vox--2020-01-30--Democrats are fed up with Facebook

Democrats are fed up with Facebook

Democrats are tired of Facebook playing footsie with the right , and they ’ re increasingly willing to say it out loud .
Republicans have spent years complaining about what they perceive to be anti-conservative bias in social media and insisting that internet giants and their algorithms are stacked against them .
But lately , Democrats have started to point out that , if anything , it seems as though Facebook in particular is bending over backward to keep the GOP happy — and harming progressives in the process .
Prominent Democratic politicians , including Hillary Clinton , Nancy Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have made a habit of scolding Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg .
As a recent Wall Street Journal report put it , “ The relationship between the company and the political left is at an all-time low.
” Facebook is no stranger to political controversy , despite its leadership ’ s efforts to cast the company as a global platform dedicated to free speech and debate .
The Facebook policy that allows candidates to lie in political ads has faced scrutiny this election cycle , especially after it became clear President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reservations about running misleading ads .
Facebook also raised eyebrows when it refused to take down a doctored video of Pelosi , the speaker of the House .
Zuckerberg ’ s meetings with Trump in the White House have also led to some questions from the left about the executive ’ s coziness with the president .
And , of course , there are still plenty of questions about Facebook ’ s role in helping Russians spread disinformation in the 2016 presidential campaign .
For a long time , it was Republicans who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 2016 Gizmodo report found that the company was suppressing conservative news on the platform .
Since then , Facebook has made multiple overtures to the right to prove they ’ re unbiased .
The question many Democrats are asking now is whether Facebook is kowtowing to Republicans too much .
Just four years ago , Facebook was pretty close to Democrats .
The Clinton campaign was the largest recipient of donations from Facebook employees .
Meanwhile , COO Sheryl Sandberg endorsed Clinton ’ s 2016 presidential bid , and Sandberg was reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treasury secretary .
Cut to today , and there ’ s no love lost between Clinton and , at the very last , Sandberg ’ s boss .
In a recent interview with the Atlantic , the former Democratic presidential candidate said that Zuckerberg ’ s attitude toward misinformation is “ Trumpian ” and “ authoritarian.
” She specifically cited Facebook ’ s refusal to remove the video of Pelosi last year , which was doctored to make her appear as though she were slurring her words .
Clinton said she called Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the video up .
“ I feel like you ’ re negotiating with a foreign power sometimes , ” she said , referring to her conversations with Facebook .
Clinton is hardly the only Democrat sounding the alarms Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has been a fierce critic of Facebook on the 2020 campaign trail .
She has put out a plan to break up Facebook and other tech giants and has repeatedly criticized Zuckerberg specifically .
In an effort to highlight its controversial political ads policy , the Warren campaign also ran a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming Zuckerberg had endorsed Trump ’ s reelection bid .
Warren herself suggested that Facebook had changed its rules around political ads after one of Zuckerberg ’ s meetings with the president .
( Zuckerberg has taken note and in an internal meeting reported by The Verge said there would likely be a “ major lawsuit ” in the event Warren were to be elected and try to break his company up . )
Biden , one of the 2020 presidential frontrunners , took a swipe at Facebook in a recent interview and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communications Decency Act , a law that protects internet companies from being held liable for the content posted by their users , should be revoked .
“ The idea that it ’ s a tech company is that Section 230 should be revoked , immediately should be revoked , number one , ” Biden said .
“ For Zuckerberg and other platforms , it should be revoked because it is not merely an internet company — it is propagating falsehoods they know to be false.
” And Pelosi in a recent press briefing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been “ very irresponsible ” and “ shameful ” and suggested it ’ s “ schmoozing ” with the Trump administration to avoid regulation .
“ Facebook ’ s business model is strictly to make money , ” Pelosi said .
“ They don ’ t care about the impact on children .
They don ’ t care about the impact on truth .
They don ’ t care about where this is all coming from , and they have said that even if they know it is not true , they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics have also noted that it has some Republican operatives and journalists in its ranks .
The company just hired Fox News producer Jennifer Williams to work on its editorial video strategy .
Katie Harbath , Facebook ’ s public policy director for global elections , used to work for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Rudy Giuliani .
It ’ s hardly simple to decipher which political party Facebook ’ s policies help or hurt , although there ’ s little doubt that the company ’ s decision-making is , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of criticism over Facebook ’ s moderation practices , misinformation ( political and otherwise ) still spreads rampantly on the platform .
Conservative news outlets have also gotten very good at gaming Facebook ’ s algorithm .
The social network says it has improved the systems that allowed Russia to engage in its disinformation campaign against Clinton in 2016 , but we probably won ’ t know how well these protections hold up this time around until it ’ s too late .
Other areas are more complicated .
Case in point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ads .
These policies — specifically , Facebook allowing false political ads — have come under scrutiny this election cycle , especially after Google announced that it would limit microtargeting political ads and Twitter said it would ban political ads altogether .
People on all sides have called for Facebook to take some sort of action , whether that means fact-checking ads , following Twitter or Google ’ s leads , or taking some other action .
But opinions haven ’ t always fallen along party lines .
In a statement to Recode @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google ’ s new political ad policy , saying it would “ hinder campaigns and others who are already working against the tide of bad actors to reach voters with facts.
” The Democratic National Committee criticized Google ’ s move as well .
And Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale slammed Google ’ s limits on microtargeting ads , and the Trump camp warned Facebook not to follow suit .
Regardless of its controversial policies , Facebook inevitably plays an important role in political campaigns .
Democrats and Republicans alike are spending hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election cycle .
While some Democrats may not like what ’ s going on , there ’ s also an understanding that they need to be on the same playing field as their opponents , even if that means giving money to a company they think is doing a lot of things that are bad .
“ People on both sides of the aisle disagree with some of the positions we ’ ve taken , but we remain committed to seeking outside perspectives and communicating clearly about why we make the decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in an email to Recode .
Facebook ’ s overtures to Republicans won ’ t stop the GOP from complaining Since the 2016 Gizmodo story , there ’ s no doubt that Facebook has tried to combat criticism that it ’ s out to get the right .
Zuckerberg has met with conservative leaders , dined with Trump , and worked to ease concerns that the company is fair to both sides .
The thing is , no matter what Facebook does , Republicans are probably going to keep crying wolf .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a supposed social media summit and failed to include big social media companies .
The whole event basically became a way for Trump and his Republican allies to bolster the narrative that big tech and social media are engaged in some coordinated conspiracy against the right .
Also last year , the White House rolled out a tool for voters to report alleged social media bias .
That was just an indirect way of gathering emails .
And it ’ s not just Trump .
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has staked out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right , referring to social media as a “ parasite ” and introducing multiple pieces of legislation aimed at reining in Big Tech .
Many Republican lawmakers have used hearings with Facebook executives on Capitol Hill to air grievances and to spread conspiracy theories about alleged bias .
At one point , GOP House members brought Trump-supporting sisters Diamond and Silk to Washington to testify about social media filtering .
Republicans have realized that Facebook is a good boogeyman for them and a way to rile up the base , whatever the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determined to keep trying to win them over — and making enemies out of Democrats in the process .

Democrats are tired of Facebook playing footsie with the right, and they’re increasingly willing to say it out loud.
Republicans have spent years complaining about what they perceive to be anti-conservative bias in social media and insisting that internet giants and their algorithms are stacked against them. But lately, Democrats have started to point out that, if anything, it seems as though Facebook in particular is bending over backward to keep the GOP happy — and harming progressives in the process. Prominent Democratic politicians, including Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren, have made a habit of scolding Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As a recent Wall Street Journal report put it, “The relationship between the company and the political left is at an all-time low.”
Facebook is no stranger to political controversy, despite its leadership’s efforts to cast the company as a global platform dedicated to free speech and debate. The Facebook policy that allows candidates to lie in political ads has faced scrutiny this election cycle, especially after it became clear President Donald Trump’s campaign would have few reservations about running misleading ads. Facebook also raised eyebrows when it refused to take down a doctored video of Pelosi, the speaker of the House. Zuckerberg’s meetings with Trump in the White House have also led to some questions from the left about the executive’s coziness with the president. And, of course, there are still plenty of questions about Facebook’s role in helping Russians spread disinformation in the 2016 presidential campaign.
For a long time, it was Republicans who most publicly criticized Facebook, especially after a 2016 Gizmodo report found that the company was suppressing conservative news on the platform. Since then, Facebook has made multiple overtures to the right to prove they’re unbiased. The question many Democrats are asking now is whether Facebook is kowtowing to Republicans too much.
Democrats’ relationship with Facebook soured quickly
Just four years ago, Facebook was pretty close to Democrats. The Clinton campaign was the largest recipient of donations from Facebook employees. Meanwhile, COO Sheryl Sandberg endorsed Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid, and Sandberg was reportedly on Clinton’s shortlist to become treasury secretary.
Cut to today, and there’s no love lost between Clinton and, at the very last, Sandberg’s boss. In a recent interview with the Atlantic, the former Democratic presidential candidate said that Zuckerberg’s attitude toward misinformation is “Trumpian” and “authoritarian.” She specifically cited Facebook’s refusal to remove the video of Pelosi last year, which was doctored to make her appear as though she were slurring her words. Clinton said she called Facebook and asked them why they were keeping the video up. “I feel like you’re negotiating with a foreign power sometimes,” she said, referring to her conversations with Facebook.
Clinton is hardly the only Democrat sounding the alarms
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has been a fierce critic of Facebook on the 2020 campaign trail. She has put out a plan to break up Facebook and other tech giants and has repeatedly criticized Zuckerberg specifically. In an effort to highlight its controversial political ads policy, the Warren campaign also ran a series of false ads on Facebook, claiming Zuckerberg had endorsed Trump’s reelection bid. Warren herself suggested that Facebook had changed its rules around political ads after one of Zuckerberg’s meetings with the president. (Zuckerberg has taken note and in an internal meeting reported by The Verge said there would likely be a “major lawsuit” in the event Warren were to be elected and try to break his company up.)
Biden, one of the 2020 presidential frontrunners, took a swipe at Facebook in a recent interview and said he believes Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a law that protects internet companies from being held liable for the content posted by their users, should be revoked. “The idea that it’s a tech company is that Section 230 should be revoked, immediately should be revoked, number one,” Biden said. “For Zuckerberg and other platforms, it should be revoked because it is not merely an internet company — it is propagating falsehoods they know to be false.”
And Pelosi in a recent press briefing said that Facebook’s behavior has been “very irresponsible” and “shameful” and suggested it’s “schmoozing” with the Trump administration to avoid regulation. “Facebook’s business model is strictly to make money,” Pelosi said. “They don’t care about the impact on children. They don’t care about the impact on truth. They don’t care about where this is all coming from, and they have said that even if they know it is not true, they will print it.”
Facebook’s Democratic critics have also noted that it has some Republican operatives and journalists in its ranks. The company just hired Fox News producer Jennifer Williams to work on its editorial video strategy. Katie Harbath, Facebook’s public policy director for global elections, used to work for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Rudy Giuliani.
Is Facebook helping Republicans? It’s unclear.
It’s hardly simple to decipher which political party Facebook’s policies help or hurt, although there’s little doubt that the company’s decision-making is, at the very least, questionable.
Even after years of criticism over Facebook’s moderation practices, misinformation (political and otherwise) still spreads rampantly on the platform. Conservative news outlets have also gotten very good at gaming Facebook’s algorithm. The social network says it has improved the systems that allowed Russia to engage in its disinformation campaign against Clinton in 2016, but we probably won’t know how well these protections hold up this time around until it’s too late.
Other areas are more complicated. Case in point: Facebook’s policy on political ads. These policies — specifically, Facebook allowing false political ads — have come under scrutiny this election cycle, especially after Google announced that it would limit microtargeting political ads and Twitter said it would ban political ads altogether. People on all sides have called for Facebook to take some sort of action, whether that means fact-checking ads, following Twitter or Google’s leads, or taking some other action. But opinions haven’t always fallen along party lines.
In a statement to Recode, progressive strategy group Acronym also criticized Google’s new political ad policy, saying it would “hinder campaigns and others who are already working against the tide of bad actors to reach voters with facts.” The Democratic National Committee criticized Google’s move as well. And Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale slammed Google’s limits on microtargeting ads, and the Trump camp warned Facebook not to follow suit.
Regardless of its controversial policies, Facebook inevitably plays an important role in political campaigns. Democrats and Republicans alike are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on Facebook advertising this election cycle. While some Democrats may not like what’s going on, there’s also an understanding that they need to be on the same playing field as their opponents, even if that means giving money to a company they think is doing a lot of things that are bad.
“People on both sides of the aisle disagree with some of the positions we’ve taken, but we remain committed to seeking outside perspectives and communicating clearly about why we make the decisions we do,” a Facebook spokesman said in an email to Recode.
Facebook’s overtures to Republicans won’t stop the GOP from complaining
Since the 2016 Gizmodo story, there’s no doubt that Facebook has tried to combat criticism that it’s out to get the right. Zuckerberg has met with conservative leaders, dined with Trump, and worked to ease concerns that the company is fair to both sides. The thing is, no matter what Facebook does, Republicans are probably going to keep crying wolf.
Last year, the White House hosted a supposed social media summit and failed to include big social media companies. The whole event basically became a way for Trump and his Republican allies to bolster the narrative that big tech and social media are engaged in some coordinated conspiracy against the right. Also last year, the White House rolled out a tool for voters to report alleged social media bias. That was just an indirect way of gathering emails.
And it’s not just Trump. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has staked out a place as a tech critic on the right, referring to social media as a “parasite” and introducing multiple pieces of legislation aimed at reining in Big Tech. Many Republican lawmakers have used hearings with Facebook executives on Capitol Hill to air grievances and to spread conspiracy theories about alleged bias. At one point, GOP House members brought Trump-supporting sisters Diamond and Silk to Washington to testify about social media filtering.
Republicans have realized that Facebook is a good boogeyman for them and a way to rile up the base, whatever the company does. And yet Facebook seems determined to keep trying to win them over — and making enemies out of Democrats in the process.


vox--2020-02-05--Spotify is buying Bill Simmons’ The Ringer to boost its podcast business

Spotify is making yet another big budget purchase aimed at getting a lead in the growing podcast industry : The streaming music company has agreed to a deal to purchase The Ringer , the podcast-centric media company run and owned by Bill Simmons .
Spotify intends to hire Simmons and all of his approximately 90 employees .
Most of those employees work on The Ringers ’ website , which covers sports and culture , and Spotify intends to keep the site up and running .
The companies didn ’ t disclose a sale price .
But what Spotify really wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to create podcasts , including his Bill Simmons Podcast , and some 30 other titles , which range from an NBA chat show to one devoted to rewatching old movies .
Last May , Simmons told AdWeek his network had generated 53.5 million downloads in a month .
Spotify hasn ’ t spelled out what it intends to do with The Ringer ’ s catalog of existing podcasts and content , but it would be surprising if it made them exclusive to the streaming platform ; when it purchased Gimlet Media last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s stuff available on all platforms .
This is the fourth podcast company acquisition Spotify has made in the last 12 months ; last year it spent about $ 400 million to buy Gimlet Media , Anchor FM , and Parcast .
Spotify executives have argued that adding a podcast business to its core music service will help them bring in new users , and keep existing users around longer .
The company is also building up a podcast advertising business , which promises to target listeners based on their demographics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it is still a niche business compared to the rest of the ad world .
Last year , Edison Research estimated that 32 percent of the people in the US over age 12 — that ’ s 90 million people — listened to a podcast each month .
That ’ s up from 11 percent a decade ago .
But advertisers usually take a while to follow users .
Podcasting advertising is supposed to generate more than $ 860 million this year and $ 1 billion in 2021 .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than $ 107 billion in the US .
Until now , Apple has dominated podcasting , primarily because of the popularity of its iOS operating system , which features a built-in podcasting app .
But Apple hasn ’ t tried to make money from podcasts itself , and it doesn ’ t take a cut of the advertisements that listeners hear when they play podcasts on Apple ’ s devices and apps .
While Apple has expressed interest in funding some exclusive podcasts that would serve as marketing for its Apple TV+ service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlikely to compete in today ’ s version of the podcast industry .
That ’ s because most podcasts are free , and dependent on advertising , and Apple and staked out a pro-privacy position that makes it difficult to compete in ad-supported industries .
Simmons made his name as an online columnist at Disney-owned ESPN , which eventually gave him the resources to launch Grantland , a Ringer-like site that also provided a home for his podcasts .
But ESPN bounced him out of his job in 2015 — a move Simmons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roger Goodell , the head of the National Football League and an important Disney partner .
Simmons then started The Ringer with backing from WarnerMedia ’ s HBO , which also hired him to create a short-lived TV show he hosted , along with other programming .
Simmons has never disclosed if he has other investors ; a person familiar with HBO ’ s initial investment says the company put in less than $ 10 million .
Last year , Simmons talked to WarnerMedia ’ s Turner unit about selling his company to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the discussions .
( Vox Media , which owns Recode , has a commercial relationship with The Ringer . )
The Spotify/Ringer deal comes a week after Barstool Sports , another sports and pop culture publisher , was acquired by casino operator Penn National in a deal that values Barstool at $ 450 million .
Like The Ringer , Barstool also has a significant podcast business , which it says generates around $ 30 million a year ; Penn National intends to use Barstool ’ s name and appeal to rebrand several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an online sports betting business .

Spotify is making yet another big-budget purchase aimed at getting a lead in the growing podcast industry: The streaming music company has agreed to a deal to purchase The Ringer, the podcast-centric media company run and owned by Bill Simmons.
Spotify intends to hire Simmons and all of his approximately 90 employees. Most of those employees work on The Ringer’s website, which covers sports and culture, and Spotify intends to keep the site up and running.
But what Spotify really wants out of the deal is Simmons’s ability to create podcasts, including his Bill Simmons Podcast, and some 30 other titles, which range from an NBA chat show to one devoted to rewatching old movies.
The companies didn’t disclose a sale price; the deal is supposed to close in the first quarter of 2020.
“With the Ringer, we’re basically getting the new ESPN,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told Recode in an interview after the deal was announced. “What [Simmons] has accomplished in just a few short years, it’s nothing short of extraordinary. ... It’s not just his own podcast, but his whole network that’s doing really well. He’s a talent magnet.”
Spotify hasn’t spelled out what it intends to do with The Ringer’s catalog of existing podcasts and content, but it would be surprising if it made them exclusive to the streaming platform. When it purchased Gimlet Media last year, it kept that podcast company’s stuff available on all platforms.
Here’s Simmons’s only commentary so far:
This morning we announced that @spotify is acquiring The Ringer. Couldn’t be more excited to work with @eldsjal and his phenomenal team.
More details to come down the road... but @ringer will remain @ringer in every respect. They appreciate what we do and they want us to be us. — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 5, 2020
This is the fourth podcast company acquisition Spotify has made in the last 12 months; last year it spent about $400 million to buy Gimlet Media, Anchor FM, and Parcast. Spotify executives have argued that adding a podcast business to its core music service will help them bring in new users, and keep existing users around longer.
The company is also building up a podcast advertising business, which promises to target listeners based on their demographics and online behavior. In its fourth quarter earnings statement released Wednesday morning, Spotify said it was seeing “exponential growth” in podcast consumption on its platform.
Ek said adding The Ringer would help boost his company’s appeal to sports fans, which he described as “super engaged and super loyal. It’s a strong currency to have.” And he said Spotify would continue to buy podcasting companies if it thinks they can grow faster inside of Spotify. “When you get a chance for a property like The Ringer, and you see the fits, and what Bill wants to do, it just made a ton of sense. If there are other deals of that caliber we would consider it.”
Spotify wouldn’t say how long Simmons intended to work for his new employer, but Ek said he believed Simmons would stick around so he could continue to build the company he founded five years ago. “I wouldn’t have done the deal if I didn’t feel that Bill was in it for the right reasons, and didn’t want to build something much bigger.”
“Our incentives are really aligned,” added Paul Vogel, Spotify’s chief financial officer.
Podcasting is growing fast, but it is still a niche business compared to the rest of the ad world. Last year, Edison Research estimated that 32 percent of people in the US over age 12 — that’s 90 million people — listened to a podcast each month. That’s up from 11 percent a decade ago.
But advertisers usually take a while to follow users. Podcasting advertising is supposed to generate more than $860 million this year and $1 billion in 2021. But the rest of digital advertising brings in more than $107 billion in the US.
Until now, Apple has dominated podcasting, primarily because of the popularity of its iOS operating system, which features a built-in podcasting app. But Apple hasn’t tried to make money from podcasts itself, and it doesn’t take a cut of the advertisements that listeners hear when they play podcasts on Apple’s devices and apps.
While Apple has expressed interest in funding some exclusive podcasts that would serve as marketing for its Apple TV+ service, Apple executives say the company is unlikely to compete in today’s version of the podcast industry. That’s because most podcasts are free and dependent on advertising, and Apple has staked out a pro-privacy position that makes it difficult to compete in ad-supported industries.
Simmons made his name as an online columnist at Disney-owned ESPN, which eventually gave him the resources to launch Grantland, a Ringer-like site that also provided a home for his podcasts. But ESPN bounced him out of his job in 2015 — a move Simmons has said stems from his criticism of Roger Goodell, the head of the National Football League and an important Disney partner.
Simmons then started The Ringer with backing from WarnerMedia’s HBO, which also hired him to create a short-lived TV show he hosted, along with other programming. Simmons has never disclosed if he has other investors; a person familiar with HBO’s initial investment says the company put in less than $10 million. Last year, Simmons talked to WarnerMedia’s Turner unit about selling his company to that business, according to people familiar with the discussions.
By buying The Ringer, Spotify is now in the web publishing business for the first time. (Vox Media, which owns Recode, has a commercial relationship with The Ringer.) While podcasts have driven The Ringer’s business, Ek said the site’s writers and videomakers were an important part of the company. “What’s really interesting with the website and the audio is that he’s really tried to play them off of each other.”
The Spotify/Ringer deal comes a week after Barstool Sports, another sports and pop culture publisher, was acquired by casino operator Penn National Gaming in a deal that values Barstool at $450 million. Like The Ringer, Barstool also has a significant podcast business, which it says generates around $30 million a year; Penn National intends to use Barstool’s name and appeal to rebrand several of its casinos and to launch an online sports betting business.


vox--2020-02-05--Trump gave Americans a lesson in white history

As Trump closed out his State of the Union address on Tuesday , he made sure to nod to his largest , and most devout , voter base — white people .
“ This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp , Davy Crockett , and Annie Oakley , ” he noted .
“ This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo.
” He completely forgot to mention that before Earp , Crockett , Oakley , and the Pilgrims ever arrived on what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indigenous people , those who had been living on and caring for the land for thousands of years .
“ The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest , strongest , fiercest , and most determined men and women ever to walk the face of the Earth , ” Trump continued .
“ Our ancestors braved the unknown , tamed the wilderness , settled the Wild West.
” In his retelling of history , the president not only erased the millions of Native peoples prior to Columbus ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that their lands , livelihoods , and existence were something to be tamed and conquered .
“ Our ancestors , ” as Trump referred to , were these settlers — white people from England and Europe .
More recent immigrants were denigrated as “ wicked human traffickers ” and “ illegals ” in other parts of Trump ’ s speech .
The nearly 40 percent of Americans who are not white apparently did not bear mentioning in Trump ’ s history .
In his revisionist telling of the “ founding ” of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to Trump , after taming the Wild West , and “ lifting millions from poverty , disease , and hunger ” ( Indigenous people not among them ) , these ancestors also “ laid down the railroads , dug out canals , raised up the skyscrapers — and , ladies and gentlemen , our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history.
” Many historians would argue that it was not the white colonists who built the foundations of this country , but those they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol , Wall Street , and many of our Ivy League universities were built with enslaved labor .
America became a global economy because of enslaved labor .
It is an ugly history , but an undeniable one : The bodies of the enslaved — abused and routinely murdered — helped colonists build the country we know today .
Trump is notorious for these sorts of dog whistles — and more overt displays of racism .
While campaigning in 2016 , he retweeted white supremacists , called Mexicans “ rapists , ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty , your schools are no good , you have no jobs.
” As president , he has condemned people from “ shithole countries , ” and after the Charlottesville rally in 2017 , said “ both sides ” were to blame for the violence that ensued .
Tuesday night , he awarded Rush Limbaugh — a man who has consistently made racist comments against black people — with the country ’ s highest civilian honor .
While the history portion of Trump ’ s speech might have been more subtly racist than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was still intended to show whose history matters .
“ We settled the new world , we built the modern world , and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God , ” Trump said as he ended his speech .
The “ we , ” of course , are the people he hopes will carry him to reelection : The 62 percent of white men and 52 percent of white women who voted for him the last time @ @

As Trump closed out his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he made sure to nod to his largest, and most devout, voter base — white people.
“This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley,” he noted. “This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo.”
He completely forgot to mention that before Earp, Crockett, Oakley, and the Pilgrims ever arrived on what we now know as America, there were Indigenous people, those who had been living on and caring for the land for thousands of years.
“The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever to walk the face of the Earth,” Trump continued. “Our ancestors braved the unknown, tamed the wilderness, settled the Wild West.”
In his retelling of history, the president not only erased the millions of Native peoples prior to Columbus’s arrival in 1492, but suggested that their lands, livelihoods, and existence were something to be tamed and conquered. “Our ancestors,” as Trump referred to, were these settlers — white people from England and Europe. More recent immigrants were denigrated as “wicked human traffickers” and “illegals” in other parts of Trump’s speech. The nearly 40 percent of Americans who are not white apparently did not bear mentioning in Trump’s history.
In his revisionist telling of the “founding” of America, Trump also completely erased slavery. According to Trump, after taming the Wild West, and “lifting millions from poverty, disease, and hunger” (Indigenous people not among them), these ancestors also “laid down the railroads, dug out canals, raised up the skyscrapers — and, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history.”
Many historians would argue that it was not the white colonists who built the foundations of this country, but those they had enslaved. The White House, the Capitol, Wall Street, and many of our Ivy League universities were built with enslaved labor. America became a global economy because of enslaved labor. It is an ugly history, but an undeniable one: The bodies of the enslaved — abused and routinely murdered — helped colonists build the country we know today.
Trump is notorious for these sorts of dog whistles — and more overt displays of racism. While campaigning in 2016, he retweeted white supremacists, called Mexicans “rapists,” and told black voters they lived in “poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs.” As president, he has condemned people from “shithole countries,” and after the Charlottesville rally in 2017, said “both sides” were to blame for the violence that ensued. Tuesday night, he awarded Rush Limbaugh — a man who has consistently made racist comments against black people — with the country’s highest civilian honor.
While the history portion of Trump’s speech might have been more subtly racist than messaging he has invoked in the past, it was still intended to show whose history matters.
“We settled the new world, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God,” Trump said as he ended his speech.
The “we,” of course, are the people he hopes will carry him to reelection: The 62 percent of white men and 52 percent of white women who voted for him the last time around.


vox--2020-02-05--One of America’s most prominent racists just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Presidents have bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom to some of America ’ s greatest writers , artists , entertainers , journalists , and humanitarians — from Toni Morrison to Ansel Adams to Edward R. Murrow to Betty Ford .
On Tuesday night , President Donald Trump gave it to one of America ’ s most prominent racists .
During his State of the Union address , Trump looked to Rush Limbaugh , seated in the audience with Melania Trump , and thanked him for his contributions to American life .
“ And Rush , in recognition of all you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of people today that you speak to and that you inspire , and all of the incredible work you have done for charity , I am proud to announce tonight he will be receiving our country ’ s highest — you will be receiving our country ’ s highest civilian honor , the presidential medal of freedom.
” John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 to honor Americans who have made “ an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States , world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or private endeavors.
” Limbaugh , recently diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer , has devoted his decades-long radio career to building an audience of millions of listeners with his brand of right-wing , xenophobic — and patently racist — populism that Trump borrowed on his rise to power .
Limbaugh fills hours of airtime each week with hateful commentary directed at African Americans , Asian Americans , women , people with disabilities and pretty much anyone who is not white , straight and male .
One person he does like : Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won the 2016 nomination and has largely stood by him .
He ’ s had him on his show for soft-ball interviews more than once .
Limbaugh , like Trump , was a longtime birther .
Trump was an early birther adopter and kept spreading the conspiracy nine months into his presidency .
Limbaugh ’ s racist rants continued beyond the 2008 election and started long before .
• In 1990 , Newsday reported that Limbaugh snapped at a black caller who confronted him , saying , “ Take the bone out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Limbaugh denies he said this . )
• In 2007 , Limbaugh joked he was “ singing a song in my head here during the break : ‘ Barack , the Magic Negro , doo doo do doo.
’ ” • In 2004 , he suggested that professional basketball players were criminals : “ You just got ta be who you are , and I think it ’ s time to get rid of this whole National Basketball Association .
Call it the TBA , the Thug Basketball Association , and stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gangs , ” he said .
• Three years later , Limbaugh described professional football players the same way .
“ Look , let me put it to you this way .
The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons .
There , I said it.
” • In 2011 , he mocked a speech by the president of China , saying on air , “ Hu Jintao was just going , ‘ Ching cha .
Ching chang cho chow .
Cha chow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ba .
Kwo kwa kwa kee.
” Limbaugh continued this at length , then said , “ Nobody was translating , but that ’ s the closest I can get.
” • In 2016 , Limbaugh claimed that Obama ’ s race “ amplified malcontent operations like Black Lives Matter .
It gave rise to a thugocracy , and nobody had the guts to speak out against it for fear of what would happen to them.
” The list of examples goes on and on .
Trump himself has made his own racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his career .
From his entry into the presidential race — calling Mexicans “ rapists ” — to his many , many comments since about various groups , his presidency has been defined by racial animus .
“ I think they ’ re trouble .
I think they ’ re looking for trouble , ” Trump said of Black Lives Matters activists in a Fox News interview with Bill O ’ Reilly , echoing Limbaugh ’ s view .
It ’ s worth noting that beyond race , both men hold deeply held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacked a law student and health care advocate , Sandra Fluke , who was fighting to require health insurance providers to cover birth control .
He called her a slut : What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [ sic ] , who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex , what does that make her ?
It makes her a slut , right ?
It makes her a prostitute .
She wants to be paid to have sex .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t afford the contraception .
She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex .
Trump has confronted women in public life similarly , as he did in describing Megyn Kelly as having “ blood coming out of her wherever ” or dismissing Christine Blasey Ford because “ it doesn ’ t matter .
We won.
” Both men recently made sexist , ableist attacks on teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg , who has autism .
“ So she ’ s out tweeting and politicizing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say whatever she wants to say about climate change and who ’ s responsible for it , ” Limbaugh said .
“ And nobody is permitted to question her , you see , because she has — what did they call it ?
She is in the autism spectrum , so you can ’ t disagree , you can ’ t question , because she ’ s not well.
” Both men have become powerful through building up a base by putting down others .
Now one is honoring the other .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Presidents have bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on some of America’s greatest writers, artists, entertainers, journalists, and humanitarians — from Toni Morrison to Ansel Adams to Edward R. Murrow to Betty Ford.
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave it to one of America’s most prominent racists.
During his State of the Union address, Trump looked to Rush Limbaugh, seated in the audience with Melania Trump, and thanked him for his contributions to American life.
“And Rush, in recognition of all you have done for our nation, the millions of people today that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight he will be receiving our country’s highest — you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom.”
Republicans cheered.
John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 to honor Americans who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Limbaugh, recently diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, has devoted his decades-long radio career to building an audience of millions of listeners with his brand of right-wing, xenophobic — and patently racist — populism that Trump borrowed on his rise to power.
Limbaugh fills hours of airtime each week with hateful commentary directed at African Americans, Asian Americans, women, people with disabilities, and pretty much anyone who is not white, straight, and male.
One person he does like: Donald Trump. Limbaugh has supported Trump since he won the 2016 nomination and has largely stood by him. He’s had him on his show for softball interviews more than once.
Limbaugh, like Trump, was a longtime birther. Trump was an early birther adopter and kept spreading the conspiracy nine months into his presidency.
Limbaugh’s racist rants continued beyond the 2008 election and started long before.
In 1990, Newsday reported that Limbaugh snapped at a black caller who confronted him, saying, “Take the bone out of your nose and call me back.” (Limbaugh denies he said this.)
In 2007, Limbaugh joked he was “singing a song in my head here during the break: ‘Barack, the Magic Negro, doo doo do doo.’”
In 2004, he suggested that professional basketball players were criminals: “You just gotta be who you are, and I think it’s time to get rid of this whole National Basketball Association. Call it the TBA, the Thug Basketball Association, and stop calling them teams. Call ’em gangs,” he said.
Three years later, Limbaugh described professional football players the same way. “Look, let me put it to you this way. The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
In 2011, he mocked a speech by the president of China, saying on air, “Hu Jintao was just going, ‘Ching cha. Ching chang cho chow. Cha chow. Ching cho. Chi ba ba ba. Kwo kwa kwa kee.” Limbaugh continued this at length, then said, “Nobody was translating, but that’s the closest I can get.”
In 2016, Limbaugh claimed that Obama’s race “amplified malcontent operations like Black Lives Matter. It gave rise to a thugocracy, and nobody had the guts to speak out against it for fear of what would happen to them.”
The list of examples goes on and on.
Trump has made his own racist remarks and relied on race baiting throughout his career. From his entry into the presidential race — calling Mexicans “rapists” — to his many, many comments since about various groups, his presidency has been defined by racial animus. “I think they’re trouble. I think they’re looking for trouble,” Trump said of Black Lives Matters activists in a Fox News interview with Bill O’Reilly, echoing Limbaugh’s view.
It’s worth noting that beyond race, both men hold deeply held sexist views, too. Limbaugh once attacked a law student and health care advocate, Sandra Fluke, who was fighting to require health insurance providers to cover birth control, by calling her a slut:
What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic], who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex, what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She’s having so much sex she can’t afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex.
Trump has confronted women in public life similarly, as he did in describing then-Fox anchor Megyn Kelly as having “blood coming out of her wherever” or dismissing Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser Christine Blasey Ford because “it doesn’t matter. We won.”
Both men recently made sexist, ableist attacks on teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has autism.
“So she’s out tweeting and politicizing, and she is free to lie and say whatever she wants to say about climate change and who’s responsible for it,” Limbaugh said. “And nobody is permitted to question her, you see, because she has — what did they call it? She is in the autism spectrum, so you can’t disagree, you can’t question, because she’s not well.”
Both men have become powerful through building up a base by putting down others. Now one is honoring the other. And there’s nothing meritorious about it.


vox--2020-02-04--Democrats’ response to the State of the Union laid out their 2020 Latino outreach strategy

If President Donald Trump gave a preview of his reelection message Tuesday night , Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar ’ s official Spanish-language response was the first look at the message the Democratic Party wants Latino voters to hear .
Escobar , a first-term member of Congress who won the seat previously held by former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O ’ Rourke , became one of the first Latinas to represent Texas in Congress when she was elected in November 2018 .
In her response , Escobar outlined the Democrats ’ stance on bread-and-butter election issues , including universal affordable health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It showed how the Democrats are trying to frame the issues voters care about most in terms that appeal to Latinos , without predominantly focusing on the immigration debate .
But Escobar also made specific appeals to her primarily Latino audience , including how the president ’ s rhetoric has targeted Latinos and immigrants more broadly .
“ In America , our diversity makes us stronger — it is what uplifts all voices and makes us an inclusive , dynamic country , ” she said in Spanish .
“ Yet , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Speaking at a community center in her district of El Paso , she acknowledged Puerto Ricans ’ struggle to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017 .
And she pointed out how Trump ’ s immigration policies have harmed immigrants living in the US , including so-called DREAMers , who may lose their legal status if the president ’ s efforts to dismantle Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals prevails ; immigrant families who were separated on the border ; migrant children who have died in immigration custody ; and migrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their chance to seek asylum in the US .
“ These are policies none of us ever imagined would happen in America in our lifetime , ” she said .
Escobar has already been a vocal critic of Trump ’ s immigration rhetoric and policies sending asylum seekers back to Mexico , arguing that they have stoked the kind of hate that led to last year ’ s shooting in El Paso , in which 22 people died .
She invoked the same argument in her rebuttal , calling for legislation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the El Paso shooter used the “ same hateful words ” that Trump uses when referring to immigrants .
The Spanish-language rebuttal , which has been delivered by both Democrats and Republicans over the years , is a relatively new tradition that started in 2011 in an effort to reach out to the 37 million Latinos living in the US who speak Spanish at home .
While Spanish is the US ’ s most common non-English language , the share of Latinos who speak Spanish is actually decreasing , in part because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US-born .
Latino outreach will be important for 2020 Democrats in states like Florida , which Trump won by a razor-thin margin in 2016 and where Latinos make up nearly a quarter of the population .

If President Donald Trump gave a preview of his reelection message Tuesday night, Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar’s official Spanish-language response was the first look at the message the Democratic Party wants Latino voters to hear.
Escobar, a first-term member of Congress who won the seat previously held by former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, became one of the first Latinas to represent Texas in Congress when she was elected in November 2018.
In her response, Escobar outlined the Democrats’ stance on bread-and-butter election issues, including universal affordable health care and raising the federal minimum wage. It showed how the Democrats are trying to frame the issues voters care about most in terms that appeal to Latinos, without predominantly focusing on the immigration debate.
But Escobar also made specific appeals to her primarily Latino audience, including how the president’s rhetoric has targeted Latinos and immigrants more broadly.
“In America, our diversity makes us stronger — it is what uplifts all voices and makes us an inclusive, dynamic country,” she said in Spanish. “Yet, the president clearly does not share this belief.”
Speaking at a community center in her district of El Paso, she acknowledged Puerto Ricans’ struggle to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017. And she pointed out how Trump’s immigration policies have harmed immigrants living in the US, including so-called DREAMers, who may lose their legal status if the president’s efforts to dismantle Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals prevails; immigrant families who were separated on the border; migrant children who have died in immigration custody; and migrants who face dangerous conditions waiting in Mexico for their chance to seek asylum in the US.
“These are policies none of us ever imagined would happen in America in our lifetime,” she said.
Escobar has already been a vocal critic of Trump’s immigration rhetoric and policies sending asylum seekers back to Mexico, arguing that they have stoked the kind of hate that led to last year’s shooting in El Paso, in which 22 people died.
She invoked the same argument in her rebuttal, calling for legislation to ameliorate the gun violence epidemic and reiterated that the El Paso shooter used the “same hateful words” that Trump uses when referring to immigrants.
The Spanish-language rebuttal, which has been delivered by both Democrats and Republicans over the years, is a relatively new tradition that started in 2011 in an effort to reach out to the 37 million Latinos living in the US who speak Spanish at home. While Spanish is the US’s most common non-English language, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish is actually decreasing, in part because many Latinos living in the US are US-born.
Latino outreach will be important for 2020 Democrats in states like Florida, which Trump won by a razor-thin margin in 2016 and where Latinos make up nearly a quarter of the population.


vox--2020-02-04--Pelosi’s State of the Union response: Rip up Trump’s speech

President Trump may have had an hour and a half to deliver his message to the American people , but all it took was a few seconds for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi .
Immediately after Trump ’ s State of the Union address on Tuesday night , Pelosi stood and emphatically ripped a copy of his speech in half , tossing it back on the lectern .
During his speech , Trump railed against “ criminal illegal immigrants , ” promised to protect health care for people with preexisting conditions ( when in fact his administration has fought to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heaped praise on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh ( who has a decades-long history of sexist and racist statements ) .
At least two Democrats were so disgusted with the speech that they walked out .
Several others , including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts , chose to boycott it .
Pelosi , meanwhile , saved her protest for the end .
Clad in white to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment , she stood and — three times — ripped sheets of paper in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed to Vox that it was a copy of the president ’ s speech , which he had handed her earlier in the evening .
Pelosi also told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that tearing up the speech was “ the courteous thing to do given the alternative.
” The moment was part of a contentious evening between Trump and Pelosi .
The president began the night by appearing to refuse to shake the speaker ’ s hand .
In response to Pelosi ’ s action , the White House tweeted its own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up “ a service member ’ s reunion with his family , ” insulting the families and individuals honored by Trump in his speech .
The moment had echoes of a previous Pelosi move — at the 2019 State of the Union , her smirking applause for the president became a meme , with many assuming it was sarcastic .
She insisted it was genuine , but Pelosi has always had a flair for imagery .
In October , Trump tweeted a photo of Pelosi gesticulating at him and other members of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her look bad .
But the photo — a woman literally standing up to a roomful of men — didn ’ t quite have the desired effect .
Pelosi made it her Twitter background , and # PelosiOwnsTrump began trending .
Pelosi ’ s decision to rip up Trump ’ s speech was just the latest public skirmish between the two — and the latest reminder that if Trump knows how to use political theater to make his points , Pelosi certainly does too .

President Trump may have had an hour and a half to deliver his message to the American people, but all it took was a few seconds for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Immediately after Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Pelosi stood and emphatically ripped a copy of his speech in half, tossing it back on the lectern.
Trump finishes his #SOTU speech and Nancy Pelosi quickly ripped it up pic.twitter.com/zLFYkfhEBR — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2020
During his speech, Trump railed against “criminal illegal immigrants,” promised to protect health care for people with preexisting conditions (when in fact his administration has fought to get rid of such protections), and heaped praise on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh (who has a decades-long history of sexist and racist statements).
At least two Democrats were so disgusted with the speech that they walked out. Several others, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, chose to boycott it.
Pelosi, meanwhile, saved her protest for the end. Clad in white to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, she stood and — three times — ripped sheets of paper in half. A spokesperson for the speaker confirmed to Vox that it was a copy of the president’s speech, which he had handed her earlier in the evening.
Pelosi also told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that tearing up the speech was “the courteous thing to do given the alternative.”
Asked why she ripped up Trump’s speech, @SpeakerPelosi said because it was “a courteous thing to do considering the alternative. It was such a dirty speech.” — Mary Bruce (@marykbruce) February 5, 2020
I just asked Speaker Pelosi her reaction to the #SOTU speech.
“I tore it up,” she said.
Why?
“It was the courteous thing to do,” she said. https://t.co/b5rVil4ply — Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) February 5, 2020
The moment was part of a contentious evening between Trump and Pelosi. The president began the night by appearing to refuse to shake the speaker’s hand.
Wow! Pelosi tried to shake Trump's hand but he seemed to refuse pic.twitter.com/nZhpwnXKCU — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2020
In response to Pelosi’s action, the White House tweeted its own statement saying that the speaker had ripped up “a service member’s reunion with his family,” insulting the families and individuals honored by Trump in his speech.
Speaker Pelosi just ripped up:
One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.
The survival of a child born at 21 weeks.
The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller.
A service member's reunion with his family.
That's her legacy. — The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 5, 2020
The moment had echoes of a previous Pelosi move — at the 2019 State of the Union, her smirking applause for the president became a meme, with many assuming it was sarcastic. She insisted it was genuine, but Pelosi has always had a flair for imagery.
#waybackwednesday - oh yes that clap took me back to the teen years. She knows. And she knows that you know. And frankly she’s disappointed that you thought this would work. But here’s a clap. #youtriedit pic.twitter.com/vUCX2uAUvv — Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) February 6, 2019
In October, Trump tweeted a photo of Pelosi gesticulating at him and other members of his administration, in an attempt to make her look bad. But the photo — a woman literally standing up to a roomful of men — didn’t quite have the desired effect. Pelosi made it her Twitter background, and #PelosiOwnsTrump began trending.
Pelosi’s decision to rip up Trump’s speech was just the latest public skirmish between the two — and the latest reminder that if Trump knows how to use political theater to make his points, Pelosi certainly does too.


vox--2020-02-04--Tree planting is Trump’s politically safe new climate plan

During his State of the Union address on Tuesday , President Trump didn ’ t breathe a word about climate change , the most serious threat to our security , health , economy , and natural world .
He did , however , mention his surprising new support for trees .
“ To protect the environment , days ago , I announced that the United States will join the One Trillion Trees Initiative , an ambitious effort to bring together government and the private sector to plant new trees in America and all around the world , ” Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US would join the program at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos , Switzerland .
“ We will continue to show strong leadership in restoring , growing and better managing our trees and our forests , ” Trump said at the event , but didn ’ t add any details about what the US would do to participate .
The trillion tree program is also the newfound passion of Marc Benioff , the founder of Salesforce ; at Davos , he launched a platform to manage it , called 1T.org .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ support and mobilize the conservation and restoration of 100 million trees over the next decade.
” The idea is that tree planting is nature-based solution to climate change , since trees and soil can take in and stor heat-trapping carbon from the atmosphere that are warming the planet .
Recently , there ’ s been a big surge in interest in this approach , especially since a controversial study in 2019 found that fully restoring degraded forests around the world would undo a large share of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions .
This idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some Republicans lately .
Last year , Rep. Bruce Westerman ( R-AK ) , wrote an editorial calling for preserving forests by creating markets for sustainable forest products like wood pellet biofuels and timber construction materials .
This week , Westerman is expected to unveil a bill that would commit the US to planting 3.3 billion trees a year for the next 30 years .
“ The pragmatic , proactive thing to do is to plant forests and manage them so that you ’ re actually pulling carbon out of the atmosphere , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a degree in forestry , so his interest in reforestation makes sense .
Trump , however , has flaunted his disdain for all things pertaining to climate change , and has rolled back regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to attacked climate activists .
He has also proposed opening up the Tongass National Forest in Alaska , North America ’ s largest intact temperate rainforest , to logging .
The think tank Center for American Progress called it America ’ s largest natural carbon sink .
“ The same man who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forest wants to plant a trillion trees , ” said Ryan Richards , a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress , in a statement .
“ He can ’ t have it both ways .
We need a comprehensive climate plan that gets us to 100 percent clean future.
” Greenpeace was similarly skeptical about Trump ’ s commitment .
“ In the face of a climate emergency , Trump ’ s ‘ trillion trees ’ initiative is like trying to put out a raging dumpster fire with a squirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate campaign director for Greenpeace USA .
“ Planting trees is not a substitute for cutting carbon emissions or addressing the unjust impacts of extractive industries on marginalized communities.
” Tree planting , like Republicans ’ push for innovation as a solution to climate change , is an approach that doesn ’ t challenge pro fossil-fuel orthodoxies .
It elides the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions , curb fossil fuel consumption , work with other countries , or to increase energy efficiency .
Instead , it distills the solution to climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump , committing to planting trees is an easy route to claiming he ’ s doing something for the environment with little political risk .
However , reforestation is not exactly a simple fix for climate change , or any other environmental issue .
Forests are diverse ecosystems and their ability to store carbon depends not just on trees , but a delicate balance of rainfall , soil nutrients , fungi , animals , and plants working together .
A successful tree-planting program has to include all of these elements , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not clear how 1t.org will address this .
And forest restorations requires ongoing active management , support , and buy-in on the ground from communities that live in and around forests , particularly indigenous groups that count on healthy forests for their survival .
Simply planting scores of oaks , maples , kapoks , and cedars will not solve climate change and won ’ t guarantee that a forest will survive and help the climate .
Planting trees also in no way reduces the need to curb greenhouse gases to emissions is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this century to less than 2 degrees Celsius , the target set out under the Paris climate agreement , an agreement that Trump is also backing out of later this year .
But with all of Trump ’ s rollbacks of environmental protections , joining the drive to plant a trillion trees stands to be one of his most significant actions to help the planet .

During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Trump didn’t breathe a word about climate change, the most serious threat to our security, health, economy, and natural world.
He did, however, mention his surprising new support for trees.
“To protect the environment, days ago, I announced that the United States will join the One Trillion Trees Initiative, an ambitious effort to bring together government and the private sector to plant new trees in America and all around the world,” Trump said.
Last month, Trump announced that the US would join the program at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “We will continue to show strong leadership in restoring, growing and better managing our trees and our forests,” Trump said at the event, but didn’t add any details about what the US would do to participate.
The trillion tree program is also the newfound passion of Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce; at Davos, he launched the 1T.org platform. The company has also pledged to “support and mobilize the conservation and restoration of 100 million trees over the next decade.”
The idea is that tree planting is a nature-based solution to climate change, since trees and soil can take in and store the heat-trapping carbon from the atmosphere that is warming the planet. Recently, there’s been a big surge in interest in this approach, especially since a controversial study in 2019 found that fully restoring degraded forests around the world would undo a large share of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
This idea seems to have struck a chord with some Republicans lately. Last year, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AK), wrote an editorial calling for preserving forests by creating markets for sustainable forest products like wood pellet biofuels and timber construction materials. This week, Westerman is expected to unveil a bill that would commit the US to planting 3.3 billion trees a year for the next 30 years.
“The pragmatic, proactive thing to do is to plant forests and manage them so that you’re actually pulling carbon out of the atmosphere,” Westerman told the Hill.
The most advanced carbon capture tool we have is growing right in our backyards. I'm excited to aid POTUS in putting this plan into action. https://t.co/mfxTqbKUyG — Rep. Bruce Westerman (@RepWesterman) February 5, 2020
Westerman has a degree in forestry, so his interest in reforestation makes sense. Trump, however, has flaunted his disdain for all things pertaining to climate change. He has rolled back regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and attacked climate activists. He has also proposed opening up the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, North America’s largest intact temperate rainforest, to logging. The think tank Center for American Progress called it America’s largest natural carbon sink.
“The same man who is proposing to cut down the Tongass National Forest wants to plant a trillion trees,” said Ryan Richards, a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, in a statement. “He can’t have it both ways. We need a comprehensive climate plan that gets us to 100 percent clean future.”
Greenpeace was similarly skeptical about Trump’s commitment. “In the face of a climate emergency, Trump’s ‘trillion trees’ initiative is like trying to put out a raging dumpster fire with a squirt gun,” said Janet Redman, climate campaign director for Greenpeace USA. “Planting trees is not a substitute for cutting carbon emissions or addressing the unjust impacts of extractive industries on marginalized communities.”
Tree planting, like Republicans’ push for innovation as a solution to climate change, is an approach that doesn’t challenge pro fossil-fuel orthodoxies. It elides the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, curb fossil fuel consumption, work with other countries, or to increase energy efficiency. Instead, it distills the solution to climate change into a seemingly simple move. So for Trump, committing to planting trees is an easy way to claim he’s doing something for the environment with little political risk.
In the year 2020, how can a president of the United States give a State of the Union speech and not mention climate change? — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 5, 2020
However, reforestation is not a simple fix for climate change, or any other environmental issue. Forests are diverse ecosystems and their ability to store carbon depends not just on trees, but a delicate balance of rainfall, soil nutrients, fungi, animals, and plants working together. A successful tree-planting program has to include all of these elements, adding cost and complexity, and it’s not clear how 1t.org will address this.
And forest restoration requires ongoing active management, support, and buy-in on the ground from communities that live in and around forests, particularly indigenous groups that count on healthy forests for their survival. Simply planting scores of oaks, maples, kapoks, and cedars will not solve climate change and won’t guarantee that a forest will survive.
Planting trees also in no way reduces the need to curb greenhouse gases to emissions if the goal is to limit climate change this century to less than 2 degrees Celsius, the target set out under the Paris climate agreement, an agreement that Trump is also backing out of later this year. But with all of Trump’s rollbacks of environmental protections, joining the drive to plant a trillion trees stands to be one of his most significant actions to help the planet.


vox--2020-02-04--4 winners and 2 losers from Trump’s 2020 State of the Union

When President Donald Trump began the 2020 State of the Union , a chant broke out among the assembled Republican members of Congress : “ Four more years !
Four more years !
” The chant turned the subtext of the speech into the text : This is the formal launch of Trump ’ s reelection campaign .
Not that it wasn ’ t obvious from the speech itself .
Trump spent a good chunk of the speech reciting impressive-sounding economic statistics , and other parts handing out money and awards to individuals and causes that make him look good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He took a number of swipes at socialism in various forms , an unsubtle signal as to how he plans to attack Sen. Bernie Sanders in the quite plausible event he ’ ll be the Democratic presidential nominee .
In some ways , it was surprising in its restraint — there was not one mention of the Iowa caucus debacle or his imminent acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial .
In other ways , it was an unrestrained expression of Trump ’ s game-show presidency ( more on that below ) .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most part but also contained some truly ugly moments .
What follows is our sense of the highs and the lows , who ( and what ) came out looking better by the end of the night — and who ( or what ) did not .
If there is one theme that President Trump hammered hardest on Tuesday night , it is that the economy is great .
That also happens to be true , which makes Trump ’ s address — the official kickoff to his reelection campaign — a success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes overreached in the specifics .
“ In eight years under the last administration , over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce , ” he told the assembled members of Congress .
“ In just three years of my administration , 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce.
” The numbers here aren ’ t precisely apples to apples , but more to the point , what Trump is observing is that Barack Obama took office as the worst recession in a generation was worsening , whereas Trump took office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not solely Obama ’ s fault nor to Trump ’ s credit .
But the state of the economy now is somewhat to Trump ’ s credit , and some of his more ambitious brags fit the data .
He really does have the lowest average unemployment of any president since official record-keeping began under Eisenhower ( though he did lie and say “ in the history of our country ” ) : Nor is this merely dumb luck .
Trump , despite tremendous criticism for violating norms around Fed independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jay Powell , to lower rates and keep them low to enable the unemployment rate to stay low and the workforce to grow .
That , plus the fiscal stimulus of Trump ’ s tax cuts , has combined to juice the economy considerably .
It ’ s not an accident : It ’ s deliberate policy , and , at least in the case of the Fed , it ’ s good policy .
This success means very good things for his reelection odds .
Decades of political science work on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection enjoy an incumbency advantage , that a strong economy helps the incumbent ’ s party , and that high levels of US military fatalities hurt the incumbent ’ s party .
Trump is the incumbent , the economy is growing while unemployment stays very low , and despite some close calls , he hasn ’ t started new wars or expanded existing ones in ways that kill a lot of US service members .
So his State of the Union was a reminder that he has engineered fundamentals that mark him as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November .
This one is a bit complicated .
On the one hand , socialism really did come in for a lambasting in Trump ’ s address — a theme personified by the appearance of special guest Juan Guaidó , the young Venezuelan opposition leader/president-in-exile who challenged Nicolás Maduro , the country ’ s socialist dictator .
There are few ways to discredit socialism more effectively than by connecting it to Venezuela ’ s humanitarian catastrophe .
On the other hand , there ’ s a case to be made that socialism came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is perhaps the greatest sign of the American socialist movement ’ s recent success that the incumbent president felt it necessary to spend much of his annual address to the nation condemning the ideology .
Socialism has become increasingly popular with younger Americans , as seen in the rise of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
You could argue that the socialists are not on the fringes anymore , they are winning converts , and you can see the results in Trump ’ s anti-socialist rhetoric .
Indeed , much of the rhetoric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a speech by Ohio Republican Sen. Robert Taft from 1950 .
“ One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system , wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans , ” Trump declared , wielding the s-word in an effort to discredit Medicare-for-all .
“ To those watching at home tonight , I want you to know : We will never let socialism destroy American health care !
” That said , connecting Venezuelan socialism to American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the old-and-busted “ socialized medicine ” routine .
Who knows if it will actually prove effective with voters , but it ’ s an anti-socialist barrage that stood out .
If in 2014 , I told you that the host of Celebrity Apprentice , also known for a key guest appearance in Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York , was running for president , and I asked you to imagine what an out-of-control game show host would do once in power , you would probably say something like “ use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stunt surprises that shock and thrill the audience.
” And , my god , did that manic game show host deliver .
Tuesday night did not only feature the surprise awarding of a Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh ( Rush Limbaugh ! )
, right in the middle of the speech , by the first lady , but it involved the most Oprah-esque segment of any presidential speech in memory : After praising North Carolina mother Amy Williams , who “ works full time , and volunteers countless hours helping other military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
First Class Townsend Williams , is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment to the Middle East , ” Trump … revealed Sgt .
First Class Townsend Williams .
That ’ s right .
In the middle of the speech , he surprised a military spouse by bringing back her husband from a tour of duty , and had the whole nation watch their emotional reunion .
This , as much as anything , is why Donald Trump is president .
He may not be a great real estate investor or casino owner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who knows how to pull off an emotionally powerful reality show segment .
He also knows how to use those skills to whip up brutal prejudices and fear of outsiders , and he did that in spades on Tuesday night as well .
But you can not deny this skill of Trump ’ s , and the State of the Union provided one of the most vivid reminders to date of that skill ’ s power .
It ’ s a Trump speech , so you have to expect some anti-immigrant demagoguery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech ’ s treatment , and what it augured for Trump ’ s reelection campaign , bears special mention .
The speech contained graphic descriptions of crimes allegedly committed by unauthorized immigrants , including one lengthy discussion of a “ gruesome spree of deadly violence ” committed by a “ criminal alien ” in California that Trump blamed on “ an outrageous law declaring their whole State to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants.
” Not content to paint undocumented immigrants as murderers , the president also blamed them for human trafficking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To hear Trump tell it , America ’ s crime problem is really an immigration problem — which , to be clear , is not true .
But perhaps the most interesting part of Trump ’ s anti-immigrant tirade came during his discussion of health care — specifically , his attack on Medicare-for-all .
Part of his argument against the bill was the classic “ socialism is bad ” stuff Dylan mentioned above .
But the lengthier section attacked Sanders ’ s signature policy primarily as a giveaway to undocumented immigrants .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our nation by providing free taxpayer-funded health care to millions of illegal aliens , forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders , ” Trump said .
“ These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits our seniors depend on , while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration.
” Trump ’ s argument reminds me of what scholars of European far-right parties call “ welfare chauvinism ” : the idea that the government ought to provide benefits to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not provide the same to foreigners within its borders because it ’ s too expensive and they simply don ’ t deserve it .
Trump made this line of thinking fairly explicit in the speech .
“ If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free health care to illegal aliens sounds fair to you , then stand with the radical left , ” he said .
“ But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors , then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This version of the argument could prove quite effective .
Historically , anti-minority sentiment has been a powerful reason white voters opposed redistributive policy like welfare and food stamp expansion .
This is how Trump thinks he can beat back a populist appeal from Democrats in November : by turning the battle over the welfare state into a part of the culture war .
Back in fall 2018 , conservative activist Candace Owens founded “ Blexit ” ( black exit , like Brexit — get it ? )
, a campaign to persuade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nobody took it very seriously at the time .
And , indeed , many Trump-era efforts to court black voters have been so crass and inept as to seem more like trolling than electioneering .
But the 2020 State of the Union address featured a fairly sustained and disciplined effort to pitch Trump to African American voters .
He talked about the criminal justice reform bill he signed , highlighted a student who could benefit from a school voucher program he supports , recognized a veteran of the Tuskegee Airmen , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news for black workers .
Trump is obviously going to lose the black vote in November , and lose it badly .
But there is some method to the madness .
As I ’ ve written before , black voters were a relative bright spot for the GOP amid the disastrous 2018 midterms .
Democrat Stacey Abrams , an African American gubernatorial candidate in Georgia , did 4 percentage points better with white voters in Georgia than Hillary Clinton did two years earlier , but 4 percentage points worse with black ones .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing slightly better with African Americans than he did in 2016 .
This still involves losing black voters by lopsided margins , but every vote counts , and it makes sense for Trump to do what he can to exploit that opening .
Look , I get that Rush Limbaugh has a pretty advanced case of cancer .
We ’ re not supposed to be mean to people under circumstances like those .
But this is a man who has had a deeply pernicious influence on American discourse .
Limbaugh once suggested that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He claimed that “ feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.
” He renamed the NBA the “ Thug Basketball Association ” and asserted that “ in Obama ’ s America , the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering.
” This kind of ugliness — the race-baiting , the sexism , the xenophobia — is a mainstay of Limbaugh ’ s show .
You ’ d think that such a record would disqualify him from any kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let alone receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom .
The fact that Limbaugh got it anyway is not just a personal victory for him — it ’ s a victory for the entire alternative right-wing media ecosystem he helped pioneer .
It shows the degree to which talk-radio firebrands and Fox News hosts have become integrated into the Republican establishment , unofficial branches of the party that wield tremendous influence over its operations .
It also shows the degree to which its moral counter-revolution — its constant pushback against the norms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 1960s — has been successful .
Limbaugh ’ s legacy will be not his own show , but a constellation of conservative pundits and personalities who have taken up similar messages and spread them in different ways .
They are the people who helped lay the groundwork for Trump , priming the conservative base for the backlash politics that propelled him to the White House .
So Limbaugh ’ s award , while on a certain level grotesque , is on another level deeply fitting — a capstone for the movement @ @ @ @ @

When President Donald Trump began the 2020 State of the Union, a chant broke out among the assembled Republican members of Congress: “Four more years! Four more years!” The chant turned the subtext of the speech into the text: This is the formal launch of Trump’s reelection campaign.
Not that it wasn’t obvious from the speech itself. Trump spent a good chunk of the speech reciting impressive-sounding economic statistics, and other parts handing out money and awards to individuals and causes that make him look good to various parts of the electorate. He took a number of swipes at socialism in various forms, an unsubtle signal as to how he plans to attack Sen. Bernie Sanders in the quite plausible event he’ll be the Democratic presidential nominee.
In some ways, it was surprising in its restraint — there was not one mention of the Iowa caucus debacle or his imminent acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial. In other ways, it was an unrestrained expression of Trump’s game-show presidency (more on that below). It was low-key by Trump standards for the most part but also contained some truly ugly moments.
What follows is our sense of the highs and the lows, who (and what) came out looking better by the end of the night — and who (or what) did not.
Winner: Trump’s reelection campaign
If there is one theme that President Trump hammered hardest on Tuesday night, it is that the economy is great. That also happens to be true, which makes Trump’s address — the official kickoff to his reelection campaign — a success.
In typical Trump faction, he sometimes overreached in the specifics. “In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce,” he told the assembled members of Congress. “In just three years of my administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce.” The numbers here aren’t precisely apples to apples, but more to the point, what Trump is observing is that Barack Obama took office as the worst recession in a generation was worsening, whereas Trump took office as the economy is booming. That’s not solely Obama’s fault nor to Trump’s credit.
But the state of the economy now is somewhat to Trump’s credit, and some of his more ambitious brags fit the data. He really does have the lowest average unemployment of any president since official record-keeping began under Eisenhower (though he did lie and say “in the history of our country”):
Trump is correct that he has the lowest average monthly unemployment rate on record, through this point in a presidential term, but the record goes back to the Eisenhower administration, not the history of the country. pic.twitter.com/Z3NWT1WzEs — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 5, 2020
Nor is this merely dumb luck. Trump, despite tremendous criticism for violating norms around Fed independence, has consistently pressured his Fed chair, Jay Powell, to lower rates and keep them low to enable the unemployment rate to stay low and the workforce to grow.
That, plus the fiscal stimulus of Trump’s tax cuts, has combined to juice the economy considerably. It’s not an accident: It’s deliberate policy, and, at least in the case of the Fed, it’s good policy.
This success means very good things for his reelection odds. Decades of political science work on election forecasting implies that presidents running for reelection enjoy an incumbency advantage, that a strong economy helps the incumbent’s party, and that high levels of US military fatalities hurt the incumbent’s party.
Trump is the incumbent, the economy is growing while unemployment stays very low, and despite some close calls, he hasn’t started new wars or expanded existing ones in ways that kill a lot of US service members.
So his State of the Union was a reminder that he has engineered fundamentals that mark him as the clear favorite as we head to November.
—Dylan Matthews
Loser (sort of): Socialism
This one is a bit complicated. On the one hand, socialism really did come in for a lambasting in Trump’s address — a theme personified by the appearance of special guest Juan Guaidó, the young Venezuelan opposition leader/president-in-exile who challenged Nicolás Maduro, the country’s socialist dictator. There are few ways to discredit socialism more effectively than by connecting it to Venezuela’s humanitarian catastrophe.
On the other hand, there’s a case to be made that socialism came out ahead on this night. It is perhaps the greatest sign of the American socialist movement’s recent success that the incumbent president felt it necessary to spend much of his annual address to the nation condemning the ideology.
Socialism has become increasingly popular with younger Americans, as seen in the rise of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You could argue that the socialists are not on the fringes anymore, they are winning converts, and you can see the results in Trump’s anti-socialist rhetoric.
Indeed, much of the rhetoric wouldn’t feel out of place in a speech by Ohio Republican Sen. Robert Taft from 1950. “One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans,” Trump declared, wielding the s-word in an effort to discredit Medicare-for-all. “To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care!”
That said, connecting Venezuelan socialism to American socialism was a more effective rhetorical device than the old-and-busted “socialized medicine” routine. Who knows if it will actually prove effective with voters, but it’s an anti-socialist barrage that stood out.
—DM
Winner: Trump, the greatest showman
If in 2014, I told you that the host of Celebrity Apprentice, also known for a key guest appearance in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, was running for president, and I asked you to imagine what an out-of-control game show host would do once in power, you would probably say something like “use the State of the Union for weird stunt surprises that shock and thrill the audience.”
And, my god, did that manic game show host deliver.
Tuesday night did not only feature the surprise awarding of a Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh (Rush Limbaugh!), right in the middle of the speech, by the first lady, but it involved the most Oprah-esque segment of any presidential speech in memory: After praising North Carolina mother Amy Williams, who “works full time, and volunteers countless hours helping other military families … while her husband, Sgt. First Class Townsend Williams, is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment to the Middle East,” Trump … revealed Sgt. First Class Townsend Williams.
That’s right. In the middle of the speech, he surprised a military spouse by bringing back her husband from a tour of duty, and had the whole nation watch their emotional reunion.
This, as much as anything, is why Donald Trump is president. He may not be a great real estate investor or casino owner, but he is an incredible showman who knows how to pull off an emotionally powerful reality show segment. He also knows how to use those skills to whip up brutal prejudices and fear of outsiders, and he did that in spades on Tuesday night as well.
But you cannot deny this skill of Trump’s, and the State of the Union provided one of the most vivid reminders to date of that skill’s power.
—DM
Loser: Immigrants
It’s a Trump speech, so you have to expect some anti-immigrant demagoguery. But the depths and ugliness of this speech’s treatment, and what it augured for Trump’s reelection campaign, bears special mention.
The speech contained graphic descriptions of crimes allegedly committed by unauthorized immigrants, including one lengthy discussion of a “gruesome spree of deadly violence” committed by a “criminal alien” in California that Trump blamed on “an outrageous law declaring their whole State to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants.”
Not content to paint undocumented immigrants as murderers, the president also blamed them for human trafficking, drug smuggling, and sexual assault. To hear Trump tell it, America’s crime problem is really an immigration problem — which, to be clear, is not true.
But perhaps the most interesting part of Trump’s anti-immigrant tirade came during his discussion of health care — specifically, his attack on Medicare-for-all. Part of his argument against the bill was the classic “socialism is bad” stuff Dylan mentioned above. But the lengthier section attacked Sanders’s signature policy primarily as a giveaway to undocumented immigrants.
“Over 130 legislators in this chamber have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our nation by providing free taxpayer-funded health care to millions of illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders,” Trump said. “These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits our seniors depend on, while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration.”
Trump’s argument reminds me of what scholars of European far-right parties call “welfare chauvinism”: the idea that the government ought to provide benefits to native-born citizens, but cannot and should not provide the same to foreigners within its borders because it’s too expensive and they simply don’t deserve it. Trump made this line of thinking fairly explicit in the speech.
“If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free health care to illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left,” he said. “But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free government health care for illegal aliens!”
This version of the argument could prove quite effective. Historically, anti-minority sentiment has been a powerful reason white voters opposed redistributive policy like welfare and food stamp expansion. This is how Trump thinks he can beat back a populist appeal from Democrats in November: by turning the battle over the welfare state into a part of the culture war.
—Zack Beauchamp
Winner: #Blexit
Back in fall 2018, conservative activist Candace Owens founded “Blexit” (black exit, like Brexit — get it?), a campaign to persuade African Americans to abandon the Democratic Party. Nobody took it very seriously at the time. And, indeed, many Trump-era efforts to court black voters have been so crass and inept as to seem more like trolling than electioneering.
But the 2020 State of the Union address featured a fairly sustained and disciplined effort to pitch Trump to African American voters. He talked about the criminal justice reform bill he signed, highlighted a student who could benefit from a school voucher program he supports, recognized a veteran of the Tuskegee Airmen, and dwelled at length on positive labor market news for black workers.
Trump is obviously going to lose the black vote in November, and lose it badly. But there is some method to the madness.
As I’ve written before, black voters were a relative bright spot for the GOP amid the disastrous 2018 midterms. Democrat Stacey Abrams, an African American gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, did 4 percentage points better with white voters in Georgia than Hillary Clinton did two years earlier, but 4 percentage points worse with black ones. Head-to-head polling matchups also generally show Trump doing slightly better with African Americans than he did in 2016. This still involves losing black voters by lopsided margins, but every vote counts, and it makes sense for Trump to do what he can to exploit that opening.
—Matt Yglesias
Winner: The right-wing media
Look, I get that Rush Limbaugh has a pretty advanced case of cancer. We’re not supposed to be mean to people under circumstances like those. But this is a man who has had a deeply pernicious influence on American discourse.
Limbaugh once suggested that unauthorized immigrants were spreading sexually transmitted diseases. He claimed that “feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.” He renamed the NBA the “Thug Basketball Association” and asserted that “in Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering.”
This kind of ugliness — the race-baiting, the sexism, the xenophobia — is a mainstay of Limbaugh’s show. You’d think that such a record would disqualify him from any kind of celebration during a State of the Union, let alone receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The fact that Limbaugh got it anyway is not just a personal victory for him — it’s a victory for the entire alternative right-wing media ecosystem he helped pioneer. It shows the degree to which talk-radio firebrands and Fox News hosts have become integrated into the Republican establishment, unofficial branches of the party that wield tremendous influence over its operations.
It also shows the degree to which its moral counter-revolution — its constant pushback against the norms of tolerance and anti-discrimination that supposedly won out in the 1960s — has been successful. Limbaugh’s legacy will be not his own show, but a constellation of conservative pundits and personalities who have taken up similar messages and spread them in different ways. They are the people who helped lay the groundwork for Trump, priming the conservative base for the backlash politics that propelled him to the White House.
So Limbaugh’s award, while on a certain level grotesque, is on another level deeply fitting — a capstone for the movement that made Trump possible.
—ZB