A conservative Italian newspaper used the blunt type of word American journalists keep avoiding, and exposed how far our press will go to normalize the abnormal...
What's striking isn't that an Italian paper printed it... it's that Meloni printed it for them. She didn't need to respond. She chose to, publicly, line by line, because silence read as submission and she calculated that standing up cost her less than backing down. That's the tell. When even a right-wing nationalist PM who campaigned on Trumpian themes has to publicly defend her country's sovereignty from Trump, the coalition has fully consumed itself. There's no such thing as a reliable ally when the transaction is always one-way.
"She" is the operative word in this saga. He tried to make an ass of her, but SHE turned the tables on the misogynist psycho. Exactly right, Rxan, his transactions are always one-way.
When Trump makes a crass comment publicly or on social media, newspapers and other news media need to quote his every obscene and demented word so that the public is fully aware of the depth of his depravity!
James,I agree 100% but they will never do that. The american media is afraid,terrified that the " Nazi" will not like them. They are complicit in letting this happen and I include MS Now,the NY Times,Fox,etc. They are all pretty useless.
Democrats and liberals!! Some of us are part of this “problem.” All of the people who opposed Trump and MAGA who fixated on how much Biden was deteriorating, who fed the machine that churned out the propaganda every time he stumbled over a word or name, you fed this. There will probably never be a president whom I am in total agreement with, BUT the Biden administration looked much more like America. Competent advisors from diverse backgrounds were appointed to work in the interest of the American people. There were some things I might have wished were done differently , but the Biden bashing coming from the left of center helped fuel Trumpism. Yes to honest and thoughtful evaluation. No to everything else.
The media still presumes we have two parties who simply have different views of how to run a democracy, when in fact we have only one party that supports democracy and one party trying to overthrow it. Apparently, the media would see the mess in the reflecting pool and declare that the algae and peeling paint presents a "controversy".
Perhaps a simple explanation for the question Thom begged is that Europe no longer feels dependent on America. Trump's lawsuit reach is more limited in the EU because he does not "own" many in power in Europe. I have only been back in the EU for a few weeks (my spouse is European - we summer in Europe). This year, I have heard more open disrespect for America and Trump than ever.
Neither political party is reacting negatively to the blatant corruption and incompetence of our government. Not one cabinet member is qualified for their role. Both parties voted for them to serve. Neither party has impeached a single official. We just spent over a trillion in taxes to secure a treaty Obama achieved without firing a shot - the same treaty! Boy, do we look stupid.
“And part of it tracks back a half-century to RNC Chairman Rich Bond telling Republicans to scream “liberal bias” every time a newspaper or reporter told a true story that reflected poorly on Republicans. “Work the refs” was his instruction.” That’s been the case since long before POSOTUS showed up; he’s operationalized it with the help of the largest, most corrupt law firm in the world (AKA DOJ), an equally corrupt political party that currently owns and operates all three branches of government, and a corrupt, corporate, spineless fourth estate. Fractionally less corrupt but equally spineless Democratic leadership, dedicated as it is to incremental, inconsequential tweaking of the system to the exclusion of change agents, perpetuates (accelerates?) the erosion of our precious, threatened democracy.
To,great post and especially the spineless Democratic leadership. I just wonder if gettingmut in the "NO Kings" rallies are worth the effort if the DEM leadership has been bought off by being in the AI stocks that have had an incredible yr. We should be asking all the Democratic leaders to show us their stock portfolios.
If Donald took a feculent dump [out of his anus instead of his mouth, for a change] on his white patio at noon, every day, the craven, cowardly Main [Lame?] Stream Media would say that he was merely being safe and sane by properly thermophilic composting said feces to reach an adequate high temperature in the noonday sun.
It's for his . . . er, for Melania's Trump Tower garden. Yep, that's the ticket.
No, no, no Thom. You miss the point that the press should praise Trump for doing exactly what he promised. When he came to Washington he said that he would "drain the swamp". And yesterday he did exactly that with the Reflecting Pool.
And he also is a great student of history. Woodrow Wilson gave the defeated German Empire 14 points it should follow when it signed the surrender terms at Versailles. Recently Trump signed the MoU with Iran at Versailles. It too had 14 points.
Free press stopped being free press when we lost the "Fairness Doctrine" with Reagen. When Rush Limbaugh could spread his right-wing misogynic, racial venom 3 hours a day to almost every radio station in the country with no one in the press calling him the asshole, he was, i knew it was the beginning of the end. When Rupert Murdoch managed through the Telecommunications Act to own multiple newspapers and multiple television stations and basically start a 24-hour propaganda News Channel carried by every cable network, it was another step towards serious national brainwashing. Every waiting room, every gym and every bar were showing right-wing propaganda every-day. The mainstream media did not call it out for what it was, because they were also making loads of money from their 24-hour entertainment news. At this time, the idea of free press is a dream by a few people who are still devoted to the truth. I follow such great writers and journalists that now exist in niches, but sadly most of what they write, and report are preaching to the choir. Free unencumbered free press that reaches people who turn on their TV hoping for unbiased truth do not get it.
We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. But we have to do it and do it now. It is time for blunt force trauma to the ego of the egomaniacs, starting with Trump and naming and shaming all the others in the cult. Is anyone writing letters to the editor?
What's striking isn't that an Italian paper printed it... it's that Meloni printed it for them. She didn't need to respond. She chose to, publicly, line by line, because silence read as submission and she calculated that standing up cost her less than backing down. That's the tell. When even a right-wing nationalist PM who campaigned on Trumpian themes has to publicly defend her country's sovereignty from Trump, the coalition has fully consumed itself. There's no such thing as a reliable ally when the transaction is always one-way.
"She" is the operative word in this saga. He tried to make an ass of her, but SHE turned the tables on the misogynist psycho. Exactly right, Rxan, his transactions are always one-way.
When Trump makes a crass comment publicly or on social media, newspapers and other news media need to quote his every obscene and demented word so that the public is fully aware of the depth of his depravity!
James,I agree 100% but they will never do that. The american media is afraid,terrified that the " Nazi" will not like them. They are complicit in letting this happen and I include MS Now,the NY Times,Fox,etc. They are all pretty useless.
Thank you, Italian editorial board! You have called out the most rectal man in World History!
Democrats and liberals!! Some of us are part of this “problem.” All of the people who opposed Trump and MAGA who fixated on how much Biden was deteriorating, who fed the machine that churned out the propaganda every time he stumbled over a word or name, you fed this. There will probably never be a president whom I am in total agreement with, BUT the Biden administration looked much more like America. Competent advisors from diverse backgrounds were appointed to work in the interest of the American people. There were some things I might have wished were done differently , but the Biden bashing coming from the left of center helped fuel Trumpism. Yes to honest and thoughtful evaluation. No to everything else.
The media still presumes we have two parties who simply have different views of how to run a democracy, when in fact we have only one party that supports democracy and one party trying to overthrow it. Apparently, the media would see the mess in the reflecting pool and declare that the algae and peeling paint presents a "controversy".
Meloni is correct.
Trump is exactly that, an asshole.
Perhaps a simple explanation for the question Thom begged is that Europe no longer feels dependent on America. Trump's lawsuit reach is more limited in the EU because he does not "own" many in power in Europe. I have only been back in the EU for a few weeks (my spouse is European - we summer in Europe). This year, I have heard more open disrespect for America and Trump than ever.
Neither political party is reacting negatively to the blatant corruption and incompetence of our government. Not one cabinet member is qualified for their role. Both parties voted for them to serve. Neither party has impeached a single official. We just spent over a trillion in taxes to secure a treaty Obama achieved without firing a shot - the same treaty! Boy, do we look stupid.
“And part of it tracks back a half-century to RNC Chairman Rich Bond telling Republicans to scream “liberal bias” every time a newspaper or reporter told a true story that reflected poorly on Republicans. “Work the refs” was his instruction.” That’s been the case since long before POSOTUS showed up; he’s operationalized it with the help of the largest, most corrupt law firm in the world (AKA DOJ), an equally corrupt political party that currently owns and operates all three branches of government, and a corrupt, corporate, spineless fourth estate. Fractionally less corrupt but equally spineless Democratic leadership, dedicated as it is to incremental, inconsequential tweaking of the system to the exclusion of change agents, perpetuates (accelerates?) the erosion of our precious, threatened democracy.
To,great post and especially the spineless Democratic leadership. I just wonder if gettingmut in the "NO Kings" rallies are worth the effort if the DEM leadership has been bought off by being in the AI stocks that have had an incredible yr. We should be asking all the Democratic leaders to show us their stock portfolios.
American media explained by the three C;s, Cowardly, corrupt and/or complicit.
William,you've got it. Cowardly,corrupt,complicit. Thanks.
If Donald took a feculent dump [out of his anus instead of his mouth, for a change] on his white patio at noon, every day, the craven, cowardly Main [Lame?] Stream Media would say that he was merely being safe and sane by properly thermophilic composting said feces to reach an adequate high temperature in the noonday sun.
It's for his . . . er, for Melania's Trump Tower garden. Yep, that's the ticket.
#VOTE #Kushner to Kharg
And as none other than Jello Biafra, lead singer of The Dead Kennedys, once said:
"Don't hate the media. BE the media "
No, no, no Thom. You miss the point that the press should praise Trump for doing exactly what he promised. When he came to Washington he said that he would "drain the swamp". And yesterday he did exactly that with the Reflecting Pool.
And he also is a great student of history. Woodrow Wilson gave the defeated German Empire 14 points it should follow when it signed the surrender terms at Versailles. Recently Trump signed the MoU with Iran at Versailles. It too had 14 points.
Free press stopped being free press when we lost the "Fairness Doctrine" with Reagen. When Rush Limbaugh could spread his right-wing misogynic, racial venom 3 hours a day to almost every radio station in the country with no one in the press calling him the asshole, he was, i knew it was the beginning of the end. When Rupert Murdoch managed through the Telecommunications Act to own multiple newspapers and multiple television stations and basically start a 24-hour propaganda News Channel carried by every cable network, it was another step towards serious national brainwashing. Every waiting room, every gym and every bar were showing right-wing propaganda every-day. The mainstream media did not call it out for what it was, because they were also making loads of money from their 24-hour entertainment news. At this time, the idea of free press is a dream by a few people who are still devoted to the truth. I follow such great writers and journalists that now exist in niches, but sadly most of what they write, and report are preaching to the choir. Free unencumbered free press that reaches people who turn on their TV hoping for unbiased truth do not get it.
Norton,great post. You should repeat this until people get it.
We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. But we have to do it and do it now. It is time for blunt force trauma to the ego of the egomaniacs, starting with Trump and naming and shaming all the others in the cult. Is anyone writing letters to the editor?