if this hearing finally exposes Trump’s hand in the January 6th debacle, classifying his actions as criminal. The media would have no choice but to pounce, digging their claws in deeper, fueled by a newfound legitimacy to hold him accountable.
And then there’s Project 2025, a sinister plot straight from the dystopian nightmares of Orwell and Huxley, crafted by the puppeteers at the Heritage Foundation. Trump’s laughable claims of ignorance about this plan are a transparent lie. The media should be tearing this apart, revealing the deceit and demanding answers. This isn’t just political theater; it’s a potential death knell for democracy.
As the Republican National Convention looms, the media stands at a crucial juncture. Will they finally seize the moment to scrutinize Trump’s platform with the precision of a sniper, or will they continue their lopsided fixation on Biden’s every misstep? This double standard is not just annoying; it’s a powder keg ready to blow. If the media continues to give Trump a free pass, they’re not just failing in their duty—they’re complicit in the rise of authoritarianism.
We need a press corps with the tenacity of rabid wolves, journalists who will sink their teeth into the truth and not let go until every last shred of deception is torn away. The stakes have never been higher. This is a battle for the soul of the nation, and the media must rise to the challenge, wield their pens like swords, and cut through the lies that have shielded Trump for far too long. The future of our democracy hangs in the balance.
Well said, Gloria.
Thank you, Steven.
Right on, as always, Gloria. As it stands, the Press is a corpse.
WOW! “Kamikaze pilot...stick of dynamite....sniper....powder keg...rabid wolves...swords!” I absolutely LOVE your imagery. And agree with every word. RIGHT ON!!
Great points well-stated, Gloria!
I also wonder if MSM is actually afraid of Trump, the Project 2025 Authoritarian God Squad, and Maga-Corporate alliance. In other words, are they essentially obeying tyrants in advance (per @Timothy Snyder)?
But the feeding frenzy is disgusting and the tail is wagging the dog. They are making this news and creating this Biden handwringing zeitgeist by their ad nauseam repetition, coupled with neglect of other crucial stories—like you said.
No, there will not because our corporate media is owned by GOP billionaires who want project 2025 installed and Trump as their are dictator. There has been no news this week despite the Epstein files release, more lies & how he still is a convicted felon awaiting trials on 55 more felony charges
GOP billionaires are fools if they think Project 2025 won't eventually reach them.
True. Minor little things like that happening out in the world.
• Iran somewhat unexpectedly elected a new somewhat more moderate leader to replace the one in the plane crash.
• There appears to be sizable progress in a peace settlement for Gaza. Although Netanyahu (whose power depends on war) is sending out signals that he will stall. This comes after the IDF has publicly said it has made enough progress to favor a truce. It does not have the equipment, ammunition etc. to continue fighting in Gaza and defend against Hezbollah.
I cannot thank you enough for your insightful, calm, reasoned and realistic assessment of this current media dump. We are now at a point where media pundits (e.g. Michael Smerconish) are criticizing the public for pushing back on this inordinate amount of coverage about Biden's mental acuity. He claims it is their "journalistic duty to examine the president's mental capacity." Even if I agreed with this fatuous claim, the public might benefit from one story and then MOVE ON. The media does a great job of moving on from really important stories (i.e. climate change, Supreme Court crisis, wars in Israel and Ukraine, women's health crisis resulting from insane attacks on reproductive rights), but cannot move past weeks and weeks of asking Joe Biden if he feels 'up to the job.' If I were President Biden I would shoot back: "Does the media feel up to the job of covering the nation's concerns about being driven toward a fascist society since Trump never answered any questions posed to him during the debate."
Well said.
Great proposal that Biden (and Press Secretary) ask that question! 👏
This is another fantastic commentary. ELECT WOMEN!
Good one!
I agree with your term "feeding frenzy". Seriously, what is going on here? It's a case of eating one's own, a tragic case of hubris on the part of the media, which sees itself as the anointed "decider" of this question. Trump is certainly rubbing his hands in glee.
So is Putin! Is this the price of corporate takeover of news? They want a few more GOP tax cuts? I would think the press would back iden against fascism...but that does not appear to be true!
I've said it before, too, that it's "but her emails" all over again. The REAL stolen election was in 2016 after the character assassination of Hillary Clinton by the press and James Comey. So many people I know told me then that they couldn't vote for her, but could rarely give me a solid reason. I'm suspecting it was the daily headlines about her "dishonesty". Really?? Compared to tffg???
The felony convictions and dishonesty of tffg and his family have been completely ignored, as has his blathering about sharks, batteries, movie characters and other non-sequiturs, all while we hear the (again) incessant drumbeat of complaints about President Biden's competence, and about his son, Hunter (who has hurt no one but himself and his family).
President Biden has been the most accomplished President in many decades, but all his achievements, including undoing all the harm that incompetent orange bastard unleashed on the US -- indeed, on the entire planet, are also totally ignored. He's rarely taken to task about his continuous stream of outrageous lies, nor does he answer any question coherently. Why isn't HE being told to step down (preferably into a jail cell)?
I guess the Washington Post appreciates irony with it's disingenuous slogan, and the New York Times should just insert the word "Fox" somewhere into its name.
Now THAT would be honesty.
Donald is trying to distance himself from the 2025 project….. let’s not allow him any space. Hang it from his neck. Make him carry it.
Instead of reporting that Trump told 28 lies in the debate, I want the public to hear the fact checking behind each lie. I want the public to hear more about Project 2025 and how it would change our country and their lives instead of focusing on Biden’s age. If the press is going to call for a cognitive exam for Biden, they should call for a psychiatric exam for Trump.
Seth Abramson went line-by-line from the debate transcript and counted 601 lies. Why isn’t that being discussed by the shameful MSM? When debates were normal, everyone including the media would have ousted dumpster fire as a candidate and he would have been forced to drop out. Make no mistake, this was NOT a debate. I ask anyone saying Biden should drop out, have you ever been personally confronted on a national stage by a sociopath and narcissist that lies with every word coming out their mouths? I don’t think many of us would do well under those circumstances, young or old!
What happened at the debate was described by another Substacker I just discovered (a family therapist) as classic intimate relationship terrorism. She's seen stuff like this hundreds of times in her practice, and I tell you it sure fits the bill. Biden was trying his best to keep up, and did so quite admirably, considering that he was dealing with what was essentially an assault incident. I'm with him 100% and have been broadcasting my opinion loud and clear these days.
In addition to my previous comment, I sent this to The New York Times: “Your ongoing and unbalanced coverage of and prejudice against President Biden is grossly unfair and the epitome of bad journalism. Where is your coverage of Donald Trump and his incessant lying? Where is your coverage of his disavowal of and ignorance of Project 2025? The Times’ ability to exist is due to the First Amendment which, if Trump perchance is elected in November, might be on the table for a major change. A President Trump will wilt to the wiles of his undemocratic supporters like The Heritage Foundation, and the rights of citizens, and possibly newspapers will be exorcised in a new and fascistic United States of America. And where will The Times be then?”
Still without the Biden interview they think they deserved.
When all the conversations about you are negative you need to change the subject. The presidential immunity SCOTUS decision is so outlandish, Biden needs to look like a man of action by official acting something bold. Then Trump may take the bait for an interview. He showed when he didn’t debate in the primaries, he feels he’s only duty bound to win.
Yes. Take advantage of the new rules in an ethical way that shows the priorities of the the Biden-Harris Administration. If the Supremes want to stop him, they'll have to leave their summer vacations to do so. And even if he's stopped by them, it would show he is fighting.
I agree...this is big mistake this GOP plan made...Biden now has the same immunity..
Use it to dismantle this plan...it is an option that should be investigated. Time to think outside the box and crush this fascist onslaught!
It's not Biden's style but with press going to.the dark side...all bets are off.
Clearly, we have to save ourselves. No court, no journalist, no Other cares about the fate of the Republic as much as those of us governed by it.
I’m not optimistic - Big-j journalism has gone from reporting the story to being the story. It’s going to be up to all of us to write the story on November 5th.
MAGA is uncomplicated & loud, so their message carries easier. They’re willing to break the rules, so they’re effective at stopping our progress. And they’re without shame, so they can do or say anything. No one has proven able to get over this. But WE don't have time limits, advertisers or corporate bosses. Pro-democracy Americans need to get the word out about the dangers of Trump and Project 2025.
How do we go about doing this? Canceling my NYT subscription is too small for this task. Who will push what's in Project 2025 if the media won't? Will MSNBC do it?
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board called on Trump to drop out the day after the debate.
I have become convinced the majority of the members of the media want a Trump Presidency. They don’t care about our democracy, but the guaranteed chaos of a Trump democracy would provide unlimited stories and more money in their pockets. I used to be a faithful MSNBC, but the daytime anchors have become unwatchable
I agree about the daytime anchors of MSNBC, but from 4 pm on they are still my go to TV news
I don't agree that "the majority of the members of the media want a Trump Presidency". The evidence points to an inability to consider the consequences of their actions. Too many of them are immature in their thinking abilities. To them, their job as journalists is to create catchy headlines and clicks for their paper. On a personal level, they want to be seen as clever and ahead of their peers. Not all of them, by any means: I've seen a number of journalists who are speaking out. They are ignored, unfortunately not just by editors but sadly by us. Too many of us are as caught up in this silly argument as they are.
We need to be calling them out by demanding that they cover Trump in the same way, instead of wailing amongst ourselves. I came to this substack today because someone I respect recommended I read this post. That is because I wrote a letter to a journalist who had jumped on the Biden age bandwagon without question. I said that every story that mentions Biden's "age" issue needs to also go into a review of Trump's behavior, because the way it is being covered is irresponsibly one-sided.
WE need to be the people who call them on it, who write the rebuttals, who demand that they actually act like journalists. We need to do it every time, every day, to every journalist (and editor) who fails to adhere to the most basic of journalistic tenets: be fair, be honest, and tell the whole story. I know we come together to share our concerns, and that is valid, But just complaining about it to people who already agree isn't going to change how this election is covered. WE have to make noise. Repeatedly, with clarity, and without rancor, but with the conviction that the media owes us more than clickbait.
The total number of people over 65 living alone will reach 1.5 billion by about 2050. Who will remember them and go to bat for them starting now? Trump? Joe will go……
I agree!
Absolutely what I wondered when I watched the battery of different versions of the same accusation Biden suffered through while his opponent spouts fantasies, lies, and rambles through his uninformed perception of history, with little pushback from most mainstream media people. This was a full-on assault on a candidate who may stutter and stumble, but whose character and statesmanship are proven assets. There seems to be a clear choice at the moment---democracy with its flaws or autocracy with a narcissistic sociopath at the helm. Even if Joe Biden steps down, there are other choices who make infinitely more sense than Trump and a bleak future.
Well Steve, as they say in Vegas, "Journalism has left the building". MSM is only click bait anymore and they believe proffit margins, due to social media, will improve under Fascism by contract producing propaganda.
When hell freezes over? The devil has many faces, he would never allow the veil to be lifted. Besides, he would just change masks and his friends would love his making fools.
Don't mean to hijack, Steven, but damn, Stephanopoulos was nasty. We shouldn't let these things go. They grow without merit and the story becomes the thing. But the truth is, without Biden, Trump will most assuredly win. They all have to know that. Is that really what they want?
https://constantcommoner.substack.com/p/the-stark-truth-only-biden-can-win
A friend said to me this morning “Biden must really worry the GOP, as the criticism is over the top”. I agree. If they didn’t see him as a viable threat, they would simply ignore him. Biden impresses me as a person who is open to the opinions of his trusted advisors. Trump showed us for 4 miserable years that he would fire anyone who disagreed with him. There is no room in his world for an opinion more valid than his own. This alone is why Biden is the more attractive candidate, along with the fact that Trump is a convicted felon, and will never have the best interest of America at heart. I still wonder what Putin has on him. Thank you for your continued efforts. Much appreciated!
The mainstream press should formally request a 20 minute biweekly interview with Trump and then report each day on how long he has declined such an interview. No one in the press is holding him to account for failing to explain his candidacy and his plans for a second term. The press should NOT let up on documenting his effort to remain invisible to voters.
I’m stuck in Substack. I try to limit my reading time but end up reading until after supper. Today I’ve cut it short to breathe in normality.
I wish I could think of the right person to handle the interview. What keeps popping up is Rachel Maddow.
I’m voting blue all the way. I’m riding with Biden.
Thanks Steve!
We have turned off MSNBC
It’s Hillary’s e-mails redux.
The never Trumpers are out in force and it reminds me that Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace helped bring us Alito and Robert’s and let’s not forget Sarah Palin and that debacle. And who can forget the stories about Joe Scarborough?
These people became among others our trusted news sources. Nicole Wallace just discovered Project 2025 this week.
I read the whole damn thing months ago. I am old like Joe Biden. And if you take what they are writing and saying ad nauseam about Biden and extrapolated it out to my crowd maybe nobody over the age of 75 should not be allowed to vote or be tested prior.
There is precedent for that sort of thing a few years back. Maybe we should go back to literacy testing or how about just white men who own property? I live it NC. We elected a lieutenant governor 4 years ago who says people like me need to be killed and as a women he gets to decide the appropriate length of my skirt. People in a church in Bladen County NC on Jume30 gave this guy a round of applause. Donal Trump, the Supreme Court, the Heritage Foundation and their Project 2025 are incestous . And the NYT, CNN, Washington Post, MSNC et al have fulfilled Donald Trump’s wish. They are now fake news.
In the immortal words of a great son of North Carolina:
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and failed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that it why I succeed.
Michael Jordan
Wilmington NC
Lawrence O’Donnell has been covering this story very well. He has spoken out about the Biden hysteria of the press. I watch him every night.
Thank you for a comment full of insight and experience and feeling. A profound read. Thank you🙏
I took a history of the Civil War class my senior year at a southern university in 1972. There was one question for the write everything you know in a blue book in a timed forum final exam. We read for one whole semester. I was a history minor and also took WW2 history. Very long story short for a moron sorority girl at 21 years old here is the question: what are the strategy and tactics of the Union Army that allowed them to win the Civil War. Five A’s were given in a big class big university. I did really well accidentally. 😂 So I challenge us in this community to remember what we learned in kindergarten and upper school and remember the strategy and tactics that elected Joe Biden in 2020. It was during the worst of covid. Vaccines were not out fully. Mail in ballots were attacked by Louis DeJoy. Lines to vote in masks were intentionally hours long. But we went to the polls and 81.2 million people across all walks of life voted Trump out. We will do so again with more voters. Trump has lost support not gained it.
I have had that same question even before the debate!!! Why are the media avoiding having sit down interviews with the Orange Idiot?? Why are we not talking about and questioning him about Project 2025? Why is NO ONE just asking, WHY ARE YOU LYING????
1) The media is already ignoring the info about Trump, Epstein, and 12 year old girls so I’m going to assume there’s an equivalent immunity in the press for any Trump acts, no matter how heinous.
2) I doubt the interviewer exists who could keep Trump on task unless electric shocks were allowed.
3) The recurrence of exposure of Trump’s crimes during Chutkan’s open court review of Jack Smith’s evidence might move the needle, especially if the Biden-to-old-OMG-that-debate! meltdown goes the way of the Genocide-Joe-campuses-in-chaos story that was all the thing before summer killed it.
Christiane Amanpour would be my choice.
I fear that there will never be the interview you seek. It appears the "main stream" media have no interest in honest and fair coverage; it doesn't seem to be their business model.
Yes, Trump needs an unscripted live tv interview. The last interview I remember was with Time, a written transcription and nothing live. And even in the written form he sent chills up my spine.
I canceled my subscription to the NY Times. I no longer felt I could trust them. There has not been enough serious reporting regarding of the NY felon's lies and crimes. Now the lying whiner wants to have everyone believe he knows little if anything about Project 2025. We can pretty much bet he has not read because it is well known he does not read, but many of his cult followers have had a hand in writing this 900 page manifesto. He knows what's in it! If you believe he doesn't, I have bridge I will sell you.
I canceled my subscription to NY Times for 2 months. If they come around, I’ll reinstate. If not, it will be permanent. This week I’m planning to cancel my WaPo for same reason. I cannot pay any newspaper for a one-sided attack on a presidential candidate. I’ve had enough. WaPo now simply counts the number of politicians who urge Biden to step aside. What kind of high school-level journalism is that? Disgusting, shameful, and antidemocratic.
I'll repeat something I wrote on Instagram. When you get older, you move more slowly However, you don't suddenly become incompetent.
Think of it this way. That is 192 times President Joe Biden’s name was in front of peoples’ eyes and the felon’s name was not. That is 192 times the President’s name was imprinted in people’s minds and the tfg was not. It is one way of getting Honest Joe’s name out there regardless of how it was done. That means if people are talking about Honest Joe, his name is mentioned over and over again, irrespective of content. This can really be seen as a positive thing, I think. GO HONEST JOE!!
Totally agree, time to call Trump on all the lies he told during the debate.
What can we do to have the media interrogate the authoritarian thug? I need to take action and yes I am canvassing and phone banking - and yet something needs to be done to address this issue as you so clearly state !
I’m so sick of the media trying to sell us a bill of goods, are they on trump payroll???? I stand with Joe Biden, he is the man. He has given us all a better world.
Thanks for your perspective.
Like Prof Heather Cox-Richardson said on her TikTok chat, she believes the Media is “creating” a story. Heather stated she has spent the last 6 weeks with POTUS and he is fine! Shame on George Stephanopoulos for hounding the President for the answer George wanted. POTUS answered. NEXT QUESTION!
I’m so glad that you have written this post. I am sick and tired of the New York Times. I’m not reading their comments anymore because they are so impossible. I did read Tressie Cottam’s opinion peace in the Times today and I wrote her an email telling her to stop trying to depress anybody who wants to get rid of Trump and the Republicans from working to do that. She just says it’s all hopeless in the end of things and there’s nothing that we can do even though we are in the majority. Can you get somebody to ask Trump to have an interview? Also, I have noticed that 2022 photograph of Trump without make up, which shows how old he is, much older even than Biden. I think that should be put on buses and billboards everywhere.
I read her column and wrote a comment containing this excellent piece by Rebecca Solnit. I doubt they'll publish it.
https://lithub.com/word-are-deeds-rebecca-solnit-the-power-of-speech-to-shape-the-future/
I’m glad you wrote a comment. When I read the article, there was no way to write a comment. I’m going to look at them now.
Maybe the media wants Trump after 4 years of relative quiet and stability. Sells more books and clicks on their channel?
Thank you for the thoughts, well said! Biden represents the "shiny new thing" to sell articles, while Trump's lies are so expected now that no one really pays attention. But as you point out, Trump SHOULD be confronted with them. That's a huge part of the media problem--they won't. And Trump would never agree to an interview of rapid-fire and fact-checked questioning like Biden did, not even for 22 minutes! So it is up to Biden himself (and Kamala) to do the media's work for them. This of course is why Biden's debate performance was so worrisome: if he isn't up to the task of communicating and refuting all of the lies, who will? How will that effect the voters?
I'm for Biden staying on IF HE CAN WIN. That begins by humbly responding to concerns--a real physical and cognitive test. Why hasn't he already done this? Why did he tell George he hasn't even watched his debate performance? With this way of not handling the situation and blaming the press, he runs the risk of losing, regardless of what is "fair".
Please note - the so-called “debate” was not a debate. It was yet another opportunity for agent orange to spew his poisonous lies. There were no challenges to him by the moderators, as he was allowed to tell his lies every time he spoke. He covered up his disgusting body with a suit and orange face paint. Note also - Biden did not fail. Even if he were in a wheelchair, a coma or a coffin, he would have outperformed agent orange many fold.
And now agent orange would have his followers believe he knows nothing about and had nothing to do with the creation of project 2025. Evidence abounds to the contrary of this lie.
The press will not push agent orange because they are making too much $$$$ from the chaos right now (as in 2016). So it is up to all of us to convey the message about kevin roberts and agent orange’s pet project 2025. Maybe cancel your subscriptions to the ny times and wapo as well.
Vote Blue in November and tell a friend about project 2025. If we prevail, maybe something can be done about one of the real enablers here - cj feckless roberts. moscow will go away on his own and then go to hell for what he has done.
My short answer to your question is I Don’t Know. I can’t recall an interview during the last election campaign either. Joe Biden will most likely spend the rest of this campaign defending himself. Many fine political careers have been derailed by a single misstep. For Ted Kennedy it was Chappaquiddick. Nixon had Watergate. When it was revealed that Tom Eagleton, George McGovern’s running mate had been hospitalized for depression, he was booted off the ticket. In 1988 Gary Hart slept with Donna Rice (horrors!). Why does Trump seem to be the glaring exception? In my 67 years on planet earth I have not seen anything as remotely frightening and terrifying as conditions are now. Trump’s crimes and shortcomings are so well documented and transparent that he has a very real chance of winning in November almost defies belief. His life is an open book. The issues are not rocket science. And yet 74,000,000-a number I still can’t get my head around-voted for him in the last election. There seems to be a kind of malignant willful ignorance in America. I fervently hope and pray that history doesn’t repeat itself.
This is exactly right, Steven. I have no problem with there being concerns about Biden's suitability after his poor performance during the debate. However, I have a very big problem with the complete pass given to Trump about his debate performance. Over 30 lies in a 90 minute span. Isn't that disqualifying as well? Where is the call for Trump to withdraw after that? Or, more importantly, after being convicted for financial fraud and for sexual assault? Why didn't the NY Times call for Trump to withdraw after his convictions? Or because of January 6? My issue is not with their concern about Biden but rather the complete lack of symmetry in dealing with Trump
I agree with everything you say. But the media will never change. It will continue put Biden’s every word, every day under a microscope. Meanwhile Trump gets a free pass. He remains an existential threat to our democracy. But not enough people seem to care. What a tragedy
I’m not sure that not enough people care. We have to work as hard as we possibly can to let them know what the aches are in this election and get them out to vote.
What the stakes are. Blast my iPad!
I understand the the iPad thing. And what is at stake. More needs to be done. ✔️