[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
Unreal, said Greg Sargent of The Washington Post, describing the latest Trump meander of fantasy: virtually everyone knows what happened to dismembered journalist Khasoggi, the Turks have audio and video, Trump certainly knows it, yet Trump will insist on carrying forward the laughable Saudi story that Khasoggi got into a fight.
How could this possibly be? How could such a fantasy be credibly be put forth in our bright shining high tech modern world of worldwide instant communication?
Because American journalism is grossly terrible, that’s why, Trump will fling this fantasy of feces repeatedly into American corporate journalism faces and they’ll be pathetically inept to stop whatever Trump decides to do, just as terribly incompetent to make him pay any consequences for it.
American journalism has no memory, history has no meaning in their world of the ever-present hounding for a new story, Trump knows that in just ten days The NBC Nightly News will have moved on, television journalism is totally incapable of staying focused on a story even for a week. The first rule of conning the American journalism corps is just to wait, no matter how profound a story or insight they cannot stay focused on it.
The second rule in a con is to lie repeatedly, American journalism is not only incapable of simply identifying a lie, they’ll repeat it endlessly in headlines.
Even when the truth is completely presented the language isn’t plain to what’s happening, then the journalism will bend over backwards to present a possible alternative explanation and an example of how liberals do it too. Both sides.
Paul Krugman made the point recently of what utter contempt Trump and the Republicans have for CBS Good Morning, even if Trump completely mangles this episode in 30 days it will be simply obliterated in the American journalism consciousness, gone with the wind, journalists eagerly bounding after a new story like braying hounds on an English hunt. A furtive, self-conscious lot, they’re always looking over their shoulders as they move in corporate packs after a story, it’s a sorry sight.
For the record, the only reason the usual Trump lying and evasion hasn’t worked in the last 20 days is that this time there’s complete empiricism of the event truth with audio and video in possession of the Turks. If they keep insisting on presenting it the American media dysfunction model is blown up and anything could happen.
For the record, again the American media is completely missing the scope and intent of a story. Trump is so grossly beholden to the Saudi Kingdom not for the lies he pulls out of his ass on the fly about a million jobs, it’s mainly because he’s counting on them to stabilize the oil market in 30 days as he goes after Iran with oil sanctions.
In just 30 days Trump is going to attempt seriously cornering and provoking Iran an in incredibly volatile region of violence with that little factor of the world oil market thrown in. All for a fantasy that Iran was in violation of a nuclear containment treaty. I haven’t seen this story anywhere in American journalism/media.
For the record, for the plain American little people person reading this, how I wish with every fiber of my being an essay of truth posted at The Left Coaster, assiduously cross-posted at Daily Kos, would have an effect on our sorry journalism cousins at ABC News, but, alas, it will not.
For the truth’s sake an effort is made here. For a hope to a future of American journalism truth an effort is made here, no matter how infinitesimally small the glimmer may be. For a hope that just a tiny improvement will have enough effect to get enough voters motivated to cast votes, an effort is made here.
But, to my immense dismay, horror and sorrow, we must live in the present catastrophe of the President of the United States pulling lies out of his ass on the fly today to cover murdering thugs so they can cover the oil market so the lying delusional President can start a war with Iran.
We are in the worst political crisis of the American Republic and we may not get of this with anything like the Democracy we used to be. It’s the truth and there’s no sense sugar-coating it.
I have donated to ActBlue and candidates, of course I will vote next month. I have made sure all of my close people are voting. I will continue to publish my voice for the little people. I am hurting and discouraged but always present. I will not give up my faith in the truth and American Democracy.