Anything Biden does is perfectly okay with the press
Imagine if Donald Trump had jokingly threatened to murder journalists standing in front of him. They probably wouldn’t have laughed. Yet that’s what Joe Biden did on Tuesday and the assembled reporters just chuckled at the funny threat. While test driving an electric Ford F-150, ABC’s Cecilia Vega broke up the adoring queries about the car by actually asking, “Mr. President, can I ask you a quick question about Israel before you drive away since it’s so important?”
Biden, who was sitting in a truck at the time, sneered, “No, you can’t. Not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it. I’m only teasing.” The off-camera journalists awkwardly snickered in reply. Biden then drove off, having threatened the press and then not answered the serious question.
As commenter “George_Banner” writes:
Leftoxenomorphs are very adept at infecting, getting promoted to leadership positions, gatekeeping, spreading the infection, waiting out old timers that go into retirement and / or firing them by phony accusations and persecutions, killing an institution and then wearing its skin for camouflage, pretense, propaganda, power and influence.
The institution doesn’t exist anymore.
It died.
It died of a leftoxenomorphism infection that spread and killed it.
There’s nothing left in the institution that is not leftoxenomorph.
It’s just the skin moving like on its own but inside there’s only leftoxenomorph maggots.
It’s former nature, gone. Its life extinguished.
That has happened to the press, among many other institutions.
Of course, one could argue that the objectivity and fairness of the press was always an illusion. And there’s something to that. But I have observed in the last two decades or so that things have gotten far worse in that regard.
[NOTE: In line with the topic of press bias and how it has affected the world, I noticed this new book called The Gray Lady Winked: How the New York Times’s Misreporting, Distortions and Fabrications Radically Alter History. Sounds interesting.]
Apparently another thing that Biden is good at is the insult – https://redstate.com/bonchie/2021/05/19/joe-biden-has-a-please-clap-moment-that-would-make-jeb-bush-blush-n383027
Biden told a “joke” at the Coast Guard graduation and no one laughed. So, he calls them “dumb” and asked if the sun is getting to them. And, he said something similar to another group of military, calling them “stupid bastards”.
But, you won’t see it reported in the lame stream media.
And polling shows the press is universally reviled.
https://morningconsult.com/2020/04/22/media-credibility-cable-news-poll/
The freedom of the media to lie, deceive, obstruct and conceal that allows them to assist in the destruction of constitutional governance is the result of there being no personal consequence when they do so.
Institutions do not lie, people lie.
This situation exists because people in the media are allowed to act criminally without personal consequence.
In Venezuela, at the height of Chavez’s popularity, he could have dropped trou and defecated in front of the crowd and the people would have cheered and the Chavista press would have exalted him for it.
The effect of the continuous media circus was overwhelming to the critical thinking skills of his followers. It was not for nothing that we called them the “Kool-aid drinkers”. In the case of Biden, he has no charisma. But he does have the circus.
Liz–
There’s a fuller account of Biden’s “speech” at the Coast Guard Academy at the NY Post:
https://nypost.com/2021/05/19/biden-chides-dull-coast-guard-grads-in-wild-speech/
Such as referring to the Persian Gulf as “the Arabian Gulf,” and other gems.
The next time Slow Joe acts as if he can walk on water, I hope the Coast Guard ignores him.
What with UFOs coming into the news lately I’m flashing back to the first “Men in Black” with the George Banner quote.
Of course. Slow Joe is wandering into the Blessed Lands of Dementia … and meanwhile, the active military is being social-justice-woked …
Seriously, I wonder what this is going to do for retention and enlistment …
My speculation here https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/65873.html
I’m a veteran. Daughter is a veteran. I’m a child of a veteran. All my lovers and boyfriends are veterans …
Damned if I would advise any kid that I had influence over to enlist now.
Did anybody else notice that the Ford test truck Biden was sitting in has two steering wheels, and that the other person, on the RH side, was using his?
Sgt. Mom,
That would ensure that the military becomes entirely leftist.
Of course if Trump did it, it would be a national scandal, resulting in hours of red faced indignation on CNN, ‘serious’ editorials in NYT and WaPo about Trump incessantly encouraging violence, moronic jokes from woke comedians (including an SNL sketch) about Trump getting run over, and so on and so on.
And…the sun came up today.
The bigger issue is Biden’s obvious cognitive decline. Every one of these incidents tests just how far the media can go in maintaining the POTUSemkin Village. Quite far, to be sure, but not to infinity.
neo,
I heard Andrew Klavan interview the author (Ashley Rindsberg) of the “Gray Lady Winked.” Klavan knows a lot about the Times and its history and Rindsberg’s research revealed some incredible history that even Klavan did not know. It sounds like a very worthwhile read.
You can find the interview here, https://youtu.be/x364E2AvZBA
It starts around the 1:08:00 mark.
The first post I read about Biden’s driving photo op mentioned that the Secret Service seemed remarkably unconcerned, although they never let any President drive (which Trump complained about). I assumed they were not too concerned about the closed track, or didn’t really care if he cracked himself up, but this makes better sense.
https://summit.news/2021/05/19/video-was-biden-fake-driving-new-ford-truck/
Why yes, yes he was.
Sgt Mom’s decision to not advise anyone to enter the military now has been echoed in a lot of comment boards around the Net. Geoffrey’s remark that this will exacerbate the left-shift of the forces is certainly true, but we can’t expect anyone to immolate his or her career to fight a losing battle, which this will be so long as Democrats control government (elected, appointed, and career bureaucracy) and the education system.
I wonder if Sgt Mom would weigh in on this question about the firing of the Space Force commander for calling out the Marxism being pushed in the services?
https://www.thenewneo.com/2021/05/18/leftist-influence-in-the-military/#comment-2555870
Biden’s failed joke to the Coast Guard suffered from several problems, best explicated at this post (all of the right wing outlets are pushing the story).
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2021/05/19/bidens-please-clap-speech-was-actually-ripped-off-from-reagan-but-it-fell-flat-n383351
Basically, he stole a joke from Reagan, changed the lead-in from complimentary to derogatory, and mangled the punch-line.
And his delivery was atrocious.
Bonus: videos of the original Reagan clip, and Johnny Carson on Biden’s plagiarism in 1987 (that the Democrats kept this failure in office for another quarter century says all you need to know about their ethics as a Party).
AesopFan,
That’s a fair question and it requires a comprehensive answer.
Yes, technically the Col. did violate that provision of the law. Technically because he simply wrote a book outlining his objections, rather than publicizing it through the media.
Conservative media’s attention to him is a result of his firing, rather than to his expressed observations. Had the military ignored him, odds are his book would have remained the equivalent of a small stone thrown into a big lake.
Firstly, only an officer at his rank or above will have an in depth knowledge of exactly what is being implemented from above and be familiar with the mind set of those at the top, including the current political climate directing the military’s top echelons.
We all have a fairly good take on what is going on but not the in depth knowledge that an officer at that level possesses.
Ideally, a very recently retired officer would have written that book.
All this said, does a serving officer, sworn to uphold the Constitution have an obligation to speak out when they observe a coordinated series of attacks upon it with a clear intention to overturn it and use the transformed military to impose tyranny upon his country?
If not, at some point, such officers, NCOs and troops will face a choice; betray their oaths and support tyranny or resort to armed revolt.
That’s because while it only takes one side to conduct a war, it takes two sides to reach a lasting peace.
Part of the problem with main stream media is that news is a product. And most people won’t be interested in a product that tells them things they don’t want to hear. We on the right are constantly pointing out and complaining about the endless stream of lies and hypocrisies the media puts out, but unfortunately that alone evidently rarely makes much of a dent with regards to consumers on the left and some in the middle. Why is this? I have some ideas.
One thing that sort of confirms my notion about people choosing not to consume media that doesn’t regularly confirm their biases is the post Trump cratering of CNNs ratings. As most of us I’m sure know, during the Trump era CNN was riding high, even regularly beating FNC in the ratings. They were pretty much the official 24/7-365 Orange Man Bad channel. And a subset of consumers obviously loved it. They were addicted to hating Trump. They would gleefully tune in to hear literally anything negative about Trump. It really didn’t matter if it was actually true or not. And CNN was more than happy to oblige. And obviously with Trump gone, that audience has vanished.
This highlights some unfortunate things about human nature, how we can sometimes become addicted to hating a person or a group, and become more willing to ignore obvious truths in favor of lies that are more in line with our world view. I’d like to pretend that we on the right aren’t susceptible to such behavior, but I know that’s not quite true all the time.
So unfortunately, not only are many if the news media not punished for telling a lie, often times they’re rewarded.
General Maxwell Taylor’s example may be relevant here. From Wikipedia:
“As Army Chief of Staff, Taylor was an outspoken critic of the Eisenhower administration’s “New Look” defense policy, which he viewed as dangerously overreliant on nuclear arms and neglectful of conventional forces; Taylor also criticized the inadequacies of the Joint Chiefs of Staff system. Frustrated with the administration’s failure to heed his arguments, Taylor retired from active service in July 1959. He campaigned publicly against the “New Look,” culminating in the publication in January 1960 of a highly-critical book, The Uncertain Trumpet.”
Retired shortly before publishing his book. Recalled to active duty by JFK in 1961.
Hubert, it’s highly relevant provided that a highly placed officer who has just recently retired is willing to write a factually critical book and do so in a timely manner.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt that his motivation wasn’t self-aggrandizement, apparently the Lt. Col. thought that unlikely…
BTW, the story of Major General Billy Mitchell just came to mind.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mitchell
Mitchell’s argument with the US Military’s civilian administrators and upper echelons was over strategy and tactics. 25 years later, WWII proved him entirely correct in his views.
It can be argued that from the standpoint of defending the Constitution, any totalitarian ideology is a strategic and potentially mortal threat to the survival of Constitutional governance. In which case, anyone in the military whose actions do not support vehement opposition to a totalitarian ideology is guilty of treason.
The Commander of the Space Force, in firmly opposing the Marxist takeover of the military is simply doing his duty, as his oath to the U.S. Constitution requires.
Geoffrey & Hubert – thanks for the thoughtful replies, and also the reminder about Billy Mitchell. My father-in-law retired from the AF with a couple of stars, and never quite forgave the brass for booting him from planes to desks.
We inherited his books, which included an extensive biography of Mitchell, which I found fascinating. I’m pretty sure Dad agreed in substance with Mitchell.
Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power by Alfred F. Hurley (2006)
Good point about “…against all enemies, foreign and domestic”. Still, any active duty military officer who speaks out publicly (or within earshot of a journalist, which is the same thing) on politics or questions the wisdom of his superiors or the CIC can expect to be busted or relieved. It has been that way for a long time. In addition to Mitchell, see MacArthur (1951), Singlaub (1977), and McChrystal (2010).
Hubert,
Agreed that is the consequence of speaking out by military personnel on active duty. Which doesn’t neccessarily make what they’ve said incorrect. And if correct, as is the case with Lt. Col. Lohmeier, then those officers who support the Marxist takeover of the military are guilty of treason. Starting with Sec. Def. Austin.
GB,
Support or tolerate.
Good luck getting any of our elected officials to raise that point *and in those terms*. I’m not aware of any who have, but I could be wrong about that.