A new unity like a bundle of sticks
July 19, 2024 7:02 AM Subscribe
Horny for fascism - on the medias quest to put the best possible spin on Trump and MAGA.
The media absolutely wants Trump back because it's easier for them to write stories and sell outrage.
posted by ichomp at 7:37 AM on July 19, 2024 [16 favorites]
posted by ichomp at 7:37 AM on July 19, 2024 [16 favorites]
The media class has had a glimpse of a world where stochastic gun violence comes for the powerful and well-connected instead of just elementary schools, synagogues and gay bars full of faceless nobodies, decided they don't like it, decided that their own masterful rhetoric must have caused it, and gone into full retreat.
posted by Vulgar Euphemism at 7:38 AM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by Vulgar Euphemism at 7:38 AM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
Despite the myth of the “liberal media”, most of the mainstream outlets are owned by ultra-rich ghouls who will see fascism as a way of protecting their wealth and power.
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:47 AM on July 19, 2024 [43 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:47 AM on July 19, 2024 [43 favorites]
Rest of the world: We in the US are doomed and we're likely to drag the all of you down with us.
posted by bluesky43 at 7:53 AM on July 19, 2024 [9 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 7:53 AM on July 19, 2024 [9 favorites]
I do love this phrasing from Defector, emphasis mine:
"What Trump actually thinks of Vance doesn't really matter, either, although it seems fair to guess that Trump identified in Vance, who worried in 2016 that Trump could be "America's Hitler" and has since done an ultra-unctuous 180 in his opinion of either Trump or Hitler, a shamelessness that could come in handy down the line.
posted by true at 7:56 AM on July 19, 2024 [25 favorites]
"What Trump actually thinks of Vance doesn't really matter, either, although it seems fair to guess that Trump identified in Vance, who worried in 2016 that Trump could be "America's Hitler" and has since done an ultra-unctuous 180 in his opinion of either Trump or Hitler, a shamelessness that could come in handy down the line.
posted by true at 7:56 AM on July 19, 2024 [25 favorites]
we're likely to drag the all of you down with us.
Weeee! To hell in a handbasket for us all, f***kers!
posted by BlueHorse at 8:00 AM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
Weeee! To hell in a handbasket for us all, f***kers!
posted by BlueHorse at 8:00 AM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
Ad buys probably go up when this crap billows out. The responsible editors hide in relative obscurity while the precarity of the authors keeps them in line. Meanwhile, the majority public is willing to maintain the illusion of objectivity if they agree with the reporting, and the algorithms maintain the filter bubble that limits exposure to dichotomous perspectives.
posted by grokus at 8:01 AM on July 19, 2024
posted by grokus at 8:01 AM on July 19, 2024
As my political science professor harped on, media is plural. There are many media outlets, and for each outlet there are owners, publishers, editors, and reporters, and within each group there's variation. But clearly the vast, vast majority of reporters and editors at mainstream outlets (NY Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, AP) loathe, despise, and fear Trump.* The debate among that group is how to report on him objectively. For example, there seems to be a consensus that they can call election denialism a lie, but that for some topics they use phrasing like "claimed without evidence."
*This should be obvious to anyone who hasn't been asleep since 2015, but if you need evidence: "Journalists who said they were Republicans continued to drop from 18 percent in 2002 and 7.1 percent in 2013 to 3.4 percent in 2022."
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:37 AM on July 19, 2024 [7 favorites]
*This should be obvious to anyone who hasn't been asleep since 2015, but if you need evidence: "Journalists who said they were Republicans continued to drop from 18 percent in 2002 and 7.1 percent in 2013 to 3.4 percent in 2022."
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:37 AM on July 19, 2024 [7 favorites]
NPR top-of-the-hour news this morning played a clip of him talking in the first few minutes of his endless speech about unity, and talked about this being the message. Then as a quick aside they mentioned, without any supporting audio: "later in the speech he heavily fell back on his attacks on the Democratic party and those that disagreed with him". DO BETTER GOD DAMNIT.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:49 AM on July 19, 2024 [16 favorites]
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:49 AM on July 19, 2024 [16 favorites]
The media is plural but each individual editor believes they will do better if they stay in a decision making position during and after this and every election cycle. That means their first responsibility is to stay in power and relevant - that does mean ad buys and money, but it also means staying off the top of the Enemies List of any incoming regime.
Calling liars liars might reduce their access, relevance, and influence so they do it sparingly. I don't have a solution for this that doesn't boil down to "be willing to torpedo your access, career, and maybe well being in the hopes your more honest reporting results in the possibility of the lesser evil gaining political power."
It doesn't make it right, and all the ghouls who own the bulk of outlets definitely don't help, but the decision makers themselves don't see any one report or story as worth falling on the wrong side of precarity (as noted above).
I hope supporting nonprofit media helps (propublica, etc) but I'm guessing not in time for this election.
posted by Lenie Clarke at 9:01 AM on July 19, 2024 [5 favorites]
Calling liars liars might reduce their access, relevance, and influence so they do it sparingly. I don't have a solution for this that doesn't boil down to "be willing to torpedo your access, career, and maybe well being in the hopes your more honest reporting results in the possibility of the lesser evil gaining political power."
It doesn't make it right, and all the ghouls who own the bulk of outlets definitely don't help, but the decision makers themselves don't see any one report or story as worth falling on the wrong side of precarity (as noted above).
I hope supporting nonprofit media helps (propublica, etc) but I'm guessing not in time for this election.
posted by Lenie Clarke at 9:01 AM on July 19, 2024 [5 favorites]
This crew is totally beatable (David Frum, The Atlantic)
The truth is that Trump’s record as president was the same as his record as a businessman: rich until the inheritance ran out.posted by box at 9:09 AM on July 19, 2024 [11 favorites]
I continue to be amazed at the politico-media complex. Despite their atrocious constant pro-tump focus, do they just not know how autocracies treat the press? Do they not care? Do they not understand what dictatorships do with the press? I'm beyond baffled. I exclude real journalists from this who do great work, are essential, and know what is coming. But the politicos? Joe Kahn and his doppelgängers at WAPO, NPR, etc are so fucked (after they colossally fuck everyone else (except for maga obv. ). At best they re reporting to EICs like Christopher Rufo, at worst out the window (or onto the train) they go...
And was anyone with a modicum of awareness surprised at the media's take on Trumps speech.
posted by WatTylerJr at 9:22 AM on July 19, 2024 [5 favorites]
And was anyone with a modicum of awareness surprised at the media's take on Trumps speech.
posted by WatTylerJr at 9:22 AM on July 19, 2024 [5 favorites]
I really don't think any explanation is needed beyond "lots of media are owned by Trump supporters." Why do we think anyone who would support Trump at this point would have any compunction about putting their thumb on the coverage the media they own gives him?
posted by straight at 9:24 AM on July 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
posted by straight at 9:24 AM on July 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
Fwiw, Microsoft and one of their security partners laid a big stinky egg last night, so this morning, instead of the news being full of glowing endorsements of Trump's acceptance speech, you got a couple of hours of "Chaos at the Airport!! Flights cancelled!! Global tech apocalypse!!"
(The Trump hagiography was still there...but it took something of a back seat.)
posted by gimonca at 9:27 AM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
(The Trump hagiography was still there...but it took something of a back seat.)
posted by gimonca at 9:27 AM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
I continue to be amazed at the politico-media complex. Despite their atrocious constant pro-tump focus, do they just not know how autocracies treat the press? Do they not care?They ask themselves only one question: "What will sell more when I hit the 'publish now' button?"
Everything else is secondary.
posted by slater at 9:41 AM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
I will say that it is hilarious to watch Nate Silver's paradigm get shifted without throwing the clutch.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:46 AM on July 19, 2024 [9 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:46 AM on July 19, 2024 [9 favorites]
Weeee! To hell in a handbasket for us all, f***kers!
A. this a profoundly foolish comment
B. perhaps far more important, what is the connection of hand baskets and hell? And was my gramma wrong when she said it was in fact a hat basket that would take us there?
posted by philip-random at 10:15 AM on July 19, 2024 [4 favorites]
A. this a profoundly foolish comment
B. perhaps far more important, what is the connection of hand baskets and hell? And was my gramma wrong when she said it was in fact a hat basket that would take us there?
posted by philip-random at 10:15 AM on July 19, 2024 [4 favorites]
> I continue to be amazed at the politico-media complex. Despite their atrocious constant pro-tump focus, do they just not know how autocracies treat the press?
The people working in the press are not the press. The press are the owners of the press. Reporters being killed? Not a problem to the obedient owner of a newspaper.
That owner of the newspaper wants Trump to look at him kindly. The newspaper is just paper.
On top of that, the short term profits of the press is proportional to the wealth of the eyeball watching the press. With current wealth inequality in the USA, the top 10%, 1% and 0.1% of the population have very valuable eyeballs.
The bottom 90%? Those eyeballs are not worth much. 2/3 of the US wealth is controlled by the top 10% income, 1/3 to the bottom 90%.
You should only talk about the welfare of the bottom 90% insofar as it makes an interesting story for the top 10% to enjoy, or as a minor aside to the core message. Which is that the top 10% of income earners are great and should read this article!
I mean, sometimes you want to extract money from the bottom 90%; but that isn't high quality polished media. As they have next to no money, advertising at them is not worth that much, unless the ads scam them efficiently.
This even works for NPR, which lives off donations. Know who gives donations? People with money. The people without money's opinion doesn't matter, because they lack money. Now, you can pick a different segment of people with money to cater to.
posted by NotAYakk at 11:55 AM on July 19, 2024 [10 favorites]
The people working in the press are not the press. The press are the owners of the press. Reporters being killed? Not a problem to the obedient owner of a newspaper.
That owner of the newspaper wants Trump to look at him kindly. The newspaper is just paper.
On top of that, the short term profits of the press is proportional to the wealth of the eyeball watching the press. With current wealth inequality in the USA, the top 10%, 1% and 0.1% of the population have very valuable eyeballs.
The bottom 90%? Those eyeballs are not worth much. 2/3 of the US wealth is controlled by the top 10% income, 1/3 to the bottom 90%.
You should only talk about the welfare of the bottom 90% insofar as it makes an interesting story for the top 10% to enjoy, or as a minor aside to the core message. Which is that the top 10% of income earners are great and should read this article!
I mean, sometimes you want to extract money from the bottom 90%; but that isn't high quality polished media. As they have next to no money, advertising at them is not worth that much, unless the ads scam them efficiently.
This even works for NPR, which lives off donations. Know who gives donations? People with money. The people without money's opinion doesn't matter, because they lack money. Now, you can pick a different segment of people with money to cater to.
posted by NotAYakk at 11:55 AM on July 19, 2024 [10 favorites]
Every time some minor cultural figure comes out of support of Trump I have a moment of anxiety where I worry that it will be someone who I had up until that moment admired and it never, ever is.
This morning, thank Christ, this morning it was Hulk Hogan. My opinion of him has certainly not gotten any lower.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 12:20 PM on July 19, 2024 [7 favorites]
This morning, thank Christ, this morning it was Hulk Hogan. My opinion of him has certainly not gotten any lower.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 12:20 PM on July 19, 2024 [7 favorites]
Moral exhaustion and systemic failure are also factors. If we are being 'objective' about fascists, then we need to speak about their lying, their falsehoods, their violence, their coercion and their fantasies. But to most people, that objective telling sure sounds like judgement and invective. So most people get tired of hearing 'objective' accounts of fascists. The systemic failure is that, after uttering a death threat or falsifying documents, the fascist ought to go to jail and out of the public realm. Instead, powerful fascists have a mysterious immunity and can continue committing crimes with impunity. So we have to continue engaging with toxic people who ought to have been ostracized from the public arena long ago. But the majority of people quickly tire of hearing negative things - even if they are objectively true - about prominent fascists.
posted by SnowRottie at 2:08 PM on July 19, 2024 [8 favorites]
posted by SnowRottie at 2:08 PM on July 19, 2024 [8 favorites]
And was my gramma wrong when she said it was in fact a hat basket that would take us there?
I mean, language changes, but I’ve never heard the expression with hat basket, only handbasket. What even is a hat basket? A handbasket is a basket of medium size with a handle that makes it good for holding in your hand. Picnic baskets, market baskets, shopping baskets, and some types of baskets that you might take out to the garden or berry patch when picking fruits or vegetables are all variations of handbaskets. They also show up in other traditional places, such as the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. I also don’t know why it would be a conveyance to hell - maybe the devil has collected souls like harvesting from his kitchen garden or shopping at the farmer’s market, and is carrying them back? But I’ve never heard of putting hats in baskets or ‘hat basket’ being a thing.
posted by eviemath at 2:37 PM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
I mean, language changes, but I’ve never heard the expression with hat basket, only handbasket. What even is a hat basket? A handbasket is a basket of medium size with a handle that makes it good for holding in your hand. Picnic baskets, market baskets, shopping baskets, and some types of baskets that you might take out to the garden or berry patch when picking fruits or vegetables are all variations of handbaskets. They also show up in other traditional places, such as the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. I also don’t know why it would be a conveyance to hell - maybe the devil has collected souls like harvesting from his kitchen garden or shopping at the farmer’s market, and is carrying them back? But I’ve never heard of putting hats in baskets or ‘hat basket’ being a thing.
posted by eviemath at 2:37 PM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
Darkest timeline.
posted by lock robster at 3:22 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by lock robster at 3:22 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
I am agnostic with respect to the manner of basket that will bring us all to Hades.
posted by bluesky43 at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
I just keep thinking of all of those "Trump is basically anointed by God" headlines I saw all over the two big newspapers this week. Like seven or so articles on this?
Why, if you think the man is unfit to lead and be president, are you publishing articles saying this stuff?
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:26 PM on July 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
Why, if you think the man is unfit to lead and be president, are you publishing articles saying this stuff?
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:26 PM on July 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
It's the money.
posted by bluesky43 at 4:51 PM on July 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 4:51 PM on July 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
Here's my roundup of headlines from a few days ago about about how Trump's now being portrayed as God-chosen:
NYT:
* After Saturday, Trump’s Devotees See ‘God’s Protection’ Some of Donald J. Trump’s followers had long viewed him as handpicked by God. The attempted assassination has only increased such quasi-religious devotion and rhetoric.
* Donald Trump, Man of Destiny
WaPo:
* Trump’s close call in assassination attempt fuels talk he was ‘chosen’ by God
*Is Trump’s near-death experience part of God’s plan?
* At the Republican convention: Their Lord and Savior ... and Donald Trump To Republicans, the country is teetering on the edge of a fiscal, moral and demographic demise. If they can’t get Jesus to take the wheel, Trump will suffice.
Again, you don't think he should be president, but you're saying stuff like this.
Horny for fascism, indeed.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:20 PM on July 19, 2024 [12 favorites]
NYT:
* After Saturday, Trump’s Devotees See ‘God’s Protection’ Some of Donald J. Trump’s followers had long viewed him as handpicked by God. The attempted assassination has only increased such quasi-religious devotion and rhetoric.
* Donald Trump, Man of Destiny
WaPo:
* Trump’s close call in assassination attempt fuels talk he was ‘chosen’ by God
*Is Trump’s near-death experience part of God’s plan?
* At the Republican convention: Their Lord and Savior ... and Donald Trump To Republicans, the country is teetering on the edge of a fiscal, moral and demographic demise. If they can’t get Jesus to take the wheel, Trump will suffice.
Again, you don't think he should be president, but you're saying stuff like this.
Horny for fascism, indeed.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:20 PM on July 19, 2024 [12 favorites]
A+ on the title, OP
posted by drowsy at 7:30 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by drowsy at 7:30 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
“An insane, rambling mess of lies,” Jonathan M. Katz, The Racket, 19 July 2024
“The Pivot That Never Was: How Trump's 'Unity' Speech Fooled the Press Again,” Parker Molloy, The Present Age, 19 July 2024
“Let No One Sleep,” Jeff Sharlet, Scenes from a Slow Civil War, 19 July 2024
“Same As It Ever Was,” Jared Yates Sexton, Dispatches From A Collapsing State, 19 July 2024
“Yeah, We Can Beat This Guy,” Jay Kuo, The Status Kuo, 19 July 2024
posted by ob1quixote at 9:05 PM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
“The Pivot That Never Was: How Trump's 'Unity' Speech Fooled the Press Again,” Parker Molloy, The Present Age, 19 July 2024
“Let No One Sleep,” Jeff Sharlet, Scenes from a Slow Civil War, 19 July 2024
“Same As It Ever Was,” Jared Yates Sexton, Dispatches From A Collapsing State, 19 July 2024
“Yeah, We Can Beat This Guy,” Jay Kuo, The Status Kuo, 19 July 2024
posted by ob1quixote at 9:05 PM on July 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
B. perhaps far more important, what is the connection of hand baskets and hell? And was my gramma wrong when she said it was in fact a hat basket that would take us there?
In the 19th century, the phrase was originally "to hell in a handcart" & it originally showed up in sermons about how being lazy (by sitting in your handcart while people push you along the train tracks) instead of walking on your own two feet & how that laziness was going to send you to hell. Then it evolved to the more common "to hell in a hand basket."
posted by jonp72 at 9:31 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
In the 19th century, the phrase was originally "to hell in a handcart" & it originally showed up in sermons about how being lazy (by sitting in your handcart while people push you along the train tracks) instead of walking on your own two feet & how that laziness was going to send you to hell. Then it evolved to the more common "to hell in a hand basket."
posted by jonp72 at 9:31 PM on July 19, 2024 [3 favorites]
And speaking of Nate Silver, it looks like he's joined Team Thiel, having signed on to Polymarket (which is one of the Ventrue poster boy's investment properties.)
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:30 AM on July 20, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:30 AM on July 20, 2024 [2 favorites]
Nowadays "hell in a handbasket" seems to be used mostly to mean "We're utterly unprepared for how screwed we're gonna be" like saying "We're about to go over Niagara Falls in a cardboard box."
posted by straight at 8:24 AM on July 20, 2024
posted by straight at 8:24 AM on July 20, 2024
I continue to be amazed at the politico-media complex. Despite their atrocious constant pro-tump focus, do they just not know how autocracies treat the press? Do they not care?
The decision makers running the papers absolutely do not care. When Trump comes for the press they will all just walk away. It'll be shareholders and media employees how take the hit. These days CEOs and upper management all have exit strategies and parachutes and once their options vest they're free to fail with little suffering. Neither their compensation nor their prospects are tied to the long term health of the companies they run aground.
posted by srboisvert at 3:43 PM on July 20, 2024 [5 favorites]
The decision makers running the papers absolutely do not care. When Trump comes for the press they will all just walk away. It'll be shareholders and media employees how take the hit. These days CEOs and upper management all have exit strategies and parachutes and once their options vest they're free to fail with little suffering. Neither their compensation nor their prospects are tied to the long term health of the companies they run aground.
posted by srboisvert at 3:43 PM on July 20, 2024 [5 favorites]
So, the New York Times, in all of their eminance and wisdom, has run an op-ed by Aaron Sorkin. In this op-ed, he discusses how he would "script" (his term, not mine) the DNC - and his brilliant idea there is...the Democratic Party nominating Mitt Romney.
I cannot make this shit up, because there are not nearly enough drugs in the world to do so.
posted by NoxAeternum at 6:57 AM on July 21, 2024 [6 favorites]
I cannot make this shit up, because there are not nearly enough drugs in the world to do so.
posted by NoxAeternum at 6:57 AM on July 21, 2024 [6 favorites]
*eye-roll*
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:48 AM on July 21, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:48 AM on July 21, 2024 [1 favorite]
And in follow up, Sorkin furiously backpedals, is now all in on Harris.
posted by NoxAeternum at 5:17 PM on July 21, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 5:17 PM on July 21, 2024 [3 favorites]
Ketamine must be a hell of a drug. I hear it's all the rage right now. People thinking their fever dreams from deep down the K hole have any real meaning would explain a lot about the past few years.
posted by wierdo at 5:50 PM on July 21, 2024
posted by wierdo at 5:50 PM on July 21, 2024
our vast media landscape ranging from middle-aged losers with square glasses to early-30s losers with square glasses
posted by flabdablet at 2:47 AM on July 24, 2024
posted by flabdablet at 2:47 AM on July 24, 2024
Same columnist, before and after Biden standing down
posted by Artw at 2:03 PM on July 24, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 2:03 PM on July 24, 2024 [1 favorite]
More on that: When Pundits Play Both Sides: A Tale of Two Kamala Harris Columns
posted by Artw at 4:11 PM on July 25, 2024
posted by Artw at 4:11 PM on July 25, 2024
Why Did The New York Times Delete A Notorious Fraudster’s Election Take
posted by Artw at 8:32 AM on July 26, 2024
posted by Artw at 8:32 AM on July 26, 2024
Top U.S. newspapers have hardly covered Trump's antisemitic July 30 interview
posted by Artw at 12:03 PM on August 6, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 12:03 PM on August 6, 2024 [1 favorite]
And the press enables the couchfucker, whines about Harris/Walz media access after Vance's comment yesterday.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:14 AM on August 8, 2024
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:14 AM on August 8, 2024
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posted by bluesky43 at 7:15 AM on July 19, 2024 [19 favorites]