Does Bret Stephens' column make any sense?

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

The thinking of one Trump voter: Does Bret Stephens' column make any sense in today's New York Times?

Stephens interviews a New York City woman (he calls her "Chris") who's going to vote for Trump. She was "enthusiastic for Bernie Sanders in 2016," Stephens writes—and not only that, she's a lesbian!

Despite all this, she's going to vote for Donald J. Trump! Stephens seems to think that Democrats have something to learn from this particular voter.

Personally, we'd like to see Trump voters interviewed much more often. We'd like to see such interviews on CNN and MSNBC.

That said, we don't see any benefit to a lazy effort like this. Stephens has really phoned it in. Here's the start of his presentation of Chris' point of view:

STEPHENS (9/29/20): It’s worth understanding where she’s coming from.

Start with the economy. “I haven’t seen double digit [gains] in my 401(k) since the internet boom of the late ’90s,” she says. “It went up 19.6 percent” in the year before the pandemic. “Look at the stock market,” she says. (Up about 35 percent from four years ago.) “Look at gas prices.” (About the same as what they were when Trump took office, but well below the $3.31 per gallon at the midpoint of the Obama administration.)

The stock market is up under Trump, as is the natural state of affairs. Such comparisons are parlous, but all in all, it looks like it was up more under Obama.

Now consider gas prices. According to Stephens, they're "about the same as what they were" at the end of Obama's tenure. If so, it's hard to see why we should feel that Trump has worked some sort of miracle here. 

For the record, presidents don't set or control the price of gas.  Nor does it make any obvious sense to compare today's gas prices to where they were midway through Obama's tenure, as Stephens does.

Regarding Chris' 401K, she says it went up by 20% last year, as it may have done. That's one plan's gain in one single year. 

A quick search seems to show analysts saying that 401K gains were as good or better under Obama and others. Stephens made no such search.

In short, it's interesting to see what Chris is saying, but Stephens makes no serious attempt to see if her perceptions and claims make sense. At times, he seems to be putting his thumb on the scale in support of her possibly puzzling views.

Next, Stephens presents Chris' negative views about Obamacare. She's still talking about the website snafu. 

At this point, does this really make sense? Meanwhile, Stephens doesn't seek her view about Trump's lack of a health care proposal.

From there, it's on to the pandemic. Why would a newspaper like the Times but bullshit like this in print?

STEPHENS: Then there’s the pandemic. “Is Trump trying to play it down?” she asks. “Yeah. But when this first started, the news media was saying that millions of people were going to die. And look at it: 200,000, compared to the population.”

When the pandemic started, were "the news media" really "saying that millions of people were going to die?" 

Stephens provides a link to one (1) interview at CNBC in mid-March in which one (1) health analyst is pushed into saying that this outcome wouldn't surprise her if worse comes to worse through successive waves of infection over an unspecified amount of time.

That's what one (1) health analyst said in one (1) interview. At that same point in March, Trump himself was saying that millions of people were going to die this year alone if we didn't intervene. But it's absurd to say that "the news media" were making some such general statement. Nor is it clear how that would help us evaluate Trump's performance. 

Stephens really has it on cruise control as this former Sanders enthusiast speaks. Meanwhile, this is Chris' gloomy view of life in Gotham itself:

STEPHENS (continuing directly): What worries her more are the effects of the response to the pandemic in a liberal city like New York. “Crime is in my neighborhood now. There’s a homeless encampment near me that’s growing and growing. They have a living room and a shower curtain and that’s where they go to the bathroom. I have a guy who walks in front of the store every day. In a diaper! And there’s lawlessness coming into the store every day, with an attitude of ‘Who’s gonna stop me?’” Regarding Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, she adds, “I can’t put into words how inept this guy is.”

It's a horrible day in the neighborhood wherever it is that Chris works. For the record, that's a very "Fox News" account of life in These Liberal Cities Today. 

People may well sour on liberal governance to the extent that such descriptions are accurate. That said, did Stephens go where Chris lives and works  to see if her claims make sense?

There's zero sign that he ever did any such thing. What he actually did is just phone her claims in. His work is amazingly lazy. 

There's little point in interviewing Trump voters if you aren't going to make any attempt to fact-check, analyze or evaluate their perceptions and claims. We'd like to see liberals exposed to Trump voters but not in this silly, faux manner..

Voters within our own self-impressed tribe are full of shaky claims too. Meanwhile, the New York Times crawls with vapid work. With these lazy, bumbling efforts, our tribe tries to take out Trump.


24 comments:

  1. "When the pandemic started, were "the news media" really "saying that millions of people were going to die?" "

    On this particular point, dear Bob: we don't care what exactly your goebbelsian dembot media were saying (and still are), but everyone gets the drift of it.

    Your liberal cult was (and still is) inducing a panic. The end of the world, the sky is falling, we all are gonna die.

    And we all appreciate Our Beloved Commander trying to calm it down.

    As for other things, we here don't really care about the stock market. We doubt very much that gas prices were similar under Barry The Demigod, but you're right: that's not what presidents do.

    And the lawlessness advocated by your liberal-hitlerian cult ('defund the police', dear Bob, eh?) is right in front of everyone's eyes, dear Bob. This one will definitely play a role.

    Oh well, we'll see. It's gonna be fun, dear Bob; fasten your seatbelt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tell that to the parents of the 200,000 Americans Trump killed through his criminal negligence.

      Delete
    2. My favorite bit of lawlessness advocated by Bob's liberal-hitlerian cult in the Senate was when they let Trump walk on treason charges without calling a witness.
      At this point, even Bret Stephens fictional voter would struggle imagining a Republican being against treason.

      Delete
    3. Мао - тролль, поедающий дерьмо.

      Delete

    4. LOTTO, lottery,jackpot.
      Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever
















      LOTTO, lottery,jackpot.
      Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever

      Delete
  2. Ever notice these fictional Trump voters the media are always trying to tell us exist, never mention their love of bigotry?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Somerby Says Bret Stephens doesn't make any sense, but it is the Trump supporter who is making the errors.

    You don't invite someone to tell you their reasons for voting for Trump and then dispute and criticize them. That would be rude and would end the interview immediately. So Stephens is listening respectfully. That's what he should do. But it is clearly the Trump supporter whose statements are nonsensical.

    But Somerby thinks we should spend more time listening to such people! Why? They don't make sense and they won't make any more sense if you keep listening to more of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephens probably made up the person he is talking about.

      Delete
  4. Somerby claims Stephens “phoned it in”, but then wishes the media would interview more Trump voters.

    Does he think that other Trump voters would say anything much different than this one?

    And since Stephens himself is a conservative, it’s hard not to imagine that, rather than phoning it in, he is working hard to dampen Democrats’ enthusiasm, rather than offer a sincere bit of advice.

    How did Stephens find this person anyway?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Trump voters talk about economics but that isn't what motivates them.

    What normal person could overlook all of Trump's excesses and defects for the sake of money? How could a genuine human being look at themselves in the mirror if they sold their soul, their sense of right and wrong, down the river for gold? Did no one ever teach them about morals, ethics, to do the right thing? Why do Trump voters have no sense that they are behaving badly and making wrong choices? Why do they all have no conscience when sociopaths are supposed to be only 5% of the population? What accounts for the other 35%?

    We won't find out by listening to them because they don't wear their motives on their sleeves. Given that asking them isn't going to provide info, it is a waste of time and not worth the paper Stephens interview is printed on. Not worth the effort of reading.

    Somerby perhaps hopes to find others like himself, so he won't feel alone in his selling out of his own soul, comrades to justify his actions. Somerby is a wretched person because he hopes to find fellow travelers (Bernie people who have sold out to the devil).

    I've never thought that Bernie supporters were big thinkers or politically astute. Somerby confirms that impression. That they find it easy to slide across to Trumpville suggests there is something else wrong with them, in the center of their chests where the heart ought to be.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wonder how many Trump-supporting small business owners are out of business now due to covid?

    ReplyDelete
  7. How do you fact check an opinion?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Stephens says:

    “Chris is a registered Democrat in her 50s who lives in Manhattan. She’s well-educated, well-traveled and well-informed. She has voted for candidates of both parties over the years and was enthusiastic for Bernie Sanders in 2016.”

    “If the Democratic Party and its allies can’t hold on to a voter like Chris, who else might they be losing?”

    Not sure Chris counts as “well-informed”, or even a true Dem voter at this point, since She has voted for candidates of both parties over the years. We don’t even know who she voted for in the 2016 general election.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Eric Boehlert tweeted today:

    There are 146M registered voters in US

    NYT published an entire column abt 1 Trump voter...who's anonymous

    it's like a parody at this point;

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks Bob. You even did this without saying that those who don't worship the racist, sexist, homophobic, pussy-grabbing grifter are just as bad. It astounds that part of my $76/month helps Stephens pay his mortgage. But i'm not boycotting....

    ReplyDelete
  11. In order for that debate to have been fair, the moderator needed to have the ability to cut Trump's mic.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The moderator asked Trump whether he would tell the white supremacists (Proud Boys) to stand down and he wouldn't say it, he said he would tell them to stand by. That isn't the same thing at all. So, now we know.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am so happy to be writing this article in here, i am here to explore blogs forum about the wonderful and most safe cure for HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS . I was positive to the deadly Virus called HERPES and i lost hope completely because i was rejected even by my closest friends. i searched online to know and inquire about cure for HERPES and i saw testimony about Dr Okiti online on how he cured so many persons from Herpes Disease so i decided to contact the great herbalist because i know that nature has the power to heal everything. i contacted him to know how he can help me and he told me never to worry that he will help me with the natural herbs from God! after 2 days of contacting him, he told me that the cure is ready and he sent it to me via UPS DELIVERY SERVICES and it got to me after 4 days! i used the medicine as he instructed me (MORNING and EVENING) and i was cured! it's really like a dream but i'm so happy! that's the reason i decided to also add more comments about him so that more people can be saved just like me! and if you need his help, contact him via email drokitiherbalhome100@gmail.com or WhatsApp +234 705 067 0365

    ReplyDelete
  14. I want to thank Dr Emu a very powerful spell caster who help me to bring my husband back to me, few month ago i have a serious problem with my husband, to the extend that he left the house, and he started dating another woman and he stayed with the woman, i tried all i can to bring him back, but all my effort was useless until the day my friend came to my house and i told her every thing that had happened between me and my husband, then she told me of a powerful spell caster who help her when she was in the same problem I then contact Dr Emu and told him every thing and he told me not to worry my self again that my husband will come back to me after he has cast a spell on him, i thought it was a joke, after he had finish casting the spell, he told me that he had just finish casting the spell, to my greatest surprise within 48 hours, my husband really came back begging me to forgive him, if you need his help you can contact him with via email: Emutemple@gmail.com or add him up on his whatsapp +2347012841542 is willing to help any body that need his help.

    ReplyDelete
  15. BLESSINGS BE ON TO YOU ALL. THANKS TO GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME FOR USING DOCTOR RAZOR TO HEAL ME OF MY HERPES INFECTION WITH HIS QUICK CURE FOR HERPES. I have read so much on Herpes Simplex virus. I hear of reaching clearance, I hear of no cure, I hear of recurrent lesions, poor immune system, poor diet, etc. I just do not know what to believe. I have visited many web pages that seem to sell you their version of removing or enforcing the immune system. Then I hear all the info on therapeutic vaccines as well as prophylactic vaccines and wonder how can that even help me. And I feel so worthless, Glad i came across Doctor Razor article on how to heal HSV forever. Words can describe how grateful I am. Endless Gratitude to doctor Razor for helping me get rid of my Herpes Virus Ever since being infected November 13, 2016 . Reach him on his clinic email drrazorherbalhome@gmail.com
    Whatsapp His cell phone on +2349065420442 , Website : https://herbalistrazorherb.wixsite.com/drrazorherbalhome

    ReplyDelete
  16. My name is James Rodriguez I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies, The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email dr Lucky and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try. I contacted this great dr and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 20,000 million Dollar. dr Lucky truly you are the best, with these great dr you can win millions of money through lottery. I am so very happy to meet these great man now, I will be forever be grateful to you dr. Email him for your own winning lottery numbers. drluckyhome@gmail.com whatsapp number +2348145810121  

    ReplyDelete
  17. I want to testify on how I got cured from Herpes. I have been living with this disease for the past 11 months, i have done all i can to cure this disease but all my efforts proved abortive until i met an old friend of mine who told me about a herbal doctor called Dr Oniha, she told me that Dr Oniha have cure for all kinds of diseases, though i never believed in it because my believe was that there is no cure for Herpes disease. But I decided to give it a try when I contacted Dr Oniha, he told me he has a cure for herpes that he cured with herbal medicine. I order for the herbal medicine, which Dr Oniha sent to me through a courier service which i make use of and now behold the herpes is gone and i now have my life back,if you are out there living with this disease i will like you to also contact Dr Oniha and get this disease cured out of your body. I am a living testimony of Dr Oniha herbal cure. Thanks once again Dr Oniha for you are God sent. contact Dr oniha through his contact information.
    Email:drjohnsonlovespellcaster997@gmail.com
    Whatsapp number: +2347057052206

    ReplyDelete

  18. LOTTO, lottery,jackpot.
    Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever

    ReplyDelete