Virus thread, the political one.

[theflashunc]

This will get trashed, of course, but for the sake of dampening the echo in this chamber, I request four minutes and twenty seconds of your time:

Tucker: Media initially claimed coronavirus was no big deal | On Air Videos | Fox News

Please watch the entire clip; I'll don my flame suit in the meantime.

Trump's a jackass, true. Seems New York is chock full of them these days. After all, coronavirus is just a racist scam.

Not having clicked the link, I'm going to guess that Tucker spends a few minutes railing against the mainstream media, then pivoting to the notion that there should have been more attention and blame placed on the Chinese, am I right?

If I am, it's because the guy only knows two notes: Dog whistle racism and blaming the mainstream press for everything. If I'm wrong, then clearly he's learned some third bad faith trick to peddle his nonsense.

[guido]

Opinion | Call Trump’s News Conferences What They Are: Propaganda - The New York Times

[mzilliox]

You didn't watch the entire video, did you? Try again, and start at 2:40. Two "leaders" who ought to be drawn and quartered right about now. "responding in sensible and timely way" is a duty owed to us by more than just the President. "all it would take is some class and honesty form leadership to alleviate this," indeed, but it seems the nutcase who shot at your wife's office is probably responsible for fewer deaths than NYC's health commissioner...whose job is to do more than advance a narrative at the expense of actual human lives.

no, i didnt, one, because it froze at the 56 second mark, and 2 because tucker carlson's delivery, bias and perma anger face is off putting.

now i have, and i dont agree with his take at all, i think hes taken headlines and spun them improperly. I think tucker carlson saying they are the liars, i think its pretty clear at this point, is fucking hilarious. I think its another attempt to deflect from the big leader. the one people listen to. i think its a soft argue. i think this clip with the most open mind i can have, did nothing to change my barometer. one headline of a person telling people bacl in the first week of feb to enjoy? yes, mistake, has he double and quadrupled down on that mistake? is he doing so still? i dont know that guy, would never hear him speak. im concerned about the big honcho, the one who consumes media minutes and gives messaging. Im not sure who killed more people, this loony repeating a trump message, or the guy you are speaking about, and i dont really wish to find out. i think this is a deflection, not much of anything at all. and i watched it again, just to be sure. headlines spun, id have read them in different context. and his delivery is still too angry and childish.

[Corso]

and his delivery is still too angry and childish.

Now that's a riot, coming from you.

[Mark Walberg]

…..Our president has the patience of a small child. He has the entitlement of a small child. He has the empathy of a small child. He has the leadership skills of a small child.

Trump said it him self to his biographer, Michael D'Antonio:

"When I look at myself in the first grade and I look at myself now, I’m basically the same. The temperament is not that different."

[zachateseverything]

No. I read the NYT and watch Rachel Maddow, so you can open your mind or just sit on the sidelines.

This sounds like a you problem. I'm open minded to facts, I'm not going to sit through a Tucker Carlson piece to try to understand what actual arguments are being waged. I wouldn't sit through a Rachel Maddow piece either.

[GrantM]

no, i didnt, one, because it froze at the 56 second mark, and 2 because tucker carlson's delivery, bias and perma anger face is off putting.

now i have, and i dont agree with his take at all, i think hes taken headlines and spun them improperly. I think tucker carlson saying they are the liars, i think its pretty clear at this point, is fucking hilarious. I think its another attempt to deflect from the big leader. the one people listen to. i think its a soft argue. i think this clip with the most open mind i can have, did nothing to change my barometer. one headline of a person telling people bacl in the first week of feb to enjoy? yes, mistake, has he double and quadrupled down on that mistake? is he doing so still? i dont know that guy, would never hear him speak. im concerned about the big honcho, the one who consumes media minutes and gives messaging. Im not sure who killed more people, this loony repeating a trump message, or the guy you are speaking about, and i dont really wish to find out. i think this is a deflection, not much of anything at all. and i watched it again, just to be sure. headlines spun, id have read them in different context. and his delivery is still too angry and childish.

Tucker isn't the worst person on fox, (faint praise) but he burns any credibility he might have with open minded people outside the Trump bubble when he does his straw man rants.
Starting with an entirely false preposition that he can't and never supports = just hit pause and no need to waste more time on it.
He can be right more often than a broken clock, today doesn't happen to be one of those days.

-g

[BBB]

What a callous thing to say.

Sorry you got that impression as that wasn't the intention. If you backtrack through the posts you will see I made a comment based on something Trump said (questioning the cost to fight the virus) and also (not that it appears here) a comment a friend made about the social cost of isolation. I wasn't advocating this point of view or questioning the cost. The response, essentially, was the cost will be what it will be to save lives and prop up the economy. Which is where my comment which you were quoting came from in response. In other words, I am agreeing that governments of all stripes need to open the coffers to fight the virus and insulate us as best as they are able from the economic cost. So, it wasn't meant or intended to be callous and I was agreeing with the whatever it takes notion.

[BBB]

i dont doubt the media made whatever claims it made, and could have lied or been wrong or whatever. but, i dont elect the media to run the country.
however, responding in sensible and timely way is the presidents job, not the medias, correct? its true, there's plenty of blame and such to go around, but my wife's office got shot at 2 nights ago, and another patient just went belligerent today looking for my wife and was escorted out by security because her elective surgery was postponed on account of this "hoax". where does this narrative come from? its has real repercussions. if its happening here in tiny Grants Pass OR, its all over. its terrifying. all it would take is some class and honesty form leadership to alleviate this... the media is what it is. but its not their job to lead this country, just to give out the information its getting.

if we had a leader with any class or decorum, my wifes office building most likely doesnt get shot at, because there would be no crazy right wingers getting bad information from their trusted source whos not to be trusted. for me it has become as simple as this, reduced to personal survival in a very real way. right now, if you support trumps rhetoric, you endager people in th medical community beyond the virus effects. reality

What a mess. The job of a leader is to lead in times of crisis. They need to take expert advice and act sensibly on it, while at the same time trying to reassure the public, who are worried and worried from many different angles (will I get sick, will my kids get sick, will my parents get sick, how do I afford to eat if I lose my job etc). Trump seems to be failing terribly in this respect. He had a hunch about a drug. WTF?

The media's job is to report, to question where necessary and also provide their opinion on what is going on. Some do this better than others. There is some good reporting going on. I'm not so sure that anything the desiccated coconut's media empire spews out qualifies as good. Murdoch has his own agenda and quality journalism is, sadly, not it. It wasn't always this way.

The real heroes at present are the people on the front line. People like your wife who are doing their job and potentially risking their health (and shouldn't come to harm by the public because of it - I honestly shake my head at the stupidity and selfishness of some people). The research scientists who are probably working their fingers to the bone around the globe to study the virus in order to work out how to beat it. The emergency services personnel who don't get the option of working from home and will need to be hyper vigilent in these difficult times. And so on.

[mzilliox]

Now that's a riot, coming from you.

your constant focus on me is flattering, thanks.

here is a comment on an article i thought was especially well written and thoughtful.


"The most astonishing thing about being isolated in my own home is having the opportunity to follow the news hourly Watching the daily "Trump Show" is both informing and deforming. I'm now onto his choreography and repetitive script. Everyone marches in somberly. Everyone carefully says, "Thank you, Mr. President." Pence always opens his remarks and closes his remarks with praise for his boss--over the top praise that diminishes him and magnifies his smallness. There is always one carefully coifed woman, comely dressed, given a few lines to speak, the most important, "Thank you, Mr. President."

Mr. Trump takes questions, sometimes deferring to other "presenters," sometimes answering with bombast, exaggeration, and outright lies. The show ends. Everyone walks out behind Mr. Trump, another telling sign of his leadership. The mood that lingers in the air is a deeply depressed one.

No one has learned a thing. The crisis worsens."

[Sbti]

There's a lot more ads on TV in my area for cremation services. Gotta' plan ahead.

[snotrockets]

If I am, it's because the guy only knows two notes: Dog whistle racism

It's not dog whistle anymore if we all can hear it.

[Matthew Strongin]

This sounds like a you problem. I'm open minded to facts, I'm not going to sit through a Tucker Carlson piece to try to understand what actual arguments are being waged. I wouldn't sit through a Rachel Maddow piece either.

Funny. When I read Kind Of Dirk's post, my first thought was, oh no please don't watch Rachel Maddow to get a sense of the left's stance on any issue. I'm sure there are fans here and I'm related to some huge fans, but I think she (and shows like hers on both sides) do far more damage than they do good.

Also, I watched the Tucker video he posted. I think Tucker did a good job cherry picking tweets, and headlines and clips to sell his narrative. It's actually compelling if you haven't also consumed copious amounts of news about COVID19 to know that the body of work of the NYT has been largely in the "let's take this shit seriously" camp. The video was not terribly unlike what The Daily Show does. The only difference is that the Daily Show isn't news and it knows it. Tucker, on the other hand, sells himself as news.

[King Of Dirk]

This sounds like a you problem. I'm open minded to facts, I'm not going to sit through a Tucker Carlson piece to try to understand what actual arguments are being waged. I wouldn't sit through a Rachel Maddow piece either.

Cool man. Heaven knows I've got no shortage of problems. Keep on truckin'.

[King Of Dirk]

and i watched it again, just to be sure. headlines spun, id have read them in different context. and his delivery is still too angry and childish.

Fair enough. I appreciate your kindness and tolerance. (in this overheated thread, it's worth stating that I am not being sarcastic; I do appreciate both, thank you).

I hope they catch and prosecute the bastard who fired at your wife's office, and that the client chasing her has been sedated and restrained - not necessarily in that order. Left, right, or middle, I wish you and yours well.

[King Of Dirk]

Also, I watched the Tucker video he posted. I think Tucker did a good job cherry picking tweets, and headlines and clips to sell his narrative. It's actually compelling if you haven't also consumed copious amounts of news about COVID19 to know that the body of work of the NYT has been largely in the "let's take this shit seriously" camp. The video was not terribly unlike what The Daily Show does. The only difference is that the Daily Show isn't news and it knows it. Tucker, on the other hand, sells himself as news.

That's fair enough. I'm one of those people who doesn't have enough time to consume as much news - or whatever I consume according to others - as I'd like.

If Maddow doesn't suffice, I'd be grateful for a suggestion of where I might get a sense of the left's stance on issues. I understand the frustration one feels when a particular personality is assumed to be the poster child for one's "side," I feel the same way when people bring up Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity or Kellyanne Conway or...

[Blue Jays]

"...Left, right, or middle, I wish you and yours well..."

Likewise to you, @King Of Dirk. Thank you for the gracious, sincere, and kind words. I feel the same.
I have often shared here at VSalon we are all friends pedaling along on a virtual group ride and occasionally IRL.

[Corso]

your constant focus on me is flattering, thanks.

I do worry about you, being that you appear to transform every negative in the country into "the Presidents fault -and those who voted/support him are to blame too"... my quote, but I'm summarizing your comments. IMO- That's not healthy man.

I forgot to answer your earlier question: I don't know how my 401k is doing at the moment, I'm diversified enough that I really don't worry about it. The last time (pre-virus) it was at an all time high. I'm not too concerned.

I'm watching the daily news conference as I type, and honestly, yeah, he's painful to listen to at the moment. Today is a bit worse than the rest.
I'll leave it up to you to criticize the President, as you appear to enjoy it, and are far better at it than I.

[Greg Costello]

My 401K and other investments are currently at about the same value as when President Obama was in office.
It took global pandemic and the shutdown of America to reduce magnificent growth back to mid-2016 levels.

Nah, it just took one egomaniac asleep at the wheel, although even if awake he's too f'ing self absorbed to see the obvious and react.

[Matthew Strongin]

That's fair enough. I'm one of those people who doesn't have enough time to consume as much news - or whatever I consume according to others - as I'd like.

If Maddow doesn't suffice, I'd be grateful for a suggestion of where I might get a sense of the left's stance on issues. I understand the frustration one feels when a particular personality is assumed to be the poster child for one's "side," I feel the same way when people bring up Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity or Kellyanne Conway or...

I get that. Maddow really gets my goat because I think she's way more interested in belittling the other side than she is in discussing the details, nuance, or complexity of an issue. After a hurricane a few years back that wiped out power to my neighborhood for about 3 weeks, my wife, son and I moved in with my folks (they got power back after just 7 days). I argued with my mom nightly about turning Maddow off. I hate when editorials get portrayed as news I dislike her show as much as I dislike O'Reilly's. I put Hannity into a different category, though. I see him as a propagandist and a dangerous one at that. Honestly, though, I don't think you're going to get a balanced point of view of either side from watching cable news. I tend to read Vox, WaPo, BBC, Wall Street Journal, local sources, and Axios for quick hits. And I listen to Fox news either on my way to work or my way home for a sense of what bullshit is being peddled on the right. And I listen to MSNBC for a sense of bullshit from the other side (though I don't think there's the same percentage of shit in their bullshit). And when I just want news I listen to POTUS on SiriusXM because they do a solid job having guests from all points of view.