White House chief of staff says take Trump seriously when he calls press "the enemy"

[XenaLee]

I didn't say there was anything sinister- but it is like the old slippery slope. If we cheer for making 'The Press' the enemy of the State, and that becomes the norm, how much longer does that come to its logical next step that you and I are declared the enemy of the State for speaking out against what is happening (and believe me, I've been called that many times in the past year in one way or another).

At that, it doesn't even have to be sinister.

Look at many of the problems we have in society now. How many were actually created by the government under the guise and belief of good intentions- not sinister motive.

Are you playing Devil's Advocate?  lol

You already damned well know (or should) that you or I would already have been declared an enemy of the State by the radical, extremist left.  Had Hillary won, instead, we and many others here and on other forums, would probably have been listed as likely candidates for the Clinton gulag that no doubt would have been up and functioning by now. 

[dfwgator]

I do disagree.

Pravda was (and is, along with it's offspring Russia Today) a tool of the state.

US media is a willing accomplice to the Democrat party - not the state.

It's a substantial difference.

Perhaps it would be better to single out "Big Media" as opposed to other more independent forms of the press.  If anything, Trump may help to facilitate the rise of smaller press outfits outside of the big companies.   I would see that as a huge win, since the Media companies have been consolidating to the point of almost becoming a virtual monopoly.

[XenaLee]

I do disagree.

Pravda was (and is, along with it's offspring Russia Today) a tool of the state.

US media is a willing accomplice to the Democrat party - not the state.

It's a substantial difference.

It may be a substantial difference right now..... but had Hillary Clinton won the election, I posit that it would (by now) be a rather subtle difference.  Very subtle.  Just sayin.....

[DCPatriot]

In other words: be careful what you wish for. The monkey's paw is far more likely than the genie from Aladdin.

Come on, my friend.  We KNOW it's the genie.   

And right now,  for 30+ years, the SCOTUS could be stacked with Constitutionalists who lean and have ruled "conservative". 

NOT, Supreme Court Activists/Anarchists!

[driftdiver]

As I pointed out in another comment above, you are mixing up media and entertainment companies (and specifically just the ones you don't like) with 'the press'. We are the press, they are just publishers.

Declaring 'The Press' as the enemy because some are bad for you is like declaring Food the enemy because McDonalds makes kids fat.

@AbaraXas

Then why do they [the press] have more protections than you and I?

Maybe in theory we the people are the press.  In reality and practice only those with the means qualify as the press.

The left controls the press and most forms of communication to the masses.   They control what people think.

[ABX]

So you do, in fact, disagree that the US media is like the Soviet Pravda then?  You never did make that clear (with that "if it is").

I completely disagree that the US Media is like the Soviet Pravda.

Soviet Pravda was a State sanctioned and controlled entity. They were not allowed to speak freely or dissent, their sole job was to tell the message approved by the government. They did not compete in the free market against other ideas like our media outlets do. They were not allowed to speak out against the controlling authority. Just the opposite, they had no competitive market and their job was to only say what the controlling authority wanted.

I would even argue that we are starting to get on the dangerous and slippery slope where we are going to create our own Pravda- speech only allowed if it is licensed by the government and only given license if it supports the government. Dissent will be outlawed.

No, I don't think this would happen under Trump, but if he continues to create the situation where The Press is the enemy, what will stop the next President, god fobid an Alinskyite, from taking it to the next step and only allowing sanctioned, licensed press, that parrots the voice they want it to?

[dfwgator]

I completely disagree that the US Media is like the Soviet Pravda.

Soviet Pravda was a State sanctioned and controlled entity. They were not allowed to speak freely or dissent, their sole job was to tell the message approved by the government. They did not compete in the free market against other ideas like our media outlets do. They were not allowed to speak out against the controlling authority. Just the opposite, they had no competitive market and their job was to only say what the controlling authority wanted.

I would even argue that we are starting to get on the dangerous and slippery slope where we are going to create our own Pravda- speech only allowed if it is licensed by the government and only given license if it supports the government. Dissent will be outlawed.

No, I don't think this would happen under Trump, but if he continues to create the situation where The Press is the enemy, what will stop the next President, god fobid an Alinskyite, from taking it to the next step and only allowing sanctioned, licensed press, that parrots the voice they want it to?

Since our government seems to have forgotten what Anti-Trust Laws are for, they've allowed the media to consolidate to the point where it has become just about as much of a monopoly as Pravda was.

[EC]

Perhaps it would be better to single out "Big Media" as opposed to other more independent forms of the press.  If anything, Trump may help to facilitate the rise of smaller press outfits outside of the big companies.   I would see that as a huge win, since the Media companies have been consolidating to the point of almost becoming a virtual monopoly.

I too see that as a significant win. It won't be a huge win in my book until it is capitalised on, but the opportunity is there for the taking.

[Norm Lenhart]

Perhaps it would be better to single out "Big Media" as opposed to other more independent forms of the press.  If anything, Trump may help to facilitate the rise of smaller press outfits outside of the big companies.   I would see that as a huge win, since the Media companies have been consolidating to the point of almost becoming a virtual monopoly.

It's up to the media as a whole to clean it's own mess. Until they do they should be treated with the contempt their actions earned. Actions do have consequences.

The press is an enemy of the people, the state and the very planet because they made themselves such through blatant lying, helping to advance the leftist agenda of the moment and destroying any and all who stood up to stop them.

Independent media are no better or different than the bigs. They too need to prove their honesty/integrity because we have no reason to trust any of them. And that included all the so called conservative sacred cows that side with the GOP when the chips are down no matter how leftist a thing the GOP is pushing.

[DCPatriot]

@AbaraXas

Then why do they [the press] have more protections than you and I?

Maybe in theory we the people are the press.  In reality and practice only those with the means qualify as the press.

The left controls the press and most forms of communication to the masses.   They control what people think.

 

You're GD right they do!

So, it would make perfect sense for the President to call them out for their fake news stories and lies and distorted quotes, in their 24/7 effort to paint him as incompetent as well as illegitimate.

We all got a taste of how he responds to attacks when he was candidate Trump....as well as his public reputation.

He's staying true to himself.

[ABX]

Since our government seems to have forgotten what Anti-Trust Laws are for, they've allowed the media to consolidate to the point where it has become just about as much of a monopoly as Pravda was.

Pravda was a single, state sponsored outlet that had zero competition and whose message was dictated by the government solely for the benefit of the message the government wanted to say.

CNN/ABS/CBS/NBS and so on, compete against hundreds, if not thousands of competitive voices, be it local broadcast and print media, to countless internet sources. They have become big, not because they have a monopoly, but because the people chose their product over other products.

McDonalds isn't good for you and they are a giant, but they aren't a monopoly just for that fact. They are only large, dominate the market share, and are complete crap because the consumers have chosen to let them remain on top. Consumers could shut down McDonalds in a short period of time, as the could almost an major media outlet, if they so chose to do so.

[geronl]

Trump is correct about the US, Pravda-like, media. 

The Trumpers want the media to be Pravda-like, and obey master Trump.

[Norm Lenhart]

Pravda was a single, state sponsored outlet that had zero competition and whose message was dictated by the government solely for the benefit of the message the government wanted to say.

CNN/ABS/CBS/NBS and so on, compete against hundreds, if not thousands of competitive voices, be it local broadcast and print media, to countless internet sources.

How does one 'compete' when each outlet is mouthing the exact same DNC/UN/political left approved messages? Thats not a competition, it's a conspiracy and a pretty open one.

[ABX]

You're GD right they do!

So, it would make perfect sense for the President to call them out for their fake news stories and lies and distorted quotes, in their 24/7 effort to paint him as incompetent as well as illegitimate.

We all got a taste of how he responds to attacks when he was candidate Trump....as well as his public reputation.

He's staying true to himself.

And yet, here you are, consuming different media, thinking differently, not letting them tell you what to think.

You still have that choice and you exercise it, so they control far less than you realize. They don't control you.

Don't take this wrong, but you aren't special in this sense. You don't have some special outlet to different information than anyone else. You are just exercising your freedom to choose and think differently. That isn't special, that is the choice we all have if we choose to make it.


For those who they do control, it is because people allow themselves to be controlled by it, not because they have no choice.

For people who eat crap at McDonalds (yea, my analogy is getting old), they do so because they choose to, not because they are being forced to with no other choice.

[ABX]

How does one 'compete' when each outlet is mouthing the exact same DNC/UN/political left approved messages? Thats not a competition, it's a conspiracy and a pretty open one.

And Fox isn't parroting it. CCTV isn't parroting it. Breitbart isn't parroting it. Drudge isn't parroting it. Liberty Daily isn't parroting it. Hot Air isn't parroting it. Red State isn't parroting it. Thousands upon thousands of other outlets aren't parroting it. You aren't parroting it.

You compete the same way one competes in any market, first with your own choice, and second with your own voice. You speak out, just like you do here. You create a blog, you create your own voice, you don't just say it is what it is and accept it. So many of the top commentators we see now in new media started out as nobodies. Matt Drudge started out as an absolute nobody, so did Andrew Breitbart. Even Rush started out as a nobody against a huge world of liberal media. Look at his market share and what he did, all because he took that step instead of accepting it is what it is.




I would add one more thing before I take off.

Think back to the past 8 years when the left tried to silence Rush. They tried to get him off the air in more ways than I can count, all with many of the same arguments. 'He was a talk radio monopoly', 'they couldn't compete on talk radio', 'he was propaganda', they even compared him to Pravda.

Are we doing the same thing with specific media outlets we don't like, using the very same arguments the left tried to use against Rush, and the same tactics?

[Norm Lenhart]

And Fox isn't parroting it. CCTV isn't parroting it. Breitbart isn't parroting it. Drudge isn't parroting it. Liberty Daily isn't parroting it. Hot Air isn't parroting it. Red State isn't parroting it. Thousands upon thousands of other outlets aren't parroting it. You aren't parroting it.

You compete the same way one competes in any market, first with your own choice, and second with your own voice. You speak out, just like you do here. You create a blog, you create your own voice, you don't just say it is what it is and accept it. So many of the top commentators we see now in new media started out as nobodies. Matt Drudge started out as an absolute nobody, so did Andrew Breitbart. Even Rush started out as a nobody against a huge world of liberal media. Look at his market share and what he did, all because he took that step instead of accepting it is what it is.




I would add one more thing before I take off.

Think back to the past 8 years when the left tried to silence Rush. They tried to get him off the air in more ways than I can count, all with many of the same arguments. 'He was a talk radio monopoly', 'they couldn't compete on talk radio', 'he was propaganda', they even compared him to Pravda.

Are we doing the same thing with specific media outlets we don't like, using the very same arguments the left tried to use against Rush, and the same tactics?

Arent they? Milo and his fabulous inclusion of the gay agenda throughout his 'reporting'? Fox and Shep Smith/various other commentators from the left? Drudge becoming  more or less 'conservative' depending how close one is to an election? Rush and Levin abandoning conservative candidates every election?

They sure seem to be doing their part to advance leftism by keeping conservatism locked in a corner. Playing their designated part brilliantly actually as every election, their defenders rise while forgetting all the crap pulled throughout the off-season and all the bitching they did about it.

[Cripplecreek]

For people who eat crap at McDonalds (yea, my analogy is getting old), they do so because they choose to, not because they are being forced to with no other choice.

Its kind of funny really. The people screaming loudest about the media are the same people laughing the loudest about their collapse in ratings. Yet at the same time the media is supposedly controlling the minds of millions of people.

Just like I don't eat at McDonald's because of a long ago formed opinion, I formed my opinion that Trump is a degenerate lowlife decades ago. Up until about 18 months ago that opinion was perfectly in line with better than 90% of users at TOS and even the owner used the term "Lying liberal scumbag" to describe Trump.

The fact that I feel the same about Trump today as I felt at 18 years old speaks to some incredible tactical and strategic thinking at the upper levels of the Media/Deep state complex. They manipulated me to their position 35 years ago. That's pretty incredible.

[Norm Lenhart]

Its kind of funny really. The people screaming loudest about the media are the same people laughing the loudest about their collapse in ratings. Yet at the same time the media is supposedly controlling the minds of millions of people.

You could easily remove the entire right from media consumership and collapse their ratings while they simultainously still impact the thinking of over 150,000,000 people on the left. The two things are not mutually exclusive.

[jpsb]

Because it's a political forum?  Perhaps you would be happier on Etsy or Pinterest?

It's a site where Trump supporters are forced to fight with both hands tied behind their back. I cut my teeth on Usenet news back in the early 90's fighting the homosexuals there. I know how to dish it out as well as how to take it. Here if I engage I am mob attacked (fine I can deal with the mob) and threatened with banning. But ok, I understand NeverThrumpers need their safe space too.

Used to be in public discourse their was an expected level of civility. A sense of decorum, once did not use sexually loaded terms like butt hurt, man parts and bleep when describing someone you had a political disagreement with. Back when I was sixty I'd punch you for talking to me in those terms. I still might at seventy if you get in my face. Some here like to talk about the lack of morality and civility in our modern society, and they have a point, but then they use the most despicable guttural language themselves. I find it highly offensive.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

It's a site where Trump supporters are forced to fight with both hands tied behind their back. I cut my teeth on Usenet news back in the early 90's fighting the homosexuals there. I know how to dish it out as well as how to take it. Here if I engage I am mob attacked (fine I can deal with the mob) and threatened with banning. But ok, I understand NeverThrumpers need their safe space too.

Used to be in public discourse their was an expected level of civility. A sense of decorum, once did not use sexually loaded terms like butt hurt, man parts and bleep when describing someone you had a political disagreement with. Back when I was sixty I'd punch you for talking to me in those terms. I still might at seventy if you get in my face. Some here like to talk about the lack of morality and civility in our modern society, and they have a point, but then they use the most despicable guttural language themselves. I find it highly offensive.

 


Another keyboard warrior!


Maybe you'd be happier at Free Republic? Just a thought.

[Norm Lenhart]

It's a site where Trump supporters are forced to fight with both hands tied behind their back. I cut my teeth on Usenet news back in the early 90's fighting the homosexuals there. I know how to dish it out as well as how to take it. Here if I engage I am mob attacked (fine I can deal with the mob) and threatened with banning. But ok, I understand NeverThrumpers need their safe space too.

Used to be in public discourse their was an expected level of civility. A sense of decorum, once did not use sexually loaded terms like butt hurt, man parts and bleep when describing someone you had a political disagreement with. Back when I was sixty I'd punch you for talking to me in those terms. I still might at seventy if you get in my face. Some here like to talk about the lack of morality and civility in our modern society, and they have a point, but then they use the most despicable guttural language themselves. I find it highly offensive.

Considering your regular hit jobs on Ted Cruz, no one GAFs what offends you.

Second, It wasn't Nevertrump that demanded and got a literal by definition 'safe space' here because they couldn't function in the real world of political discourse.

Third, A lot of us go back to Usenet days and thats exactly why you don't have free reign to spout off and are forced to play the victim card.

[jpsb]

Since our government seems to have forgotten what Anti-Trust Laws are for, they've allowed the media to consolidate to the point where it has become just about as much of a monopoly as Pravda was.

BUMP!

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Since our government seems to have forgotten what Anti-Trust Laws are for, they've allowed the media to consolidate to the point where it has become just about as much of a monopoly as Pravda was.

Ridiculous... Pravda?


The media cannot consolidate with the internet. There are plenty of choices and there's no barriers to new choices.

[Norm Lenhart]

Ridiculous... Pravda?


The media cannot consolidate with the internet. There are plenty of choices and there's no barriers to new choices.

Of course they can and in fact, have consolidated with the internet. Thats why you see the MSM using Twitter and facebook in lieu of actual reporters for their stories and why every media outlet has online divisions to offload content to. Their programming

[Bigun]

Ridiculous... Pravda?


The media cannot consolidate with the internet. There are plenty of choices and there's no barriers to new choices.

Go start up a new newspaper somewhere and get back to me about that "no barriers" thing!