FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023
Also, Trump indicted: Last night, during the 8 o'clock hour, we found ourselves changing our mind.
More specifically, we found our mind changing within us.
Until then, we had never quite been able to picture Donald J. Trump winning next year's presidential election.
President Biden's obvious liabilities made some such outcome a technical possibility. But we'd never quite thought, until last night. that Trump could imaginably win barring some giant catastrophe.
Last night, our assessment changed within us as we watched Tucker Carlson Tonight.
On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings this week, Carlson had gone light years over the top in his discussion of the way the armed transgenderist godless community was now waging a murderous war on our Christian children.
They're able to do this, Carlson kept saying, because they don't believe in God. Instead, they believe that they are God. So the abandoned boy said.
We aren't engaging in parody as we offer this summary of Carlson's remarks. We've offered you a reasonable paraphrase of what the cable star said, with links to transcripts below.
Over the course of those two nights, we found ourselves thinking of Kafka again. We found ourselves thinking of Darwin's discoveries.
We found ourselves thinking about the functioning of artificial intelligence, including the form of AI which is endlessly whirring, all day and all night, within our own human brains. For these two hours on these two nights, the yahoos were very much Them.
More on those musings at some future point! Last night, watching Carlson for the full hour, we began to believe, for the very first time, that Trump could conceivably win.
The energy was general over Fox News all through that remarkable hour. Among a long string of highly energized guests, Jason Whitlock, 55, took the cake.
Whitlock is a long-time sports commentator who has steadily drifted in the direction of conservative cultural commentary. Also, in the direction of "politically incorrect" speech, especially concerning issues of gender.
To review the twists and turns of Whitlock's career, you can just click this. Whitlock currently lives in Nashville, where three children were murdered this week.
When Whitlock appeared with Carlson last night, he began by thanking Carlson for his commentary, the previous two nights, about the godless transgenderist armed conspiracy which struck in Nashville this week.
Soon though, Whitlock turned to an apparent call to arms. It became clear that the indictment of Trump had pushed Whitlock over a certain edge:
WHITLOCK (3/30/23): Today, in our state capitol, which is right here in Nashville, the transgender antigun crowd took over the House for a time. And then, by the time I get home, I find out Donald Trump has been indicted. And I hear you loud and clear.
They are agitating for unrest. That's the only way to interpret this. They are agitating for unrest. And there's a godless element in this country that doesn't care about fairness. They don't care about the will of the people. They care about power and control.
As you have spelled out this week, they think they're God, and they think that they can make up the rules. They can decide what fairness is. They don't have a Biblical worldview.
It's sickening for me. I'm upset. I'm emotional. I'm—I'm ready for whatever is next. And I hope, every other man out there watching this show, I hope you're ready for whatever's next.
If that's what they want, let's get to it.
Whitlock said he's "ready for whatever is next." Offering a form of The Whitlock Challenge, he told the men who were watching the show that he hopes they're ready too.
"If that's what they want, let's get to it," he said. His meaning was fuzzy but clear.
Whitlock urged men to get ready for what's coming next. Continuing. this exchange occurred:
CARLSON (continuing directly): It feels like this is not the behavior of people who want the current system to continue. That's what it looks like to me.
WHITLOCK: Yeah. They don't like our Judeo-Christian founding. That's why they don't like the Founding Fathers. That's why they want to overthrow the Constitution that is laced with Biblical values and Biblical principles.
They want a Marxist, godless, Communist country. Plain and simple. Clear as day. With the alphabet mafia, this LGBTQ alphabet mafia, in control.
The godless people that you're talking about, that are totally antithetical to Christianity and Biblical values, wants control, and is seizing control, and they feel like taking down Donald Trump and beating everyone else into submission and just making them give up. Give up on Donald Trump, give up on—
Tucker, I don't say this with pride, I really don't. I'm just being factual. I've never voted. And so, I am not saying that with pride.
I'm hardcore MAGA tonight. I will be voting, I am hardcore MAGA. I've never voted. I observe Trump, I'm somewhat supportive of Trump, but they have made me MAGA. And they have made me ready for whatever is next because, what they are building for young people, I can't sit by and just let it happen without raising my voice and without being willing to sacrifice whatever so that kids don't live in a Communist Marxist society.
These people that think the government is going to take care of them don't understand history. They've never studied history. They don't understand how tyrannical a government is.
If they have their way, I, I— If they have their way, we're all catching Hell, except for the elites. And yes, I have a very good bank account, and perhaps I'm an elite. But my heart is working class.
My parents were factory workers. I came from nothing in this country. I'm black. They're telling everybody, "Black kid! Oh, you can't come from nothing and make it in this country." That's bullshit.
This country is the greatest country in the history of the planet. It's the safest and most prosperous place for black people and all people. That's why people are beating down the doors to get here, and they demonize the whole thing and they turn Trump into this devilish, Luciferian character, when they are the devils. They're the ones that don't believe in God.
That concluded Whitlock's presentation. Carlson offered this:
CARLSON (continuing directly): Jason Whitlock. [Pause]
I agree. Thank you, very much. I appreciate that.
To watch the entire interview, you can just click here. But so it went as Whitlock spoke.
At this point, we'll only note that Whitlock is, almost surely, completely sincere.
Some of the professional pols and professional pundits almost surely aren't. Almost surely, Whitlock believes every word he said as he issued what seemed to be a type of call to arms.
(We'll also offer this. Due to his sickened, emotional state, Whitlock was crazily over the top. But his sickened, emotional comments were built from some germs of insight.)
Whitlock was the most striking of Carlson's highly energized guests last night. For the record, we aren't saying that Trump will win next year's election, assuming that some such election take place.
We aren't saying that he will. We're saying that, for the first time, it occurred to us that he imaginably could.
Late yesterday afternoon, the Deep State had its way once again. Jealously, it pushed Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision vindication aside as it indicted Trump. (For the AP report on Paltrow, just click here.)
Assisted by consultations with experts, we thought of the way our human intelligence actually works as we watched Carlson's hour. Similar thoughts have crowded our mind of late as we've watched the other "cable news" programs, the ones where the Yahoos R Us.
These TV shows are all part of a large failing system. As far as we know, no one is in charge of that system, but just be completely honest, a large part of the problem is Us.
This afternoon: Love it or leave it!
For extra credit only: Compare and contrast. Discuss:
WHITLOCK (3/30/31): It's sickening for me. I'm upset. I'm emotional. I'm—I'm ready for whatever is next.
BLOW (3/30/31): As I watched the film, I was incredibly uncomfortable, sometimes angry, sometimes near tears as I revisited Ruby’s story.
For the record, there's no reason why Charles Blow shouldn't have felt that way as he watched that Disney film.
This isn't what we're saying. What we're saying is actually this:
Compare and contrast. Discuss.
The second amendment is evil.
ReplyDeleteI object to the Bible.
ReplyDeleteThe constitution establishes a republic. The Bible is all about a kingdom. It has no elected lawmakers and no elected president.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletetl;dr
Don't be too upset, dear Bob, hundreds of millions of people live in banana republics, and most of them live good lives, many are satisficed and even happy.
And now, for your reading pleasure: incomparable James Howard Kunstler incomparably writes about your cult's Most Important Paper -- and other things:
https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/did-they-light-up-a-cigarette-afterward/
...now, that's what we call Good Prose; we read the whole thing. Live and learn, dear Bob...
Grifters gotta grift and suckers gotta get hucked:
Delete"This blog is sponsored this week by Vaulted, an online mobile web app for investing in allocated and deliverable physical gold. To learn more visit:Kunstler.com/vaulted"
Are mobile apps for investing in gold considered haram in your cult, dear dembot?
DeleteBeing highly energized doesn't make the extreme MAGA element any more numerous. They can still only vote once.
ReplyDeleteWhitlock may have never voted, partly because many journalists try to disengage from the politics they cover in order to be objective. As a Sports reporter, that hardly seems necessary, so perhaps Whitlock was previously apathetic about politics. I doubt he remained so after becoming a conservative pundit, but he can say whatever he likes about it.
If Somerby is imagining that huge numbers of MAGAs will emerge from hibernation to sweep Trump into office again, simply because of the fervor of Carlson and his guests, that is solely his fantasy. It doesn't matter what these extremists are saying -- they are still extreme and there are not enough of them to reelect Trump.
Inciting the unstable among their viewers to engage in violence is a bad idea. Should such violence occur, Fox will be held accountable, as it is now being held accountable for its defamation of Dominion and its mistreatment of female staff. Actions have consequences, even if you are right-wing fanatics engaged in a major tantrum because the justice comes to every lawbreaker, in its own time.
Somerby's hysterical tone mirrors Fox. That cannot be a coincidence. This is what viewing Carlson does to the weak-minded and susceptible.
ReplyDeleteBob Somerby is now playing the role of our mainstream media, by discussing, not the news, and how it affects society, but the "real politics" of the electoral horserace.
ReplyDeleteSomerby learned mightily from our media, like when they spent 2002 discussing whether Bush had the votes on the Iraq War, without once ever discussing what affects the war might have on Iraqis (a million dead, and 2+ million refugees).
"I believe in this, and it's been proven by research, that he who fucks nuns, will later join the church."
Joe Strummer ("Death or Glory")
Word is, there will be no perp walk of Trump, because they don't make handcuffs small enough for his tiny hands.
ReplyDelete"This isn't what we're saying. What we're saying is actually this: "
ReplyDeleteAnd no words follow. Somerby is so incoherent today that he doesn't know what he is saying and thus leaves only empty space.
And of course, this has nothing to do with Gwynneth Paltrow. Name-dropping celebrities for click bait is a standard internet trick.
Somerby pretends to be speechless and himself ready for what comes next himself, hinting that the next step is more Trump. Somerby joins the chorus of inchoate right wing threats, except his threat is explicit -- he says Trump will now win because MAGAs are Really Really Mad. And transpeople are the anti-Christ or coming to get us with AI, or something.
It doesn't seem to occur to Somerby that if the right wing engages in more of its terrorism, the left will get made too and there are more of us. I am encountering more and more former Republicans who have switched to Independent because they are being driven away by ugly Republican behavior, like Whitlock and Carlson. The Independents who joined Democrats in 2022 are the reason why Trump-endorsed candidates lost in most races and the Democrats kept the Senate.
Stupid bad behavior, like Somerby's rant, will ensure Trump's loss, no matter how loudly his MAGAs cry and how violent they threaten to be against the rest of us. This indictment proves that they do not own the law.
This Grand Jury surely had some Trump sympathizers on it. And yet it delivered 30+ charges against him. These wails are the realization that jury nullification is not going to save Trump, no matter how much anti-Semitic, white supremacist crap they hurl at individuals doing their duty in our system. Trump is going down.
F*ck your feelings, Somerby.
Somerby keeps referring to Carlson as an "abandoned boy". He is trying to generate sympathy for a demagogue who is leading idiots like Whitlock into disgracing himself and perhaps committing more illegal acts. If this results in violence, it will be prosecuted, just as Trump's crimes are being investigated, brought to light, and ultimately prosecuted. A desperate Trump is talking about setting aside the Constitution if elected again.
ReplyDeleteSomerby reserves his empathy for the wrong people. His false equivalence between Whitlock and Blow (based solely on emotion) ignores what they are upset about. That matters.
Fifty percent of American children experience divorced parents. Tucker Carlson's behavior cannot be excused because he had an experience shared by so many children, who manifestly DO NOT become right-wing demagogues whipping deranged conspiracy theorists into bad behavior. Divorce doesn't cause the kind of extremism Carlson displays (real or feigned). Carlson has chosen to be that guy for money. Perhaps Whitlock is doing the same. That doesn't mean Trump will win another election.
It does mean that Somerby seems to be going around the bend himself. Real or feigned, that doesn't help anyone, unless he too is doing this for money. I hope they are paying him well, because he has embarrassed himself too much to have written today's essay for free.
"But his sickened, emotional comments were built from some germs of insight."
ReplyDeleteBut cowardly Somerby won't tell his readers what he thinks that insight is. Is it that transkids are the devil? Is it that liberals are Godless? What exactly is Somerby hinting at?
This is just Somerby's odd way of defending Trump.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for Somerby to explain why we should vote for a deranged, mentally ill, distrubed man like Trump to be president.
anon 11:37 - you're completely clueless if you think that TDH, in this post, or any other post is "defending Trump" or that he wants anyone to vote for Trump. Your reasoning is as clueless and warped as any of the MAGA's who you think are so stupid and irrational. TDH's thing, rightly or wrongly, is that the so-called "blue" side ain't all that perfect - the opposite in several respects. That seems to be inadmissible here amongst his indeterminate number of compulsive critics here..
DeleteSomerby says that Daniels blackmailed Trump. How is that not defending Trump?
DeleteIt isn't a question of what is "admissible" here at Somerby's blog. It is a question of what is convincing. Somerby isn't convincing and people are taking issue with him over it.
If it upsets you that people are critical of Somerby, stop reading the comments and you feel a lot better.
Why does Somerby think any of us care about Paltrow? Why did he even mention her? Didn't the indictment also push aside excitement about the start of the baseball season?
ReplyDeleteWe certainly need more from Bob on
ReplyDeletethose “germs of insight”, and his
Inability to see the energy on the
side of those sickened by the entire
grotesque Trump phenomena, and
those now possessing hope that
we might get some relief from it.
These people, the flawed but on
balance decent ones, lack any
sincerity to Bob. The ex President
calling a woman he fucked and
paid off “horse face” is just fine
with Bob (we are still waiting for
that blackmail scenario).
Where he is going with the Paltrow
thing is hard to say. It appears She
was a famous celebrity being held up
in a frivolous lawsuit in which the
other party was rather obviously
lying. Bill Clinton has, wisely, kept
his mouth shut in such situations
for decades because even if you win
you can waste a lot of time and
money in Court.
Paltrow, a somewhat goofy but
very rich and successful person put
her foot down and said “enough.”
In a sense, that is what decent
Americans are doing with Trump.
Our flawed but necessary legal
system is really all that has saved
us in all this. Because you can
get in trouble there for
lying. After his editing of the Jan
6th film, what kind of fool is looking
for Carlsons “germs on insight?”
Could he somehow win? Well,
certainly Trump has taught us that
the worst can happen, and that
the Conservative Party in the US
is a freak show sailing on a ship
of fools. But Bob rushes to the
conclusion out of a mix of hatred
, cowardice and wishful thinking. , and all we can do
in the face of such degeneracy is
try to be brave.
Oh yes, and remember Bob’s
ReplyDeletegloating on the Sussman indictment
and his silence when it was laughed
out of Court? Bless Justice, bless
the truth, and flake off Bob Somerby.
Bob seems to be claiming Paltrow victimized the poor guy just like those rich people on MSNBC are victimizing poor Trump.
ReplyDeleteHow very, very clueless.
Even following this from afar, it was clear the guy had
a very, very bad case, and had changed his story almost
as many times as Jaunita Broadrick. Few thought he
could win.
"Everyone sides with the rich celebrity," he said in
the sour grapes aftermath. Bob seems to buy this.
But it is more likely he thought he could beat Paltrow
because She is one of the most teased, mocked
and resented people in public life, and everyone
knows She's rich as hell!
Bob is a hapless, confused simpleton.
TDH, it seems obvious, re Paltrow was wryly mocking the networks for their extensive coverage of a trivial civil suit involving a celebrity. Your interpretation of TDH's comment, which was only an aside, as TDH siding with the unsuccessful plaintiff is a misreading.
DeleteI do not see ANYTHING in Bob's post, or in the AP story he links to, that supports what you are saying. The best case would be that Bob monks trivial coverage a lot, and I would argue the Press, and particularly MSNBC, did not go overboard with coverage of this very minor story. Either way, Bob is an idiot, and why is Whitlock's stupid blabbering NOT trivial?
Deleteanon 3:19, It doesn't seem that you comprehend irony. But you are entitled to your opinion. TDH's comment was just an aside from his real point (which I suppose, as always, was wrong) He said, in this tangential aside, "Late yesterday afternoon, the Deep State had its way once again. Jealously it pushed Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision vindication aside as it indicted Trump." (On re-reading this, his aside is somewhat lacking in total lucidity, but it is humorous). I do notice that the AP account states that the trial was live-streamed, and "became a pop culture fixation." MNBC is too busy working to get Trump imprisoned, but every evening ABC news has a had a segment on the Paltrow trial, and I'm quite confident the morning news [?] shows like Good Morning America were giving it frequent attention.
DeleteIt is Somerby's responsibility to be clearer about why he is throwing Paltrow's name around. We shouldn't have to be guessing.
Delete“A segment?” That hardly qualifies as heavy coverage by celeb trial standards. MSNBC treated it as a novelty story. To Bob it was another dig at covering the insignificant, but i admit, one draft Bob could just be treating us to more of his pointless free association.
DeleteI am pretty sure that the Devil believes in God, according to legend.
ReplyDelete"Compare and contrast. Discuss."
ReplyDeleteSure, Bob. They are diametrically opposite. Blow's was a rational response to a moving story.
Whitlock is batshit insane.
Why is Somerby watching so much Fox News?
ReplyDeleteThis post is awash with little else than complete nonsense, per usual.
ReplyDeleteHere’s the key nugget:
“At this point, we'll only note that Whitlock is, almost surely, completely sincere.”
Almost surely, Whitlock is not being sincere, almost surely at best you could say his performative reaction has hints of faux righteous indignation at the suggestion that his life is based purely on privilege and happenstance.
Somerby feigns having a complete misunderstanding of the electorate and electoral politics; he pretends to not know that persuasion has not been a viable strategy for decades, if it ever was, and that motivation is the key to electoral success.
What is motivating Whitlock? He has an undying need for a sense of dominance. His rants are as real and heartfelt as the god he supposedly fears.
He is sincere in his hatred, something Bob lauds on the right, condemns on the left.
Delete