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Politics : The Trump Presidency -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (9211)	2/2/2017 10:58:24 AM
From: one_less	1 Recommendation Recommended By TimF Respond to of 361400

>>>"But they can't ignore unusual things because then they couldn't do their watchdog job."<<< He deserves to be called out for all his confrontational, bullying, and in some cases scandalous conduct. The problem conservatives have at this point is the belief that they would be piling on anyway, because they had done that to all conservative candidates while giving Hillary a pass. There was some soft ball recognition of Hillary's issues but conservatives were screaming unfair the whole time. It looks to me like Trump decided to make it real since he knew the coverage would be unfairly brutal no matter what. Had they been equally vicious with the horrible conduct during Obama Admin (IRS, AP phone records, Use of executive power, etc) and Hillary's controversies, then I would agree that it is just watchdog business as usual. I'm not suggesting they should stop watchdogging Trump, just that they sold out previously so that their cred becomes subject to skepticism.

To: Lane3 who wrote (9211)	2/2/2017 12:19:33 PM
From: i-node	1 Recommendation Recommended By one_less Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361400

There is no doubt Trump is presenting unique challenges for the media, largely because Trump has chosen not to be their battered husband. For decades the rule has been, "Never get in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel," and there was a great deal of logic in it. But today, ink is irrelevant. In some sense we are seeing the same kind of upheaval we saw in 1998-2000 with the .com revolution, and the ensuing upending of one business paradigm after another. Now, it is politics, where the media are no longer in the catbird's seat. The movement that put Trump in office is similar to the one that has spurred the Convention of States movement, but an accelerated pace. There exists a significant number of motivated voters who believe radical structural change is essential and a substantial reduction in the level of government invasion into our private lives. This commitment to the idea that government collectively is a force for good is just wrongheaded. It is an essential force that must be contained at all times. And over the last 20-30 years any element of containment has been lost. It is like The Blob that subsumes everything it touches. The media is NOT government's watchdog like it once was; they are instead its weapon in political battles. The so-called Fourth Estate is no more; they are political supporters and opponents trying to drive the government in a chosen direction. It is the responsibility of the press to cover the president honestly even if he is cut from different cloth.