Posted on 08/26/2019 3:31:55 AM PDT by Kaslin
Are we ever not in divided times? That’s the nature of democracy. Disagreement is the nature of any two-party or multi-party system. Yet, if one were to listen to the media, any media, one would naturally come to believe that we are living in the most apocalyptic, divided era since the American Civil War. Yet reality simply does not back that up. Clear, statistical evidence and political trends indicate that, for at least the last thirty years, the U.S. has been quite stable. But that is not the narrative we are force fed. Ever since Donald Trump’s famous escalator ride, right through his election to the Presidency, and onto today, we are told that we are living in tremendously divided times. And the culprit, the cause of all of this division? Of course, Donald Trump. But we are not that divided, and the degree to which we are is not President Trump’s fault. It’s the media stupid.
The media will have us believe that Donald Trump is the single most divisive man in American history. Does anyone actually believe that conservatives weren’t, at the very least, equally as angry at Obama’s election as liberals were at Trump’s? Are liberals any more angry about Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch ascending to the Supreme Court than conservatives were about Kagan and Sotomayor? Of course not. But we’re told that we’re more divided than ever.
Take a look at the last four American Presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Each ascended to the Presidency with a large percentage of Americans voting for somebody else, three of the four (Clinton, Bush, and Trump) failing to capture 50% of the popular vote in their initial election. In Clinton’s case, 57% of voters chose someone else. Of Clinton, Obama, and Trump, all three won the White House with their party holding the House of Representatives. All three lost the House, by a landslide, in the first midterm election following their victory. According to Gallup, Clinton, Obama, and Trump have statistically identical approval ratings at the same point in their respective presidencies. The first two won re-election to the Presidency, the third remains probable. This trend has been going on for thirty years, but now we are supposed to believe that we are living in more divided times than ever? That is simply not the case, it’s the media that’s to blame.
LBJ once said, “If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read: 'President Can't Swim.'”. Trump should be so lucky. We should be so lucky. A Pew Research study from 2017, the very onset of Trump’s Presidency, found that media coverage of Trump was overwhelmingly more negative, three times more negative, for Trump than for his Democratic predecessors. Trump received 62% negative media coverage compared to just 20% for Obama. And the trend has only gotten worse.
When, following the events of Charlottesville in 2017, Trump said there were good people on both sides of the Confederate statue historical debate, the media universally, falsely, and to this day, claimed he was praising white supremacy. This past week, while referring to his part in combating Chinese exploitation of America, Trump said he was “the chosen one” to fill the role, the media universally claimed he was referring to himself as the Messiah. In 2013 Newsweek ran a cover story on Obama with the headline, “The Second Coming”.
The inescapable truth is that the media serves as the communications division of the Democratic party. An increasingly leftward moving Democratic party. They have, for three years, called Trump a traitor and a Russian agent, his supporters white supremacists, and half of the country neo-Nazis. Then they claim that ‘we’ are more divided than ever, and Trump is to blame. When Justice Kavanaugh was nominated for the Supreme Court they called him a sex offender and NBC News covered up evidence discrediting claims against him. Still, the media says that ‘we’ are more divided than ever, and Trump is to blame.
The media seems to believe that they speak for all Americans and that all Americans are at each other’s throats. They wish to portray themselves as impartial purveyors of facts and not merely the attack dogs for a leftist ideology not even embraced by most Democrats. Then they say that ‘we’ are more divided than ever.
America is not more divided than ever. For thirty years we have been on a rather stable and predictable course of shifts in political support and power. Members of the media are the ones trying to divide everyone. They are the outliers and extremists. It’s the media stupid
[The inescapable truth is that the media serves as the communications division of the Democratic party.]
[It’s the media, stupid]
And they can never be trusted.
Along with most of Hollywood and Hillary’s operatives.
They are responsible for 95% (at least) of the division in this country.
May the fleas of 10,000 camels infest their .... whatever.
Speaking for myself, I am happy to be divided from the forces of Evil. How would reconciliation with the servants of Satan be an improvement?
A good essay. In 2016, the country woke enough to realize we were governed by a media tyranny.
I agree that the media is a huge problem.
But I also think the Democrats have become very extreme. If they come back into power, they will push very dangerous policies which are not acceptable to large numbers of Americans. It’s going to be a problem.
Much more frightening is how the abuse of the IRS and FBI under Obama was designed to permanently eliminate any meaningful opposition; when coupled with media collaboration with the Reds, this would lead to permanent “Democrat” (Bolshevik) government - complete with “thought crimes” (hate speech), disarmament, and elimination of online freedom (the controlling of search results while inundating the internet with endless fake news stories has already swayed the public discourse for many young people - mass mind control).
So true - and it required a presidential candidate publicly calling it out to expose it.
By 2016, many voters realized they’d been sold a pile of sh!t in 2012 - in a terrifying demonstration of media power, coupled with silencing opposition with accusations of racism, a failed president (by just about any measure) was re-elected.
Exactly. It occurred to me weeks ago that it really is the Brown Shirt Media with the power and the Rat politicians are just the puppets. How much money does Don Lemon make? Compare that with AOC.
Yep. The media is the democrat party. They are more dangerous than the elected officials precisely because they are not elected, and thus not subject to being voted out.
It could not be more obvious what’s going on. The real democrats develop their daily narrative, which the elected officials then begin talking about. The idea of the Journ0list is power of the DNC.
We must get our young ones involved in the media and education. We need to play the exact game the socialists have played for years by embedding loonies in the schools and media. Get your young kids involved and get them to take those jobs.
A powerful alien entity, which thrived on negative energy, hatred and strife, kept the humans on the Enterprise and the Klingons in constant battle situations.
Kirk captured Kang's wife and it seemed as if the humans would kill or torture her. Kang was furious.
The alien entity provided primitive weapons to both sides, even keeping them alive so that they would continue to fight each other. The entity thrived on all the negative energy and hate.
Does anyone here remember that episode?
I think the media thrives on negative energy, hate and strife, and continues to keep us citizens at each other's throats.
Pres. Trump is right: the media is the enemy of the people!
The media are like that complainer at work or at home.
Always yapping that the sky is falling.
Ping for later...good essay, thanks for posting!
But, but, but, but, but...
The media are owned by big business! Corporations {shudder}.... are.... EVIL......
And EVERYONE knows corporations are pro-Republican. Remember, democrats are for the little guy, while republicans are for the rich? amirite???
/Leftard
The reality is we live with the Alinsky disciples of the radical left incessantly rabble-rousing and stoking the flames of anger and victimhood, while being supported in their efforts by the pathological liars in the media. It sounds worse than it is because they want it that way.
Enemy of the people propaganda media.
When I was in college back on the 60s, I took a journalism class as an elective. The professor used to tell us that the "news" was, by design, always something controversial, upsetting and/or negative.
People didn't want to hear any positive things about regular lives. Just the bad stuff.
Controversy, hate, strife and negative stories are what makes the "news" and sells newspapers. It's not about Sally getting good grades in school or Tommy doing his chores without being asked.
People don't want to hear about those positive things. They want to watch the train wreck or the failure of a business or the bad luck of someone.
It's the nature the beast I think.
Your words about negative stories are the nature of the beast, makes me think also of how a non-smoker or non-drinker can lead a good healthy life and receive no recognition for it. But, an abusive alcoholic, drug abuser, and/or cigarette smoker can give up those things, and people will fall all over themselves to heap praise on those types. Its as if people who experience vice are more valuable in our society.
This reminds me of a joke. I’ve heard it a few times in different scenarios, but I think about this all the time when it comes to the media, and their headlines and how they try to manipulate the naïve public to believe what they believe.
Two boys are playing football in Central Park when one is attacked by a rabid rottweiler. Thinking quickly, the other boy rips a board off of a nearby fence, wedges it down the dog’s collar and twists, breaking the dog’s neck.
A reporter strolling by sees the incident, and rushes over to interview the boy.
“Young Giants Fan Saves Friend From Vicious Animal,” he writes in his notebook.
“But I’m not a Giants fan,” the little hero replies.
“Sorry, since we are in New York, I just assumed you were,” says the reporter.
“Little Jets Fan Rescues Friend From Horrific Attack,” he writes in his notebook.
“I’m not a Jets fan either,” the boy says.
“I assumed everyone in New York was either for the Giants or Jets. What team do you root for?” the reporter asks.
“I’m a Cowboys fan,” the child says.
The reporter starts a new sheet in his notebook and writes, “Little Redneck Maniac Kills Beloved Family Pet”.
Agreed...it seems that now more than ever I remember that line is drawn. It brings clarity to me!
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