1. #18016
    Once And Future BAMF Hellion's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrNewGod View Post
    You are correct.

    I've been wrestling with some complex feelings about media's role in the last 5 or 6 years. On one hand, I've been grateful for reporters and producers that would throw daylight at the Trumpsters' lies and myriad outrages. At the same time, every US outlet except the Huffington Post indulged in a grotesque orgy at the Trump Attention Buffet during (and since) the 2016 campaign, with CBS's CEO proclaiming "It May Not Be Good for America, but It's Damn Good for CBS". We will never know if Trump would have survived the 2016 Primaries had the rest of the pack followed HuffPost's sensible lead, but I will always wonder just how much of the last four years' miseries must be attributed to media enabling.

    The films Network, and Broadcast News long ago warned us about media executives' determination to convert News into entertainment. IMO: that push began about 5 minutes after Murrow's takedown of McCarthey, and got a steroid injection about 5 minutes after Nixon boarded Marine One for the last time. To be fair, trustworthiness of the US Press has been an issue from it's very foundations (the play, The Front Page, or it's better known remake His Girl Friday are worth viewing), and that's before we even talk about You Provide The Pictures, I'll Provide The War Hearst and his shenanigans.

    That said, if you contrast the appearance and competencies of the people in telectronically-distributed media after the early 1980s, you'll find they look and sound a lot less like their predecessors, and a lot more like the kind of characters that you'd expect to find on Entertainment Tonight.

    To be clear: I do not propose any pruning of the First Amendment, or the protections we have extended the News Vocation. However, we are allowing a stack of wannabe celebrities to help shape our debate, whose goal is less to inform than it is to draw viewership as a vehicle for getting their own show. More than that, we're allowing them to pretend that what they do is good for us.
    This is something that Aaron Sorkin raged about and warned us about with his superb HBO series The Newsroom. And every point he made about the direction the media was heading back then has become painfully spot-on. It's one of the greatest sins of our time that Sorkin himself and everybody else decided the show should just end after 3 seasons. If it had continued through the Trump years, there would have been a mountain of material to utilize and new points to be made.
    MAGNETO was right,TONY was right, VARYS was right.

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  2. #18017
    Astonishing Member SquirrelMan's Avatar
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    David Perdue might be going to jail instead of the Capitol:

    Sen. Perdue Insisted He Had No Input At All On Stock Buys. New Evidence Shows He Did.

  3. #18018
    Invincible Member Kirby101's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SquirrelMan View Post
    David Perdue might be going to jail instead of the Capitol:

    Sen. Perdue Insisted He Had No Input At All On Stock Buys. New Evidence Shows He Did.
    And his GOP voters will still support him. There is no crime, lie or embarrassment that is too much for them.
    There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!

  4. #18019
    The Nature Boy AnakinFlair's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kirby101 View Post
    And his GOP voters will still support him. There is no crime, lie or embarrassment that is too much for them.
    I suppose he just needs to get elected. Therefore, if he is indicted and does go to prison, the GA Governor can just appoint a Republican replacement.

  5. #18020
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hellion View Post
    This is something that Aaron Sorkin raged about and warned us about with his superb HBO series The Newsroom. And every point he made about the direction the media was heading back then has become painfully spot-on. It's one of the greatest sins of our time that Sorkin himself and everybody else decided the show should just end after 3 seasons. If it had continued through the Trump years, there would have been a mountain of material to utilize and new points to be made.
    Every MAGA-spouting mouth-breather should be forced to watch Jeff Daniels opening, profanity-saturated rant about the decline of the USA three times a day.

  6. #18021
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    Trump just announced that he’s pardoned Mike Flynn on Twitter.

    Last edited by Amadeus Arkham; 11-25-2020 at 02:42 PM.
    "I love mankind...it's people I can't stand!!"

    - Charles Schultz.

  7. #18022
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kirby101 View Post
    And his GOP voters will still support him. There is no crime, lie or embarrassment that is too much for them.
    Out of curiosity, what Democrats have crossed a line that you, in a position of actually supporting them, did you turn your back on?

    Or, in a hypothetical, what would it take for you to no longer support a Democrat, and how would you go about that? Would you not vote for them? Would you vote for no one, third party, republican? I am genuinely curious.

  8. #18023
    Invincible Member Kirby101's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joker View Post
    Out of curiosity, what Democrats have crossed a line that you, in a position of actually supporting them, did you turn your back on?

    Or, in a hypothetical, what would it take for you to no longer support a Democrat, and how would you go about that? Would you not vote for them? Would you vote for no one, third party, republican? I am genuinely curious.
    There are a few that committed crimes or were indicted that I would not support. (my brain isn't giving me any names). But usually, Democrats resign or don't run when this happens. Scandals don't seem to upend Republicans.

    Oh yeah, Anthony Weiner was one.
    There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!

  9. #18024
    Mighty Member zinderel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kirby101 View Post
    There are a few that committed crimes or were indicted that I would not support. (my brain isn't giving me any names). But usually, Democrats resign or don't run when this happens. Scandals don't seem to upend Republicans.

    Oh yeah, Anthony Weiner was one.
    Al Franken was another. But he did the right thing as soon as a scandal (that if I recall, ended up s big nothingburger that got blown out of proportion for political reasons) broke: he resigned. He didnt want his scandal derailing the working of government.

    When is the last time a Republican did that, I wonder...? Nixon? Nah...he only resigned to avoid impeachment. Republicans THRIVE on scandal, Democrats excise it. With prejudice. Not always, mind you. I'm sure some conservative poster or other will bring up some obscure name that got away with something. But when the comparison comes down to 'some guy no one's heard of did a thing and got away with it, where is the outrage!?' and 'almost everyone connected to the current administration is a criminal or has been tied to some scandal or another of their own making', Republicans, once again, are full of 'winning'.
    Last edited by zinderel; 11-25-2020 at 04:03 PM.

  10. #18025
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    Quote Originally Posted by Amadeus Arkham View Post
    Trump just announced that he’s pardoned Mike Flynn on Twitter.

    Wonder if Michael Flynn knows the fine print, "a presidential pardon is an admission of guilt".

  11. #18026
    Astonishing Member Godzilla2099's Avatar
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    Flynn is complete sleeze. Plead guilty for lying to Congress...TWICE. Of course Trump is going to pardon a rat like this. It wouldn't surprise me if Trump tries to pardon himself early.

    Trump Cult say that it was the FBI that coerced Flynn and made him the victim. So all those indictments, arrests, and even convictions are all bogus and coincidental? Trump never lied nor did anything wrong?
    Last edited by Godzilla2099; 11-25-2020 at 04:12 PM.

  12. #18027
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    Quote Originally Posted by Godzilla2099 View Post
    Flynn is complete sleeze. Plead guilty for lying to Congress...TWICE. Of course Trump is going to pardon a rat like this. It wouldn't surprise me if Trump tries to pardon himself early.

    Trump Cult say that it was the FBI that coerced Flynn and made him the victim. So all those indictments, arrests, and even convictions are all bogus and coincidental? Trump never lied nor did anything wrong?
    Trump's likey to be handing these out like beads at Mardi Gras. Every pardoned henchman is a potential witness over whom prosecutors lose leverage.

  13. #18028
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    Quote Originally Posted by Godzilla2099 View Post
    Flynn is complete sleeze. Plead guilty for lying to Congress...TWICE. Of course Trump is going to pardon a rat like this. It wouldn't surprise me if Trump tries to pardon himself early.

    Trump Cult say that it was the FBI that coerced Flynn and made him the victim. So all those indictments, arrests, and even convictions are all bogus and coincidental? Trump never lied nor did anything wrong?
    This is the Trump Cult. The Central Park 5 are cunning criminals, and Flynn is an innocent babe in the woods

  14. #18029
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrNewGod View Post
    Trump's likey to be handing these out like beads at Mardi Gras. Every pardoned henchman is a potential witness over whom prosecutors lose leverage.
    They lose some leverage, but if they're pardoned, they lose 5th amendment rights. So leverage still exists, just not as much

  15. #18030
    Horrific Experiment JCAll's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Revolutionary_Jack View Post
    Wonder if Michael Flynn knows the fine print, "a presidential pardon is an admission of guilt".
    He already admitted he was guilty though.

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