President Biden: The NEW one and only politics thread

The worst thing Obama himself said about Mitt Romney was to quote him (accurately) on his "47 percent" comment.

 

It seems nobody wants to see how the sausage is made. Or talk about it.

 

Where does Stelter wind up? Where does Stelter check in on the talent chart?

 

Stelter, Toobin and I'm sure others to come really saw their credibility compromised - Stelter carrying Zucker's water on CNN's own misteps, the Cuomo stuff, - I'm sure Lemon and Tapper are hearing footsteps.

Stelter got his start covering TV news as a kid on a blog. He was the Rudy Martzke of TV news, for those with memories - a minor thing that was heavily read in Mid-town Manhattan. Publicists had him on speed dial. He could go back to that.

 

The thing is, I've spent the five years since my first was born hearing something of a consistent refrain from our local teachers every time an anxious first-time parent, such as myself, brings up the worry they aren't doing enough to teach their little one to read: "Teach your kid to love stories, read to them, set an example for them, and let me teach them to read when they get to school."

So that's exactly what we have done. I read mutliple books to our boys every day, but am not the slighest worried about my 5 yo not being able to read yet. We'll see. If he's still struggling a year from now, maybe I will step in. My number one goal in helping with his education is to not create pressure from home.

 

There’s something to what you say. The Trumpers were there all along as eventual tea partiers, but saw the movement fizzle while GWB, McCain and Romney — all hardly firebreathing reactionaries —were winning nominations.

 

But, enough about Gannett.

 

There’s a difference between pressure and setting expectations and goals. At work and at home I always believed that positive reinforcement is the best. I wanted my kids to know they were special, they were exceptional, and that nothing was beyond their capabilities. There were always books for us to read to them and books that they could read. Art supplies if they wanted it, And puzzles. They never showed real ambition towards art but they loved doing puzzles. And we sacrificed material things for ourselves and vacations just for us to provide opportunities for the kids. In the end the most motivating quality our kids craved was that their parents were proud of them.

 

There should be a place on the airwaves discussing how news media help shape public opinion and also serve as an "ombudsperson" for the public that doesn't serve as a fig leaf for the network that airs it or simply a blow torch on its rivals. The one Fox News had before Kurtz took it over was actually interesting. Perhaps now that the media and political worlds have all become pretty much the same thing with people jumping back and forth across "the line" its pointless to talk about journalism ethics.

 

How was Romney treated badly? I remember some verbal gaffes ("binders full of women", "corporations are people, my friend") getting ridiculed a bit because they amplified pre-existing conceptions of Romney, along with the "47 percent," but that's kind of par for the course. I hear this all the time that Democrats "deserve" Trump because they didn't embrace Romney. Or McCain for that matter. But those guys were the opposition. Since when do you owe it to support the guy on the other side who articulates policies you disagree with simply because there could be someone worse than that guy? Especially when you are happy with your guy? Is the failure to unilaterally disarm in a political campaign the equivalent of "mistreating" the opposition? It's asinine. And it's not like Obama's opponents never went negative.

 

Republicans hated Romney and McCain probably as much as Dems did. Heck, they love Trump more than they loved Reagan.