NEXT KCDW MEETING JUNE 22ND Yacht Club Broiler – No host lunch – 11:30 am; Meeting – 12:30 pm. Our speakers will be incumbent candidates. We will also vote on endorsements and approvals NO RSVP required.
MY RANT! – by Jo Fox Burr
I keep trying to sort out something else to write about besides Donald J. Trump. But he permeates my mind so much that the other day I tried to use his name as a password to get into my computer. It didn’t work. So I might as well give in and write about what bothers me most about how he has risen to such significance that he actually poses a serious threat to not just our country, but to the world. You see, should Trump actually win the Presidency, there will be no point in moving to Canada (even if they would take such a mass migration) as there would be no way of escaping the horrific worldwide consequences of his presidency. Mars might be far enough away, but getting there could be a problem.
So here is my rant. I do blame the media for much of Trump’s success. For being such a total doofus, Trump has really played them. Perhaps, he is an idiot savant in this regard. Oh, I guess he is also supposed to be a good real estate developer, though without access to his tax returns, one does have to wonder about that. It is very hard to find any news cast that does not devote too much time televising him on a podium rambling on with ridiculous histrionics about what he would do as President and/or about some form of hate mongering towards Mexicans, Muslims, his opponents, the Trump U lawsuit judge, the media, or whatever or whoever has rankled his very thin skin. Indeed, several of these News programs are devoted almost entirely to these spectacles. No other candidate has gotten this much coverage. According to Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times (‘My Shared Shame: The Media Helped make Trump’ – 3/26/2016), an analysis done by the Times found that as of the writing of Kristof’s article, the news media had given Trump $1.9 billion in free publicity. One Trump interview on NBC got replayed on MSNBC 51 times. Who needs to spend money on ads when you can get all this free media coverage?
Why is the media doing this? Evidently, it has been really good for ratings. I suppose even some non-supporters find him entertaining, the way a clown entertains. To me he is a very scary clown. Clearly his machoism, supposed wealth, and hate mongering plays to a certain population which has felt an increasing anger with Washington, D.C. Many of these people either have not personally experienced the rebound of the economy or are disturbed by changes in social mores. He frees them to air their grievances – however bigoted or hateful – sometimes with violence. This is not healthy for our society. It is not healthy for this particular subset of our society. With Trump they will gain nothing, as he is not competent enough to accomplish anything good for them. Ultimately, they will feel even more frustrated. Despite the damage this is doing to our country, though, much of the media continues to fall prey to Trump.
When googling for articles about the media’s role in facilitating Trump’s rise, I did find some journalists, such as Kristof who indicated an awareness of their own culpability. Too many others, though, offered what I consider to be lame excuses and justifications. Still I was encouraged to see the Washington Post go after Trump on what happened to the money he raised for veterans. They caught him red handed, and when he held a press conference, much of the media really grilled him on this and other issues. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, dissembling in front of our eyes, throwing out insults like a classic schoolyard bully. Whereas some recent polls last month showed him even with Clinton, a poll taken since this incident had him down double digits. Maybe some in the press have finally developed a conscience and perhaps some courage to take Trump on. If so, this is long past due.
I cannot help but wonder, if the media would just stop reporting on Trump for a while, would it take away some of his mesmerizing power over his followers. It might force him to actually spend his own money on his campaign. As Matthew Moffitt (‘The Media must be Held Responsible for the Rise of Trump’ – Huffpost Politics – 4/7/2016) says, “And the next time [Trump] throws a temper tantrum, we should do what all children with egos hate – to be ignored.” I, for one, will not write about him again for a while, but I must admit that will be easy as I will not write another article until September.
Special Note: The KCDW summer picnic will be July 23rd at Corinne Thompson’s home. We are currently collecting quality items for auction (both silent and live) at the picnic. Please contact Corinne at 360-373-0059 if you have something to donate. More information about the picnic will follow.
OTHER UPCOMING DEMOCRATIC MEETINGS AND EVENTS: (*GM designates a general membership meeting)
Kitsap Co. Dem. Central Com: GM* June 20th (Monday); 6:30 pm Desserts; 7 pm meeting; Eagles Nest
23rd Leg. District Democrats: GM* June 21st (Tuesday); 6:30 pm social time; 7 pm meeting; Poulsbo Library
Picnic June 25th (Sat); 12pm – 3pm; Raab Park P-Patch, 18349 Caldart Ave NE, Poulsbo
26th Leg. District Democrats: GM* July 7th (Thursday); 7-9 pm; Kitsap Rm, Givens Ctr 1026 Sidney Rd, Pt Orchard
35th Leg. District Democrats: GM* June 25th (Saturday); Noon – 2 pm; Olympic College Shelton, in the Library
“Despite some outstanding coverage of Trump, on the whole we in the media empowered a demagogue and failed the country. We were lap dogs, not watchdogs.” – Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times, March 26,2016
DON’T FORGET, THAT IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BAKELESS BAKE SALE!!!
