tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post1209461618370868695..comments2024-03-18T23:40:21.985-04:00Comments on the daily howler: Were journos exposed to too much lead?<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-90035811318391613332017-03-23T18:08:45.347-04:002017-03-23T18:08:45.347-04:00I hear you, but I take it for granted that Bob agr...I hear you, but I take it for granted that Bob agrees with me that those fuckwits are basically beyond redemption. He seems to occasionally indicate as much. Sorry for suggesting you are blinded by ideology.Edgewisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975570824983584330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-23971437471422809802017-03-22T21:40:13.820-04:002017-03-22T21:40:13.820-04:00So old, conservative, white Bob is defending Trump...So old, conservative, white Bob is defending Trump's lies. Well I guess liars have to stick together. The only bigger liar than Trump is Bob.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-47664826287569146172017-03-22T12:50:22.788-04:002017-03-22T12:50:22.788-04:00Practically speaking it makes no difference whethe...Practically speaking it makes no difference whether Trump lies or is unhinged. The fact is he is spouting things that are simply untrue and regardless of whether they are lies or delusional rants, what matters is pointing out the untruthfulness. Irony Aboundshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08248210948875082052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-83543282047151868332017-03-22T12:05:53.194-04:002017-03-22T12:05:53.194-04:00Of course it's good, and necessary, to acknowl...Of course it's good, and necessary, to acknowledge when our side is fucking up. And I don't identify so closely with any ideology that I can't bear to have it criticized. But what Bob is doing here seems more like smug sophistry to me. It's easy to criticize but hard to propose real solutions. I get plenty of the former from Bob, not so much of the latter. <br /><br />I think what really undermines Bob's credibility is that he never seems to call out conservative media and right-wing disinformation. Geez, I'm not a fan of Rachel Maddow or Frank Rich either, but to act like they're so much worse that Sean Hannity or Bill O' Reilly strikes me as more than a bit deceptive. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-89668886107865577602017-03-22T09:18:23.295-04:002017-03-22T09:18:23.295-04:00It is mathematically possible that Donald Trump ha...It is mathematically possible that Donald Trump has no doubt that all his statements are strict, literal facts. Odds are he is both a conscious, deliberate liar and emotionally unbalanced . Sad.gravymeisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16075831177588700301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-48419802741601428552017-03-22T00:20:12.073-04:002017-03-22T00:20:12.073-04:00Hey Bob, do you actually believe the stuff you wri...Hey Bob, do you actually believe the stuff you write? I have no idea. Only you can answer that. If people in the media want to call Trump mendacious rather than tragically misinformed, only Trump can square that up. Leaving the question of whether Trump is a liar or misinformed to Trump's opinion on the subject is not particularly helpful. You do understand that. If you are observant and the least bit sophisticated about his pattern of behavior you can categorically denounce it. Or you can parse words in a manner that makes you feel superior to others in the media. Go and pat yourself on the head.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-14162178003049524612017-03-21T23:53:37.993-04:002017-03-21T23:53:37.993-04:00I discussed this issue in a post a few weeks ago (...I discussed this issue in a post a few weeks ago (http://tony-greco.com/2017/01/29/mendacity-or-delusion/). My argument, in short, was that while there are instances where Trump may seem genuinely delusional, there are plenty of instances where he clearly must know that he is not telling the truth. There should be no question that he is, in fact, a brazen serial liar. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09375338385170340343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-13793089378690259422017-03-21T22:32:00.075-04:002017-03-21T22:32:00.075-04:00This is like saying that the mayor can put people ...This is like saying that the mayor can put people in jail because the police chief can. That would be corrupt too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-55995300813976684202017-03-21T21:59:05.502-04:002017-03-21T21:59:05.502-04:00Anon - the AG, who reports to the President, can ...Anon - the AG, who reports to the President, can ask the FISA Court for permission to wiretap any American. If the FISA Coourt approves it, that sort of wiretapping would be legal. Given the suspicion of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, that sort of legal wiretapping was within the realm of possibility.<br /><br />AD/MA -- I didn't know about that comment, but it doesn't surprise me. Trump has a history of making very nasty, often false, attacks on his political enemies.David in Calhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09068188536758619565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-61193764867351263242017-03-21T21:53:16.802-04:002017-03-21T21:53:16.802-04:00It is a felony for the former president to order a...It is a felony for the former president to order anyone to be wiretapped.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-46541183503275658282017-03-21T21:27:35.184-04:002017-03-21T21:27:35.184-04:00D &C he did characterize his predecessor in of...D &C he did characterize his predecessor in office as being either "bad" or "sick" (perhaps unintentionally projecting) What about that?AC/MAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-72179446316048495032017-03-21T20:56:39.098-04:002017-03-21T20:56:39.098-04:00Mika Brzezinski also shows her ignorance when when...Mika Brzezinski also shows her ignorance when when she asserts that Trump was "accusing a former president of a felony." The (hypothetical) wiretapping need not have been illegal. There are conceivable scenarios by which Trump could have been legally wiretapped. David in Calhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09068188536758619565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-85592040832858189262017-03-21T20:17:01.974-04:002017-03-21T20:17:01.974-04:00I think the point of this column is that there act...I think the point of this column is that there actually is a significant difference between lying and mental instability i.e. a liar with nukes is not nearly as dangerous as a madman with nukes. And I agree.<br /><br />As for Bob's notion that liberals are acting stupidly, what of it? He's not saying that liberals are dumber than conservatives. Not everything has to be a comparison between the parties, unless that's your explicit goal. Clearly, Bob aligns more with liberals. But if our side is fucking up, isn't it good to acknowledge that? Otherwise we're just acting like you-know-who. Acting smarter could lead to actual success in politics. Sometimes it seems like our team is indifferent to success. Why take such umbrage? You should never identify so closely with an ideology that you can't bear criticism of it.Edgewisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975570824983584330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-17391038366648319182017-03-21T18:21:40.685-04:002017-03-21T18:21:40.685-04:00In order for us to stop calling Trump a liar, he w...In order for us to stop calling Trump a liar, he would need to stop telling lies.Bartmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06809097953780642925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-22237358949103928382017-03-21T17:17:58.773-04:002017-03-21T17:17:58.773-04:00I don't think Trump was lying per se, I think ...I don't think Trump was lying per se, I think he is stupid enough to believe things he hears on Fox News and repeats them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01066759495165709360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-56394540244141688012017-03-21T17:06:32.533-04:002017-03-21T17:06:32.533-04:00Trump lies.Trump lies.FDRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06987676214157655750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-40732917168739150702017-03-21T16:28:20.790-04:002017-03-21T16:28:20.790-04:00Maybe the pedantic Bob would prefer critics call P...Maybe the pedantic Bob would prefer critics call President Trumperdink a bullshiatter rather than a liar. But honestly, what freaking difference does it make at this point? <br /><br />Most normal people, without having to philosophically parse the semantics of whether an individual knowingly told a lie, could see through this smokescreen pretty easily. If you have a president who continues to push falsehoods, even doubling and tripling down on them, long after he has been told that there is no evidence to support such falsehoods, that's a pretty good sign he's lying. <br /><br />Bob clearly loves telling liberals how stupid we are, but in this case I think he's trying to be too clever by half, and failing in the process. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com