Campaign Notes, Elections, Jamie O, Political Crack, So Called Liberal Media, The Darnold

Yes, Trump Is Getting Worse

There is a deep danger in normalizing Trump, something that many of us have said repeatedly since 2015. So far this year,  a lot of the mainstream media have not learned this, and instead have continued to downplay the threat of Trump.

A year and a half ago, media critic and New York University journalism professor posted this very simple guide:

Instead, as we headed into 2024, reporting on the campaign focused on the horserace aspect of the election. Criticism continued, and it seemed like a new media narrative took shape – Trump is “just being Trump” whenever he would say something either crazy or hateful. Meanwhile, media outlets like CNN and the New York Times reported every time Joe Biden stuttered a little or paused a bit too long.

Over the weekend, Trump said this, and I agree with economist and media critic Dean Baker here:

There is this bizarre belief that somehow Trump was always like this, that there has been no change. Trump was always bad, but at the same time, there really isn’t a bottom.

What Trump is suggesting there is an American Kristallnacht, taking his usual awful rhetoric to a new low. Perhaps the pushback might be “well there is no way that Trump would be able to pull that off.” But that is really beside the point. The idea that a major party presidential candidate suggested something so nakedly fascist should be something noted more in the media.

Not to mention, Trump’s endings to his speeches are becoming more and more Hitler-esque. From yesterday:

And from Saturday:

His speeches are increasingly rambling nonsensical affairs, that are losing a portion of his crowds – the many videos of people bailing early on his events are not AI. Just imagine if Joe Biden sounded like this, there would be widespread demands for the 25th Amendment:

I see this being explained away as Trump was blaming immigrants for the fly, which is not really all that comforting either. And many of the headlines treated it as “Trump upping his criticism of Harris’s immigration policies.” That is NOT what the story was.

The Bulwark’s Tim Miller, a former Republican, calls out the media here for mostly ignoring what is increasingly fascist rhetoric.

And oh by the way, the “lock her up” chants are back, except this time for Kamala Harris. Ah, see, just like the old days, Trump hasn’t changed, you might say. The problem is, back when that chant was for Hillary, Trump wasn’t constantly talking about imprisoning his political opponents and actually had a plan for it.

None of this is Trump as usual. This is getting worse, and the media needs to be sounding the alarm.

The last word is a bit different, goes to the late Kris Kristofferson. Funny how some celebrity deaths make you think about the passings in your own life. In this case, Kristofferson’s passing reminds me of my late dad, who loved the man’s music unabashedly. He was also a recovered alcoholic, and I think he loved this song so much because it reminded him of his own struggles with alcohol.

 

 

 

 

One thought on “Yes, Trump Is Getting Worse”

  1. I watched his movie Heaven’s Gate tonight for the first time. I highly recommend the Pluto version. The Tubi one has been cut by an hour. It is relevant.

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