American thinker is a fairly popular right wing website. I don’t know what the 34 k likes means? On Facebook or something? A websites traffic is more than who likes it on Facebook or who follows on Twitter.
A podcaster is a dude, but a podcaster with a lot of people who listen is an influential dude. Surely we wouldn’t dismiss Rush Limbaugh as just a dude right?
I’m not really sure. I just saw the 34k like on their website. I assumed it was the number of people who’ve liked the website.
My point isn’t that you found a couple of somewhat popular websites to back these opinions. My point is that’s quite a bit more than what the New York Times did.
An entire article in the nation’s premiere newspaper based around the idea that the cited social media activity is somehow representative of much more than it really is. It sure gets the narrative going though, doesn’t it?
I’m not defending the article nor saying it isn’t sloppily written.
But even the biggest names of the right like Limbaugh have latched onto the Faucci hate. And it’s nothing special we have countless examples of government employees who have been attacked by Trumps base largely because they have said something critical or questioned the President. That’s my only point really. Dr Faucci wasn’t mentioned by the right wing much initially. He was even praised by some. But then he shook his head at that press conference and corrected the President in some interviews. The moment those two things occurred he went from trusted doctor to deep state operative trying to overthrow the king.
This is the only place I talk politics in any type of real sense.
It could be.
That’s why I’d call it good journalism to report those kind of names. Politicians too. Examples like that. That’s newsworthy.
None of the sources for “hard right” opinions in the article were anything besides social media activity of unnamed people. Some may find value in learning this information and taking in the author’s analysis. I didn’t.
I’ll do it in person with some people. No family members though.
We did this with the fish cleaner. Was it stupid of the couple? Of course. But they got the idea from someone they thought knew what he was talking about. The issue is not that we shouldn’t take Trump seriously, it’s that some people do take him seriously. His words matter. It’s why that drug instantly sold out all over the place.
Then Pat runs on and says well the President never said take a drug without speaking to your doctor. Which is true. But the reason people were loading up on that was because of what the President said. People are scared and not everyone has figured out that Trump just flat makes things up all the time not just with the virus. If he said cat food seems to lower your chance of obtaining the virus then by god some people will try it. I’m not sure defending him by saying “well he didn’t say eat it” is the way to go.
Trump should let doctors speak about things that doctors know best about. He has zero reason to listen to a few things and then interject his insanity in a speech. We save ourselves from the discussion of “what did the President actually mean with that insane comment” if he would just refrain from the insane comments.
The just joking and sarcasm stuff are old hat by now. When Trump realizes he has said something that absolutely makes no sense he defaults to “didn’t mean it like that!”
Here’s a good one.
In my opinion these are matters best left to comedians, internet meme culture and people like me, who have a long track record of making fun of Donald Trump.
We do not require the NYT or anyone else to selectively represent the president’s words in the most unfavorable way possible while still having some kind of wiggle room to defend their choice of words.
Just publish the quote. Do your job, and the internet will take over from there.
What a time to be alive.
Edit: It’s always comes down to some side hustle for the POTUS and his cronies.
Nooooo! You mean the winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom…awarded at the State of the Union?
Okay…now who doesn’t think that Lysol Vaping PIC is not funny?
Back to the “Deep State”;
I think for a lot of people; you say “Government”…and they think of some Liberal Bureaucrats sitting is these large, stone buildings in Washington, dictating your lives (and now trying to destroy Trump and all he is trying to do).
Sorry for dispel your visual…but the Federal Government includes (and is mostly); your neighbor who works at the Local Base or IRS, working half as much as you do but making just as much or more (and still gets pay and benefits at times like this…in most cases); your uncle who works in a national park; cousin Bessie at the Social Security Administration; Bob at Fish and Game…
You get the point. The point is that “The GUB’ment!” can be as Conservative as Hannity and Limbaugh; living right next to you, (whether you are in a red or blue State)…and wouldn’t have the ability or inclination to “bring Trump down” if they wanted to.
And as I stated earlier…even if they are “at the Top” in Washington…it appears they can be whisked away with a wand and a Tweet from Trump.
To repeat a point made by @H_factor :
The “Deep State” is centered around the idea that government employees are consistently and actively working to overturn or overthrow President Trump. From what I can tell the right wing seems to think that anyone working in government to provide oversight or not showing the proper amount of enthusiasm for the President is a Deep State plant.
That simply is not true…but if so…how are they even doing this in a coordinated effort? AND
Why such a concerted effort against a narcissistic buffoon when the Republic seems to move on from any President?
(And as we have discussed earlier…the coordination with the Chinese Government to destroy our economy just goes into some 7th dimension of thinking…)
haven’t read this whole thread but the Attorney General of the United States stated just last week that the spying on the Trump campaign and well into his presidency was ‘one of the greatest travesties in American history.’ It’s still currently under investigation by US Attorney John Durham. Evidence of a ‘Deep State.’
and to answer someone who talked about an anti-vaxxer movement with no evidence; the CDC, since 1990, has paid out 4.5 billion dollars in vaccine-injury lawsuits. That’s public knowledge . . something to think about
The news today is that his wife was batshit crazy and poisened both of them. Had nothing to do with Trump.
She was probably possessed by both Trump and Putin, then.
So? That’s chump change when there’re trillions lying around.
Trump was spied on well into his presidency? Care to link?
As for vaccines, what is your stance?
Where to start, Mr. Barr?
The slaughter (and that is not hyperbole); “scorched earth policy”; and way before Vietnam, the “Search and Destroy” missions of the U.S. Military; and eventual placement of Native Americans who were “fortunate”? enough to survive; on isolated reservations.
The denying of millions of Americans basic Constitutional and Civil rights…for decades.
The killing and lynching of millions of Americans due to race and ethnicity.
The Alabama Syphilis experiments.
The internment of Japanese Americans during WW-II, (But not German, Italian or public sympathizers of “The Fatherland”).
The Communist Blacklisting of Americans.
J.Edgar Hoover and his spying on Americans , that would make the CIA and today’s FBI look like an amateur hour.
(Anyone want to list more?). My hope was that Mr. Barr was smarter than this…
To the point at hand…vaccine manufacturers threatened to not make any more vaccines due to their low margins, as more and more of those margins were eroded by litigation. The government stepped in. The devastating effect of Polio was front and center, as many people; including politicians at that time; had lived through it.
Since discussing vaccines are like discussing abortion…please start another thread for your arguments. I am just presenting why the government stepped in, and now makes the pay outs, that’s all.
I was wondering about the validity of that too.
No idea haven’t followed the story since it started. Doesn’t change the fact that Trump talked out of his ass, had to be corrected by multiple people, and the result was a flooding of people trying to obtain the drug. Going to guess some of those people took the drug without consulting with a doctor. Not everyone is intelligent enough to think when Trump speaks he isn’t completely full of shit most of the time.
Seems like these weird suggestions of Trump have an easy fix. Don’t talk about shit you have no clue on. Then we don’t have to decide what he really meant, was he sarcastic, he didn’t technically say that whatever. We shouldn’t be trying to figure out what was meant when he shares insane things. The ticket is not to share them in the first place.
Reports are that his advisors are strongly urging Trump to cut back dramatically on the daily updates…and let his medical and public health advisors…and even Pence…lead them.
Won’t happen…especially with Cuomo delivering clear, concise, informative and professional updates from the “front lines”. Trump’s ego won’t allow it.