theamericanconservative--2020-07-30--The Democratic Dark Money Behind These ‘Local Newspapers’

The non-profit that sent the Democratic Party haywire during the Iowa Caucus earlier this year has a new strategy : creating partisan news outlets in key states across the country ahead of the 2020 election .
With the financial backing of Hollywood , hedge fund managers , and Silicon Valley , Acronym ’ s Courier Newsroom may just change local journalism and politics forever .
Courier Newsroom , created by the dark-money ( not required to disclose donors ) progressive non-profit Acronym , states that they were created to restore trust in journalism by helping to rebuild local media across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is true .
Their true goal ?
Winning elections in key states .
Acronym CEO Tara McGowan , in a leaked memo obtained by Vice , has stated that the goal of establishing Courier Newsroom is to defeat Republicans on the new frontier of Internet political advertising .
McGowan attributes Trump ’ s 2016 success to the campaign ’ s ability to “ shape and drive mainstream media coverage ” through an influx of internet spending .
Courier seeks to counter this by challenging Trump on social media .
By definition , Courier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic Party rather than a legitimate media source .
Calling for a new approach to political advertising , McGowan lambasted Hillary Clinton ’ s failed media strategy for its over-reliance on spending on traditional media , “ In 2016 , the Hillary Clinton for President campaign raised an estimated $ 800 million online—and spent a large majority of it on television and radio advertisements.
” The 2016 election has proven to be the reason for the creation of Courier Newsroom .
McGowan explicitly states that the papers are being used to boost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only function to support the flipping of both State House and State Senate chambers in Virginia this November , but will serve as a vehicle to test , learn from and scale best practices to new sites as we grow.
” The Dogwood , as of the time of the writing of the leaked memo , was intended to be the prototype for future courier new sites .
Courier has established news sites across key 2020 states including : Copper Courier ( Arizona ) , The Dogwood ( Virginia ) , Up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gander ( Michigan ) , Cardinal & Pine ( North Carolina ) , The Keystone ( Pennsylvania ) , and The Americano ( nationwide , intended for Latino audiences ) .
Courier extensively utilizes social media to promote stories made by the publications , generating clicks in order to shape public voter opinion .
Courier stories are written with the intent of mobilizing women and young people .
McGowan writes that Courier does this by “ framing issues from health care to economic security in a way that provides these voters with more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often targeted through traditional political ads.
” While these are real stories , they are packaged with the intent on provoking a positive reaction from certain demographics of the population , in order to spur them to vote for the Democratic Party this November .
Courier itself has conceded that they exist solely to challenge Republicans on social media .
Courier Newsroom Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Schrupp disagreed with the concerns regarding journalistic integrity of its writers and service .
Schrupp told The American Conservative the following , Courier Newsroom and its affiliated sites are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ editorial firewall , just like any other media company , and the managing editor of each site , in addition to me as editor in chief , has ultimate discretion and control over content published .
Painting all partisan-leaning outlets with the same brush is dangerous and too often creates false equivalency between very different types of newsrooms .
All outlets in the Courier Newsroom network operate with integrity and adhere to traditional journalistic standards .
It ’ s offensive to our journalists — many of whom have won state , regional and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to make a direct comparison to partisan outlets on the right that often don ’ t publish bylines , don ’ t hire experienced or even local reporters , don ’ t comply with basic fact-checking standards , and don ’ t do original reporting in the regions where they operate .
Courier aims to combat the misinformation spread by such right-wing sites pretending to be “ local news ” by providing readers with transparently progressive local reporting .
According to data from Facebook Ad Library , between May 2018 and July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,478,784 on Facebook ads on topics that include social issues , elections or politics .
Conservative alternatives , such as the Daily Wire or Breitbart , have spent considerably less money on Facebook advertising .
Breitbart spent $ 11,404 since March 2018 and the Daily Wire spent $ 418,578 since March 2018 according to Facebook ’ s ad library .
Courier ’ s political agenda is obvious .
By looking into their Facebook ad-buys , Courier Newsroom has spent extensively on vulnerable Democrats who came into office in the 2018 midterms .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accomplishments of narrowly elected Democrats .
Among those that are frequently featured in mass ad-buys on Facebook are : Reps. Cindy Axne , AbbyFinkenauer , Lauren Underwood , Andy Kim , Elissa Slotkin , Antonio Delgado , and Jared Golden .
These Representatives all represent crucial swing-districts ; all but Rep. Fikenauer ’ s district voted for Donald Trump in 2016 .
Americans for Public Trust reported that Rep. Andy Kim received at least $ 40,000 dollars worth of positive Facebook advertising by Courier ad-buys .
Other highlighted candidates likely have received a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Courier Newsroom ’ s goal is to help elect Democrats .
The site doesn ’ t say that , but its founder , Tara McGowan , has made this clear.
” Gabby Deutch of Newsguard , a journalism watchdog focused on identifying fake news , tells The American Conservative .
Deutch claims that Courier is different from other partisan news outlets because their intentions are not clearly stated .
Courier instead argues that they are seeking to fill a void left in local journalism .
According to The New York Times in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 local newspapers have been forced to shut down forever .
Political groups , such as Acronym , are poised to revitalize local journalism with a new twist—political advertising .
Deutch warned The American Conservative of this worrying development , “ With fewer local newspapers—a decline that ’ s gotten even worse due to the financial havoc wreaked by the pandemic—there ’ s room for political groups to fill the void , playing off people ’ s trust in local news .
So they make a site that looks like local news but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state , and then create content to woo voters.
” There are examples on the right side of the spectrum too , she points out , including the conservative Star network ( Michigan Star and Tennessee Star are two examples ) and AlphaNewsMN , a conservative Minnesota site .
“ Readers deserve to know the agenda of the websites where they get their news.
” Browsing North Carolina ’ s Courier news site Cardinal & Pine , one finds it brands itself as “ local news for the NC community.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is indeed true , with the overwhelming majority of stories highlighting the successes of North Carolina Democrats such as Governor Roy Cooper , attacking Republicans such as vulnerable Senator Thom Tillis , and promoting Democratic policy positions—notably as it relates to COVID-19 and BLM social justice protests .
Similarly , Virginia ’ s Courier news site , The Dogwood , did not publish an article detailing Virginia ’ s biggest scandal of 2019 : Governor Northam ’ s controversial blackface yearbook photo .
Nor can one find any reference of Tara Reade , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who entered the public eye earlier this spring .
Even more striking , is that as a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) , Acronym is not required to disclose donors .
Acronym in 2018 received $ 250,000 from New Venture Fund which is managed by Arabella .
Through its dark-money ties , Arabella has raised $ 2.4 billion dollars since 2006 , making it one of the largest financiers in American politics .
Arabella ’ s influence came into the limelight during the 2018 mid-term elections , in which they raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-profit .
Courier Newsroom is , in other words , entirely funded by secret donors that likely have significant ties to the Democratic Party and the Super PACs bankrolling the 2020 election .
Acronym has invested millions of dollars to establish these papers across the country with plans to continue their expansion into local media across the country in preparation for the 2020 election and beyond .
Acronym has claimed that they are separate from Courier and allow the creators to produce their own independent ideas , although , tax documents have revealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is all probably legal , ” says Bradley Smith , former Chairman of the FEC and foremost scholar on campaign finance .
“ What surprises me is that more entities–especially on the conservative side , since the majority of traditional media already lean left–don ’ t do this .
But there are examples on the right–for example , NRA Radio.
” Donors can be kept secret , as under Citizen ’ s United , the ‘ periodicals ’ of 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups do not have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Campaign Act ) Smith believes organizations such as Courier will likely be a part of a greater trend in local journalism across the country .
Pacronym , also under the Acronym umbrella , is a Democratic Super-PAC charged with the single goal of electing Joe Biden .
Pacronym ads present similar content to what one would see on a Courier publication , focusing heavily on the failures of Trump ’ s handling of COVID-19 , the struggling of small-businesses across key-swing states ( North Carolina , Arizona , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to the virus .
Courier , with the same goal , repurposes ideas by PACs and the Democratic Party by attaching a ‘ news ’ label for legitimacy .
“ The anti-Trump ads from Courier focus on the same points as Pacronym and other Democratic political groups , but if they look like news articles , the audience sees them differently than the same content coming from a politician , ” According to Deutch at Newsguard .
Pacronym donors are publicly disclosed , and may have present a clue into Courier Newsroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pacronym include billionaire hedge fund manager Seth Klarman , Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Kapshaw , a billionaire heiress to the Levi Strauss brand Mimi Haas , and silicon valley ’ s very own LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman .
Pacronym has targeted a $ 75 million-dollar digital ad campaign , primarily using Facebook , against President Trump for the upcoming election .
Acronym is also involved in another scandal , notably the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus .
Shadow Inc , also operating under Acronym ’ s umbrella , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mobilizing voters .
Shadow Inc ’ s leadership primarily consisted of 2016 ex-Clinton campaign staff .
Shadow Inc received a contract by the Iowa Democratic Party for $ 63,183 to develop an application to help count votes in the Iowa Caucus .
Shadow Inc ’ s application , the IowaReporterApp , failed to properly report the caucus , leading to a delayed result .
Campaigns , pundits , and election officials were confused due to the inconsistencies found in the results .
Candidate Pete Buttigieg claimed victory despite the caucus results not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data by the FEC , Pete Buttigieg ’ s campaign paid Shadow Inc. $ 21,250 for “ software rights and subscriptions ” in July 2019 .
Acronym CEO Tara McGowan ’ s husband , Michael Halle , was a senior strategist for the Pete Buttigieg campaign .
Michael Halle ’ s brother , Ben Halle , was Pete Buttigieg ’ s Iowa Communications Director .
Many have suspected foul play , or at least incompetence .
Courier Newsroom is distinct from both fake-news and astro-turf operations that came into the public eye during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fake content with the intent to mislead , Courier articles are legitimate and are written by real writers .
In the leaked Acronym memo , CEO Tara McGowan claimed that the Democratic Party was losing “ the media war.
” In 2014 the National Republican Congressional Committee established fake news websites and paid to boost them on Google .
These websites were deceptive with the intent on defeating the opposing candidate .
Although , these websites publicly disclosed that they were paid for by the committee at the button of the article .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ PACs , in tandem with a surge in online political advertising , have weaponized newsrooms to present misleading news for electoral success .

The non-profit that sent the Democratic Party haywire during the Iowa Caucus earlier this year has a new strategy: creating partisan news outlets in key states across the country ahead of the 2020 election. With the financial backing of Hollywood, hedge fund managers, and Silicon Valley, Acronym’s Courier Newsroom may just change local journalism and politics forever.
Courier Newsroom, created by the dark-money (not required to disclose donors) progressive non-profit Acronym, states that they were created to restore trust in journalism by helping to rebuild local media across the country. The opposite of this is true. Their true goal? Winning elections in key states.
Acronym CEO Tara McGowan, in a leaked memo obtained by Vice, has stated that the goal of establishing Courier Newsroom is to defeat Republicans on the new frontier of Internet political advertising. McGowan attributes Trump’s 2016 success to the campaign’s ability to “shape and drive mainstream media coverage” through an influx of internet spending. Courier seeks to counter this by challenging Trump on social media. By definition, Courier serves as a political advertising operation for the Democratic Party rather than a legitimate media source.
Calling for a new approach to political advertising, McGowan lambasted Hillary Clinton’s failed media strategy for its over-reliance on spending on traditional media, “In 2016, the Hillary Clinton for President campaign raised an estimated $800 million online—and spent a large majority of it on television and radio advertisements.” The 2016 election has proven to be the reason for the creation of Courier Newsroom.
McGowan explicitly states that the papers are being used to boost political results, “The Dogwood will not only function to support the flipping of both State House and State Senate chambers in Virginia this November, but will serve as a vehicle to test, learn from and scale best practices to new sites as we grow.” The Dogwood, as of the time of the writing of the leaked memo, was intended to be the prototype for future courier new sites.
Courier has established news sites across key 2020 states including: Copper Courier (Arizona), The Dogwood (Virginia), Up North News (Wisconsin), The Gander (Michigan), Cardinal & Pine (North Carolina), The Keystone (Pennsylvania), and The Americano (nationwide, intended for Latino audiences). Courier extensively utilizes social media to promote stories made by the publications, generating clicks in order to shape public voter opinion.
Courier stories are written with the intent of mobilizing women and young people. McGowan writes that Courier does this by “framing issues from health care to economic security in a way that provides these voters with more personal and local relevance than they are often targeted through traditional political ads.” While these are real stories, they are packaged with the intent on provoking a positive reaction from certain demographics of the population, in order to spur them to vote for the Democratic Party this November. Courier itself has conceded that they exist solely to challenge Republicans on social media.
Courier Newsroom Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Schrupp disagreed with the concerns regarding journalistic integrity of its writers and service. Schrupp told The American Conservative the following,
Courier Newsroom and its affiliated sites are independent from ACRONYM. We maintain an editorial firewall, just like any other media company, and the managing editor of each site, in addition to me as editor in chief, has ultimate discretion and control over content published. Painting all partisan-leaning outlets with the same brush is dangerous and too often creates false equivalency between very different types of newsrooms. All outlets in the Courier Newsroom network operate with integrity and adhere to traditional journalistic standards. It’s offensive to our journalists — many of whom have won state, regional and national awards for their reporting — to try to make a direct comparison to partisan outlets on the right that often don’t publish bylines, don’t hire experienced or even local reporters, don’t comply with basic fact-checking standards, and don’t do original reporting in the regions where they operate. Courier aims to combat the misinformation spread by such right-wing sites pretending to be “local news” by providing readers with transparently progressive local reporting.
According to data from Facebook Ad Library, between May 2018 and July 12, 2020 Courier Newsroom spent $1,478,784 on Facebook ads on topics that include social issues, elections or politics. Conservative alternatives, such as the Daily Wire or Breitbart, have spent considerably less money on Facebook advertising. Breitbart spent $11,404 since March 2018 and the Daily Wire spent $418,578 since March 2018 according to Facebook’s ad library.
Courier’s political agenda is obvious. By looking into their Facebook ad-buys, Courier Newsroom has spent extensively on vulnerable Democrats who came into office in the 2018 midterms. These pieces, while factual, highlight the accomplishments of narrowly elected Democrats.
Among those that are frequently featured in mass ad-buys on Facebook are:
Reps. Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer, Lauren Underwood, Andy Kim, Elissa Slotkin, Antonio Delgado, and Jared Golden. These Representatives all represent crucial swing-districts; all but Rep. Fikenauer’s district voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Americans for Public Trust reported that Rep. Andy Kim received at least $40,000 dollars worth of positive Facebook advertising by Courier ad-buys. Other highlighted candidates likely have received a similar amount in positive coverage.
“Courier Newsroom’s goal is to help elect Democrats. The site doesn’t say that, but its founder, Tara McGowan, has made this clear.” Gabby Deutch of Newsguard, a journalism watchdog focused on identifying fake news, tells The American Conservative. Deutch claims that Courier is different from other partisan news outlets because their intentions are not clearly stated. Courier instead argues that they are seeking to fill a void left in local journalism.
According to The New York Times in a story published in 2019, 1 in 5 local newspapers have been forced to shut down forever. Political groups, such as Acronym, are poised to revitalize local journalism with a new twist—political advertising. Deutch warned The American Conservative of this worrying development, “With fewer local newspapers—a decline that’s gotten even worse due to the financial havoc wreaked by the pandemic—there’s room for political groups to fill the void, playing off people’s trust in local news. So they make a site that looks like local news but has few (if any) reporters in the state, and then create content to woo voters.”
There are examples on the right side of the spectrum too, she points out, including the conservative Star network (Michigan Star and Tennessee Star are two examples) and AlphaNewsMN, a conservative Minnesota site. “Readers deserve to know the agenda of the websites where they get their news.”
Browsing North Carolina’s Courier news site Cardinal & Pine, one finds it brands itself as “local news for the NC community.” Newsguard’s assessment of Courier, is indeed true, with the overwhelming majority of stories highlighting the successes of North Carolina Democrats such as Governor Roy Cooper, attacking Republicans such as vulnerable Senator Thom Tillis, and promoting Democratic policy positions—notably as it relates to COVID-19 and BLM social justice protests. Similarly, Virginia’s Courier news site, The Dogwood, did not publish an article detailing Virginia’s biggest scandal of 2019: Governor Northam’s controversial blackface yearbook photo. Nor can one find any reference of Tara Reade, Joe Biden’s sexual assault accuser who entered the public eye earlier this spring.
Even more striking, is that as a 501(c)(4), Acronym is not required to disclose donors. Acronym in 2018 received $250,000 from New Venture Fund which is managed by Arabella. Through its dark-money ties, Arabella has raised $2.4 billion dollars since 2006, making it one of the largest financiers in American politics. Arabella’s influence came into the limelight during the 2018 mid-term elections, in which they raised the most ever by a left-leaning political non-profit. Courier Newsroom is, in other words, entirely funded by secret donors that likely have significant ties to the Democratic Party and the Super PACs bankrolling the 2020 election.
Acronym has invested millions of dollars to establish these papers across the country with plans to continue their expansion into local media across the country in preparation for the 2020 election and beyond. Acronym has claimed that they are separate from Courier and allow the creators to produce their own independent ideas, although, tax documents have revealed them to be full owners.
“This is all probably legal,” says Bradley Smith, former Chairman of the FEC and foremost scholar on campaign finance. “What surprises me is that more entities–especially on the conservative side, since the majority of traditional media already lean left–don’t do this. But there are examples on the right–for example, NRA Radio.” Donors can be kept secret, as under Citizen’s United, the ‘periodicals’ of 501(c)(4) groups do not have to be filed with FECA. (Federal Election Campaign Act) Smith believes organizations such as Courier will likely be a part of a greater trend in local journalism across the country.
Pacronym, also under the Acronym umbrella, is a Democratic Super-PAC charged with the single goal of electing Joe Biden. Pacronym ads present similar content to what one would see on a Courier publication, focusing heavily on the failures of Trump’s handling of COVID-19, the struggling of small-businesses across key-swing states (North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), and Joe Biden’s proposed response to the virus.
Courier, with the same goal, repurposes ideas by PACs and the Democratic Party by attaching a ‘news’ label for legitimacy. “The anti-Trump ads from Courier focus on the same points as Pacronym and other Democratic political groups, but if they look like news articles, the audience sees them differently than the same content coming from a politician,” According to Deutch at Newsguard.
Pacronym donors are publicly disclosed, and may have present a clue into Courier Newsroom’s finances. Some notable financiers of Pacronym include billionaire hedge fund manager Seth Klarman, Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Kapshaw, a billionaire heiress to the Levi Strauss brand Mimi Haas, and silicon valley’s very own LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. Pacronym has targeted a $75 million-dollar digital ad campaign, primarily using Facebook, against President Trump for the upcoming election.
Acronym is also involved in another scandal, notably the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus. Shadow Inc, also operating under Acronym’s umbrella, was established with the purpose of digitally registering and mobilizing voters. Shadow Inc’s leadership primarily consisted of 2016 ex-Clinton campaign staff. Shadow Inc received a contract by the Iowa Democratic Party for $63,183 to develop an application to help count votes in the Iowa Caucus. Shadow Inc’s application, the IowaReporterApp, failed to properly report the caucus, leading to a delayed result. Campaigns, pundits, and election officials were confused due to the inconsistencies found in the results.
Candidate Pete Buttigieg claimed victory despite the caucus results not having been properly released. According to data by the FEC, Pete Buttigieg’s campaign paid Shadow Inc. $21,250 for “software rights and subscriptions” in July 2019. Acronym CEO Tara McGowan’s husband, Michael Halle, was a senior strategist for the Pete Buttigieg campaign. Michael Halle’s brother, Ben Halle, was Pete Buttigieg’s Iowa Communications Director. Many have suspected foul play, or at least incompetence.
Courier Newsroom is distinct from both fake-news and astro-turf operations that came into the public eye during the 2016 election. Rather than produce fake content with the intent to mislead, Courier articles are legitimate and are written by real writers. In the leaked Acronym memo, CEO Tara McGowan claimed that the Democratic Party was losing “the media war.”
In 2014 the National Republican Congressional Committee established fake news websites and paid to boost them on Google. These websites were deceptive with the intent on defeating the opposing candidate. Although, these websites publicly disclosed that they were paid for by the committee at the button of the article. Courier’s funding remains undisclosed.
PACs, in tandem with a surge in online political advertising, have weaponized newsrooms to present misleading news for electoral success.


theamericanconservative--2020-07-31--Despite Latest Scandal, ‘Sorry’ Trudeau Will Limp Through Next Election

Justin Trudeau ’ s fall from grace has been a tiring path to follow .
Once globally admired for his progressive platitudes , the prime minister no longer inspires much enthusiasm from anyone .
Even the ever-dignified CNN , who once swooned over every Trudeau policy or hair flip , has predicted a gloomy chance of survival for the prime minister .
Fortunately enough for Trudeau , Canada is not a serious democracy .
Accountability simply does not exist north of the 49th parallel .
Trudeau , in 2015 , promised to “ shine a light on government.
” After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister can , at the very least , point to the fulfillment of this promise : the public are now painfully aware of the rampant cronyism and corruption that exists between the government and various insider organizations .
Over the past few weeks , Justin Trudeau has been fighting to keep his luscious locks above water after the Liberal Party awarded a $ 900 million , sole-sourced contract to the WE Charity Foundation—a semi-charitable organization that has been described as cultish by no less than fourteen former employees .
After the slightest bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the ever-faithful Candian public that the civil service suggested that WE should administer this contract ( Ottawa ’ s technocrats have vehemently denied this from the outset ) .
Then it was revealed that one of the charity ’ s co-founders had donated the maximum amount of money legally permitted by Canadian law towards Trudeau ’ s leadership campaign .
This was shrugged off by the Liberals as a mere coincidence—this is a standard practice of government , they pleaded .
What was rather more difficult to legitimize was Trudeau ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trudeau ’ s wife , Sophie , hosted a podcast for WE ; his mother was given $ 250,000 in speaking fees ; his brother , Alexandre , received a similarly plushy $ 32,000 from the organization .
There ’ s a word for all these links : it ’ s called corruption .
Through either arrogance or stupidity , the prime minister apparently never perceived that this could constitute a conflict of interest .
Consider for a moment how the American , French , or British press would ’ ve reacted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other hand , the establishment media have gorged themselves on government subsidies , and could hardly muster the strength to raise an eyebrow .
What distinguishes this scandal from other Liberal transgressions is that this involves the entire Liberal establishment .
Trudeau ’ s Minister Bill Morneau , for instance , also had connections to WE : One of his daughters proudly brandished the WE co-founder ’ s endorsement on the front cover of her book ; his other daughter is a paid employee of the charity .
Worse still , Morneau ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finance minister ) “ forgot ” about a $ 41,000 all-expenses-paid , luxury vacation in Ecuador , courtesy of WE .
However , this isn ’ t out of character .
Morneau has been known to conveniently omit exceptionally pertinent details from recollection : What other minister would only remember to pay this money back one day before his hearing ; or could forget about his luxurious villa in France in 2017 ?
“ There is scarcely a less dignified entity than a patrician in a panic , ” said Benjamin Disraeli .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1 billion , seemed to exemplify that fact last week—spluttering and wriggling as he told journalists that he , like Trudeau , did not recuse himself from the WE contract decision .
As Liberal tradition now dictates , neither the prime minister nor the finance minister will resign .
Being the feminists that they are , the two men have employed the tactic of throwing a minority , female minister under the bus .
They used a similar tactic against Jody Wilson-Raybould in 2019 after the SNC-Lavalin scandal .
“ I made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am sorry , ” said Justin Trudeau again this week after these reports began to emerge .
The same sort of line was issued after his embarrassing black/brownface photos became public ; it was issued after the SNC-Lavalin affair .
After racism , corruption , and now cronyism , as long as the prime minister is apologetic , he can keep going .
Who , exactly , is to stand in his way ?
“ This is just how things work , ” goes the repulsive platitude , uttered all-too-frequently by members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form Canada ’ s media , civil , and corporate institutions .
There is simply no incentive to confront this government—especially now that conservatives have vowed to end the practice of media subsidies .
The Conservative Party remains incompetent and archaic ; and 36 million Canadians are noted for their political passivity ( a euphemistic word for apathy ) .
Perhaps the most revealing point of this scandal is not the cronyism , but the fact the Trudeau government really thought that this would go unnoticed .
Morneau and Trudeau “ are blinded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canadian icon Rex Murphy .
Referencing F. Scott Fitzgerald , he argued that the Liberal establishment “ think , deep in their hearts , that they are better than we are.
” I have spent much of my career defending the elite from this sentence .
Yet , in Justin Trudeau ’ s Canada , this ethos is incontestable .
The Liberal blob really does believe that this is justified : no matter what they do , they still profess to be more virtuous than the Conservatives .
It is a perverse form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Liberals believe that they simply possess the moral right to govern , whether Canadians understand it or not .
I often feel a bit like the Cassandra of Canadian politics : Justin Trudeau ’ s government has suffered in the polls , but not significantly .
The opposition party has been dogged by an intense leadership contest that threatens irrevocable damage .
Whenever the next election is called—and it could be soon—Trudeau will once again limp into the prime minister ’ s office , wounded yet alive .
Nico Johnson is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Originally from the U.K. , Nico now lives and works in Montreal , Quebec .

Justin Trudeau’s fall from grace has been a tiring path to follow. Once globally admired for his progressive platitudes, the prime minister no longer inspires much enthusiasm from anyone. Even the ever-dignified CNN, who once swooned over every Trudeau policy or hair flip, has predicted a gloomy chance of survival for the prime minister.
Fortunately enough for Trudeau, Canada is not a serious democracy. Accountability simply does not exist north of the 49th parallel. Trudeau, in 2015, promised to “shine a light on government.” After this most recent scandal, the prime minister can, at the very least, point to the fulfillment of this promise: the public are now painfully aware of the rampant cronyism and corruption that exists between the government and various insider organizations.
Over the past few weeks, Justin Trudeau has been fighting to keep his luscious locks above water after the Liberal Party awarded a $900 million, sole-sourced contract to the WE Charity Foundation—a semi-charitable organization that has been described as cultish by no less than fourteen former employees.
After the slightest bit of scrutiny, the prime minister happily told the ever-faithful Candian public that the civil service suggested that WE should administer this contract (Ottawa’s technocrats have vehemently denied this from the outset). Then it was revealed that one of the charity’s co-founders had donated the maximum amount of money legally permitted by Canadian law towards Trudeau’s leadership campaign.
This was shrugged off by the Liberals as a mere coincidence—this is a standard practice of government, they pleaded. What was rather more difficult to legitimize was Trudeau’s familial connections to the organization: Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie, hosted a podcast for WE; his mother was given $250,000 in speaking fees; his brother, Alexandre, received a similarly plushy $32,000 from the organization.
There’s a word for all these links: it’s called corruption. Through either arrogance or stupidity, the prime minister apparently never perceived that this could constitute a conflict of interest.
Consider for a moment how the American, French, or British press would’ve reacted to this. In Canada, on the other hand, the establishment media have gorged themselves on government subsidies, and could hardly muster the strength to raise an eyebrow.
What distinguishes this scandal from other Liberal transgressions is that this involves the entire Liberal establishment. Trudeau’s Minister Bill Morneau, for instance, also had connections to WE: One of his daughters proudly brandished the WE co-founder’s endorsement on the front cover of her book; his other daughter is a paid employee of the charity.
Worse still, Morneau (who I remind you, is the finance minister) “forgot” about a $41,000 all-expenses-paid, luxury vacation in Ecuador, courtesy of WE. However, this isn’t out of character. Morneau has been known to conveniently omit exceptionally pertinent details from recollection: What other minister would only remember to pay this money back one day before his hearing; or could forget about his luxurious villa in France in 2017?
“There is scarcely a less dignified entity than a patrician in a panic,” said Benjamin Disraeli. Bill Morneau, who inherited a cool $1 billion, seemed to exemplify that fact last week—spluttering and wriggling as he told journalists that he, like Trudeau, did not recuse himself from the WE contract decision.
As Liberal tradition now dictates, neither the prime minister nor the finance minister will resign. Being the feminists that they are, the two men have employed the tactic of throwing a minority, female minister under the bus. They used a similar tactic against Jody Wilson-Raybould in 2019 after the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
“I made a mistake in not recusing myself. I am sorry,” said Justin Trudeau again this week after these reports began to emerge. The same sort of line was issued after his embarrassing black/brownface photos became public; it was issued after the SNC-Lavalin affair. After racism, corruption, and now cronyism, as long as the prime minister is apologetic, he can keep going. Who, exactly, is to stand in his way?
“This is just how things work,” goes the repulsive platitude, uttered all-too-frequently by members of the progressive, metropolitan blob who form Canada’s media, civil, and corporate institutions. There is simply no incentive to confront this government—especially now that conservatives have vowed to end the practice of media subsidies. The Conservative Party remains incompetent and archaic; and 36 million Canadians are noted for their political passivity (a euphemistic word for apathy).
Perhaps the most revealing point of this scandal is not the cronyism, but the fact the Trudeau government really thought that this would go unnoticed. Morneau and Trudeau “are blinded by their entitlement,” argued the Canadian icon Rex Murphy. Referencing F. Scott Fitzgerald, he argued that the Liberal establishment “think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are.”
I have spent much of my career defending the elite from this sentence. Yet, in Justin Trudeau’s Canada, this ethos is incontestable. The Liberal blob really does believe that this is justified: no matter what they do, they still profess to be more virtuous than the Conservatives. It is a perverse form of noblesse oblige, in a way. The Liberals believe that they simply possess the moral right to govern, whether Canadians understand it or not.
I often feel a bit like the Cassandra of Canadian politics: Justin Trudeau’s government has suffered in the polls, but not significantly. The opposition party has been dogged by an intense leadership contest that threatens irrevocable damage. Whenever the next election is called—and it could be soon—Trudeau will once again limp into the prime minister’s office, wounded yet alive.
Nico Johnson is a political correspondent at The Post Millennial. Originally from the U.K., Nico now lives and works in Montreal, Quebec.


theamericanconservative--2020-07-31--Let’s Talk About Contemporary Slavery

Let’s Talk About Contemporary Slavery

A group of foreign women rounded up by police from karaoke bars in Thailand 's southern province of Narathiwat are taken to city hall during a campaign against prostitution and human trafficking involving women and minors on November 9 , 2018 .
- About 50 Laotian women were rounded up by authorities for investigation .
( Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP ) ( Photo credit should read MADAREE TOHLALA/AFP via Getty Images ) Slavery is at the forefront of American public discourse these days .
Some focus their attention on public monuments—even to our nation ’ s founders—and whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an endorsement of our country ’ s “ original sin.
” Some debate the degree to which slavery affects institutional racism in America ’ s criminal justice system , housing policies , and education disparities , among others .
Still others argue over reparations for the descendants of black slaves .
Yet largely overlooked in this “ national conversation ” is another tragedy : slavery still exists in the United States , and it disproportionately affects black Americans .
Many readers may be surprised to learn that about 40.3 million people globally are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Labour Organization ( ILO ) to be enslaved today ( that ’ s about 80 times the number of people who have thus far died from the coronavirus ) .
It is also more than at any point in history .
“ A person today is considered enslaved , ” explains a February 2019 article at The Guardian , “ if they are forced to work against their will ; are owned or controlled by an exploiter or ‘ employer ’ ; have limited freedom of movement ; or are dehumanised , treated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as property.
” Globally , more than half of current victims are in forced labor , while more than a third are living in forced marriages .
Slavery , which is most prevalent in Africa and Asia , is big business , generating about $ 150 billion each year .
Slavery may seem a distant problem , but a 2018 U.S. Department of State report ranks the United States alongside Mexico and the Philippines as the three worst countries in the world for human trafficking , one form of slavery .
The number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be classified as enduring some manner of slavery are notoriously difficult to estimate , though some experts suspect it could be as high as the hundreds of thousands , if one includes child labor and forced sex work .
An estimated 14,000-20,000 people are estimated to be trafficked into the United States every year .
More than 300,000 young people in this country are considered “ at risk ” of sexual exploitation , according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report .
Approximately 199,000 incidents of sexual exploitation occur @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insatiable demand of the sex industry drives much of this .
“ We have a major issue here in the United States ” said Geoff Rogers , co-founder of the United States Institute Against Human Trafficking ( USIAHT ) , in a June 2019 interview .
“ The United States is the No .
1 consumer of sex worldwide .
So we are driving the demand as a society.
” Many of the people trafficked in the sex industry are from outside the United States , particularly Mexico .
But most are American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States , 85 percent of victims that are trafficked here are from here , ” said Brook Bello , founder of anti-trafficking organization More Too Life in Florida .
“ These are American kids , American born , 50 % to 60 % of them coming out of the foster care industry.
” Moreover , trafficking disproportionately affects black , latino , and Native Americans .
According to one study , 40 % of victims of human trafficking are African-Americans .
African American children comprise 52 % of all juvenile prostitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the top jurisdictions for trafficking in the United States , an estimated 40 % of sex trafficking victims in 2015 were Native American .
Also in 2015 , half of the Homeland Security ’ s “ most wanted ” sex traffickers were from a single place in Mexico : Tenancingo , Tlaxcala .
Given these disparities , one might think there would be a groundswell of activist demand to address this human rights crisis .
Yet there is no mention of human trafficking on Black Lives Matter ’ s mission statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for that matter .
A few voices have sought to associate BLM ’ s broader policy objectives with fighting trafficking , but these have so far been rare .
“ The way that law enforcement is addressing ( human trafficking ) right now is a microcosm of everything that the Black Lives Matter movement is talking about , ” Vanessa Bouche , an Associate Professor at Texas Christian University told Reuters .
Michelle Mason at John Jay College , has similarly urged using “ the current momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trafficking of young black girls , ” as well as reform the criminal justice system to not incarcerate and criminalize victims of this industry .
Some BLM objectives may actually aggravate trafficking and its effects on the black community .
The Washington , D.C. chapter of BLM , for example , is calling for the decriminalization of sex work .
“ This will cause more harm and more exploitation of our most marginalized people , ” Yasmin Vafa of Rights4Girls told the New York Times .
“ Girls have told us they heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from their pimps , who were excited about it .
If pimps and sex buyers are on the same side of this legislative proposal , doesn ’ t that say something to the other supporters ?
” Defunding the police , another frequent BLM demand , would have similar effects .
“ The specialist nature of investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases at the local level… would be affected by defunding policing agencies , ” argues Dr. Roberto Potter , a sociologist teaching in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the impact of further reducing the availability of personnel to address human trafficking and similar activities.
” More provocatively , Jaco Booyens , a vocal activist in the fight against child sex trafficking and fellow at Liberty University , recently argued at Newsweek that “ defunding the police would directly benefit pedophiles and sex traffickers who prey upon innocent Americans.
” None of this is intended as a distraction from legitimate , overdue demands to address institutional racism .
Indeed , in some cases the two intersect .
Some data , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disproportionately impacts African-Americans .
Black people who are convicted of sex trafficking minors are on average sentenced for 39 months longer than white people , according to a database created by Bouche .
Moreover , many of those arrested or convicted of participation in sex trafficking are treated as criminals rather than victims .
Only eighteen states have adopted a human trafficking affirmative defense statute , which requires a court to determine if a survivor ’ s criminal act is a direct result of his or her trafficking .
Rather , this article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inhumanities suffered by black Americans .
Most human trafficking victims are underage , and a significant percentage are coming out of foster-care and other broken-home situations .
This points to another crisis — the disintegration of black families , as the majority of black children grow up in broken homes ( BLM , according to its website , aims to “ disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement ” ) .
Yet another is abortion , which Dr. Carol Swain ( of Black Faces , Black Interests : The Representation of African Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modern genocide committed against the black community ( BLM often collaborates with pro-choice activists ) .
Nor is this a case of “ whataboutism ” aimed at distracting from demands to address other racial injustices ( indeed , as noted , other black Americans are urging BLM and other activists to care about this ) .
Rather , it is aimed at addressing one of the most extreme manifestations of this inhumanity , the current enslavement of people ( of whom a disproportionate number are black ) in this country ( and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here , here and here ) .
So sure , let ’ s talk about slavery .
Let ’ s talk about contemporary slavery vis-a-vis human trafficking in the United States .
And let ’ s take aggressive action to combat it .
Apart from the policy issues mentioned above , there are efforts to shut down Pornhub , the largest pornography website in the world , one which does not police itself , and is notorious for enabling and profiting off of the mass sex-trafficking and exploitation of women and minors .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a far better impact than attacking a statue of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson .

Slavery is at the forefront of American public discourse these days. Some focus their attention on public monuments—even to our nation’s founders—and whether or not such public art is somehow an endorsement of our country’s “original sin.” Some debate the degree to which slavery affects institutional racism in America’s criminal justice system, housing policies, and education disparities, among others. Still others argue over reparations for the descendants of black slaves.
Yet largely overlooked in this “national conversation” is another tragedy: slavery still exists in the United States, and it disproportionately affects black Americans.
Many readers may be surprised to learn that about 40.3 million people globally are estimated by the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) to be enslaved today (that’s about 80 times the number of people who have thus far died from the coronavirus). It is also more than at any point in history. “A person today is considered enslaved,” explains a February 2019 article at The Guardian, “if they are forced to work against their will; are owned or controlled by an exploiter or ‘employer’; have limited freedom of movement; or are dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as property.” Globally, more than half of current victims are in forced labor, while more than a third are living in forced marriages. Slavery, which is most prevalent in Africa and Asia, is big business, generating about $150 billion each year.
Slavery may seem a distant problem, but a 2018 U.S. Department of State report ranks the United States alongside Mexico and the Philippines as the three worst countries in the world for human trafficking, one form of slavery. The number of people in the United States who would be classified as enduring some manner of slavery are notoriously difficult to estimate, though some experts suspect it could be as high as the hundreds of thousands, if one includes child labor and forced sex work. An estimated 14,000-20,000 people are estimated to be trafficked into the United States every year. More than 300,000 young people in this country are considered “at risk” of sexual exploitation, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report. Approximately 199,000 incidents of sexual exploitation occur within the U.S. each year.
The insatiable demand of the sex industry drives much of this. “We have a major issue here in the United States” said Geoff Rogers, co-founder of the United States Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT), in a June 2019 interview. “The United States is the No. 1 consumer of sex worldwide. So we are driving the demand as a society.” Many of the people trafficked in the sex industry are from outside the United States, particularly Mexico. But most are American. “If you are trafficked in the United States, 85 percent of victims that are trafficked here are from here,” said Brook Bello, founder of anti-trafficking organization More Too Life in Florida. “These are American kids, American born, 50% to 60% of them coming out of the foster care industry.”
Moreover, trafficking disproportionately affects black, latino, and Native Americans. According to one study, 40% of victims of human trafficking are African-Americans. African American children comprise 52% of all juvenile prostitution arrests. In Phoenix, Arizona, one of the top jurisdictions for trafficking in the United States, an estimated 40% of sex trafficking victims in 2015 were Native American. Also in 2015, half of the Homeland Security’s “most wanted” sex traffickers were from a single place in Mexico: Tenancingo,Tlaxcala.
Given these disparities, one might think there would be a groundswell of activist demand to address this human rights crisis. Yet there is no mention of human trafficking on Black Lives Matter’s mission statement, nor *anywhere* on their website, for that matter. A few voices have sought to associate BLM’s broader policy objectives with fighting trafficking, but these have so far been rare. “The way that law enforcement is addressing (human trafficking) right now is a microcosm of everything that the Black Lives Matter movement is talking about,” Vanessa Bouche, an Associate Professor at Texas Christian University told Reuters. Michelle Mason at John Jay College, has similarly urged using “the current momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement” to end “ the targeted sex trafficking of young black girls,” as well as reform the criminal justice system to not incarcerate and criminalize victims of this industry.
Some BLM objectives may actually aggravate trafficking and its effects on the black community. The Washington, D.C. chapter of BLM, for example, is calling for the decriminalization of sex work. “This will cause more harm and more exploitation of our most marginalized people,” Yasmin Vafa of Rights4Girls told the New York Times. “Girls have told us they heard about the bill for the first time from their pimps, who were excited about it. If pimps and sex buyers are on the same side of this legislative proposal, doesn’t that say something to the other supporters?”
Defunding the police, another frequent BLM demand, would have similar effects. “The specialist nature of investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases at the local level… would be affected by defunding policing agencies,” argues Dr. Roberto Potter, a sociologist teaching in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Central Florida. “Defunding is likely to have the impact of further reducing the availability of personnel to address human trafficking and similar activities.” More provocatively, Jaco Booyens, a vocal activist in the fight against child sex trafficking and fellow at Liberty University, recently argued at Newsweek that “defunding the police would directly benefit pedophiles and sex traffickers who prey upon innocent Americans.”
None of this is intended as a distraction from legitimate, overdue demands to address institutional racism. Indeed, in some cases the two intersect. Some data, for example, indicates our criminal justice system disproportionately impacts African-Americans. Black people who are convicted of sex trafficking minors are on average sentenced for 39 months longer than white people, according to a database created by Bouche. Moreover, many of those arrested or convicted of participation in sex trafficking are treated as criminals rather than victims. Only eighteen states have adopted a human trafficking affirmative defense statute, which requires a court to determine if a survivor’s criminal act is a direct result of his or her trafficking.
Rather, this article urges a broader contemplation of the myriad inhumanities suffered by black Americans. Most human trafficking victims are underage, and a significant percentage are coming out of foster-care and other broken-home situations. This points to another crisis — the disintegration of black families, as the majority of black children grow up in broken homes (BLM, according to its website, aims to “disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement”). Yet another is abortion, which Dr. Carol Swain (of Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress fame) has labeled a modern genocide committed against the black community (BLM often collaborates with pro-choice activists).
Nor is this a case of “whataboutism” aimed at distracting from demands to address other racial injustices (indeed, as noted, other black Americans are urging BLM and other activists to care about this). Rather, it is aimed at addressing one of the most extreme manifestations of this inhumanity, the current enslavement of people (of whom a disproportionate number are black) in this country (and a topic TAC has consistently covered; see here, here and here).
So sure, let’s talk about slavery. Let’s talk about contemporary slavery vis-a-vis human trafficking in the United States. And let’s take aggressive action to combat it. Apart from the policy issues mentioned above, there are efforts to shut down Pornhub, the largest pornography website in the world, one which does not police itself, and is notorious for enabling and profiting off of the mass sex-trafficking and exploitation of women and minors. Trust me, taking that down will have a far better impact than attacking a statue of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson.
Casey Chalk covers religion and other issues for The American Conservative and is a senior writer for Crisis Magazine. He has degrees in history and teaching from the University of Virginia, and a masters in theology from Christendom College.


theamericanconservative--2020-07-31--The Biden Rule: ‘No Men Need Apply!’

The Biden Rule: ‘No Men Need Apply!’

WILMINGTON , DE - JULY 28 : Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden reacts when asked a question from a journalist after delivering a speech at the William Hicks Anderson Community Center , on July 28 , 2020 in Wilmington , Delaware .
( Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images ) There is a real possibility that , this coming week , Joe Biden will be selecting the 47th president of the United States .
For the woman Biden picks — he has promised to exclude from consideration all men , black , brown , white or Asian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the presidency than any vice presidential nominee in U.S. history , other than perhaps Harry Truman .
In 1944 , the Democratic establishment engineered the dumping of radical Henry Wallace from Roosevelt ’ s ticket .
They could see from FDR ’ s physical deterioration that he would not last through a full fourth term .
There are other reasons the woman Biden chooses in August may become our 47th president .
If Biden wins , he will be 78 when he takes the oath , older than our eldest president , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office after two terms .
Biden would turn 80 even before he reached the midpoint of his first term .
Moreover , Biden has suffered a transparent deterioration of his mental capacities that was nowhere evident when he debated Mitt Romney ’ s running mate Paul Ryan in 2012 .
What are the odds that Biden would serve a full term ?
Of our 45 presidents , nine failed to complete the term to which they had been elected .
One resigned ; four died in office ; and four were assassinated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ president .
John Tyler became president in 1841 when William Henry Harrison died a month into office of pneumonia , following an inaugural address of nearly two hours in the cold without an overcoat .
Tyler would effect the annexation of the Republic of Texas in his final days in 1845 , fail to win his party ’ s nomination to a full term , back the secession of Virginia in 1861 , and end his days as a member of the Confederate Congress sitting in Richmond in 1862 .
Mexican War hero @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second year in 1850 , to be succeeded by Millard Fillmore , who would go on to become the 1856 nominee of the anti-Catholic , anti-immigrant American Party known to history as the “ Know Nothings.
” Andrew Johnson became president after the assassination of Lincoln at Ford ’ s Theater a month after Lincoln ’ s second inaugural .
Johnson would be impeached in 1868 by radical Republicans who wanted a more severe Reconstruction of a defeated and occupied South .
Chester Arthur succeeded James Garfield in 1881 after President Garfield suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s bullet at a D.C. train station , only months into his first year in office .
Teddy Roosevelt became our youngest president in 1901 when he succeeded the assassinated William McKinley .
In our own time , Lyndon Johnson succeeded John F. Kennedy after Dallas in November 1963 .
In addition to Tyler , Fillmore , Andrew Johnson , Arthur , TR and LBJ , three vice presidents succeeded to the presidency in the 20th century on the death or departure of the men who selected them : Calvin Coolidge on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harry Truman on the death of FDR in April 1945 , and Gerald Ford on the resignation of Richard Nixon .
Thus , of our four dozen vice presidents , all of whom have been white men , nine have risen to the nation ’ s highest office to fill out a term of the president who selected him .
Yet , with the pandemic crisis , the economic crisis and the racial crisis gripping the nation , what are the unique conditions Biden has set down for the person he would put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden began his selection process by eliminating and discriminating against whole categories of people .
First , no white men need apply .
Second , no man of any race , color or creed will be considered .
Gender rules them out , though every vice president for 230 years has been a man .
Nevertheless , says Biden , this one has to be a woman .
“ No men need apply !
” automatically eliminated 17 of the 24 Democratic governors who are men , including Andrew Cuomo of New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it eliminated 30 of the 47 Democratic members of the Senate who are men .
In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing and protests , pressure has grown on Biden not only to choose a woman but a woman of color , and preferably a Black woman .
If that were a criterion , it would eliminate all but a tiny few of the party ’ s senators and governors .
What national interest impelled Biden to so restrict the pool of talent from which a possible presidential successor would be chosen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man ever to serve as president .
He would enter office with visibly diminished mental capacities .
And he has decided to restrict his choice as to who should inherit our highest office by ruling out the vast majority of the most able and experienced leaders of his own Democratic Party .
Is this any way to select someone who could , in a heartbeat , take control of the destiny of the world ’ s most powerful nation ?
Whatever happened to Jimmy Carter ’ s “ Why Not the Best ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ Nixon ’ s White House Wars : The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever .
”

There is a real possibility that, this coming week, Joe Biden will be selecting the 47th president of the United States.
For the woman Biden picks — he has promised to exclude from consideration all men, black, brown, white or Asian — has a better chance of succeeding to the presidency than any vice presidential nominee in U.S. history, other than perhaps Harry Truman.
In 1944, the Democratic establishment engineered the dumping of radical Henry Wallace from Roosevelt’s ticket. They could see from FDR’s physical deterioration that he would not last through a full fourth term.
There are other reasons the woman Biden chooses in August may become our 47th president.
If Biden wins, he will be 78 when he takes the oath, older than our eldest president, Ronald Reagan, was when he left office after two terms. Biden would turn 80 even before he reached the midpoint of his first term.
Moreover, Biden has suffered a transparent deterioration of his mental capacities that was nowhere evident when he debated Mitt Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan in 2012.
What are the odds that Biden would serve a full term?
Of our 45 presidents, nine failed to complete the term to which they had been elected. One resigned; four died in office; and four were assassinated. All nine were succeeded by their vice president.
John Tyler became president in 1841 when William Henry Harrison died a month into office of pneumonia, following an inaugural address of nearly two hours in the cold without an overcoat.
Tyler would effect the annexation of the Republic of Texas in his final days in 1845, fail to win his party’s nomination to a full term, back the secession of Virginia in 1861, and end his days as a member of the Confederate Congress sitting in Richmond in 1862.
Mexican War hero and President Zachary Taylor died in his second year in 1850, to be succeeded by Millard Fillmore, who would go on to become the 1856 nominee of the anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant American Party known to history as the “Know Nothings.”
Andrew Johnson became president after the assassination of Lincoln at Ford’s Theater a month after Lincoln’s second inaugural.
Johnson would be impeached in 1868 by radical Republicans who wanted a more severe Reconstruction of a defeated and occupied South.
Chester Arthur succeeded James Garfield in 1881 after President Garfield suffered a mortal wound from an assassin’s bullet at a D.C. train station, only months into his first year in office.
Teddy Roosevelt became our youngest president in 1901 when he succeeded the assassinated William McKinley. In our own time, Lyndon Johnson succeeded John F. Kennedy after Dallas in November 1963.
In addition to Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Arthur, TR and LBJ, three vice presidents succeeded to the presidency in the 20th century on the death or departure of the men who selected them: Calvin Coolidge on the death of Warren Harding in 1923, Harry Truman on the death of FDR in April 1945, and Gerald Ford on the resignation of Richard Nixon.
Thus, of our four dozen vice presidents, all of whom have been white men, nine have risen to the nation’s highest office to fill out a term of the president who selected him.
Yet, with the pandemic crisis, the economic crisis and the racial crisis gripping the nation, what are the unique conditions Biden has set down for the person he would put a heartbeat away from the presidency?
Biden began his selection process by eliminating and discriminating against whole categories of people.
First, no white men need apply. Second, no man of any race, color or creed will be considered. Gender rules them out, though every vice president for 230 years has been a man.
Nevertheless, says Biden, this one has to be a woman.
“No men need apply!” automatically eliminated 17 of the 24 Democratic governors who are men, including Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California, and it eliminated 30 of the 47 Democratic members of the Senate who are men.
In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing and protests, pressure has grown on Biden not only to choose a woman but a woman of color, and preferably a Black woman. If that were a criterion, it would eliminate all but a tiny few of the party’s senators and governors.
What national interest impelled Biden to so restrict the pool of talent from which a possible presidential successor would be chosen?
Joe Biden would be the oldest man ever to serve as president. He would enter office with visibly diminished mental capacities. And he has decided to restrict his choice as to who should inherit our highest office by ruling out the vast majority of the most able and experienced leaders of his own Democratic Party.
Is this any way to select someone who could, in a heartbeat, take control of the destiny of the world’s most powerful nation?
Whatever happened to Jimmy Carter’s “Why Not the Best?”
Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.”


theamericanconservative--2020-08-04--Joe Biden is Not a Nice Guy

Joe Biden is Not a Nice Guy

You have probably heard variations on these arguments put forward by friends who want you to vote for Biden .
Whether they get into the grubby details or not , we know what they ’ re saying : he hasn ’ t been married three times , and he wasn ’ t involved with a porn actress .
Even if Biden is going to bring Antifa supporters and reparations proponents and open border advocates and lots of other crazed America-haters into the White House , he ’ s fundamentally honorable .
The problem with this story is that it doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history .
And given the stakes , it ’ s worth taking a moment to review that .
For the moment let ’ s hold off with the rape accusation that ’ s been leveled against him by a former aide—at least as credible as those against Brett Kavanaugh—or the questions about his declining mental condition .
Instead , why don ’ t we examine the mostly forgotten details surrounding the reasons why Biden had to exit from his first Presidential campaign .
Biden will turn 78 in November , and he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That was before the Watergate investigations and the end of the Vietnam War .
So he was actually a political veteran when he announced his first Presidential run in 1987 .
At that point he was in his mid-40s and in the midst of his third term in the Senate .
He was not a political novice , though he was already combing his hair over to hide his increasing baldness .
Many people who were alive and old enough to read at the time likely remember that he had to leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : he had giv en a speech as his own which was actually an old stump address of British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock .
Probably they assume that an aide had given him the speech and that he had not known that it was plagiarized .
In fact , Biden had given the speech many times , and he had even told people on at least one occasion that it was a Kinnock speech .
More remarkably , in it he had claimed that his family were ordinary coal miners , regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic circumstances .
But Biden ’ s background in Pennsylvania ’ s anthracite country was monied .
His father ’ s family hadn ’ t been miners but rather oil company owners .
Nonetheless , in the speech Biden suggested that his forebears had been so destitute that they had only rarely come up from underground to see the light of day and play an occasional game of football .
In Kinnock ’ s case that had referred to soccer .
While Biden had played football—American football—it was at a private Catholic school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to .
The speech was about how some people wrongly start out at the bottom , and he had used it to mislead people into thinking that he was one of them .
Nor was this the only talk from which Biden cribbed .
On repeated occasions he used pieces from effective speeches he had heard given before by other Democrats he admired , including John Kennedy , Bobby Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey .
He had commenced the race with an announcement address in which he had spoken about the importance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had affirmatively declared that , “ We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society , for nothing suffocates the promise of America more than unbounded cynicism and indifference.
” But plagiarism and lying were not new to Biden .
During the race , reporters discovered that Biden had failed a course at Syracuse Law School because he had stolen a paper from a Fordham Law Review article .
Five pages of the paper were taken word for word .
Showing impressive chutzpah , Biden said that this was unintentional .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the top half of his law school and had received a full scholarship .
In fact , his scholarship was only partial , and he had graduated 76th out of a class of 85 students .
Biden also spoke frequently during the race of his experiences marching for equality during the Civil Rights era .
This , too , was a fabrication .
And when confronted about these lies , he challenged the reporters who asked him about them , saying that he had done his part by running for office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Civil Rights .
In addition , Biden had managed to avoid service in Vietnam by claiming that he suffered from asthma—even though he had been a star halfback and wide receiver in high school .
Nor did all of these revelations shame him into leaving the race .
Instead , he held a press conference in which he insisted that he was going to continue with his campaign , and he only dropped out a week later when it became clear that his persistent lying had defined his candidacy and that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern .
While Biden was not doing well in polls or with crowds , until that point he had excelled at raising money .
This was so much true that he had more funds on hand than the eventual nominee , Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis , and even more than Dick Gephardt , who was Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and seemingly in an ideal position to hit up lobbyists for funds .
In fact , he had the most funds of any Democratic candidate .
Simply put , Biden was good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides of his mouth .
He could tell industry reps and trade groups that he was their pal , and then go before crowds of liberal activists and rap about his non-existent days of marching for racial justice and his concern for environmental activism .
He was a fraud and a phony , and his exit from the race was compelled not by any sense of shame but by the cumulative effect of reporting by journalists who bothered to dig into his background and his record .
The collapse of his Presidential campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his reputation and his popularity , and in the aftermath he was desperate for an issue that might improve his chances at re-election to the Senate and re-establish his stature nationally among Democrats .
Biden soon found a political instrument by which to revive his career in Robert Bork ’ s nomination to the Supreme Court .
Bork ’ s nomination was in some respects surprising .
Reagan had not nominated him in expectation that he would serve as a reliable conservative voice for decades afterwards .
After all , Bork was already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had been chosen because many regarded him as America ’ s foremost judicial theorist , the most influential and respected such figure since the days of Learned Hand and Oliver Wendell Holmes , Jr. Bork was then serving as a federal judge , and in that role he had displayed not only his learning but moderation .
Going further back , a legal analysis had demonstrated that in his time working in the Solicitor General ’ s office under Richard Nixon that Bork had been as liberal as Thurgood Marshall had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But in helping to lead the fight against Bork , Biden would help to create a new word .
We know it in its infinitive verb form : to Bork .
This means to mount a misleading , intellectually dishonest campaign meant to defame a candidate .
This was less than two months after Biden had left the Presidential race .
We do know that among all of these incidents we must file the accusation of rape made by his former aide Tara Reade .
I confess that I find certain aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In any event , the specific charge of rape falls into the category of he said/she said accusation , and , as this kind of charge can be made against any public figure , it may be unfair to grant it too much credit , notwithstanding the fact that it has been made by a former staffer who appears to have no personal motive against him .
Regardless , the events of the late 1980s and early 1990s—the period of Biden ’ s first Presidential campaign and of Reade ’ s employment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shabby and disreputable man .
It is not an exaggeration to say that it presents the picture of a scoundrel .
The large amount of plastic surgery he ’ s had in recent years is hard to miss .
It appears to be the reason why you can barely see his eyes now .
Of course , there ’ s an old adage that the eyes are windows to the soul .
That part of him is well and properly hidden .
Jonathan Leaf is a playwright and journalist living in New York @

“Joe is a nice guy.”
“Joe is a decent man.”
You have probably heard variations on these arguments put forward by friends who want you to vote for Biden. Whether they get into the grubby details or not, we know what they’re saying: he hasn’t been married three times, and he wasn’t involved with a porn actress. Even if Biden is going to bring Antifa supporters and reparations proponents and open border advocates and lots of other crazed America-haters into the White House, he’s fundamentally honorable.
The problem with this story is that it doesn’t jibe with Biden’s history. And given the stakes, it’s worth taking a moment to review that.
For the moment let’s hold off with the rape accusation that’s been leveled against him by a former aide—at least as credible as those against Brett Kavanaugh—or the questions about his declining mental condition. Instead, why don’t we examine the mostly forgotten details surrounding the reasons why Biden had to exit from his first Presidential campaign.
Biden will turn 78 in November, and he was first elected to the Senate in 1972. That was before the Watergate investigations and the end of the Vietnam War. So he was actually a political veteran when he announced his first Presidential run in 1987. At that point he was in his mid-40s and in the midst of his third term in the Senate. He was not a political novice, though he was already combing his hair over to hide his increasing baldness. Many people who were alive and old enough to read at the time likely remember that he had to leave that race because of a disgraceful admission: he had giv en a speech as his own which was actually an old stump address of British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock. Probably they assume that an aide had given him the speech and that he had not known that it was plagiarized.
This is false.
In fact, Biden had given the speech many times, and he had even told people on at least one occasion that it was a Kinnock speech. More remarkably, in it he had claimed that his family were ordinary coal miners, regular folk who had been unfairly disadvantaged by economic circumstances. But Biden’s background in Pennsylvania’s anthracite country was monied. His father’s family hadn’t been miners but rather oil company owners. Nonetheless, in the speech Biden suggested that his forebears had been so destitute that they had only rarely come up from underground to see the light of day and play an occasional game of football. In Kinnock’s case that had referred to soccer. While Biden had played football—American football—it was at a private Catholic school that his parents had paid to send him to. The speech was about how some people wrongly start out at the bottom, and he had used it to mislead people into thinking that he was one of them.
Nor was this the only talk from which Biden cribbed. On repeated occasions he used pieces from effective speeches he had heard given before by other Democrats he admired, including John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey.
He had commenced the race with an announcement address in which he had spoken about the importance of character and values. Attacking Reagan, he had affirmatively declared that, “We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society, for nothing suffocates the promise of America more than unbounded cynicism and indifference.” But plagiarism and lying were not new to Biden.
During the race, reporters discovered that Biden had failed a course at Syracuse Law School because he had stolen a paper from a Fordham Law Review article. Five pages of the paper were taken word for word. Showing impressive chutzpah, Biden said that this was unintentional. Biden also claimed that he had graduated in the top half of his law school and had received a full scholarship. In fact, his scholarship was only partial, and he had graduated 76th out of a class of 85 students.
Biden also spoke frequently during the race of his experiences marching for equality during the Civil Rights era. This, too, was a fabrication. And when confronted about these lies, he challenged the reporters who asked him about them, saying that he had done his part by running for office, asking them what they had done for Civil Rights.
In addition, Biden had managed to avoid service in Vietnam by claiming that he suffered from asthma—even though he had been a star halfback and wide receiver in high school.
Nor did all of these revelations shame him into leaving the race. Instead, he held a press conference in which he insisted that he was going to continue with his campaign, and he only dropped out a week later when it became clear that his persistent lying had defined his candidacy and that it was affecting fundraising.
That was of paramount concern. While Biden was not doing well in polls or with crowds, until that point he had excelled at raising money. This was so much true that he had more funds on hand than the eventual nominee, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, and even more than Dick Gephardt, who was Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and seemingly in an ideal position to hit up lobbyists for funds. In fact, he had the most funds of any Democratic candidate.
Simply put, Biden was good at scheming and talking out of both sides of his mouth. He could tell industry reps and trade groups that he was their pal, and then go before crowds of liberal activists and rap about his non-existent days of marching for racial justice and his concern for environmental activism. He was a fraud and a phony, and his exit from the race was compelled not by any sense of shame but by the cumulative effect of reporting by journalists who bothered to dig into his background and his record.
The collapse of his Presidential campaign and the many ugly revelations necessarily affected his reputation and his popularity, and in the aftermath he was desperate for an issue that might improve his chances at re-election to the Senate and re-establish his stature nationally among Democrats.
Biden soon found a political instrument by which to revive his career in Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Bork’s nomination was in some respects surprising. Reagan had not nominated him in expectation that he would serve as a reliable conservative voice for decades afterwards. After all, Bork was already 59 and considerably overweight. Instead, he had been chosen because many regarded him as America’s foremost judicial theorist, the most influential and respected such figure since the days of Learned Hand and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Bork was then serving as a federal judge, and in that role he had displayed not only his learning but moderation. Going further back, a legal analysis had demonstrated that in his time working in the Solicitor General’s office under Richard Nixon that Bork had been as liberal as Thurgood Marshall had been on the Court in the Johnson administration.
But in helping to lead the fight against Bork, Biden would help to create a new word. We know it in its infinitive verb form: to Bork. This means to mount a misleading, intellectually dishonest campaign meant to defame a candidate. This was less than two months after Biden had left the Presidential race.
We do know that among all of these incidents we must file the accusation of rape made by his former aide Tara Reade.
I confess that I find certain aspects of her claims to be inconsistent. In any event, the specific charge of rape falls into the category of he said/she said accusation, and, as this kind of charge can be made against any public figure, it may be unfair to grant it too much credit, notwithstanding the fact that it has been made by a former staffer who appears to have no personal motive against him.
Regardless, the events of the late 1980s and early 1990s—the period of Biden’s first Presidential campaign and of Reade’s employment in his Senate office—show him to be a shabby and disreputable man. It is not an exaggeration to say that it presents the picture of a scoundrel.
The large amount of plastic surgery he’s had in recent years is hard to miss. It appears to be the reason why you can barely see his eyes now. Of course, there’s an old adage that the eyes are windows to the soul. That part of him is well and properly hidden.
Jonathan Leaf is a playwright and journalist living in New York.


theamericanconservative--2020-08-04--MAFA: Make America Fun Again

MAFA: Make America Fun Again

And this isn ’ t nostalgia , some 1500 words which amount to get off my lawn .
Lawns used to be fun .
You ’ d sit on them , play lawn games on them .
Now they ’ re part of the defensive perimeter around your home to help protect your family .
But having a family is no fun ; America ranked second to last among industrialized nations , behind even Bulgaria and Chile , as a place to raise children .
Maybe it ’ s more fun where you are .
I don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel is no fun .
America is the world ’ s largest leper colony .
What ’ s open ?
Is the local custom masked or unmasked ?
Can a stranger find a place to eat inside if it ’ s raining ?
States restrict travel with quarantines which must violate the boring commerce clause parts of the Constitution somehow .
We rely on the odd sojourner to bring us information from the outside .
Is the Middle East still around ?
Check the news .
The news hasn ’ t been fun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the old standards like The Washington Post just grind out tattle fodder for social media outrage .
Op-eds were fun before they all flopped into undergrad quality work announcing it ’ s Weimar , or Rome , or Hitler , or 1984 , when at worst it ’ s closer to a bad Fellini movie .
We ’ re treated to tales of what Trump says on the phone , inside the Oval Office , in private to his wife , as if the reporters are fused to the man ’ s back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bathroom is on Twitter . )
Nobody seems to ask “ how could they possibly know that ?
” No one seems to ask “ what is journalism ?
” anymore .
Journalism is no longer fun because the Joker ’ s on us , the same people who sell us the panic sell the pill .
“ Journos ” see their job as manufacturing reasons for Trump to resign , to fail , or to quit , or to persuade slack-jawed yokel voters they otherwise hold in contempt that they don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
After four years of the sky not falling on either the yokels or the reporters , it is exhausting to still have to wade through articles headlined with words like bonkers , meltdown , owned , trolled , canceled , boycotted , destroyed , shames , and sociopath which bark about defeats and collapses and failures .
Everything is about fixing the blame on someone ( Trump , usually ) and little about fixing the problem .
Apocalypse Now articles such as “ We Do Not Have a Real Democracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regime are engaged in a white supremacist counter revolution against the civil rights movement , ” are repetitive resistance porn .
There are only so many positions , so many scenarios , and they no longer impress , never mind shock .
Where it was once shocking the NYT senior staff had to remind reporters they were “ not part of the f*cking resistance , ” NYT editor Bari Weiss ’ resignation letter confirms the Times is now indeed part of the resistance .
“ Truth isn ’ t a process of collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else , ” she writes of her former colleagues .
On the slightly hopeful but not fun side , the editors of the Wall Street Journalannounced to their staff , “ We are not the NYT… our opinion pages offer an alternative to the uniform progressive views that dominate nearly all of today ’ s media , ” including social media .
Social media isn ’ t fun anymore .
We used to complain it was too much of someone ’ s aunt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s work for many ; someone has to be staying up photoshopping Jeffrey Epstein into shots of politicians they don ’ t like .
That ’ s what bots do , make all the bad stuff for other bots to forward around until it bumps into a real person and makes that person into a unfun Russkie zombie who must vote Trump .
“ You suck ” is now an allowable thesis defense and end to any argument .
Arguing used to be fun .
We once enjoyed staying up late arguing politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ancestors referred to them as friends .
Friends used to be fun , people even , not a scrolling list of unknown followers ) .
Once you could talk about ideas without having to swipe the smudge off your face of being called a fascist by a complete stranger .
So we clam up .
Some 62 percent of Americans say the political climate prevents them from saying what they believe .
It ’ s especially true for conservatives , 34 percent of whom are worried their political views could get them fired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t fun anymore .
Government and elections used to be a lot of fun .
You had rituals like rich Elderly Caucasian candidates being forced to eat corn dogs at the Iowa State Fair and talk about hogs before spiking Purell right into their veins .
Now elections are just a referendum on which candidate is less in cognitive decline .
They used to at least try to distinguish themselves ; now Biden ’ s entire campaign is based on him being one of several billion people who are Not Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Change , just Not Something , all the appeal of the smell of dead insects .
Election Night itself also used to be fun , years of campaigning coming down to one big tally .
It was fun to stay up late .
Now we know we won ’ t have results for days or weeks because we cling to an 18th century balloting system because in the 21st century we don ’ t trust computers .
We ’ ve also been acclimated to one or both sides insisting the results are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a vast conspiracy , so that actual voting is only overture , raw material for the propaganda fight that proceeds the court fight that ends with half of the country insisting the popular vote counts for something because they all failed 8th grade civics .
The kids who didn ’ t pay attention in 8th grade civics weren ’ t any fun , even back those years ago .
Years ago it was fun when my wife said she wished I looked like Billy Joel and , fat and bald , now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnny Depp used to be fun .
Working from home used to be fun , like a snow day from school .
Human Resources used to be fun , calculating your vacation days , before they became the Diversity Daleks waiting to get you fired for mispronouning .
Thanksgiving used to be fun , a holiday without expectations that devolved into a yearly political Thunderdome .
Groundhog Day used to be fun before it became real , summerbating away months .
Everything was more fun before community organizer , activist , social influencer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sports was fun when it was about sports .
America was more fun when the national pastime was not “ raising awareness.
” Tequila used to be fun before it became an obligation .
I accept America has suffered from a four year episode of PTSD and we all need to weather out another couple of months .
But we ’ re the only nation who wrote pursuing happiness right into our foundational documents .
You don ’ t see that from , meh , Canada or Sweden , so how come they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not ?
If Biden wins in November , can we agree to just forget this whole ugly era like a drunken makeout session ?
Or if Trump wins , will it be another four years of being told democracy is dying , every day day-to-day in Code Red until you just give up and have to laugh at it all .
And that would be no fun at all .
Peter Van Buren , a 24-year State Department veteran , is the author of We Meant Well : How I Helped Lose the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iraqi People , Hooper ’ s War : A Novel of WWII Japan , and Ghosts of Tom Joad : A Story of the 99 Percent .

Nothing is fun anymore.
And this isn’t nostalgia, some 1500 words which amount to get off my lawn. Lawns used to be fun. You’d sit on them, play lawn games on them. Now they’re part of the defensive perimeter around your home to help protect your family. But having a family is no fun; America ranked second to last among industrialized nations, behind even Bulgaria and Chile, as a place to raise children.
Maybe it’s more fun where you are. I don’t know because like in the Middle Ages, travel is no fun. America is the world’s largest leper colony. What’s open? Is the local custom masked or unmasked? Can a stranger find a place to eat inside if it’s raining? States restrict travel with quarantines which must violate the boring commerce clause parts of the Constitution somehow. We rely on the odd sojourner to bring us information from the outside. Is the Middle East still around? Check the news.
The news hasn’t been fun for a long time. Now even the old standards like The Washington Post just grind out tattle fodder for social media outrage. Op-eds were fun before they all flopped into undergrad quality work announcing it’s Weimar, or Rome, or Hitler, or 1984, when at worst it’s closer to a bad Fellini movie. We’re treated to tales of what Trump says on the phone, inside the Oval Office, in private to his wife, as if the reporters are fused to the man’s back (what Trump says seated in the bathroom is on Twitter.) Nobody seems to ask “how could they possibly know that?” No one seems to ask “what is journalism?” anymore.
Journalism is no longer fun because the Joker’s on us, the same people who sell us the panic sell the pill. “Journos” see their job as manufacturing reasons for Trump to resign, to fail, or to quit, or to persuade slack-jawed yokel voters they otherwise hold in contempt that they don’t know what’s good for them.
After four years of the sky not falling on either the yokels or the reporters, it is exhausting to still have to wade through articles headlined with words like bonkers, meltdown, owned, trolled, canceled, boycotted, destroyed, shames, and sociopath which bark about defeats and collapses and failures. Everything is about fixing the blame on someone (Trump, usually) and little about fixing the problem. Apocalypse Now articles such as “We Do Not Have a Real Democracy,” which warns “Trump and his regime are engaged in a white supremacist counter revolution against the civil rights movement,” are repetitive resistance porn. There are only so many positions, so many scenarios, and they no longer impress, never mind shock.
Where it was once shocking the NYT senior staff had to remind reporters they were “not part of the f*cking resistance,” NYT editor Bari Weiss’ resignation letter confirms the Times is now indeed part of the resistance. “Truth isn’t a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else,” she writes of her former colleagues. On the slightly hopeful but not fun side, the editors of the Wall Street Journal announced to their staff, “We are not the NYT… our opinion pages offer an alternative to the uniform progressive views that dominate nearly all of today’s media,” including social media.
Social media isn’t fun anymore. We used to complain it was too much of someone’s aunt posting cat pictures. Now it’s work for many; someone has to be staying up photoshopping Jeffrey Epstein into shots of politicians they don’t like. That’s what bots do, make all the bad stuff for other bots to forward around until it bumps into a real person and makes that person into a unfun Russkie zombie who must vote Trump. “You suck” is now an allowable thesis defense and end to any argument.
Arguing used to be fun. We once enjoyed staying up late arguing politics with other actual living people (our ancestors referred to them as friends. Friends used to be fun, people even, not a scrolling list of unknown followers). Once you could talk about ideas without having to swipe the smudge off your face of being called a fascist by a complete stranger. So we clam up. Some 62 percent of Americans say the political climate prevents them from saying what they believe. It’s especially true for conservatives, 34 percent of whom are worried their political views could get them fired. Which is why political polls aren’t fun anymore.
Government and elections used to be a lot of fun. You had rituals like rich Elderly Caucasian candidates being forced to eat corn dogs at the Iowa State Fair and talk about hogs before spiking Purell right into their veins. Now elections are just a referendum on which candidate is less in cognitive decline. They used to at least try to distinguish themselves; now Biden’s entire campaign is based on him being one of several billion people who are Not Trump. No Morning in America, no Hope and Change, just Not Something, all the appeal of the smell of dead insects.
Election Night itself also used to be fun, years of campaigning coming down to one big tally. It was fun to stay up late. Now we know we won’t have results for days or weeks because we cling to an 18th century balloting system because in the 21st century we don’t trust computers. We’ve also been acclimated to one or both sides insisting the results are unfair because the Post Office is part of a vast conspiracy, so that actual voting is only overture, raw material for the propaganda fight that proceeds the court fight that ends with half of the country insisting the popular vote counts for something because they all failed 8th grade civics. The kids who didn’t pay attention in 8th grade civics weren’t any fun, even back those years ago.
Years ago it was fun when my wife said she wished I looked like Billy Joel and, fat and bald, now I do. Robert De Niro and Johnny Depp used to be fun. Working from home used to be fun, like a snow day from school. Human Resources used to be fun, calculating your vacation days, before they became the Diversity Daleks waiting to get you fired for mispronouning. Thanksgiving used to be fun, a holiday without expectations that devolved into a yearly political Thunderdome. Groundhog Day used to be fun before it became real, summerbating away months. Everything was more fun before community organizer, activist, social influencer, and YouTuber became actual jobs. Sports was fun when it was about sports. America was more fun when the national pastime was not “raising awareness.” Tequila used to be fun before it became an obligation.
I accept America has suffered from a four year episode of PTSD and we all need to weather out another couple of months. But we’re the only nation who wrote pursuing happiness right into our foundational documents. You don’t see that from, meh, Canada or Sweden, so how come they’re happy and we’re not? If Biden wins in November, can we agree to just forget this whole ugly era like a drunken makeout session? Or if Trump wins, will it be another four years of being told democracy is dying, every day day-to-day in Code Red until you just give up and have to laugh at it all. And that would be no fun at all.
Peter Van Buren, a 24-year State Department veteran, is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, Hooper’s War: A Novel of WWII Japan, and Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the 99 Percent.