https://taibbi.substack.com/p/the-news-m...ing-itself

"...But police violence, and Trump’s daily assaults on the presidential competence standard, are only part of the disaster. On the other side of the political aisle, among self-described liberals, we’re watching an intellectual revolution. It feels liberating to say after years of tiptoeing around the fact, but the American left has lost its mind. It’s become a cowardly mob of upper-class social media addicts, Twitter Robespierres who move from discipline to discipline torching reputations and jobs with breathtaking casualness.

The leaders of this new movement are replacing traditional liberal beliefs about tolerance, free inquiry, and even racial harmony with ideas so toxic and unattractive that they eschew debate, moving straight to shaming, threats, and intimidation. They are counting on the guilt-ridden, self-flagellating nature of traditional American progressives, who will not stand up for themselves, and will walk to the Razor voluntarily...."

Some other good quotes from the article:

"...However, because it is politically untenable to discuss this in ways that do not suggest support, reporters have been twisting themselves into knots. We are seeing headlines previously imaginable only in The Onion, e.g., “27 police officers injured during largely peaceful anti-racism protests in London....”"

Each passing day sees more scenes that recall something closer to cult religion than politics. White protesters in Floyd’s Houston hometown kneeling and praying to black residents for “forgiveness… for years and years of racism” are one thing, but what are we to make of white police in Cary, North Carolina, kneeling and washing the feet of Black pastors? What about Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer kneeling while dressed in “African kente cloth scarves”?

There is symbolism here that goes beyond frustration with police or even with racism: these are orgiastic, quasi-religious, and most of all, deeply weird scenes, and the press is too paralyzed to wonder at it. In a business where the first job requirement was once the willingness to ask tough questions, we’ve become afraid to ask obvious ones...."

It all started going bad 30 years ago. I was teaching ROTC at Sacramento St. and PC was the new buzzword. The students were more conservative than the professors.

I was exposed to academic committees who wasted a whole year and literally accomplished nothing. It was antithetical to me as I see a problem and want a fix devised and to kill it quickly and move on. Glad to move back to flying after that stint.

Wow, Taibbi seemed like a hardcore lefty in my previous experience reading him at Rolling Stone and other places and seeing him on shows like Maher's. (I don't regularly read RS or watch Maher, but I try to get a variety of inputs). I'm not saying he's red-pilled yet, but he's clearly moving away from the far left with great vigor even as he expresses his issues with Trump. It's probably more accurate to say he's moving away from the MSM rather than the far left, but I think part of his point is that they are largely one-in-the-same. I may have to check out his takes more often although he may be limited to not much than his blog going forward based upon some of his comments. Nice find and read - thanks!

(06-13-2020 11:53 AM)Bearhawkeye Wrote:  Wow, Taibbi seemed like a hardcore lefty in my previous experience reading him at Rolling Stone and other places and seeing him on shows like Maher's. (I don't regularly read RS or watch Maher, but I try to get a variety of inputs). I'm not saying he's red-pilled yet, but he's clearly moving away from the far left with great vigor even as he expresses his issues with Trump. It's probably more accurate to say he's moving away from the MSM rather than the far left, but I think part of his point is that they are largely one-in-the-same. I may have to check out his takes more often although he may be limited to not much than his blog going forward based upon some of his comments. Nice find and read - thanks!

He has taken the pill. He IS far left. That is why it is refreshing. He bashes Trump in a legitimate way and then points out how nuts his side has become. He still believes in civil liberties (and has criticized what the FBI did to Flynn).

There is no president who has provided so much opportunity for humor as President Trump and the leftist comics can't do a thing with it. And there is lots of grounds for legitimate criticism, but the MSM doesn't do any legitimate criticism.

(06-13-2020 12:10 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(06-13-2020 11:53 AM)Bearhawkeye Wrote:  Wow, Taibbi seemed like a hardcore lefty in my previous experience reading him at Rolling Stone and other places and seeing him on shows like Maher's. (I don't regularly read RS or watch Maher, but I try to get a variety of inputs). I'm not saying he's red-pilled yet, but he's clearly moving away from the far left with great vigor even as he expresses his issues with Trump. It's probably more accurate to say he's moving away from the MSM rather than the far left, but I think part of his point is that they are largely one-in-the-same. I may have to check out his takes more often although he may be limited to not much than his blog going forward based upon some of his comments. Nice find and read - thanks!

He has taken the pill. He IS far left. That is why it is refreshing. He bashes Trump in a legitimate way and then points out how nuts his side has become. He still believes in civil liberties (and has criticized what the FBI did to Flynn).

There is no president who has provided so much opportunity for humor as President Trump and the leftist comics can't do a thing with it. And there is lots of grounds for legitimate criticism, but the MSM doesn't do any legitimate criticism.

Lampooning is funny. Viciousness never is. Today's left is only vicious. If you didn't hate their politics you would still find them to be a miserable lot to be around.