18 Comments

You are absolutely right Ken. I wish I saw an end in sight. Maybe we need a "Real People News" station where they report the news and get it right. Fight to keep the money out of politics and put this craziness out of business.

Expand full comment

When one person, one vote isn't really true in this country, it is because the Founding Father's protected their class with an Electoral College. When a Supreme Court member is allowed to take "gifts" to represent big money, it's really called bribery by a Plutocracy, not a Democracy. Ask any farm-hand, service worker or factory worker if they can take lavish vacations on a regular basis. Newspaper work is a public service, and suffers the same ravages caused by corporate ownership.

Expand full comment

and they all are in on the grift

The same guys buying court decisions with Thomas and Alito

Are buying legislation from posTEfanik

Expand full comment

Chris Hedges, of course, is right. Fascism requires a weak and discredited liberal class to thrive. There's never been an example in history, as far as I can recall, of fascism rising in a country with a strong liberal class. With a strong liberal class, the fascist scam just doesn't sell. It's no surprise that the rise of right wing populism really started surging during the era when Bill Clinton and his allies sold out the Democratic Party to corporate interests leaving neither party representing those of us who actually work for a living.. This spawned first the Gingrichites, then the Tea Party and then Trumpism. It's no accident that fascists, both historical and contemporary, specifically target education, unions and the free press.

Expand full comment

Hedges' book says mostly the same things as Ralph Nader (who was also right), a man largely crucified by the liberal class. The irony is that in recent years, progressives are adopting a huge chunk of what the prescient Nader was advocating. I guess it's true that no man is a prophet in his own time.

Expand full comment

Good question. It’s unfair to allow big anonymous donors to give so much money.

Expand full comment

<b>Rep. Elise Stefanik boasts of her ability to revises millions of dollars from all around the country</b>

Just a reminder that Elise Stefanik’s “Official Trump Defense Fund” was taking 99% for her and 1% for Defendant Trump. I hope someone reminds him when he’s going over Veep candidates. It’s possible, but very unlikely, that he’s proud of her for it.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elise-stefanik-fundraising-trump-indictment_n_64834821e4b06725aedf8974

Expand full comment

I ask the establishment owner to change the channel.

Expand full comment

Nope. I'd drive on the rims before I gave a cent to a business with Fox playing in the waiting room. And I would - politely - tell them why I was taking my business elsewhere.

Expand full comment

I had a guy say something sarcastic to me recently as I was reading a NY Times at a beach. Part of it was blowing toward the sea and I grabbed it and he said I should have let it go. Meanwhile, he was reading nothing. Few on the beach were reading anything. I was reading about some scientific discovery gone wrong — hardly a “liberal” story. People just want to be dumber today.

Expand full comment

If the main stream media were not so liberal-biased, there would be no need for Fox News,

Expand full comment

Examples please and be specific. For instance any recent news story in Capital Diistrict.

Expand full comment

Re the great Greg Brownell and your story about tight-fisted newspapers, it really is deja vu all over again. Many decades ago, I was working as a columnist and reporter for one of the nation’s 10 largest circulation papers, and loved the experience as a young guy. But when I was pulled aside by an editor who mildly commended me on my work, he ended up giving me a 3 dollar a week raise. Later,

The editor, with some fanfare, gave me a 25 dollar bonus. It was not hard finding a non newspaper job that paid more!

-Dave Nathan

Bethesda, Maryland

Expand full comment

It never changed much.

Expand full comment

Elise, is chasing the stream of lies and money from Trumps past almost 10 year's. It reared its ugly head in Charlottesville folks. Trump is a bigot and so is Elise. Seems harsh as I write it, but it's simple and true. Call it what it is. If this is the riff raff that surrounds him cloaked in fake Christian values I stand aside. "It is what it is condemn it publicly Elise I dare you?"

Expand full comment

Mr. Tingley, you make good points about money in politics and the decline of newspapers. I can’t think of a nice way to say this so I’ll just be blunt: You need to proofread your work!

Expand full comment

Are you volunteering?

Expand full comment

Nah, I like my day job. But I used to say if I ever quit I would go up to the Post Star with a week’s worth of the paper and my red pen and show you how much you needed me! Mistakes jump out at me. Particularly other people’s.😉

Expand full comment