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Tallex

Administrator

democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHeartMedia

Hannity, Beck, Liimbaugh, Savage, Levin.

Maybe some others?

- So, this company is the single largest radio station group owner in the US and is providing a platform for these folks, who are part of the reason so many Americans are confused on important issues.
- I live in a somewhat rural area in Arizona, and we don't get that many conventional airwave radio stations as we drive along.  Most of what I hear is even further narrowed to those five above.  So, I'm wondering if the limited airwave aspect could be impacting how the vote is splitting along rural lines in the US.
- I'd like to see some enlightened people counter this toxic stream of thinking these five and others are spewing by putting better voices of reason on the radio, over the next few months, and beyond.

There are many, many "others".
Speaking of clear channel, I had no idea that they had changed their name to iheart and I'm well aware of iheart, so they are one and the same. Good to know.

I've read various articles on them (as clear channel)
over the years and numerous reports have been rather negative regarding their news and editorial policies.

Suffice to say they are quite RW and allow all sorts of disinformation on their networks, sowing confusion and misinforming the public, especially dangerous now in the midst of the pandemic.
It's more than disgusting.
Antivaxers, anti maskers and others (including quite a few republicans) amplify and link misinformation and outright lies that need to be taken to task.  It needs to be confronted and refuted every time but that is a huge job. Perhaps a start would be funding much more investigative journalism.
There are literally millions of citizens either uneducated or that lack even basic critical thinking skills.
Let's face it....there are a lot of people out there that  take lies at face value and can be easily manipulated.

As well as the nut cases you mentioned there's also Sinclair, OAN...all competing against each other to see who has the best propaganda outlet.
These extremist "opinions" date back way before Reagan but he accelerated it by getting rid of "the fairness doctrine". Rupert Murdoch's founding fox network (u.s.) and owning various media entities in Australia, UK etc,
blurr the lines between factual news and editorial opinion masquerading as real news.
Years ago they went to court claiming they were not a news org but an "entertainment" company and thus allowed to lie.
They won and we see the result, although they often lied from day 1.

Facebook, Instagram, twitter and all sorts of social media caters to many positive groups/discussions
for any ones taste and can be a positive force for a lot of good but they also allow some of the worse toxic discussions/instincts and moral depravity of human kind that does a lot of damage.
All of it gets retweeted, linked and amplified or goes viral...some good and some bad.

Stifling some of the vitriol/hate is a tough problem and there is no easy answer.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHeartMedia

Hannity, Beck, Liimbaugh, Savage, Levin.

Maybe some others?

- So, this company is the single largest radio station group owner in the US and is providing a platform for these folks, who are part of the reason so many Americans are confused on important issues.
- I live in a somewhat rural area in Arizona, and we don't get that many conventional airwave radio stations as we drive along.  Most of what I hear is even further narrowed to those five above.  So, I'm wondering if the limited airwave aspect could be impacting how the vote is splitting along rural lines in the US.
- I'd like to see some enlightened people counter this toxic stream of thinking these five and others are spewing by putting better voices of reason on the radio, over the next few months, and beyond.

There are many, many "others".
Speaking of clear channel, I had no idea that they had changed their name to iheart and I'm well aware of iheart, so they are one and the same. Good to know.

I've read various articles on them (as clear channel)
over the years and numerous reports have been rather negative regarding their news and editorial policies.

Suffice to say they are quite RW and allow all sorts of disinformation on their networks, sowing confusion and misinforming the public, especially dangerous now in the midst of the pandemic.
It's more than disgusting.
Antivaxers, anti maskers and others (including quite a few republicans) amplify and link misinformation and outright lies that need to be taken to task.  It needs to be confronted and refuted every time but that is a huge job. Perhaps a start would be funding much more investigative journalism.
There are literally millions of citizens either uneducated or that lack even basic critical thinking skills.
Let's face it....there are a lot of people out there that  take lies at face value and can be easily manipulated.

As well as the nut cases you mentioned there's also Sinclair, OAN...all competing against each other to see who has the best propaganda outlet.
These extremist "opinions" date back way before Reagan but he accelerated it by getting rid of "the fairness doctrine". Rupert Murdoch's founding fox network (u.s.) and owning various media entities in Australia, UK etc,
blurr the lines between factual news and editorial opinion masquerading as real news.
Years ago they went to court claiming they were not a news org but an "entertainment" company and thus allowed to lie.
They won and we see the result, although they often lied from day 1.

Facebook, Instagram, twitter and all sorts of social media caters to many positive groups/discussions
for any ones taste and can be a positive force for a lot of good but they also allow some of the worse toxic discussions/instincts and moral depravity of human kind that does a lot of damage.
All of it gets retweeted, linked and amplified or goes viral...some good and some bad.

Stifling some of the vitriol/hate is a tough problem and there is no easy answer.

It might be worth making this a sticky topic.

regarding there being many many others, my point was those ones all presently seem to use the iHeartMedia platform, but I am just going by the wikipedia page, which is only as good as the most recent crowd editing.

My own main focus here on this topic is not to stifle the bad guys but to ask who are the voices of reason, on the old style radio airwaves or the newer internet podcasts and such, who can perform interviews and broadcast ideas, and generally counter what is being said so that the unfortunately somewhat-gullible folks buying in too heavily to Hanity, et. al. can be more frequently exposed to the fact that there are different and arguably better more rational ways to frame and look at the latest matters.

I also think, if we recognize that the US of A is still at death's door in terms of the delusional and irrational thinking that almost just got us all killed (and is still being counted-upon by Trump as he plots his last-ditch takeover attempts by trying to incite unrest so he can declare an Emergency and also so he can declare the election was rigged (regardless of what the courts have said) and not turn over power).  Goodness Trump is justifying my vote against him, every minute.  How disgusting to watch a President make such a disingenuous show of caring about voting fairness.

I don't think you mention it, but my impression also is that clearchannel has a lot to answer for as to what it has done to music broadcasting as well.

I'd also just generally like to hear someone who is not obsessed with surface level politics but can speak to deeper issues, such as we hear on religious radio, but from a secular perspective.

Last edited by murdoch (2020-12-19 22:12:18)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHeartMedia

Hannity, Beck, Liimbaugh, Savage, Levin.

Maybe some others?

- So, this company is the single largest radio station group owner in the US and is providing a platform for these folks, who are part of the reason so many Americans are confused on important issues.
- I live in a somewhat rural area in Arizona, and we don't get that many conventional airwave radio stations as we drive along.  Most of what I hear is even further narrowed to those five above.  So, I'm wondering if the limited airwave aspect could be impacting how the vote is splitting along rural lines in the US.
- I'd like to see some enlightened people counter this toxic stream of thinking these five and others are spewing by putting better voices of reason on the radio, over the next few months, and beyond.

There are many, many "others".
Speaking of clear channel, I had no idea that they had changed their name to iheart and I'm well aware of iheart, so they are one and the same. Good to know.

I've read various articles on them (as clear channel)
over the years and numerous reports have been rather negative regarding their news and editorial policies.

Suffice to say they are quite RW and allow all sorts of disinformation on their networks, sowing confusion and misinforming the public, especially dangerous now in the midst of the pandemic.
It's more than disgusting.
Antivaxers, anti maskers and others (including quite a few republicans) amplify and link misinformation and outright lies that need to be taken to task.  It needs to be confronted and refuted every time but that is a huge job. Perhaps a start would be funding much more investigative journalism.
There are literally millions of citizens either uneducated or that lack even basic critical thinking skills.
Let's face it....there are a lot of people out there that  take lies at face value and can be easily manipulated.

As well as the nut cases you mentioned there's also Sinclair, OAN...all competing against each other to see who has the best propaganda outlet.
These extremist "opinions" date back way before Reagan but he accelerated it by getting rid of "the fairness doctrine". Rupert Murdoch's founding fox network (u.s.) and owning various media entities in Australia, UK etc,
blurr the lines between factual news and editorial opinion masquerading as real news.
Years ago they went to court claiming they were not a news org but an "entertainment" company and thus allowed to lie.
They won and we see the result, although they often lied from day 1.

Facebook, Instagram, twitter and all sorts of social media caters to many positive groups/discussions
for any ones taste and can be a positive force for a lot of good but they also allow some of the worse toxic discussions/instincts and moral depravity of human kind that does a lot of damage.
All of it gets retweeted, linked and amplified or goes viral...some good and some bad.

Stifling some of the vitriol/hate is a tough problem and there is no easy answer.

It might be worth making this a sticky topic.

regarding there being many many others, my point was those ones all presently seem to use the iHeartMedia platform, but I am just going by the wikipedia page, which is only as good as the most recent crowd editing.

My own main focus here on this topic is not to stifle the bad guys but to ask who are the voices of reason, on the old style radio airwaves or the newer internet podcasts and such, who can perform interviews and broadcast ideas, and generally counter what is being said so that the unfortunately somewhat-gullible folks buying in too heavily to Hanity, et. al. can be more frequently exposed to the fact that there are different and arguably better more rational ways to frame and look at the latest matters.

I also think, if we recognize that the US of A is still at death's door in terms of the delusional and irrational thinking that almost just got us all killed (and is still being counted-upon by Trump as he plots his last-ditch takeover attempts by trying to incite unrest so he can declare an Emergency and also so he can declare the election was rigged (regardless of what the courts have said) and not turn over power).  Goodness Trump is justifying my vote against him, every minute.  How disgusting to watch a President make such a disingenuous show of caring about voting fairness.

I don't think you mention it, but my impression also is that clearchannel has a lot to answer for as to what it has done to music broadcasting as well.

I'd also just generally like to hear someone who is not obsessed with surface level politics but can speak to deeper issues, such as we hear on religious radio, but from a secular perspective.

Report: Trump Asked About Imposing Martial Law to Run a New Election

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/ … -election/

“Trump Weighed Naming Election Conspiracy Theorist as Special Counsel.” The conspiracy theorist in question is Sidney Powell, who is indeed a complete loon.
Ms. Powell’s client, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser whom the president recently pardoned, was also there….During an appearance on the conservative Newsmax channel this week, Mr. Flynn pushed for Mr. Trump to impose martial law and deploy the military to “rerun” the election. At one point in the meeting on Friday, Mr. Trump asked about that idea.

snip

The president of the United States asked a bunch of his advisors about the feasibility of imposing martial law and having the Pentagon run a new election. In other words, staging a military coup.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Report: Trump Asked About Imposing Martial Law to Run a New Election

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/ … -election/

“Trump Weighed Naming Election Conspiracy Theorist as Special Counsel.” The conspiracy theorist in question is Sidney Powell, who is indeed a complete loon.
Ms. Powell’s client, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser whom the president recently pardoned, was also there….During an appearance on the conservative Newsmax channel this week, Mr. Flynn pushed for Mr. Trump to impose martial law and deploy the military to “rerun” the election. At one point in the meeting on Friday, Mr. Trump asked about that idea.

snip

The president of the United States asked a bunch of his advisors about the feasibility of imposing martial law and having the Pentagon run a new election. In other words, staging a military coup.

Yes, he's continuing to carry out his efforts to overthrow our system.  I'm not sure how relevant it is to this sticky thread topic about iHeartMedia, but yes, that's what he's doing.  If by February he finally is gone, I wonder still what will become of our US system, with so many people out there who engaged in tacitly or explicitly supporting Trump's disgusting efforts.

And I'll add that a key topic I've probably written about before is voting system integrity.  It was awful to see Trump come into office and hit the ground running with one of his first projects being the hideously ironically named Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.  He was getting his licks in early, normalizing the idea that he actually cared about election system integrity while he worked assiduously to wreck our system.  He took such actions as appointing a voter suppression specialist (Kobach) to the Commission.

Anyway, here we are and he is blathering about election system integrity and voter suppression still is a big problem in the US (it is impacting the upcoming Georgia election heavily), and yet there is hardly a word about voter suppression or other voting system integrity problems.  Just Trump's blather about imaginary problems.  If it were Obama, when it comes to Russia, or these imaginary issues with the voting system, he would have been removed a long time ago by Impeachment or by 25th Amendment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President … _Integrity

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Report: Trump Asked About Imposing Martial Law to Run a New Election

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/ … -election/

“Trump Weighed Naming Election Conspiracy Theorist as Special Counsel.” The conspiracy theorist in question is Sidney Powell, who is indeed a complete loon.
Ms. Powell’s client, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser whom the president recently pardoned, was also there….During an appearance on the conservative Newsmax channel this week, Mr. Flynn pushed for Mr. Trump to impose martial law and deploy the military to “rerun” the election. At one point in the meeting on Friday, Mr. Trump asked about that idea.

snip

The president of the United States asked a bunch of his advisors about the feasibility of imposing martial law and having the Pentagon run a new election. In other words, staging a military coup.

Yes, he's continuing to carry out his efforts to overthrow our system.  I'm not sure how relevant it is to this sticky thread topic about iHeartMedia, but yes, that's what he's doing.  If by February he finally is gone, I wonder still what will become of our US system, with so many people out there who engaged in tacitly or explicitly supporting Trump's disgusting efforts.

And I'll add that a key topic I've probably written about before is voting system integrity.  It was awful to see Trump come into office and hit the ground running with one of his first projects being the hideously ironically named Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.  He was getting his licks in early, normalizing the idea that he actually cared about election system integrity while he worked assiduously to wreck our system.  He took such actions as appointing a voter suppression specialist (Kobach) to the Commission.

Anyway, here we are and he is blathering about election system integrity and voter suppression still is a big problem in the US (it is impacting the upcoming Georgia election heavily), and yet there is hardly a word about voter suppression or other voting system integrity problems.  Just Trump's blather about imaginary problems.  If it were Obama, when it comes to Russia, or these imaginary issues with the voting system, he would have been removed a long time ago by Impeachment or by 25th Amendment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President … _Integrity

Yes Kobach (voter suppression specialist) and his fake commission was quite a tactic having been disbanded
months later finding NO voter fraud.
One of several reasons I posted this link in it's relation to iheart is some of their talking heads spout similar distractions, lies and general propaganda.
One example regarding repub tactics of voter suppression
is, some time ago 45 actually said that if more people were
"allowed" to vote that there would never be a republican
ever elected again. He was parroting the comments from some iheart talking head interviewing some repub rep.
Apparently not aware that the statement he just said, basically admits that republicans actively suppress and gerrymander the vote any which way they can.
Rand Paul, just the other day stated that he "was very worried" that if more people vote would be a bad development. Just what planet do these idiots come from??

Trump is an authoritarian, clearly racist and basically a fascist. Remember him wanting political opponents jailed.
Any one remember him saying "What you are seeing and reading is not the truth" and "the media is the enemy of the people" "fake news". "I love the uneducated"
I recall Janzen in the old group coming out with a statement that Hitler was a left wing radical where in reality he was a right wing authoritarian extremist. This same point has been revived recently with other leaning right wing folks have repeated...or actually think that Hitler was a left wing extremist. Where does this lunacy come from...repeated by iheart and others cited. Don't get me started on Q that supposedly anonymous government employee who states that trumps is secretly trying to stop a worldwide cult that has a pedophile ring run by the Clintons and funded by George Siros.

One of the reasons he dragged out not conceding (and still hasn't conceded) is he's fleecing his base to try to pay off over $400.000,000 he owes coming due in a few years.
Also he's expecting huge legal fees for all the trouble he will be in after he leaves in January.

Some times conservative outlets like iheart, Sinclair, OAN etc come out with their latest talking head trash that he repeats or he says something outlandish and they parrot him, vis a vis. There is an endless list of this parroting back and forth with these networks and him, all amplified and retweeted/discussed in social networks and rebroadcast by said media outlets..

Incidentally I have downloads of all messages, comments, photos and files from about 120 now dead yahoo groups, including both our old alt/alternative energy politic.
All files back to 2004.
I'll be uploading them to group alt energy politics soon and for any future now extinct yahoo groups that join here.

I distinctly remember you posting numerous voter suppression links and we had quite a few discussions on the topic as well as numerous gerrymandering and suppression tactics used by repubs. It will be interesting to read some of the archives again as well as some of what we were talking about over the years.
Remember the repub hypocrite list?
I still have those files as well.
Much of those files echo what iheart et al spew daily and this game has been going on for decades but amplified and replicated these days as mentioned through social media and these outlets.
While we're at it we might as well add dailycaller, newsmax, gateway pundit.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Facebook Has Always Been Right-Wing Media
Conservative news thrives on Facebook because the incentives Facebook values align with those pioneered by conservative media.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vvwq/ … wing-media

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

I looked a bit more into this.  iHeartMedia has different share classes.  At least one is largely owned by a German company called Allianz SE, which is in insurance and finance.  I have no idea why.  But others are held in part by Liberty Media (or some variant, including reference to Sirius) which is in turn partly held by Billionaire (and "Libertarian") John Malone.  So, that may explain a bit here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Malone
"....Malone's political beliefs have been described as libertarian.[35] He is on the board of directors for the Cato Institute. He donated US$250,000 to Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, with colleague Greg Maffei, Liberty Media, and Liberty Interactive each donating a further US$250,000.[36]...."

Annoyingly (if Malone has actually been as destructive as it appears for the moment), it appears that Liberty also owns the Formula One racing series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-06 13:54:45)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

I looked a bit more into this.  iHeartMedia has different share classes.  At least one is largely owned by a German company called Allianz SE, which is in insurance and finance.  I have no idea why.  But others are held in part by Liberty Media (or some variant, including reference to Sirius) which is in turn partly held by Billionaire (and "Libertarian") John Malone.  So, that may explain a bit here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Malone
"....Malone's political beliefs have been described as libertarian.[35] He is on the board of directors for the Cato Institute. He donated US$250,000 to Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, with colleague Greg Maffei, Liberty Media, and Liberty Interactive each donating a further US$250,000.[36]...."

Annoyingly (if Malone has actually been as destructive as it appears for the moment), it appears that Liberty also owns the Formula One racing series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One

Interesting. He's quite a busy guy being a member of the board of directors in numerous companies.

I like his donations to universities and engineering buildings as well as his funding for stem cell research.
Not so impressed with his donations to 45 and being a board member of Cato.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

<Trump's Inciting Of Mob Violence Against Democracy Is Right Out Of The Fascist Playbook>

Not only was this sedition but an insurrection and attempted coup d'etat.
Incited for months by 45, aided and abetted by various talking heads, pundits, sycophants and promoted by the media propaganda outlets mentioned in this topic discussion.
Pedaling their misinformation, lies and outright brainwashing...... it has been going on for decades and amplified by social media.
45 is and has been a stochastic terrorist and assumes he always has "plausible deniability" but finally` (perhaps) this mob attack on democracy encouraged by him and others is a bridge too far.

Trump's Inciting Of Mob Violence Against Democracy Is Right Out Of The Fascist Playbook
Trump has been stirring up anger and violence among his fanatical supporters for weeks with his lies about a “stolen” election.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/tru … 6b158317d5

As thousands of President Donald Trump’s most fanatical supporters smashed windows and stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to overturn the election he lost by 7 million votes, at least one historian was not surprised in the least.
“I hate it when I’m right,” said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a New York University professor and fascism expert who has been warning that Trump would resort to force rather than leave office peacefully.

Trump caused the assault on the Capitol. He must be removed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions … story.html

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S refusal to accept his election defeat and his relentless incitement of his supporters led Wednesday to the unthinkable: an assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob that overwhelmed police and drove Congress from its chambers as it was debating the counting of electoral votes. Responsibility for this act of sedition lies squarely with the president, who has shown that his continued tenure in office poses a grave threat to U.S. democracy. He should be removed.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

I found this article kind of helpful as to a nuanced point I've been wondering about. Still, they do a poor job of coming up with a word for it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/worl … Position=2
the interpreter
It Wasn’t Strictly a Coup Attempt. But It’s Not Over, Either.
Experts say recent actions by President Trump and his loyalists are harder to stop than a coup — citing anti-democratic slides in Turkey and Venezuela as closer examples.
By Amanda Taub
Jan. 7, 2021

"....These days, democracies tend to collapse from piecemeal backsliding that falls short of the technical definition of a coup, but is often ultimately more damaging. A clear pattern has played out in countries around the world, including Turkey, Russia, Hungary, and Venezuela, in which leaders come to office through elections but then undermine norms, gut institutions and change laws to dismantle any restraints on their power. Eventually, their countries become dictatorships in all but name....."

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

"....and has been a stochastic terrorist...."

I had never heard that term before that I remember.  Interesting, seems like a decent way to put it.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Twitter Just Suspended Donald Trump Permanently
The company cited “the risk of further incitement of violence.”

https://www.motherjones.com/2020-electi … -violence/

For years, Republican members of Congress have avoided having to weigh in on controversial statements from President Donald Trump by telling reporters they didn’t see his tweets. Now, none of us will. On Friday, two days after Trump incited a riot against a joint session of Congress, Twitter suspended his account—permanently:

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

What Criminal Charges May Await the Capitol Mob—and the Politicians Who Incited It
“I would look carefully at terroristic crimes,” says one former prosecutor.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 … ncited-it/

The criminal charges prosecutors could pursue against members of the mob and/or the political leaders who incited them, according to interviews with six former prosecutors and public defenders, include the following: destruction of government property, rioting or inciting to riot, conspiracy, burglary, assaulting a police officer, carrying a dangerous weapon, unlawful entry, prohibited entry into restricted grounds, seditious conspiracy, and insurrection.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

What Criminal Charges May Await the Capitol Mob—and the Politicians Who Incited It
“I would look carefully at terroristic crimes,” says one former prosecutor.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 … ncited-it/

The criminal charges prosecutors could pursue against members of the mob and/or the political leaders who incited them, according to interviews with six former prosecutors and public defenders, include the following: destruction of government property, rioting or inciting to riot, conspiracy, burglary, assaulting a police officer, carrying a dangerous weapon, unlawful entry, prohibited entry into restricted grounds, seditious conspiracy, and insurrection.

I wrote my representative (Grijalva) and demanded immediate Impeachment vote as of yesterday (Friday).  Of course this did not happen, and I did not think it would, but the point is that we must go about our business and do (and advocate for doing) the right thing.  The right thing is removal now, this instant. 

I also not surprised Pelosi failed to get this done last week.

McConnell is apparently saying no Senate vote on Impeachment until a day before inauguration.  I'm sorry, but I think, after the last four years and more of his nonsense, he (and to an extent the people who vote for him) is morally disgusting.  I don't know procedural rules of the Senate, but somehow I suspect they can choose to reconvene within a day if there is a clear need, and this would obviously qualify.

Would the Senate vote to remove?  (2/3 needed I think) Probably not, but I don't care.  What's important is that the clear-headed people in Congress try to do the right thing, and if they are opposed and defeated, then at least they did the work to define the right thing and then tried to do it.

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-09 15:38:16)

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

74 million adults in the US thought 4 more years of Trump was a good idea.
147 Republicans in Congress STILL voted (AFTER the mob invasion) to object to the election results.  (I wonder, of those 147, how many knew that the results were actually valid (or would have been even more lopsided for Biden if voter suppression had not still been such a problem), but didn't care and just wanted to throw further shade on the US voting system).

It is arguable that so many Americans are intellectually bankrupt and have lost their minds and integrity that the democracy will not survive.  We shall see.

And yes, (to relate this to the thread's starting point), a decent portion of that 74 million, and those 147, is attributable to the efforts of those right wing radio hosts.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 … ctors.html
The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results
By Karen Yourish, Larry Buchanan and Denise LuUpdated January 7, 2021

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-09 15:53:24)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Mary Trump: ‘My uncle is unstable. He needs to be removed immediately’
The niece of the US president fears he could wreak more damage to democracy

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 … mmediately

...“Every person that stormed – or should I say, strolled, and meandered, with impunity, arrogance and disdain – into the Capitol needs to be arrested, indicted, convicted and given serious sentences,” she adds. “They desecrated the foundations of our democracy.”

The instability of her uncle right now remains the most pressing issue. “Remember: this is the man who tried to invalidate mail-in ballots in the middle of a pandemic. This is the man who forced resignations of high-level officers in the Pentagon, replacing them with sycophants. This is why, for six hours on Wednesday, the Pentagon blocked the National Guard from containing an insurrectionist mob. Our system failed miserably because this man’s been allowed to dismantle every institution this country counts on.”

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

House Democrats Briefed On 3 Terrifying Plots To Overthrow Government
One plot includes surrounding the Capitol and murdering Democrats to allow Republicans to take control of the government.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/dem … 806c4bf199

And another demonstration, which three members said was by far the most concerning plot, would involve insurrectionists forming a perimeter around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court, and then blocking Democrats from entering the Capitol ― perhaps even killing them ― so that Republicans could take control of the government.

snip

Democrats were told that the Capitol Police and the National Guard were preparing for potentially tens of thousands of armed protesters coming to Washington and were establishing rules of engagement for warfare. In general, the military and police don’t plan to shoot anyone until one of the rioters fires, but there could be exceptions.
Lawmakers were told that the plot to encircle the Capitol also included plans to surround the White House ― so that no one could harm Trump ― and the Supreme Court, simply to shut down the courts. The plan to surround the Capitol includes assassinating Democrats as well as Republicans who didn’t support Trump’s effort to overturn the election ― and allowing other Republicans to enter the building and control government.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

The 147 Republicans Who Still Voted To Overturn The Election After The Capitol Siege
They repeated Trump's lies about widespread fraud as he incited supporters to violently attack Congress and democracy. Why are they still in office?

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rep … 42b6fdc5d0

On Wednesday, throngs of President Donald Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol, incited by the president himself, with plans to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Mike Pence and others to stop them from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win. They smashed and stole federal property. They attacked police and journalists. They sent hundreds of lawmakers into hiding. Five people died. And the death toll could have been so, so much worse.
And yet, hours later, dozens of the same lawmakers who hid during the attempted coup returned to the House and Senate floors and voted just as Trump wanted them to: to overturn the election results in his favor, based on lies about widespread voter fraud.

snip

The full House tallies for each vote are here...

In the Senate:

Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)

Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.)

John Kennedy (R-La.)

Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)

Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)

Rick Scott (R-Fla.)

Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)

In the House:

Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.)

Rick Allen (R-Ga.)

Jodey Arrington (R-Texas)

Brian Babin (R-Texas)

Jim Baird (R-Ind.)

Jim Banks (R-Ind.)

Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.)

Jack Bergman (R-Mich.)

Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.)

Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.)

Dan Bishop (R-N.C.)

Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)

Mike Bost (R-Ill.)

Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)

Ted Budd (R-N.C.)

Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)

Michael Burgess (R-Texas)

Ken Calvert (R-Calif.)

Kat Cammack (R-Fla.)

Jerry Carl (R-Ala.)

Buddy Carter (R-Ga.)

John Carter (R-Texas)

Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.)

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio)

Ben Cline (R-Va.)

Michael Cloud (R-Texas)

Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.)

Tom Cole (R-Okla.)

Rick Crawford (R-Ark.)

Warren Davidson (R-Ohio)

Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.)

Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.)

Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)

Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.)

Neal Dunn (R-Fla.)

Ron Estes (R-Kan.)

Pat Fallon (R-Texas)

Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.)

Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.)

Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.)

Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.)

Scott Franklin (R-Fla.)

Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho)

Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)

Mike Garcia (R-Calif.)

Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio)

Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.)

Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)

Bob Good (R-Va.)

Lance Gooden (R-Texas)

Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.)

Garret Graves (R-La.)

Sam Graves (R-Mo.)

Mark Green (R-Tenn.)

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)

Morgan Griffith (R-Va.)

Michael Guest (R-Miss.)

Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.)

Andy Harris (R-Md.)

Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.)

Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)

Kevin Hern (R-Okla.)

Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.)

Jody Hice (R-Ga.)

Clay Higgins (R-La.)

Richard Hudson (R-N.C.)

Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)

Ronny Jackson (R-Texas)

Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.)

Bill Johnson (R-Ohio)

Mike Johnson (R-La.)

Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)

John Joyce (R-Pa.)

Fred Keller (R-Pa.)

Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)

Trent Kelly (R-Miss.)

David Kustoff (R-Tenn.)

Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.)

Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)

Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.)

Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.)

Billy Long (R-Mo.)

Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.)

Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)

Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.)

Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.)

Tracey Mann (R-Kan.)

Brian Mast (R-Fla.)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

Lisa McClain (R-Mich.)

Daniel Meuser (R-Pa.)

Carol Miller (R-W.Va.)

Mary Miller (R-Ill.)

Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.)

Barry Moore (R-Ala.)

Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.)

Greg Murphy (R-N.C.)

Troy Nehls (R-Texas)

Ralph Norman (R-S.C.)

Devin Nunes (R-Calif.)

Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.)

Burgess Owens (R-Utah)

Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.)

Gary Palmer (R-Ala.)

Greg Pence (R-Ind.)

Scott Perry (R-Pa.)

August Pfluger (R-Texas)

Bill Posey (R-Fla.)

Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.)

Tom Rice (R-S.C.)

Harold Rogers (R-Ky.)

Mike Rogers (R-Ala.)

John Rose (R-Tenn.)

Matthew Rosendale (R-Mont.)

David Rouzer (R-N.C.)

John Rutherford (R-Fla.)

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)

David Schweikert (R-Ariz.)

Pete Sessions (R-Texas)

Adrian Smith (R-Neb.)

Jason Smith (R-Mo.)

Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.)

Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)

Gregory Steube (R-Fla.)

Chris Stewart (R-Utah)

Thomas Tiffany (R-Wis.)

Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.)

William Timmons (R-S.C.)

Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.)

Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas)

Tim Walberg (R-Mich.)

Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.)

Randy Weber (R-Texas)

Daniel Webster (R-Fla.)

Roger Williams (R-Texas)

Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)

Robert Wittman (R-Va.)

Ron Wright (R-Texas)

Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

GOP Support For Impeachment Grows As Republicans Say They'll Vote Against Trump
“The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," Rep. Liz Cheney said.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/hou … 719889eb49

A growing chorus of congressional Republicans announced their support for the impeachment of President Donald Trump on Tuesday, a remarkable turn for a party that has been marching in lockstep with Trump for years.

snip

The GOP dam broke on Tuesday when Rep. John Katko of New York said he’d vote to impeach the president. Then, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the House, issued a stark statement saying that she, too, would vote to impeach because of Trump’s direct role in inciting the riot.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

The Attack on the Capitol Was Even Worse Than It Looked

As new and more graphic videos of the mayhem emerged on social media and TV, the enormity of what happened only deepened.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/arts … ideos.html

It could not possibly get worse than this.

But it could. And it did, as more close-up and graphic videos of the American carnage that Trumpists unleashed in the Capitol emerged on social media and TV through the weekend.

Wednesday’s insurrection was one of the rare live-TV atrocities that grew only more sickening, more terrifying, more infuriating as more days passed.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

The Attack on the Capitol Was Even Worse Than It Looked

As new and more graphic videos of the mayhem emerged on social media and TV, the enormity of what happened only deepened.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/arts … ideos.html

It could not possibly get worse than this.

But it could. And it did, as more close-up and graphic videos of the American carnage that Trumpists unleashed in the Capitol emerged on social media and TV through the weekend.

Wednesday’s insurrection was one of the rare live-TV atrocities that grew only more sickening, more terrifying, more infuriating as more days passed.

The revolution is being televised, but somehow I don't think this type of revolution is what Gil Scott Heron had in mind.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Why People Believe in Conspiracy Theories
They’re not stupid.

https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/co … ology.html

These are not obscure beliefs, confined to a group of tin-hat-wearing crazies. Almost 4 out of 10 Americans believe that the death rate from COVID-19 has been “deliberately and greatly exaggerated,” while 27 percent think it’s possible that vaccines for COVID-19 will be used to implant tracking chips in Americans. One in three Republicans (33 percent) says they believe that the QAnon theory about a conspiracy among deep state elites is “mostly true.” Thirty-six percent of registered voters think voter fraud has occurred to a large enough extent to affect the election outcome.
Conspiracy theories arise in the context of fear, anxiety, mistrust, uncertainty, and feelings of powerlessness. For many Americans, recent years have provided many sources for these feelings.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Can I suggest we insert or re-insert the names
iHeart Media
Liberty Media
John Malone

into the thread title here, but keep the Clear Channel wording also.  Well, just an idea, I know space is limited on the thread titles. 

I'm more and more frustrated that nowhere on the internet or elsewhere am I hearing stories about the roles of the right wing radio pundits and of Mr. Malone, in this effort to overthrow the rule of law in the US.  I don't know if John Malone, in his mind, actually is this extremist, but for now it appears (pending further information) that he is at least in part behind providing the platform from which the right wing pundits launch their daily poisonously irrational views into the ears and minds of so many millions throughout the US.

I might add I speak fairly fluent "Libertarian", and related, and over the months and years as this overthrow attempt has unfolded, my thought has been not that the "patriots" on the radio respect the rule of law, but that they have so demonized the opposition that they can justify virtually anything as patriotic.  So, they appear to think of themselves as minority heroic victims of the evils of liberalism and socialism, and it appears that the "end justifies the means", in their minds, when it comes time to justify discarding respect for the law and the Constitution and favoring just getting away from the supposed socialism that has supposedly threatened their supposed heroic individualistic hard work.

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-14 20:31:56)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Can I suggest we insert or re-insert the names
iHeart Media
Liberty Media
John Malone

into the thread title here, but keep the Clear Channel wording also.  Well, just an idea, I know space is limited on the thread titles.

Done

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Trump’s Second Impeachment Shows How the GOP Remains Stuck in Trumpism
The Republicans were given a path out. They said, “No thanks.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 … ith-trump/

In a bipartisan vote, the House indicted Trump for inciting the murderous attack on the US Capitol a week earlier. The case was pretty straightforward. For weeks following the election, Trump hyped the bogus claim that the election was fraudulent, tried to steal a victory by leaning on local election officials to alter or throw out certified results, pushed his vice president to overturn the electoral vote count, and encouraged his riled-up followers to descend upon Congress to stop the fictitious steal. Plus, Trump did nothing to stop the ransacking of the Capitol once it began. It was very damning stuff. Democrats leading the charge had only to ask: Were you paying attention?

snip

The Republicans had a tougher assignment, and they could not figure out how to present a coherent message. This failure is a reflection of how Trump and Trumpism continue to cast a shadow over the party and how it could come to cause a divide within the GOP, as Republicans endeavor to figure out what to do in the aftermath of Trump’s defeat and the bloody insurrection he provoked.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Trump’s Second Impeachment Shows How the GOP Remains Stuck in Trumpism
The Republicans were given a path out. They said, “No thanks.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 … ith-trump/

In a bipartisan vote, the House indicted Trump for inciting the murderous attack on the US Capitol a week earlier. The case was pretty straightforward. For weeks following the election, Trump hyped the bogus claim that the election was fraudulent, tried to steal a victory by leaning on local election officials to alter or throw out certified results, pushed his vice president to overturn the electoral vote count, and encouraged his riled-up followers to descend upon Congress to stop the fictitious steal. Plus, Trump did nothing to stop the ransacking of the Capitol once it began. It was very damning stuff. Democrats leading the charge had only to ask: Were you paying attention?

snip

The Republicans had a tougher assignment, and they could not figure out how to present a coherent message. This failure is a reflection of how Trump and Trumpism continue to cast a shadow over the party and how it could come to cause a divide within the GOP, as Republicans endeavor to figure out what to do in the aftermath of Trump’s defeat and the bloody insurrection he provoked.

In a way, I have less of an issue with Donald Trump than I do with his supporters and enablers in Congress, and I have less of an issue with his supporters in Congress than I do with our fellow voters who put those supporters there.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Can I suggest we insert or re-insert the names
iHeart Media
Liberty Media
John Malone

into the thread title here, but keep the Clear Channel wording also.  Well, just an idea, I know space is limited on the thread titles.

Done

Ok, thanks.

I'm making a bookmark sort of note here that in my view there's a story to be done, by some sort of decent investigative journalist, around Mr. Malone and Liberty and iHeart, and those right-wing voices on the radio.   Further, now a new chapter in that research should be to look into whether any of those voices can reasonably be said to have urged insurrection or secession.

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-16 00:12:15)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

White Christian Radicalization Is A Violent Threat
There was a distinctly Christian nationalist presence at the U.S. Capitol riot. Some leaders are trying to publicly reject it -- but others are staying silent.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/whi … d958ea19db

There’s a potent mix of nationalism, Christianity and white supremacy at work in the U.S., and it’s not new. Jones, the CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, says it has been part of Christianity in America from the very start.

Jones and other U.S. Christians are now piecing together what it means that their faith was so brazenly invoked during a deadly insurrection ― and what responsibility Christians have to address white supremacy and nationalism in their ranks.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Looking around, it seems official now that the Limbaugh and at least some of the other right wing hosts have responded to the violence at the capitol by downplaying it:

https://www.mediamatters.org/january-6- … mbaugh-and

“All of the sudden protesting Congress is being called the end of the world”: How Rush Limbaugh and other talk radio hosts are downplaying the attack on the Capitol

Written by Alex Walker

Published 01/09/21 9:40 AM EST

Share

Comment

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Hard to tell if this has any bearing on the right wing talk radio component:

https://www.westword.com/news/iheartrad … s-11611427
Layoffs Loom Over iHeart Radio Stations in Denver
Michael Roberts | January 16, 2020 | 8:31am

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-16 15:13:25)

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

another point on this: my impression is that ClearChannel/iHeart has also done similarly awful things to music radio, as they have done and are doing to US political talk radio.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

These Textbooks In Thousands Of K-12 Schools Echo Trump’s Talking Points
Their religion-centered, anti-Democrat, anti-science, anti-multicultural message mirrors the Christian nationalism seen at the U.S. Capitol riot.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/chr … 0057bb711f

The analysis, which focused on three popular textbooks from two major publishers of Christian educational materials ― Abeka and BJU Press ― looked at how the books teach the Trump era of politics. We found that all three are characterized by a skewed version of history and a sense that the country is experiencing an urgent moral decline that can only be fixed by conservative Christian policies. Language used in the books overlaps with the rhetoric of Christian nationalism, often with overtones of nativism, militarism and racism as well.
Scholars say textbooks like these, with their alternate versions of history and emphasis on Christian national identity, represent one small part of the conditions that lead to events like last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, an episode that was permeated with the symbols of Christian nationalism.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

So far I've contacted three news organizations with a request that they assign someone to this story, but as far as I know, none of them have been interested.  Will try to continue to mention it, where possible.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Deplatforming Trump Is Already Having a Huge Impact
A new report finds election misinformation online has fallen 73 percent since the president’s ban from Twitter.

https://www.motherjones.com/media/2021/ … bs-report/

It’s been nine days of relative calm since Twitter cut off a major spigot of election misinformation from President Donald Trump’s account—setting off a chain of suspensions across Facebook, Snapchat, Twitch, and other platforms that affected the president, his allies, and others who stoked violence in the lead up to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Now, a new report reveals just how consequential these platforms’ decision has been since @realDonaldTrump went quiet. Since January 8, when Twitter banned Trump, online misinformation about election fraud has plummeted 73 percent, according to research from analytics firm Zignal Labs, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Hashtags and terms associated with the Capitol riot—including #FightforTrump, #HoldTheLine, and “March for Trump”—fell 95 percent or more.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

What Do We Do With Trump’s Lackeys and Enablers Now?
Germany has an answer.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 … blers-now/

Trump’s post-election attempt to subvert democracy was no surprise. And the raiding of the Capitol was the sort of uncomfortable shock we knew might occur. It was, as I’ve written, our Beer Hall Putsch. This makes aggressive punishments for those involved an obvious need. If we do not do this, our democracy could spiral into dictatorship. Especially insidious has been the Republican party’s reluctance to stop Trump, even after this attempted coup. Hundreds of Congresspeople still voted to overturn the election and against impeaching the insurrectionist-in-chief. The lesson is clear: One political party is committed to authoritarianism. We need a harsh reckoning now with those who directly supported the coup.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Feds: Evidence shows well-laid plan by some Capitol insurrectionists
An FBI affidavit described preparations by the Proud Boys to storm the Capitol, including using earpieces and walkie-talkies to direct movements through the building.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/2 … lan-460836

Federal investigators have begun piecing together evidence that some of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were executing well-laid plans, deploying communications systems and issuing marching orders to rioters as they battled police.

A new affidavit filed Tuesday by the FBI described preparations by the right-wing Proud Boys to storm the Capitol, including using earpieces and walkie-talkies to direct movements throughout the building and a discussion about wearing black to dupe people into blaming antifa for any trouble.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Meet Your Local Republican Insurrectionist
A new HuffPost tally finds over 20 GOP state and local lawmakers or officials were at the D.C. rally that turned into a violent insurrection. Here are their names.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rep … 63a91e5cf4

In the crowd that day were 13 members of state Houses or Assemblies; three state senators; a county commissioner; a city council member; a GOP congressional district chair; a district director; and a co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party. The group also includes a QAnon conspiracy theorist; a self-described member of a fascist militia; and a man who once declared that “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”
Only two of those GOP officials appear to have breached the Capitol property itself that day, and have since been arrested, but the prevalence of Republican legislators and party functionaries at the demonstration underscores the party’s rank complicity in fomenting a historic insurrection.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Donald Trump being banned from social media is a dangerous distraction
Facebook, Google and Twitter peddle extremism for profit. They must be broken up - if not, worse is coming

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr … ube-google

Trump is not the first demagogue America has seen and he won’t be the last. But his power is amplified by a corrupted information ecosystem created by Google, Facebook and media barons like Rupert Murdoch. Those who came to the Capitol to riot sincerely believed they were stopping the subversion of American democracy because an entire information ecosystem encouraged them to discount any political or media institution that told them otherwise. That ecosystem of disinformation, extremism, rage and bigotry won’t go away by banning Trump or his supporters. That’s because the driving force behind it is profit: Facebook and Google make billions by fostering it.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Republicans Are Mad Joe Biden Isn’t Uniting The Nation Around The GOP Agenda
Just two weeks after the Capitol riot inspired by their own voter fraud lies, Republicans say the new president's policies are dividing the nation.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rep … 01aea41f08

Republican lawmakers suddenly have a lot of thoughts on how to heal the nation ― and none of them has to do with addressing the insurrection that Donald Trump’s supporters mounted at the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago in an attempt to overturn election results.

GOP legislators have been reluctant to accept their own responsibility for stoking massive divisions in the country. But in the two days since President Joe Biden took office, Senate and House members have been twisting his call for unity into attacks on his agenda.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Meet Your Local Republican Insurrectionist

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rep … 63a91e5cf4

They traveled from 16 different states, arriving for the “Stop the Steal” demonstration on the White House Ellipse, where they watched President Donald Trump tell incendiary lies about having been robbed of reelection. He then told the crowd of thousands to march on the Capitol.
In the crowd that day were 13 members of state Houses or Assemblies; three state senators; a county commissioner; a city council member; a GOP congressional district chair; a district director; and a co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party. The group also includes a QAnon conspiracy theorist; a self-described member of a fascist militia; and a man who once declared that “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”

snip

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

This is the sort of destructive disinformation (could the term "agitation and propaganda" apply?) sort of commentary that "Libertarian" multi-billionaire Trump supporter John Malone is enabling through his partial indirect ownership of the radio stations that broadcast these points, that our paid news subscriptions are in many cases leaving alone and saying nothing, and that our government seems to be so far not examining for possible FCC or other legal violations.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2 … aims-joe-/

"....But as Biden began his work in the White House, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh pushed ahead with the false narrative that Biden’s election was illegitimate.

""With 74 million, maybe 80 million people who did not vote for Joe Biden, there is no way they can honestly say to themselves that they represent the power base of the country," Limbaugh told his millions of listeners Jan. 20. "They're going to have to take it. They're going to have to hold on to it and never let go of it. They have not legitimately won it."...."

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-24 15:00:14)

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Lawless Presidents Will Victimize U.S. If Trump Isn't Held To Account, Warns George Conway
“We might as well say, flat-out, that presidents are above the law," the attorney wrote.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/geo … 01aea50a69

Conservative, anti-Trump attorney George Conway warned that Donald Trump must suffer the consequences of his acts, or the nation is doomed to be victimized by presidents unrestrained by the law in the future.
Conway, the husband of Trump’s former White House counsel Kellyanne Conway, presented a lengthy examination in an opinion piece in The Washington Post of Trump’s suspected misconduct and even possible criminal behavior in a variety of actions in the White House — and before his presidency.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Final 'Fact-Checker' Numbers Show Just How Nuts Trump's Last Year Really Was
The president made 30,573 false or misleading claims during his four years in office, with nearly half of them coming during his final year.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/don … 01aea5c155

Former President Donald Trump made steady news during his presidency for the sheer and often overwhelming number of lies he told daily. But a Washington Post analysis shows just how much worse his final year in office was compared to all the others.
According to the Post, Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims during his four years in office, with nearly half of them coming during his final year.

Tallex

Administrator

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

Poll: Majority of Americans support Trump impeachment and conviction
The poll found 56 percent of Americans approve of the the House of Representatives impeaching Donald Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riots.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/2 … ent-462264

A majority of Americans support the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump and want to see him convicted in the Senate and barred from holding future federal office, according to a new poll released Monday by Monmouth University.

The poll found 56 percent of Americans approve of the the House of Representatives impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, a slight uptick compared with his first impeachment — 53 percent of those surveyed by Monmouth University in January 2020 approved.

murdoch

Member

Re: democracy is fragile-Clear Channel-Iheart-Liberty-media-John Malone

based just on my impression of Republican Senator and general Republican attitudes, I don't see the President being convicted nor barred from further office, but I could be wrong.  Regardless, I don't care.  I want to see the trial carried out, as inadequate as it will be to convey the former President's unlawful behavior, and as unlikely as it is that people in his own party will find a backbone and convict him.  It is, really, a matter of principle that we need to try him.

I wish many would repeatedly make the point more loudly over the next week that Republican Senators are in effect voting to signal whether they have any personal honor left, and whether they want their party to continue with dignity and with a reputation for respect for individual human rights and the rule of law in the US.  A vote to let Trump off the hook for his heinous actions signals they are fine with just getting away with the destruction for a few more years until they can't control it and realize that they have undermined the US more than they want.

I liked this week watching the Republican leaders in Arizona make fools of themselves by censuring Flake, McCain and Ducey.  I don't even like what little I know of Ducey, and Flake seems like a tragedy, but all three of those people can now wear that criticism as a real badge honor, that they tried to stand for something more principled than the utterly disgusting anti-individualistic Trump show.

Poll: Majority of Americans support Trump impeachment and conviction
The poll found 56 percent of Americans approve of the the House of Representatives impeaching Donald Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riots.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/2 … ent-462264

A majority of Americans support the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump and want to see him convicted in the Senate and barred from holding future federal office, according to a new poll released Monday by Monmouth University.

The poll found 56 percent of Americans approve of the the House of Representatives impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, a slight uptick compared with his first impeachment — 53 percent of those surveyed by Monmouth University in January 2020 approved.

Last edited by murdoch (2021-01-26 01:31:58)