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Post by lisae on Oct 26, 2024 12:23:51 GMT
The problem with this isn't that Bezos is scared of Trump. I can understand that from his position. (Of course this could be that he just doesn't want Harris because she wants to tax the super rich more.) The problem is that a billionaire with many other business interests owns an influential newspaper. If you can't go all in on a journalistic commitment, you shouldn't be in the newspaper business.
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Post by Merge on Oct 26, 2024 12:43:53 GMT
Merge and epeanymous , I respect both of your opinions immensely, you are two of the smartest Peas I know, so please may I ask why this is a negative thing in your eyes? I would have thought that people want their news sources to be completely unbiased, and therefore would not want them to endorse either of the candidates. Mine is a genuine question, I honestly would like to understand.  Aww, that's kind of you. From my perspective, it's more the fact that they normally *do* endorse a candidate. To suddenly stop doing so, at the last minute before an election, is to give the impression that the candidates are equally bad and not worth endorsing. This is demonstrably not the case. Also, the fact that the decision was made not for journalistic or editorial reasons, but to kowtow to the wishes of the paper's billionaire owner who doesn't want repercussions from Trump if he wins - that's oligarchy, plain and simple. And America isn't supposed to be an oligarchy. An oligarchy with a leader who is also effectively a dictator (if Trump wins) is Russia. We're not Russia. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 26, 2024 13:31:06 GMT
The disgusting part is that Bezos has the funds to protect himself, his employees and many of us, but all he wants is more dollars... As do so many other billionaires .... Who all care little about us and our country!!
Thankfully his ex-wife has been generous...
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Post by epeanymous on Oct 26, 2024 15:10:28 GMT
At least 40 states have already started voting so what difference is an endorsement, or lack of one, going to make at this point. The vast majority of voters have already made up their minds and the few that remain undecided aren’t aitting on the fence waiting to see who the WP endorses. We’re not supposed to worry that an editorial board for a newspaper was going to do what editorial boards for newspapers generally do, and were forbidden from doing so by their billionaire owner? |
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Post by epeanymous on Oct 26, 2024 15:15:08 GMT
Merge and epeanymous, I respect both of your opinions immensely, you are two of the smartest Peas I know, so please may I ask why this is a negative thing in your eyes? I would have thought that people want their news sources to be completely unbiased, and therefore would not want them to endorse either of the candidates. Mine is a genuine question, I honestly would like to understand. I appreciate that, ha ha. Here is the thing, or rather two things. One, newspapers do generally endorse, and the WaPo evidently was going to do so, but reports are that its billionaire owner stopped them, which is an exercise of control over what is supposed to be relatively independent editorial decisionmaking. Yes, news itself is supposed to be unbiased, but the op/ed page isn’t—it is literally for having staff and/or outsiders express their opinions, and evidently the owner isn’t permitting them to do so. It also makes me wonder if there are stories these publications have either killed or downplayed because of similar control measures. |
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 15:16:04 GMT
At least 40 states have already started voting so what difference is an endorsement, or lack of one, going to make at this point. The vast majority of voters have already made up their minds and the few that remain undecided aren’t aitting on the fence waiting to see who the WP endorses. It's not necessarily about convincing voters. It's about journalism standards and ethics. Instead of speaking out against Trump, who in Mark Milley's words is the most dangerous person to this country, Jeff Bezos cowardly caved to him. At a crucial time in our democracy, The Washington Post is silent because of the potential threat of a Trump presidency. Which is exactly why the Post and the Times need to find the courage to stand up and speak out against Trump. The Post endorsed Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020 and even prepared an editorial to endorse Harris. But instead of doing the right thing, Bezos is hedging his bets. Bezos betrayed the principles of both journalism and democracy. eta - It’s also important to look at Bezos’ cowardice in the context of the threats Trump has made against media organizations and anyone that disagrees with him - his tirades against the “enemy within” and threats to use the military on Americans. |
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 15:33:21 GMT
Also, as someone accurately pointed out, the Post won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of Jan 6. And now Bezos does not have the courage to stand up to the man who incited the insurrection? The candidate who poses a grave threat to our democracy and freedom of the press. If the paper was acting in the best interests of their readers and the media, they would publish the editorial. Instead, a billionaire is acting in his own best interests.
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 15:42:49 GMT
The editor of the Post who resigned after Bezos' decision stifle the press“This is obviously an effort by Jeff Bezos to curry favor with Donald Trump in the anticipation of his possible victory. …
If we want to know how Trump is going to stifle the free press in the United States... this is how it's going to happen.”
- Robert Kagan after resigning |
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 15:52:30 GMT
Bob Woodward & Carl BernsteinNew statement from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: "We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy. Under Jeff Bezos’s ownership, the Washington Post’s news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process."
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 15:58:28 GMT
HCR has a great perspective on this - obeying in advance heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-25-2024Readers are speaking out against the Washington Post for demonstrating what scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder calls “obeying in advance” the demands of an authoritarian leader . “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given,” Snyder’s “On Tyranny” reads. “In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”
The aftermath of the Post’s decision demonstrated what scholars say will happen after such obeying. Rather than winning favors, such a demonstration of weakness invites further abuse, as anyone who has watched Trump in action ought to know by now.
on tyranny
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 16:16:06 GMT
consent to a fascist's whimsA member of the Wash Post editorial department tells me: Bezos's decision not to endorse is "an outrageous abdication of responsibility. Democracy doesn't die in darkness, it dies when people anticipatorily consent to a fascist's whims."
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 16:17:30 GMT
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 26, 2024 16:34:16 GMT
aj2hallI was just coming here to post this. Well not this, but was washing dishes and this idea popped into my head. Yes, now that Bezos has backed down he can more easily be pushed farther back or forced to disappear, voluntarily or by TFG...... So long term .. Bezos screwed himself and waved a red flag on front of TFG!!
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Post by epeanymous on Oct 26, 2024 22:58:53 GMT
aj2hallI was just coming here to post this. Well not this, but was washing dishes and this idea popped into my head. Yes, now that Bezos has backed down he can more easily be pushed farther back or forced to disappear, voluntarily or by TFG...... So long term .. Bezos screwed himself and waved a red flag on front of TFG!! I know it is possible to over-psychoanalyze, but I have posted here about the fact that my FIL grew up with Trump and has a very similar personality, and the hardest thing for me to learn, as a person who tries to compromise and seem reasonable, is that this is a personality type that views such capitulation as weakness, and you are making things much harder for yourself by doing so. |
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 23:05:12 GMT
Even Liz Cheney called out Bezos for not allowing the Post to endorse Harris www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/22/opinion/thepoint#liz-cheney-kamala-harris“When you have Jeff Bezos apparently afraid to issue an endorsement for the only candidate in the race who’s a stable responsible adult because he fears Donald Trump, that tells you why we have to work so hard to make sure that Donald Trump isn’t elected,” Cheney said. |
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rubrinker
Shy Member
Posts: 12
Dec 21, 2019 23:09:00 GMT
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Post by rubrinker on Oct 26, 2024 23:15:17 GMT
If you all truly believe Harris would be better, then you have your heads in the sand. She is a do nothing and has no real experience. She is only on the ballot because they booted Biden out and no one else would have been allowed to use the campaign funds that had already been raised. She is a big joke.
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 23:43:02 GMT
I'm not sure where you're getting information, but Harris has very real experience as the Attorney General of California, US Senator and 4 years as the Vice President. She is one of the most qualified candidates in recent history. Seriously, what more experience do you want her to have?
Trump had zero political experience and his business experience with 6 bankruptcies is not impressive. How terrible do you have to be to bankrupt a casino?
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 26, 2024 23:45:40 GMT
Michelle Obama very eloquently points out the different standards. Michelle Obama@michelleobama
I hope that you will forgive me if I'm a little angry that we are indifferent to Donald Trump’s erratic behavior. His obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. All of this while we pick apart Kamala's answers from interviews that he doesn't even have the courage to do |
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Post by lucyg on Oct 26, 2024 23:46:57 GMT
If you all truly believe Harris would be better, then you have your heads in the sand. She is a do nothing and has no real experience. She is only on the ballot because they booted Biden out and no one else would have been allowed to use the campaign funds that had already been raised. She is a big joke. New around here, I see. Please explain in detail what there is about a law degree and 30 years of public service, including winning multiple elections at the local, state, and national level, and having served nearly four years at Biden’s right hand in the Oval Office, that screams “no real experience” to you. How she got on the ballot is really none of your concern. It is Democrats, not Trump cultists, who choose our presidential nominee. There was nothing out of order about how she was chosen, no matter how sad that may make you. You wanna know what else? It wouldn’t matter if she were actually uneducated, inexperienced, and incompetent. She’d still be a better choice than that criminal psychopath. The only people with their heads in the sand are those who believe Trump won’t turn on them, too, when it suits him. Say goodbye to your social security and Medicare. Say goodbye to a fair, impartial justice system. Say goodbye to any future legitimate elections in this country, if he wins this one. Now if you’re smart, you’ll save this post so you can turn me in to the secret police if Trump wins. |
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Post by Lurkingpea on Oct 26, 2024 23:54:20 GMT
If you all truly believe Harris would be better, then you have your heads in the sand. She is a do nothing and has no real experience. She is only on the ballot because they booted Biden out and no one else would have been allowed to use the campaign funds that had already been raised. She is a big joke. Oh goody. Lauren/Sunshine/Gia/Lindas or whatever combo they are has a new alter. 🤮 |
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,645 
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Post by janeliz on Oct 26, 2024 23:55:41 GMT
Cancelled both my LA Times and WaPo subs. I wasn’t giving them that much monthly with my measly digital subscriptions, but still…
For now, I’ll stick with The Boston Globe and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Oct 26, 2024 23:56:45 GMT
If you all truly believe Harris would be better, then you have your heads in the sand. She is a do nothing and has no real experience. She is only on the ballot because they booted Biden out and no one else would have been allowed to use the campaign funds that had already been raised. She is a big joke. New around here, I see. Please explain in detail what there is about a law degree and 30 years of public service, including winning multiple elections at the local, state, and national level, and having served nearly four years at Biden’s right hand in the Oval Office, that screams “no real experience” to you. How she got on the ballot is really none of your concern. It is Democrats, not Trump cultists, who choose our presidential nominee. There was nothing out of order about how she was chosen, no matter how sad that may make you. You wanna know what else? It wouldn’t matter if she were actually uneducated, inexperienced, and incompetent. She’d still be a better choice than that criminal psychopath. The only people with their heads in the sand are those who believe Trump won’t turn on them, too, when it suits him. Say goodbye to your social security and Medicare. Say goodbye to a fair, impartial justice system. Say goodbye to any future legitimate elections in this country, if he wins this one. Now if you’re smart, you’ll save this post so you can turn me in to the secret police if Trump wins. I would bet that most 3 year olds are more qualified than Trump. It is asinine that people try to claim Harris is not qualified are the same people who have no qualms at all about Trump's non-existent qualifications and his obvious mental decline. I mean the man has never been the stable genius he claims to be but what has been happening to him over the last month is shocking. He has fully lost the plot. |
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Post by aj2hall on Oct 27, 2024 0:26:39 GMT
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 27, 2024 0:30:09 GMT
She is the sitting VP. VP's work in the back ground to assist the president. VPs do not make policy. The do not take the lead. They do not stand out.
Tell us what you think Pence did that was better then what TFG did? Nothing until the end when he followed the Constitution!
Can you name more then a few other VPs? Not likely! They all fade into the woodwork...
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Post by hopemax on Oct 27, 2024 0:44:35 GMT
Look, if someone wants to believe that the candidate who doesn't know that asylum has a meaning other than a mental institution and that giving an immigrant a visa means giving them a credit card is more qualified than Harris, nothing people will say will change their mind. Ultimately, they will have the same luck as the rest of us getting a person with that kind of mental acuity to give a flying flip about the issues that really *do* matter to that person. The record for fascists and autocrats over history is not exactly a winning strategy for the populace. As to the subject of this thread, apparently, after the Washington Post did not publish an endorsement Trump's team sat down with Bezos' Blue Origin people. Quid Pro Quo. www.theverge.com/2024/10/25/24279851/donald-trump-meets-with-blue-origin-execs-the-same-day-wapo-declines-to-endorse-a-presidential-candi |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Oct 27, 2024 1:13:44 GMT
If you all truly believe Harris would be better, then you have your heads in the sand. She is a do nothing and has no real experience. She is only on the ballot because they booted Biden out and no one else would have been allowed to use the campaign funds that had already been raised. She is a big joke. You must really be concerned about Vance and his experience, huh? |
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Post by alsomsknit on Oct 27, 2024 1:15:46 GMT
Michelle Obama very eloquently points out the different standards. Michelle Obama@michelleobama
I hope that you will forgive me if I'm a little angry that we are indifferent to Donald Trump’s erratic behavior. His obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. All of this while we pick apart Kamala's answers from interviews that he doesn't even have the courage to doThis speech was incredible! |
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Post by Texas Scrap on Oct 27, 2024 1:58:30 GMT
I don't have a sub, but I agree with the sentiment to show Bezos there are economic consequences from customers also. That said, I hate that Post employees may end up paying the consequences of his decision. The lack of stewardship, courage and integrity from so many of these "business leaders" is so very discouraging.
This really is just another shining example of Trump planning to lead as dictator not president. I really hope if he manages to win, that the other branches of our government step up and do not bow to his tyranny. I am still not sure how we got here.
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Post by Merge on Oct 27, 2024 2:05:53 GMT
Oh goody, a new clown here. 🙄
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 27, 2024 3:09:40 GMT
Look, if someone wants to believe that the candidate who doesn't know that asylum has a meaning other than a mental institution and that giving an immigrant a visa means giving them a credit card is more qualified than Harris, nothing people will say will change their mind. Ultimately, they will have the same luck as the rest of us getting a person with that kind of mental acuity to give a flying flip about the issues that really *do* matter to that person. The record for fascists and autocrats over history is not exactly a winning strategy for the populace. As to the subject of this thread, apparently, after the Washington Post did not publish an endorsement Trump's team sat down with Bezos' Blue Origin people. Quid Pro Quo. www.theverge.com/2024/10/25/24279851/donald-trump-meets-with-blue-origin-execs-the-same-day-wapo-declines-to-endorse-a-presidential-candiThe question is.... Will we ever be able to trust the Washington Post again..??..?? The quality of their content could well be tainted forever!! |
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