The NY Times, like most of the MSM for the last 7 years has failed us all, by playing “fair and balanced” and practicing straight reporting of DJT and the MAGAs. Our peril will continues as long that that journalistic pretense does.
Nov 18, 2022·edited Nov 18, 2022Liked by Steven Beschloss
Here I am, a busy girl in Massachusetts, yet I knew Trump was a criminal by March, 2017. Having trained as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer guardian ad litem (GAL) for children in the care of the Court because of abuse and neglect, I immediately recognized in FBI Director James Comey's behavior, after his intimate Valentine's Day dinner with Trump: he was memorializing in detailed notes, including direct quotations, an interview with a criminal because those notes might prove useful evidence in a future prosecution.
As a CASA, I interviewed a dangerous father in a library; we had a neutral conversation punctuated with gentle yet probing questions. Immediately afterwards, I scurried to my car and wrote down every single detail I could remember, including direct quotations, and gave a copy to my CASA Supervisor. That is exactly what FBI Director James Comey did after that dinner with the former guy (tfg -- Biden's useful nickname for him). Comey gave a copy of his notes to a Columbia University professor, making them permanently unavailable to our national criminal. I recalled that Comey had had a decade's experience successfully prosecuting the NYC Mafia in the SDNY, and he knew exactly what had just happened.
After Comey's notorious firing by tweet while leading an FBI recruitment in California, he was replaced by Andrew McCabe, another successful former SDNY Mafia prosecutor. McCabe realized his imminent firing as well, so immediately appointed Robert Mueller as a special investigator into our criminal's connections with Russia. The cruelty was the point in McCable’s firing, as well, as it was timed to cut off his pension by a few hours. I also recalled that tfg was trained in criming by the notorious Roy Cohn, famed Nixon ally and Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s Mafia lawyer.
Saddled with recognition of the criminal patterns that Comey and McCabe had recognized, I struggled with how to alert people in my small world to the danger posed by this president. I felt like Cassandra -- able to foresee a future that was so unbelievable that I would be considered crazy if I tried to call it out directly. I spent 3-5 hours a day for years, combing the news for details that would raise similar questions in my readers' minds (A former teacher, about 800 of my 1200 Facebook friends are former students).
Many dismissed me as a "Trump hater" who wouldn't even give him a chance. I am not a Trump-hater; as a former CASA volunteer, I see in tfg signs of horrific child abuse, which have been amply corroborated by his niece, Mary Trump. However, his role as President of the United States of America, overrides my feelings of compassion for this evil man. The best CASA volunteers I have witnessed are themselves survivors of similar horrific abuse.
It was only after the November 2022 election and subsequent response and analysis that I can lay down my burden and say "the kids [and country] will be all right."
Murdock turning on Trump is great news. This means that his media empire will cease to act like a propaganda organ for him. But it still supports the Republican party apparently.
I think your observation that Trump isn't running for president as much as he is running from the law is spot on accurate too. We've been treated for some time about how the legal pressures are getting to him. And we have been treated to numerous reports that have dangled the tantalizing prospects of Trump's imminent arrest. These he's no doubt seen and possibly believed himself. But there have been no arrests. There have been no indictments save for NY AG James' civil suit. And there doesn't seem to be any real indication from the DOJ that they are about to move on him.
The clock is ticking. We have moved into a time where, with Republican majorities in the House, and literally years of prosecution ahead of us, that Trump could escape once again from what seems so compelling and air tight.
Trumps prosecution and sentencing, for me, is relegated to the "seeing is believing" department of thoughts and prayers for justice.
Thank you for the Friday morning political news therapy session. I woke up with my head all jumbled; and I feel much better now. Like you, and probably many others in this group, I was delighted when I saw the Post headline Trumpty Dumpty after the midterms; and then after the announcement of the 3rd presidential run, the fact that the Post said retired FL man running for president, see page 26. I think the NYT is trying to stay high brow. It's kind of their style as "the newspaper of record" and "all the news that's fit to print". I am nervously awaiting to see what Merrick Garland will do. Pundits on CNN said that an indictment is possible, and The Atlantic thinks it is likely. However, CNN pundit Eli Honig said that a conviction is very unlikely. How do get a jury that is impartial and not aware of the media coverage is 1 factor. Especially because, if Merrick Garland decides to prosecute it himself, or selects a special prosecutor (which will cause even further delay), 45 and his cult will declare that it is all politically motivated by his enemy - the Democrat party. Thus, I don't think Merrick Garland should go the route of special counsel. It would only delay matters and not remove the political argument that 45 would make. In my opinion, having taken in a lot of punditry, even though a conviction may be unlikely, I think an indictment is VERY IMPORTANT !!!. The rule of law has to be applied equally. A declared, unqualified, dangerous candidate for political office is not protected from indictment for crimes he committed. Anything less than an indictment would indicate giving special privilege to 1 US citizen that no other citizen would get. I was hoping that indictment would come after election day. However, a FB friend, who should be in this group, but isn't, said that election season continues because of the GA runoff (between the ex-football player, who is unqualified to hold any political office, and the highly qualified Warnock); and therefore no indictment can be made until after December 6. December 7 iso already a somber holiday, Pearl Harbor Day; and that deserves to maintain its own special day for remembering. However, I think December 8 would be fine for DOJ Restores Our Democracy Day. I will look for some graphics and make t-shirts for anyone who would be proud to wear gear proclaiming our return to Democracy. Again thank you @StevenBeschloss for the political news therapy and the eloquent writing. I posted a NYT story on FB yesterday afternoon about Nancy Pelosi; and while I received many "likes" and comments supporting the speaker, there were also a number of vile comments that I had to report to FB, vile and misguided, filled with lies and misunderstanding. Makes me appreciate this group even more. We rein a safe, respectful space here. Have a good weekend everyone.
Like other members here, I appreciate being part of this haven for rational discussion, with Steven Beschloss in 'America, America'. It does defy credibility that Donald Trump, surrounded by criminal prosecutions, could and would declare his candidacy for President, again. He desperately yearns for the stage and the music and the applause of his vaudeville-style show, and cannot accept that those glory days are over. The appetite for his bluster and bravado has waned. I imagine he dreams of once again siting at the 'resolute desk' in the big White Castle on the Hill, where he felt enormously empowered. There, he believes that 'he can do anything he wants' without being accountable. Staying in the game will NOT absolve #45 from being convicted, defeated, incarcerated. branded the ultimate L_O_S_E_R, or transcending into the netherworld. Donald Trump is ultimately the master of his own destiny and destruction. I can see it.
I used to respect the NYT. And I used to like Maureen Dowd. Appreciated her sense of humor. And then she started bashing Hillary Clinton. And would not stop. And would not stop. Endlessly. Still makes me cry. Like tfg, I just wish the NYT would go away.
It is fine, almost dandy, that the New York Times and Washington Post have come to their senses and begun to call trump the disruptor and crook that he is. Or is the bottom line, as usual, money, with advertising going to the digital media because 86% of Americans get their news from the internet.Gone are the days of the young bike rider throwing the daily paper in the far reaches of the driveway.The Times, a decade ago, had 1.3M daily readers; today,343K. And the remaining readers tend to be professionals, company owners . Observe grocery buyers bypass the stand with papers, even local ones, and go for People to read about the sexiest man alive. 21% of Americans have reading difficulty; less than half read books. (Education, where art thou?)
With a click, up pops the latest, maybe true, maybe not, news of the day while newspapers have a time lag. Morning news must be written, printed, distributed, and by nightfall, perhaps dated.
I believe Rachel Maddow is an excellent reporter. She is only on on Mondays now. I thought Don Lemmon told it like it is, but he has been switched to some AM show. Jake Tapper no longer asks any Republican tough questions. Most news on TV is just read by the latest blonde, blue eyes (with a dark part, I might add). Gone are the days of a Dan Rather going out into the field to report in person.
The important thing is that the papers are following the people, not the other way around.. trump has lost a lot of his shine, appeal, and Republicans, to get reelected, are seeing him as a detriment.
Old loser trump, may the Lord punish him, keep him on the golf course, and let His light shine on that breakfast buffet so he can reach the ketchup for his scrambled(like his brain) eggs !! Amen.
Garland’s original sin remains his initial inclination to sweep as much of orangehead's crimes as possible under the rug, let statutes of limitations on orangehead's crimes lapse, and to let state-level prosecutors take the lead on plain-as-day federal offenses like orangehead's call to Brad Raffensperger. Those were wasted opportunities, they also wasted time. Garland has never explained why he refused to prosecute the Mueller crimes, or the Daniels bribe. Those crimes were fully investigated and ready to charge on Garland's first day. Those failures lead me to doubt he plans to do anything. There's nothing stopping Garland from charging a new crime every few months for the next two years. Who cares if he wins none of them. The point is to keep orangehead in legal jeopardy for the rest of his miserable days.
The NY Times, like most of the MSM for the last 7 years has failed us all, by playing “fair and balanced” and practicing straight reporting of DJT and the MAGAs. Our peril will continues as long that that journalistic pretense does.
Here I am, a busy girl in Massachusetts, yet I knew Trump was a criminal by March, 2017. Having trained as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer guardian ad litem (GAL) for children in the care of the Court because of abuse and neglect, I immediately recognized in FBI Director James Comey's behavior, after his intimate Valentine's Day dinner with Trump: he was memorializing in detailed notes, including direct quotations, an interview with a criminal because those notes might prove useful evidence in a future prosecution.
As a CASA, I interviewed a dangerous father in a library; we had a neutral conversation punctuated with gentle yet probing questions. Immediately afterwards, I scurried to my car and wrote down every single detail I could remember, including direct quotations, and gave a copy to my CASA Supervisor. That is exactly what FBI Director James Comey did after that dinner with the former guy (tfg -- Biden's useful nickname for him). Comey gave a copy of his notes to a Columbia University professor, making them permanently unavailable to our national criminal. I recalled that Comey had had a decade's experience successfully prosecuting the NYC Mafia in the SDNY, and he knew exactly what had just happened.
After Comey's notorious firing by tweet while leading an FBI recruitment in California, he was replaced by Andrew McCabe, another successful former SDNY Mafia prosecutor. McCabe realized his imminent firing as well, so immediately appointed Robert Mueller as a special investigator into our criminal's connections with Russia. The cruelty was the point in McCable’s firing, as well, as it was timed to cut off his pension by a few hours. I also recalled that tfg was trained in criming by the notorious Roy Cohn, famed Nixon ally and Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s Mafia lawyer.
Saddled with recognition of the criminal patterns that Comey and McCabe had recognized, I struggled with how to alert people in my small world to the danger posed by this president. I felt like Cassandra -- able to foresee a future that was so unbelievable that I would be considered crazy if I tried to call it out directly. I spent 3-5 hours a day for years, combing the news for details that would raise similar questions in my readers' minds (A former teacher, about 800 of my 1200 Facebook friends are former students).
Many dismissed me as a "Trump hater" who wouldn't even give him a chance. I am not a Trump-hater; as a former CASA volunteer, I see in tfg signs of horrific child abuse, which have been amply corroborated by his niece, Mary Trump. However, his role as President of the United States of America, overrides my feelings of compassion for this evil man. The best CASA volunteers I have witnessed are themselves survivors of similar horrific abuse.
It was only after the November 2022 election and subsequent response and analysis that I can lay down my burden and say "the kids [and country] will be all right."
National CASA/GAL Association for Children https://nationalcasagal.org
Murdock turning on Trump is great news. This means that his media empire will cease to act like a propaganda organ for him. But it still supports the Republican party apparently.
I think your observation that Trump isn't running for president as much as he is running from the law is spot on accurate too. We've been treated for some time about how the legal pressures are getting to him. And we have been treated to numerous reports that have dangled the tantalizing prospects of Trump's imminent arrest. These he's no doubt seen and possibly believed himself. But there have been no arrests. There have been no indictments save for NY AG James' civil suit. And there doesn't seem to be any real indication from the DOJ that they are about to move on him.
The clock is ticking. We have moved into a time where, with Republican majorities in the House, and literally years of prosecution ahead of us, that Trump could escape once again from what seems so compelling and air tight.
Trumps prosecution and sentencing, for me, is relegated to the "seeing is believing" department of thoughts and prayers for justice.
Thank you for the Friday morning political news therapy session. I woke up with my head all jumbled; and I feel much better now. Like you, and probably many others in this group, I was delighted when I saw the Post headline Trumpty Dumpty after the midterms; and then after the announcement of the 3rd presidential run, the fact that the Post said retired FL man running for president, see page 26. I think the NYT is trying to stay high brow. It's kind of their style as "the newspaper of record" and "all the news that's fit to print". I am nervously awaiting to see what Merrick Garland will do. Pundits on CNN said that an indictment is possible, and The Atlantic thinks it is likely. However, CNN pundit Eli Honig said that a conviction is very unlikely. How do get a jury that is impartial and not aware of the media coverage is 1 factor. Especially because, if Merrick Garland decides to prosecute it himself, or selects a special prosecutor (which will cause even further delay), 45 and his cult will declare that it is all politically motivated by his enemy - the Democrat party. Thus, I don't think Merrick Garland should go the route of special counsel. It would only delay matters and not remove the political argument that 45 would make. In my opinion, having taken in a lot of punditry, even though a conviction may be unlikely, I think an indictment is VERY IMPORTANT !!!. The rule of law has to be applied equally. A declared, unqualified, dangerous candidate for political office is not protected from indictment for crimes he committed. Anything less than an indictment would indicate giving special privilege to 1 US citizen that no other citizen would get. I was hoping that indictment would come after election day. However, a FB friend, who should be in this group, but isn't, said that election season continues because of the GA runoff (between the ex-football player, who is unqualified to hold any political office, and the highly qualified Warnock); and therefore no indictment can be made until after December 6. December 7 iso already a somber holiday, Pearl Harbor Day; and that deserves to maintain its own special day for remembering. However, I think December 8 would be fine for DOJ Restores Our Democracy Day. I will look for some graphics and make t-shirts for anyone who would be proud to wear gear proclaiming our return to Democracy. Again thank you @StevenBeschloss for the political news therapy and the eloquent writing. I posted a NYT story on FB yesterday afternoon about Nancy Pelosi; and while I received many "likes" and comments supporting the speaker, there were also a number of vile comments that I had to report to FB, vile and misguided, filled with lies and misunderstanding. Makes me appreciate this group even more. We rein a safe, respectful space here. Have a good weekend everyone.
Like other members here, I appreciate being part of this haven for rational discussion, with Steven Beschloss in 'America, America'. It does defy credibility that Donald Trump, surrounded by criminal prosecutions, could and would declare his candidacy for President, again. He desperately yearns for the stage and the music and the applause of his vaudeville-style show, and cannot accept that those glory days are over. The appetite for his bluster and bravado has waned. I imagine he dreams of once again siting at the 'resolute desk' in the big White Castle on the Hill, where he felt enormously empowered. There, he believes that 'he can do anything he wants' without being accountable. Staying in the game will NOT absolve #45 from being convicted, defeated, incarcerated. branded the ultimate L_O_S_E_R, or transcending into the netherworld. Donald Trump is ultimately the master of his own destiny and destruction. I can see it.
I hope the lesson sticks. I'm so weary of all Trump all the time in the news.
When you read the headline from NPR, or the Washington post description, it really makes you wonder how it’s possible that this man is running again
I used to respect the NYT. And I used to like Maureen Dowd. Appreciated her sense of humor. And then she started bashing Hillary Clinton. And would not stop. And would not stop. Endlessly. Still makes me cry. Like tfg, I just wish the NYT would go away.
It is fine, almost dandy, that the New York Times and Washington Post have come to their senses and begun to call trump the disruptor and crook that he is. Or is the bottom line, as usual, money, with advertising going to the digital media because 86% of Americans get their news from the internet.Gone are the days of the young bike rider throwing the daily paper in the far reaches of the driveway.The Times, a decade ago, had 1.3M daily readers; today,343K. And the remaining readers tend to be professionals, company owners . Observe grocery buyers bypass the stand with papers, even local ones, and go for People to read about the sexiest man alive. 21% of Americans have reading difficulty; less than half read books. (Education, where art thou?)
With a click, up pops the latest, maybe true, maybe not, news of the day while newspapers have a time lag. Morning news must be written, printed, distributed, and by nightfall, perhaps dated.
I believe Rachel Maddow is an excellent reporter. She is only on on Mondays now. I thought Don Lemmon told it like it is, but he has been switched to some AM show. Jake Tapper no longer asks any Republican tough questions. Most news on TV is just read by the latest blonde, blue eyes (with a dark part, I might add). Gone are the days of a Dan Rather going out into the field to report in person.
The important thing is that the papers are following the people, not the other way around.. trump has lost a lot of his shine, appeal, and Republicans, to get reelected, are seeing him as a detriment.
Old loser trump, may the Lord punish him, keep him on the golf course, and let His light shine on that breakfast buffet so he can reach the ketchup for his scrambled(like his brain) eggs !! Amen.
Garland’s original sin remains his initial inclination to sweep as much of orangehead's crimes as possible under the rug, let statutes of limitations on orangehead's crimes lapse, and to let state-level prosecutors take the lead on plain-as-day federal offenses like orangehead's call to Brad Raffensperger. Those were wasted opportunities, they also wasted time. Garland has never explained why he refused to prosecute the Mueller crimes, or the Daniels bribe. Those crimes were fully investigated and ready to charge on Garland's first day. Those failures lead me to doubt he plans to do anything. There's nothing stopping Garland from charging a new crime every few months for the next two years. Who cares if he wins none of them. The point is to keep orangehead in legal jeopardy for the rest of his miserable days.