Show me the money
One of our regulars posed a question to me following yesterday’s piece on low information voters. I felt like it deserved an answer. Normally, I might do this in the form of a reply comment, but this answer is a little longer and deserves a little more attention. However, I’m hoping it won’t be my normal 600 word screed either. The question was what we can do about low information voters and dubious media sources that propagate nonsense.
Following Citizens United, it has become more and more clear that money is more powerful than speech. Following 2016, Ms. Carraway and I decided to subscribe to the New York Times and Washington Post. We wanted to support a cause that would fight the coming tyranny and felt that the fourth estate was an important part of that. The tag line “Democracy dies in darkness” was particularly powerful given Trump’s attacks against the media. I am no longer supporting those two particular publications.
The idea of “cancel culture” is quite hilarious to me given that conservatives have mastered the art of cancellation. They do this by withholding money. Sure, there is some sound and fury in there, but companies like Budweiser quickly changed their tune when their bottom line was effected. We must do the same in order to fight back against media sources that either purposefully mislead the public or whitewash the news in order to create a horse race that should never exist.
There is only one reason why anyone would do such a thing and so there is only one way to combat that. If they see that there is a financial risk in not reporting actual news then suddenly they may grow a backbone and report the news. If companies see a risk in supporting a racist jackass then maybe they will stop doing it. They bend to where the money is going and it is high time we use whatever financial muscle we have to exert that pressure.
As far as this is concerned, it is really very simple. We should financially support media sources and companies committed to reporting facts and supporting truth. Is there a script we can use? I suppose that is up to everyone. If you are the kind of person that wants to tell people why they are no longer getting your money then by all means let them have it. Otherwise, the money is the key. So, the Washington Post and New York Times feel it is in their best interest to keep Donald Trump’s political career alive. Let’s show them that its not. Let’s show them that their fiduciary interests and journalistic interests are one and the same. Report the news. All of the news. Report the news or our money goes away. Period. The same goes for any other media source and any other company. If you want to cozy up to MAGA you can do it without my dime.
Appreciate your reply. It takes a village (big village) of voices before they’ll actually listen.
1Absolutely. One of the things that conservatives do very well is coordinate their efforts. I mentioned Budweiser but that boycott changed their tune quickly. Getting liberals, leftists, and progressives together is a lot like herding cats. I think that is why our voices are not taken as seriously. If they think they are going to lose money they will start changing their tune.
2This is a good example of someone getting the word out with specifics that hopefully will catch the attention of the corporate media we’ve been discussing. Probably better than our voices could do.
https://newrepublic.com/article/185622/finally-top-journo-erupts-media-ignoring-trumps-mental-state
3Check out the word salad TFFG gave as an answer to a WaPO journalist’s question at the economic club yesterday. Read the shaded area in the attached. Hopefully this journalist gets this into her employers newspaper. It’s a great example of what the journalist was talking about in my comment at 3 above. Yikes!
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-at-economic-club/
Would be great if this is the type of answer he gives at the debate next week. My guess is if he does, a number of repugnanticans will be after him to drop out, which of course is way too late now
4That’s precisely what I’m talking about though. When Kamala gives an answer she is grilled over details. Trump has become your sundowning uncle who you pat on the head as he mumbles to himself. I get that politicians talk around tough questions. I’d like a coherent thought every now and then.
I think he, Junior, and Mike Lindell all have the same problem. They have entire conversations in their head that just stay there. Yet they assume everyone follows that train of thought in their head.
5An associated press “story” about trumpf’s word salad in the Oregonian this morning totally whitewashed his comments. They pulled a few lines out of the salad and told readers that’s what he was saying. They made like it was a coherent answer instead of the gibberish it really was. Besides completely ignoring his incoherent diatribe about child care and tariffs, they said nothing about the false statements about who really pays for tariffs- consumers do.
6No surprise there.