US Politics, August 2024 -- "Unburdened By a Has-Been"

I'm hoping Trump is busy right now studying his COVID briefings so he can capture some of that special magic he had four years ago this afternoon.

you also talk to the press because you believe in democracy

this equating of democracy and public vetting of candidates by the press goes back to the post-WWII era of the national liberal consensus and the strong desire of the press to shed its "yellow journalism and muckraking" image for a more idealized image of responsibility and trustworthiness. it feels to me like that banner is still proudly waved by the majority of journalists, but the old social framework within which those standards were developed and maintained has all but disappeared. it's an atavism.

thats more of a long term problem for democrats, some of which is def of their own making, but just being like sorry you guys are toxic actually is not only not going to work out well its also lame bs

meh, in the 90s your argument makes sense but Harris campaign has like 5000 other avenues for getting their message out to voters these days, why fuck with the New York Times? they aren't even a serious news org anymore, the newspaper is a loss leader to sell puzzle subscriptions

this equating of democracy and public vetting of candidates by the press goes back to the post-WWII era of the national liberal consensus and the strong desire of the press to shed its "yellow journalism and muckraking" image for a more idealized image of responsibility and trustworthiness. it feels to me like that banner is still proudly waved by the majority of journalists, but the old social framework within which those standards were developed and maintained has all but disappeared. it's an atavism.

Was coming back to add exactly this point.

Meantime, more on the ground, love and happiness in Georgia:

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its not just the new york times shes not taking questions, and since i dont work for the campaign i dont see the media as just a way to get her message out

When it comes to the press, why are you all so intent on hurting Benjy Sarlin's feelings, you heartless trolls?

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SARLIN et al: "Why are you ignoring us?"

AMERICA (watching the Olympics): "You say something?"

this equating of democracy and public vetting of candidates by the press goes back to the post-WWII era of the national liberal consensus and the strong desire of the press to shed its "yellow journalism and muckraking" image for a more idealized image of responsibility and trustworthiness. it feels to me like that banner is still proudly waved by the majority of journalists, but the old social framework within which those standards were developed and maintained has all but disappeared. it's an atavism.

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, August 8, 2024 12:06 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

pretty sure ideas like the fourth estate predate the end of ww2

Meantime, the gentle people:

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vance will definitely make sure the upholstery is thoroughly cleaned

pretty sure ideas like the fourth estate predate the end of ww2

From Wikipedia:

>>The derivation of the term arises from the traditional European concept of the three estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners.

What do you see as the role of the clergy and the nobility in democracy, lagoon?

thats good wikipediaing now do an essay on the evolution of its meaning over time

The evolution of its meaning over time = a bunch of millionaire newspaper owners endlessly jerking each other off about the meaning and value of their profession while selling their papers to each other's private equity funds

All the President's Men was a good movie. But what the fuck else have you got?

do you think democracy can function without a free press

if it weren't for adversarial press joe biden would still be the nominee.

it's better for presidential candidates to answer tough questions, and for those exchanges to be public, than, like, not, is how i break it down to a certain extent

seems kinda basic imo

even if it's the fools at politico

and if you can't bat back some brain-dead framing then that's an important thing to know about somebody

clergy: judicial branch
nobility: executive branch
commoners: congress

I've been a professional journalist since 1996. I may interview jazz musicians and not politicians, but the craft is the same, and shitty, slanted work is shitty, slanted work, and none of it is a fucking sacred calling.

do you think democracy can function without a free press

We have a free press. No one is censoring newspapers! But they can reasonably be ignored if they're doing shitty work. There's a word for an interview you have to sit for. It's called a deposition.

Newspapers were openly partisan until the 20th century, they were basically party organs and not neutral arbiters.

the free press = the Internet, not 3-4 East Coast newspapers that almost nobody takes seriously since they rolled over for Bush after 9/11 so he could start a pointless war, and they've only gotten worse since then

if it weren't for adversarial press joe biden would still be the nominee.

― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Thursday, August 8, 2024 12:25 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

Hence unperson's problem with it

is Harris granting interviews to the internet?

she's doing seven campaign stops this week, and has spent a shit ton on Internet ad buys... is there a reason you're so laser-focused on interviews aside from the Trump campaign telling you to be?

so if a free press is indeed a necessity for democracy, and the democrats are the bulwark against the rising tide of fascism organge man etc, should they engage with this essential organ of democracy or just be all you guys are unfair and bad

I don’t think the interviews start until the party platform/offer is in place.

so glad Vance is answering those vital questions at pressers like "are you guy we could have a beer with?"

she's doing seven campaign stops this week, and has spent a shit ton on Internet ad buys... is there a reason you're so laser-focused on interviews aside from the Trump campaign telling you to be?

― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Thursday, August 8, 2024 12:31 PM (eight seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

do consider internet advertising a good replacement for answering questions from people who dont work for you

the sheer arrogance of that Sarlin post above practically screams to be ignored

xxp tbf that have a beer question did the rounds because it was such a bad answer to an easy question. he's getting better questions.

if it's the sort of questions that NYT and WaPo ask her? I do

i mean shes not talking to anyone

this is a surprisingly deranged conversation. Harris is giving speeches and putting out advertisements -- that's all the public accountability of her positions and intentions that you want?

maybe we can stop using solely the WaPo and NYT as examples. is she explaining her policy choices to Pro Publica or NPR or Mother Jones or etc etc and I missed it?

I'm not on Twitter time, so yeah... I'm fine with waiting a week or two for a sit-down interview with Harris

The typical question from a NY/DC political reporter is "Donald Trump says [torrent of insane bullshit] about you. How do you respond?" Is that worth anyone's time? The candidate's? The reporter's? A voter's?

she's doing a lot of off the record stuff apparently, which makes the refusal to go on the record even sillier. she can do it, but her people (who on this stuff are Biden's people) don't like the times. I don't like the times either! you can still sit down with like Robert costa at cbs or some other dweeb.

The only way it works is by not responding to the Trumpbait and explaining in short bits how her policies differ.

xpost

"why fuck with the New York Times? they aren't even a serious news org anymore, the newspaper is a loss leader to sell puzzle subscriptions"

"East Coast newspapers that almost nobody takes seriously since they rolled over for Bush after 9/11 so he could start a pointless war"

I have had plenty of criticisms of the New York Times over the years, but it's silly to pretend that it's not still the most important and prestigious news publication in the country. Part of why it gets so much heat is *because* of its popularity and reputation. And despite certain regrettable tendencies, 90% of the stories it publishes (which go well beyond coverage of presidential politics) are solid, well-reported journalism.

The delicious part about Biden's purported hate of the Beltway media is how this fucking guy lived on Sunday morning and daily talk shows for thirty years; it's how I learned about him. He would not shut up. They must've had sofa beds in those green rooms.

i dont love the dc press corps but i do think she should talk to them if she doesnt like the questions then set em straight who wouldnt like to see that

earned media coverage of Harris/Walz couldn't be much bigger or better than it is right now, so there's no immediate incentive for the campaign to generate more coverage through interviews ... we'll get interviews before the convention, but it's not bad strategy for the campaign to give them on its own schedule

there's also a new Biden interview this week, there's no benefit to the Harris campaign in reducing attention to that

that politico piece says she is negotiating a joint tv interview with walz, and to be fair she has been pretty busy since Biden quit.

she's doing a lot of off the record stuff apparently, which makes the refusal to go on the record even sillier.

I think she's probably still spooked by the disastrous interview she did with Lester Holt in 2021. She avoided the spotlight for a long time after that.

can understand wanting to get yr ducks in a row but the ducks should be arowed soon

yup

but it's silly to pretend that it's not still the most important and prestigious news publication in the country. Part of why it gets so much heat is *because* of its popularity and reputation. And despite certain regrettable tendencies, 90% of the stories it publishes (which go well beyond coverage of presidential politics) are solid, well-reported journalism.

notions like this only live on because people decide to bury their heads in the sand rather than face the truth. you are clearly smart enough to see what's going on, so much better imo to acknowledge that it's trash and to say so plainly and stridently.

also, who gives a shit about respectability? fuck these people

trump campaign and now trump becoming polling unskwers and rally truthers is extremely bullish

Trump falling for this years old hoax pic.twitter.com/uKRNx9o46Z

— Drew Savicki (@DrewSav) August 8, 2024