169 Comments

It was fascinating to see how The Columbia Journalism Review’s scathing criticism of MSM’s handling of the Trump Russia hoax was met with...crickets! The most respected, established source for professional journalism excoriated The NY Times, WaPo, etc., and everyone pretended that it didn’t happen. When does something change from a “conspiracy theory” to a “conspiracy”? Well, that would be a pretty good example.

It’s important to remember that, with all the major legacy media captured, just getting “the news” becomes an onerous, time consuming process. And this, leading up to the 2024 election, means that the average voter will have absolutely NO idea what the issues really are, and what the result of the last four years of Democrat control has done to this country.

Terrifying.

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Conspiracy theories. Only an idiot doesn't believe that the powerful will conspire with each other for their own benefit.

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Why wouldn’t the average voter know what the issues are?

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I live in Chicago which is being destroyed by city-wide black wilding so crime was the number one issue during our recent mayoral election. The runoff election was between a white, tough on crime, moderate named Paul Vallas and a black, Woke, blame whitey, leftist named Brandon Johnson. Only a third of registered voters bothered to vote and Johnson won 51% to 49%. Even when the central issue is known many are too stupid to understand it, don’t bother to vote or vote for the exact opposite of what’s need to fix the problem. No society can survive this level of stupidity and flat out insanity.

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Because they only get their news from the captured mainstream media; CBS, ABC, NBC, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, Google, NY times, Facebook, Insta, Yahoo and others who all repeat the SAME, EXACT talking points ad nauseum.

You have to search for the conservative view point. If you don't, I highly recommend you listen to Newsmax, or Podcasts like Megyn Kelly's or Candace Owens - even (down the middle) Joe Rogan is fair- for the other side of the story.

Most Americans are too busy, etc., to do that and Democrats know it.

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One last thing. Do you guys have any idea what these new stations get for ratings. Like CNN. International 24 hour a day news. Some shows less than 300,000 viewers. People stopped watching this nonsense years ago. I feel bad for the media. But they are all adults and these are the choices they made and ended up destroying their own industry. Stupid. Don’t ruin your own stuff for these idiots. At least not for free.

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I’m confused at your comment Kristin. The average voter isn’t paying for or reading Substack. The MSM plays cover-up for every Dem scandal & ignores real evidence found by real journalists. This is why the average voter doesn’t know the real issues. They know a narrative only.

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I’m was just saying that you would really have to be deaf, blind and brain dead not to experience this craziness. It effects everything. Schools. Health care. Quality of just about everything. Nobody likes it. People are aware they just don’t know what to do. The Best part is.... we all have more in common now than ever.

Everybody wants the same basic things in life.

Don’t worry. Stay out of Their way and they will ruin themselves eventually as they are not willing or able to self correct.

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I still think you’re overestimating what people know. An everyday voter is working all day, not researching politics. If you have to go underground to find the truth (current status), that means millions of voters have no idea what’s truly going on. Even my smart Dem friends are absolutely clueless. They believe the media. Only conservatives who were driven underground know how deep & wide this actually is. I pray you’re right, that eventually they’ll expose themselves, but I doubt it.

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Trust me. The United States of America is not going to be taken down by these fools. It is ok. And it’s going to be ok. If everybody just goes along living there own lives and law abiding. This situation will correct itself. Try not to pile on with negativity. And whatever you do...... please restrain yourselves. Don’t feed some of these peoples constant craving for negative attention.

When I was younger. Like 30 years ago. I used to let everyone push my buttons and react and react and give them everything they wanted.

I learned. Nobody DID that to me. I LET them. Most people already know this. It took me a while to figure it out.

Nowadays. These idiots don’t even know what to do with a scapegoat. Don’t be one. You are born with your citizenship to live your own life and that’s what I think everybody should do. We all share this country. These are tough times. But totally manageable. Look at all the progress that has been made since the end of Covid. In all different areas.

It’s happening. People are finding ways to make things work. It’s going to be ok.

I became aware of this weird useless nonsense in 2013. I never doubted. That every single person in this country is Better than this. Just understand Fear does strange things to people. They are only scared.

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I hope you’re right.

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I hope you’re right.

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Actually. I’m sorry. Even the deal and the blind are able to See and Hear through it all.

I’m apologize to deaf and blind people. I take that part of my comment back.

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Sorry. Spelling errors. I’m sure you get the idea.

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It's called mass formation psychosis.

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founding

"Ultimately, they want to ruin Fox News and cut off that resource for MAGA supporters."

Well, they don't have to – FauxNews has done that all by themselves. I know of very few fellow conservatives and Trump supporters who tune in to that channel for ANYTHING. Incidentally, that is not a new development – FauxNews has been losing viewers for a long time, but its viewership was artificially inflated because those numbers were subscribers to cable outlets that carried it as a basic channel in the bundle, not actual viewers.

Most of us, if we NEED to get an update on the nooz, it's NewsMax.

I have embraced being a white supremacist, a bigot, a homophobe, a xenophobe, a transphobe, queerphobe, and every other phobe. Those are what I'll be accused of being anyway, I might as well enjoy being all or any one of them.

Excellent piece as usual, Sasha! You truly are doing the Lord's work.

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Bit I doubt that you are a hoplophobe, and don't become one.

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founding

No worries. My libertarian sensibilities won't allow it.

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Poignant and oh, so true. I can understand your mourning of one of the things we Americans have always held dear, reporters who dug for the truth no matter how hard it was or how crooked the path to the truth. I’m old enough to remember the early days of 60 Minutes, and how those reporters, like Dan Rather, would confront the wrong doers in person and how brave and righteous we all thought they were. Now they denigrate James O’Keefe for doing exactly that same thing. Thank God there are still journalists, and writers, and even physicians, who are compelled and driven to seek the truth and write (or blog) about it. It’s substacks like yours and alternative platforms like Locals and Rumble that give creators a venue to reach those of us that still care to know the truth. Thank you, Sasha!

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Jul 14, 2023·edited Jul 14, 2023

My white surburban housewife stopped to watch Bloomberg TV w/ me today as I was having lunch. She had given up MSM news long ago and prefers to put her head in sand. The Republican lady on show was young/pretty and having to preface and give all kinds of excuses to host - for just forwarding the notion that it’s okay to question the war in Ukraine (on heels of Sweden entering NATO). My wife commented how weird and strange that was. Yeah I said, not only weird but how ‘authoritative’ that this talking head had to watch her words so carefully to be opposed to killing & war — or else risk not being invited back to show. Anyway, in my little corner of world my life partner is waking up.

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Jul 14, 2023·edited Jul 14, 2023

Every little bit helps.

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Good she is questioning neocon endless wars since MSM has been complicit in it after Vietnam.

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The five rules of propaganda

I have written a short substack essay on propaganda, and below are the five rules of propaganda, Please disseminate them far and wide. Thanks

https://drp314.substack.com/p/propaganda-thoughts

1. The rule of simplification - reducing all data to a simple confrontation between 'Good and Bad', 'Friend and Foe'.

2. The rule of disfiguration - discrediting the opposition by crude smears and parodies.

3. The rule of transfusion - manipulating the consensus values of the target audience for one's own ends.

4. The rule of unanimity - presenting one's viewpoint as if it were unanimous opinion of all right-thinking people: draining the doubting individual into agreement by the appeal of star-performers, by social pressure , and by 'psychological contagion'.

5. The rule of orchestration - endlessly repeating the same messages in different variations and combinations.

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As you probably know David, #5 was the number one strategy of Joseph Goebbels. As the persecuted Jews in Hitler's Socialist Germany will attest. As an undergraduate at the University of California I watched some old WWII Nazi propaganda 16mm films in sociology classes. Frightening.

You will like this well done piece David:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/behavioral-economics/mass-psychosis-and-totalitarianism/

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Watched the video; fascinating. Make woke jokes. No wonder Machiavelli said that only an armed populous remains free. Anything you can do to be more independent and harder to control helps, such as the parallel structures. Old saying, if you want to change the world, change yourself, it's the only thing you can change. Learning to control ones emotions is a vital part of maturity.

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To get people to do evil convince them that they are doing good. Check out the U. of Hawaii democide project.

https://hawaii.edu/powerkills/

and maybe ( shameless plug) my essay

https://drp314.substack.com/p/the-45-communist-goals-for-the-destruction

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Just a thought. Going through basic training in the Air Force they had lectures on many things, mostly mundane, but one stands out. It was called Rumors and Propaganda. (Of course, a rumor is propaganda if started by an enemy.) If the Air Force gives basic instruction on propaganda, why doesn't you local high school? And yes, Goebels even said tell a big lie, keep it simple and keep repeating it (1 and 5) and they will eventually believe it.

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Epps, after being on video several times concerning Jan. 6 exhorting movement into the Capital building. Why has he never been arrested, charged, or even questioned by the FBI?. Why did he appear on their most wanted list, but then just as quickly disappear from it? Why are so many questions about that man and his motives still unanswered? Why have so many from the Jan. 6 melee been arrested and thrown into solitary confinement? Then given long prison terms simply for walking around inside the capital building acting like uninvited tourists? The unequal treatment from all of it is shocking and definitely not what America is supposed to stand up for.

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America no longer exists as a country so it longer stands for anything at all. Does the world know America is rotting, insane and collapsing? Sure they do. They see it all happening online just as easily as we do. All things are now global in our always online global civilization. No doubt the disastrous failure of the American experiment has already drastically altered the course of world history.

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"disastrous failure"? How so? While things look a bit bleak right now, no country has done more good for the entire world for a longer period of time than has the US. It is the most successful experiment in governance in history. Whether it has run its course or not has yet to be seen. (and yes, I know many bad things have been done by the US also...so don't even start on that)

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We can no longer do things as basic and essential as border security, safe streets in our cities and public schools that educate rather than indoctrinate children. Time for you to face reality. We’re on a sinking ship heading for the bottom of the ocean and our final resting place in eternity. Unless AI intervenes, alters our fate and saves us from the abyss. The best of times. The worst of times.

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Sad that you rely on AI to save us; that is not possible. Only we can save ourselves, and we can.

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If Biden wins re-election and Demoncats regain legislative control, civilization as we have known it will be over.

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If we can save ourselves when will we start going in a positive direction? If we can save ourselves why do we always strive to go in a negative direction? Do you ever wonder about this?

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Can you honestly look at the last 400 years, the last 200 years, and the last 50 years and say we haven't made ENORMOUS progress? While we seem to be regressing some now, that doesn't negate the past and doesn't set the path for the future. You might want to read Boethius's "The Consolation of Philosophy" to get some perspective.

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founding

Right on, Neil--I agree, the USA and the good things it has stood for and done--is not finished just quite yet. But we are in an extremely perilous moment, we must not fool ourselves about that.

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Epps’ attorney today states he’s has now been criminally charged by the DOJ, literally the day after Epps filed lawsuit against Fox. Maybe this is attorney lie, or an upcoming show trial, or….

Strange days.

https://www.allsides.com/news/2023-07-13-0523/justice-ray-epps-be-criminally-charged-events-january-6-his-attorney-says

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Just like Hillary and Hunter, he will be investigated, his crimes will be listed and nothing will come of it. It will be a de facto exoneration for his crimes against the country. Also, this is how the DoJ protects Epps from any real questioning by a Congressional hearing, and by extension their own hideous role.

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Yes, and this was the main instrument of creating a “chilling effect” on all dissent in this country. All over Europe there were massive demonstration against Covid mandates in 2021 and 2022, but the rest of us were very frightened about getting on an FBI list and ending up in the American Gulag. I’m glad that mothers in school district found a protest niche, but as we saw, even some of the dads in that context got arrested.

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Speaking of journalism and propaganda....

Biden sends 3000 troops to Europe. I'm sure Democrats are cheering this on, those waehawks. I can only imagine if Trump had done this. The media headlines in the morning would be children on the front pages with WORLD WAR 3 UPON US all over rhe front page news. But not so when we have a Democrat in the White House.

There is no journalism left. It is 100% leftist propaganda.

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I think it died long before the date stated. It has slowly eroded over the last fifty years. The CIA has moles in the news agencies from the beginning of the creation of this rouge outfit started. the news has not been the news for a verry long time as it slowly became captured by large corporations for the sole purpose of controlling the narrative. Not even during the civil war was it truthful. The history of Lincolns murder was known to be a confederate-English operation. Booth was in Montreal several times planning the abduction, and finally the murder of Lincoln, along with members of his own government, and yet it was portrayed as a lone nut gunman. They had no intention of bringing him in alive just like Oswald, so investigative reporting has never been allowed with the exception of what the powers that be allow. this just gave cover for the truth. Jullien Assange is an example of what happens to real investigative reporters. I do not disagree with the article, just the pretense of honest reporting that never was.

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Things were never as bad as now though. We now have a media that actively incites racial hatred of white people, is fully on board with open borders and fully on board with our proxy war on Russia in Ukraine. Tulsi says they’re insane. I totally agree.

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Yeah I was going to say the same thing. For me the turning point was the buildup and coverage of the Iraq War. The media was all in on WMD’s, when any intelligent person knew that was b.s. They also introduced “embedded reporters”, featuring Geraldo in a tank. Disgusting. I’ve never believed the media ever since...

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Jul 14, 2023·edited Jul 14, 2023

Twitter is not as free speech as you may think. I am conservative and believe in God. My twitter page and comments reflected mainstream conservative thought and was not extremist in the least. I was permanently suspended about two weeks ago. I was given no reason and my request for exactly why I was suspended was ignored. I was able to still access twitter for a short timeframe and follow my old news sources but now, I have been severely rate limited. For all practical purposes, I have been completely blocked and removed from twitter without any reason given.

Maybe the big conservative accounts are protected by their large followings but the little guys are still getting hammered by censorship including shadow banning and suspensions plus in my case, access so severely limited that I no longer have access to twitter as an information source. I don't know how common these actions are now across twitter but would not be surprised if it is far more common than known. Those censored and pushed out of twitter have no twitter voice.

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I too was permanently banned by twitter just 2-3 weeks ago. First time I ever even had a strike. I wrote them twice to no avail. Just conservative viewpoints are what I wrote and often directly to Hakeem Jeffries, Kamala, etc., so I'm SURE I - and YOU were placed on a "Suspend" list by this Democrat run, totalitarian gov't crackdown on free speech in their weekly meetings with twitter.

It's sickening to even write this.

I tried reaching out to Elon on another account and NOW I will again and mention YOU too. I think I'll try reaching out to powerful, big conservative accounts too.

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You should see what happens when you’ve never had a social media account and live a quiet life Minding your own business. That’s when the real Fun begins. Lol!

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Yeah I'm rarely post on fb or insta frankly. And Twitter when I feel like commenting on political matters mostly....not much there either. It IS peaceful OFF the stuff for sure.

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Definitely sounds similar to my situation. I am going to send another request for a reason for suspension and let them know I am documenting their responses. I am unaware of anything to justify my suspension and believe the suspension is due to my conservative or religious positions. I will let them know that I will be forwarding this documentation to my conservative state house and senate representatives. Maybe that will get their attention.

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Yes, thank you for that suggestion. I'll do the same with my representatives. Please let me know how you make out.

Thanks

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Here is a Bad Kitty thread on the suspensions going on...

https://twitter.com/pepesgrandma/status/1679619230067466241

Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁💪🏻

@pepesgrandma

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Jul 13

Obviously, this is happening behind his back. But it is happening and tons of conservatives are getting suspended.

This is real life Twitter, and not the 500k follower accounts that he knows.

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And one more from Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁💪🏻

@pepesgrandma

Warning! Twitter now considers pedophilia a sexual orientation. And to speak adversely about them gets you suspended!

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From Bad Kitty who monitors and keeps a focus on suspensions of conservatives.

Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁💪🏻

@pepesgrandma

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Jul 13

Lots of conservatives are being suspended with no reason given. Unlike the lady above.

Tracy Beanz, Rob Coleman, Jurassic Carl, and myself are being throttled. And lord knows who else.

It looks like old days and TRICKS are back. I need some Hallmark movies. 😭

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I was surprised recently when Elon and many others involved with AI said it’s so scary we need to take a 6 month pause to figure out how to control this. But he made no mention of shutting down work on his supercomputer “Dojo” or on his AI powered humanoid robot which he says is his top priority.

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I don't recognize my former profession.

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They blatantly lie, continuously incite anti-white racial hatred and are fully on board with open borders. It’s great to see Vivek debate them. I saw him mop the floor with Don Lemon and Dana Bash. They had no chance. Totally crushed and reduced to sputtering and mumbling.

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Agreed. It saddens me to say so.

Journalism is now lying.

It was not always so.

I wonder how they live with themselves.

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"Lies have consequences." How could anyone working for the MSM say that with a straight face?

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For them, the consequences of their lies is a paycheck.

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.

Never Underestimate Envy.

Pure Envy.

Everytime "An Authority" Is "Concerned"

They Are Actually Concerned

That You Are Capable Of What They Are Not.

- You'll Get Used To It.

Although Your Responses May Change.

.

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I don’t believe “they” can ruin Fox News. Fox’s ruination was self-inflicted…(whether unintentional or by design)…and is all but complete.

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Would also like to say.... Thank you Substack. No matter what happens down the line. You guys have been great. I remember wondering to myself. Is there ever going to be anything interesting to read again? Was like the internet came to a full stop and went stupid. For more than a few years. Substack is awesome. And I am grateful for all of you for taking giant risks to be here.

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Substack is very good. So is UnHerd and sites like Real Clear Politics, Quillette, City Journal and many sites like Dave Rubin, Bret Weinstein, Glenn Greenwald, Kim Iverson and others. As with everything in America, our media is split between the Woke vs the nonWoke and our nonWoke media is excellent. Here’s a good interview Bret Weinstein had recently with Vivek Ramaswamy. I’ve posted it before but if you missed it, it’s really worth watching especially the last 15 minutes. An impressively damning assessment of our situation by two of our brightest public intellectuals.

“Bret Speaks with Vivek Ramaswamy on the Darkhorse Podcast.” (2:003)

Bret Weinstein. Jun 24, 2023

https://youtu.be/LRACu3udEGw

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I heard Vivek call RFK Jr. a “scumbag” so he lost my trust after that. I’ll try to keep an open mind though.

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Where did you hear that? Seems totally out of character for him plus I’ve never seen anything about that and I follow the news pretty close.

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It was in an interview I saw with him on either Rumble or YouTube, can’t remember which or who was conducting the interview but those words definitely came out of his mouth. I turned it off after hearing that. He also talked shit about Trump. To me these were political statements intended to separate himself from his main rivals, even though they all agree on many issues. He’s trying to portray himself as the sole outsider, but he’s using the same political gamesmanship as the rest of em. I’d still vote for him over Biden though, for sure.

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Just an excellent column. The question is, why does an audience stay loyal to a journalist or channel that has lied to them repeatedly? Particularly after the triple-whammy of Russiagate, Covid, and the Hunter laptop.

It appears that you cannot shake the liberal audience from MSNBC even after the exposure of misinformation on a scale that is astounding.

That is what scares me about "news" today. That an audience becomes a willing accomplice to clear fabrications because it fits their comfortable narrative.

There was a time when lies once exposed detached the two, audience and news provider.

Today there are those who want to willingly go along with fabrications if that narrative is more soothing and comforting to their mind. That just baffles me, and concerns me tremendously.

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One could say the same about Fox during the Iraq War

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The overwhelming majority of the people who vote Democrat depend on government welfare in one form or another (eg fed/rate/city employees, hospital jobs, teachers unions, food stamps, university jobs, etc) and so they watch because NYT, WAPO, CNN, MSNBC, etc are where they go for direction and messaging. Democrats overwhelmingly depend on the government dole. They can’t vote anything other and would vote for Hitler if he was on the Dem ticket.

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founding

"We sit...in front of yet another viewing of...Broadcast News..."

"Well, Jane...thanks for stopping by..."

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