Theodore Roosevelt used the phrase “bully pulpit. He meant that the Presidency gave him a good venue to promote his agenda, an agenda that he believed would make the country better.
With Trump, he is the bully in the pulpit lashing out at anybody who contradicts him in any way. Trump believes his bullying will “Make America Great Again”, but he is only dragging it down, making the world and America grate again.
See “CNN stars Blitzer, Cooper, Amanpour and others fire back at Trump in a day of rage.”
Showing posts with label CNN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CNN. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
“Left” can also make distortions
The Huffington Post had an article entitled “Bill Nye Rips CNN For Having 'Climate Change Denier Meteorologist’”.
The headline readers are going to repeat that. However, some of the meteorologist’s tweets are quoted near the end of the article:
“Moved to climate change in 2009,” he wrote in one tweet.
“A scientist can be swayed by data and I was,” he added in another.
The headline readers are going to repeat that. However, some of the meteorologist’s tweets are quoted near the end of the article:
“Moved to climate change in 2009,” he wrote in one tweet.
“A scientist can be swayed by data and I was,” he added in another.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Fox in the chicken poop?
Frank Rich wrote a very interesting article about the waning of Fox News, including that the average age of its viewers is 68. But even cable news is waning, CNN's and MSNBC's viewers' average age is over 60. See "Stop beating a dead Fox".
Rich asserts that the real power of Fox is not in convincing people to believe what Fox reports, but in getting "the left" to waste energy railing against Fox.
Rich asserts that the real power of Fox is not in convincing people to believe what Fox reports, but in getting "the left" to waste energy railing against Fox.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Humpty Dumpty and Free Markets
The Coffee Party on Facebook had a link to a CNN interview of Christine O'Donnell by Soledad O'Brien. O'Donnell claims the Obama has made Marxist remarks. O'Brien did call her on using the term Marxist but didn't really follow through. Many respondents to the Coffee Party page were disappointed that O'Brien didn't press for specifics.
One commenter mentioned that the Wealth of Nations wasn't published when the Declaration of Indendence was written, and so the signers couldn't include Adam Smith's thoughts.
I added the following to the comments:
Words! Words! As Humpty Dumpty said in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass": 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
Worse than the misuse of the words "Marxism" and "Socialism" is the misuse of the word "Free Market".
The classical definition of a free market is:
1. Many buyers and sellers
2. Buyers and sellers are free to enter and leave the market at any time.
3. Buyers and sellers have all the information they need to make a satisfactory transaction.
4. All the costs are covered in the transaction, that is, no externalities.
Interestingly, it is "free marketers" who don't want true free markets.
We have more and more consolidations into larger and larger corporations.
Are you free to leave the health care market when your child is sick?
GMO producers and others don't want buyers to know what's in their products.
Who is covering the costs of pollution and nuclear waste?
Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" was first published in 1776. Maybe the signers of the Declaration of Independence hadn't received copies yet, but I'm sure that many of the signers of the Constitution had read it by 1787.
Those who love to quote the "invisible hand" should read the other 500+ pages, including "When the regulation, therefore, is in favour of the workmen, it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes
otherwise when in favour of the masters."
One commenter mentioned that the Wealth of Nations wasn't published when the Declaration of Indendence was written, and so the signers couldn't include Adam Smith's thoughts.
I added the following to the comments:
Words! Words! As Humpty Dumpty said in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass": 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
Worse than the misuse of the words "Marxism" and "Socialism" is the misuse of the word "Free Market".
The classical definition of a free market is:
1. Many buyers and sellers
2. Buyers and sellers are free to enter and leave the market at any time.
3. Buyers and sellers have all the information they need to make a satisfactory transaction.
4. All the costs are covered in the transaction, that is, no externalities.
Interestingly, it is "free marketers" who don't want true free markets.
We have more and more consolidations into larger and larger corporations.
Are you free to leave the health care market when your child is sick?
GMO producers and others don't want buyers to know what's in their products.
Who is covering the costs of pollution and nuclear waste?
Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" was first published in 1776. Maybe the signers of the Declaration of Independence hadn't received copies yet, but I'm sure that many of the signers of the Constitution had read it by 1787.
Those who love to quote the "invisible hand" should read the other 500+ pages, including "When the regulation, therefore, is in favour of the workmen, it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes
otherwise when in favour of the masters."
Friday, May 25, 2012
Circular search for poll results on what you know and what you watch
I followed up on my suspicions of the poll results in "Quote of the day - Fox 'news'" by clicking the link from "No News Is Better Than Fox News, Finds Mean Old Science", Don Hamel, Addicting Info, 2012-05-23, to "updated study from Fairleigh Dickinson University". That page gave only two of the questions: “Which party has the greatest number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives?” and a question about the deal linking the payroll tax cut and the Keystone XL pipeline.
At the bottom of the page is a box containing "Methodology, questions, and tables always on the web at http://publicmind.fdu.edu." That takes me to the home page of Public Mind. The links for each reference to the "What you know depends on what you watch" study take me back to the same PDF file. My suspicions are still unsatisfied.
I'll send links to this blog to publicmind@fdu.edu. If I get in additional information, I'll post it as soon as I can. Then we may see how well we fare on this poll.
Update: I received a reply from Public Mind. See "More info on poll linking knowledge with news source".
At the bottom of the page is a box containing "Methodology, questions, and tables always on the web at http://publicmind.fdu.edu." That takes me to the home page of Public Mind. The links for each reference to the "What you know depends on what you watch" study take me back to the same PDF file. My suspicions are still unsatisfied.
I'll send links to this blog to publicmind@fdu.edu. If I get in additional information, I'll post it as soon as I can. Then we may see how well we fare on this poll.
Update: I received a reply from Public Mind. See "More info on poll linking knowledge with news source".
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Shouting past each other
Last Friday I read a post on Huffington Post titled:
"Tea Party" Leader Melts Down On CNN: Obama Is An "Indonesian Muslim Turned Welfare Thug".
I also watched the accompanying video snippet.
The text implies that "Tea Party" leader Mark Williams misrepresented himself by denouncing those who carry "blatantly racist signs" on one hand and by calling Obama "an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug…" on the other Williams justified his name calling with "He's certainly acting like it. Until he embraces the whole country what else can I conclude."
As distasteful and off-the-wall as Williams remarks are, I don't think he had a melt down or misrepresented himself.
About the only sensible statement was by panel member David Gergen, advisor to Reagan, Ford, and George H.W. Bush. Something like people are just shouting past one another.
"Tea Party" Leader Melts Down On CNN: Obama Is An "Indonesian Muslim Turned Welfare Thug".
I also watched the accompanying video snippet.
The text implies that "Tea Party" leader Mark Williams misrepresented himself by denouncing those who carry "blatantly racist signs" on one hand and by calling Obama "an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug…" on the other Williams justified his name calling with "He's certainly acting like it. Until he embraces the whole country what else can I conclude."
As distasteful and off-the-wall as Williams remarks are, I don't think he had a melt down or misrepresented himself.
About the only sensible statement was by panel member David Gergen, advisor to Reagan, Ford, and George H.W. Bush. Something like people are just shouting past one another.
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