Reporters get lazier and lazier. How many of them badgered Trump about the "amazing" proof he said he was finding/going to find about Obama's citizenship? They just let it drop. How many of them really followed up when he claimed Obama wasn't a Christian and they asked GOP Members of Congress why they weaseled out of the issue by saying things like "He says he is." How many of them just let him skate when he was asked a simple question about his favorite book of the Bible and he gave the kind of answer you'd hear in classroom if the student hadn't done the homework and was trying to buy time? How many have asked in detail the 170 or so Representatives why exactly they voted against certifying the electoral count in 2020? How many reporters have simply let Trump lie and bluster and pontificate without resisting his attempts to bulldoze them? The media is, as Ruth Ben-Ghiat has amply demonstrated in her substack and elsewhere, helping lay the foundation for an authoritarian state.
Everything you said, Lev. Good reminders. It’ll be small comfort to prove them wrong when all hell is breaking loose. I’m stunned that we’re still having to fight against this deliberate undermining of a system we’re trying desperately to hang onto.
It's been going on since Gingrich at least when he urged the GOP to always refer to Dems as "the enemy": a concerted effort to undermine/take over the courts, the Supreme Court, state legislatures, governorships and limit rights for women, African-Americans, gays and lesbians, weaken regulations across the board, undermine NATO. The media gives us bread and circuses without realizing that in an authoritarian state, they will be strictly controlled.
Grover Norquist in 2000: "I don't want to abolish government, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub. Cutting the government in half in one generation is both an ambitious and reasonable goal."
Norquist again: " "My ideal citizen is the self-employed, homeschooling, IRA-owning guy with a concealed-carry permit. Because that person doesn't need the government for anything."
I asked a NYT reporter who the NYT was not focusing on Trump's obvious dementia and aphasia and he got defensive, gave me a link to a story that was then *two months old.* It doesn't matter how many mental health professionals diagnose (at a distance, I know), the serious problems Trump has. They report his crazy Truth Social farts but don't dive deeper into his psychopathy. Its exhausting to see this epic fail.
I agree with everything you say here. Throughout the entire interview it felt like Stephanopoulous was trying to get him to resign. It was disgusting. This man has spent almost his whole life working for the people of this country. Many forget that fact. He has done us all a service by running our country admirably. I’d love to see him have some time to be retired. Instead, he recognizes the extreme importance of running another term against the biggest threat to our country! Everyone must STOP this nonsense and let the man do what he’s willing to do for US!
It’s just disgusting. When will they come to their senses? They have much to answer for by letting Trump off the hook for so much damage. And now this.
Why do we never hear Stephanopoulous or any of the rest of the pundits ask is would trump be willing to take a lie detector test on a live broadcast, without notes or prompters? Oh, wait, that’s what these reporters are supposed to be doing. Not holding my breath.
I have never been able to understand why trump gets a free pass all the time. Why do they cover his rallies where all he does is lie. People I have respected(no more) say that they had more money when trump (no capital letter )
was President. That’s what some people care about more than they care about democracy. I wonder what the MSM thinks would happen to them if trump is elected
Either side you come down on, we're too far into the campaign to change horses mid-stream and expect to come out the other side ahead. So much of what we have, and do not have,in the political climate now started with Ronald Reagan and the divide worsened significantly since the missteps of DJT. So little time, so much to lose. Or not. November 5 will be bell-ringer, one way or another.
I just had a little more hope for the vast majority of Americans being a little more kind and compassionate and a little less ignorant and weak minded! The amount of people who still choose to support tRump AFTER realizing his agenda is, 🤯!
It's a perfectly reasonable question to be asking, but ultimately one that doesn't matter. I'm not saying that to be snarky or dismissive, so please don't take it that way. What I'm saying is that for Better or worse, he /is/ running and ~half of America is okay with that.
The only question that matters is: How do we beat him come November?
Simple. By laying off Biden and giving him the support he needs. By not joining the mob calling for Biden's head. By concentrating on Biden's good works and Trump's bad intentions.
By voting for every Democrat on the ticket after making sure they're getting the financial, public, and moral support they need, too.
Spreading doubt among Democrats is the absolute wrong way to win elections.
Thank you Ramona for watching that mess and telling us about it. It's evident that the sole purpose of the interview was to bait Biden, who to his credit kept his cool. It takes a solid mental focus to do that! If they'd done the same to the orange one, he'd have had a meltdown.
This pisses me off. Now I don’t even need to watch as it’s more of the same. I was curious about that interview because I thought George would do a responsible interview. Never mind. I have a Dem friend who reads the NYT like it’s her bible and she is convinced that Biden should step down. It’s the mirror image of the Fox viewer. I’m sick to death of it. We gotta pull it together! 💙
@suzannewhitaker, I managed to watch 7 minutes of that interview. By minute 4,I was already pulling at my hair. I,too,watched this interview because I thought George would bring some dignity and substance to the issues. Instead,he was on the attack from the first seconds, disrespectfully pummeling the man who lawfully holds the highest office in America. George had a punch card and there was no room for Biden to go off George's script.
IT.WAS.SHAMEFUL! I finally turned the TV off when the NYT was quoted by George,as if it is a relevant source of reporting! My admiration for Joe Biden has grown. He managed to hold onto his temper and remain even and calm as he tried to get his points recognized. If that doesn't show cognitive focus,I'm not sure what does. We are where we are politically because of journalistic culpability.
We are. And my daughter is a young journalist, having graduated from ASU’s Cronkite 2 years ago. I’m sure she is trying hard not to get swept up in it. She made sure she didn’t accept any jobs from Sinclair. She works for a Fox affiliate but it is owned by Tegna, which has a little more integrity than most and they pick and choose what Fox stories they run. They (professors) were pretty mindful to highlight the sources that were more truthful (ie: Al Jezeera, Reuters, I think, Associated Press). Hope that’s still accurate to say! Anyway, she is getting a real education out in the world.
I canceled mine, and I stopped watching the corporate media. They’re only interested in making money and having their taxes lowered again, so they want the orange felon to win. Despicable.
You nailed it right there. It's about the suits in the corner office. They want less regulation and no taxes, so they will always favor the GOP. And Trump gives them a bonus -- chaos. Chaos brings in eyeballs (if we let it) and eyeballs get delivered to advertisers, who then PAY them, thus creating profits. The news is not the product. Our eyeballs are the product. The only power we have is to stop giving our eyeballs to them.
The downside: a fall in ratings for the people we like, and a likely return to the days when MSNBC ran "Savage Nation" and "Alan Keyes is Making Sense."
Well, she is definitely being taken in. She has, however, asked for proof as to why I don’t trust NYT and I just don’t feel like going through the laborious task of listing the umpteen examples.
I watched the interview as well. I was enraged that he kept badgering President Biden. It was so obviously an attack. Deliberate and previously written.
Leo’s boys have bought the court boys and it’s looking like they bought the press too. Nothing “original” about that. It’s the same steps Hitler followed. Netanyahu attacked the high court in Israel but millions took to the streets in the largest protest in Israeli history to say an attack on the courts was an attack on Israeli democracy.
But in England, Polly Toynbee is celebrating
the last of the Tory scoundrels and a moment of election Joy ! Check it out - Guardian UK.
I couldn’t have written this any better myself! It’s as if you took all the thoughts in my head and wrote them down for me! So, I thank you for that! 🌹
The people who are asking Biden to step down are causing more damage than they realize as Biden has already said he is moving forward which is what they should do as well! Voters need stability in their own party and inform the country of the chaos that tRump and his cronies are causing and the absolute destruction Project 25 will create! 🗳️💙🌹🇺🇸
Thank you, Ramona. I watched some of it this morning and I thought our President handled himself very well in response to yet another bully. Stay the course with Honest Joe. The Wisconsin rally was fabulous.
Thank you again Ramona! You are my hero… an activist who knows her stuff! I only
Have one thing to say …. It’s common sense really!
We need Biden! Not another candidate last minute to add to media craziness, the turmoil in everyone’s head! 🙄🤨We need consistency/continuity right now! Keep Joe and Kamala in place…if need be, shes prepared to step up.. she’s very bright and savvy and knows what to do! We cannot let tfg win! Consistent four more years will keep us safe and stronger to deal with so much other s**t going on in this country!! Stop finding fault people; let’s support democracy and a better future by believing in Joe! Take age and unsteady walk, collecting our thoughts off the damn table! We need them in place for four more years! Consistency matters!
GS might as well be a FOX Trumpster trumpeting Trump. It was SICK. If I was Joe, I’d have staff blast him and never do another interview with GS, and maybe, the whole of CNN. Mona, you nailed it again. Thank you.
I saw an MSM post this AM that talked about how wonderful George’s interview was. I am so thankful for your reporting - he was just like the other bloodsuckers who want to create news rather than report it - honestly. Thanks for that.
I read somewhere that the NYTimes has had 100+ articles on Joe Biden's bad debate performance and 6 on Project 2025, the plan so breathtaking in its villainy that we should all hide under our beds in fear. I don't believe it's because the press is lazy; it's that they're owned by billionaires who think a nation of demoralized serfs will be to their liking. I kind of doubt that but the delusions of billionaires is another topic.
Thank you, Ramona, for continuing to call out the ageism and nonsense so many are spouting. It's freaking exhausting. If you read the transcript of the debate, Joe sounds great. It sounds like he held his own with Stephanopoulos too. As you so rightly pointed out, Trump not only couldn't have done it, he wouldn't have done it. He would've blustered, whined, lied, and maybe even walked out. He's never made himself available for the kind of hard-hitting journalism that requires intelligent discourse. Why aren't reporters asking about his connections to Epstein? What about holding him to account for his lies, for his failures as president? Why aren't they asking HIM about Project 2025 and why, if he knows nothing about it (like he claims now), that he knows enough to disavow it. And shouldn't he know what's in it since it was developed by people from his administration? Questions abound.
Our Fourth Estate is in big trouble and they're failing us all over the place. They did this same nonsense to Hillary when she fainted while on the campaign trail, questioning her health and ability to do the job. They called for her to step down and theorized endlessly about who would take her place. It's nonsense for clicks.
Joe cannot step down and he shouldn't. The last time a Democratic incumbent president did that, the convention was thrown into chaos and we got Nixon who was the start of all of this. You're so right, Ramona, that no one else has the name recognition, the amazing accomplishments, and the experience to right this ship and beat Trump. It has to be Joe.
I’d thought Stephanipoulous was a decent former White House Communications Director-turned- commentator. I changed my mind after reading the interview transcript. Gaad.
Scary thought!
Reporters get lazier and lazier. How many of them badgered Trump about the "amazing" proof he said he was finding/going to find about Obama's citizenship? They just let it drop. How many of them really followed up when he claimed Obama wasn't a Christian and they asked GOP Members of Congress why they weaseled out of the issue by saying things like "He says he is." How many of them just let him skate when he was asked a simple question about his favorite book of the Bible and he gave the kind of answer you'd hear in classroom if the student hadn't done the homework and was trying to buy time? How many have asked in detail the 170 or so Representatives why exactly they voted against certifying the electoral count in 2020? How many reporters have simply let Trump lie and bluster and pontificate without resisting his attempts to bulldoze them? The media is, as Ruth Ben-Ghiat has amply demonstrated in her substack and elsewhere, helping lay the foundation for an authoritarian state.
Everything you said, Lev. Good reminders. It’ll be small comfort to prove them wrong when all hell is breaking loose. I’m stunned that we’re still having to fight against this deliberate undermining of a system we’re trying desperately to hang onto.
Isn’t it worth it to them, too?
It's been going on since Gingrich at least when he urged the GOP to always refer to Dems as "the enemy": a concerted effort to undermine/take over the courts, the Supreme Court, state legislatures, governorships and limit rights for women, African-Americans, gays and lesbians, weaken regulations across the board, undermine NATO. The media gives us bread and circuses without realizing that in an authoritarian state, they will be strictly controlled.
Grover Norquist in 2000: "I don't want to abolish government, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub. Cutting the government in half in one generation is both an ambitious and reasonable goal."
Norquist again: " "My ideal citizen is the self-employed, homeschooling, IRA-owning guy with a concealed-carry permit. Because that person doesn't need the government for anything."
We can't say we were never warned.
It's even more blatant now, with the head of the Heritage Foundation threatening violence: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/kevin-roberts-heritage-revolution-bloodshed-1235052706/.
A normal press would have been all over that. Instead, it's still Biden's age and ability.
On purpose.
I asked a NYT reporter who the NYT was not focusing on Trump's obvious dementia and aphasia and he got defensive, gave me a link to a story that was then *two months old.* It doesn't matter how many mental health professionals diagnose (at a distance, I know), the serious problems Trump has. They report his crazy Truth Social farts but don't dive deeper into his psychopathy. Its exhausting to see this epic fail.
I agree with everything you say here. Throughout the entire interview it felt like Stephanopoulous was trying to get him to resign. It was disgusting. This man has spent almost his whole life working for the people of this country. Many forget that fact. He has done us all a service by running our country admirably. I’d love to see him have some time to be retired. Instead, he recognizes the extreme importance of running another term against the biggest threat to our country! Everyone must STOP this nonsense and let the man do what he’s willing to do for US!
It’s just disgusting. When will they come to their senses? They have much to answer for by letting Trump off the hook for so much damage. And now this.
What is wrong with them?
Why do we never hear Stephanopoulous or any of the rest of the pundits ask is would trump be willing to take a lie detector test on a live broadcast, without notes or prompters? Oh, wait, that’s what these reporters are supposed to be doing. Not holding my breath.
I have never been able to understand why trump gets a free pass all the time. Why do they cover his rallies where all he does is lie. People I have respected(no more) say that they had more money when trump (no capital letter )
was President. That’s what some people care about more than they care about democracy. I wonder what the MSM thinks would happen to them if trump is elected
Either side you come down on, we're too far into the campaign to change horses mid-stream and expect to come out the other side ahead. So much of what we have, and do not have,in the political climate now started with Ronald Reagan and the divide worsened significantly since the missteps of DJT. So little time, so much to lose. Or not. November 5 will be bell-ringer, one way or another.
It shouldn’t have to be. Given the craziness and criminality of Donald Trump, he shouldn’t even come close.
Sadly, there are many “crazies” who support Commander of Crazies. It is also a mass of ill-informed, mis-informed and misled lemmings.
The number 1 question for me and I hope the rest of the world is how is Trump even running for President?
Because 40% of Americans are fubar
It’s really baffling, right?! I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re thinking. 💙🇺🇸
They’re not thinking, that’s the problem. And that’s right where their elected officials want them so they can be manipulated by fear and anger.
I just had a little more hope for the vast majority of Americans being a little more kind and compassionate and a little less ignorant and weak minded! The amount of people who still choose to support tRump AFTER realizing his agenda is, 🤯!
That should be the number one question. That it isn't is mind-curdling.
It's a perfectly reasonable question to be asking, but ultimately one that doesn't matter. I'm not saying that to be snarky or dismissive, so please don't take it that way. What I'm saying is that for Better or worse, he /is/ running and ~half of America is okay with that.
The only question that matters is: How do we beat him come November?
Simple. By laying off Biden and giving him the support he needs. By not joining the mob calling for Biden's head. By concentrating on Biden's good works and Trump's bad intentions.
By voting for every Democrat on the ticket after making sure they're getting the financial, public, and moral support they need, too.
Spreading doubt among Democrats is the absolute wrong way to win elections.
Thank you Ramona for watching that mess and telling us about it. It's evident that the sole purpose of the interview was to bait Biden, who to his credit kept his cool. It takes a solid mental focus to do that! If they'd done the same to the orange one, he'd have had a meltdown.
This pisses me off. Now I don’t even need to watch as it’s more of the same. I was curious about that interview because I thought George would do a responsible interview. Never mind. I have a Dem friend who reads the NYT like it’s her bible and she is convinced that Biden should step down. It’s the mirror image of the Fox viewer. I’m sick to death of it. We gotta pull it together! 💙
@suzannewhitaker, I managed to watch 7 minutes of that interview. By minute 4,I was already pulling at my hair. I,too,watched this interview because I thought George would bring some dignity and substance to the issues. Instead,he was on the attack from the first seconds, disrespectfully pummeling the man who lawfully holds the highest office in America. George had a punch card and there was no room for Biden to go off George's script.
IT.WAS.SHAMEFUL! I finally turned the TV off when the NYT was quoted by George,as if it is a relevant source of reporting! My admiration for Joe Biden has grown. He managed to hold onto his temper and remain even and calm as he tried to get his points recognized. If that doesn't show cognitive focus,I'm not sure what does. We are where we are politically because of journalistic culpability.
We are. And my daughter is a young journalist, having graduated from ASU’s Cronkite 2 years ago. I’m sure she is trying hard not to get swept up in it. She made sure she didn’t accept any jobs from Sinclair. She works for a Fox affiliate but it is owned by Tegna, which has a little more integrity than most and they pick and choose what Fox stories they run. They (professors) were pretty mindful to highlight the sources that were more truthful (ie: Al Jezeera, Reuters, I think, Associated Press). Hope that’s still accurate to say! Anyway, she is getting a real education out in the world.
Trying to decide whether I should cancel my n New York Times subscription it seems possible so I can sleep at night
I cancelled mine reluctantly months ago. I still get the gist. I’m not sorry.
I canceled mine, and I stopped watching the corporate media. They’re only interested in making money and having their taxes lowered again, so they want the orange felon to win. Despicable.
You nailed it right there. It's about the suits in the corner office. They want less regulation and no taxes, so they will always favor the GOP. And Trump gives them a bonus -- chaos. Chaos brings in eyeballs (if we let it) and eyeballs get delivered to advertisers, who then PAY them, thus creating profits. The news is not the product. Our eyeballs are the product. The only power we have is to stop giving our eyeballs to them.
The downside: a fall in ratings for the people we like, and a likely return to the days when MSNBC ran "Savage Nation" and "Alan Keyes is Making Sense."
Your friend is an idiot. She is not thinking.
Well, she is definitely being taken in. She has, however, asked for proof as to why I don’t trust NYT and I just don’t feel like going through the laborious task of listing the umpteen examples.
I don’t blame you. It’s exhausting.
I watched the interview as well. I was enraged that he kept badgering President Biden. It was so obviously an attack. Deliberate and previously written.
Leo’s boys have bought the court boys and it’s looking like they bought the press too. Nothing “original” about that. It’s the same steps Hitler followed. Netanyahu attacked the high court in Israel but millions took to the streets in the largest protest in Israeli history to say an attack on the courts was an attack on Israeli democracy.
But in England, Polly Toynbee is celebrating
the last of the Tory scoundrels and a moment of election Joy ! Check it out - Guardian UK.
I know a lot of these people. They also think NPR is still a good-faith operator.
I couldn’t have written this any better myself! It’s as if you took all the thoughts in my head and wrote them down for me! So, I thank you for that! 🌹
The people who are asking Biden to step down are causing more damage than they realize as Biden has already said he is moving forward which is what they should do as well! Voters need stability in their own party and inform the country of the chaos that tRump and his cronies are causing and the absolute destruction Project 25 will create! 🗳️💙🌹🇺🇸
Thank you, Ramona. I watched some of it this morning and I thought our President handled himself very well in response to yet another bully. Stay the course with Honest Joe. The Wisconsin rally was fabulous.
Thank you again Ramona! You are my hero… an activist who knows her stuff! I only
Have one thing to say …. It’s common sense really!
We need Biden! Not another candidate last minute to add to media craziness, the turmoil in everyone’s head! 🙄🤨We need consistency/continuity right now! Keep Joe and Kamala in place…if need be, shes prepared to step up.. she’s very bright and savvy and knows what to do! We cannot let tfg win! Consistent four more years will keep us safe and stronger to deal with so much other s**t going on in this country!! Stop finding fault people; let’s support democracy and a better future by believing in Joe! Take age and unsteady walk, collecting our thoughts off the damn table! We need them in place for four more years! Consistency matters!
GS might as well be a FOX Trumpster trumpeting Trump. It was SICK. If I was Joe, I’d have staff blast him and never do another interview with GS, and maybe, the whole of CNN. Mona, you nailed it again. Thank you.
Thank God for you, Ramona. I agree 100%. I have news for the news, Biden’s gonna win again.
I saw an MSM post this AM that talked about how wonderful George’s interview was. I am so thankful for your reporting - he was just like the other bloodsuckers who want to create news rather than report it - honestly. Thanks for that.
I’m still riding with Biden.
I read somewhere that the NYTimes has had 100+ articles on Joe Biden's bad debate performance and 6 on Project 2025, the plan so breathtaking in its villainy that we should all hide under our beds in fear. I don't believe it's because the press is lazy; it's that they're owned by billionaires who think a nation of demoralized serfs will be to their liking. I kind of doubt that but the delusions of billionaires is another topic.
Thank you, Ramona, for continuing to call out the ageism and nonsense so many are spouting. It's freaking exhausting. If you read the transcript of the debate, Joe sounds great. It sounds like he held his own with Stephanopoulos too. As you so rightly pointed out, Trump not only couldn't have done it, he wouldn't have done it. He would've blustered, whined, lied, and maybe even walked out. He's never made himself available for the kind of hard-hitting journalism that requires intelligent discourse. Why aren't reporters asking about his connections to Epstein? What about holding him to account for his lies, for his failures as president? Why aren't they asking HIM about Project 2025 and why, if he knows nothing about it (like he claims now), that he knows enough to disavow it. And shouldn't he know what's in it since it was developed by people from his administration? Questions abound.
Our Fourth Estate is in big trouble and they're failing us all over the place. They did this same nonsense to Hillary when she fainted while on the campaign trail, questioning her health and ability to do the job. They called for her to step down and theorized endlessly about who would take her place. It's nonsense for clicks.
Joe cannot step down and he shouldn't. The last time a Democratic incumbent president did that, the convention was thrown into chaos and we got Nixon who was the start of all of this. You're so right, Ramona, that no one else has the name recognition, the amazing accomplishments, and the experience to right this ship and beat Trump. It has to be Joe.
Brilliant. Spot on. Teeth grinding. Maddening. So true. WTF is wrong with everybody???
I’d thought Stephanipoulous was a decent former White House Communications Director-turned- commentator. I changed my mind after reading the interview transcript. Gaad.
I couldn’t correct the typo in my comment. Stephanopoulos is the correct spelling.