Shut Down The Big Lie
Back in 2015 and 2016, the mainstream media gave Donald Trump's presidential campaign a huge boost. Trump was like catnip to them, endlessly entertaining, and as a result, they made his campaign a gift of hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars in free airtime. They'd cover his rallies in full, just to see what outrageous things he said. When the Republican primary season happened, all their questions to the other candidates were basically some form of: "What do you think about what Trump said about X?" Trump was a creature of television and pop culture, and as such understood the value of generating high ratings. And the media gleefully went along for the ride. And as a result, Trump dominated the primary and then dominated the general election.
Much later on, the media went through a bit of soul-searching: "How could we have allowed this to happen? How complicit were we in the con job?" But by then, of course, it was too late.
Fast-forward to now. Now, the mainstream media is giving not Donald Trump the same amount of breathless coverage, but instead Trumpism -- the toxic cult that the Republican Party has now become and fervently believes in (with the notable exception of a precious few). And at the heart of this is the blind belief in The Big Lie -- that with not a shred of an iota of a speck of proof to back the claim up, the 2020 election was somehow a gigantic fraud perpetrated on the American people and the realty was that Trump won in a landslide. Other than a few core principles the Republicans will never give up, this is truly not only what they now believe, but it has fast become a litmus (or loyalty) test to even gain entrance or acceptance to the GOP ranks.
And, once again, the political press is complicit in allowing this to happen. For the most part -- like the Republican Party itself, there are still voices of reason which remain. In the Republican Party, they are increasingly intolerant of what they consider heresy (the fact that the election was not, in fact, stolen and that Trump just lost, fair and square). In the media, it is more subtle than this. Some continue to denounce the Big Lie as a Big Lie, while others have figuratively shrugged their shoulders and adopted a "Whaddya gonna do?" attitude -- and then gone back to the usual horserace formulation of all things political. By doing so, they report on the increasingly-small sanity faction within the GOP and how the rest of the party is trying to expel them altogether as if it were a normal, everyday ideological power struggle. The Big Lie doesn't matter so much (the media reports) as how it's all going to shake out in the party's power structure -- that's the only important thing to focus on.
What this does is help the Big Lie go mainstream. If the media were truly the truth-telling organization they claim to be, then until every one of them went on the record, the start of every interview with any Republican politician should begin with the following questions: "Is Joe Biden the legitimate president of our country? Was the 2020 election a free and fair one? If you disagree with either of those things, please back your assertions up with proof and facts." Any Republican who won't go on the record stating the incontrovertible fact that Biden was freely and fairly elected and is our legitimate president should immediately be answered with: "I'm sorry, our network policy is not to give airtime to conspiracy theorists, so thank you for your time," and then end the interview altogether.
If this were anything other than politics, that's precisely what would happen -- because conspiracy theorists are nothing more than cranks and nutjobs seeking publicity, so there is a universal aversion in the serious media to actually providing that publicity -- for free -- to them. It's not that the media "doesn't allow a legitimate but opposing viewpoint," but that the media stands up for what is true and doesn't allow whackos on the air to rant and rave.
Think about it: when we see coverage of NASA doing something or another, is a flat-earther invited on to "provide an opposing viewpoint"? If they talk about going back to the moon, is one of those people who believe the moon landings were faked allowed to rebut the NASA scientists? Or someone who fervently believes the moon is made of green cheese? No, they are not. They are not given airtime because they are lunatics. There simply is no need to discuss whether the Earth is a sphere (or oblate spheroid, if you want to be pedantic) or whether it's a big flat disk hovering in space. There is no need for the media to discuss the heliocentric theory, to use another example. There is no need to prove that the moon is indeed made of rocks and not colored dairy products. Because there is not a shred of evidence for any of these claims and an absolute mountain of evidence to the contrary.
So why are Republicans who still espouse the Big Lie that the election was somehow stolen from Donald Trump allowed free airtime? That lie is a lot more toxic and dangerous than a belief in heliocentrism, after all. That Big Lie is a direct attack on the American democratic system -- just like the storming of the Capitol was (by people who fervently believed Trump's Big Lie). So why allow them on the air?
The more the media shrugs and looks the other way, the easier it is for the Big Lie to continue. Or, at the very least: "those in the media who are responsible for actually reporting political news and interviewing politicians on the air." The opinion column writers have been a lot better at pointing it out (which is ironic, seeing as how the news reporters are theoretically the ones responsible for reporting facts). Here is Paul Waldman of the Washington Post, accurately summing up the sad state of affairs:
Today's Republican Party believes many things. Taxes should be lower, particularly for rich people; health and safety regulations are presumptively bad; we have too many immigrants; abortion should be outlawed; we shouldn't do much about climate change; America is simultaneously the most perfect nation that has ever existed and a cesspool of depravity and cultural decline.
But to understand a political party, you have to know not just what they agree on but also what they fight about, and what moves from the realm of conflict to the realm of consensus.
As The Post reports, in states and counties and cities across the country, the Big Lie of the 2020 election -- that Donald Trump won reelection handily but his victory was stolen from him -- is being pushed by some who would like it to be moved from conflict to consensus. State and local party officials who admit Joe Biden is the legitimate president are being censured, harassed and driven from their jobs.
In other words, they're attempting a party-wide purge of anyone remaining who advocates the truth over the Big Lie. Liz Cheney may now not survive as a member of the GOP House leadership team because of it (just today she tweeted the most direct attack on the Big Lie I think I have yet seen from a Republican: "The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system."). Mitt Romney got booed and called a "communist" this weekend by members of his own Utah Republican Party. He barely survived a vote of censure.
This has been plain ever since the national Republican Party didn't even bother to attempt to put out a party platform document in the 2020 election cycle -- instead they literally issued a one-page document that essentially said: "whatever Trump wants, he gets." That was their entire platform. Now, the once-mighty party has devolved into nothing short of a personality cult, plain and simple. The only fight within the party ranks is how much fealty to give to Trump -- all that is humanly possible, or just "the right amount to mollify and pacify his base"?
This is really the only difference right now among Republicans, since their own ideological cupboard is so bare, as the article goes on to point out. And we're already feeling the effects of their race to the bottom to prove their loyalty to the Big Lie:
The arguments among Republicans have nothing to do with policy or substance. There isn't even any discernible difference between the alleged "moderates" who accept the reality of the 2020 election and the most conspiracy-minded Trumpites on the issue of voting rights: They all want to see ruthless voter-suppression laws passed and they all oppose Democrats' efforts to reinforce voting rights.
Every Republican in Congress voted against the most recent COVID-19 relief bill, and the same will probably be true of every other meaningful legislation of the next two years. In fact, it's almost impossible to find a policy issue generating meaningful internal debate within the Republican Party.
. . .
Then came the election of Trump, who may have cared less about policy than any one of his 44 predecessors. He stocked the federal government with grifters and extremists, while many of the GOP's real wonks sat his administration out. Now the GOP is left without anything substantive to argue about. So they argue mainly about the degree of their loyalty to Trump.
Look at the emerging 2024 presidential candidates. They're not competing or being defined by their visions for the future of the party and the country; there neither is nor will be any Bernie-Biden kind of ideological conflict in their primary campaign.
The key question is whose lib-owning credentials shine most brightly. Which governor signs the most draconian voter suppression bill and targets transgender kids with the maximum cruelty? Which senator flogs the latest inane culture war pseudo-controversy with the greatest gusto?
Trump's Big Lie is a very dangerous one, once again. Buying into it brings into question the legitimacy of the federal government itself. Republicans are not just playing with fire, they are juggling sticks of dynamite that are profusely sweating nitroglycerin.
It's easy to see why they're doing this. Recent polling shows that 70 percent of Republican voters believe the election was stolen from Trump. Exactly half of all GOP voters think there is solid proof the election was stolen (spoiler alert: there isn't). The only good news in this statistic is that it is abating somewhat -- the last time the question was asked, it was 58 percent, and now is only 50.
Here is what people wishing to debunk the Big Lie are up against -- a quote from an article entitled: "For Republicans, Fealty To Trump's Election Falsehood Becomes Defining Loyalty Test," from a Michigan "Republican organizer" (whatever that means):
"I think I speak for many people in that Trump has never actually been wrong, and so we've learned to trust when he says something, that he's not just going to spew something out there that's wrong and not verified," she said, referring to Trump's baseless claims that widespread electoral fraud caused his loss to President Biden in November.
That's a pretty jaw-dropping thing for a rationalist to read. But that is indeed how a lot of Trump supporters view the world (and his statements).
Today is World Press Freedom Day. I truly wish the American political press would use the occasion to declare itself free of the Big Lie. Any GOP politician who wants his or her face on television should -- at a bare minimum -- have to agree that our current president was legitimately elected and that their party lost the 2020 election, fair and square. If they cannot agree upon that -- that the world is round and not a flat disk with the oceans pouring off at the edges -- then their opinion should be considered not just crackpot and worthless, but downright dangerous to democracy, and they should be immediately ushered off the set. That is the only way the media will ever effectively regain its position as gatekeepers of the truth. Because if this Big Lie is mainstreamed and rationalized, it does not bode well for our country moving forward.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Florida Man re-brands the Big Lie
The orange swamp thing released a tweet today:
The Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, from this day forth, known as the BIG LIE
So, please remember that it's all caps from now on. This guy is the best brander in the known universe.
All caps, and in bold print, too! He is pretty amazing ...
Think about it: when we see coverage of NASA doing something or another, is a flat-earther invited on to "provide an opposing viewpoint"? If they talk about going back to the moon, is one of those people who believe the moon landings were faked allowed to rebut the NASA scientists? Or someone who fervently believes the moon is made of green cheese? No, they are not. They are not given airtime because they are lunatics. There simply is no need to discuss whether the Earth is a sphere (or oblate spheroid, if you want to be pedantic) or whether it's a big flat disk hovering in space. There is no need for the media to discuss the heliocentric theory, to use another example. There is no need to prove that the moon is indeed made of rocks and not colored dairy products. Because there is not a shred of evidence for any of these claims and an absolute mountain of evidence to the contrary.
If they are an elected member of Congress we do... and rightfully so!!! We aren’t treating their ridiculous claims as having any credibility or suggesting that they warrant further investigation — we are simply pointing out the elected official should be removed from office ASAP for making such claims.
It does not matter whether they are so mentally deficient as to actually believe their claim, or if they are just saying it because they believe their constituents are so mentally deficient as to agree with such ridiculous claims — they have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted or capable to do what is in the best interest of their constituents.
So the media is not wrong for reporting on members of Congress who keep pushing the Big Lie as if it has any basis in reality — it is that the media is not treating members of Congress who keep pushing the Big Lie the way they would if they were pushing the claim that the moon is made of cheese! They are either idiots or they are traitors willing to sell out our country for personal gain and deserve to be treated as such.
We should be informed if our elected officials are making statements that only a crazy person or a corrupt person would say...it is the only way for us to know that they need to be removed. The press just needs to avoid making it seem as if their position deserves being part of political debate and treating the reporting of their dishonesty more like they report PSA’s — tell us the facts: what it is, why it is dangerous and how to avoid it and just and leave it at that!
the realty was that Trump won in a landslide
heh, the realty. he is a disaster property developer after all...
- the spelling police
LizM,
The bolding was mine, but he is still amazing, tweating w/o Twitter and thinking up such impressive ideas!
Reject the BIG LIE.
Support the BIG PIE.
you don't get a seat at the table if you don't bring pie.
I totally agree about this; we were talking about it more intensively in the weeks immediately before and after Biden's inauguration, as the GOP struggled to absorb the pragmatic fact of Trump's departure. I think I asked back then, whether anyone has thought through the fact that, by 2024, it will be impossible for the GOP candidate to 'lose' in the eyes of that party and its voters. It simply cannot happen, and any suggestion that the candidate did lose (assuming he or she does, but the premise will hold into the foreseeable future) will be ipso facto proof that the conspiracy to deprive the GOP of the presidency is even more far-reaching than had already been suspected.
We also - meaning commentators like you and readers like me and my friends here - realized that the media (and the White House) would need to crack down pretty hard on any politician who would not affirmatively and positively declare the president to be rightfully president, elected by a fair and open election.
And as you say, it just hasn't been happening. The 'return to normalcy' in the mainstream media and political world seems to have been such a relief that its inhabitants just want it to stay that way. To refute the Big Lie, and demand that politicians deny this conspiracy theory openly and publicly before being given further airtime, would seem like a return to Trump days for the media - unpleasant accusations of bias, playing defense about real news vs fake, etc.
I wish they'd take the lesson to heart that the silver spike through Trump's heart was being cut off from the media. They could actually do the same thing to the Trumpist Party. Who would hear the screams, beyond the people who are already screaming, screaming, screaming?
But I suppose it's too much to hope for. Very depressing.
The only way for you to gain a position as a gatekeeper of the truth is to explain why you keep perpetuating the Big Lie and have a truthful policy discussion about One Demand without the dodges.
Ahhh, yes another refreshing selfish whine from Don. I just wish I had some Pie, Cheese pie, to go with the whine.
Since Don is the most politically astute amongst us, perhaps he will provide a logical answer as to why One Demented Demand is the logical fix for a big money party that is perpetuating voter fraud claims that ultimately amount to a very slow moving coup carried out by undermining the faith in the basic concept of our country and promising policy prescriptions that are discriminatory to large swaths of our citizens and prevent entire genders from exercising control over their own bodies that a majority in this country reject, all to ensure they can retain power through minority rule.
I am especially looking forward to this "logical answer" when one considers at the core of ODD the solution is to either commit voter fraud, place your ENTIRE ballot into the trash heap, or create a jumble of votes that somehow will be compared to the great list of ODD participants that will cause politicians to quake in fear.
I am especially looking forward to the "logical answer" of how ODD will be the magic bullet to solve all of our problems when the ultimate result of "If there are no hundred dollar candidates for Congress, the Senate or President on your primary or general election ballot citizens can use the write-in slot to write-in their own names. This will register as a vote against the Big Money candidates and create demand for hundred dollar candidates in the next election cycle. " Resulting in a severe dilution of the valid ballot pool that can lead to a final election and then "poof" there will be no need for DONQ to keep focusing on"ODD for the next election cycle.
lol...'You don't get any pie if you don't get a seat at the table.'
Mr H, late of Pablo Fanques Fair, the seat is intact and awaiting an end to the gibbering monotony of the ballyhooed three-party system. If the music stops, I'm sure there's a seat available.
You'll be astonished to discover that I have a friend in Patchogue, NY. Once the astonishment that I possess a friend, let alone one in Patchogue subsides, I'll share her observations on the matter. Patchogue, famous for its sess tanks and city sewers and its large Hitler family (no shit, aim google at it, breakfast cheeseburgers and all that) has, in my opinion, that cross-section of middle-classery that can be a used to see what WASPS are saying on both sides of the political dichotomy. To my amazement, it seems TBL ( the big lie) is slowly being replaced by the big hope. This lady, who possesses the stones to be a liberal in a nest of Trumpite family members, is seeing even the hardcore TBL-ers are settling into the notion that Biden's man with a plan. As she points out, their clinging to TBL is fading along with cv19 and that even the most ardent T-rumpers seem giddy at the prospect of Biden's vision for recovery.
We agree that it's a media construct, we also conclude it will die proportional to the economic rebirth.
We thank our Patchogue-based realist for her input and the MAGA hat she sent me from South Carolina last year on the anniversary of my existence.
I only get American news (tv) from a few outlets, and I was wondering if the "man on the street" was grinding over the Biden win, as I assumed it was the mainstream media that was flogging this a bit more to death than was needed. The newsprint I choose seems to have TBL dashed here and there, but not plastered to their banners. One has to assume that as things improve, Trump, TBL, and connective bullshit will end up like the Ross Perot saga... An embarrassment that republicans would sooner forget.
LL&P
Don, what do you mean by 'conservative'?
Well, a lot of things on this list are actually supported by Biden - public option, raising the minium wage to $15.
He is for a ban on some fraking, no? Besides, he did cancel the Keystone pipeline, in no uncertain terms, much to the dismay of Canadian climate change deniers.
Biden was wisely against surging troops in Afghanistan when he was vice president. Unfortunately, Obama wasn't as well versed in military affairs as Biden was then and is today. Biden is quite comfortable in his own skin, frankly, saying 'No!' to the top brass in the military, as Biden did Re the US troop withdrawl from Afghanistan. Biden understands that the top brass are not always the right ones for a president to be listening to when making decisions on troop deployments and starting wars.
Fixing methane leaks and groundwater contamination are both on Biden's 'Build Back Better' agenda, no?
I mean, not even Biden will be able to get everything done in the first 100 days, right?
As for the 1994 Crime Bill, I think over the years, Republicans have tried, successfully on many levels, to hold onto the mantle of 'the party of Law and Order' and maybe that is why safe communities and reducing crime became perceived as a specifically conservative plank...
OD is not democracy, it is simply an election strategy that no serious candidate seems willing to try....or perhaps you are just a terrible salesman.
You're a tough one to please, Don.
Don,
He may be part of the cause of some of the problems - we all must accept our share of responsibility for the problems.
But, half-measures is a crazy way to describe what Biden is up to.
And, I'm not a lying scumbag. I gave that up a very long time ago, in a land far, far away ... May the 4th be with you!
@JTC,
i think that was so far over henderson's head that he'd need a trampoline to reach it.
JL
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink if he is used to drinking the koolaid."
-Me
you can beat a horse all you like, but if he's dead he still won't run.
~everybody else
JL
Don,
I am easy to please as long as you are not a lying scumbag.
What if you are the lying scumbag, Don, then what? Because you are doing a lot of lying in this thread.
Not supporting something does not automatically make one a conservative.
Not jumping on all issues, not waving a magic wand to ignore democracy so unicorns can fart rainbows and your wet dream thin slice of the progressive agenda gets passed on day one is also not automatically conservative.
Crime Bill:
So your against the Violence Against Women Act? Hell even Bernie Sanders voted for the crime bill because of that part. The bill passed with mostly democrat support and Bill Clinton wrote in to law. Not conservative.
No medicare for all:
Biden seems to think it's too expensive. 30 to 40 trillion (Bernie's estimate) and does not think it can pass congress.
No public option:
Biden supports the public option over medicare for all but refuses to let anything get in the way of dealing with covid-19. Wait and see...
No BMI:
Aw come on, Biden may be thin but he still has some body mass. Oh, you meant universal basic income? He is not a supporter but not totally against it and the Child Tax Credit is considered by many in the media as dabbling in it.
No 15 dollar wage:
Biden totally supports the $15 minimum wage. It did not make it this time around but he did make $15 minimum wage for federal contractors. Baby steps.
Yes to taking big money:
Has there even been a politician in the history of America that matches up to your definition of not taking big money?
Yes to every and any war:
A lot of nuance to his views on war but he did vote for the Iraq and Serbian resolutions. But voting for war does not automatically make one a conservative.
More military equipment to police:
He has not issued an executive order to ban it during his administration but it has also not increased on his watch. Congress would have to act to get rid of it entirely. Can you expand on what you mean here?
More military spending:
1.7%...
Maybe conservative is the wrong term for those things
Yes, conservative is the wrong term for those things. At least you got one thing right...
Death Harris, the Pillow Guy of Planet Dore.
They both perform a repetitive, boring, baseless ritual of nonsense and conspiracies and neither of them can launch a functional website. I don't know if Death is also a drug addict like Pillow Guy, but he does have OCD (One Crackpot Demand).
Bashi[28],
A lot of nuance to his views on war but he did vote for the Iraq and Serbian resolutions. But voting for war does not automatically make one a conservative.
Biden didn't vote "for war". As he explained voluminously on the US Senate floor in October 2002 during debate on the AUMF in Iraq, he saw the vote in favour of the AUMF as the best way to avoid war - for the US to be able to say to the United Nations, look, if you don't dislodge Saddam from his WMD and bring him into compliance of any number of UN resolutions in the wake of the end of the 1991 conflict with the US, the the US will do it for you and have the strength of the Congressional resolution to back the president up.
And, Biden was the only person on the planet who worked tirelessly to devise a plan for US Iraq policy and for a political settlement in Iraq. Which passed overwhelmingly - 75 to 23 in the Senate! And, which he handed on a silver platter to the Bush administration. President Bush et al, however, proceeded to sabatage the plan, calling it a plan to break up Iraq when it was actually a very solid plan that had the best prospects for keeping Iraq united, despite the horrible sectarian violence plaguing the country since 2003. If it had been adopted in 2007, Iraq may be well on its way to functioning nation.
Couldn't agree more with the rest of your comment!
I noticed that.
BTW, Biden could be your new best friend ... just you wait until he starts talking about campaign finance reform. Which may have to wait until his second term.
What lies have I told?
That Biden is a conservative. He is not.
That he does not support certain policies that he, in fact, does support.
Face it dude, you are talking out your ass and making shit up because no one will take your silly idea seriously.
Don, I'm gonna have to start calling you a progressive - wanting what you want when you want it. Heh.
Don,
JFC-
Says the person that cannot even make a rational comment, just a baseless personal attack.
Lets see the truth of this statement:
They both perform a repetitive, boring, baseless ritual of nonsense and conspiracies and neither of them can launch a functional website.
Repetitive: check. boring: kind of part and parcel with repetitive but check. baseless ritual of nonsense and conspiracies: got you on that one, check. Neither of them can launch a functional website: how is getting the Billy Joel permission going? Definitely Check.
Seems pretty rational to me. It's like you are lashing out due to the fact you can't defend or disprove the accusations...
Don,
Nicholas Ashford in a discussion with Ralph Nader on the Fairness Doctrine talked about embarrassing someone that tells exaggerations, omissions of fact and omission of views.
We keep trying but you seem immune to embarrassment...
DH, I think you need a lie-down, all this attention might lead to rapprochement, we can't have that on our collective conscience. If saving us is your goal then you'll need all the rest a few valiums and a shade tree can offer.
Biden is pretty much as all-in as a fresh president can be, given the toxic nature of the world into which he hopes to exit with destiny's bells ringing out a new day. To my mind, he's probably over-indulged his sensibility in the hope that he can waste a few less imminent proposals to secure the ones he's decided the US simply can't do without. It seems his countless years in Washington was all prelude to this moment in time, a lifetime's political aspirations all rolled into a few massive initiatives. Next to FDR, I doubt any American president has come to the party with such an extensive Christmas list. To say he's merely nibbling the tip is just you being you, Mr. H, I get that and I'd prefer to left in the dark as to what else you think he can realistically push for before his own party pumps his brakes. There's a lot to reconcile before even the most modest of his proposals gets the nod, we know how Mitch can make a brisk walk seem glacial, even in his role as spoiler, he can make a minute seem like a lifetime. A quick reminder that Mitch and his wife doubled their wealth in four years under Trump by doubling her father's shipping racket, at some inconvenience to other shipping outfits not connected to Trump's transportation cabinet appointee. Mitch is also flapping in the wind over the only IG fired and replaced under Trump, which he somehow managed in record speed to confer by the senate a day before he was about to refer his wife's conduct to the justice dept...(we hadn't forgotten that little shiny turd, Mitch, my old Terrapin) it's still on the mantle polished and waiting for admirers to see it in its glory. I'm not averse to some constructive blackmail to grease the wheels. It's not like ole Mitch wouldn't be above that sort of thing, he spent eight years walking Obama up and down the garden path, I can't see Biden putting up with too much prevarication this time around, the GOP pissed down his back his whole time in office with Obama, I'm not sure they have the minerals to pull the same lame dog routine a second time around.
Biden will have his day, of that I'm sure, he'll get the lions share of what he wants because the voters won't buy the 'radical left shtick' on common-sense legislation, and the midterms will be nipping at their progress with win-win as their prize. The GOP won't be able to rewrite this narrative as they have done previously. It doesn't translate into their bullshit'o'speak, paid JK can't be re-sung to sound like socialism to the ear of a single parent... Though it won't stop the usual suspects from going hammer and tongs at it to see if they wound the idea enough that it'll die having never lived.
To expect more from Biden is just idiotic, he's not interested in two terms, if his bills say nothing else, they scream one term to me.
LL&P
JTC,
To expect more from Biden is just idiotic, he's not interested in two terms, if his bills say nothing else, they scream one term to me.
Right. Because, he'll be dead by 2024.
You guys are too much.
Gotta love the symmetry of U.S two-party politics Last time, "Russiagate", this time "We wuz robbed"!
Stucki,
It's just a little repetitive and boring to troll us with that one again. Getting jealous of all the attention that Death Harris has received today?
FYI - one of those things happened and one didn't. Where's the symmetry?
Don,
Not accurate.
Quite accurate. None of those are classic conservative policies, Biden just doesn't agree with you or your time line so you need to label him something bad rather than come up with a good argument.
There is nothing of any rationality to defend against or disprove.
Ah, the rationality line. Surprised you left off "dodge". Capitulating already?
You just need a couple of petulant posts and the cycle will be complete...
CW: Think about it: when we see coverage of NASA doing something or another, is a flat-earther invited on to "provide an opposing viewpoint"?
What is it with these flat-earthers (FE) anyway? I've actually had the (not such) pleasure to meet with a few on a couple occasions. Interesting conversation:
Me: You're serious about this?
FE: Yes.
Me: You believe in high powered telescopes, though?
FE: Yes.
Me: You believe in other planets?
FE: Yes.
Me: You believe our telescopes have taken pictures of these planets and thousands of stars?
FE: Yes.
Me: And you've seen these pictures?
FE: Yes.
Me: And what shape are the planets and stars in the pictures you've seen?
FE: You're trying to trick me.
Me: So you're saying they're not flat?
It's easy to see why they're doing this. Recent polling shows that 70 percent of Republican voters believe the election was stolen from Trump.
Which is funny when you think about it because in order to believe a giant honking load of asinine rubbish like that, you have to "buy into" the idea that the election or the presidency was the property of Donald Trump. Our presidents, including Donald Trump are (supposed to be) public servants who are selected in order to serve the People; they don't own title to the office or the country (nor the planet). Presidents serve US and are time-limited.
This emotional clap-trap that an election was "stolen" plays right into the typical righty rhetoric that "their" country is being taken from them... standard operational White (mostly) male grievance.
You want to talk about cancel culture? If you're a Republican who can't/won't support the Trumpian BIG LIE, you'll be expelled... totally cancelled.
Exactly half of all GOP voters think there is solid proof the election was stolen (spoiler alert: there isn't).
People with brain cells know that any actual tangible, demonstrative, documentary, or testimonial evidence that could prove these claims could have easily been presented in the 65 legal challenges filed across the country by Donald Trump. But alas, evidence that doesn't exist cannot be presented in a court of law. So why does this perception linger despite all evidence (or lack thereof) to the contrary? Some of it is outright gullibility, sure, but I think a lot of it is transference of emotions and feelings onto Trump. The party full of privilege and grievance "feels" like something is being stolen from them... so therefore it must have been stolen from Trump.
The only good news in this statistic is that it is abating somewhat -- the last time the question was asked, it was 58 percent, and now is only 50.
There's almost always a turning point. They spent years praising Bush the Lesser and now vilify him and much of what he (and themselves) were strongly in favor. They turned on a dying John McCain and are now busy vilifying his widow. They are booing Mitt Romney and cancelling Liz Cheney (and anyone else) for telling the facts about the BIG LIE. Trump too shall pass. Republicans are well known for eating their own.
Don Harris
6
I agree the media should denounce the Big Lie, but you have not correctly identified the Big Lie.
Incorrect. He has correctly identified the Big Lie on this board, and it's you, Don Q. Him ignoring it didn't work so he tried the yellow card, and Don Q kept right on perpetuating his Big Lie and "tilting at windmills." Very much in tune with his column today about those who give a platform to the Trumpian Big Lie, I cannot fathom why he continues to give you a platform to perpetuate your Big Lie.
THE Big Lie is the one you perpetuate constantly that the Deathocrats and Republikillers are not working together for the big money interests to create an illusion of choice that the big money candidates win no matter if a Deathocrat or Republikiller candidate wins an election.
When the author is not busy ignoring your Big Lie, he equates it to fantasy and "tilting at windmills," Don Q. He has answered you.
The only way for you to gain a position as a gatekeeper of the truth is to explain why you keep perpetuating the Big Lie and have a truthful policy discussion about One Demand without the dodges.
He's posting his truth. If you'd like to post yours, you have your own website on which to do it. This blog is not about you or your personal crusade, Don Q.
If it is a crackpot idea that is worthless and dangerous to democracy it should be easy for you explain why that is what it is instead of citizens using the basic tools of democracy to influence our political process.
If it's so wonderful and the very key to democracy itself, even an uneducated troll with his own website should be able to sell it without having to resort to hijacking another man's blog and trolling him to respond to questions that he's already answered.
So to recap: Everything is not about you, Don Q.
Don Harris
8
You don't get any pie if you don't get a seat at the table.
You have your own table. Shit over there.
A lot of nice posts today. :)
Don Harris
14
One Demand is basic democracy in action.
Incorrect, but you're close: One Demand is basic democracy inaction.
Encouraging people to join you in sitting out democracy by de facto nonvoting does not meet the definition of "democracy." Thank you for playing. Now bugger off.
Don Harris
23
One Demand is not democracy?
One Demand is basic democracy inaction.
Just because you say it doesn't make it true.
Applies equally, if not more so, to you, Don Q.
How is not voting for politicians that do not do what you want and making a demand of politicians and enforcing that demand with your vote not democracy?
Re
If it is an election strategy then it is democracy as elections and election strategies are part of how democracy works.
Politicians do not do things unless they forced to do them. That is the purpose of One Demand to give citizens the opportunity to make the small donor demand and force candidates to choose between taking big money and getting our votes.
How is that not basic democracy in action?
It's not about being a salesman. (at least not here)
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink if he is used to drinking the koolaid."
-Me
EDIT - COMPUTER HAUNTED
Don Harris
23
One Demand is not democracy?
One Demand is basic democracy inaction.
Just because you say it doesn't make it true.
Applies equally, if not more so, to you, Don Q.
How is not voting for politicians that do not do what you want and making a demand of politicians and enforcing that demand with your vote not democracy?
Democracy is defined as a system of government where the people take part in electing their leaders via voting where majority (usually) rules.
How is "not voting" voting? It isn't and never could be.
How is that not basic democracy in action?
Because only an ignorant fool would claim that de facto nonvoting is the equivalent of voting and equate inaction with action.
nypoet22
27
you can beat a horse all you like, but if he's dead he still won't run.
~everybody else
Bravo.
Haha. The orange one has joined Death Harris and the Pillow Guy in the cancervative website-creating failure club. Florida Man's social media platform is a blog!
DH- 23
A democracy is either government run directly by the people, or a government run by representatives chosen by the people. One Demand is just one person who accepts no criticism from anybody else. That sounds like a very lonely and ineffective autocracy to me.
Don,
A bill passed by majority democrats, minority republicans and signed in to law by a democrat president is conservative? And you are calling me delusional? Hilarious.
What about $15 minimum wage? Can you prove Biden does not support it? Public option? You are seriously just making shit up!
CW doesn't dodge. He has been quite open that he has no intention of covering your little ego trip. That seems to be shared by everyone else you stalk...
Instead of projecting your lack of rationality and dodges on to the rest of us maybe you should look in the mirror to see why no one seems to care about your BS...
Don Harris
61
you are delusional. Those are all conservative policies.
Not even close, Don Q.
I did not just make up a label. It is a label that is accurate.
Your modus operandi is your constant spewing regarding your invention of the perfect fertilizer... your belief that everyone here knows how great it is but won't admit it out of fear.
*laughs*
Listen carefully: That pile of purity shit you keep attempting to peddle here isn't fertilizer; it's pure unadulterated lunatic bullshit. Your shit is tiresome, and most everyone here is likely sick of your constant shoveling of your perpetual verbal diarrhea in the form of your personal crusade.
If you don't like having it pointed out that there is no rationality in your comments start including something rational.
Said the King of Shovels from Bullshit Mountain.
The same goes for the dodges. Stop doing it and I will stop pointing it out.
Pound sand. No one here is dodging you... quite the opposite, in point of fact. We're all just collectively refusing to vote for you until you meet our demands. That's democracy in action, and you're just afraid of us.
Heh. :)
Don Harris
62
More repeated nonsense that includes false claims that CW's dodges were answers and false claims i am telling people not to vote and the same moosepoop trying to deflect from what in my opinion CW should do by saying I should get my own blog and all the related nonsense that what I am doing is somehow trolling when that is what you are doing.
Pound sand, you tiny insignificant little man. It's never too late to get an education unless you are quite content to continue posting your repetitive word salad. You don't meet our definition. No vote for you. Sorry, those are our rules.
Not one of you has been able to explain why One Demand is not basic democracy in action or if you prefer citizens using the basic tools of democracy (our votes) to influence politicians without falsehoods.
You're simply not pure enough for us, and no one can make us vote for you. Why do you think anyone owes your their vote? Democracy in action. You lose.
Grow up.
Eat shit. No vote for you, Don Q.
DH-62
Everybody can explain it. You can’t accept the explanation. The fault dear butthead is between your ears. You are the ultimate authoritarian. It is a very good thing you have no following and no power.
Don,
I'm sorry but you don't get to make shit up. American conservative thought is a thing and if you are a bit fuzzy on the concept, try putting in to Wikipedia the terms: American conservative, Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan.
Biden does not support the 15 dollar wage or the public option.
Then back it up! Pull your miserable head out of your ass and do the fucking research and prove it! That's what I did in responding to your not conservative list. That is what rational people do.
Yes it is clear that CW does not want to address One Demand, but he has not addressed why.
So what? No one owes you diddly squat. Especially when you spam repetitive bullshit all the time.
I am not projecting anything on the rest of you. The rest of you are doing exactly what I say you are doing and I am not doing those things.
My, my, my look at the big ego on Don. You truly are a legend in your own mind. Sorry, your pattern is super predictable and when asked to back your shit up you push back and instead of coming up with a rational argument backed up with real facts you dodge by accusing us of not being rational. I get it you learned trolling from Michale. Unfortunately for you Michale actually had a brain in his head and could pull it off. You just look like a fool.
You wonder why Ralph Nader, Jimmy Dore and who ever else you are stalking take initial interest then never give you the time of day again? They have staff. They tell staff hey this looks interesting check it out. Then they don't find your site. Then they do find your site and are super not impressed. Then if that has not totally turned them off they run a search on your name and OD and come here. A thread or two like this one and they all give you very wide berth...
Comment 60 is no dodge...it is an observation based on God only knows how many years of reading your comments. You and OneDemand appear to be exactly the same thing. I see no evidence of any followers. You lash out at constructive criticism from the CW.com community. That is autocratic behavior. Also bad salesmanship. I'll go so far to say it may be a sign of mental illness....which has been described as: "doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." So in order to retain my sanity, I'm just going to go back to blocking your posts.
The fault dear butthead is between your ears.
thettle down beavith, or i'm gonna have to kick your ath.
Don Harris
70
Oh, come on. You can do better than that. And you will have to do better than that if you expect me to respond with the same vitriol you post so that I will get The Red Card.
Vitriol? *laughs* I think you confused my measured assessment of your repetitive bullshit and the qualifications your report in your bio as being "vitriol." No, sir. It's just my opinion. If you don't like my opinion of your monomania and personal crusade on this blog, too bad. I am as entitled as you are to post my opinion of bullshit mountain and word salad. You genuinely and truly suck at this, Don Q.
But, don't worry.
No one here takes orders from those we deem unworthy of our votes, and that's no vote for you, Don Q.
Apparently no matter what you post it is okay as CW demonstrated when he disgracefully hit me with the Yellow Card.
You seriously think you are being singled out unfairly!? You're delusional. Has an angry tiny insignificant little repetitive trolling poster gotten so wound up and unhinged that he suggested you kill yourself. Nope. All you are being requested to do by the author and the vast majority of his regular readers is stop trolling his website with your trolling for advertisement of your personal crusade. Not complicated unless you're a troll with no comprehension skills.
Besides, your obvious lingering butthurt might actually be emanating from the physical pain of having your head located permanently up your own backside and not from your ignorance and inability to follow the author's rules. It's simple English. Not complicated. :)
Don Harris
69
CW does dodge. The only times he commented on one Demand he used the same dodges the rest of you use.
He's not required to answer your bullshit, but he did answer you on multiple occasions already. If you're incapable of understanding his answer, that's on you and your perpetual state of confusion and delusion.
Yes it is clear that CW does not want to address One Demand, but he has not addressed why.
Yes, he did... and in simple English. Also: You should allow yourself to take "no" for an answer. No vote for you because your political philosophy is perceived as "tilting at windmills." If it's confusing at all, crack a dictionary.
I am not projecting anything on the rest of you. The rest of you are doing exactly what I say you are doing and I am not doing those things.
We are collectively not voting for you. I'm personally going to write in my own name and will be contributing way less than $200 to your campaigning: Nothing for you. I'm voting for myself and refusing to consider you at all due to the fact you do not meet my test for having a functioning brain cell.
Those pesky facts again that are quite clear from a review of the comments.
Pesky... yes, you certainly are.
Facts... you lie on a repetitive and regular basis.
Lying and trolling are your permanent and perpetual modus operandi. You're not worthy of consideration because you don't meet our litmus test. Swing and a miss! Thank you for playing. Batter out!
DonQui-
Because that is how democracy is designed to work. If you don't like what the politicians are doing you don't vote for them and you vote for someone or something else.
di-?mä-kr?-s?:a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
Nope. Don't see something else as a viable representative.
And works on the half of the big money party you describe and the other half that you pretend is not also corrupted by big money.
Would you like some dressing with your salad? A) I have never said that one party or the other is not tainted by big money. B) It only works if both sides play and they don't. C) it requires democracy to recognize that people not voting are protesting something and has a remedy, democratic systems by design do not.
One Demand is basic democracy in action.
If by that you mean people writing in their own name and not causing the change they want then sure. Granted I am not the political wizard you are, but, to me it looks more like civic negligence.
You can make up all sorts of things as you do with your voter fraud claims, etc., but that is just a dodge and deflection to avoid admitting that One Demand is basic democracy in action.
Interesting fact, at least in my text book, not sure about yours... we have opted for a system of governance through representation without a remedy for a bunch of people who don't vote for people on the ballot. In other words you get the government that the plurality of valid ballots dictates. It is that simple, at least in my pixie and unicorn fart free reality.
As for making things up, I must have lost my head there, you busted me...
I guess in the nine states write-in voting is not permitted it must really be permitted....
I guess in the 33 states that do allow write-in votes but only for registered write-in candidates, or else your vote will not count, don't really have those requirements....
I guess the 8 states that have no requirements for write-ins are the way it is for everyone.....
I guess when you tell people"If there are no hundred dollar candidates for Congress, the Senate or President on your primary or general election ballot citizens can use the write-in slot to write-in their own names". You are not running afoul of a myriad of, local, state, and federal election laws that make it illegal to council voters to do something that is against election rules for a given jurisdiction...
I just do not know what I was thinking.
Please excplain why democracy can't work.
Not sure what you are trying to get at here...Democracy works fine the last time I checked. People file for office, people register to vote, some campaigning happens (far too much of it, far to long), a plurality votes, there are winners and losers, transitions happen, policy shifts, at the proscribed time and date the cycle begins again.
Now if you are talking One Dumbmand, the reasons it cannot and will not work, aside from the fact that it's creator is lazy, is that it is a subtractive prescription for a problem that you think is the holy grail to solving all of our problems.
For example let's just say 77 Million decide to follow you merrily down the yellow brick road of civic malpractice and vote for themselves, while 70 million show up and vote for people on the ballot, guess what nothing is going to change, 70 million people will have selected our representatives of government. This is not fantasy, it is a fact of life.
Now if the 70 million vote in a strong authoritarian party, what is to stop them from just doing away with elections? What will the "write yourself in" approach have done to stop that from happening?
Oh, I know, Not a single damn thing.
You can't so you make stuff up.
What exactly am I making up? Am I missing the concept here? Is One Dumbmand, not if there are no purity candidates on the ballot write yourself in and throw your vote away, if enough of you do it the underwear gnomes will magically cause candidates to change their ways? Until that happens though you will have to put up with government that the minority elects I hope you all are fine with that.
The concept as well as the website feels like a toddler who doesn't want to eat his veggies holding his breath until they get what they want.
Most of us agree that Money in politics is bad, and we also agree that the civic malpractice you are peddling will not solve the problem.
As is your constitutional right you are free to keep trying tho.... and flailing.
Don,
Wikipedia? You've got to be kidding.
What's your problem with wikipedia?
Biden did not pass the 15 dollar wage. What more proof do you need?
That he doesn't support it. Everything I have read is he supports it but could not get it through this time so he will try again in the future. In the mean time he executive ordered federal contractors minimum wage at $15. If you have different information that you can link to rather than make up please post...
CW spews repetitive moosepoop. And so do the rest of you.
And I repeat exposing it as moosepoop.
Accusations without backing them up...Yawn.
CW expects other public figures to defend their positions and lauds people that do not take no for an answer from those public figures.
But he does not stalk them on their site to my knowledge...
It has nothing to do with my ego, it has everything to do with the rest of you being cowards that hide behind dodges and unfounded personal attacks.
Waaaa some one call a wambulance!
Grow up.
Look in the mirror.
None of you have addressed why not voting for politicians that do not do what you want and voting for someone or something else is not how democracy is designed to work.
Actually multiple posters did, you just did not like their answer...
COWARDS.
Aww we have hit petulant. That ends this episode of sparing with Don...
Don Harris
80
More childish trolling.
That dodge again? Yes, Don Q., we've all heard your repetitive dodge to our issues. You never address our issues, and after not doing that you then never explain why it is that you never do.
As for us, we are not dodging you. Only a moron could look at all our responses to you and conclude they are being dodged. In fact, we have now informed you on multiple occasions that you do not meet with our purity definition and will not receive our votes for your campaign. Zero dollars are headed your way; you're simply not worthy and do not meet with our expectations. It's democracy in action, and you're the recipient of nothing. Until you meet our Multiple Demands, you will to continue to receive nothing from us. I guess it sucks to be deemed unworthy; however, that's what you get for not meeting our demands. It's an efficient system of democracy that we all feel will cause an epiphany on your part and then you'll meet our Multiple Demands.
Grow up.
Eat shit.
So to recap:
* You fail our test
* You do not pass "go"
* You do not collect $200 dollars
* You get no votes from us
* We're writing in our own names
* This great plan of ours will change your behavior... any day now.
Booyakasha!
Booyakasha!
Hear me now... boom!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b00lc92lExw
Don,
Dodges are not answers- they are just the opposite.
Then why do you keep doing them dodgeboy?
And you just admitted you are spewing moosepoop.
Another accusation you will not bother to back up?
Grow up.
Never. Then I would just be a crusty old loser like you.