"It hurts him" --mosquitoes hurt, but you don't bring down the Juggernaut by annoying him. This type thrives simply by sucking all the oxygen into his orbit. Case in point: since the election the NYT frontpage is little more than a smorgasbord for the colossus who continues to swagger across the world stage. Trump was elected to break things, to upend the existing world order and give it a fresh start. In that regard, he's punching far above his weight. And his most important coup to date is peeling of Democratic voters into a radical faction. He brought EU to a standstill. The Program (intended as a more rarefied version of the UN) is in meltdown. Trump dismissed the G7 as a huddle of unmanly schoolboys, dead weight, unworthy of his attention, then hurried off to discuss what to do with the irksome burden with their encroaching foe. Putin went from smirking to outright gloating. This is nasty business. But if I read my Machiavelli right, Trump is firing on all cylinders here. The best politicians are the greatest liars, deceivers, dissemblers who can "pull it off." From Plato to Bismark, the consensus is the same: only a fool looks for virtue in politics. Remember that only losers suffer war tribunals. Here, too, the only crime is losing. His sheer size has now taken on a life of its own. There is no news, but Trump news. And Friedman wants to step on the gas?
13
I want to hear more from the people who revile him and are set to NOT VOTE for any GOP candidate...
I am not sure that those people in the 'flyover states' ever see a NY Times paper or any of these editorials...why not some anti trump billboards in the middle...list his most heinous lies and a website to see the rest...
6
"It turns out that there are thinking Republicans for whom character, decency and truth-telling still matter in a president."
I don't know about that claim.
So far the most you can say is Trump's lying, rants and blasts of hate just make some Republicans mildly uncomfortable. And that's because they have to find clever ways to disapprove while deflecting and segueing to how great the economy is and how peace with North Korea is just on the horizon.
So what just happened in Ohio? Did "thinking" Republicans decide Balderson was a vote for Trump whom they now see him for what he is, so they voted for O’Connor? If that's the case then there are very few "thinking" Republicans.
A more likely explanation of the Ohio special election results is that Democrats and Independents came out in great numbers to vote for O’Connor. And that's what we have to look forward to in November.
So-called "thinking" Republicans are just Republicans who have made a Faustian deal to get what they want, come hell or high water. Throw America under the bus and jump up and down to pound America into the dust, so they can celebrate a Supreme Court judge who will rule to their liking.
17
I hope the media limits coverage of Trump. It's sickening. No more free $2 Billion dollar coverage to Trump from media outlets. If you have not made up your mind long ago about Trump based on his hate, bigotry, misogyny and support of White Supremacist groups, you are indeed a lost soul.
14
The last stock market record was in January eight months ago. John Bolton has admitted that the North Korea summit was a bust. The tariffs are killing more jobs than they are creating. Indeed just reported today in the NYT, newsprint tariff (???????) is killing small town newspapers. Sooooo much winning. Ugh.
11
I don’t need to see any more of trumps rallies. If I want to see seals slapping their flippers together and barking for more fish I’ll visit a zoo.
41
Probably true Friedman, but this doesn't match up with today's polling info by Nate Cohn. He shows almost no slippage in Trumps support among his supporters. So, how many "Stormy's" or Manafort trials will it take to sour his support? More than we already have I suspect.
6
Mr. Friedman--
In all these years of being a highly respected & widely read opinion columnist, did you ever think you would reach the point of calling the president of the United States a lying jerk?
13
Perhaps now is the time to call on Mr. Trump, "Prove you're a man, not a Manafort....release your tax returns".
9
TRUMP IS PREDICTABLE About one behavior. He only takes his foot out of his mouth so he can stick the other one in it. I'd add to what Tom Friedman wrote that voters can upload specific short videos showing Trump make some of his most revolting, slimy statements. For example, send out emails with weblinks to the video of Trump's interview with Billy Bush, in which Trump describes in detail how he had acted as a sexual predator and how he intends to continue to act as a sexual predator. He also said that he was entitled to prey on women sexually, because he said that since he's a "star" women let him do whatever he wants with them. If it's possible to send out tweets with weblinks, that would be a good way to get people to confront the Trump we know and distrust.
3
More solid, adult-like articles explaining exactly why his choices are very bad for this country will eventually loosen the screws holding this animal in place.
Both the EU and China are printing some very good points, for example, on trade and on Trump's slimy Iran machinations. Look at these discussions.
A key opportunity that the Democrats and the media missed, badly, during the campaign was to exploit this nonsense of making our country 'great' again. I would have hammered this animal on exactly what that means -- which should have been a focus in those debates.
The truth is, the America that his base is exposed to does come off as contrived and fairly plainly phony (eg, commercial television). Trump just exploits that, the shallow end of the pool, which his base does not venture past.
You can talk about the deeper water ... but don't expect the base to go there. Or like it. Just tell them more of the truth about the shallow end. The facts. Give Trump some competition on that shallow end.
5
Trump is not the problem. Neither is any elected Republican. Neither, for that matter, is Fox News and its ilk.
Trump spent two years of his campaign giving multiple reasons each day to not vote for him. The daily headlines could just as well have been "Reason #437 Why Trump Should Not be President: ____". Republican voters sidelined 16 other choices (17 if you include Mrs. Clinton) and voted for him anyway.
The daily headlines for the past 18 months only amplify this trend - betrayal of promises, nuclear war, and so, so much more. Republican voters support for Trump only gets more solid.
Republican legislators have two choices, pull a Corker or put a cork in it. They answer to these voters. And what do you expect Fox News to do? They answer to shareholders.
Why do Republican voters support Trump? Racism? Sure, but there were 16 other Republicans who could have dog whistled it without being Trump. Hatred of elites? And so you vote for a party of and for billionaires? And you still don't see it? Pro-business? How could you not have seen a comparison between red and blue states (or red areas in blue states and vice versa), when you live in one of these red areas? Has anyone ever figured out why white women voted for a man who embodies the worst of men rather than the most qualified (woman) candidate ever? Why Christians voted for the least Christian candidate ever?
No one seems to have a clue why Republican voters are what they are. And they are not going anywhere.
11
A Men Mr. Friedman, A lifelong Republican I cannot imagine being more embarrassed at the antics of this showboat! Please media stop the photos of him in a hard hat....it is an insult to American workers
4
The barrage of news about the tacky tweeting president is ever so tiring. It does nothing to provide the public with the information they need to know about this administration and those who are running the show. How the entire Republican party can align itself with this arrogant ugly man and the Russians is mind boggling. In addition to lining their pockets, they are taking out anything that enhances our way of life. We will be sicker, poorer, and expect that they are imploding the country. What is America? Children severed from their families...what a great idea. The words of Roger Stone ring loudly...try to take him out and you will have a riot on your hands. Roger Stone is a man like Trump who has no moral compass.
6
Yesterday it came to me that the major networks and papers should join forces and use a pool reporter and camera person instead of a phalanx of media personalities. That would drive him crazy.
While I think more attention needs to be paid to the destruction of our commons and our institutions the spotlight still needs to shine on his personal destruction of our moral high ground and National ethos.
It is also heartening to see our 4th Estate coming back to life. Folks in the news business need to remember that in a fascist state they are usually out of work. And in prison.
9
Positive column. I needed this reality check. Does anyone else feel totally overwhelmed and dispirited with Trump? GOTV.
2
To get balanced news subjects, I now turn to the PBS News Hour or BBC.
I do not "support" Trump and did not vote for him. I agree with some of his programs and object to others. That is a "thinking Republican". What type of person he is does not matter to me even though he is a jerk.
The blanket coverage pushes other very important world events and issues off the TV .
I will surely get out and vote and vote Republican to keep the programs of Saunders and Warren from becoming acceptable.
Nicholas A Gallo
Fleminton, NJ
7
And we need meditation!
50 or 60 million americans breathing in and out slowly while focusing on cancer cells entering his pancreas or clots forming in his cerebral cortex.
If there was a god he would take care of it BUT at least now we can be sure there is none!
That ultimate proof is worth SOMETHING at least.
I think a lot of people just tune out to the endless reality show so I wonder how Trump 24/7 will play out as Friedman hopes. Furthermore this type of reporting seems to leave no room for reporting the damage caused by and corruption of this administration. How much is the taxpayer spending for weekly trips to Mar-a-Largo. What do we know about using the presidency to promote his private businesses, swamp promotion rather than swamp draining and most importantly how do the policies he promotes undercut his alleged concern for working Americans.
3
With Trump's win in 2016, Idiocracy is near. If Republicans win this November, Idiocracy is here.
5
Awesome article!! The con man should be exposed every way possible to show his vulgarity, xenophobia and total disregard for democracy. It is not hard to win the midterm since many people are fed up with the daily scams by Trump and his cronies. However, there is one caveat. The left or centrist dems must be on the same page. They need to beat the clueless con man in his own game. Rather than focusing on sanctuary city, identity politics, abolition of ICE, they need to focus on our existential needs- the air we breathe, water we drink, jobs and education we need. Con man is a brilliant distractor to cover up his scams and some of the dems get trapped into his game. My appeal to centrists and leftists- please grow up and work together to save our great nation. Focus on the most important issues for the general public. We can have the debate when we have the Congress in 2018 and perhaps the White House in 2020. Always think of the dangerpus impact of 200 lifetime judicial appointments by Trump. These corrupt imcompetent judges will run by their paymasters and destroy our nation. We can stop many of these appointments bywinning the midterm election.
13
Of course the MSM needs to keep covering and bashing Trump; Democrats have no ideas, no solutions, and no attractive candidates.
6
I'm a conservative (by my understanding of the term) Republican who has voted in every national and statewide election, and most local ones, for the past 50 years. Mr. Trump disgusts me. But I will not let that dissuade me from voting in November. I will vote for the opponent, no matter the party, most likely to win over every Trump Toady on my ballot. I will not sit out an election as if I didn't care about my state, country or people. If you align with Mr. Trump your opponent will get my vote
9
I would like to see more from and about Democrats and what they will do to offset the madness of Trump and his hopeless minions in Congress. So far, everything we hear from Dems is extremely reactive based on the latest lunacy spouted by Trump. If the Democrats can't get a decent, coherent, appeal-to-common-sense-and-concerns platform together in the next 30 days, then I will truly despair. DNCC, get it together! Messaging is going to be the key to the midterms and 2020.
3
The core 40 percent of American voters roughly correlates to the same percentage of "educated" adults who deny evolution and believe that human being in its present form was created by God! These are the people who would believe just anything, any fairy tales and lies, if it's told by certain people &/or in a certain way. US is now the 2nd worst among 36 developed countries (only ahead of Turkey) in terms of percentage of college graduates denying evolution.
Fate of American democracy started its decline mainly since Reagan Presidency who basically started destroying public education (both school & higher education), besides the central architect for Crony capitalism in US. Religion in education and public policy are inseparable now. Crony capitalism makes it far more deadly to American democracy.
Now Atheists & Agnostic people make about 25% of US population, larger than even Evangelical (23%). Yet there is not a single Congressman to represent that huge population, while Evangelicals are the king makers and Trump the king.
It would take long and tedious process to reform our public education system and corporate governance. Till then, era of people like Trump would come quite often.
Remember those days when we used to think how low a President can go- during Bush era? Probably we are yet to see even worse GOP President than Trump.
9
Thomas Friedman, you may be right. But I, for one, am exhausted and disgusted over the horrible words which come out of this man's mouth - the racism, the sexism, the bravado of a digit who knows nothing but manipulation and lying. Who he is remains obvious, day after day. And, just to say it once more, he is NOT my president. But, maybe...just maybe, we can change this 'do nothing' Congress so the country can survive.
2
I've lately heard some, otherwise cogent, broadcast journalists lobby for removing TV cameras from the places where Trump commonly spouts off (e.g., his rallies) -- this of the theory that such a slap on the face might shut him up a little.
Au contraire.
Keep the cameras right where they are -- and right through the November 6 elections. Because the more Trump makes a fool of himself, the more detractors (especially those on the fence) will have had enough and vote Democratic.
23
It is quite likely that the man with the nuclear codes is deeply mentally ill, has conspired with the Russians to win the Presidency. Is using his time in office primarily to fill his pockets. Is unquestionably incompetent and is protecting the Russians for an electoral advantage for Republicans in 2018, 2020 and beyond. The economy isn't everything.
3
President Trump will know no doubt agree with Mr.Friedman as the MSM's relentless on attacks on him personally and on every aspect of his campaign and presidency while ignoring his successes has been a failure.
The NY Times' and most of the MSM's coverage in their news,editorial, opinion pieces, are 90% negative toward the President today and would continue without Mr, Friedman's encouragement.
4
Friedman ignores the huge chasm between the working press and the tabloid infotainment industry that is in thrall to DJT. I occasionally look at the Fox site to remind myself of why Rupert Murdoch should never be allowed a TV license— just look at the business ethics of his News of the World. But I don’t think it will win the hearts and minds of independents and”nice” Republicans to call Trump a “lying jerk”, even if he is just that. (To see a model of how to dump on Trump with deadly effect, read David Remnick in the New Yorker.). Trump is the master of distraction. The Times should focus on issues of substance, and not be taken in by Trump’s three-card monte. His rallies and his tweets need no further publicity. And look on the bright side. Soon it’s going to be Mueller Time. And perhaps someone will fall on their sword and dump the president’s tax returns into public view.
74
I am increasingly concerned that our November election will not be accurately counted. Yes, voter suppression will stop many qualified voters from voting.
However, the voting is on machines supplied from one of 3 companies, each owned and operated by very dedicated Republican operatives. There is no independent path to observe or verify this computer voting. What this likely means is that every close election will go to the Republican candidate. (I suspect this was already the case in the recent special election in Ohio.) "Recounts" do not actually "recount" votes--because they cannot.
There is a very good reason Germany went back to paper ballots that are stored and can be recounted if necessary.
Ohio has already faced vote tapering via a Republican sponsored "man in the middle" stunt.
There is absolutely no reason to believe that the votes will be counted accurately when it really matters--and a great deal of evidence that one of our parties is lawless, and not above using all means, fair or foul, lawful or lawless, to win elections.
"Trust but verify" was once a Reagan mantra. Time for Democrats (and honest Republicans) to demand it.
5
Mike -
I love your enthusiasm, and these times do call for passion. But writing in all exclamation points is no substitute for facts. Where at the NYT can I go anymore for evidence-based solutions? Is Tom Edsall our last man standing?
If you want to understand what is happening right now in U.S. politics, and has been escalating especially over the past few decades --
I very strongly recommend a free online book, "The Authoritarians," by Robert Altemeyer (2006).
If you are frustrated to the point of madness by people who refuse to acknowledge verifiable and verified reality, read "The Authoritarians."
If you wonder who these people are who blindly follow Trump -- listen to Altemeyer, who observed that 20-25% of the U.S. population have authoritarian personalities (aka, Trump's base).
Altemeyer is a storyteller who writes in a very clear, entertaining, and often humorous style. His book is devoid of opinion and conjecture -- it describes 40 years of research in easily accessible prose. Reading it is akin to seeing 1,000 puzzle pieces strewn chaotically upon the floor, then watching them masterfully assembled into a single, coherent, "ah, there it is!" picture of contemporary American conservatism.
1
Not so sure about this. During the campaign, the media was relentless in broadcasting and writing about the 'outrageous' things Trump did and said - which widely spread his message (for free) and energized a swath of the population who felt (and you might say deservedly) ignored by the previous administration, paradoxically helping him get elected.
7
I heartily disagree. Like many of the readers below, I believe that the media should focus on actions not on the constant distractions created by tweets. While we are all raging about the latest tweet, Congress is quietly passing detrimental legislation and the Cabinet is rolling back important protective legislation. Looks like a team effort to me. Trump distracts so that objectionable legislation can be slipped by. Media! Stop focusing on the antics! Spotlight the action.
5
Mr. Friedman. I do not agree with you. As some of the other readers have pointed out, there should just be the minimal coverage. The NYT, together with other media channels, including the CNN provided maximum coverage for Mr. Trump, during his 2016 election campaign. Mr. Trump thrived on it. Even Don Lemon conducted a special interview of Mr. Trump at the Trump Tower. The future president had a strategy, then, to exploit the media to his advantage, that had a cost running into millions of dollars.
Today, it is the same media that provided all the press coverage and highlights, that Mr. Trump is bashing and disparaging. Because, the focus and strategy is different. Instead of a election time interview with a lighter tone, the media is questioning, criticizing the president. Mr. Trump looks at it as an attack on him. He does not like to be questioned, counseled or corrected. Mr. Trump finds it difficult to understand the role of the press, and its place in our democracy.
It is time for the media to change its strategy. What percentage of our population holds awareness of the role and importance of the Press? The media has a responsibility to provide that education to the people, around the country. If election rallies are providing a message to the people, the press should examine and analyze them and tell the people, between the right and wrong.
Well said. As nauseating as it is to see and hear wall-to-wall coverage, it is a constant reminder of just how odious djt is as a human being as well as a so-called leader. But please spend time on his "accomplishments" that are ruining the environment as well as speculating about what "might" happen in a trial or election. We need facts. The horrifying facts that may even sway the very voters djt appeals to with his rants. I bet they dont want to be exposed to asbestos, or have their kids inherit polluted rivers or eat food grown in contaminated soil.
1
Maybe we also need some coverage of the daily lives of ordinary citizens of Russia. I get it that American voters haven’t tuned into the Russia scandal because they mostly care about their own issues. They believe the Russia stuff doesn’t affect them. But they’re wrong to think corruption won’t affect them. Trump’s praise of Putin is an embarrassment… but it also shows us how Trump would behave if he weren’t being held back.
The government of Russia is a criminal enterprise, and Trump wants to get a share of what Putin has. Trump has surrounded himself with criminals, and it seems apparent that Trump himself has serious legal jeopardy. If anyone wonders whether corruption like that could affect them, just look at the wonderful lives of ordinary Russians. The media needs to show us some of that, too. To borrow from one of Trump’s greatest hits… Being friends with criminals is a bad thing… not a good thing!
1
Where are these "thinking republicans"? Not in congress or anywhere I know of.
5
I disagree with Friedman’s suggestion that all Trump rallies and speeches be covered in full. That is the platform that got him elected. Though his racism is blatant, his lies not so much. What the press needs to do is report on the rallies...show the racist comments and detail the lies and distortions. The full press Corp needs to attend and to both report to their readers/viewers/listeners about the content and to be participants in the Trump hate show. His attack on the free press is news...and needs to be reported in all its ugliness- and that includes the ugliness acted out by his “base”.
As they say on Faux News... if they report, the voters will decide. If they show him ranting, he will entertain, and his lies will enter our consciousness.
1
For once, Mr. Friedman, I disagree. Those who, after witnessing nearly two years of egregiously ridiculous and very dangerous behavior, are not convinced of the utter incompetence of the petulant toddler, will not likely be swayed by further evidence!
As for me, a yellow dog Democrat, I was sick of him during the campaign and cannot fathom the blindness of people who continue to entrust their lives and those of their children to such a threat to their well-being.
4
We need more coverage of what is happening in HUD, EPA, VA, Medicare & Medicaid and all the other departments where policy is being made in secret by people not approved by Congress.
15
Tom, you are trying too hard to be a good man and decent citizen. Trying to flatter a few remaining principled Republicans by claiming that they would be welcomed by the other side will not work. Not anymore.
There is no other side...or far too many other sides tearing each other apart.
The democrats are in disarray and cannot decide what they stand for and who represents them. Americans want to follow a leader, ANY leader no matter how incompetent and repulsive. Trump is that leader. For better or for far far worse Trump has become our leader. If Trump had not existed we would invent him. The nation and the times we live in have called out for a fascist to lead us and we have invented him in all his asinine glory.
Blanket coverage of Trump should not mean blanket coverage of every stupid tweet of his. It should mean coverage of what he is doing to the country and the people who trusted him enough to vote for him. It shoudl be a steady drumroll of 'where are the tax returns you promised', 'where is the better health insurance', 'why are we still in Iraq and Afghanistan when you said we'd leave', 'why are you sticking tariffs on us ', 'how come you still haven't persuaded Mexico to pay for the wall and now expect us to do so', ' why do you keep pulling out of deals the US signed without having something better in place'....and of course 'why are you still nattering on about Hillarys emails when your collaborators have been caught in a conspiracy with a foreign power?'
9
I hope you are right Mr. Friedman. However, remember 2016? We had non stop news coverage of almost every minute of every rally and speech and Tweet. Can we say for sure that the non stop publicity two years ago did not help lead to Trump's victory? How much have things changed since 2016? Maybe now the media is displaying a more critical eye and maybe Trump's image among moderate Republicans is more tarnished. However did the media abdicate its responsibility at the beginning of the campaign? Putting Trump on a pedestal may have enriched news networks coffers as the ratings were so high but in hind sight, did the media create a monster? It is fine if the news stories of recent events are helping to bring down the monster, but is it too late? Do we really want to depend on moderate Republican's apathy to drive down their turn out at the polls? What about more coverage of the Democrats and their leading their leading candidates. The Democrats need a boost from the party and from the media, and they need a fresh, tough and enthusiastic candidate. Democrats bashing the Republicans has not worked, neither will the the media bashing the Republicans bring about the changes we so desperately need. Assuming the stock market and the economy remain healthy, The Right may have the edge as citizens still vote their pocket books. Any downturn could result in an a more tumultuous election cycle than ever; any predictions even more uncertain.
3
As journalists, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. There should be no question as to whether or not to cover the utterances, tweets, and actions of POTUS. Most Americans can't be on hand to monitor him, and thus we depend on coverage. If course, such coverage needs critique. But to say it shouldn't be done? Ludicrous and dangerous.
1
Spot on article, Mr. Friedman. Countering the clear, damning evidence shown uncut daily on numerous news feeds has reduced the previously teflon-don to telling the folks at his rallys not to believe what you're seeing, we really have a handle on this. His latest installment of "Who ware you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?".
(Someone jingle a key-ring to distract the crowd in attendance).
Anyway, the wall to wall coverage needs to continue as it sucks his energy to be in a constant triage state and repairing/spinning his statements is the hardest he's worked at anything ever in his entire life.
Maintain pressure is the key
1
How can any thinking American be a Trump supporter ?
How do they overlook:
More 3500 proven lies told by Trump since taking office
The trashing of important European alliances in favor of Putin's Russia
The ripping of immigrant children from their mothers arms
Bragging about sexual abuse of non-consenting females
Starting a trade war that will injury American workers and the global economy
His refusal to reveal his income taxes
His continued violation of Constitutional emoluments clauses
Calling Mexican immigrants rapists, liars and murderers
His refusal to assist Puerto Rico's hurricane victims causing untold deaths
His undying admiration of Vladimir Putin while insulting true friends of the US in Britain, Canada and in Europe
The resignations of so many Trump appointees caught up in scandal
Slashing taxes for billionaires at the expense of Medicare and Social Security
Lying about the meetings about for getting dirt on Hillary with the Russians in his own offices while throwing his son under the bus for those same meetings
There are no kind explanations for those who continue to support Trump in light of these actions.
4
Thomas you obviously want to go back to Obama politicians who promise everything to get elected and fulfill none of them. Like Obama who promised to end NSA spying and withdraw all troops from those ghastly Iraq and Afghanistan war countries. We know today NSA is more powerful and those wars are raging like never before ALL thanks to Obama.
4
Tom:
it looks so evidently that the fair aspect, is coming.
There is no doubt in any body´s mind thet US people are finnally coming to reason. bestof hope.. regards
Imagine how well President Trump would be doing if he weren’t Donald Trump — if he weren’t such a lying jerk.
The rest of the world would be doing very nicely as well.
I don't know how anyone with any morals or integrity can vote for this con man who spew hatred at over 50% of the American Population. He will never be my president just putin puppet.
3
Don't worry. Here in Minnesota we are resisting and we have even pulled former prominent republicans (like Richard Painter running for the Democratic nomination for Al Franken's former seat) into the democratic tent. The GOP has become wildly, crazily proto-fascist, supporting a President who thinks neo-Nazi's are "fine people." Are you kidding me? We are not backing down and we are ready to fight. We became complacent under Obama which is a shame. No more.
And you wonder why the media are despised? Reread your headline and you fill find your answer.
3
Tom, certainly the Times is keeping us all up to date on Trump's tweets and acidic, stupid speeches and you are absolutely right in suggesting everyone of them be brought to public attention . . . even as sickening and appalling as they are.
As Trump redefines shame, we must all remain aware of it. He leads by example.
1
By focusing on every distraction we are taking our collective eyes off of the important picture. It isn't even surprising that the president tweets out insults of a superstar athlete who donates money to help educate children. It speaks to a character with which we are all far too familiar. His tweets have the same impact on us that seeing a squirrel has on my dog.
Oh, wait, didn't Trump's EPA just basically approved asbestos again and they're slapping his face on Russian asbestos. Squirrel! Hang on, did we ever fix that problem with possible hacking even though we've got a house race that was decided by less than 1%. Squirrel! Did Sessions really convene a religious working group without listing members or making meetings public (some of whom are reportedly members of LGBT hate groups?) Squirrel!
I follow the president on Twitter merely because I feel like if we go to war because he and some foreign leader have gotten mad at each other I want to know about it. Otherwise his tweets aren't news, there the distraction from news. We are, fortunately, not yet legally required to follow him on Twitter.
The fourth estate is too important to be sucked into being a pawn in the same quest for free publicity that got him into office in the first place.
98
There’s no need to follow him on Twitter. If he tweets out anything important, you’ll hear about it even if the media stops covering the run-of-the-mill drivel.
For my money, the best coverage of Trump is coming from late night TV. The NY Times has a great feature Best of Late Night, but perhaps they could find a way to highlight the most trenchant bits somewhere outside of the entertainment section.
In addition to Late night, the MSM also needs to take a page from the tabloids in finding a way to present information about Trump that is compellingly readable.
Trump has stiffed many contractors - how about interviews with some of them? Surely they have some good stories? How about finding a "deep throat" equivalent among the many people who Trump has forced to sign non-disclosure agreements? Not the porn stars. People who've worked for Trump, or settled court cases with him? People that Rudi Giuliani can't smear as untrustworthy? There are so many of them, why not make it a weekly feature? How about pointing out who is not legally allowed to talk about Trump - like his siblings?
Trump fools his supporters into thinking he is open by being candid about things like his hair and seeming to say whatever pops into his head - but in fact he is extremely secretive about the things that matter - such as his finances, and his dealings with foreign leaders. Why is he hiding his tax returns? If he's so brilliant at deal making, why doesn't he refuse to have any witnesses to his conversations with foreign leaders? He acts like someone with something to hide, and somehow gets away with it, while managing to cast aspersions on everyone else.
1
As a Republican Former Member of Congress (1980-1990)
I am pained at the current state of the Republican Party!
As an Emmy winner (ABC), for using television to mitigate the escalating Cold War with the then, Soviet Union, I, too, am frustrated with the lack of broad use of the media to cover the shenanigans of both the Congress and the Administration. If voters knew more - they'd vote for a Democratic Congress.
What about the 'Slush Fund' that the Republican Congress established to buy silence? At what cost to the taxpayers?
What about the Treasury Dept.'s plans to annually cut $10 billion from the wealthiest Americans' tax bills - without going to Congress?
There are numerous Congressional actions that would offend voters - if they knew about them.
Make no mistake, the big picture is that the Republican Party is committed to dismantling our democracy, widening the gap between rich and poor, destabilizing our international relations and standing in the way of protecting our planet! This is the most self-serving, greedy Congress imaginable!
I disagree with Thomas Friedman's point that Moderate Republicans should not vote. THAT is a cowardly act! You are either 'Part of the Problem, or Part of the Solution'! It is time for all Republicans to vote for a balance of powers - to vote for a Democratic Congress. With a substantial loss the Republican party - may do the soul searching needed - to return to the values and principles that have guided this party for decades.
8
Trump promised 7 percent gdp growth when he ran in 2016, and that he would spend 1 trillion on infeastructure. He would build a border wall and make mexico pay for it. Election lies and more lies lately. He is saying gdp growth will be five percent next quarter. What is the reality ? The gdp is growing at 2 percent and inflation is swallowing it up. Trump is trying to make you and me pay for his wall. He has spent zero on infrastructure and given himself, wealthy republican congressmen, billionaire gop donors and the 0.01 percent of the richest a massive tax break. Everybody else is getting a dinner coupon at a cheap restaurant or their taxes have gone up, because of the salt deduction limit. The economy would have been doing much better than now, with a lower deficit, under hillary and the democrats had she and the democrats won in 2016 and controlled congress. Many millions more would have health care coverage. Many millions more would complete college. We would aggressively be fighting climate change. Our technological lead would be growing. Skilled immigrants who can create millions of jobs would be flocking here. Our constitution and society would be stronger with a government serving everybody. Our future, and that of our kids and grandkids would be solid and bright. Our leader would be a decent and strong figure in the world. We lost all that in 2016 and will have to fight trump and ths dark force supporting him in 2018 to regain what we lost as a nation.
3
Over here, trump's tweets, bullying, corruption, racism, xenophobia and Russia involvement are on the air and in print 24/7.
Meanwhile, over there he's busy stacking the courts, attacking labor and health care, dismantling environmental protections, undermining the middle class and doing a hit job on the poor, doing all he can to feather his own nest and that of his rich friends and wrecking international alliances, with barely a mention anywhere.
5
" Trump having a personal approval rating of only 43 percent...." Wow, Mr. Friedman! Yes, comparatively we're grateful for that but still let's not forget how many millions this represents....so many people who still admire, respect and, in any event, totally support Donald J. Trump. Millions!
2
I have one word for this mess that we find ourselves in. This word will help cleanse us of this nightmare we find ourselves living in. It will also bleach out the people who love the racism, hatred , violence and traitorous behavior of this man:
"Mueller".
4
Dear Tom,
Once you get past Trump's abrasive, juvenile behavior, his policies are largely centrist. Meanwhile, the opposition promotes open borders, arbitrary genders, censorship, identity politics, job-killing trade deals, higher taxes, and universal basic income.
The reason moderate Republicans and Independents still support Trump is because the alternative is even worse.
5
This administration is like termites - eating away at our country's core while most of us are "put -off" by a psychologically impaired, possibly mentally ill, president. Cover the decisions that are being made in the EPA, Education, Energy, that will roll back decades of progress toward better quality of life in the USA. Send journalists with knowledge and experience to spend hours reviewing government documents and policies. Their reports will tell us how we will be affected by the actions of the many grifters and sychophants in this administration. I would like to see a "what this means to you" segment in simple terms in every news report. For example, "you will pay more for tomatoes," rather than the standard "10 million Americans could be affected" language that means nothing because it is impersonal. I try to ignore the rallies and rants, because I have become appalled and saddened by the behavior and ignorance of my fellow citizens and by the president's depravity. He is encouraging dangerous sociopathic behavior, so we need a pool reporter for the public record.
3
Tom Freidman made the case for covering all the horrors emitted from the cold "Grinch" heart of Donald Trump. It is not Trump that media is trying to educate, it is the VOTERS. I have neighbors who are mesmorized by this monster and who tolerate all his hate because of "right to life" and racist beliefs. They want the disadvantaged to pull themselves up by their bootstraps so that their taxes don't alleviate the education and social problems that enslave our citizens in poverty and ignorance. Their racism is at the core of anti-immigrant policy. One wonders what part of Jesus' sermon on the mount remains in the principles of their religion.
4
Why would I want to hurt a president that's brought about record low unemployment, revitalized industries that had left the US, reduced the number of Americans on welfare and food stamps, had great successes against ISIS, cut taxes and put thousands back in the pockets of hard working ppl ?????
6
I think the massive coverage of Trump's every move is counterproductive. I don't care to read attack articles everyday. The media may not admit it, but they made Trump. With blanket coverage in the campaign, the media created the monster that they now wish to destroy. "When you hate, you destroy yourself" as Nixon said the day he resigned. Stop hating.
4
The message is right, but the focus is wrong. Give him all the attention he craves, sure, but while doing so, constantly point out the fact there is still no wall being built, still no infrastructure bill, and still no replacement for Obamacare. Trump isn't getting anything done.
3
Friedman is insulting everyone's intelligence by ignoring the obvious: Trump coverage is also paying the news room's paycheck. Since Trump's candidacy began, there has been a unfriendly partnership between the press and Trump. He says weird stuff. The press gains readership and ad revenue for covering weird stuff. Don't pretend like there's not a financial incentive. We're not stupid. The press is bias. They want the outrage to continue.
3
Will the mainstream media accept Tom's advice?
Trump addressed 70 rallies during the 2016 election.
Trump continues to attract huge crowd everywhere. Fox covers Trump's rallies from the beginning to the end without distractions of their anchor also talking smultaneously. Fox gives undivided coverage to Trump's rallies.
MSNBC and the CNN do not cover Trump. Whenever they cover, they just show his picutre but their anchor talks always.
Therefore, the audience does not know what Trump is saying.
MSNBC and the CNN for 24/7 make propaganda against Trump without covering him genuinely. These channels did not cover Trump's foreign visits also.
Good journalism demands what Tom Friedman is recommending.
1
If you must cover Trump's unhinged twitter ramblings they should appear in the entertainment section or the lifestyle section. On those rare occasions when they actually relate to serious policy issues, perhaps coverage is warranted in the news section, but even there, his rantings seldom have any real value except to distract the public from the real damage being quietly done by this Congress and his administration with far too little coverage. The big headlines should have been about the new tax giveaway to the wealthy being implemented, not about a tweet war with Lebron James. What else is being done, unreported or underreported, while the media chases the shiny object?
77
I think that we need blanket coverage of what the GOP and Trump are doing to America against our will. I think that these two entities need to be called to account for what they are saying, how they are saying it, the lies they are telling us, and furthermore, the distortions that are being created by the GOP and Trump to further their agenda to Keep Rich Americans Rich.
Focusing exclusively on Trump is wrong. He is not acting alone. The GOP is using him as a cover for what they want to accomplish in America. It's been their dream to gut the social safety net for all of us unless we're rich. They don't want to share the wealth. They never did. It's great for their agenda if enough Americans believe that poor people are lazy moochers, unemployed people are losers, handicapped people are fakers, and all African Americans are on welfare and are dangerous.
On the federal level, they want us to think that all government regulation is horribly destructive. We shouldn't realize that there is no Planet B to emigrate to. We should believe that it's okay to dump toxic compounds into the environment. We shouldn't like unions because if we do our jobs we'll always have them. In the GOP universe up is down until they are affected by it. Trump did not start this. Reagan did in the 1980s. All Trump is, is the natural conclusion to decades of deceit.
3
This has been tried already. People don't seem to understand he was elected on policies. His policies are hurting people -- poor, rich, and immigrants alike.
Unless he is taken to task for his giving lip service to favorite issues while creating policies to benefit himself and wealthy friends, he is going to win and win again.
What about his hiring Chinese workers to make his clothing? What about hiring Jamaicans for his resorts? No one takes him to task on his hypocrisy, they are distracted by his being a 'lying jerk.'
That is exactly his plan, and its working.
3
Mr Friedman
I simply hope that this artice is not the red cape waved in front of a mad bull eager for free speech killing litigation. Trump is capable of trying to squelch the US press for spurious 'security' reasons. I would not put it past him, especially after his ignominous travel ban of certain designated nationals upon assuming the presidency last year.
1
The clear objective of the fake news is to attack Trump at every turn.
Trump is framed by Crooked Hillary for Russian collusion and is therefore a traitor in need of investigation.
Trump puts pressure on Congress to update and improve our existing immigration laws by enforcing the existing laws and he is a Nazi racist.
Trump tries to improve relations with Russia and full on Red Scare mode ensues.
Trump engages in meaningful diplomacy with North Korea and he is threatening global annihalation.
Trump demands that Europe and NATO begin to pull their weight and he is offending dear allies.
Trump calls out unfair and imbalanced trading relationships and he is going to collapse the global economy.
And on and on. Hysterical, in more ways than one.
You attempt to attack Trump for things that ultimately and obviously are positive things for the American people.
And the American people watch in fascination.
4
@Ken
You're kidding.......right?
You haven't learned anything about serious, decent politicians who didn't cheat on their wives, stiff their vendors and lie more than 4,200 times in a year and half.
2
While I can barely stand to listen to news related to Trump and cannot stand to hear his voice or see his face, I recently visited my staunchly Republican parents in Southern California. They watch television news morning and night and they're getting the picture. They voted for Trump and every Republican before him, but my father (aged 88) said "I wish he'd quit Twittering" and has started to acknowledge that the government needs to do more in regard to climate change.
My 92-year-old Republican aunt in Minnesota recently had the tenants on her farm ask her to lower their rent because the bottom has dropped out of crop prices. She watches television news and knows that Trump's tariffs created this problem for her, reducing the funds she uses to pay for her care in assisted living.
For those who get news from multiple sources and weigh the differences, coverage of Trump can ruin our day. For those who want the day's news to fit tidily into the morning and evening news broadcast and local paper, it's proving revelatory. Bring it on.
3
Where are trump’s taxes ? If 90 percent of republicans still support him why is that ? He is very dangerous to the country and world, and to us,our kids and grandkids. His policies and those of his party are doing enormous damage to the social fabric in the nation, to the world and to our pocketbooks.
4
One may hope that Trump's utterly corrupt and destructive persona may tip the balance in November. But in the end the Democrats still need an inclusive platform that addresses the economic concerns of wage-earning Americans, in opposition to the usual anti-government non-solutions offered by the Republicans. Universal healthcare and a living wage are a good start. People see that the game is rigged, and the usual Wall Street-sponsored sugar pills offered by centrist Dems will not win voters.
2
The Ohio 12th should have been a Democratic rout. With 90 percent Democratic voter turnout, and the independent vote, plus that cohort of soul keeping Republicans it should have been a rout. There will be no 'Big Blue Wave'.
3
Yes, I'm tired of reading about Donald Trump: a repulsive, gross, amoral person from my perspective. Nevertheless, I agree with
Mr. Friedman's assessment that we need to continue the barrage. That's the job of the Press. We need those few/many Republicans in Congress to speak out against Trump.
I fail to understand how the any Republican elected official cannot stand up and say "Wrong" to the president. Are they not worried about their own reputations in history? Do they have children? grandchildren? wives? Do they have no sense of right and wrong? Do they not know the history of our country and the Constitution? We're not talking about Trump's choice of neckties, we're talking about fundamental values and issues, e.g., "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States".
I went to an all-womens college. One of our professors came into the classroom early in the semester and said, "I love teaching women. I feel I'm teaching two generations, the present and the future". Generally speaking, women are the primary teachers in the family. Teach our children well.
My hope is that in the coming elections of 2018 and 2020 women will stand up and VOTE with a loud voice say, "No More, we won't let you" to Donald Trump.
1
Thank you for the encouraging words. Really. The Battle for the Independents is about to begin and may be winnable for Democrats.
The article is also a reminder to yet again write my Red state Senator and Congressperson and local paper to recap President Trump’s recent misdeeds. He continues to undermine the First Amendment and his Attorney General. He continues to deny Russian interference in the election to help him win the presidency despite a mountain of evidence and numerous indictments from his own Justice Department. His boarder policy is failing and inhumane. He is picking winners and losers in the economy through his trade policy. And then there are the daily lies that are too numerous to recount.
2
You bring up an interesting point about Republicans preferring a Russian over a Democrat. It is a sad fact that so many people are easily brainwashed by right wing media. We need to expose the lies, corruption and hypocrisy of the Republican party. Most Republicans do not vote for the party's candidates but against Democrats. So, I tend to agree with the need to cover Trump relentlessly so as to generate some motivation for otherwise lazy people to vote.
4
For once I disagree with everything Mr Friedman says.
Most Republicans I know have now adopted Trump, accepted his behavior and explained it away. The time for a revolt will be the mid terms, but the Republicans hatred for democrats is way more powerful an emotion than their upset with Trump. Trump is here for 2 terms and at least 2 more supreme court justice appointments.
At the heart of Trumps message, the rank and file GOP voter agrees with Trump. They believe the Fox news & Limbaugh propaganda cocktail, they are fundamentally loyal to the cause, and they are racist. Trumps says out loud what they would like to say, but cannot because of "political correctness." The GOP is all about the exercise of power. they have a great model. pander to the gun lobby and religious right to get the keys to the Treasury.
the glue that holds this coalition together is racism. Republicans hate non whites and do everything possible to disenfranchise them.
Look at North Carolina. 3 out of eleven elected seats are Democrat, yet well over 50% of the electorate vote Democrat. The GOP Gerrymanders like crazy and gets away with it. And the basis of the Gerrymander is race.
5
Yeah, but he lies...a lot. All the time. About everything. I don't think that the news channels should broadcast his fakefacts to the world. I'm just afraid that some of the less well-informed on-the-fence voters will mistake his blathering nonsense at rallies for truth, and decide that he must be doing wonderful things for them and this country. Not.
2
Totally agreee. The problem: Tom is preaching to the choir.
It won’t do harm but it won’t reap benefits either.
some guy who all the conservatives love said, 'Americans can be counted on to do the right thing once they have tried out all the alternatives'.
Blanket coverage hurts us all. Single view political coverage is toxic. It is not inclusive. It harms democracy. It hurts the left by giving a free pass though a complete lack of accountability or coverage. Stop it.
3
Perfect pitch. Precisely the weakness to exploit. Want more Democratic Control of congress and the White House, do this, do it now, keep it up, do not stop. It is working.
If you like the policies of Trump, then your only way to win in November is to shut him up. And that being impossible....well who knows, I don't.
Good column, but let me suggest a correction: Republican members of Congress haven’t sold their souls to Trump—they’ve sold their souls to their corporate donors, their NRA donors and their billionaire donors. Many of them have made many $millions.
7
It’s not enough for Friedman and Trump haters that 90%+ of media coverage of Trump is negative, much openly hostile. They want to intensify the attacks.
It makes them even angrier that between 40% and 45% of Americans approve of him. Of course those are “irredeemable deplorable.” So they attack them too. His approval among blacks and Hispanics has doubled. The only daily poll of Likely Voters has his approval at 50%. Does the Left ever wonder why?
Very few of Trump’s supporters watch FOX or are exposed to conservative media. They see the results of his policies in their lives, not on Twitter or other social media.
Do Trump opponents ever consider that large numbers of the American people simply disagree with them? Don’t think Trump is a racist Fascist demogogue? That they approve of his policies if not his tweets?
The Trump haters might actually be selling a product people don’t want to buy.
3
I agree with your arguments, Mr. Friedman. But I have to say, as someone who has been reading the NYT ever since I was a young adult, I really am startled that I just read an op-ed by Thomas Friedman where he called -- and without much fanfare! -- the president of the US a "lying jerk."
I immediately must say, I do not think this is a sign of declining standards at the Times. Much rather, I think it is a sign of just how much our government itself, and specifically one Party, has indulged itself in "defining deviance down," and letting standards of truth and character just go to rot.
In other words, you are just responding to where our country is at. I hope, someday, we return back to a time where our government behaves more in accord with the old standards.
Trump is demanding we all stoop to accurately describe him.
But did we not know that about him, decades ago? Old New Yorkers knew; too bad the rest of the country did not heed our warnings.
4
Mr. Friedman: this is nonsense. This from the man who supported the Iraq war, and other forms of military over-reach and was cheerleader for the very neo-liberal (coastal elite) Democrat policies which excluded and isolated working class voters. The stuff of good citizenship is rooted in good character, prudence, and courage--not in tabloid disinformation. The Republicans and Democrats have been able to govern in the past and are still able to a lesser extent now--when they want to and choose to. Lurching from crisis to crisis, from gridlock to gridlock, stirred up in the whirl of a a media gone tabloid, our congressional leadership benefitted from failure to govern. Failure to govern well is why Trump got elected and why, despite, the growing economy now, we are likely to have another economic collapse given the bi-partisan scrapping of Glass-Steagal in the 90s and the re-institution of tariffs now with Congress sitting on its hands and ignoring its constitutional responsibilities.
2
I was 9 when I saw a sleazy swords and and sandals movie. Even at that age, the low quality was obvious and disappointing but what drove me to walk out with the creeps was the older people in the audience, many of whom responded to scenes of gore with glee and laughter. My inner city instincts warned me I could be a target of that perverted cohort so I scooted back out to the daylight.
Years later I followed Thomas Harris' treatments of the psychopath, "Hannibal". I remarked at the skill with which he promoted the popularity of that anti-hero (with whom I too sometimes empathized). Then, upon reflection, I realized Mr. Harris had embedded a subtle, hidden theme. He cracked the fourth wall, asking the reader the latent question:
"You're enjoying these unspeakable acts, aren't you? And doesn't that tell us so very much?"
It certainly offers considerable insight on the Trump phenomenon, doesn't it? But this is a horror story come to life and , we can hope, its entertainment value may be nearing expiration
2
The United States desperately depends on an active professional fourth estate to hold elected officials to account for their words and actions. In the Trump DC Swamp it is even more vital. I have no doubt that even Fox News will eventually have one or two journalists rather than shills and serial liars, e.g. Sean Hannity who will never, ever change, simply because it's too profitable to resist his corrupt nature.
1
I am not sure that I could stomach such coverage, but I certainly believe that the Democrats should articulate a clear message about our common concerns (health care, climate change, quality public education, infrastructure, etc.). Let the Democratic PACs do the dirty work: just use Trump's own words and behavior--the worst of his ugly footage--against himself. Get to work forensic editors; there's plenty to work with: let the "man" speak for himself--just edit together some toxic streams of Trump with no voice-overs, no extra-diegetic narration at all. Maybe just the question, "Making America Great Again?"
Criticism of support for Trump must continue, and calling out canard-filled op-eds like that the Times ran by Buskirk (without letting us comment on it) ought to be one way to do that. I'm good with exposing all of Trump's malfeasance, bigotry, misogyny and traitorous activities. Let's have a full-on assault of the radical misanthropy this babyman is imposing on our world. His mission, obviously, is to Make America Worse.
2
YES! We completely agree!
Blanket coverage is doing nothing for voter turnout so far in the primaries, and without improved turnout, the Dems are sunk. A wave of disgust among Republican moderates would be nice, but the Dems will still need better turnout than they usually get in off-year elections.
4
When did it come to be that less media coverage is best for a free society.
Everyone knows there are a few media organizations that are not fair but let's not loose our perspective because of that.
Keeping our perspective is most IMPORTANT !
Perspective: "The capacity to view things in in their true relations and relative importance" (Merriam Webster)
Let's not give that away to Trump or anyone else.
5
Mr. Friedman, isn't what you are advocating, "Blanket Coverage of Trump," exactly what got him elected? During the whole campaign every word Trump spoke was reported and discussed. News stories were continually interrupted so that scenes and excerpts from his rallies could be highlighted. The kind of coverage that your describing was exactly the kind of coverage that made this man President.
4
Agree completely but for one sentence -- "It turns out that there are thinking Republicans for whom character, decency and truth-telling still matter in a president."
I've yet to come across one.
4
Time to compare the careers of two prominent paleo-conservatives in the Republican Party. Remember Sarah Palin and how she attracted and roused the retrogrades in the GOP? It took her a little more than two years to tire everyone out. She helped the GOP in the 2010 midterms and then slid into disgrace and then obscurity. Ubi sunt, as they say. The trajectory of Trump's popularity has flown higher and lasted longer, but it, too, is beginning to tire everyone out. His appeal seems to be peaking even before the midterm elections in three months. The more he Tweets, the more he defeats himself. Next?
3
@Michael L Hays...... and even in his downward trajectory, I shudder at the damage he can continue to do to this country.
1
Good article except for an inaccurate assumption that GOP moderates cannot be expected to pull the lever for a Democrat. I believe that many will vote Dem this time around if a candidate shows pragmatism and is not too ideologically on the left. And I don't think that the mid-term results will be close. The Democratic win will be, and needs to be, convincing.
2
The thesis here is that publicity made Trump and publicity will defeat him. It won't work that way. Supporters of Trump do not care. They are aware of his flaws but beguile themselves into believing that they are manifestations of superior intelligence and competence. As individuals, they are mostly honest, kind and neighborly, but they are in a trance-like state that compels them to see him as their champion. The more they are criticized, the more fealty they pay him.
As for the "moderate" Republicans and Independents that voted for him, they have seen him for what he is and more of the same type of coverage will only have a marginal effect. Skillful camera work to feature the more extreme attendees of his rallies, with minimal shots of him will be a blow to his ego and will simply not be a reprise of what he has already stated so many times before.
3
While I think a great deal of coverage of the president is appropriate when approaching a presidential election, and to a lesser extent from Labor Day to polling day for the mid-terms, the non-stop wall to wall coverage of Trump is changing our country for the worse, making politics all about men, specifically a man, rather than laws and institutions. A version of the Golden Rule is to always try to act as though you live in a world that is as good and as full of good people as the world you aspire to live in. If enough of us do, the world slowly becomes a better place. If most of us act as though Trump is the center of the universe, he becomes the center of the universe, which is first of all not true, but more importantly can't help but make our perspective deeply influenced by his. The media is allowing him to set the terms of the dialog in this country. If he continues to win, that is in part why.
3
I agree. Keep the coverage going and expose especially the cult like adoration and anger of his supporters. Is a "fifth column" being encouraged in "the land of the free and the home of the brave" ? Very scary esp. for those of us old enough to remember the Second World War.
3
Yes, and keep calling attention to Republican waste and lies, such as their Trillion dollar deficit and tax break for millionaires at the expense of workers. Keep up coverage of how salaries haven't risen despite Republican promises. Also explain proactive big picture Democratic plans and policies to help Americans regardless of party affiliation that can be accomplished even with Trump in office, such as protecting social security, Medicare and Medicaid, supporting infrastructure, childcare, DACA, education, and environmental projects and protections; and at the local level, plans specific to areas and regions that are not beholden to pay-to-play funders, foreign entities, and fringe groups (NRA, coal (Koch), steel). I think Democrats should adopt the conservative mantle for the mid-terms and seek to maintain the status quo (Roe, fair progressive taxation, no tariffs on allies, no support for Russia and its interference in democratic elections, support for NATO and peace, support for long-standing social and safety protections, etc). It's not sexy, but most Americans are sick of the useless churn, lying, and attention-seeking. We just want to win in the midterms, take the wind out of Trump's spinning sail, and bring some courage to the egg-shell Republicans so the Congress at least can begin to help the majority of Americans live saner, better lives.
5
I think journalists have lost their chance to hurt Trump. I read, over a year before Trump's election, about how he hired illegal immigrants to build his NY properties because they were easier to bully than citizens with rights. Concentrating on that could have cut Trump's support from white workers or xenophobic racists. Too late now.
3
: I'm sorry, Mr. Friedman, while I've been rabidly anti-Trump and GOP forever, the ongoing coverage of every.single.thing Trump says and does is just what he wants - it soothes his tiny, tiny, tiny, little ego to be on every news program, newspaper, network, the Inter, radio, what have you, regardless of whether it's good coverage or bad. I for one am exhausted over it. We already know he's lying thin-skinned bully who can dish it out but can't take it, who knows nothing and is proud of it, so what more is left to say? You're not convincing most people on this website about needing to vote out the GOP in the mid-terms. Plus, the GOP voter is what, 90% behind him despite his boorish behavior and lies. It's not them we need to convince, they are only 26% of registered voters. We need to convince Independent voters, of which there are over 40% in this country, that voting for his choices just spells more disaster for our country. The Cult45 members will not listen to facts, after 18 months, that's abundantly clear. Trashing Trump is not going to win hearts and minds of the Independents or sane Republican voters, but issues will, and the GOP/Trump agenda has proven to e a loser, bigly. Run on the issues, Dems, stop feeding into Trump's ego. Take the Italian voters' advice when they had to put up with Berlusconi - don't make it about him, that's what he wants, make it about the country.
5
A fascinating discussion, but the real question is how to convince the wavering conservatives on either side to scream "enough vomit!" My opinion is that letting Trump and the minions rule from unreported rooms is virtual suicide for the USA. Essentially all the world's dictators came to power legally and then slowly eroded (legally to begin with) the system that got them into power. To let Trump rule unreported plays right into the plan for State control. Every American needs to read Fascism- a Warning by Madelleine Albright- clear, concise, and well stated historical perspective of the dangers we face by this "stable genius," the same dangers from all the world's auatocrats from Biblical times until now. Much as I cannot stand another day of TV news and pundit commentary, it absolutely must continue until this madman is brought down.
3
I cannot share Tom's optimism. Trump is only the President of his people - the 37%. He cares not for the rest of us. He is singularly incapable of dealing with people who differ with him in any way. As for the GOP - they are a tribe. They will not do the right thing - they will vote red in the mid terms and doom us to having to play defense for the next 2-1/2 years. Trump cannot win re-election - he has insulted enough minorities that the Obama base will show up to show The Donald the door. I do not believe that the Obama coalition will be motivated to show up for the mid -terms.
1
Trump would die on the vine were it not for the 24/7 coverage of his constant campaign. He does rallies to bolster his ego, not to promote policy.
In my opinion, the press should record his events but only release the worst of his rants. Don't cover him with throngs of reporters where he can incite his base by attacking their credentials.
He is a conman and a showman. Without an audience, he has no show.
4
Mr. Friedman,
I understand your point of view. But where is the in-depth reporting on the consequences of his policies? Where are the stories that show the impact that his health care policies and practices are having on the poor? I'd love to see a feature-length story with photos and interviews with real people in those heartland states that are fervent Trump supporters. Let's see some hard facts, some statistics and some reporting from the areas most affected by his disastrous policies. Farmers? Industrial workers? Widows and widowers? How about the bright students who earn degrees in the U.S. and stay - contributing to our economy and to the rich tapestry of modern American life?
And, lastly, I'd like to see no photographs of our dictator-in-chief. I'm not interested in his face. I know what he looks like. His photo on every front page and additional pages of the NY Times and other publications is gratuitous 'reporting.' We know what he looks like. I'd be happy never to see another photo of him in my lifetime.
Linda N.
Maine
8
I have mixed feelings about mounting a full press (no pun intended) attack on Trump by printing and broadcasting his every utterance, speech, mumbled word and toddler tweet.
One, could the reputable media be feeding the beast, as the Fox "News" entertainers and presidential advisors do that encourages his bad and stupid behavior, along with his inciting a crowd that could turn violent at any time, or, starve the beast by never mentioning his name, his antics or his imbecilic tweets, unless he moronically starts a war somewhere.
But, I defer to the need for accurate information, information that Trump would call fake, that shows the real Trump, the unhinged Trump (apologies to Gail Collins in using her analogy of Trump), the crooked Trump for all to see. Perhaps when they see he has no clothes their support for him may wane.
But, that waning support will not be among his most ardent and rabid supporters as any truth reporting on Trump is met with the chants of fake news (you can't educate those who refuse to be educated).
So, I suppose we take the good with the bad-report away and witness the fallout.
2
Non-stop coverage or minimal coverage.... why all or nothing? Can't the non-fake news media (read non-Fox etc.) employ discretion? We know from vast experience that Trump is a master of distraction. Give him a bad new cycle and he will come out with distracting fodder to change the subject. Can't media outlets evaluate whether they are being manipulated by Trump and act accordingly?
1
My only concern about this approach is the exhaustion and disinterest it may lead to. Americans who are not wrapped up in continual outrage about everything Trump, but just going about their daily lives, may simply tune out.
I just cut the cord and have started watching Reuters for my daily news fix because I can no longer stream PBS News Hour live. Reuters is just news. No panels and minimal focus on politics. Its' such a relief.
I'll still vote and it won't be for Republicans but I'm worn out. Hearing the same story over and over is simply too exhausting.
4
Fully agreed. Take off the kid gloves, list his faults, use the moniker "Lyin' President", maintain the pressure and keep emphasizing he's
Racist
Nepotist
Anti-women
Colluded with Russia for personal gain
Surrounded himself with felons, criminals, liars and losers
A slave of Big Money
Climate Destroyer
Enemy of the Workers
An economic dunce
Played by Kim Jong-un.
Serial adulterer
Serial Liar
The die-hard 35 % won't be affected by any of the above. But the remaining 65 % ...............
7
Ummm, no, it doesn't. It hurts the media and liberals, because it shows you are not fair and are biased by your ideologies and report with purpose to make Trump look bad. That is definition of propaganda and yellow journalism. It's time you so called reporters get out of your bubbles and realize that your views or agenda is not supporter or neither appreciated by the people. And I say this as an independent who wants to hear fair unbiased coverage.
1
Just to show how far off base we have come with this man, the traditional GOP rallying cry was always...BETTER DEAD THAN RED.
Now it's. “I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat.”
3
I agree. That is the role of the press.
1
You can fool some of the people some of the time. But you can't fool all the people all the time. Most republicans have lost respect for Trump. I think the wake up call was his pandering to Putin. It was a sickening, unpatriotic display. Trump can lie, make racist and misogynistic comments, commit adultery, etc. But when he put down our intelligence and said he trusts Putin more than our people, that was a personal affront to almost every American. He put himself above his country. That is unacceptable, and some say treasonous. That incident along with his lies and racist tweets have caused many Republicans to think twice about voting Republican. Therefore the press needs to hammer it home to them that Trump is unfit to be president. They're getting the message.
4
"So let's keep them fully informed about our president." His fans are fortified against all rational discussions and new evidence that their esteemed leader is unfit and dangerous in his present office. Their appetite for "news" is confined to conservative and ultra-conservative media outlets, where there warped conception of this man is reinforced, and all his critics are vilified. His overexposure in the media, starting from the opening of his campaign, is part of his strategy to dominate the media, and, overall, works to his advantage. I believe the media should consider reducing their incessant coverage of his every tweet and rally.
I have seen a few GOP moderates displaying disdain for the President, but this is not enough. I worry about the huge tribal instincts revealed in the sparsely populated red states. These folks have an over-sized amount of power in our federal government. More importantly they are easily manipulated to go against democracy, good government and anything progressive or liberal. In fact, it goes further, indecency wins in many pockets of US.
1
When I read "... T-shirts that read, “I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat.” , my brain translated to "I rather have 'a lying jerk' in the White House than the best-qualified woman for the job".
The hypnotized Trump voters just mimic the leader who hates women, foreigners and, "disrespectful" Republicans but those voters will wake-up and those moderate Republicans will get their voters back. Hopefully before 2020 in order to have 2 GOP presidential candidates and, one young Democrat running for president.
You have doubtless heard the phrase, Mr. Friedman, "I want something so bad, I can TASTE it."
I want this President turned out of office so bad, I can TASTE it.
And it's nothing personal. I wish him no harm. I wish his family no harm. I bear him no ill will. So help me God.
But he SHAMES the United States of America. Every foolish or impulsive action--every spiteful, mean-spirited thing he says (and wow! there are so many!--take your pick). . ..
. . TARNISHES the good name of the United States of America. . . .
. ..a name that (with all our sins and failings) once shone so bright.
Those two Trump supporters with their unspeakable T shirts! God help us all!
Does it make you think of Joe McCarthy, Mr. Friedman?
Same kind of guy. To a T. Loud--brutal--bullying. No real command of facts--but plenty of bile. Plenty of good, old-fashioned MALICE.
And he loved--oh how he loved!--to occupy CENTER STAGE.
Recall the sober, unemotional reporting of Edward Murrow. Shining that bright spotlight upon the junior senator from Wisconsin. People could see--see for themselves. . . .
. .. the malice. The bullying tactics. The wholesale contempt for truth. For facts--and I mean REAL facts.
Not what Mr. Alex Jones has described as "factoids." Meaning (of course) INCONVENIENT facts. Facts he would rather IGNORE.
Will it happen with Mr. Trump? And his followers?
Oh how I hope so.
I can TASTE it, Mr. Friedman.
I really can.
1
How about an article about the benefits of Socialism, as the extreme left is trying to promote?
2
At first I agreed with Mr. Friedman's point-of-view about blanketing the coverage of Donald Trump in order to keep a majority of Americans disgusted by this man.
But I do believe the saturation point has already been achieved. While I am not advocating a complete boycott of Things Trump - after all he is the president and the public needs to know what is going on in the White House - but if I never see another Trump "rally" with him preening his feathers with boorish behavior that is embarrassing it will be too soon.
That, and watching the people wearing red MAGA hats sitting behind him - his adoring faithful - is a sight I don't need to keep seeing.
2
Suggesting that anyone not vote seems wrong. I know it may be sophisticated politics, and I do not plan to knock on doors of known Trump supporters in October, but I favor covering the actual decisions made by T. and his minions, letting T. wither on the vine.
I actually watch and read most of the coverage and instead of hurting him, I think it's partially making people turn a deaf ear. I asked a LGBT friend and he said he just doesn't pay attention to him anymore. Apathy. And those who voted for him didn't do it because they really liked him personally as much as he addressed issues relevant to them -- jobs and security. Do you really think they are that 'stupid' that none of them knew how obnoxious he was when they voted for him? It's that arrogance that won him the election.
Who ARE these people who represent Trump's "core base"? These are certainly citizens I don't want anything to do with. They truly represent flyover country which I wish never to set foot upon and because of their support for this disgraceful President I must conclude they are as morally corrupt and repugnant as Trump himself.
3
Watching Trumps rallies and his mesmerized base is puzzling. It’s like watching an obscene comedian do the same jokes every night yet the audience never tires of the punchlines.
It’s not that his act is particularly clever, humorous or informative. His hate filled mantra when repeated over and over somehow allows Trump followers to cheer and feel good about themselves.
That’s a scary thought.
1
Thomas I only object to your last line “So let’s keep them fully informed about our president.” Change “our” to “the”.
The saddest part of Trump is how he has made intelligent folks sound small. Here Thomas Friedman writes, "... if he weren’t such a lying jerk."
True. But lowering your argument to such crass language in the face of his crassness fails to follow Michelle Obama's sensible idea, "When they go low, we go high."
Don't assume your readers want to be subjected to such reductive reasoning.
We get that on twitter.
2
The thing that keeps most of us going is that each day seems like The Criminal in the White House has finally hit bottom, but then at that very moment he sinks further. You shake your head and say to yourself 'this can't be happening." But it is and it is exhausting.
Forget about those attending the rallies, they're beyond hope. It's the Trump voters who don't go to the rallies that are needed. Those are the ones who might be disgusted enough by the real coverage and either stay home or vote against anything or anyone connected to The Criminal.
And if you're a Democrat and don't vote you might as well attend one of the rallies.
6
Sorry, but that's what you were saying during the election campaign too. "Give him 24-hour coverage so people can see how horrible he is." And then he won. If the Access Hollywood tape didn't deter his supporters, nothing will.
There's also already been several articles about how his supporters get angry when the media overreacts to everything he does, or else loves it because it shows him "sticking it to" the fake news.
4
Here in Ohio's 12th district the ads were supremely ugly and overwhelmingly plentiful; can you imagine what October is going to be like? I propose a television viewers' strike: When the first ugly ad comes on, just turn the stupid thing off. Broadcasters would get the message and find a way to stop airing this ugliness which is ruining their medium. Here is Ohio's 12th we've gotten a bitter foretaste of what our TV viewing is going to be like this fall and, believe me, it wasn't pretty.
1
Loved your piece; but am beginning to wonder if virtually all Republicans are beyond reproach and and to be frank totally lacking in intestinal fortitude or for the Republicans reading this...it means guts.
5
How wise of the young bucks who have fled the viper's nest! Paul Ryan, Trey Gowdy, et al. These men, among many, clearly have future political aspirations and wish to develop some plausible deniability and separate themselves from the president and his loyal hordes.
"...Trump having a personal approval rating of only 43 percent..."
Only? Only?!
In what remotely sane universe can almost half the population approving of this criminal, treasonous, corrupt, incompetent,lying, cruel, woman-abusing, grotesquerie of a human being be construed as good news? And not merely approving of him as a fellow to hang out with, but as President of the U.S.!
Talk about a low bar...
1
It seems like a profound misrepresentation — and fundamentally incomplete representation — of the Democratic Party as practiced by the press —- if ANY American would be moved to wear a T-shirt asserting they would “Rather be Russian than a Democrat” ! As for Mr. Trump, when a spoiled child tries to negotiate by tantrum it is usually best to ignore the child. In Mr. Trump’s case it is a good thing to instead show his supporters, fully and truthfully.
2
Friedman is absolutely right. I hope the media covers every single utterance by this clown until the public is sick and tired of his babble. For me, my mute button is always at the ready as soon as I see his face on the news.
3
Strange.
He knows how to whistle dixie.
1
From your mouth to those in the GOP who don't like Trump.
Hard to imagine him winning a second term or keeping the house and perhaps even the senate, but, then again, I never truly believed he was going to be elected either.
So from your mouth to their ears, and to the ears of the entire universe. The man is a total plague on humanity.
I agree, Mr. Friedman. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. In politics and Government, that means fair, honest reporting. Trump is an idiot, and I can’t figure out why anyone voted for him although I knew plenty of people that did. One problem is that we don’t hear everything that he is doing, or what Congress is doing. Every Trump tweet should be reported, however let them speak for themselves. Please, journalists, give time to what the various cabinet positions are doing, a lot of that is detrimental to many people also.
1
Really Tom? A "crisis-defusing summit in North Korea"?
The ONLY crisis in NK was the one Trump created. And the NK regime hasn't moved forward with denuclearazation - just a few kind words and a red carpet, and DT is all atwitter with how much he is liked there. What a fool!
5
He is a wonderful combination of Witwould and Petulant (see "The Way of the World").
It is frankly mind boggling the sizeable group of Americans with unquestioned loyalty to Trump...and who prefer Russians than fellow Americans with a different political viewpoint to their own. First there was the Tea party insurgency that was anti-government and anti-Obama, now we have an authoritarian quasi movement which is truly unAmerican ...what next? A national private SA/SS style militia that attacks liberals that stray too far out of line? It is really time for moderates to start calling out Fox News/Breitbart/Info Wars/NRA/Koch in plain and forcefull language as wannabe traitors to the Republic: ...a source of division, anger, injustice and mistrust that threatens the social fabric that holds the Republic together. The problem with moderates is that nothing works them up until it is too late..
4
What the media should do is reveal the lies of this man instead of spreading them.
1
I guess we ought to call him a “lying jerk” while we still can. He is that and worse. His outrageous behavior broadcast nonstop might produce mass nausea and result in people taking to their beds on election day. But if he is to be covered, after all he is in the office of president, you would think the information being uncovered and reported about his destructive plans for this country would be enough of a call to action. I continue to despair of anyone who still identifies with the republican party.
This goes to the basic tenet that truth flourishes in the sunshine; and lies and corruption wither and die. The sad fact though is no matter how many lies; how much corruption; how many criminal activities; and how much obstruction of justice this Trump swamp engages in; the Trump base sees no evil, hears no evil; and speaks no evil of their Dear Leader. As for the Congress and Supreme Court are supposed (?) to be the check and balance to a dictator in the making; that is becoming a bigger joke every day. Can November get here fast enough?!
4
All the news that's fit to print. The question then becomes, what is fit for print? The orange real estate bankrupt sells papers and I doubt that the NYT or the WAPO will ever stop your coverage of this obsenity. He even dominates the Guardian, Politiken (Danish), and El País. It's a quandary: if the press goes silent on the man, the public (with its short and deflectable attention span) will be diverted; if it changes its focus to policy (more important), the mass of people, being less than well-informed, will accept the obfuscating lies of the GOP, which the press insists on presenting in the name of balance.
4
I normally aree with your views Tom, but in this case I believe you are out of your sphere of competence. The stratey(sorry no letter between F and H). This needs a media expert and a psycholoist. But what I would offer is for the NYT, WA Post to continue their role as responsible reporters of factual news but with a focus on the effects of Trump's actions on the electorate who support him. For example how the tariffs have impacted the small fabricators with actual testimonials, It is in this socio-economic strata that most Trump supporters can be found. They could care less or not even know if Trump's actions have affected US respect in the world. Report all relevant actions such as the video of the farmer who is sufferin because of the trade war with China.
1
There is little or no evidence that it is possible to remain both a Republican and a loyal American.
There is hardly any evidence that it is possible to be a modern Republican and remain a decent human being.
Those who voted for Trump in the past are too morally depraved to vote for American democracy.
The only hope for the future is that enough young voters and minorities will get off their behinds this November and patriotically vote only for Democratic candidates.
1
Tom, your overlooking Trumps major appeal, hatred.You can't reason with hatred, it's ingrained in people since they were children.The first thing Trump did when he started to campaign, was to make Mexicans Scapegoats, they were rapists , murderers, & drug dealers, & he was going to build a wall to keep them out.Every slime immediately came out from under their rocks raving about the new Savior of the White race.
These are the people who put him in the white house,& will come out against fake news, to keep Congress Republican, I hope I'm wrong .
2
I predict a tweetless day ahead. Trump will be busy pardoning so many of his buddies...
"It turns out there is still a cohort of Republicans who have not sold their souls to Trump the way virtually every one of their elected representatives in Washington has done."
Let us hope that there are also Dems who have "not sold their souls" to the fascistic and violent Left wing of the party, as has virtually "every one of their elected representatives in Washington has done."
So, let's get rid of Trump, Warren, Sanders, Pelosi, Schumer, and their entourage, like TV evangelicals, the very Rev Al Sharpton, and their minions like Black Lives Matters anti-Semites and the white supremacists.
Then we can truly make America Great Again.
1
It hurts him but it's killing me!
1
A book on all this about Trump will be a blockbuster, if written by Friedman.
Thomas Friedman is ever the optimist. I wish I could believe him. I hope he's right. But to me, the Trump presidency is the monster created by the failure of our public education system, the rise of "home schooling" along with the rise of Fox News and social media. The country isn't just uninformed, it's mal-educated. A majority of Americans don't know what government is for, how it's structured, why it matters. All news is "fake" because people are unable to tell lies from facts. They base their opinions not on what is said but on who says it. 43 percent of the country thinks this idiot deserves their approval. I think he's the infection and America is the patient. What are our chances of recovery?
2
I think "pro-Trump" ads featuring fervent endorsements by KKK members and neo-Nazis would help in the presidential election in 2020, and may help in the current midterms against GOP candidates who tie themselves closely to the most vile president this country has ever had.
But while I agree with Friedman, we can't surrender the economic ground to the GOP. Their tax plan is throwing crumbs to the middle class while the economic elite get filet mignon. And future generations get the bill. This story must be told, too.
3
Dumb, dumb article. Gawp-mouthed media obsession with Trump's absurdities is what got him elected in the first place. The Times's constant thinkpieces about how baaaaad Trump is, keep him ensconced firmly in the public mind, and turn a pretty penny for the Times as well. If the Times and all the mainstream news sources really wanted Trump out of office, all they would have to do is stop writing about him. Trump's administration would expire due to lack of air. But no, the media must obsess about him 24/7, and sell papers and advertising time, so he stands a pretty good chance in 2020.
2
Oh, by all means...please do keep it up. I used the NYT home page as the input for my TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) meter.
How so? Just search nytimes.com for the keyword "Trump."
The TDS meter reading is typically between mid-teens and high 30s.
I do note that the TDS meter plunged to six (6) today after the midterm elections. It sort of tracked with NYT stock price (NYT)...but that's conjecture on my part.
1
Agree with you 100% Thomas.
The more garbage that he spews, my hope increases that people will come to their senses and turn away from him and his ilk.
To that point....VOTE. VOTE. VOTE (or drive people to vote who can't otherwise get there without help. That's my plan come November).
1
The press in the pen thing is awful. Yes, cover the rallies, with one camera only. Correspondents do not need to attend. Just run the clips of the idiotic statements. Res ipsa loquator.
1
"Thinking Republicans" and "reasonable Republicans" are the only hope for the Republican Party. Your argument about giving Trump maximum media coverage is a double edged sword. The progressive and reasonable media give the Trump coverage at the cost of moderate republicans and progressive democrats. End of the day America needs only 5% of the reasonable voters see the "lying jerk's" performance and foolish behavior and vote for a reasonable person. I think that wind is beginning to blow.
2
@HCJ
I am not among the many who deceive themselves that the "moderates" in the muddled middle are "reasonable voters."
I see most "independents" as low-information, disengaged civic sloths who are too lazy to educate themselves about politics so they can cast reasoned votes.
3
This isn't a presidency. It's a full blown crime spree happening right before our eyes. Relentless greed, grifting, incompetence & abuse of power: As Mr.Trump steers clear of accountability-- his last full, formal press conference?
Feb. 16, 2017.
Day after day, accounts of graft & deceit from his cabinet selections. Now we learn 3 guys from his Mar-a-lago Club have been dictating policy, procedure & staffing at the Veteran's Administration.
They've paid for access by membership at his Palm Beach property & are running the VA. There's 100's of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act & interviews with former administration officials:
Trump's buddies secretly "spoke with VA officials daily, reviewing all manner of policy & personnel decisions.... prodded (them) to start new programs....officials travel to Mar-a-Lago at taxpayer expense to hear their views.... everyone has to go down & kiss the ring,” a former administration official said."
https://www.propublica.org/article/ike-perlmutter-bruce-moskowitz-marc-s...
1
I believe that we should deprive trump of his title, and refer to him as trump or donald trump
This would be the revenge of the silent majority
It is legal,easy protest and given his egomaniac characrer,will
Hurt him
Basil dalavagas md
21 ellens way. Alpine nj 07620
[email protected]
I am the husband of dr britta pedersen
Sounds like Friedman needs some cheese with his whine. Once again an article that speaks of the outrage of the elites without offering an alternative solutions. Yes Trump can be a jerk. But his ability to fight and stick up for American values first and foremost is why he is where he is. Don’t conflate being a jerk and getting things done. Blind Outrage is what will follow
3
@Mark Hayward: Throwing the country under the bus in an appearance with Putin? Since when is treasonous behavior “sticking up for American values”?
3
This column is completely wrong.
Coverage by the "mainstream" media put him in power. The sheer incessancy really amounts to fawning, no matter the tenor of the coverage. You do nothing but tell us how important and how crucial he is.
The sooner it stops, the sooner the air goes out of the blimp.
Dan Kravitz
3
When Teddy Roosevelt had the "bully pulpit" it was fine, now it's a snowflake rallying point. Tell you what, if Barak Obama had been more of a bully, we'd have Merrick Garland on the SCOTUS right now, and single payer healthcare.
Real Progressives are not intimidated, or afraid of Trump. We laugh at him and his dopey hair & antics. He's no more trouble for America than Reagan, and probably less then Clinton's Neoliberal destruction of the Democrat Party.
We laugh less at our Neoliberal pals who, though responsible putting him Orange Ogre in office (half of Trump voters say they'd have vote for Bernie) via DNC manipulation of the election process, now scream & holler like infants over his obnoxious behavior. You made the bed, YOU lie int it, because NOT TRUMP is NOT gonna be good enough. You either support a real, non-corporate American agenda, or live with the guy for eight years.
NYTimes should put on their front page every lie trump has told weeks before the election. You may need a few pages to do that. I would like to see every paper list his lies on their front page, it may wake more people up.
5
What a bunch of jealous hypocrites! Sour grapes!
All this whining about Trump's media coverage!
Morale outrage by a bunch of Democratic trolls. You take your indignation way too serious.
Most people in the world would love to be him and have his bounty.
Donald is the President of the US with all the trapping of travel, food, leisure and comfort.
Trump has got a wife that is a hot model with long legs. He cavorts with playmates and strippers.
The President Trump is successful and very rich. Stock market is way up!
President D. Trump is a low handicap golfer golf who plays with celebrities and world leaders at his own golf courses.
The best thing about The Donald is his black cashmere coat.
Isn’t this a great country?
@Pogo, yeah but he inherited his money, failed at his own businesses miserably, steals from workers, defrauds clients, cheats on his wife and is well known to cheat on the golf course as well. Sounds like a great person to emulate and admire.
2
"Whether they are defending the Soviet Union or bleating for Saddam Hussein, liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant." - Ann Coulter
Hmmm... think if you put in Russia instead of Soviet Union and Bashar al-Assad instead of Saddam Hussein it sure sounds like Ann and all the others in the Trump Party are talking about themselves, not liberals.
1
Great stuff.
Take the gloves right off and tell it like it is.
Call out and SHAME anyone who voted for Trump and his shameless GOP enablers, that still has a sliver of conscience.
And shame those parts of the body politic and nation that have retained some immunity to the national cancer of which Trump is only the most glaring symptom.
America CAN - and must - recover.
Not just for your own sake and sakes, but quite literally to save the world, as it did nearly seventy years ago... rather than starting WW3 under this mad fake president.
2
Mr. Freidman,
While I have always disliked Donald Trump, since the 2016 election, I have come to really detest you, your newspaper, and your neo-Democratic ilk.
Trump is indeed toxic; however, his toxicity has served a useful and beneficial purpose. We all knew that the Republican Party is composed of greedy, cynical, ideological plutocrats and oligarchs. What Trump has demonstrated is that the Democratic Party is equally abominable in its greed, ideology and cynicism.
During the 2016 election, the Times was unabashed in its disgustingly obsequious shilling for HRC in spite of her obvious and numerous flaws, lack of vision and sense of entitlement. The Times failed to do its job in reporting the seething resentment of the working class whose plight and interests have been ignored by both parties for the past 38 years. Trump’s election should not have come as a stunning surprise.
The Times has done its utmost at every turn to impede and harass Mr. Trump in performing even the most mundane and uncontroversial aspects of his office. He has done a few things right and some things better than Obama. Actual successes need to be acknowledged as such, not always spun negatively. Not every mistake is a catastrophe.
The Times is guilty of fomenting the same extreme, intemperate rhetoric for which it has so consistently and vociferously criticized Mr. Trump. In so doing it has engendered sympathy for Mr. Trump from people who normally oppose him, including myself.
3
Coverage may be beneficial to reveal the level of decrepitude from POTUS, but it only requires an AP pool reporter and cameraperson to do so. It does not require all networks hands on deck mentality. POTUS will both have the negative coverage (all networks will have access to the AP pool reporter materials) but also understand he is essentially being boycotted by those who he is trying to use as a convenient foil - which option dries up when CNN / NBC / CBS / etc. are elsewhere cooling their heels, showing only the crazy as reported back from pool reporter. Win - Win all around. Except for the lunatic-in-chief.
1
Truly excellent.......
To me the truly sad thing about Donald Trump is that he has turned anger and hate into an asset. Republicans always were pretty uncaring, but until Donald Trump they weren't encouraging the American populace to spew such hate so loudly and venomously with loud group cheers that are reminiscent of Nazi Germany even if the policies aren't (yet) as extreme. Even my father, a lifelong Republican since Calvin Coolidge, would turn away from what this party has become.
2
Only the left would hope and pray that the American president actually fails. You people are unbelievable.
2
Have you heard of campaign fatigue? It's a real thing. Marketing people know that when their audience hears a campaign too often, a fatigue sets in and they stop hearing the message or turn it off altogether. Keep it up and more people will leave the mainstream news for the warm covers of instagram. In the meantime, the really harmful events implemented by this administration get ignored by the press and the people.
1
I would tend to disagree. Publicity is what Trump feeds on. He is effectively running a reality show from the Presidency. Ratings is everything to him. Without the constant publicity his name isn't being mentioned every 5 seconds. He is firmly operating in the realm of any publicity is good publicity.
You can't ignore him since he is President. However, hyperventilating over every tweet (like LeBron James for instance) or covering his political events is only feeding his ego/mania.
To me a big part of the problem is that news organizations love this stuff since it draws readers/internet hits. They are addicted to his mania just as much as his base is.
You might have changed my mind on this, Mr. Friedman.
As much as I hate to see or hear Trump, the fact that he tends to go off the deep end at his mini-Nuremberg rallies may indeed alienate moderates, country club type Republicans, etc. Polls are showing that it already is alienating more independents all the time. It's possible that some of these independents are former Republicans who are so disgusted with Trump that they changed their registration from R to I.
Meanwhile, nothing will convince his base that he is wrong.
As a retired journalist, I am concerned about the safety of the press at these rallies. I think there should be one pool reporter for the national press (maybe blended into the crowd) and one reporter from the local press (after all, a rally by the president in their community is legitimate local news). No corralling of reporters because it is too dangerous.
But you might be right, Mr. Friedman.
I grew up in Israel, at a time when six insistent beeps signaled the hour, and there were radio news on the hour every hour. (We had one TV station which only transmitted at night. At 9 PM you could walk down a street and not miss an item of news, coming from every open window. ACs were almost non-existent.)
All this is to say that news is in my bones and I read and listen and watch them.
As we all should. This is not the time to tune off current events, to avoid conversations with those who agree with us and those who don't. If I could do two things at once I would also watch and listen to Fox. Once upon a time Jon Stewart used to give me a taste of that universe. Now I'm only sporadically informed on what "they" think.
But I digress. A clothing company once touted - "An informed consumer is our best shopper." We should be informed citizens. Attention must be paid.
1
Sorry Tom, but blanketing his remarks will not change anything. He is on 24/7 now, is the brunt of every comedian's jokes on late night TV, and his coverage is constant. How will more of the same change anything? This reminds me of the OJ mania; he was acquitted despite being guilty! What would drive Trump off the rails is no coverage. Ignoring him would have a much more powerful impact. He thrives on all coverage, positive or negative. It would be like taking the light away from a plant. It withers and dies when the exposure is removed.
1
Consider Robby Mook’s op ed the other day---
“The Great Distractor---Donald Trump’s ‘look over there’ media strategy is a trap that keeps Democrats from focusing public attention on his bad policies.
Candidates: Beware the Trump Trap…. He will call you names. He will come at you with outrage after outrage. It will be very tempting to wear this as a badge of honor to reap the rewards of social media attention and campaign donations. You will think he is drowning in backlash. But he will really just be making the debate about anything other than his own failings or the lives of the voters you wish to represent. Your vision and motivations will be obscured and vulnerable to subterfuge.
Before you give Mr. Trump more rope, make sure the debate is on your terms, not his."
Sounds sensible. Dems have get off the back foot and put Trump/GOP on the defensive.
Columnists have to stop worrying if the Fox News crowd will call them 'the liberal media'.
Our definitions of left/right/center have to change to be suitable in a modern democracy.
What are Friedman's definitions, as an international expert?
1
I am all for converting any voter still supporting Trump despite Trump's parade of disgusting behavior, stupidity and cruelty in the name of America. I am not sanguine that showing more of the man who is so publicly revolting will convince those not already convinced. But, OK. Let's try everything.
The voters who should be persuadable are Green Party members. They must have believed they were making a morally righteous or honorable gesture by voting Green. Their vote was used by Republicans to do vast environmenal harm to the country and world. I don't see how the world would not be better absent Green Party candidates. Al Gore as President in 2000 or Hillary in 2016 would have made a better world. Perhaps a Dem Representative win in Michigan this week absent a Green Party rival siphoning at least some Dem votes would have helped.
Dems should offer to let the Green Party choose the Secretary of the Interior and the EPA in exchange for working with and supporting Dem candidates in 2018 and 2020. We are in extremis. Parties in France subordinated their individual positions to back a single alternative to Marine Le Pen. The Greens should do no less if they are interested in protecting the environment, democracy and world peace.
Those who do not vote thinking their vote doesn't count should consider that they might be wrong. Make a small effort on the chance, the possibility that it might save children from being abused and harmed.
Ok. We get it. But the recurring theme that Trump is woefully unqualified is not the road to a Dem win. There has to be an additional draw to match the repellent nature of this administration. Like a moderate candidate. Without baggage. Who doesn’t have a lifetime of government employment. Who eschews all the deadly buzz words. One who isn’t a human wearhervane, jumping on the Sanders bandwagon after throwing him under it.
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Yes, print and broadcast all of it. Each lie, exaggeration, insult, racist/sexist rant might convince another thoughtful citizen to vote for a viable alternative to a Trump congressional enabler. This is needed to counter the 30% of the electorate devoted to him. These people will vote, vote for Trump now and whatever clone of his arises in the future. In America there always will be this 30% looking for someone to speak to their fears of an amorphous threatening Other. Today it is the Deep State, the Chinese, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, any treaty with a foreign country; who can say what it will be tomorrow. The opponents of this fear must understand the danger and vote to stop it.
If there were "thinking Republicans" Trump wouldn't be in office. For that matter, most current Republicans wouldn't be in office. It is a fact that the Republican party went off the deep end the moment a black man had the audacity to get himself elected president. The Republican party is beyond redemption.
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Your theory makes sense, a lot of sense, and I've been thinking that way since Trump first announced his candidacy. But with every horrific exhibition (declaring his ability to shoot people on 5th Ave., making fun of handicapped people, the Billy Bush tapes, etc., etc...), he seems to gain more followers. Now that he's president, the snowball gets bigger. Plus, with elections happening, how to we explain Kansas' Kris Kobach. What a disappointment.
Right on, Mr. Friedman! I am with you, and I can not tell you enough how relieved I am to read your words, "thinking Republicans." I believe there are more of those than there are Trump loyalists. The difference being that one GOP segment is civil, informed, and decent yet unfortunately is juxtaposed with among the crassest, most bigoted, crudest, rudest supporters I have ever witnessed. Trump has opened the nation's Pandora Box, and the ills that it is spewing out is toxic. I think I speak for many when I say that we parents are not perfect. But how many of us would take their young to hateful rallies thereby encouraging that very hate.
Never fear..the Times and its counterparts are doing their jobs, fulfilling their professional responsibilities and being ethically accountable in keeping the public informed. Right up there with policy is the character of the individual voted to be the leader of the free world. Mr. Trump is devoid of a moral compass, his soul is corrupt. Keep on printing those tweets, those rants at rallies. They are real, not fake. We need to know that a man like him can lead this nation to no good.
When my daughter took her International Baccalaureate exam at the end of high school , the History part consisted of writing a detailed analysis of one of Hitler’s speeches at a rally leading up to the war. She had to dissect not just the content but show how syntax and linguistic techniques were used to stoke the fear and hatred of the crowds.
I’d like to think that in the not too distant future, when this country has come back to its senses, and started moving forward again rather than backwards, the videos of Trump’s rallies like the ones in Florida and Pennsylvania, will be shown and studied by students in Civics, Social Studies, and Government classes as a warning about the dangers of demagogues.
I also hope that many of people present in those crowds (and who brought their children) will one day look back and feel ashamed that they were so easily seduced into chanting insults at their fellow Americans.
Democrats should use his tweets against their opponents.
For example, if I were a Californian running for office, I'd point out that in a terrible moment for all Californians (the fires) - Trump basically attacked California (in a dumb statement about water management) -- rather than expressing sympathy for California as fellow Americans. Who would vote for that?
It really doesn't really matter that half of secular Republicans were put off by Trump's manic, vulgar, narcissistic and mobster-like behavior.
Almost all sectarian oh-so-pious Evangelicals who have made a bargain with Mephistopheles will vote for his chosen Republican extremist in the mid-terms, just as they voted for him in the general election, in order to turn the Supreme Court into an arch-right one for generations to come.
As for some Republicans wanting to tell Trump "Enough" by not voting at all, some might vote for a third party candidate which is actually and extra vote for Trump and his Trumpenproletariat.
I wish I knew some of these moderate Republicans you speak of. Except for a few, print based, Republicans, and the one's heading for the exits, no one I know is willing to admit they were conned. It's not even political with them, it's more social. Let's all act delusional and drive liberals and intelligent people crazy. If it were political, their anger would be satiated. They have all the levels of power, and still, they're crazy mad. They have their Clown Prince, a supine Congress and a theocratic Judiciary, so it can't be about politics. I think Trump force-feeds his supporters his fears and hatreds and, in return, they force-feed him their anger. That's not how you make America great again, that's how you make pate'.
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@Rick Gage Ohio's 12th district vote shows there are more moderate republicans than we think. More people that care about this country than about Trump. Some republicans actually regret voting for this man.
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We need to document Trump's opprobrious behavior in its quiddity to begin accentuating the facets of his lies and deceits on a daily basis. The oxymoron we must confront is the idea of "thinking Republicans'.
Mr. Trump excels in creating distractions to change the topic at hand. But many of us are openly wondering if this president is working for---and with Russia: Shake any tree and 20 Russians fall out.
His team coordinated with Russia's government officials to help determine the 2016 election for President of the United States in violation of United States law. Mr.Trump accidently confirmed that fact the other day. Putin confirmed it in Helsinki.
It's illegal for a foreign national to contribute to a federal campaign. Or to act with a foreign national to influence a federal election. ~52 U.S.C. § 30121
He's exhausting us, but in the process exposes himself and his team. Keep in mind Vice President Mike Pence was handpicked by Paul Manafort, who is now incarcerated by the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Why anyone would vote for complicit Republicans or support this president remains a mystery.
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Yes, the worst, the very worst enemy of Mr Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America is Mr Donald Trump. Tweet and re Tweet his Tweets. Recall, resound , reiterate his words and actions, daily and hourly. Will he fall? No. It is the economy. It is the economy, Democrats. Are you better off today than you were under Mr Obama? Are you better off today? Yea or Nay. For many voters in the heartland where I live,the answer is Yea. It is the economy.
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I'm with Thomas Friedman on this one. I cannot believe that Trump's ugliness and racism is not abhorrent to most Americans. Nixon came across as dignified, his ugliness was not as visible, but in Trump it's there for all to see in his ranting speeches and his incendiary tweets. My wife refuses to watch the network news or even listen to the Late Night Comedy shows because of Trump. And I constantly see comments saying just ignore him, don't publish his imbecilities and he'll go away. Wrong! He is the President - you can't just ignore what he says. Evil and ignorance grow when you look away. Keep shining a light on it NYT, Thomas, Paul, Charles, Gail, and everyone else, you could be the difference that finally tips the scale.
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American democracy is in real danger as was foretold by Alexander Hamilton who wrote in 1795, “to perceive that every country, at all times, is cursed by the existence of men who, actuated by an irregular ambition, scruple nothing which they imagine will contribute to their own advancement and importance.” In republics, the danger came from “fawning or turbulent demagogues, worshipping still the idol — power — wherever placed . . . and trafficking in the weaknesses, vices, frailties, or prejudices” of the people. Ergo POTUS.
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I couldn't agree more.
I know that there have been posts even here in the NYT asking that the media stop giving Trump 'oxygen'. To stop reporting every tweet and every incidence of verbal diarrhea.
I have sympathy for that view. I do.
But, the conservative press will never agree to it and so the coverage would become very skewed. I mean, Tucker Carlson seem infinitely capable of asking his so-prodound question, "Why should my son go fight in Montenegro?"
So, yes. Make sure everyone knows what he's really like; from mocking the handicapped, to the bullying of gold star fathers, to the racist comments, to the cozying up to murderous dictators. All of it.
And for the people who would rather be Russian than Democrat, please, feel free to move. I'm sure you'll have a swell time.
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Not only keep reporting,
take the time to do a simple analysis of President Trumps tweets. Use a a bar graph of how many of his tweets attack Americans, American corporations, athletes, law officers, journalists, and what you'll find is hate crimes. Multiple hate crimes on a platform that, just yesterday, decided to keep Alex Jones account up and running.
Do any of you let your children behave this way? We are inundated with spite & divisiveness daily, from the POTUS!
Please start reporting what we are all witnessing, it is every citizens responsibility to report these attacks through the proper chain, Twiitter, then if this fails, law enforcement. A blizzard of snowflakes will get attention.
I don't disagree. One cannot ignore the behavior of the President of the United States, good or repugnant.
However, I worry about the continued collateral damage of giving this vile demagogue a platform for his every disgusting action, statement and inaction. He is, like it or not, a role model for our youth and the face of our country in the world.
Moreover, his 45 percent will not go away. They will continue to make their deals with the devil if it will advance their perceived agenda; be it religious, racist, economic, xenophobic, industrial and/or anarchist. They will continue to listen to FOX, etc. They will continue to believe that Trump is the victim of the press and will doubt anything critical of him.
So, yes, cover him. But please, let's start to focus on the issues that need to be addressed and how we heal as a country from this administration.
Mr. Friedman fails to grasp the irrational and narcissistic appeal of the current occupant of the White House. The more that name appears in headlines, the more powerful and inevitable he appears to those who remain more entertained than disgusted. The name itself is predictive as the behavior trumps reason and politics as usual. The electorate is now addicted to the daily adrenaline fix and spectacle. His supporters believe he challenges the establishment for their benefit, and cannot tell that it is just snake oil.
The media should stop this kneejerk, lemming-like reporting of the latest obnoxious tweet. If we do not stop feeding the public's addiction, it's value will not decline.
If Trump is such a devote racist, why did he endorse John James? If voter suppression by way of embarrassment is OK why is voter suppression by any means that limited left leaning voters inexcusable? Maybe people do not vote FOR Trump and his mangled worldview, maybe they just vote against the old way. In the words of Megadeth, "If there's a new way, I'll be the first in line. But it better work this time."
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@vector65 Perhaps the endorsement was not related to race, but to insure that he maintains a following that will follow Trump over a cliff.
Even racists recognize the need for an ally from the race they revile.
"America’s unemployment rate is 3.9 percent, inflation for the moment is moderate, the stock market keeps setting records, and the president is coming off a crisis-defusing summit with North Korea."
This statement needs close parsing.
1) While America holds that its only criterion of value is how well its economy is doing, it will never find its way out of this current toxic morass. Rather than the economy being considered as an END in itself, it needs to be seen as but one MEANS by which citizens can aspire to develop a flourishing society which values civility, compassion and regard for fellow citizens. Instead the American people have been brainwashed into supporting the venal interests of politicians who are intent on wealth accumulation for their own benefit; the very idea of serving the country by governing in the national interest is totally alien. That this phenomenon is accepted by so many to encapsulate American patriotism is truly astonishing. Is it really just the economy stupid??
2) Do you really believe the North Korean summit has been crisis diffusing? This week US Security Adviser, John Bolton (who never met a war he didn’t support) declared from the White House that North Korea is continuing its nuclear arms development; no hint of hint of embarrassment that yet again, Trump is wrong. These two have more cheek than a rat with a gold tooth, yet Americans do nothing to challenge Trump’s lying claims. So many American lives sacrificed over the years for this?
You call for blanket coverage of Trump, that it will hurt him in the Mid-Terms. You say "bring on the coverage" so that Republicans will finally say "enough" to our malign president who broadcasts dog whistles to his ecstatic base in all his pre-campaign 2020 rallies. Alas, Dr. Tom, change is coming to America, and it's not about a little wave of disgust at Trump, it's about vast changes happening all over the world.
We are witnessing the vast man-made changes wrought on planet Earth. Great migrations from Africa into Europe. Fires and heat in the west and north, dying oceans filled with plastic. (See "The Sixth Extinction", "Sapiens" and "The Ends of the World".) The great changes that have pruned human life on Earth -- climate change, war and famine, migrations -- are happening on Trump's and Putin's watch in our hinge of history. The fracturing of the European Union, chaos and strife in America, Asia and the Middle-East. You've said, Dr. Tom, that NATO's toppling of Libya "took the lid off Africa". President Trump has taken the lid off America, interning illegal immigrants in cages on our southern border. No one foretold the downfall of Democracy in the 2016 American Election of Donald Trump. So keep up the blanket coverage of Trump. Will it hurt him or is he still teflon to his ignorant loyalists who wear T-shirts saying "I'd Rather Be Russian Than Democrat!"? We shall see.
Typical. You fail to mention that the reason Trump lit into Lemon and LeBron is because LeBron made a pejorative statement about Trump first, as is of course his right. But Trump didn't just jump on Lemon and LeBron out of the blue.
Not mentioning that is fake news. Dishonest. Hiding the ball again. Sad.
By the way, Mr. Lemon is the second most nonobjective, most prejudiced person in media when it comes to Trump, for whom the hatred of Trump is personal. His credibility on Trump is therefore zero.
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Yah, sure. This strategy has worked quite well in the past. lol.
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"So bring on the coverage."
I couldn't agree more, Mr. Friedman. Yes it is oppressive & disheartening to read and hear all about Trump Trump Trump and nothing but Trump 24/7.
But I appreciate that the media is doing it's job. Trump is the President of the United States, a man with incredible power and influence. He is not just some senile old curmudgeon ranting on twitter or at the corner bar. Like it or not, we must pay attention to him.
I have also noticed that the more he is allowed to shoot off his mouth, the more likely he is to insert his foot into that mouth and the more people tend to express disgust & fear in reaction. The only way to defeat the hate & fascism that Trump represents is to air his filthy laundry in public.
Thank you.
I appreciate Friedman's clear enthusiastic support of efforts to get rid of Dim-Witted Donny. I don't see his expressed opinions as a violation of some sort of mythical "objectivity." Many American journalists, predominantly Neocons, urged the American public to support the enormity that was the invasion of Iraq. Now, it's appropriate that they speak out loudly against the warmongers, Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo.
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"In addition, Greenberg said, the full Trump — insulting black sports heroes, threatening conservatives who dare cross him, praising Vladimir Putin and attacking the F.B.I. — “reminds evangelical conservatives of the devil’s bargain they made in supporting him. Seeing him in all of his overreach and mania and self-absorption doesn’t make them second-guess their choice, but it makes them uncomfortable about it.’’
Unfortunately, it won't make them uncomfortable enough to vote Democrat in 2018. And I think they'll still turn out and vote for the Repblicans who sold ther souls. As for this regstered Republican (yes, I still haven't changed my registration), I will not be voting for any Republican this fall. That means you, John Faso.
thomas l. freeman is an excellent journalist, reporter, writer, thinker. his article on aug 8th 2018 regarding trump scared me. i take it that mr. freeman is unsure that trump may get another term in office as president. the dems left a gaping hole for trump to run through.
robbin
Come on TLF, Donald Trump has been a raging incoherent narcissist his entire life. Apparently, nothing "hurts" him, if by "hurt" you mean he has to suffer consequences for his often noxious actions. But that's not a surprise to me. I already know that few in the millionaire and billionaire club do not have to suffer any consequences for their actions (unless they become expedient to someone who "owns" them). You millionaires and billionaires are "above" the law that most of us must serve. And then, irritatingly, you guys at the Times keep writing the same opinion article about Trump again and again and again, as if today's Tweet or incoherent rant is any different from the lifetime of incoherent rants Trump has collected. It's almost like ... you are part of a fake machine, one that serves corporate oligarchs by allowing citizens to believe that your opinion pieces can actually disrupt the doings of the power brokers. News flash: They can't. They don't.
The unsparing media coverage of Trump reminds me of, as a kid, holding a magnifying glass over a bunch of twigs. It took a little while, but eventually the process would start a fire and the twigs would burn.
Trump and his corrupt coterie are smoldering right now. Keep the glass steady where it is.
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Of the 40% support for Trump, there must be about a third for whom this Trump strange presidential affair was like a trip to Vegas. Blow off steam. Vent your frustrations. But in the end, sober up, go home and get back to real life. Family, work, church, friends and happiness. For these cross-backs, it will be a mixed memory but not something to hang on to. Moderation in the candidates will win the day.
Many years ago my young son was enamored with "professional" wrestling. It made me cringe, but was harmless. One day the WWE came to town and he insisted I take him and his buddies to see his heroes in action. He was also able to observe the audience. He never mentioned wrestling again. So it may be with Trump, but I'm not so sure. I know plenty of well educated, intelligent Trump supporters who revel in is bile and idiocy. Only November will tell the tale. Lets get ready to rumble!!
How can Mr. Friedman ignore opinion polls that consistently show Republican support for Trump at 90% or greater. Just where are these reasonable Repubicans? Trump wins a battle of hate vs hate and the media akes that battle liek.. ly by reporting all of his tweets. Each headline should be "another lie" rather than verbatim reporting his tweets.
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Tom could not be more wrong.
The media hype all these stupid tweets and comments to make money. It is entertainment and they want clicks and sales. But this wall to wall coverage is what got Trump elected and what is keeping him afloat. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, McConnel, Ryan and the rest of the Republicans are quietly passing the whole1% right wing agenda. The worst tax giveaway from the middle class to the super wealthy in history, wasteful security spending, destruction of the environment, destruction of unions and the middle class, impoverishing public education and on and on while the public is distracted by theMSM coverage of the thumbing buffoon in the White House.
The election battle lines are already set. Anyone who is not disgusted and embarrassed by Trump by now, never will be. But not enough people realize how they are losing to the 1% in the 40 year class war. The media must stop trolling Trump and do their real job.
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UK here, my news source ie BBC r4 is very scant and bafflingly shy of any critical breakdown or detail regarding trumps lies, incompetance or deceptions. It is vital that detailed coverage continues of all his insanities and insults to decency. Wrong man in the wrong job, like hearing some demented old burger guy close to the end.
Just what I've been thinking!!
Those shirts might as well read “I’d Rather be Russian than be Democratic.”
OK, I get your point on televising the rallies and publicizing the tweets. But can we please STOP the never-ending commenting and pseudo-intellectual analysis of this garbage? It is wearing thin and at some point one becomes annoyed with the repetitive, obsessive coverage by non-FOX cable news. Just report it. It speaks for itself, LOUDLY, but don't waste our time with a Trump apologist duking it out with a sane human, every hour on the hour as "Breaking News".
It is a pretty sad commentary on the state of Republicans, and the republic, that when confronted with a malevolent sociopath in office, someone who attacks the rule of law, obstructs justice, is a pathological liar, conspires with Russians, jails babies, encourages violence against the press, and reveals his shocking racism and misogyny nearly every day, that the best we can hope for is that some small subset of people who voted for this monster, may not be quite so moved to do so again. God forbid they consider voting for a Democrat or take any action at all to respond to this threat to our country. What in the world is wrong with these people?
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Keep up the coverage not only of Trump but the sewer of corruption he and his cronies are wallowing in. Where are the NYT stories on Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whom Forbes describes as the greatest grifter of them all? Where are the stories on three Trump buddies huddled together at Mar-a-Lago acting as a secret directorate in charge of the VA. More stories on how Ivanka and Kushner are profiting off the White House. More stories on how Trump-branded properties are profiting off his presidency. More stories on insider trading by Trump's congressional pals. More stories on how lobbyists are reaping millions in D.C. while breaking our laws. And I'd like regular reports on the finances and continuing failure to divest of every cabinet secretary and every Trump adviser.
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What bothers many is that this president deflects attention from many of his abhorrent policies and actions with his outbursts, bullying and outright lies. Where is the outrage for giving away our precious national monuments to the highest bidding natural resources thief? For breaking constitutional laws (recent business loan from China)? Ad nauseum?
Absolutely right, Mr. Friedman. It seems like the news media is the last 'check' on this POTUS. Anyone think Mueller's conclusion will result in anything - except confirming our worst suspicions of trump? If he concludes that trump's a traitor, Republicans will do nothing.
That brings me to another opinion piece today by Christopher Buskirk (https://nyti.ms/2OTqfXx) accusing everyone to the left of the extreme right who GAVE their souls to trump, of recklessly using the word treasonous on trump. Mr. Buskirk does exactly what trump does - using twisted reverse logic to accuse everyone he hates of what he's actually guilty of himself. Like gratuitous defamation of the news media as the enemy of the people when the FACT is that trump IS the enemy of the people. No comment section on that outrageous piece - why?
"So bring on the coverage." Coverage that shows trump's base exactly for what it is so we can ask Republicans "Does he fool you too?" and "Are you anything like those depicted at his rallies?" or "Are caged children your solution to immigration too?"
If unthinking Republicans represent 45% of Americans, that does not leave very many "thinking Republicans for whom character, decency and truth-telling still matter." Apparently they're silent Republicans too.
The GOP like trump "has not even remotely tried" to rule on behalf of everyone, not even the majority. Indeed, he scorns the majority by exploiting his minority base to do his dirty work so he can get away with his.
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In response to the piece on Trump's lawyers advice not to be interviewed by Mueller.
"But the president’s lawyers are concerned that if he is interviewed, Mr. Trump could perjure himself. "
How could he possibly perjure himself if he says the truth?
Ohhh, he may not have said it before. Or are they saying they just don't trust him to be candid and truthful now?
Stinks from head to tail, this fish.
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Fine, I hope the press keeps trashing Trump, it couldn't happen to a better target. But Democrats are going to have to show they have more than clever repartee and trashtalk. Republicans win because democrats and independents stay home, and they stay home because many have been convinced by the focus on trash talk and the Democrat's failure to effectively demonstrate the ability to govern that it doesn't matter who's president or what party's in power. If every eligible voter in this country went to the polls the Republicans wouldn't stand a chance. That's why they do every thing possible to suppress the vote, including keeping the public discourse at the lowest and most disgusting level.
I thoroughly disagree. The MSM gave Trump unfettered free wall to wall 24/7 free coverage with no analysis and it got Trump elected. Nowadays journalists should boycott his press briefings and Huckabee’s uglinesses. What is the point of being a megaphone for his lies and vileness. If the tree falls in the forest....
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If they will NEVER pull the lever for a Democrat then they cannot be considered decent.
We need blanket coverage of Trump because he’s a train wreck waiting to happen and we’re all on the train.
Dear Press,
Don't stop, Please don't stop.
At this point in time, Freedom of the Press is our only Constitional right that we can actually believe and rely on.
(So much to be said for Oaths of Office.)
Until November you are our last defense.
So PLEASE....PLEASE..Persevere. You don't need me to tell you your job description, but you know it: tell the truth. You may get a bit distracted but you can get back on point. Remember it is the truth that matters now more then ever.
That being said: BE CAREFUL It is a war zone for you people right now covering rallies, trying to be balanced, wearing the wrong color, being the wrong color. Just please, PLEASE be careful.
And Thank You for your service to our country.
Mr. Friedman:
You mean that the media should purposely continue spewing anti Trump coverage onto the airwaves? That's why I don't watch much news anymore and the news that I do watch I ignore as much of the anti Trump tirades as possible. At some point folks might even start ignoring legitimate criticism of Trump if all they ever hear is negative stuff about him. Is that what Dems really want? So go ahead and keep calling him a fascist Russian traitor, that day will get closer.
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It was once believed by experts -- and is still believed by many Trump supporters -- that:
--- The world is flat and the sun revolves around the earth.
--- Women cannot be entrusted with the care of their bodies.
--- Corporations have more rights than people.
--- Every breathing America is entitled to join a Militia and own a machine-gun.
--- The environment is currently doing just fine on its own.
--- U.S. Presidents and their friends are too busy to be held accountable for their crimes.
--- Donald Trump is the New Messiah.
Alas and alack, such are the limits of the people currently in charge of our children's future.
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Maybe. I still think Trump will make his next campaign slogan Who Lies the Best and the current Republican leaders will start leading chants, LIE LIE LIE.
Mr. Friedman, you are correct. The media must blanket the president and his Administration with coverage, especially unedited video. With his constant cry of "fake news" the media must prove that their facts and assertions are true. We have a liar-in-chief at the White House whose promise to drain the swamp has resulted in a snake pit.
Keep up the blanket coverage of the culture of corruption that infests Trump and his cronies - this exposes corrupt intent.
Lets be honest that the media is just not doing their real democratic job and protecting the freedom of speech,
by covering all aspects of Trump's corruption constantly which will really hurt him and his racist agenda.
Trump knows that if he sneezes the media will cover it - as he knows how to control the media cycle, and the media editors just fall into the trap of what Trump wants to peddle every day.
The media must start controlling the agenda by concentrating on the issues of the 70% of America that rejects Trump's racist agenda.
Cover the issues of the 70% and this will really hurt Trump, as the media will no longer be the amplification hub for Trump and his ideology of lies, hate and fear.
And the media should stop calling Trump's falsehoods "inaccurate statements". If it is a lie, call it a lie.
Furthermore, may the late the late night comedians keep on exposing this president and his followers for their mushy logic. They deserve all of the ridicule that can be heaped upon them.
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So-called 'moderates' left the Repub Party a long time ago though there are probably a few stragglers left behind.
43 percent of the people support the Trumpster. The politocal world of 30 years ago is long gone - thanks in part to feckless Dems. And the failure to throw people in jail after the Crash.
I beg to disagree. Trump is becoming the new norm.
His arrogance of power keeps motivating Trumpsters, ever onward.
I fear the Democrats will lose the House elections, because they still do not have a resonant response to Trump's media saturation.
Perhaps, Democrats can hold "idea contests" to find better ideas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One idea I have is to look for inspiring songs, such as Peter Seeger's "If I had a Hammer" song. Another song I like is:
"Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan. Here it is with lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ele0YU-hH7A
Perhaps the idea of "Blowin' in the Wind" is finding a VOICE.
Democrats have yet to find their true voice, to beat Trump.
Trump found his voice, with his Tweets and so he dominates.
===============================================
The narcissist in Trump likes any kind of coverage - good or bad. He thrives on publicity. I wonder what would happen, what he would Tweet if there were 3 or 4 days in a row when there were NO headlines or breathless articles about him? I think he would maybe crash and burn. He would have nothing to talk about on Twitter.
Agree 100 percent. Add to this:
"Trump's brain Hannity told him to do 'this' and then Trump tweeted 'this' ".
Trump hates people saying he is someone's puppet. What better puppet master to highlight than Hannity? Since Trump watches Hannity every morning, report it as "Hannity told Trump to ..." then report related Trump tweets. Tie the two of them together several times every day.
Great column. The idea that the press should not give Trump free coverage has been floating around Twitter, but journalists need to cover the news. In this age of outrage, their is nothing more outrageous than our lying, sexist, racist, and xenophobic president. Mr. Friedman is also correct in my opinion that Dems need to do more than just sow outrage: they need actually economic policy.
This is the clearest example of the fairytale...The Emperor’s New Clothes. Eventually, one brave person, a Republican, will speak out forcefully about who and what Trump is. And if that person survives, there will be another and another. The momentum will spread across the entire party and the repressed decency of the party will re-emerge. This national disgrace...this political mutant, will leave office fully exposed and naked to the world. America will then stand a chance of being great again.
For the Trump supporters who'd rather be Russian than Democrats? I'd be personally glad to purchase their one way, no return tickets to Moscow. Consider it my patriotic contribution. Call me.
Tom: Your push for the continuation of blanket coverage of Trump would be more pertinent if it was published in a paper that is actually read by the thinking Republicans you are trying to reach. Given that the Times has not endorsed a Republican candidate for President since 1956, I doubt that there are very many who do.
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Okay, you make some good points. But the media also needs to cover OTHER news, which they don't do a good job of (including this newspaper) because they're too busy chasing every silly thing he says/does. Nor do we need to see photos of him every single time he's mentioned...enough already.
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Freidman writes: "I want every American to know that two Trump supporters were spotted at the president’s last rally, in Ohio, wearing T-shirts that read, “I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat.” That’s an interesting data point. That’s whom you’re voting with when you vote for Trump."
Well, I want every American to know that I spotted a bunch of people in a progressive rally in Boston with signs saying "Abolish Ice" and "Eliminate borders". That's whom you're voting with when you vote for democrats.
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Complacency among Democrats and accommodation among moderate Republicans and independents are the greatest enemies now. We can't get complacent that there is in fact a "blue wave". Too often the wave has crested short of victory, and nothing else, frankly, matters at this point. Republicans and independents might feel they are desensitized to Trump's behavior and somehow convince themselves it's "not that bad". This can't be normalized and we have to keep reminding the electorate that the President of the United States is an inveterate liar, grifter, corrupt wannabe dictator in thrall to the leader of our major adversary, and incapable of talking to the Special Counsel without perjuring himself. So yes, keep it up!
His tweets hide the real motivation of many who support Trump. Firstly, birds of a feather flock together: early supporters of DJT included the wealthiest man in the House, Collins; and the incurably ambitious with low aspirations, Christie, Giuliani, Sessions, Pruitt, Price et al. Then, there are those who are just greedy and would sell their souls, if they had any, for a tax cut. There are also those Christians for whom minding their neighbors' business is more important than the teachings of Christ. Lastly for now, we have the KKK and their ilk, and on and on... Such people have no shame and will not be influenced by blanket coverage of the horror that is Trump. However, do please keep up that cover, but let's also find ways to show clearly that the promises made are not kept when it involves the welfare of the middle class. Great health insurance? Plus, GDP growth of 4% was achieved four times in the Obama years. One blast furnace is not a steel industry. Carrier and Harley Davidson represent wild promises not kept. Ten billion dollar bailout of farmers is not a recommendation for trade tariffs. Fueling of the market by corporations spending mammoth profits on stock buy-back is manipulation and is far from the “free market.” And the existence of a Mar-a-Lago secret cabinet for the dismemberment of the VA is tragic and scurrilous.
1
Mr. Friedman you are spot on with this article. People wring their hands and say the press covers Trump too much. He's the president and he gets a lot of coverage, regardless if he's a smart president or this one.
My voting district is Ohio's 12th district. Which if you've seen pictures of it, it was drawn to destroy the political will of my populous part of Columbus, which is Whole Foods blue. My district was drawn to include 75 miles east of the blue zone, and to go 50 miles north. That "rurals out" the suburban, more highly educated areas like mine. That was their intent.
This last election with Danny O'Connor and Balderson showed that midwesterners are fed up and disgusted with Trump. He is a disgusting fool and offends the sensibilities of people here that don't believe in family separation, letting the rich steal more, racism, misogyny, etc.
The vote in the 12th showed that a lot of good Americans who love their country hate this president. The only way to turn up this heat is to show his every disgusting move until the sheer weight of his evil intent pushes us to want to go back to normalcy.
CONGRESS WAKE UP! I'll keep saying it.
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Trump has ignited and brought to fore the racist, intolerance of Joe Sixpack. A racism and bigotry which has always dominated a segment of our society. Spend a few years in the military. Work a summer job in factories and the racial prejudice and bigotry will suffocate you.
The starry-eyed national myth of brotherly love and acceptance is mainly fiction. It is this myopic, mindless group who are the base of Trump's presidency. Unfortunately, that same mob rules the elected GOP congressmen. And the nation suffers.
1
It remains astonishing to me as a Canadian that despite all the atrocious things this man has said and done, he still has over 40% support of the U.S. voting population and Republican nominees who strongly support him are winning many of the primaries. What is going on in the minds of so many Americans that they still support such a disgusting individual.
2
“I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat.”
Yes; and those tee-shirts were probably sewn up in Red Square.
We’re a long way, Mr. Friedman, from the high plateau of “patriotism” that once helped define the Republican Party. I find it too difficult to think that many GOP’ers would go against Donald Trump—in theory (the midterms) or in actuality (the general election in 2020). He has simply destroyed anything like the DNA that has run through it since at least 1968. It’s a race-based sewer in which all but a handful of Capitol Hill’s swamp dwellers are happy to submerge the national interest in favor of their personal financial considerations and those of their well-heeled donors. The rank-and-file are getting conned but they answer the dog-whistles instinctively. Like they’re programmed to do. Russians aren’t the enemy; American citizens are.
Mr. Friedman, for 80%-90% of Republicans, it isn’t about country; it never was. Here’s a Top Ten of their greatest hits:
1. Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy;
2. Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queens;”
3. Lee Atwater’s Willie Horton television ad;
4. Newton Gingrich’s “Contract With America;”
5. Mitch McConnell’s “one-term president;
6. Joe Wilson’s “You lie;”
7. Trump’s “birtherism” in 2011;
8. Mitt Romney ‘s “Ann and I can put our hands on our birth certificates;”
9. Paul Ryan’s “We can’t trust this president;”
10. Mitch McConnell’s theft of the Constitution in 2016.
Republicans don’t care about America; to them, Russia’s just fine.
3
Excellent piece! You've changed my mind!
I'm now in favor of the media covering the President's every tweet and utterance however vulgar, poisonous, divisive, and bogus.
Americans are street-smart, resourceful, and optimistic. We can smell a rat, though sometimes it can hide in our attics for awhile before its rotting odor seeps into our kitchens. We value truth, fair play, and the rule of law. Even our children have that in their DNA, regardless of where they stopped on the school ladder.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." (FDR, 1933)
"Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it." (Mark Twain, 1897)
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." (Lincoln, 1858)
"You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all the people all the time." (PT Barnum)
Shine the light.
If I were a small, spiteful person interested only in dividing the country, I might make t-shirts that read, "I'd rather be American than a Republican." But I'm not, so I won't.
1
Kinda hard up for something to say in this one, Mr. Friedman. You make the same point over and over and over again. Two grafs at the most would have plenty. We get it.
I think every journalist and media outlet should read John D's comment.
I completely disagree. If the media had not covered every possible Trump rally during the election, he would not be the president today. Nothing at these post election rallies is news. It is all disgusting lies and put downs of other people. Why does that merit coverage? If the press wasn't there, neither would Donald Trump be there.Because, to him, this is all that matters, that his disgusting face appear as many times as possible on the tv screen. As for your moderate Republicans breaking ranks, how do you explain that 89% of republicans support this president?
I am reminded of the news coverage in America in the few days leading up to September 3, 2004. It was all about Bill Clinton's bypass surgery, front page! Meanwhile, in a small town in southern Russia there was a story brewing about a hostage situation in a school. I noticed it, and followed the developments the days, in the international media. I periodically looked over the American media and saw nothing but news about Bill Clinton's surgery. There was scant mention about Beslan and the terrorists who took over a school and were holding 1,100, mostly children, hostage. The American press began reporting the day it blew up with dramatic photos of death and destruction.
Sure, keep up the blanket coverage of Donald Trump the way you provided blanket coverage of Bill Clinton's coronary bypass surgery. We'll all be better for it. Meanwhile, in China, in Africa, in Europe...
Americans are some of the dumbest and most ill informed people in the world thanks to our navel gazing, self-centered, partisan media machine propagandists. Americans are famous for it. Ask a resident of another country about Americans and they will say that American tourists, visitors to their country, are stupid and don't know what is going on in the world. There are Youtube videos.
This is a self fulfilling phenomenon for our arrogant media know-it-alls. It's easy for them bolster their self image by demonstrating how smart they are.
1
Here’s what I want. I want at least one, maybe two, journalists at the NY Times, the Washington Post and any other paper that is brave enough, to have space on the front page EVERY DAY that is devoted to Trump’s daily lies. I want to see what Trump said and then I want an explanation as to why what he said is a lie. Not a misstatement, not a falsehood, not a distortion of the truth. I want his lies to be written out and called out every single day. The lies come so fast that the press and the media cannot keep up with them. He lies and we all react and then the next day he lies again and we forget the lies from the day before. It needs to be a regular column and it needs to be called “Our President’s Lies.” At age 71, I know I won’t live to see our country completely heal from this lowlife of a leader, but at least I want to live to see the freedom of the press at its best.
I want to know nothing of what goes on under, over, or anywhere around trump's blanket.
1
I truly would like to believe that decent Republican men and women who are turned off or even horrified by Trump’s behavior would do as Mr. Friedman advises, but I will not hold my breath. You see, we, GOP and Democratic Party sympathizers alike, have for some reason equated the opposition as “evil” and no one can abide evil. So these decent Republican men and women will continue to vote for GOP candidates regardless of their own personal reservations. Yes, I read about the increasing enthusiasm among Democrats and independents, and do pray that such enthusiasm carries through November and in 2020. But unfortunately history has shown time and time again that Democrats just do not show up to vote, especially in mid term elections. I pray I’m wrong.
Nope, you got it wrong. There should be minimal coverage of Trump the man and his rantings. Here's why.
First, Trump thrives on a stream of attention to himself which he generates from Twitter. He's a narcissist. You drive a narcissist crazy by ignoring him. Psych 101 covers how to reinforce and extinguish behaviors...it's not rocket science - it's psych science. You pay attention to good behavior and ignore bad behavior. Punishmemt is a last resort because it has mixed effects. So cover Trump when he does something worthwhile which occasionally happens. Quit covering the attention grabbing fits.
Second, there is a ton of evil stuff happening down inside the administration, e.g., EPA, Interior, Education, etc. Ratchet up the coverage of these hidden assaults on America. Emphasize the true effects of the fake tax cuts on everyday Americans. They got crumbs from it. Call out the sell off of land for mining and drilling. All this is being hidden behind the fixation on Trump.
Third, I am simply sick of hearing about Trump. By now we all either love him or hate him. More coverage isn't likely to have much incremental effect.
I wrote the publishers of the nation's 30 largest papers asking them to do just this. You could too.
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@Sunny Izme I agree with you. There's a fire in California. There are a lot of things going on in the world that we are missing because of the repetitious goings on of Trump.
1
@Sunny Izme
I totally agree! We need more info on exactly what his regulation reforms mean - to the earth and to business as well. How long will it take for another banking crisis when he pulls regulations?
@Sunny Izme
I totally agree. More on all the down-the-line outrages. His rallies are all the same. Vile. Show his EFFECTS.
I would rather Thomas Friedman write about those Trump supporters, the ones who align with Russia over their fellow Americans, the ones who abide Trump's open racism toward African-American athletes, and the ones who cheer Trump's bullying and misogyny. I would like to hear candidly what he thinks of his follow Americans and what the actions of his fellow Americans says about the current state and future of America, because it seems even a Democratic victory in 2018 and 2020 won't change the fact that 40 percent of Americans hold vile beliefs.
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@JEG
I agree that all of these immoral and anti-American Republicans should be shamed back into the shadows under the rocks from which they emerged.
However, there is no reason that the media cannot cover Trump's moral debaucheries and also reflect them onto his equally depraved base of white supremacists and fake Christians.
"Keep Up the Blanket Coverage of Trump. It Hurts Him."
Mr. Friedman's logical appears to be sound. Mr. Trump's ardent supporters remain loyal to their "beloved president", regardless of how much coverage he gets. But there is a chance that the blanket coverage could influence thinking of those republicans whom he calls "moderate".
There is, of course, an implicit assumption here. Mr. Freedman is assuming that those republicans are mostly located in voting districts where their change of mind can change the balance of votes. That is uncertain.
What is certain is the enduring roughness which such a coverage would bring to the US politics. Soon there will be a host of politicians imitating Mr. Trump's lies and exaggerations, insults, name callings and bullying, knowing that they can get way with such behavior. The notion that one has to have "respect for the office of president" has already gone to the dogs. And, the only thing that would matter is to have "wins".
As an example, this morning, following his indictment, the Representative Chris Collins immediately declared that he will stay in the race and will be fighting the FBI's open-and-shut case against him. I have a hard time believing that this could have happened during presidency of George Bush, father or son, or the holly ghost (that is, Roland Reagan).
2
Trump has made the media a target.
Fire back with everything you've got.
Trump's words and actions demean the country.
He lies with abandon, ignores our Constitution.
Publicize every transgression. Every tweet.
And every questionable dollar that goes into Trump's pocket.
I'm a tax payer - he's grifting off my tax dollars, and your tax dollars.
Freedom of the Press is a cornerstone of our Democracy.
Fox News has chosen for years to work for the Republican Party instead of delivering news. Now, under Trump, we have Hannity guiding the White House on policy and governing.
None of these people have a clue how government works, or the laws, rules and regulations that must be followed.
We the People need the Press to highlight, every day, not only Trump, but the failure of the Republican led Congress to do anything about it. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell have ignored Russian interference and put personal profit and the GOP before the good of the American people.
America has your back.
We support a Free Press.
We know where "Fake News" comes from, and it is not the Mainstream Media. It is fromTrump and his Fox News cheerleaders.
Vote Democratic on November 6th.
Every seat, every office.
Changing Congress is our best hope to begin fixing this.
Vote.
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@D. DeMarco
That just about sums it up. FIRE BACK WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT. Thanks for your comment.
@D. DeMarco, Keep in mind that Fox is the personal propaganda machine of the Murdochs whose loyalty is only to their family aggrandizement; not to their country of origin, nor the one they swore allegiance to a three decades ago because they thought it would increase their mountain of gold. They only try to elect Republicans because more "low or no tax" people are part of that party. They would sell out the Republican Party in a heartbeat for 30 pieces of silver.
@D. DeMarco: One thing you must remember. Not all congressional seats come up for election at once. Only some. I guess the idea was that some who knew how things worked needed to train the newbies just elected. Or at least show them the offices up for grabs. So, we can’t oust ALL republicans, cause ALL seats are not up for grabs in this election. Proving that a few generations ago, when civics stopped being a subject in school, we made a stupid mistake. Now we pay for it. Keeping in mind that the Founding Fathers put an OBLIGATION into the Declaration of Independence. Revolt against a criminal regime such as this. Then when writing the Constitution the means: the 2nd Amendment: The Right to Bear Arms (buy guns, & ammunition) & form civilian militias (no not the National Guard). See, my high school American History teacher taught more than names & dates of battles. He taught the Declaration & the Constitution. The very conservative teacher down the hall who had to scream at his students to get them to listen, just taught names & dates. Because conservatives really want the population ignorant of their history & government.
There seems to be some difference of opinion of how best to "hurt"Trump.Sounds less physical if we simply defeat him,which i favor. But your premise is correct--more coverage.!
For those who disagree, we might point to the story of Al Capone.The more news coverage of his activities, the better chance that he would be caught. The "public" can be an important factor in hurting (defeating) a crook.
I'm not looking to "cover Trump with a blanket", i just want to defeat him--- and Pronto.!
2
I'm not so sure that all the gaffes, lies, misrepresentations, hackneyed opinions, and just plain nonsense that emerges from the would-be dictator who occupies the White House, as covered by the press, is having as much impact as Friedman thinks. Although I'd like to think that many Republicans are "waking up" to the scary fascistic incompetence that characterizes our present administration, the fact is that in spite of a few defectors, his base remains, as Friedman says, pretty stable at 40-45% of the population. And what is scary is that in the red states, which now outnumber blue states, he is over 50%, even as in the blue states may be supporting him at a rate of less than 40%. The key is trying to turn some of the swing states, like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida. This may take more effort to get the blue voters out to the polls than convincing the red voters to turn blue.
1
You're assuming that Republican moderates will vote for a Democrat. They won't. One of the strengths of the Republican Party in winning is that people who lean Republican tend to be lemmings. They will jump off the cliff with their guy every time, as long as he has an "R" after his name.
Hillary Clinton banked on moderate Republicans voting for her. They didn't. She, and the rest of the Democratic establishment, believed they could throw the progressives under the bus in favor of these "Republican moderates." How's that working for the Democrats now?
Very well put. Let's keep up the "indecent exposure" (exposing the indecency of Trump) in the hope that rational Republicans stand up and say "Enough!" The rest of us have already had enough.
2
What about the children? Keep the focus on the children who were ripped from their parents.
Abandon coverage of Trump. Just give a daily bullet point summary of his follies.
Don't place reporters in harm's way.
Stay focused on policies and criminal and unethical behavior of Trump, his family and his officials and GOP enablers.
2
@Nancy W.
I am a Republican since I ran for local office in 1992.
I am a college grad.and a retired RN with degrees in education .
In our local government we have a bipartisan group of elected citizens working together to provide our kids, seniors ,and disabled and homeless with the education ,housing and services needed.
I did not vote for trump.
Unfortunately ,I voted Green Party.
I am responsible for the trumpian debacle.
Connecticut voters do not matter in Washington. But we could have tipped the scales.
Our state went democrat and our town went republican thanks to gerrymandered local districts which chopped up three communities to prevent democrats from getting an edge.
So many of “us”, did not stay home and maybe we should.
Tell your cousin to stay home instead of supporting an autocrat with dictator designs on power.
Yes!.......we moderate republican women need to vote against all republicans or stay home.
Yes!......... we moderate republican women want abortion and birth control rights to continue.
We republican moderates believe in giving our “Dreamers and their entire families citizenship NOW!
We want the border patrol to stop allowing ICE to abuse human beings who are suffering already.
We moderate republican women want guns controlled and laws written to protect the public ,especially our children.
We want trump convicted of crimes against humanity and Treason.
9
Focus on the people who surround him, both elected and appointed, who facilitate his toxicity. Bring it all the way down to the actual person who took an 8 month baby from her mother because, "I'm just following orders." Down to the people who built the cages that house the kids. Make it really, really uncomfortable to be in sync with this guy. Otherwise, it can and will happen here.
3
When will the media understand that Trump does not mean what he says - he says things only for effect. The media should cover ONLY what he and his administration do; not what he says. A total boycott of what he says will deprive him of the oxygen he needs
1
The fact that he even has double digit support at this point is indicative of a deep, deep sickness. All this talk of what strategy would be best to hopefully, maybe, knock him back a little, if you're lucky and everything goes well, it just serves to underline how utterly wretched this situation is.
1
One problem with this is the unfortunate fact that repetition works—the mind equates ease of access with truth. Trump understands that perfectly. He works at creating constant coverage to legitimize his lies and world view.
2
This is the same kind of wishful thinking, false assumptions,
of the American electorate, gleaned from the glass towers of the New York City, that smugly predicted Mrs. Clinton’s election victory. I suppose some people are completely incorrigible, so far removed—or both.
Ther are no moderate (i.e., conservative) Republicans. They have been expunged from the party, or have become former Republicans, even though they are responsible for first the Tea Party and then Trump.
The Republican Party is the party of traitors. You give all these moderate (conservative) Republicans more power than they have and more character than they deserve.
Finally, Evangelicals are not uneasy about Trump because God works in strange and unlikely ways. If there is a God (no, I don’t believe), and Trump was a test - a very easy test like a big fat one over the middle of the plate - Evangelicals have failed it miserably. If Trump was sent by the Devil (no, I don’t believe in Satan either), they didn’t fall for temptation, but instead dove head-first into the river Styx.
As far as how the media has covered or should cover Trump, one thing is certainly true; thoughts that people would never admit to, even to themselves, are now accepted as normal.
1
I don't disagree with the tactics you are supporting but I think the target is off - this election will be decided by independents. They must be convinced to vote D and not stay home, tune out or waste their vote on third parties.
Any Republican who is not repulsed by Trump to the point of abandonment never will be. For the business class, the blind and unthinking belief in tax cuts for millionaires and de-regulation supersedes any other consideration. For the cultural loyalists, it's hatred of the "other" and/or NRA worship. They decided 2 years ago to put up with Trump out of their own personal interests and prejudices, and will never admit the harm they've done by being so short-sighted.
1
Regarding those two supporters of trump wearing the “I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat” tee shirts.
Are they aware that the US is a democracy? The irony of it. The cluelessness.
Watching news clips of trump’s rallies is appalling and disturbing. So much hate in people’s hearts. So much ignorance, of the issues. I’d say the United States Education system has a lot to answer to. And with betsy “yachtie” de vos at the helm it will only get worse.
1
“That does not speak well for Trump or his midterm prospects, but it does for the American people and for thinking Republicans.”
There’s another way to think about this- the fact that Trump is doing this well despite the majority of the media (and Mr. Friedman) frothing at their mouths over his presidency speaks volumes about his appeal.
That said, I have nothing against a healthy skepticism of EVERY politician and only wish we had this level of antagonism when Obama was president to uncover his administration’s incompetence and lies.
Loyalty can be a good,powerful response. But blind allegiance can be disgusting. Some Republicans changing their vote because of Trump’s behavior and tweets are not new. His tweets before elected, his unkind words about women, a POW senator, a gold star family, diverse ethnic /religious people, etc were well known before his election. And, our educated suburban women who voted against a woman for President (I know her name was Clinton, but well educated, concerned about health care, and the environment, etc) for a man with no regard for women other than their sexual attraction; who opposes pro choice; who belittles and bullies so many leaves me baffled - did they simply vote the way their white husbands did (not all that free?). Two articles in todays editorial section note the immense and many fires around the globe and warming planet. Please, besides Trump’s behavior let’s consider his opposition to climate change, health care for all, relations to our allies, failure to deal with infrastructure, despicable way of treating immigrants - and the children. It’s time to stop the blind allegiance and focus on the people and party that may make some strides toward decency, the planet, and, the country.
1
If it were indeed blanket coverage it might hurt him. But blanket attacks and constant negative spin will backfire. Case in point the Times' story today about the new tax perk which, regardless of whether it is good or bad, happens to inadvertently and only possibly (and more than likely not) benefit the President. Yet the headline and content are spun to make it seem that somehow Trump engineered the tax cut to benefit himself. Even diehard progressive NY Times addicts cannot but help see the agenda here. And so it goes each and every day, over and over and over again, in the editorials, the op-eds, the main news, etc. Does it ever stop? No? Will it hurt the POTUS? highly unlikely. Viciousness is not journalism, it is character assassination, and most of us see it for what it is. Even if we do have university degrees and professions.
1
If we ignore trump, who is totally unfit, the republican tax cuts have greatly worsened the economic inequalities and increased taxes on many people(in the blue states like california and new york in particular which have been hit hard by the salt deduction limit, which was sheer nastiness from trump and the gop). millions have lost their health coverage and seen their premiums shoot up because of trump and the gop assaulting obamacare. legal immigrants who had obamacare or accepted federal and state aid, and are now seeking citizenship are being targeted by trump as an excuse. He is denying them citizenship.This is sheer racism, discrimination, unfair, and an extreme right wing policy. wages have stagnated after accounting for inflation and rising oil prices.the stock market is stuck this year. only a few companies are seeing rising stock prices. college education is in a crisis with students and parents taking out big loans. after the trillion dollar infrastructure spending promises of 2016, infrastructure spending is weak.business spending is flat. the federal deficit has soared because of an unnecessary, irresponsible and reckless tax cut passed by congress in a strong economy, to benefit the donors of the ruling party and the family of the white house occupant. companies were making huge profits and sidelining their cash, and doing stock buybacks before the tax cut. the buybacks have increased, enriching only a few ultrawealthy people. trump and his party are a failure.
1
"America’s unemployment rate is 3.9 percent, inflation for the moment is moderate, the stock market keeps setting records, and the president is coming off a crisis-defusing summit with North Korea. And yet, the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Trump having a personal approval rating of only 43 percent, with 53 percent disapproving of his performance."
This is quoted from your article. Mr. Friedman, don't you want the best for the USA or does your hatred of Mr. Trump trump your desire for a good economy and low unemployment? By the way, your central premise is incorrect: blanket coverage does not hurt Trump, it helps him. Bring it on.
1
What a President of the United States says is always news. So Friedman is right to encourage news outlets to continue to cover Trump’s every public utterance. But when what he says is demonstrably false, that is also news. So it is the responsibility of news outlets to fact check and not simply be a conduit for lies. This is called journalism. It is also why tyrants murder journalists and call them enemies of the people.
1
Blanket coverage of Trump is suffocating me. I yearn for the day when his face is not the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night.
2
I see no proof of many republicans turning against the GOP.
Additionally the GOP of the USA has gerrymandering, voter suppression of minorities, the poor, our elderly and purging names off of voting registers on their side.
Plus...putins interference in our election...
Americans who don’t want to lose their democracy had better get out and vote in numbers never seen before in any election.
Our voting numbers need to be as great if not greater than it was for Barack Obama in 2008.
HARNESS YOUR RAGE.
VOTE
It works for the GOP.
Now it’s OUR anger that must have a voice.
4
I agree, we need full coverage of Trump's tweets, crazy speeches and his meetings. It does get tiresome but to do otherwise might suggest that he has pivoted and is starting to act like a normal president. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the trut.
2
I used to enjoy reading Thomas Friedman until he decided that the invasion of Iraq would lead to perpetual peace.
There you go again! the person currently in charge of the presidency of the United States does not seem to be able to survive without the ratings standard which he lived with when he was out of the political scene. Cut all reference to his tweets, insults to normal human beings and let the Alex Jones of the world and other standards of journalistic acme like Breitbart report on him.
The ballon will quickly deflate and normal discourse will come back to our society.
We have heard a lot this week about Canada's Minister of Global Affairs and leader in the NAFTA negotiations Chrystia Freeland because of her confrontation with Saudi Arabia.
There is a far more important reason to know Chrystia Freeland her writings.
Freeland was there when Russia's economy collapsed and it went from a democracy to an oligarchy and she wrote the widely acclaimed Sale of the Century (Russia's Wild Ride from Communism to Capitalism)Little Brown 2000.
Russia is not Communist it is a country born of the GOP platform low tax and small government. Forget KGB Putin is an oligarch and a social conservative and Freeland is one of fourteen Canadians Putin barred from travelling in Russia.
Democracy died in Russia because there was not enough government or enough taxes to support democracy.
Resource rich Russia with its educated population and vast geography lost its democracy because there was not enough government to stop its wheeler dealers from selling everything of value to the highest bidder so that when democracy collapsed the world's third largest military, largest country with a diverse economy had "an economy as big as Belgium's."
I see America heading down the same path.Chapter 10 titled Dividing the Spoils seems the blueprint of the GOP with the same names we are now hearing from the main stream media. Putin is successful because he understands crony capitalism low taxes and small government far better than Donald J Trump
We're now in an Alice in Wonderland culture, where everything is bent out of shape. Yes, the media has to cover Trump, but ALSO start balancing it with more discussion of a myriad of serious issues affecting all our lives. That's the healthiest antidote.
You're comparing how much will Trump's atrocious behavior just reinforce the blind loyalty of his gullible fan base of True Believers, VS how much will it keep alienating more moderate, thoughtful Republicans with some ethics and public responsibility. Say what? Is that a contradiction in terms, for the party that aligns itself with the 1 percent financial elites against the 99% citizenry?
What standards to use when our politics has been veering rightward? Realistically the GOP is an extreme rw party. The Dems would be seen as conservative in EU countries, and maybe even in our own past. Both parties must vie for big corporate funding to run for office---that creates norms that are abnormal.
One of Trump's most damaging effects is to make even mediocre Dems look like the saviors of our civilization. Standards plummet, definitions get distorted.
What kind of person sticks with the GOP now? Decent, moderate people, with ethics, standards and public responsibility? No way. Many Republicans are just outraged that Trump is ruining the public image of their party. But they made excuses for all the destructive things the party did for years---as did many NYT columnists. Now they don't like the result!
Another of the Kool Aid crowd - N Korea is expanding its nuclear arsenal, the economy was growing under Obama, Wall Street is making hay until the tax cuts cripple the middle class. Health care costs are skyrocketing, providers use “medical necessity” to deny coverage - after treatment is received and in some cases retroactively rescind paid expenses. Canada protests Saudi human rights violations and the pundits babble on about Trump and his rabble rousing rallies.
The press needs to both keep up the blanket coverage AND point to the damage his administration is doing: (education, environment, trade, unions, science, .......). Begin to focus on the REAL stories of individuals who are being hurt by this administration's policies! Aggregated numbers (stock market, unemployment, inflation) are great headlines - but the real stories (divided families, inhumane treatment of asylum seekers, diminished EPA) represent the true output of this group of 'leaders'.
4
Agree completely with Mr. Friedman on Trump. Yet, yesterday, this same author published a piece on Italy that did not allow comments. Re. that article, a few words from someone who lives in Italy. Friedman asserted that Italy "needs more workers." Flatly untrue. Since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2010, youth unemployment has been running from 25% to 35%. In 2017, 50,000 young Italians left Italy to find work in other countries because they couldn’t find a job in their own. Other than the lowest-paid, off-the-books farm work, there are no jobs for illegal migrants (most of whom are young men). Re. the immigration crisis in Italy, there was a crisis, now there is none. The numbers of migrants arriving in Italy this summer are a tenth of those who arrived in previous summers, and will undoubtedly go lower in the future. Interior Minister Salvini has closed Italian ports to migrant boats, and his message "Basta, no more" is working. Last, Italy's tough response to the migrant crisis has absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin & everything to do with the weak response to the migrant crisis by the traditional center left and center right parties, and also by the EU. The Italians, along with most other nations in Europe, are saying to people like Mr. Friedman’s “refugee expert” that they don’t want “shared EU migrant quotas” or “managed illegal migration.” They want to stop mass illegal migration completely now.
Agree that the people who matter in determining the outcome of the next presidential election are the moderates. However, you don’t win those people over by constantly harping on how bad a decision they made and how you can’t understand how they supported Trump. People really don’t like getting dismissed and that kind of condescending attack simply makes people dig in more. It’s why calling Trump supporters “deplorables” was probably Hilary’s biggest mistake. In 2016, moderates had a choice between two flawed candidates and many feel they chose the least bad decision. Accept that, understand it and move on. Liberal media thought leaders should really lose the “we told you so” attitudes.
Hilary’s basic strategy was “I’m not Trump.” That should not be the Dems attitude in upcoming elections. It makes it all about him. The proposed ideas in this column would do the same. There are loads of psychology studies that prove how simply being top of mind matters a whole lot in elections, so if anything, liberal media should do the opposite of what you’re suggesting. The focus instead should be on understanding why those people voted for Trump and then highlighting what Democrats running for office can offer that acknowledge those reasons.
“We’re not him” won’t win people over. “We heard you in 2016 and here’s what we’re going to do about it” has a much better chance.
1
Wonderful analysis, Mr. Friedman. I agree completely. The coverage of the Manafort trial alone should be sufficient to create a wave of disgust over the serial adultery, tainted money, excessive greed, and lying that permeated the Trump campaign.
Representative Collins and his son charged with insider trading seems almost quaint in the current environment. The whole sordid mess that is today's GOP should create a wave of disgust that destroys the party completely.
1
All I can say is NYC must be a soulless place to allow people like Trump and his family to rise to the top business echelons through massive frauds, multiple large bankruptcies, code enforcement violations, banking violations, casino violations, illegal money laundering schemes through foreign condo purchases by shell companies, and on and on it goes. Why was he never prosecuted in New York?
To my republican friends: Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. -- Mark Twain
5
Case in point and take note:
The strong Republican enclaves of New Canaan, Darien, Wilton, and Greenwich here in CT. all voted for Hillary Clinton in the past presidential election.
What this says is that well-educated, well-off, and well-informed Republicans - in the privacy of the voting booth - made the sensible decision to choose Clinton over Trump.
Such a scenario could well happen anywhere.
May the days of the existence of the unfortunate entity now in the White House, doing his best to destroy our Democracy, be well-numbered.
Label Trump - the nickname artist - with a name of his very own.
Benedict Trump ....... Lock him up.
5
What stock market records? Check it yourself, not records. How is North Korea defused? Our own surveillance shows they're still creating something nuclear.
T is a danger to the present and the future, case closed and if Republicans with any honor left don't see it then we're in big trouble.
3
I am a 180 degrees out of phase with Friedman for i believe just the opposite.The daily Trump shadow of Trump over everything has made people numb.Trump's popularity is going up with his tribe for they think Trump is being dumped on because he is getting under thskin of everybody on The Left. Moderate Republicans really need the daily barrage of things that shows Trump's character? Trump shows daily he is loving all the attention he is getting and craves his daily fix. The Daily Perils of Trump has only strenthened Trump isn't that obvious?
1
trump disrespects the First Amendment. The fact that republicans refuse to remove him from office for that is all I need to know. But trump also refuses to confront Putin on Russian interference in our election. What more does the Republican Congress need to remove him from office? If you will trade our liberties for a tax cut for the wealthy what use are you to American democracy? Cover trump, don’t cover trump. More importantly decide that our First Amendment must be respected and protected. Then go out and vote trump and his cohorts out of office. America needs our help to survive the worst person ever to be handed the presidency.
Friedman may be right that the incessant spotlight - what Haberman calls "watching the bouncing ball" - hurts Trump. What we also should note is that it hurts us in several ways: It turns news into an entertainment medium, focuses on small aspects of big events, and leads us to overlook stories, both national and international, that deserve greater attention.
4
Personally, I can't stand to watch Trump on the tube, nor like to hear his voice. My reaction is based both on disgust with the man and his antics, his unfitness for the job and sheer boredom of seeing him on TV all the time. However, I still see your point. The man is a living insult to the office of the US presidency.
I do not believe that the so-called blue wave is going to occur on its own. The Dems would have to become more proactive in terms of publicity and propaganda. They need to energize their base. We can also use red meat. Next, to every Trump's every tweet, lie, and stupidity, I would like to see a Dem response plastered on the front pages of the newspapers and as a shadow of his every video clip. The present Democratic leadership does not seem to be discharging their job in this department well.
128
@IWaverly So many people seem not to recognize how powerless the minority party is. Why doesn't the Democratic leadership fight back? Because they cannot even bring a bill out of committee. Ask yourself why would any paper print a response by a member of the minority party on the front page next to Trump's idiocy? He's president. Few members of the minority party are invited to news programs because they have no power--interviewers want to speak to those who make the decisions. Why are Republicans leaving the House, not running again? Because they know how boring it is to be a member of the minority. The only way to combat this is to be the majority party. We have to get out the vote and take Congress back.
@IWaverly: So this election, if there is one, we don’t vote for a party, but, for individuals. Do your own research into each candidate up for election in your area, also into every question on the ballot. Don’t listen to ‘pundits’ of either party. They will lie. Listen to the candidate. Do check to see who is financing & promoting them. Alt right or anarchists, socialists or bigots, the filthy rich, or the grammas down the street who donate $5. Listen to the candidate. See if what they want to do agrees with what YOU want to see done. If not, find another candidate, or become one yourself. Primaries are only for 2 parties. Both have become less than totally gung ho for America. Both are gung ho for themselves. So, don’t forget to look at Independents running, or in MA unenrolled. Independents are now United here (stupid thought, if there are 10 independents they have 100 different ideas, at least).
The sad thing is that DESPITE wall-to-wall coverage of Trump's outrage du jour (or du moment), he still has the support of 40-45% of the American people. Fox isn't the sole media source for 40-45% of Americans. The bottom line is that through all his bombast and crazy policies, almost half of all Americans support this person. And many of these supporters receive some or much of their information from non-Fox or Fox-like sources. This is simply frightening. We are arguably closer to a strong-man lawless state than we are to a large progressive majority in Congress.
146
It's a hard decision. The outages-du-jours serve as a distraction, a bright shiny flash in the pan object claiming our attention while serious damage is being done to the environment, education, the poor, the elderly - the list just goes on and on. And when one outrage falls of the screen, there's always another to take its place, like when a shark loses a tooth.
Perhaps we could do with a little less attention to the sizzle and a little more attention to the fact that the steak is rotten.
2
The reality is that Trump showed Republicans early in the Presidential campaign, and through a lifetime of corruption, sexual misconduct, racism, mysogeny, and pathological lying that he was unfit for the human race, no less the Office of President. This is about more than counting votes. The real question is how to restore some dignity, humility, and honesty to our country when almost half of the adult population is totally lacking in these qualities. America was born with an economy based on slavery, and eventually evolved into a more tolerant and decent society. But Trump, and the persistent curse of the misinterpretation of 2nd Amendment rights illustrate that we, as a country, will be struggling to reinvent ourselves long past the next two or three election cycles.
3
As the cartoon character, Pogo, once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Trump won because many Americans threw away their votes. Either they didn't vote, or voted for Trump because they disliked Hillary. What were they thinking? Trump's bizarre character was already well known before the election. And now we have a scary clown show playing in the White House
I hope every American now understands that elections are more than opinion polls. Our votes hire and fire people to run our public institutions. There is nothing more dangerous than electing politicians who lack character. Under pressure, they reliably fall back to their habit of doing the wrong thing. The current administration is a classic example.
Trump and colleagues have lied and alienated minorities, immigrants, the working poor, athletes, women etc.--the list is long. Would you trust any of the them to be your employer or to repair your home? I doubt it.
If every thoughtful American votes and uses common sense, Mr. Trump and his supporters will eventually be defeated at the ballot box.
If so,, our nation will have learned that the power of democracy belongs to those who participate in it.
3
He is easily provoked. Keep provoking him. He is well on his way to self-destruction. He can't help himself.
3
The Democratic Party put Trump in the White House. They don't support taxing the super rich. Warren Buffet paid 150 million dollars in income tax during a year his wealth increased by 2 billion. That's about a 7% tax rate. During the same year I paid over 40% of my income in taxes. My money was taken and spent on pretty much everybody but me; I don't use a lot of government services. We also borrowed a trillion dollars that year. So what is the Democrat agenda? Spend more than you earn. Transfer wealth from the working class to the rich or welfare recipients. Flood the USA with unprecedented numbers of both legal and illegal immigrants. Use race and identity politics. More government money to religious institutions. Limitless corruption. I generally don't trust or like the Republicans but how can I possibly vote for the Democrats? Oh yeah, and lifetime political careers, Jerry Nadler, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi followed by family dynasties, (we still have the Kennedys).
2
Isn't it the excessive coverage of Trump that got us here in the first place? Providing him a greater platform for his divisive agenda encourages sloppy and reactive responses from the audience - right or left. I'd rather see the NYT and others condensing the reports on his words and deeds in a daily, single, boldly stated piece while the rest of the front page is used for serious examination of the many challenges we face as a country and as a world. Let us click through or turn the page for the details about his behavior instead of giving us four or five headlines about it.
I hear too often that people have "tired" of the news and are "disconnecting" so that they can feel better. That is a huge problem. That fatigue turns into a lazy attitude that leads back to that sloppy and reactive approach that reinforces the situation we are in right now.
Also, being "put off" by his comments suggests a perspective of "I don't like it much, but I'll probably look the other way when it comes to the ballot." Put off? They should be disgusted, horrified, aghast, infuriated.
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@J. i am in whole-hearted agreement, but also I just can't bear to look at the man. I'm sick to death of even seeing him.
I agree that it is necessary to point out every prevarication, every insult and every instance of pettiness that the President employs, but to do so objectively and entirely without emotion. This ego-driven caricature is who we've allowed to occupy the highest office in the land and like it or not we own him by not working harder to defeat him in 2016. And now when we allow ourselves to be outraged in our responses to Trump we feed the President's base, or in internet parlance we "feed the trolls," and whatever message might come from reasonable objection is lost to verbal sparring. Trump's bombast is enough to draw millions to the polls, for and against, but millions more may stay at home if all we do is offer an opposition based upon complaint and do not address what the saner majority of the country would like to see in a President.
67
@Jerry Meadows
Depends on how you cover him. What strikes me is how many of his appointees are worms. The guy who wanted a special phone so that he could solicit bribes without being overheard. The guy currently on trial for lying on a huge scale on his tax returns. The functionary who nearly got excommunicated from his church for "child abuse" ( referring to the activities of the immigration authorities) A company president who keeps appointing incompetents would not last long.
The media is addicted to Trump’s every irrational twitch and tweet & to speculation of every detail of his criminal courtiers. All important, but it media's hysterical obsession lets it avoid the crucial issues affecting our lives.
Cable shows ignore discussing America's needs--- re health care financing, jobs, training, education, family leave, tax fairness, & so forth. I’ve never seen the media so focused AWAY from the issues which voters in any democracy need to be informed about.
US media is so proud of its 1st amendment protections from govt censorship. But what are the pressures on media to conform to profit and big money values? Fox News dominance makes it defensive to not look ‘too liberal’.
But I and many others are not addicted to the news, and with these trends, we're watching/reading less then ever in our lives. We’re repulsed by the media addiction to Trump’s every verbal belch, but also the constant photos, showing Trump's most hostile, aggressive, paranoid expressions the media can find. It's a horror show.
Many Times columnists are making an easy living bashing Trump ---hooray. They get emotional catharsis shared by readers. By this they avoid grappling with the tough issues roiling our democracy. Again---- health care financing, jobs, training, education, family leave, tax fairness, retirement crisis.
We lag other advanced nations that once we led, per OECD and GINI Indexes. Does that interest Friedman or any Times columnist?
3
@Meredith I think it would behoove you to go into the archives and read some of Friedman’s past editorials. He’s touched on many of these topics from a national and international perspective.
@Robert Lee....Sure, he's well known for his intl perspective, and he's written books, too----
but mostly from the perspective of big business, trade and profits. not from that of the millions of average citizens and their stagnating pay, insecurity and downward mobility.
And while you're shaming any Trump voters with any remnants of a moral compass, what about putting a couple of spanners in the Democratic machine, which puts itself before its voters and the nation?
Again, start at the top with the Boss, way past her sell-by date, who like the other boss seems to care only about herself.
The other boss and his extended Family didn't win the last election, in various senses. Nancy's gang lost it. Among other things, those hacked emails were genuine.
As long as Pelosi, Schumer, and Warren are the perceived ‘leaders’ of the Democratic Party, there will be a large base of support for Trump. His election was a direct response to eight years of Obama incompetence, these people were accomplices to that performance. New leadership must emerge, with a new message. That leadership is not a Socialist from NYC. Extremeism on both sides is unhelpful to the nation, until a center path is taken, nothing worthwhile can be accomplished.
@John Curley
Obama=incompetence
Therefore
Trump=competence?
Really?
On the other hand, maybe just a little pinch of the nose could ward off that wave of disgust on the part of G.O.P. moderates. That might be all they need to keep those key districts red.
I wouldn't count on Republicans for anything other than a continuing decline in all areas of our national and international life. They've had sufficient cause and plenty opportunities to reject Trump before now.
So, keep reporting every tweet, but add some
facts regarding the consequences of policy. And while we are at it, we might consider a good discussion on the function of government as it relates to the common good.
4
Exactly right, except for one minor glitch: you use the phrase 'mainstream media'. Is the Wall Street Journal mainstream? If so, that medium represents a middle-ground between Fox News* and the New York Times, among media giants. I don't think the WSJ has used the words 'lie' and 'liar' more than a few times, whereas Fox and the Times use it daily - they differ in pointing out the target of the term.
Some of my friends are Trump voters, and they read the Journal; some are Clinton voters, and they read the Times. I read them both, and watch CNN, MSNBC and Fox. Only voters like myself, who have voted D, R, 3rd party and Not in Presidential elections since 1964 are immune to the inability to say "whoops, I made a mistake". I have voted more than once in a way that, in hindsight, I realized was dead wrong, and more than once in a way that I congratulated myself for having supported the right candidate. Once anyone defines himself as a particular kind of voter, the truth becomes harder to see.
The error is in defining 'voters' as either D or R. My decades of public opinion research taught me that there is a dichotomy of voters. Each of us is either doctrinaire or not...and that "Independents" and "Democrats" are less likely to adhere strictly to party platforms than self-described "Republicans".
That said, Rs are more likely to vote for whoever has been chosen by the party, while the Is and Ds vote for the person/charisma on the ballot.
2
Ask the people where that "cheaper and better" national health insurance program is? Or if Montenegro will really start WW3. Or if California really diverts it fresh waters into the Pacific Ocean? Or how rolling back vehicle emissions standards will lower prices and will make people safer because...they'll be able to afford Subaru Outbacks? Ask the people who are the real elites; the demonized frumpy professors or the crony capitalists in and out of government funding right wing pols and shouting, "Look over there!" Ask the folks how they like their chump change of a tax cut while those same elites can say "whatta haul!", while the deficit and debt explode. Ask if it's okay if mining and drilling firms don't have to pay for the messes they may make on public lands. Ask the people if their ready for the draconian cuts in Medicare and Medicaid and if it's still infrastructure week. Blanket coverage for this administration, early and often.
3
While we are outraged at Trump's tweets, we are ignoring the real harm done by his and a REPUBLICAN administration on environment, education, healthcare, national security, our national income source, food safety and more, through actions of the executive branch.
Moreover, Trump is not the root of our problem, the Republican Party and their politics is. The GOP started the truth-is-what-you-say-it-is. Trump just makes this strategy more overt and over the top. The GOP started the racist politics through their southern strategy. The GOP started the immigrant bashing to cover up the failure or nonexistence of their economic policies for the working families. The GOP is the one defiling Christian or just general universal value of morality by doing harmful things in God's name.
Yes, we should know what Trump says, but we should also know his administrative executive actions that are actually changing how things are done in this country.
Most of all, we should know the GOP support all of them, even when it comes to threats to national security.
4
Sunshine is the best antiseptic. The press can do two things at once. Display the spewing hate and anger of Trump and the far, far right. Also, give full coverage to the quiet efforts of Republicans to destroy the Constitution and our democratic principles by quietly passing laws and rules that undermine people's rights in favor of corporate or religious groups. The Koch brothers may hate Trump, but they have a plan to remake the United States into their own image of a ocean to ocean factory, destroying anything that gets in the way of their greed for carbon based energy and corporate profits. They, too, are masters to controlling the media and minds.
3
Where were these Republican voters in November 2016? Trump showed his true colors from the time he announced his candidacy until the day of the election. His behavior is not new and not surprising.
2
Agree with this. But I do think there should be a pool camera and reporters in the audience rather than in a pen at rallies. Don't shoot the messengers; such is their job.
3
Tom, as Murray Kempton noted, Nixon in the 72 landslide carried every district that didn't have a bookstore. Very worried about November...
1
Forever the optimist, believing that we humans will ultimately see the light. No one can say whether shining a light on Trump will bring down him and his like. I have my doubts. We will have to see the overall results in November. But, fasten your seat belts, because Mueller is coming at him full force.
1
This entire article is predicated on the existence of "thinking republicans..." and then goes on to highlight all the evidence that no such thing exists...
If people still need constant coverage of this circus only to be motivated just past the point of "not voting at all" but not to the point of actively voting against it all, then I'd argue thinking never really entered their equation.
3
I hope someone,someday can focus on what Trump says about our democracy instead merely what he says about our politics.
2
With the exception of tweets that admit to collusion and obstruction of justice, the Times and the liberal media would be better off ignoring the tweets and focusing on Trump’s policies and how his past behavior informs his current predicament. The tweets are mostly a distraction and since the right does not trust the media, they think the media is unfairly maligning Trump. The best way to counter that is with objective reporting about facts.
2
Why not try the suggestion that each week ( perhaps Friday ) all
the Trump tweets are together on one page, listed and dated.
It might reveal some things when seen together that are not easily detected by daily publication.
2
@Neil: A few weeks ago I went to Trump's twitter feed. Reading them, one after another, shows a scale of mental illness that is truly frightening. He's UNFIT for the presidency and it shows in his twitter feed.
It is crazy that he has not yet been thrown out of office for a variety of reasons. What is WRONG with these Republicans? They care nothing about our country, that is for sure.
2
The truth is people like you are being asked to leave the party ; Trump does not need moderate Republicans to win, Just working class men and women to vote will it work; it's worked in Europe.
1
Trump's supporters simply are people that have been hurt too much by well meaning but misguided liberals that have turned this country into a mess of meaningless laws and restrictions that make life impossible for many people. From mothers that leave an child for 2 minutes to motorists that are mandated to were seat belts. Then of course try running a small business or living on minum wage.
I am retired. It is impossible to get through a day without breaking some law or other. Trump is us getting what we deserve. Fix the causes and Trump will go away.
I was in shock hearing the Ohio GOP Bladensburg won by a thin margin. After his interview with the Columbus newspaper he said he will raise medicare and Social security to age 70 plus. Those people who support him must be breathing in coal dust or all be independently wealthy to keep voting for such a hostile group the GOP.
2
Thank you for assuaging my lingering doubts on the incessant coverage of this President. I know I dwell under the illusion that if I no longer read or hear the ravings of this dangerous man, all of this madness will somehow go away. As you have stated, sadly, this will not change anything. However, that step would satisfy my need for Trump's desired and insatiable coverage to stop. I am tired of being shaken by his words and deeds in my world of unadorned, unmistakable, rampant reality.
40
Tom, "Is this whom (who) I want my kids to see?" Your focus here is on redemption within the GOP alone. A greater call might include independents and newly eligible young voters, who deserve to be seen and invited into the voting fold.
1
Maybe cover, but not make a big deal--and don't cover tweets at all. If he wants to get something out let him say it in public.
I keep looking for the decent Republicans who the author finds so hopeful. Though they may be "put-off" by Trump's rhetoric, they still, overwhelmingly, pull the level for anyone, no matter how foul, who as (R) next to their name. Its a football game to them, and the only thing that matters is not country, but winning.
8
If the moderate Republicans presented their own candidate, one who was a stable, decent, intelligent, honorable, dignified, middle-of-the-roader, class-act and good listener, to run against Trump in 2020, someone who could ignore or counter-balance all of the Trump sound and fury, someone whose character was unimpeachable and who would bring this country together without colluding with the Russians, I'd vote for him or her. And I'm a Democrat.
3
I am an independent, and vote about 60% Republican and 40% Democrat. I also find President Trump irresponsible, if not reprehensible, and I agree with the author that the press must continue to cover President Trump, and expose his behavior. It’s how they cover it - the handwringing, the august pronouncements, and literal vehemence on TV 24/7, provide cover for Trump supporters. Just report the news - the editorializing is too much - and when he does something good, report it - be fair. People are smart, so let them make up their own minds. I think that strategy will provide the best path forward to abate the fealty to President Trump.
5
As has been hinted at here, Mr. Friedman, your approach makes perfect sense--for sensical people. You know, the type who write, and read, reasoned NY Times columns (and commentaries).
Unfortunately, that encompasses a very small sliver of the voting American population, and an even smaller sliver of the overall American population.
Trump's whole popularity--and he still has considerable popularity--is a great case study in the ability of masses of people to fool themselves and to be fooled, because of emotional needs that psychologists may have a lot of fun teasing out, but which are threatening to the continuance of a civilized society.
We need to address those needs very specifically if we hope to continue that civilization.
18
@Glenn Ribotsky Very interesting and important comment.
Friedman's observation that Trump "does not even try" to win over segments of the populace seems true. It has occurred to me that he needs people to be against as much as he needs his admirers. It allows him the victim status and one's upon whom he can vent his rage that may or many not relate to issues. He and his base have an "us against them posture" . that they enjoy and need "because of emotional needs that.....are threatening to the continuance of a civilized society." "We need to address those needs very specifically..." Indeed.
1
I agree 100 percent. Trump has everything going for him to maintain Republican majorities except himself. The same way enough likely democrats didn't vote for Hillary Clinton likely republican voters won't vote republican in midterms and more democratic candidates will prevail.
3
The media must cover the actions of congress. Trump is a loser, a one time freak that will be gone soon, if not by the Mueller report and consequential impeachment if Dems get control of congress, or in the 2020 election.
As pointed out in this article, the professional republican in congress have no principles and will not take any action to constrain the liar in chief. We must retake the peoples house and rid it of the spineless.
16
While I was out canvassing for Danny O'Connor, I encountered 2 republicans who are going to vote democratic because they are so disgusted with their own party. So, I agree: keep publishing the tweets and showing the toxic rallies.
16
I agree that we should not for a moment lose sight of the fact that we have a president who is completely without morals, who has no real plan for anything except making headlines for the sole purpose of self-aggrandizement, and who is compromised by that gangster in Moscow. But we should also not lose sight of the positive reasons for every working Joe voting for the Democrat: universal affordable health care coverage starting with a public option, protecting Medicare and Social Security and forcing the super-rich to pay their fair share of taxes, making education affordable to Joe's children, protecting Joe from being cheated by banks, protecting Joe's right to join a union and get living wages, that sort of stuff.
When I read the NY Times and the Washington Post and watch the media, even CNBC, I don't find much of these things. Hating Trump is not an adequate platform.
34
@PETER EBENSTEIN MD I agree. There is a great deal more going on in the world than whatever Mr. Trump has tweeted last. We need to be informed of these things as well so we see the consequences of our decisions, i.e., to elect this person and the Congress we currently have. I've gotten so tired of American media that I've now turned to other sources to get my news. American media is like the car alarm that keeps going off -- eventually, you simply turn it off.
2
@PETER EBENSTEIN MD Right! "Hating Trump is not an adequate platform." Educate the public with the facts and research. .
"...decent Republican moderates..."?
Are they moderately for decimating the middle class by cutting taxes on the uber wealthy and gradually eliminating the safety net ?
Are they moderately for eliminating regulations for responsible financial rules and clean air and water?
Are they moderately against affordable health care?
Are they moderately in favor of alienating our allies?
Are they moderately against the free press and the justice department?
Moderate maybe, but in no way decent.
20
@JA in RI No, that's what the GOP has become in recent years. That and spineless when it comes to standing up to Trump and vindictive when it comes to the Democrats who are held to a much higher standard than Republicans. I like to think that there are still a lot of moderate thinking Republicans out there who silently hold the middle ground. I refer to them as "Eisenhower Republicans."
1
The press needs to figure out how to report on what the President says and does in a way that is accurate and neutral in tone. If the President makes a claim, skip the photos and videos of him making the claim before a cheering crowd, and interview a third party who can substantiate the claim. Until you can find a CEO opening new plants, a Prime Minister increasing NATO contributions, or any reputable person who is willing to give Mr. Trump credit for their taking some action at his behest, then all you can report is that the President made an unsubstantiated claim.
26
In order to not fan the flames of the "fake news" narrative, but also do what Mr. Friedman suggests and continue to inform the public of his lying and pathologic behavior, I would welcome more facts only reporting; less editorializing and analyzing. The" fact "is he is lying - often. Report it - then give the reasons why it is a lie. Then move on to Global Warming or other important news. Show the rallies , but don't carry on afterwards.. The rallies are facts - his behavior speaks for itself. If the rants get too intense in the "analyses" , it shifts the focus from Trump. The messengers will be scapegoated - "fake news" . New territory for everyone in the media. I am clueless about how to manage my own self in response to this man - feel helpless and confused. One glass of wine often morphs into two.
34
@lindy tucker This is true. As this commentor and others are saying here, it is very important for the news columns and stories to be neutral. Keep the editorializing to the opinion pieces. I am actually shocked at the extent to which CNN anchors plainly opine against Trump's every word and action -- Erin Burnett is the best example. She shakes her head, tosses her hair, sighs self-righteously and makes no secret of the fact she detests him. This does great harm to the objectivity the news needs, and to his supporters it proves Trump's claim that he cannot get fair coverage. News media: remember your mission. Don't look for quick gratification. Do not let Fox News set your standards for you. Put strict dividing lines between news and opinion, and limit opinion to a relatively minor share of your coverage, or... help Trump deliver the whirlwind!
1
@lindy tucker
"If the rants get too intense in the "analyses" , it shifts the focus from Trump."
Well, that is absolutely correct and I think it is why the 24/7 droning, pathetic, laughable frenzy on both CNN and MSNBC has paradoxically nearly anesthetized many viewers' thinking machinery. The folks in command at those two networks are just ignorant of this, apparently.
The never-ending full court press with all the gasping and chattering by TV's talking heads about Trump-this and Trump-that has created a very high level of white noise. The signal/noise ratio has thereby dropped a lot.
"I am clueless about how to manage my own self in response to this man - feel helpless and confused. One glass of wine often morphs into two."
I feel the same as you, Lindy, needing up to two glasses of red vino to help me sleep to keep the nightmares of the Trump presidency at bay.
To deny Trump media coverage would be similar to denying him oxygen. He thrives on seeing himself on as many screens as possible. So at first, Mr. Friedman's reasoning seems to be wrong.
But Trump's technique is one of attrition, repeating his lies so often the opposition gradually melts away as more people grow tired and "tune out". However, this is no time to hide from Trump's constant lies and his band of corrupt advisors and complicit members in Congress; we need the mainstream media to provide the facts that help us remain angry and fearful. We need to preserve these emotions a bit longer because voting stats prove we don't place enough priority on getting to the polls and voting. Instead, we skip the chance and console ourselves by thinking our one vote doesn't matter. But it is at times like these that we need huge voter turnout including much higher voting rates from those between the ages of 18 and 25 - so encourage younger family members to participate along with you even if not all agree on the candidates. If doing that and inviting your neighbors to go with you to vote seems like too much effort, think about the effort it will take to overcome rising health premiums or the prospect that Medicare and Social Security benefits may be slashed to cover a skyrocketing national debt and tax breaks for the wealthy. Doing what you can to achieve massive voter turnout is easier, safer and ultimately more likely to rid the nation of the Trump scourge.
25
So, some Republicans are "uncomfortable" with Trump's behavior and rhetoric. Swell. Pretty soon, he will have the judicial as well as the legislative branches of the federal government to rubber stamp and legitimize his actions, thereby completing the trifecta of his successful takeover of power. And it is (nearly) all legal and legitimate in the eyes of the law.
Never mind the long term impact on our environment, our political and social landscape, and on our national psyche.
As long as SOME Republicans have become uncomfortable and some of those who are uncomfortable enough may even vote against the debacle unfolding before and including us.
I know I feel better now.
16
The good news is that there are probably many more people who will abandon trump in 2020 than will be joining him. Given that he lost the vote by nearly 3MM, that's a pretty daunting scenario. How many votes can he afford to lose and still expect to prevail? The bad news is that the Dems still need to come up with a strong national candidate. With relatively few governors and a fairly weak bench in DC, they don't have a lot of viable options.
11
@TRKapner Which is why it may be a good idea for the Republicans to dust off some of their old 2012 and 2016 candidates. The more moderate and possibly electable ones include John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney. They don't strike me as Trump Men, and they're not extremists. After the mayhem of Trump, this country needs to restore its sanity, and that sanity is found at the center.
@TRKapner
The worse news is that “RUSSER”, his name for Putin’s country, is interfering with our midterms elections before they even happen.
Asditionally the GOP of the USA has gerrymandering, voter suppression of minorities, the poor, our elderly and purging names off of voting registers on their side.
Americans who don’t want to lose their democracy had better get out and vote in numbers never seen before in any election.
Our voting numbers need to be as great as it was for Barack Obama in 2008.
HARNESS YOUR RAGE.
It works for the GOP.
Now it’s OUR anger that must have a voice.
Barack Obama’s approval rating a year-and-a-half into his first term was … 44%. So was Ronald Reagan’s. And so is Donald Trump’s. But if these two-term presidents could be re-elected (and Reagan by a monster crushing of Mondale), then the blanket negative coverage of Trump might be helping him – certainly is among Republicans, where his support approaches 90%. Given that the liberal MSM’s blanket condemnation of Reagan was so negative, and that of Obama so positive, yet yielded almost identical results, you have to wonder whether Tom’s perspective on Trump is historically sound. By the example of these two worthies anyway, good or bad reviews don’t seem to matter much.
But not wanting a divided Congress as we had 2011-2014, where it was as if we had NO Congress for all it accomplished, nor one with a Congress partially or fully opposed to the president, as we had 2011-2016, seems to be keeping Trump quite viable, thank you. Enough to keep those Republicans who appear to have barely won on Tuesday still WINNING, despite the serious threats. I’m sure Trump would welcome dozens of close elections on 6 November, so long as Republicans barely won. The smart man goes to bed early on Tuesday and wakes up with smiles on Wednesday. Very Trumanesque, as a matter of fact.
And it’s also true that Obama and Reagan, particularly Obama, couldn’t widen their popularity beyond their bases for a long time … yet ultimately won their second terms. The difference, of course, is that …
5
… Reagan (and arguably Trump) changed the world while Obama did not. And it’s only the losers who argue that the Republicans changed it for the worse.
When your greatest hope is that Republicans choose not to vote … it’s pretty sad for Democrats.
6
@Richard Luettgen
The difference of course is that Reagan was a third class Actor with a poor record as President, especially the second term. And Obama was a charismatic and decent President, who inherited a run-down economy and 2 needless land-wars in unfamiliar territory from his Republican Predecessor and repaired the almost hopeless situation, despite headwinds from Congress.
Yes Reagan and Don the Con changed the world, especially the latter. Look at the mess: Health Care; Immigration; Infrastructure; International Relations: EU, Iran, North Korea; Environment and, and.
We can continue with his private life, his Friends, his White House Members......I cannot imagine that the Voting Public will let this "Experience" to be continued, otherwise I will
lose my trust in natural laws and decency, which always prevail. Time is up.
21
@Richard Luettgen
And how, pray tell, did St. Ronnie "change the world"? By saying at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the city I was born in, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall".
The Wall would still be standing and the Cold War would not have ended had Gorbachev not started his Glasnost and Perestroika policies inside the Soviet Union.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
28
Yes, let's keep giving Trump billions of dollars' worth of free advertising, because it worked so well the last time.
Yes, let's cover Trump's every mean tweet, while ignoring Medicare for all; a living wage; income inequality; and the neverending wars, because it worked so well the last time.
Yes, let's do wall-to-wall coverage of an unpopular Trump, while only doing token coverage of America's most popular politician (Bernie), because it worked so well the last time.
And, yes, let's focus on wooing "Moderate" Republicans while taking the base for granted, because it worked so well the last time!
31
You are spot on. The press should start putting attention on politicians who are working for positive results. For Bernie it was too little, too late. Who else is losing out to the glare and blare of Trump?
6
@G.Janeiro Bernie Sanders is far from the "most popular politician." I voted for him in the primary and donated to his campaign twice. But I now know that its all about him, just as Trump's campaigns are. Bernie can't see past his own huge ego. His ego is more important than health care, racism, or anything else. I have been forced to come to the conclusion that Bernie and his supporters would rather see huge numbers of Americans suffer under a Trump or Walker(WI) than compromise and help elect moderate or conservative Ds who don't have the vicious cruel policies of the Rs. I've come to see Bernie and his supporters are fantastists and fanatics, willing to tolerate the sick and mean because their ideology is so much more important than American men, women, and children.
@G.Janeiro
Well said!
Dictators and monarchs need wars, enemies and most of all fear.
At the same time the MAGA slogan is wearing thin. Unemployment is down except in some specific areas and among the population with criminal histories and/or substance abuse problems.
Americans are war-weary and there seems no end to the wars we are in while a bellicose POTUS keeps threatening more conflicts that can lead to yet another war.
The invading hordes are actually mostly children and the de-humanization process may have worked on the border patrol and ICE agents but grandparents and suburban moms cannot see a crying child in a cell and not be angry regardless of the color of the child.
Yet, there are still the cheering crowds at the rallies but I'm starting to see familiar faces in Trump's backdrop crowds.
The continuous stream of Tweets is annoying at best and we being to wonder why this president feels it necessary to weigh in on everything, even when it has nothing to do with his job.
Personally, I've seen this before in people I've hired in the past. They get in over their head and don't have the sense to ask for help and start thrashing about.
Unfortunately, Congress is made up of followers instead of leaders who only care about keeping their jobs and perks.
We the People have a huge HR problem that we must solve.
28
@George N. Wells: Ur intervention is neither educative, nor informative, but at least u have the stamina to give your name, and merit a "triple ban!" Trump tweets because of his nature, and in the face of a hostile press, source of fake news:Its his way of reaching the folk. De Gaulle, during his 2 "septennats,"controlled RTF completely,had no need to tweet, even if that astuce had been available. The "war without end," Behr's words, a great historian,is ongoing thanks to Trump's predecessors and natural resources in M.E. which we in the "security state" feel obliged to control!Adm. Mcgraven, head of Seal Team 6 which travels the world carrying out extra judicial killings of those whom we deem threats, was not created under Trump.Look to Bushes, "pere et fils, " for that innovation in foreign policy!Having sponsored a Ghanain family for visas who r now in US, and making the most of this land of abundance, encourage you to also perform an similar action of human decency. "Sinon, mieux vaut se taire" re situation at border, and separation of children from "parents," who may not be their real parents at all! Remember Henry Ford II's advice:" Don't complain so u don't have to explain!" if you have the wherewithal to sponsor a family from a "developing country, "why not do so?
A similarity in tactics has come to light. It's been shared by personalities from Roseanne to The President: the selling of the image of just-folks relatability by a consummate insider.
Many have written rightful outrage, but from taking their comments at face value. The writers were not the celebrities' audiences: the written indignation was instead reassurance, the outrage even a key metric of success.
As long as the tactic works, we'll only see more of it. Mr. Friedman is spot-on in telling us how to counter it:
If attention were their goal, hoist them by it.
7
Amen!
For the Democrats to remember in coming elections is first two main things; there is no decent universal health care and the middle class cannot afford to have their kids in University. The third thing of course that salaries have not incrreased for middle class Americans. Americans should kindly ask Mr. Trump to step down from office.
22
Third: Americans don’t say “in University.”
Some species are said to survive only under the toxic conditions, and attract the like species to join in to stage a collective fight against the normal life around, the only way they know to survive. The Trump presidency far from being an accident was a carefully crafted script to which several sources ranging from the foreign interference to the illegally paid right-wing and social media disinformation campaign had made their collective contribution, and the fears of a repeat call in 2018 and 2020 elections are not wholly unfounded. The Democrats will have to prepare their electoral strategies accordingly.
16
The story that everyone skirts around is the Diogenes-like effort we are all engaged in to find an 'honest' Republican.
I am glad you think that continuous news coverage of Trump's latest depredation may serve to turn a few of the' best educated' suburban Republicans back to sanity.
To which I say, 'Really?' After all of what Trump has demonstrated about himself and his coterie over the last 25 or 30 years he has been in the public eye, those 'educated Republicans' are finally going to get it now?
I think the real story is how attractive racism and xenophobia is to the Republican soul. I doubt that Mr. trump would enjoy Republican approval ratings in excess of 85% otherwise at this stage of the game.
16
It all depends on who is reading it and where it is published.
Do you really think that you and Mr. Blow and the rest of your colleagues influence Trump voters or independent voters?
If journalists influence anybody, they are probably the TV variety who can offer more entertainment than just good prose. The effect also is fleeting, short-lived.
However, the non-stop attacks, as they are perceived by some, will be used as proof of "persecution".
4
A time-honored tradition healthy democracies crave is a vigilant 4th Estate dedicated to impartially reporting the news.
As laughable as Dangerous Donald’s divisive missives may seem, one under-reported idea remains as to why this despicable, disingenuous man, along with his complicit congressional crony enablers, would continue to allow Russian interference.
WHY ? Russia will help HIM win.
And in the process of pursuing blind, misdirected ambition, continuing to lob smokescreen after smokescreen to a world already oversaturated with information, so many will lose.
They’ll lose on so many fronts it’s taken years for good people, who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to establish and grow. And, it’s happening. Dangerous Donald is succeeding at ‘Making America Hate Again’.
We’re losing civility & a sense that racism, nativism, & xenophobia are destructive, a belief that civil rights matter, as does respect for females & a healthy discourse supported with truth. We’re losing allies & our environment due to a leader buffeted by sycophants.
Why else would the highest official in our land refuse to intervene, much less acknowledge, what historically might be considered tantamount to a direct attack on our democracy ?
Russia continues to help him. And, in doing so, also raises the hopes of his greedy, self-serving Congressional enablers, intent on remaining in power, seemingly at any cost.
Pres. Tweety-Bird’s tantrums will ultimately work towards his undoing.
3
I'm a registered Republican and I don't like using the word moderate or conservative to characterize myself.
.
In the last Presidential election I reluctantly checked off Hillary Clinton for president, but at the last second could not bring myself to submit it. She is not as dishonest as Donald Trump, but she is dishonest. I asked for new ballot and wrote in Paul Ryan. I now regret even that write-in.
.
I have to hope against hope that another viable candidate can be found in the Republican party to nominate in 2020.
.
The result of Donald Trump being president is to tar true Republicans like myself.
5
Well and good, but might it not be a good idea at least to sequester most of these waist-ankle tweets on a single page, and not the first? Something on the lines of The Post's "Page Six."
2
Tom you are correct here. Trump is his own worse enemy. He is divisive and crude. You are also correct in noting that his base will stick with him. They encourage the worst in him. We need to begin the process of ousting Trump not through impeachment but through our votes. If we can run the Republicans out of town and take back the Congress then our representatives can truly investigate what went on with the Russians and our elections. Those facts I am sure will not bode well for the President. The next step is to defeat Trump at the polls. Impeachment is not the answer and will only divide the nation further. Better to vote him out in a landslide and elect a President that is capable of bringing all of us together.
10
The problem with this editorial is that it imagines decent Republicans. It says the only problem with Trump is his character. But a whole Republican culture denied Merritt Garland a hearing, put their thumb in the scale with gerrymandering and with bizarre voting rules (the NRA id will allow you to vote but the picture college id won't) and registration purges. It was the Republicans who voted the big corporate tax cut that is so fiscally irresponsible, and created the stimulus package for Republicans that was so needed in the Obama administration when they obstructed it. And it is Trump's enablers in the House who are filling in misleading stories to create doubt about our judicial processes and leaking information about confidential informants.
The "decent Republican" will not sit out the vote, but will convince himself that his local congressman or senator is not Trump. He's not the person performing these antics. So they go out and vote for these Republicans, because it's their tribe. They are not understanding that this generation of Republicans is leading a revolution. It is about the rule of a minority, and creating a permanent benefit for minority rule. And it's all about winning, just as Trump has been saying, winning at any cost.
7
@ debra.......
You are wrong.
Repubs. Like ME will vote Democrat this time.
We repubs. In Ct. are cut from a saner cloth,( although we had a repub. Gov. And treasurer that ended up jailed)
the current congress must go.
Some should be charged with treason.
Some of us are republican because of financial concerns.
We are college educated and make a good living but we are the demographic .... right and left that get put upon by elites to foot the bill for all the social programs and crazy bills giving tax breaks to the very wealthy......
Most of us are an oddity to hard liner repubs.
But we are out here.
We always vote but with intelligence usually. We believe in womens’ rights to make their own decisions about family planning.We believe in immigrants who enter our country for a better life. We despise ICE and think building walls and insulting our neighbors is stupidity writ large by our treasonist pres.,cabinet,and congress.
I have a theory about what went wrong.
Bernie Sanders should have been able to challenge Hilary at the convention and Kasich and Bush should have stood up to the bully blessed by a crooked lot in congress .
1
That CAN work. I had a student once who was frequently bothering other kids. I sent a note home, asking his dad to come and talk to me. Apparently he went home and complained that HE was the victim (he was a big kid and the others were afraid of him). His big brother came to school and complained that poor Johnny was being picked on. So I made sure the other kids could not pick on Johnny by moving him WAAYY away from the others. I walked him to and from the restroom. After about a week of being "protected" he asked to sit with the others, but of course I could not do that--his big brother had demanded that no one could bother him. After another week, he pleaded again, and I let him "try" sitting nearer his classmates, with the understanding that should they "bother" him again, I would "protect" him for the rest of the year. Amazingly enough, no one "bothered" him until the next year, when he went to middle school and his bullying started again!
4
What you are really arguing, Mr. Friedman, is that Republican voters can feel shame. And that supposes that they have a conscience that speaks louder in their minds than financial and social self-interest. I would like to believe all that, but I haven't seen much evidence of it.
10
Re media reference: notice the cameras at the rallies never pan the empty seats but remain tight focus on him and the decorative group clustered behind him. Let’s open up and survey more of the arena area!
37
I agree. Trump is a constant and same old, same old. I want to see his whipped up fans in the main sections chant a couple rounds of "Lock her up" and do some thumbs-down boos.
For me personally, the sight of his face or sound of his voice brings on nausea, so I don't appreciate blanket coverage, but I can always mute him or simply change the channel. If blanket coverage will sway people on the fence to become disgusted, then so be it, especially coverage of his rallies which most reveal his pettiness, smallness, and hatred.
14
Politics is not horseshoes. Democrats have to work even harder to win in districts like Ohio's 12th where the margin is now less than 1 percent. If the blue wave is to be a blue tsunami, these are the seats Democrats will have to win in November. Now is not the time to relax, but to redouble the effort in turnout and campaign support to turn these districts blue. Donald Trump has betrayed every promise he's made from not "draining the swamp," but creating a cesspool of corruption; to not providing improved health care, but increasing its costs while removing 13 million from Obamacare; to not creating good paying jobs, but starting a trade war with the world; to not defending the nation and its intelligence agencies, especially in his deference to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He's betrayed the nation and even his own namesake son. He's a cancer on democracy and must be defeated if our Constitutional republic is to survive. As you have said, "It's Code Blue" where no Republican can be trusted to oppose him. If you really love your country, you must for the sake of a higher calling put aside partisanship and vote Democratic.
251
@paul whitman......
I hope my fellow repubs. Vote like i will ..... only for democrats.
But i think you get more flies with honey.....so everyone stop with the insults and work toward bipartisanship.
We know now how terribly messed up some of our fellow citizens are.
Definitely say it.
Trumpism is a cult.Not all of us fell for it and we are not that ignorant that we ALWAYS VOTE republican..
I believe there are many Republicans who would rather be complaining about President Hillary Clinton than living with President Donald Trump.
5
The first and foremost realistic goal in November 2018 is to take back the House. For the Democrats to accomplish that, they need to get out the Democratic vote. THAT is what is needed to turn several key states from red to blue.
As for Republican moderates, if they aren't already disgusted with Trump at this point -- as every sane person with a moral compass should be -- no amount of further blanket coverage of Trump is going to do much good.
In any case, I'm not worried about blanket coverage of Trump by the media. Trump pulls in eyeballs, so blanket coverage of Trump by the media is going to continue until he is no longer in the White House.
1
Totally agree with a minor caveats. All of the voting public ( and hopefully the non voting who will be motivated to go to the polls) are so familiar with Trump's rally behavior, we can almost recite it verbatim...and probably more succinctly. But the real coverage should be on details as well as the grandiose, bullying and racist comments. His attempt to distract needs to be neutralized by revisiting details.
Taxes for example. Every American pays taxes. It is a duty and most dread it ,but do it, and get it over with. Trump, unlike his predecessors, has seen fit to not share his taxes. For what we reasons we don't know. .
But one thing is for sure. Each and every person who goes to one of his rally's to hear his fetid rhetoric probably pays their taxes by April 15th, with no extensions, and no chicanery. Democrats and Republicans of whatever stripe have that in common. And that commonality is important. It is a shared responsibility for low, middle and high income earners. Paying your fair share cuts across all socio economic strata.
There is no question, that the more you make, the more complex your return. That complexity in the tax code can lead to errors, wilful or otherwise.
So, the media might do a better job concentrating, on Joe Sixpacks tax returns as one area of concern. Showing how they pay their taxes, what they give up in the family budget to do so, and who doesn't seem to do their fair share.
4
I read Tom all the time - all of his books and all of his editorials. I have followed the evolution of his comments since Trump was elected. I applaud his willingness to jettison his tendency to stay in the middle or right and attack Trump for what he is. Like George Will, I hope that persons in their position will persuade the middle right to vote him out of office. I live in Ohio and I get the NY Times delivered to my door every morning. It is the first thing I look to every morning. If it doesn't arrive, I'm online. I'm can't tell you how disgusted I am with the leadership of our country, beginning with our President. Keep up the great work! You keep me alive and interested.
5
For a truth to be told most effectively, it needs to be told clearly, often, and boldly -- I agree with Mr Friedman. Trump's lies are frequently effective with his base because they confuse, mislead, and keep the brain stem charged up with juice that runs on emotion more than reason. His demagoguery is hypnotic to many -- repulsive to those of us who hate the power he wields and the abuse he sows.
Divided as we are, truth and reason may eventually win out. But more importantly, empathy and understanding should guide a majority to vote in genuine leaders who can instill a true belief in the Constitution, in freedom and responsibility, in individual and community values -- all those things Trump and the Republicans have been running through their shredder like old memos.
That's idealistic -- but cynicism, vitriol, and hatred ain't getting us anywhere but doomsday.
7
Agreed. The moment we become too exhausted, too complacent, too tired to keep fighting is the moment we lose (again). We need to keep our eyes, ears, and power of the pen focused on this maniacal tyrant before it becomes too late. The health of democracy is suffering blows around the world. My hope and dream is for The Real America to show up and once again lead the charge against tyranny. We’ve done it before.
19
Hoping people won't vote? Hoping people stay home? This is quite disturbing. As a moderate liberal in a red state, (with a pardoned convicted felon running for Senate) I know how hard it will be to change direction in my State and Federal elections. That means people who want change will have to work harder and be more engaged to effect change not disengage. Look at what we got in the last Presidential election when people didn't vote because " they didn't like the choices". We need more participation not less.
7
Republicans like the returns on their investment, they don't care how the returns are obtained, or if they are too good to be true (think Bernie Madoff). As long as they are getting conservatives on the courts to turn back the clock on human rights to the 1930s they will be happy. We see that they don't even care about free trade or the national debt, or even if thier guy is a Russian puppet.
Need to vote out all republicans in order to right the ship of state.
Extreme, yes but I don't think there is much of a middle ground right now and there seems to be very few people of character on the right.
The only good thing is the democratic party is energized and smart people of good will are getting involved.
5
I would agree with you sir, but then we both would be wrong
I would agree with the recommendation of this op-ed on one condition: that every headline article be prefaced by the following text.
"In yet another attempt to distract the American public from Mr. Trump's bad-faith actions, his broken promises, and his singularly harmful policies, Mr. Trump has "
And the rest of the article goes on from there. Otherwise, the recommendations of Mr. Friedman just will not fly.
6
I am waiting to see the entire press walking out from the White House briefing room when they keep repeating the alternative facts they have created. At some point, the press has to show that they can retaliate too against all the uncalled for accusations from the podium. That will be the equivalent of "have you no shame" moment. Perhaps a turning point.
4
Thomas Friedman writes:
"It turns out there is still a cohort of Republicans who have not sold their souls to Trump the way virtually every one of their elected representatives in Washington has done.
It turns out that there are thinking Republicans for whom character, decency and truth-telling still matter in a president."
Really? Where are they hiding? Certainly not in the House of Representatives or the United States Senate, with party sycophants doing their duty as foot-soldiers in a parliamentary government.
Where are Secretaries of State Kissinger, Shultz, Baker, Powell, and Rice while the international world order is dissolving into a cacophony of Trumpian pillow-talk with Putin and Kim Jong-un?
What has become of William Weld, Pete Wilson, Christine Whitman, Olympia Snowe, Bob Dole, Nancy Kassebaum, John Danforth, Jeb Bush, and countless others? As retired statespersons, they have instant access to the bully-pulpit to stand up and decry the post-truth atrocity that has befallen this nation.
One can only suppose that, like Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War, they now have "other priorities."
30
There is a certain disconnect herein with the underlying
psychological reality of non democrat voters that
should raise concerns about how accurate are the assertions.
While the green party candidate received far fewer votes
(.9 vs 3.6%) than in '16, the democrat candidate
received about 12K fewer votes than the sorrowful
sacrificial lamb candidate in '16. What is noteworthy
are the significantly fewer votes for the trumpican candidate...
What this might tell us about the election that really
counts in three months is hardly evident from last night's
tallies. It does indicate that there are still a number of
greens unwilling to vote democrat no matter how
ugly the implication is of a trumpican win.
In other words, there remains a large enough group of disaffected
cynical voters who continue to insist that they see
no difference between the two main parties, no matter
how vile or suicidal is the policy promoted by the
enablers in the congressional trumpican party contingent. They
continue to insist that it is nobler to vote uselessly and
utterly symbolically than sully their moral conscience and
vote for the clearly lesser evil of the two main party candidates.
This psychology remains a given fact that bodes ill for
those close contests in the few swing districts
or states that could deliver us from the self defeating and deeply demonic policies that the intimidated
enablers in the current majority party in congress can't act
fast enough to implement.
1
Much as I long to see Mr. Trump finally drown himself in his own bile, I cannot agree with Mr. Friedman.
Should "the mainstream media ... be covering President Trump’s every tweet and rally[?] My answer: Absolutely! It’s the right thing for us to do professionally, and, as last night’s election results indicated, it’s the right thing to do politically if you want to see a check on Donald Trump’s power."
From a professional viewpoint, what makes every outlandish comment from his lips newsworthy? Is it that he is President, or that his outrageousness sells? His attacks on the media are galling, but, since when are we supposed to be the story?
But suggesting a political motive for what gets reported is more chilling -- and it feeds into the paranoia of the people who respond most enthusiastically to claims of media bias.
17
Agree 100 Percent. Those that complain about Trump fatigue and suggest taking a breather can just unplug. Otherwise, we are normalizing his conduct, incompetence and corruption. A few of your colleagues have already given up, and are writing book reports and arcane, unnessary pieces on Colleges. Naming no names, but avid readers know exactly whom. Please, keep up the pressure, and the motivation. Seriously.
2
The point Tom makes here that needs restating is Corrupt Donnie has done nothing to expand his base of support. Many pundits discuss how many of his supporters bail, there is no general recognition that he is a president who was elected with a minority of the vote and he has done nothing to add supporters.
After his election and before he took office, I was worried he would put together an infrastructure program that would have garnered bi-partisan support. That combined with more dog-whistle and less airhorn racism could have been a formidable platform. Instead, he let the Republicans in congress run his legislative program (repeal the ACA and lower taxes) and put his focus on deregulation and immigration.
The Democrats should be able to play these four issues to wins with a background of Republicans = corruption to tilt the playing field.
Register and vote. And help someone else do the same.
34
@JMM
Agreed--the media should HAMMER the issue of corruption, morning, noon and night. And there's plenty of it! Not to mention incompetence, nepotism, destroying relationships with allies, affairs with porn stars & Playboy bunnies, total chaos in his cabinet, blunt-force stupidity on display on a daily basis....it's pretty much impossible to overstate what a disaster the Trump presidency is by any measure. And oh, don't forget treason/Russia,besides using state power to make deals enriching himself.
The only upside to the GOP's mostly craven obsequiousness and complete failure to reign him in is that Trump has a reverse Midas Touch...everything he touches turns to a foul stinking heap, and hopefully it will be death of the neocon movement altogether, finally revealed to be the monumental fraud and hoax it always was--a GOP that will do ANYTHING to say in power, including lie cheat & steal elections. (Yeah, those "moral" "upright" God-fearing hypocrites who've have been actively trying to divide & tribalize the American populace since Karl Rove, moving further & further into the crazy zone, trying to force the rest of us to internalize their gaslighting).
It will be a most welcome end to a decidedly dreadful chapter of American history.
"...But there are decent Republican moderates who, while they may never pull the lever for a Democrat, just might get too disgusted to vote. It’s the best hope. So let’s keep them fully informed about our president."
While not exactly barn burner breaking news items, consider the following approaches for starters:
1. How about beginning with identifying precisely where these new steel plants(seven, I have heard DJT claim) are opening, so that we can all participate in the groundbreaking or ribbon cutting or whatever ritual is typically associated with the opening of factories. Site pictures and a Google map always a plus.
2. Given the penchant for chronicling every tweet and other crazy utterance of the imposter-in-chief, let begin covering the shuttering of small businesses, one by one, Congressional District by Congressional District, so that all this talk about how great the economy is gets contextualized for everyday Americans.
21
Like many of us I sometimes wish that Trump would just go away, return from that rock beneath which he came. I yearn for the days when we could have honest discussions and not stir up old hatreds that Trump fans with his every breath and tweet, a day when corruption from personal gain was not taken for granted and Russians were not welcomed into a major party's campaign. Trump and the GOP which rides on his black coat tails and fostered his negativity long before his appearance have given us this and seem to be proud of it.
This cabal is out in the open for all to see and hear though many still have their heads in the sand giving this man credit when often that credit is not due. So it is up to us to listen and keep voicing our outrage, not with anger which only creates more anger, but by just allowing Trump's own words and actions to sink him into his swamp.
Things do change even the rock that seems the Trump base who may have legitimate grievances, but have lost the ability to work with others to fix them. Vote Democratic and get ready to pick up the mess the GOP has created.
5
From my aerie in liberal Northern California, I correspond sometimes with a distant cousin in Alabama, where I say "What can you be thinking??" and she explains. She is a retired teacher, one of the suburban women mentioned herein. The bottom line I take from her messages includes the bland "Well I wish he would stop tweeting", and "I wish they had nominated someone else, but what am I to do? I am a Conservative!"
She has written: "I could not ever vote for one of those Liberals who is going to give away my money to those welfare mothers (and I know some) who just have a lot of babies so they will get welfare money and not have to work." In our conversations that seems to be the bottom line.
She seems to feel that even a deplorable President is preferable to one who will "give away my money" and (by the way) offer a Supreme Court Justice who will sustain Roe v. Wade. I will write again soon and she will respond "But unemployment is 'way down - aren't you happy?" It is tiring to debate with this but I will keep trying.
This lady has a conscience, but her bottom line is that she is a Conservative and cannot vote for a Liberal. I wonder what percentage of the thinking suburban Republican women have the same mind-set.
65
@Nancy W
Have you pointed out to her that Trump has given BILLIONS of her, yours and mine tax money to the corporations, millionaires and billionaires in the tax cuts and is planning ANOTHER huge tax cut for the same people again? Ask how that lost money that will be removed from the Govt. Incoming monies will be replaced? It will come from us......the “little guys” who will lose services. The Repubs. Want to make cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid. The tax cuts are costing her much more then the pennies of her money that are going to welfare.
1
@Nancy W
Ask her the Republican question: What would Jesus do? I think the answer is fairly obvious.
1
@Nancy She, and all conservatives, had 15 candidates to choose from. They selected the lying blowhard.
You do not mess with LeBron James at any time. And you certainly do not diss him the very week he dedicates a school for at risk children in his home town of Akron Ohio. Trump seems incapable of restraint. He must always put down or demean his perceived opponents. This time he went too far. The insult to James may be the tipping point. When moderate Republicans say enough. That Trump is not worthy of high office. I am cautiously optimistic that the Trump influence and era may be ending.
5
Bernie, Bernie, Bernie -- you must understand that your brand and political program is slowly gaining some muscle. However, the time is not ripe yet. Time to paddle on both sides of the canoe to help get the Ship of State back on a straight path. The word Socialist is being tossed around - it is anathema to most voters. Get rid of that tag. Go moderate/pragmatic. Help flip the House and Senate. Then work from within. Many of your ideas are not ripe yet - many will never be. Some will have their day in the future.
23
@Gordon Jones
Remember that there was a time when Conservative was a bad word. But the Republicans owned it and made it respectable. Remember Barry Goldwater and the death of conservatism? They pushed hard right ideas that were way out of the mainstream until they became so familiar that they became the new center.
The method works. You just have to have the guts and will power to stick with it.
8
@Gordon Jones
The word "socialist" is only anathema to people old enough to remember the Cold War. That ended over a generation ago. Younger people are embracing the term because they associate it with the most secure and happiest countries in the world, the social democracies of northern Europe.
As for paddling on both sides of the canoe, Bernie is a moderate in terms of the rest of the world. He does all he can to help pull people back to true center and unity.
5
I absolutely agree. The idea being presented that we are somehow incapable of following his despicably illuminating tweets and his damaging policies at the same time is insulting. Oh, and more Stephen Miller,live and uncensored.
Friedman is wrong (again). Read "The Great Distractor" column in today's Opinion section. Trump's tweets should have one column on a back page, like classified ads, and articles should cover actions his Cabinet are (trying) to accomplish. Sanders' press conferences are similarly a waste of good reporting. This is a reality-show presidency where the world hangs on his every vulgar word or firing. Move on.
5
In the opinion section of today's NYT, Frank Bruni claims that the Congressional race in Ohio (too close to call, but probably a Republican win) is a win for Democrats. Maybe, but it's a loss for humanity.
Every voter in that district who pulled the lever for the Republican was saying loud and clear that they support Donald Trump.
Wildfires rage worldwide. Temperature records, rainfall records, drought records are broken daily and they support the man who denies climate change.
In Helsinki, he negated the entire American Intelligence community and sided with the despot who is succeeding in cleaving our country in two and these voters still pulled the lever for the Republican.
His campaign manager, Paul Manafort is on trial for fraud related to dirty Russian money while a high ranking Trump campaign official testifies to the myriad crimes he and Manafort committed together and separately and they pulled the lever for the Republican.
His own son openly colluded with Russian agents and now we know that Trump knew beforehand and still they pulled the lever for the Republican.
If someone can explain how voters can support this man who has from the very beginning of his campaign openly and brazenly let us know in both word and deed that the American values and principles that we claim to hold dear are nothing but Presidential toilet paper, then I'd love to hear it.
Half of the voters in this district still support Trump.
How can we even hope to remain viable, free country?
13
@Mcrscpmrps
In one word your answer to your long nationwide quest for President Trump in one world : Hiliary.
If you need more answers try an acronym: BO
You figure out what that stands for,
and if you would desire the pleasure of my comment here: Ha!
OK, Tom, I agree, but ask the following in return:
For every story about what Loopy POTUS just did please run a story on something his minions did that he wants us to ignore while we react with nausea to his latest tweet or rude behavior.
Proper coverage of Sessions and EPA and ICE and impacts of the tax cuts and auto emissions policies etc,etc,etc,etc. are being buried under Sarah Huck's latest misstatements and Rudi's latest creative interpretations of American law. Please keep reminding us of the real damage beneath the noise.
17
Actually it's quite the opposite. The Republican in the Ohio US House race went from a deficit to winning after Trump endorsed him. The Republicans have raked up more wins than Democrats in special elections and will, most likely, flip more Democrat seats in the Senate and probably widen their majorities in the US House.
Trump is playing the media and Left like a fiddle and they are all too happy to play his tune showing the American people how corrupt, mean and nasty they have been all of these years. With all of this in mind, is it any wonder many of the mainstream media outlets are no longer considered credible and people are leaving the Democrats?
Keep hoping, Mr. Friedman!
I do hope that Mr Trump's ego and need to be better than everyone else take him down. He is not a nice person and a pretty bad businessman.
The republicans amaze me in their sheer stupidity (I am a long time republican). But it is all about getting re-elected and controlling the government for their own benefit and not to help the voters.
On that point the Democrats have been trained to play the same game on the other side. At some point we need to be truthful and take rational action, such as proposed under Simpson-Bowles
So it seems neither party is moving towards working for the voters, telling the truth about the value of our immigrants or addressing the out of control national debt they run up to buy votes. (BTW it went up 40% under Bill Clinton - so much for a balanced budget....)
5
I recommend Noam Chomsky's book Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. Americans, it's time for honest self-examination.
12
If Trump had disparaged any part of Ohio State football, Democrat Danny O'Connor would have won the 12th district, John Kasich's old seat, in a landslide.
4
My word, how depressing. So now the Trump base is "only" 40 to 45 percent of the electorate? Good thing the GOP would never cheat their way to victory. And for the remaining one to six percent who voted for Trump, we shouldn't attack his obscene policies (which they kinda like), but just make the same conservative arguments about character and patriotism?
2
Most of Trump's propaganda/blathering, whether at rallies, in tweets, or in other settings is highly repetitious, consisting of false statements and accusations. The dilemma with continuous coverage is this: if his words are covered "straight", he gets to repeat falsehoods over and over and eventually they become "truths" to many people. If the media explains/proves ever lie, every time, it can start to look like an organized campaign against him. I believe that whenever possible (especially at rallies) there should be pool coverage, thus reducing his targets of ridicule. The pool should report anything new or unique that he says, but ignore his favorite hits.
13
@Alan D
I tend to agree. Another thing about those incessant campaign rallies designed to keep his deluded base foaming at the mouth and cheering themselves silly....they look completely and totally staged to me.
Anyone else wonder about this, with the improbable "Blacks for Trump" and "Women for Trump" sign holders placed DIRECTLY in front of the cameras? I'd love to see some indepth investigative reporting on these "supporters." I would not be surprised to find some paid actors there.
There is another, perhaps better alternative strategy in covering Trump and, in my estimation, it more closely comports with journalistic responsibility. It is the opposite of that which Mr. Friedman urges: go silent.
Consider first that not everything any president does is news worthy. His tweets? Most of them don't matter unless you consider that trolling to produce outrage is inherently news. NEW RULE: tweets are not reported unless some other development or some other person makes them news. Otherwise, just as the White House insists, they are just one guy's opinion and have little or nothing to do with actual policy, actions or legislative proposals.
Create a space inside the physical paper, say page 28, and list the tweets like you would sports box scores or who won the dog races. Move them front and center only when they actually are proven to amount to more than a hill of refried beans.
When you have a president who wakes up in the morning producing outrage, that seems like news but, after a year and a half of this open sewer, it ain't news any more.
Covering the tweet storms is too easy, besides. It is lazy journalism. Show what is really going on.
Trying to figure out what is real and what is part of the big ugly show of Trumpism is difficult. It takes real work, but isn't that what journalists are supposed to do? Make the news boring again, please.
There will be enough major, obviously news worthy outrage so that those who care to know will be informed.
43
@Doug Terry Excellent plan, Doug! I only wish the media would listen to you, rather than the rantings of Trump.
1
@Doug Terry: Amen, brother, you got all of it right. No more of "the president's latest tweet storm" articles and opinion pieces, only what's relevant, and pound him into the ground every.single.time. he (or his admin lackeys) lies.
This is a very important question but your column ends up as one big nonsequitur. I kept waiting for some evidence that your assertion might be true, and all I got was a conversation with someone who does focus groups? I think you are suffering from the Illusion of Knowledge. you might be right, but why should anyone believe you, much less act accordingly, without objective support?
4
I agree with you, Thomas. Although I confess to muting the sound when he's hoarsely hee-hawing like Pinocchio because to my ears, it sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. Of course I always turn the sound back on to hear the commentary. As to the new "I'd rather be Russian than a Democrat," we can shoot right back with, "I'd rather be blue than YOU." Or should we bring back, "I'd rather be dead than red" (or was it the other way around?).
3
My partner and I didn’t vote for Trump...but, despite being moderate liberals, there is no way we’ll be voting for the Neo-Democratic Party agenda in November. The recent hysteria over illegal immigrants and their equally illegal offspring, as well as the promotion of sanctuary cities and ‘abolish ICE’ will have us voting Republican for the first time in our lives. Thanks a bunch, Dems.
17
@Shenoa
The "Neo-Democratic Party?"" Aside from the fact that the Democratic party has always had many faces and opinions, as ever, what's the perfect platform? Politics is like mudwrestling. Messy.
7
@Shenoa
The hysteria, as you call it, is actually about how we treat people who have not yet been proven to have done anything. People such as asylum seekers, who are not committing a crime by seeking it. People who deserve a hearing of the claims against them. We used to be a country that demanded humane treatment for all, including those accused of a crime--and certainly for children.
2
@Shenoa
I do not accept your blaming of Democrats for your decision to vote Republicans. Evidently, you approve of ICE and have no problem with allowing children - yes, helpless children - to be raped, browbeaten, mistreated in multiple forms, over medicated, lied to, and taken from their parents by force after enduring a traumatic journey of thousands of miles because they are asking for protection at our border. Our treatment of these children is not only inhumane, it is a moral crime and an abandonment of laws and principals we have promoted internationally since the end of WWII. If you want to blame the Democrats for standing up for morality, go ahead. It is your right, but at least have the courage and maturity to take responsibilities for your own choices.
When Jesus said, "suffer the little children" this is not what he had in mind.
1
Wrong. The main stream media - and NOT Fox News - will get Trump re-elected by mentioning his name every 10 seconds. For a largely uneducated electrorate, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
3
There is no reasonable debate about Grump’s lack of contribution to “some good economic trends”. He has slogans and insults, not policies. He will sign anything the Republican congress puts on his desk. (He has “pen in hand”!) It was the stewardship of McConnell and Ryan, two of Grump’s most devious enablers, which are chiefly responsible for what passes for policies. The effects of which, incidentally, have pretty much plateaued since the new tax law took effect.
Mr. Friedman has hit one nail on the head. Republicans disgusted with Trump should STAY HOME and not vote. If they do show up to vote, they will just reflexively support down-ballot Republicans who will continue to enable Grump’s ruin of the nation. No well-known GOP candidates are running on a platform of containment.
“I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat”? Really? What ever happened to “I’d rather be dead than Red”?
9
I would be extremely interested in analysis of how we got to this point. Precisely, what dynamic led to the equivalence of "mainstream" with "deficient?" Mainstream Protestant denominations have lost their potency to evangelical strains, while mainstream political thinking is under attack by modern-day Jacobins. Fact-based thinking - the bedrock of modern society since the Enlightenment - is suffering from a Reign of Intellectual Terror.
Benjamin Friedman at Harvard in his book "The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth" referred to the African proverb that "a shrinking water hole changes the animals' behavior." We have been at lower levels of real economic growth for two decades, and our behavior reflects it. But regaining high levels of growth would require a dramatic shift in public and private sector attitudes...which our socio-political economic system seems disinclined to pursue. Where is the exogenous factor to break us out of this self-limiting spiral? Trump offered himself as that leader, but he is instead the crash-test dummy with his foot on the accelerator. He's not building the wall...he's heading us right into it.
1
Yes. Bring on the coverage and keep it coming.
But ALSO we must start ensuring that the coverage is presented in strong, concise, clear and plain language. A lie is a lie, not a falsehood. Why do news media and journalists insist on softening and improving everything Trump says, which only makes him seem more temperate and intelligent than he is?
And why use the terminology that Trump, Sanders and Fox spoonfeeds the media? He is controlling the media by feeding it exactly what he wants them to say. Stop it!
It's fine to report in quotations what Trump says, but it's not okay, let alone good journalism, imo, to mindlessly echo his propaganda, thereby normalizing and saturating the national discourse with it, which is exactly what Trump wants. He wants the echo chamber.
He calls the Mueller investigation a witch hunt. That doesn't mean we should. It's an investigation not a witch hunt. Please stop helping Trump seem normal. Repeatedly calling an investigation into treason and conspiracy a witch hunt is his way of planting seeds of doubt in the collective mindset. And it’s working – mostly because the media allows it to happen unchecked and uncorrected.
I am as tired of lenient, subtle, subdued and understated journalism as I am of the hyperbolic, vitriolic exaggerations and propaganda from Fox News, Trump and company.
17
Fox News will never call out the president and his lies. For they crave having access to the president then being an objective news source. For they feel Trump is good for ratings which is the only that matters.
Among America's "thinking Republicans for whom character, decency and truth-telling still matter in a president," the atrocity of child abductions should clearly indicate the depths to which the GOP-enabled Trump administration sees fit to sink.
Please, media, keep a spotlight on that continuing abomination. We should be no less sickened by it in November than when it began.
65
I have Republican friends who support Trump. Every single one of them is a better, more decent human being -- by a wide margin. I hope you are right, Mr. Friedman. Their disgust with Trump's behavior may save the nation.
3
I agree that people need to hear the Trump rants at his rallies and his bizarre inappropriate tweets. I no longer try to discuss issues with Trump supporters. I just ask how is such a man President of a country of 325 million people with nuclear arms. Are we crazy? To continue to support such a person is irreponsible and immature
76
No! I live near where you grew up Mr. Friedman and to give more and more exposure to Trump is exactly what he wants! The Media gave the guy over a billion in free campaign coverage leading up to the election in 2016. He was covered wall-to-wall on every media vehicle possible.
Trump will throw curve ball after curve ball to keep all Media personnel scrambling to cover his every utterance--and he knows this! The Media has become ADHD in their coverage of Trump even fabricating stories of what it will look and feel like when Trump wins or loses in 2020. Trump: Look over there and see that shiny object. (while I pick your pocket) and once again he fools those who scurry to get the scoop.
57
@Jonathan Campbell
I think you are both correct.
Blanket coverage of Trump is easy work. Painting him in a harmful way is predicated on who is reading the supposedly negative recitation of Trump’s daily follies. That is the problem.
4
Yes, retain the coverage of Trump's rhetoric, and while we're at it, please provide some coverage of Pelosi and Schumer.
Oh, wait...you mean you have?
Needless to say, I feel underserved by their inability to get a message out: any message out. Yes, I know that Trump consumes a lot of bandwidth, but I read nothing in these pages about the Democratic leader's agenda for America. Maybe it's time for someone fresh?
2
I have mixed feelings about keeping up the blanket coverage of our President. I can see the point about how it starts weaning the people he needs in the mid-term elections away from him. But I also worry that focusing on the rants and ramblings diverts too much attention from the real damage the policies he and his Congress cronies are doing at the same time. It's like political sleight of hand. And it's also a bit like the boy who called wolf; after awhile people might just start saying 'so what' or 'what else is new' and ignore it.
Maybe what is needed is a three-prong approach to how the tweets and statements made at rallies are reported. First, it could be something like 'This is what the President tweeted or stated', followed by the verbatim quotes only. Second, especially when facts and figures are distorted, could be 'here is what is being said by reliable sources (the more independent from the media source, the better) about the facts and figures to which the President is referring. And third, when appropriate,
these are the policy decisions that have been made in Washington today, and what they mean.
Verbatim reporting, without commentary, avoids the 'did you hear what that idiot said' type of statements that seem to just galvanize the basest of the President's base. Offering a counterpoint addresses the outrageousness of the tweets and statements, but in a calm way. Reporting on policies let's us know what really is happening. Couldn't hurt to try!
188
Bravo. This is the best strategy I have heard on covering this president. Newspapers, PLEASE, take note!
@John D I could not agree more. Every time a news reporter slants a news story with opinion against trump, there is trump supporter saying, see fake news that person is against trump and their reporting should be ignored. So to quote Joe Friday, just the facts mam.
@John D Excellent points. As much as I value NYT and WaPo coverage, I am a big fan of Reuters because they really do seem to report "just the facts" and let the idiot trumps words speak for themselves.
I agree with the basic premise of this column. Although Trump’s behavior may seem otherwise, we are not really dealing with a toddler who might learn something from getting no response from his audience. Instead, we really are dealing with the eyes of our posterity here, some of whom are watching us now and many millions more who will look back and wonder how we responded when the megalomaniac came to the city on the hill. I know I’ll need to look into the faces of the next generation and reassure them that while we endured and resisted this era of endless divisiveness, to paraphrase Peter Gabriel), “the eyes of the world” were “watching” every barb, Tweet, step, societal chasm of the way.
1
Yes my mother is a moderate Republican and did not vote for Trump (nor did she vote for Hillary). She believes in decency over her party candidate.
5
It's weird taking some time off from the NYT and reading a few of the better conservative sites--RCP can point you to some. Reading Friedman + comments here is like walking into a private DNC meeting with all the doors locked. It's weird. TBC: I am not a Trump supporter.
2
I would agree, but I am confused by his so called "power." It seems that his "power" seems to be precisely the coverage. The writer says he hasn't even tried. He's hovering around the 45% rate. May be, thats where he wants, where he thinks he needs to be.
That's how he won, after all: he didn't win by appealing to everybody. If there's anything he knows, it's who he's not trying to appeal to, it seems. Perhaps, Trump understands how racist MOST Americans actually are!
If he's right, and he was right the last election, albeit with the help of the incompetent Democratic Party and Obamaists and Clintonists, then, he's on just the right path.
I wouldn't rule him out!!! There's a reason he's president given his incompetence and open racism. May be, he knows something a lot of people either don't know, or know but pretend they don't know!!
Perhaps, we'll find out!!!
It is an irony of remarkable proportion that the unfiltered Republican candidate who won that party’s nomination for the presidency, and then went on to prevail in the general election, largely on an emotionally fueled stew of raw negativity, may now be the victim of a similar campaign directed squarely at him taking full advantage of his endless playbook of outrageous, unprecedented commentary. I love it! Let the Fake President now marinate in his own disgusting, obscene, and completely unacceptable juices followed by his roasting, well-done of course with the accompanying ketchup, on the electoral spit.
4
Tom, please don't call it Fox "News". We all know better, and it only helps to lend them a veneer of credibility.
3
Sorry, but just the opposite is happening
1
I wish Tom Friedman were correct. To my mind, any thinking, decent, somewhat educated human being would be induced to nausea by listening to Donald Trump for 5 minutes. Apparently, I'm very wrong. So I'm more than a little concerned about mega Trump exposure- maybe it normalizes this vile man; maybe it transmits a viral idea that rots a person's brain and mobilizes their inner racist. Maybe I'm more cynical than Tom Friedman but Trump's ascendancy is a brutal indictment of a seemingly irredeemable American electorate.
19
@Crusader Rabbit I think the point here is that a free people can change their mind and are not trapped in the corner like Trump and his helpers. Every day, especially in the summer, we are reminded a mistake was made and it's time to take the garbage out.
While I certainly agree that the more exposure Trump gets; the more his swamp of an administration is exposed; and the more his lunatic tweets are a window to his twisted mind and soul. However it has also been demonstrated that after nearly 2 agonizing years it is also true that Trump was right about one thing. He really could shoot someone on Fifth Ave, and his moronic base would blame the victim.
9
43 percent.
That's Trump's approval rating.
Hard to grasp, impossible to understand.
I detest the man. He makes me almost ill. I'm sure the shrinks in this country are having a hey day labeling him. He is ignorant and incompetent, racist and cruel, a malignant narcissist and a sick man.
But 43 percent.
Tens of millions of Americans believe him. They believe IN him. Despite the evidence. Despite the facts. Despite the constant, blatant, easily-checkable lies that a first grader could probably distinguish.
Why is that?
Are that many people in this country as bad as Trump in terms of racism and ignorance and believing in conspiracy theories? Are that many people that stupid?
Are that many people so down and out that they would vote for an obvious con man and believe that the con man will make life better for them?
He tried to take away their health insurance. He just gave an enormous tax break to the rich and corporations. He wants to give another 100 billion to the richest people in this country. He tried to break up the unions - which they need for jobs and wages.
Their lives are not better, coal is not coming back, they didn't get a tax break, but they still cheer for him.
Trump will be gone in two and a half years, if not sooner.
But those tens of millions of people, people who looked willfully away from facts to liars Sean Hannity and Limbaugh, will still be here.
And the way they think, the way they DON'T think, scares me almost as much as Trump does.
25
"Yes, I want every American to know that two Trump supporters were spotted at the president’s last rally, in Ohio, wearing T-shirts that read, “I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat.” That’s an interesting data point. That’s whom you’re voting with when you vote for Trump."
Absurd. The guy who shot Steve Scalise was a Bernie supporter. Is that who you'll be voting with if you vote for Bernie in 2020?
The only reason Tom Friedman can write such nonsense without giving a thought to the consequences is because he knows few readers here will call him out on it.
1
The coverage also often includes photos such as the one accompanying this timely, invigorating piece. But the caption for the photo here is a bit misleading: it says "President Trump spoke to the press before boarding Air Force One in May." A more accurate description would go something like "President Trump snarled at the press...."
7
C'mon, Democrats. You don't have to do anything else in your ads than play clips of Donald Trump. At rallies, before the press, on Twitter. How can anyone say they're attack ads if it's clips of him spewing?
Have ads that list his odious statements and his racist tweets. Drill it into the airwaves exactly what this guy is.
He would have lost the election if the Democrats would have kept the Access Hollywood tape front and center up until the day of the election. Don't let people look the other way for one moment. Keep it right in everyone's face.
The polls show that the vast majority of Americans are not racist and want this country to get back on a positive track. Let Donald Trump bury himself in his own filth.
2
Trump is only the symptom from decades of media neglect. NYT’s Tom Friedman needs to read the 2017 NYT review of Eisinger’s book, explaining that the U.S. Justice Department, the Ground Zero of American Justice–has been destroyed for decades by both republican and democrat White House administrations–because enforcement powers against large-scale fraud collar crooks are routinely destroyed by the multi-trillion dollar fraud within.
ProPublica’s Eisinger observes that U.S. prosecutors routinely decide against convicting most of America’s biggest financial crooks, essentially encouraging them to keep trillions of dollars of stolen assets. For decades, prosecutors have been addicted to tacit future payoffs, knowing that they will be paid soon enough–upon leaving government to take money from financial criminals–in the charade of defending them from the government that won’t convict them. Honest American middle-class citizens cannot compete with Fraud Street financiers.
The NYT review indicates how prosecutors are “reined in by their politically appointed bosses.” Political appointees destroy Justice Department enforcement against multi-trillion-dollar financial fraud. The NYT review points out that for prosecutors, “Conducting the criminal investigation of an executive” would be “jeopardizing a future partnership at a prestigious law firm” to defend fraud collar financial criminals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/books/review/the-chickenshit-club-jes...
7
We should have (the non-Fox US Media should have) fully discovered and shown the travesty that Trump was/is well before we ever got to the 2016 election. Instead he was given a pass and we became too numb and some accepted his unbelievable behavior as potentially Presidential. His utterances and tweets will hopefully catch up to him, and everyone will finally be so disgusted that he is run out of town. Keep those bright lights shined right on the man.
7
The fact that Trump has even a 40% approval rating despite being the most disgusting perhaps traitorous person ever to occupy the White House is what I find the most disturbing about his presidency and what it says about our nation.
11
If a tree falls and no one hears, does it make a sound?
Would an incendiary rally have impact, without reporters in cages to scream at, and nobody took a picture of your violent red face, and your gesturing middle finger?
Blanket coverage hurts him?
He was created by blanket coverage.
He was elected by blanket coverage.
The media, as the monster has said, makes a lot of money off of him.
He is an insignificant man of uninteresting and ignorant views, who lives in a tantrum.
Why did the media cover this dull and preposterous, man in the first place? And treat him as the equal of his betters? Please do not say because of "impartiality". It was not so honest and wholesome as that, and it is still not, today.
Would he even exist, if the press had used intelligence? Instead of sensationalizing him?
The media will continue to make a lot of money covering him and obscuring who he is because being succinct doesn't quite seem "impartial."
Other good ideas, voices, ideals, initiatives will go uncovered.
The African famine, will stay a footnote.
Reporters will continue to be lectured on ethics by Huckabee Sanders, if she continues to deign to speak to the enemy of the people.
Why?
The media loves these exciting stories, their cash cow, the gift that keeps on giving.
Even if it means they recreate him and his violent power on a daily basis.
9
Throughout the day today (8/8/18) Times opeds have neither displayed nor solicited comments until very recently. For those of us active in current politics, and increasingly paranoid in the era of Trump, IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED BASIC DECENCY TO POST A PROMINENT ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE OPED AREA IN THE EVENT OF PROBLEMS WITH YOUR COMMENT SOFTWARE.
Like it or not, the comments by Times readers, on the average, are the best of any publication in America. Frequently, they are wiser and better informed that the opeds themselves. Without them, Times opeds are a mere Chateau d'Former Self.
Thank you. Carry on, NYT.
8
One of the key recurring and never fully resolved issues of journalism is one of the most basic: what is news?
The first answer should be that it is something important that has not been known or not widely known previously. There is a great deal of distortion, noise, on a daily basis that messes up this simple definition but there are also built in beliefs and practices that are seldom reviewed or changed. One is that almost anything that comes from the White House is, without question, important.
When my older brother and I were kids (I was about 7) we decided to print a newspaper using some very primitive toys you could order from the back of a magazine. One of our "lead stories" was "the president took a drink of water today". It was very childlike satire of presidential news, no visit to the White House required. Yet, there was an important point buried there: who cares what any president is doing moment by moment or even day by day?
Much of the news of presidents is reported because someone believes or hopes that the flow of news will add up to something. Often, it doesn't or it is too fractured into a thousand pieces for anyone to discern the pattern.
Trump has learned he can dominate by just blowing off steam. Accusing the media of being an enemy helps to keep them on the defense, fearful. His rallies are meaningless shout-fests except for those in the halls. Too much coverage, as noted by others, winds up obscuring the real disaster of Trumpism. Stop it, please.
9
@Doug Terry
Very much yes. There was a video made about how the Ethiopian famine in the early 1980s made it to the news. A group of people were desperate to get the word out. They labored over a year, as I remember, before it was finally announced in a 25 second news segment. And that only happened after it was so severe that there were Cecil B DeMille level photographs of suffering, which would resonate with audiences.
The point is that every single minute on cable television, and every inch of print displaces another piece of information. And that journalists have the responsibility of choosing.
Reporters follow stories around the corners of the planet, but their editors decide what gets published, which stories are assigned. I think there have been incredibly negligent print editors, and nearly criminally craven cable tv producers and CEOs during the Trump occupation of the news.
Every single time we see that man's face, it could be another, better, image, perhaps one that manifests as an image of kindness, dedication, sacrifice, public service, intelligence, foresight, education, discipline.
Could it be that this is why so many people remain Trump supporters? Because they haven't been offered anyone better? Because nobody else is news? And all they see is this revolting man?
3
“Imagine how well the president would be doing if he weren’t Donald Trump—if he weren’t such a lying jerk.”
Imagine if a soft-spoken, humble, articulate president pulled the US out of the Paris Accord; gutted the ACA without presenting anything approaching a workable alternative; appointed ultra-conservative judges and justice; torpedoed the Iran nuclear deal; appointed EPA directors who are in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry; signed a budget-busting corporate tax giveaway; appointed Mick Mulvaney as head of the Consumer Protection Bureau; started a job-killing trade war; considered bypassing Congress to give a $100 billion tax cut to the wealthy; cycled through staff appointees in the same way that Burger King cycles through part-time employees; etc.
He’d still be at 43 percent.
13
Sad that the Resistance doesn’t have the advantage of an informed electorate that understands what Trump has done to assemble an administration that is recking the Federal Government—you know, the public servants that make the rule of law possible. Our peacemakers—the State Department—and our justice, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies have been undercut more than if they were all on the take. And humankind will never forgive what Trump has done to expedite the demise of our only environment. So, there is a track record as stark as that of the 2017 Cleveland Browns. Too bad Friedman can’t allude to it here, although the picture of Trump’s character should suffice in scaring those who haven’t sold out.
9
Mr. Friedman,
As always, a thought provoking article. I am a 73 year old Vietnam Veteran, I don’t lean right or left, I have always voted for the candidate that I thought would make our country better for me, my children and my grandchildren. That’s why I did NOT vote for Trump, maybe it’s because I have lived in NYC all my life and have watched (in disgust) how Trump beats up on the “little people”, his numerous bankruptcies that have hurt numerous small businesses his deferment for “bone spurs” during the Vietnam war, his documented indifference towards race issues, and on and on. The day after he “won” the election I was at Trump Tower with THOUSANDS of other people to protest against him. It is now day 564 into his presidency, it only gets WORSE as time goes by. The press MUST stand up to Trump even if it includes every nasty tweet, comment, etc.. In closing, I just returned from a two week trip to the Baltic Countries ..... EVERYONE I spoke with has lost respect for our country and they believe (as I do ) if he wins in 2020 it will be a catastrophic event that our country will never recover from. Folks, we need to do more than just vote in 2020, we need to volunteer to help all Democratic candidates win the office they are running for, please.
125
@Just Me
And Trump's comments calling for the death penalty for the innocent Central Park Five that he has repeated for years.
It was Richard Nixon who said God must love the common people because he made so many of them. Turns out God does love the common people because he also made a time for them and we’re in it, up to our eyeballs, with no relief in sight even before the next presidential election in 2020.
The sure way to defeat this dog off the leash presidency is to fix the things wrong with the system that allowed him to become president in the first place. This can’t be done if these real issues are never even brought into the discussion with a media that's playing only on defense most of the time. Unless the establishment comes up with a suitable alternative to what was brushed aside in 2016, all the attacks in the world will not be enough to make any difference when the people go back to the voting booth only a few years plus down the road.
25
@Joe Gilkey
Hmmm, the quote "God must love ..." was not first said by Nixon or Lincoln or Will Rogers. And it sometimes states "the poor"
rather than "the common man."
@Joe Gilkey
If Nixon said it, then he stole it from Abe Lincoln.
@Joe Gilkey If you don't like the results of Donald Trump's presidency so far, I wonder what you would like. Peace and prosperity are what most of us want most, and that's what we have.
Maybe you are disgusted with Donald Trump's personal style. His tweets, for example. And his rallies. That's what Tom Friedman's beef seems to be.
But are those personal faults really important? If a president delivers on the big issues, do the little things really matter that much?
1
Mr. Friedman,
I respect your opinion here in terms of tactics - in relation to the Nov 6, 2018 elections. Perhaps the "suburban white women," or some comparable demographic who is outraged by Mr. Trump's lack of decency, will make the difference in November.
But all politics are local. And turnout matters. What we really need are exciting Democratic candidates who speak directly to the issues that their constituents care about, locally.
AOC is the right candidate for her district in NYC. Doug Jones is the right candidate for the state of Alabama. Conor Lamb is the right candidate for his district in Pennsylvania.
Yes, the media can shine the light on Mr. Trump (who loves the limelight), and reflect his lack of decency back to the American people. (Like shining a light upon a cockroach.)
But the Democratic candidates must also win elections. And the way to do that is for candidates and the media to reflect the hopes desires, and will of their constituencies back upon them, and promise to fight for those values and goals. And the media needs to report on these positive and legitimate issues as well.
We need both to happen.
34
@MidtownATL Spot on. Thank you. All politics is local. Contribute, register, vote. Flip the House and Senate. Put more qualified and pragmatic blue candidates in place at the city, county and state levels. Me, contributing to Emilys List, House and Senate Election committees, and to both Republican and Democratic candidates for both state and national office. There are indeed some qualified Republicans at the state level. Not many, but they do exist.
2
the people HAVE seen the programs of the Democrats and across the nation have rejected them, hands down. That's why you guys have lost over 1,000 seats at state and federal levels. @MidtownATL
I am bowled over that the American public has accepted tweets as policy and dogma. If the tweets weren't available, what would we know about what Trump is doing 24/7?
28
@Fran: doesn't really seem like Trump does much else except bully via Twitter (shame on you, Jack Dorsey, shame on you), eat, sleep, golf, and fly around getting his ego stroked by world leaders and his Cult45 members. Occasionally, when he decides to "govern," it's always bad.
Mr. Friedman, you give trump way too much credit.
The truth is that the economy and unemployment would be doing better with almost any of the other candidates that were running in 2016. International relationships would be much better without trump. Healthcare would be much better with democrats in power. . The environment would be protected with democrats in power. Natural disasters would be handled better. Trump has done NOTHING well. And, he has done nothing but spread hate, fear and divisiveness.
78
The more everyone covers Trump, the less I listen. I’m numb. So is every one of my friends, most of whom are in your target demographic of moderate Republicans.
Minds are made up. Do keep up the good fight, but realize for almost all of us you are spitting into the wind.
I’ve been a politics junkie all my life, and studied it in graduate school. And I can’t believe I’ve gotten to the point where I’d rather watch Bachelor in Paradise than one more minute about politics. Indeed, it makes me believe that’s the ultimate goal: creating an idiocracy.
9
Great advice as usual-bring on the coverage! The press must be weary of the abuse from Trump and a wide group of the public is sick of lies ,bullying ,and demeaning of groups of Americans.As painful as this all is , it is no time to accept this behavior.This era of Trump angst will not last forever- other provocativers had their day in the limelight.George Wallace, Joseph cCarthy and even David Duke had their fifteen minutes of infamy and their ideas were finally largely discredited.The public must stay engaged, the stakes now are very high.
3
I agree, particularly because I have become intensely bored with "leftists," shouting about how "the media," shouldn't be covering Trump's loopy rallies and lunatic Tweets, apparently on the theory that it doesn't matter what the President of the United States of America shouts, or that coverage just spreads his drivel around, or some such thing.
It ought to bother lefties, when they find themselves agreeing with the Palins and the Trumps and the Hannitys that "the media," is the problem. Especially when they don't even get the critique right: yes, in a capitalist society, the media has to make money.
Oh, and the other claim that drives me up the left-hand wall comes when "leftists," shout that nobody covered or covers the endless scandals, lunacies, suits, financial crimes and so on that have distinguished Trump's career. Usually, these are accompanied by huffy advice on How To Do the News, with a little "You better start calling this stuff lies, or face the wrath of The People!"
I wish that the Upshot could do some stats on how many lefties demanding less coverage didn't vote. I have a nasty suspicion that it's most.
1
Mr. Friedman, it's difficult to reconcile your image of thinking republicans with the stratospheric approval rating Trump as among republicans.
12
@Claire Elliott My take - for some, if not most Republicans - many with a lower standard of living that is not to their liking, become Republicans because they see it as upward mobility - a status symbol. Sad deal.
"[Polls and special elections] ... does not speak well for Trump or his midterm prospects, but it does for the American people and for thinking Republicans. "
Mr. Freidman, you are much too kind to our citizens.
There are well over 200 million Americans over the age of 18.
You quote a poll that shows a 43% approval rating of an ignorant, crude, racist, misogynistic, anti-American, anti-democracy President who "earned" many of his votes because of who he was, not in spite of it.
Trump will eventually be gone, not soon enough, but gone.
But we will have to live with for decades with the certain knowledge that 80? 90? million American adults liked what they saw. An what they liked is a Trumpian vision of America that is irreconcilable with a 100+ million other Americans, 21st century reality, and the norms of American democracy.
Are they outnumbered? Yes, and that is critically important. But still far too many "to speak well" of the American people. Tens of millions too far.
32
thankfully, you guys are still using the same polls that GUARANTEED a Hillary win in 2016. Go Trump 2020! MAGA. @LT
Mr. Friedman fails to grasp the irrational and narcissistic appeal of the current occupant of the White House. The more that name appears in headlines, the more powerful and inevitable he appears to those who remain more entertained than disgusted. The name is predictive as the behavior trumps reason and politics as usual. The electorate is now addicted to the daily adrenaline fix and spectacle. His supporters believe he challenges the establishment for their benefit, and cannot perceive that it is just snake oil.
9
@Linda Some truth to what you say. But I have the feeling that most voters are aware of the current disastrous circus. Going forward they will realize their mistake and will work to rectify it. We can only hope. Trumputin a loose cannon wrecking ball - we will have some substantial repairs to make. We and do it - think we have a far more civic minded younger generation coming on. They have learned a lot from this ongoing tragedy.
Agreed and also its important to be transparent in your political standing, just like stock analyst disclose their holdings, people need to see whether journalist lean left or right to account for potential bias.
1
Your concern for journalist safety at Trump's "rallies" are warranted. I would like to see a side by side comparison of the location and treatment of media at other/previous candidate rallies, because I don't recall ever seeing press endangered, mocked, or penned in cages prior to Trump.
For all who value the facts, background, relevance, perspective, and opinions provided by journalists, witnessing the attempt to crush non-compliant press is frightening.
The alternative to a free, safe, appreciated and diverse press is state sanctioned media, and limitless fiery, frothy distractions.
16
The problem is, he lies so much that love him or hate him, it's difficult for anyone with an ounce of decency to believe anyone could lie so often. He's not the first politican to make an "intentional misstatement" but the president has created a lie overload so massive, it's difficult to grasp and we blame the media for being unfair to this kind, honest gentleman.
4
Since Trump is an expert at using both the left and right media to his advantage and as a form of free distribution of his propaganda, the media needs to home in on their method of defusing their exposes and their fact based telling of the artfully constructed lie. It needs to be written in a way that is bullet-proof figuratively and literally . Safety of the media is key. Then I would agree wholeheartedly.
3
I think you’re wrong. If wall to wall coverage hurt Trump then he wouldn’t be president in the first place. It’s not like people just now realized what he’s like and didn’t in 2016.
6
I haven't seen a Republican yet who didn't denounce Trump right before voting the party line. Flake, Corker, and Collins come to mind. I have an idea: Instead of pinning our hopes on disaffected Republicans, an unreliable bunch at best, why doesn't the Democratic leadership actually give jaded voters something to vote FOR? This is just a rhetorical question obviously, because Chuck and Nancy's marching orders are not to commit the party to any vision which might cost it's East and West coast mega-donors a dime in additional wages or taxes. Let's all just concentrate on the cheap feel-good stuff like immigration and abortion. That worked great in 2016 didn't it? Sorry Democrats, Trump-revulsion will only carry you so far and then you have to put your money where your donor's mouths are.
20
@stan continople Apparently you haven't been apying attention: We Democrats are planning to work on universal health care, free college tuition, fighting climate change with more solar & wind power, preserving our environment bt restoring the EPA, getting some common sense gun control, and getting common sense immigration laws to work ~ and mainly, Preserving our Democracy, which Republicans are hell bent to destroy with their gerrymandering, vote suppression as well as a long list of other destructive racist & fascist intentions.
Although I once thought that less coverage of every Trump tweet, on-the-fly press conference, or rally speech would starve him of the attention he craves and cut off his lifeline to his "base," but Mr. Friedman has convinced me otherwise. If I were a respected professional, successful business owner or community leader, I wouldn't want anybody to know I voted for such an ignorant, rude, crude, amoral carnival barker. Nor would I want to be associated with the red-faced, jeering mob that packs his red-meat rallies. Certainly, you can hide how you vote, but if you were known to vote Republican before Trump, others will assume you support him. The odor of Trump will cling to you in your community, social and business life. Maybe that offensive odor will be shameful enough to keep some Republicans home in November.
48
I spend a certain amount of time trying to understand Donald Trump's rabid supporters. I get the conservative values even as I think they're narrow minded and exclusionary. Too much liberalism can be threatening to those used to a particular way of life.
But to go to the rallies and scream vile epithets at reporters? Who listen to his nonsensical diatribes on the topic du jour and cheer heartily when they can't possibly understand what he's talking about other then we're angry and he's angry so let's have at it. Like a football game rally where you cheer for the home team. It's fun, you're with friends, maybe some beer involved, end of work week release. It has to be that, they are part of Donald Trump's reality show; they see themselves as players in his drama, their moment in the sun.
But the cruelty, that I'll never understand, the vicious bullying, the denigration against people looking for a better life, the mob mentality that says anything goes. That's just wrong. So much gets accomplished when people care for others and treat with respect and so much goes bad when anger rules emotions.
Even if it's Russian bots fueling the flames they are finding willing targets. There is nothing about Donald Trump that says he knows what he'd doing at any given moment so what are they cheering about?
Thankfully, at least according to this article, sanity is returning to some. I sure hope so, we can't afford to be the enemy in today's world.
613
Kathy, this is what is so scary about President Trump and his impact on his followers. We all have feelings of this sort inside of us, but we suppress them because so many forces are weighing in on us to do so—our religious values, our desire to live in peace with our fellow man, our need for a civil society, all that stuff.
What's scary about the Trumps of the world is that they send a message to the masses that these feelings aren't bad, but good—they validate these feelings and encourage people to let it all out, which sadly they do. Hey, this guy is the president of the United States, our leader! So if he says something like how immigrants are evil, now you not only feel better that you feel likewise, but you feel free to shout it out. Observers have used a yardstick of a "road to fascism" to measure the journey of President Trump, and I'm not sure that's inappropriate. Again, I'm with you—this is scary, scary stuff.
6
I listened yesterday to a podcast called "Trump, Inc" that was helpful in understanding the Trump rally appeal. The reporter went to Trump events focusing, not on Trump, but on the crowd.
Two take-aways: many of the same individuals were in the front rows at different rallies, and the crowds are more like rock-band followers than politically engaged voters. This explains a lot in my mind.
@Kathy
Remember...
HARNESS YOUR RAGE
VOTE.
It worked for the GOP and the bigots in the 2016 election.
Let’s use OUR anger this time.
Sorry, but I totally disagree. Trump requires all media to enter fenced-in pens in the back of the room so he can berate them shamelessly. The pool coverage idea is a good one, as he loves and relishes the saturation coverage just like during the campaign. He exploits the situation, so don't provide the victims of his bile. Plus the networks are exposing their journalists to real physical danger and a hostile work environment. Focus coverage on the terrible Trump scandals like 5000 dead Puerto Ricans and Wilbur Ross' criminality.
11
I am all for bring back the decent Republicans of whom Thomas L. Friedman speaks. I am just not certain I know who they are. Would that include Jeb!? Would Senator McCain and the permanent war party be invited in, so we can fight the Russians for Ukraine, Georgia, and Latvia? How about Romney who advocated closing down the auto industry? These guys are decent all right, almost as decent as Obama. Who else? How about decent Bush and that other personification of decency, Chaney. Maybe we can have them look into the rumors of WMD in Chad or was that Somalia or, gee, what difference does it make? Yes, those moderate, decent country club Republicans are just what we need and the best thing about them is that they prefer French wine to diet cola.
7
The opposite of Trump is not Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. The opposite of Trump is a responsible Republican like John Kasich or Robert Mueller.
7
@Jonathan
Kasich is the same as Trump on harming women by depriving them of the right to control over their bodies. Yes, compared to Trump in the debates he looked like the opposite because the Republican debates were so full of crazy candidates and he seemed at least sane. (My horrid former Senator Santorum seemed saner than Trump. OK, when Santorum seems more sensible than another person in the same room you know you are locked up with some really far out loonies.) And Kasich said some sensible things like if you have 11 million illegal immigrants, you will not be able to deport them overnight in response to Trump's idiocies.
Kasich also is one of the few who had the guts to stand up to Trump and has not cravenly fallen in line like almost every other Republican, not even for a second, so he actually has come self respect, and deserves our respect for that.
Would he be a far better president? Absolutely. So would a dead dog.
But on the basic bankrupt Republican policies like trickle down tax breaks for the wealthiest, which Trump said he was campaigning against but then fell right in line with as soon as he was in office, Kasich is very close to Trump.
1
I was of the opinion that the media should stop covering Trump’s rallies, because they are freak shows. Reluctantly, I would agree with your proposal to have a single pool camera feeding all the networks and to eliminate the pen where reporters congregate so that it may be diffuse the ugly insults and threats directed towards the reporters.
8
When a voice as strong and balanced as yours both makes it clear just how much “bile” this venomous man spews - and that we should, indeed, shine a light on his hideous behavior then the latter is certainly the best path forward.
If Republicans with a true sense of what is decent and healthy ( and there are more than enough) see it every day then they may not become immune to it after all. But it’s terribly sad to see our country in what feels like a parallel state to Germany 1936...
3
If consistantly reporting the amazing and alarming ignorance, delusion and irrationality contained in Trump’s speeches and tweets is destined to convince moderate, educated Republicans to withdraw their support, the process certainly is taking its sweet time.
“Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. Most Americans don’t know that. But he was.”
“If we have all these nukes, why can’t we use them?”
“Don’t worry about Korea. I fixed it.”
Donald Trump has been the POTUS for more than eighteen months. The Washington Post has carefully documented 4200 lies that President Trump has publicly presented to the American people as fact. DT has with increasing frequency appeared in public, behaving as we might expect someone not entirely in touch with reality to conduct himself. That is, Don has been raving lately. Flying our executive branch by the seat of his pants. Ignoring his advisors. Making up national policy as he goes.
If the man with the orange face and amazingly complicated haircut has not convinced the moderate, educated Repubicans that he is undeserving of their support, what will it take?
Donald Trump is the poster child for “Unfitness for Public Office.” What disaster must happen in order to change the minds of the sane half of the 43% of Americans who support Trump, to get them to wake up and smell the coffee?
13
@Tom W
The disasters are 'a comin and they'll spare neither you
nor me nor the maga hat wearers. It is only
a question of which gets there first, then second, then...
Take the obscenely ignorant positions on global warming
as evidence 1. Take the belligerency re Iran, the
attacks on NATO as evidence 2. Take the dismantling
of all efforts to constrain wall st.'s worse inclinations
at running up big bets in the dark as evidence 3. Take
the trade wars and tariff accumulations that will
do a number on growth expectations, and, as a result, on
the market as evidence 4. Take the rise of authoritarianism, extremism, and evidence free decision making in this country which will prevent consensus bipartisan practical solutions from being found, and worsen all manner of social crises that we already have in spades as evidence 5.
Do I really need to go on?
But the core needs a lot more damage to hit
them squarely between the eyes before they
realize what others understood long long before.
It would have been different if said core also did not have
a stranglehold around the trumpican enablers in congress,
but they do, and it is unlikely this changes dramatically
in November. Too many are still willing to sit matters
out, especially young voters who resist focusing on
elections since they see it as a pointless game they have no
real stake in, or vote symbolically for a green candidate who
is pure in spirit but far from power.
1
If you must continue blanket coverage, then at least stop using his name. Like Voldemort, it gives him power. For a narcissist obsessed with branding, nothing could be better than having his name on everyone's lips around the world.
Instead, call him "45" or "Swamp Thing." In journalism, it is important to be accurate.
13
@Avatar Excellent. Try The Trashmaster, or Lord Lardbottom, or He-whose-name-must-not-be-mentioned (HWNMNBM, for short).
3
@Avatar
I think all major media, or at least all good "fake news" journalism who would, should agree not cover Trump for a few days or a week, or put it very small on the back page. I think perhaps the non-coverage might send him in to a state of confusion- because for once he couldn't get a rise out of anyone, or the attention he craves. (well- who knows what would happen then...)
The media gave Trump over $4 billion free publicity during the 2016 election and continues to do so - by amplifying his racist and bigoted utterances that has nothing to do with news - but rather with making more revenue from advertising.
The CEO of CBS said in 2016 that he wanted more Trump because they made $60 million profit by showing Trump and his vile racism constantly.
There is always an editorial in everything the media/press decide to cover as news, therefor why pretend that giving Trump a platform to sell his prejudices is really exposing Trump as a nasty?
That's how editors are hiding a hidden bias to deliberately harm democracy instead of covering real news every day.
Stop talking about Trump's "base", Trump doesn't have a base, the so called base is the GOP base that has always been there and is rooted in the Republican ideology of fear and hate, and this world view is peddled by Trump, and amplified by the media.
The media must concentrate on the issues that the 70% of America are interested in and are fighting quietly in every way, in their every day lives.
Cover the real issues of the 70% and ignore this obsession of the so called 30% of Trump's base.
Consider on the day that Nixon resigned that 29% of Americans supported him, and 50% of the Republicans supported him.
History teaches and the editors ignore.
19
This may be a little out of the box, but in the run up to 2016 the press covered Trump wall to wall.
And in a lot of ways, he was crazier then and is actually getting more normal now.
Remember “Mexicans are rapists?” Remember “ban Muslims?” Remember him putting the women who falsely accused Bill Clinton on a stage? Remember “grab them by the blank?” Remember how he sort of accused Ted Cruz’s dad of assassinating JFK, and then attacked Mrs. Cruz’s looks?
But despite all the coverage, he still won.
Now, in addition to saying stuff that’s a little less crazy than all of the above, what he says is backed up by actions that are having perceived impacts on the economy, on terrorism, and on immigration - the three things that most independent and GOP voters consistently say are important to them.
In other words, if all the coverage failed us in ‘16, why is keeping this up good for anyone other than the media who line their pockets by it? It’s almost like he’s back to his old WWF/WWE days, trash talking his way to attention. Meanwhile, the media is playing the role of the heel.
If the media is honestly ignorant of this aspect of how coverage helps Trump, that’s fine I suppose. I understand it’s not really a profession for the best and the brightest. But if they do know what they’re doing with the wall to wall coverage (lining their pockets, helping Trunp, and making their readers and viewers anxious and fearful), then maybe Trump is right about the press being the enemy.
3
Please stop referring to OH12 residents as "highly educated". The majority of college graduates in that district are THE Ohio State University alumni And unless you think that animal husbandry is the pinnacle of human achievement, THE OSU does not turn out many "highly educated people".
All of the Ohio residents that are Nobel laureates reside north of I-80. This is not a coincidence.
3
It is hard to find the words to say that this President was a disaster before he even started. The vitriol he unhinged on just about anyone in his path, made him someone who shouldn't of been covered at all, as cutting off someone like him that just wants attention would of had a better outcome. Now, it is questionable, whether it even matters covering him, as people are making up their own minds.
1
Agreed. We need to make America America again. It will take all of us, together.
8
you give Republicans too much credit, I'm afraid.
the crust can be bought off with money bribes. the rank and file will follow any pied piper who plays to their fears and prejudices. the rest of the gang are single issue religious voters.
if you already believe science is a hoax, the Rapture is around the corner, and Nancy Pilosi is actually the devil, it's hardly a stretch to support a con man as the leader of your party.
the prognosis is not good. the saving grace is the slow rolling actuarial obsolesence of Republicans.
14
Everything Trump does is news, because it hits a new level of outrageous, unprecedented corruption. I am as dismayed at the fact that he is on the front page every day as 60% of Americans.
Yes, the zombified MAGA-heads become even more fanatic with every report of Trump's disgusting behavior, but these poor souls have been utterly lost since the election. Nothing can be said to them to give up their cult, not even when their children suffer, their health care is taken away and their effective income drops like a rock. We hear amazing things coming out of their mouths, like: "My soybean exports are suffering, but we should be willing to sacrifice to secure Trump's agenda." Such sentiments lie between inanity and chronic low self-esteem.
We saw last night, however, that there are a few Democrats who tried Trump in 2016, and now might come back. There are a few patriotic Republicans left who realize that our nation is in danger. If these few people can be persuaded to vote for Democratic candidates to save America, it is worth tolerating our disgust at seeing yet another Trump lie, yet another Trump insult, yet another Trump insane action.
10
Definition of karma : the force generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence . DJT's next existence is as the former impeached and indicted President.
1
Imagine for a moment it the press ignored Trump. They only reported on policy and specific actions. It would never last.... Trump would go ballistic! Trump couldn't handle not being center stage, not the center of attention. It would force him to do something REALLY outrageous. Like start a war. ANYTHING to bring the attention back. I truly believe that is behind much of what he does now. If we ignored him, god help us all!
6
I'm glad to finally see a comments addendum to a NYT column or story today. Is the comments software undergoing some kind of update?
I agree with Friedman. Yes, the all-Trump, all-the-time coverage does feed his insatiable ego and distract our media from other stories, but it also puts his amoral, dangerous stupidity on daily display. As Friedman argues here, that's turning off otherwise reliable GOP voters one by one, as they finally reach their personal breaking points.
But the real key isn't the defections or abstentions of disaffected Republicans. If the moderate-progressive majority would simply take to heart the reality of turnout in percentages from the teens to the forties and make the small effort to ensure that they ALL vote and get every cynical friend to vote despite the persistent feeling that the game is rigged permanently in favor of the 1 percent, a lot of those skeptical eyes could be dramatically opened wide on Election Night, when they see the results of 75-percent-plus turnout from the real America, which is all of us, not just a loudmouthed, brainwashed minority.
We can still fix this, but we're running out of opportunities to really right the ship. November is do-or-die time.
3
I wonder if those pro-Russian Republicans would change their tune if they knew that in Russia citizens are prohibited from owning handguns, or any gun with a barrel shorter than 20." That they need an license to purchase any gun and they can only have a smooth bore gun (shotgun) for the first 5 years after getting that license.
I wonder if they would reconsider if they knew that, as of 2010, Russia had the highest abortion rate in the world.
I wonder if it affects their thinking (I'm being generous) that Russia has mounted cyber attacks against our election systems and our power infrastructure.
These people have obviously been duped by a con man and his Russian sponsors. As time passes, let us hope that more of them learn the truth.
12
I just find it mind blowing that given the thousands of lies, ongoing criminal charges from the Mueller investigation, and general hypocrisy that the Trump swamp cares about anyone but their corrupt selves; that the Trump base cannot seem to see what is right under their noses. I suppose a small % of Americans are finally coming around to the truth; but boy it is painfully slow.People better show up and vote in November; or it is going to be a real civil war until 2020.
5
Writing about the results of the Ohio special election, Friedman notes, "That does not speak well for Trump or his midterm prospects, but it does for the American people and for thinking Republicans." This, however, reminds me of a remark attributed to Adlai Stevenson. When a woman supposedly called out to him during a speech while he was running as a candidate for President, ""Governor, you have the vote of every thinking person!" Stevenson was said to respond, "That's not enough, madam, we need a majority!" It now remains to be seen how many decent Republican voters will search their consciences and retain their sense of honor.
37
Enough already with the Dodo Bird and how America functioned without a real president. We are beyond politics now although Orwell in one of his essays wrote that everything in life is politics.
Let us start looking at some realities that unite us as a country. If the Republican Party believes that in these times it is fashionable to discuss the weather, leave them to it. Of far more concern is whether Americans care. They do. Perhaps not if you are working in an office tower at Rock Plaza, but in the heartland of the country where we are closer to earth, concern is on the rise.
Now. One day we can read how America endured an illegal president; watching online movies of Washington-Moscow on the Rocks, or how this affable bloke tried his best to put out wildfires, by tweeting away late at night.
Arthur Brooks suggested that some of us take a holiday, while others keep an eye on The Statue of Liberty. This is not about Trump, it is about Us, and how we manage to cope with the vitriol and venom, spewing from The White House. It needs a new coating of paint and apparently we can afford it.
But most of all, let us protect the Freedom of the Press, and continue to add our voices to what is happening now and share our vision of America at the dawn of this new century, where there is no fear of boredom in the near future, but rising concern about the legacy we plan to leave our children in a shrinking society, where the Middle Class appears to be taking a fall.
8
Excellent points. As you say, there is reason to hope that many Republicans will stay home. On the other hand, we need to do everything we possibly can to ensure a high turnout among Democrats.
This nightmare must end!
29
You know what I want? I want a candidate who is qualified. Period. Don't care if they're likable, pretty, etc. Just someone who is qualified for the job and won't cater to a select few groups. I want someone who isn't in the pocket of special interests or the banks, pharma, etc. No one who has served on a board for any of those companies. I want someone who is scandal free, honest will actually act on real immigration reform, obey OUR laws, demand that congress/senate do something on real tax reform for the working poor act on term limits and campaign reform. IS there anyone on the Dem. side that has somebody waiting in the wings? If so they have my vote.
42
@Margo ChanningBut who? I am in my late 80th decade and also waiting for that person to enter stage left, unafraid of the coward trump. Some one who will call this embarassment out.
The news coverage may now need to delineate if an item is the truth or a lie.
I also think the employment numbers should include more detail to accurately reflect the country’s employment status. Additional numbers of interest could include the percentage of people no longer looking for work, the percentage of people not making a living wage and the percentage of employed people without health insurance.
15
@Javaforce True, but we've needed these numbers all along, not just now.
1
@Javaforce
Those numbers were never brought into the equation when Obama was in office. Either way the numbers are skewed.
1
Yesterday, I returned from several weeks in the UK and France, where, even during the current scorching heatwave, I felt a palpable sense of relief from the incessant hot air emerging from the White House.
I woke up this morning in my own bed, after a nearly Trump-free caesura, and once again found myself besieged by our national nightmare. One sliver of hope, however, as the state of Washington seems to be delivering the first encouraging signs of a cool blue wave washing our way in November.
21
I'm fine with this - as long as that coverage also makes clear that the Republican Party IS the party of Trump. Vote for a Republican, you're voting for Trump.
You're also voting for continuing Russian interference in our elections - because a Republican Congress is doing nothing to secure our systems - and they keep making trips to Moscow!
You're voting for a party that does nothing to rein in Trump's trade wars - even when Americans pay the price.
You're voting for a party that is making your healthcare more expensive and harder to get, because while Trump claims he has something better, he can't be bothered to keep that promise and the party is doing nothing to keep it either.
And draining the swamp? The GOP is having boating parties in there!
So, keep up the blanket coverage of Trump - but don't forget who is propping him up.
203
In college to gain extra credit for a course called American Political Systems, I was a volunteer at the office of my congressman, a moderate Democrat named Bob Giamo, a truly good and decent man. Many of his friends were moderate Republicans like Gerry Ford, and I once commented on this. He said that it was they who ended up getting things done because they had a cordial relationship and could find grounds for compromise. That was back in the early '70's. It's truly a terrible turn of events that our country no longer functions that way. That we have to hope that some Republican voters will stay home so that Democrats can try to save our country.
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@Dylan111
Thank you for that wonderful recollection of a time long-gone when bipartisanship and compromise were not dirty words.
I was six years old when Jimmy Carter won the presidential election over Gerald Ford. I grew up in North Carolina, in a semi-rural area. My parents voted for Carter.
I remember the people that hung out at our local country store. These were farmers who sat out on the bench outside wearing their plaid shirts and chewing tobacco.
At age six, I decided that Gerald Ford looked like what I thought a president should look like. And Jimmy Carter looked like the crackers I knew from the country store. On my first grade ledger paper, I wrote a letter: "Dear President Ford, I went for you."
My mother, to her credit, encouraged me to mail this to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, despite the fact she voted for Carter. I received a letter back from President Ford, with the Seal of the United States and all that. I was very impressed.
Now that I am an adult, I see things on an entirely different level. Carter and Ford later became friends. Carter was a nuclear engineer, a successful businessman, and had the longest military career of any 20th century president save Eisenhower. And as and adult, I have been a Democrat.
I also long for the days of honest bipartisan work for the common good of our nation. Sadly, the Trump hostile takeover of the Republican Party has moved that goalpost even further away in the short term.
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@Dylan111, I remember Mr. Giaimo well! I cast my first vote in New Haven when he was running. Thanks to him we have the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities (co-sponsored the legislation, as I recall). Both Endowments are in jeopardy under the current administration. I can't even begin to imagine upon whom we could rely to work across the aisle to avert the decimation of these important initiatives.
4
@Peggy. One of the nicest things about him is that he really seemed to enjoy sharing information with all his young volunteers, which was tremendously helpful in the writing the journal for my class. My professor noted that I was quite lucky because not all the people my fellow students worked for were so forthcoming.
If anything is ever to get better, we need a blanket of coverage on absolutely everyone and everything. We reached this lowest of points, in great part, because we have persisted in doing precisely the wrong thing: focusing on the worst and allowing bad to go on, ignored, left to fester.
K Street, the place where lobbying lives and thrives, has focused the intensity of its power on every single one of our institutions. That's been true for decades. Abramoff should have been a huge lesson. What did we do since? We made money in politics, under the guise of "corporate personhood" the law of the land. We can draw a straight line from that to Trump. We can draw many straight lines to Trump from many problematic points of origin.
Let us not draw only one line to getting Trump out. Let us also draw a line to who gets in next and who gets to share power with them. The whole system is sick. Let's always remember that.
===
Distracting Thoughts on Trump’s Distractions Bait and Switch
https://www.rimaregas.com/2016/07/09/from-move-to-dallas-increased-power...
36
@Rima Regas -- Yes. The line that "Trump is awful" too often sounds like it ends with, "So let's go back to the way things were before Trump."
That thinking is how we got Trump in the first place, instead of Ted Cruz or Hillary.
The way forward is to lead to something better, not only constant focus on negatives.
7
@Mark Thomason
Exactly, and an aspect of that is what was so striking about the Robby Mook op-ed that is up in the opinion pages now.
Robby Mook in the NYT: Distracting Thoughts on Trump’s Distractions Bait and Switch
https://www.rimaregas.com/2018/08/08/robby-mook-in-the-nyt-distracting-t...
U.S. unemployment is much higher than 3.9% as this figure only includes workers still collecting benefits and actively looking for work. A more realistic figure is almost certainly greater than ten percent.
As Robert Samuelson notes, Trump is running the economy “hot,” at the extremes of productive capacity where we are exhausting the supply of workers and surplus goods and services, as was done in the 1960s and 1970s. This policy failed miserably then, leading to double-digit inflation, numerous recessions, and widespread public demoralization.
The rise in the stock market is primarily funneling money into the hands of corporations and wealthy shareholders, not doing much for the average worker. Workers have not been helped significantly by Trump’s recent tax cuts but will be seriously hurt by his senseless tariffs and trade wars.
Where is Mexico to pay for Trump’s Wall? Where is the better and cheaper health care he promised? How about infrastructure improvements? Quality public education? Responsible environmental stewardship?
What, exactly, happened with the North Korea “deal”? What will happen with Iran? And how is America helped by Trump’s personal dealings with Russia?
Trump’s incessant greed, mendacity, and immorality rule our days.
Trump and his accomplices count on us having bad memories, but I don’t think we do. And I don’t think we have plans to forget what they are doing, or what they have done.
“Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” (Aeschylus)
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@Blue Moon Employment statistics have always be misleading and incomplete. We should have been reporting them more accurately well before now.
1
@Lori
I agree with you, but it's still worth qualifying the unemployment numbers. The real problem is the rise of the gig economy with its job insecurity, low pay, and lack of benefits -- a direct result of the recession 10 years ago. Much more needs to be done now to protect the rights of workers, and Trump and his GOP cronies are tone deaf to the problems we face.
The call here for blanket news coverage is exactly the right thing to do. Journalists need to fully document what Trump says and what he does, because that database will be the source of our memories. It is incumbent on us to pass on to future generations as much information as we can to try to ensure that a president like this and a complicit Congress like this never gain power over the country again.
1
The major issue our government is ignoring and making worse is global warming.
Using your term, "wilding weather". The wildfires in California are vividly tragic and the foundation of persistent droughts, worldwide, require a policy response.
Crippling droughts are threatening the global food supply and is making life so unbearable that it forces people to leave their homes.
The Times and you have not ignored the issue of global warming, which is the #1 threat to the security of the U.S. and all humankind, but this is a fundamental flaw of this administration, who not only ignores global warming, they are reversing the modest progress made.
There is a climate crisis and it will only get worse. No one knows for sure when greenhouse gases will runaway from a thawing Arctic permafrost, but it will happen and it would be better if Arctic nations and the U.N. would implement a greenhouse gas emission monitoring system.
The U.S. and the World are also underreporting the economic difficulty of making the shift away from fossil fuels. Promising technologies that can ease the transition are being buried by the blatant failure of the media to recognize and report on the lack of a policy response.
E.g., James Powell has proposed in "Spaceship Earth" an international project for a space-based solar energy source that will generate cheap electricity, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0-npDJlxCA
a new desalination technology, and a technology for capturing carbon dioxide.
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@james jordan
Special appreciation to the Times for the Special Edition of the New York Times Magazine and Mr. Rich's beautifully written history of the policy response to climate change and the wonderful photographs by George Steinmetz.
I live off the reporting of the Science section and the articles by the reporters with the environment and energy beat.
In addition to this reporting I urge that the times spend some time reporting on the ideas for heading off this catastrophic path we are own. There are economic and technology historians who could share their ideas of how we can nudge the market to reduce the carbon combustion dependency without making it too painful.
I believe it can be done but it will require our best and brightest to pull society through this disruption with the minimum amount of pain.
@james jordan
"we are on" not "we are own"
One should not use SIRI, if one has a NC accent.
You are gifted with a pen, and young enough (the age of my youngest son) to rally our political class into organizing our federal and defense industrial labs in this very challenging mission. We need a new mission specific agency to get this mission out of the regulatory straight jacket that we now have.
What's a shame is that Democrats won't be able to compose a unified message to guarantee a sweep in the midterms. We just can't muster the kind of team effort that works so well in politics. Forget the policy points. Leave the debate about medicare for all until later. Build a brand around honor, respect, decency and FACTS and the wave will build. Otherwise, all the negative coverage of Trump might not have much impact overall; it sure didn't in 2016, and little has changed.
14
@Mford
I disagree. All politics is local. Candidates need to run on the message that resonates with their constituents. AOC is right for her district in NYC. Doug Jones is right for the state of Alabama. Conor Lamb is right for his district in PA.
These are the midterms. We don't need some top-down Democratic Party message invented by power brokers in a smoke-filled room. We need exciting candidates in each district who speak to their voters. Bottom-up.
We need voter turnout. Based on enthusiasm.
VOTE!
62
I’m in California. My issue right now is the environmental degradation the President Sharknado is trying to push on my state. Justice and morality are bound to those issues. It’s not either or.
17
@Mford At this point there is one easy message: With a Republican Congress, there are no checks and balances and Trump can run amok. Democrats must stress that at this point at the minimum there needs to be a Democrat majority in the house. That would provide some opposition and alarm for his craziest ideas, like zero-tolerance at the border, dubious tariff wars (tariffs are supposed to be managed by the legislature), or attacks on our global friends. Picking the worst cases, many moderate Republicans should see the value of trying to rein him in, even if they do not agree with bigger Democrat goals.
2
I strongly agree. There is far to much coverage of global , social and economic matters and not enough coverage of Trump and politics .The Washington Post has devoted nearly half of its coverage to the criminal spending of Paul Manafort during the past two weeks.
6
@Common ground of course I recommended as I read this as sarcasm (with sardonic shrug) . . . but things, currently, being what they are I suppose this could be uttered in earnest.
4
I'm afraid that publicity is STILL publicity, and for those who support Trump wholly, there is no retreat:
Some of their support was built on hopes he could reinvigorate certain industries in the US - an increase jobs that have been farmed out to cheaper countries. Those jobs weren't protected before, and the truth is, there was a tacit acceptance - or obliviousness - on the part of politicians - to the drastic upheavals that offshoring blue collar jobs, and the rise of technology, would have on millions of lives. That hope I get.
But a large part is based on hating the wrong suspects, and thinking that Trump's nasty attacks are going to improve their lives. But expressing anger can feel great and is a very addictive process - especially with the support of a group - - and the publicity against him fires it up. He's like the incessant arid wind gunning the Western fires.
Off topic, sort of; Just read your last column on how to ruin a social gathering: it seems absolutely on target, and explains well why we need to have a "Western" coalition to face the other winds of change: climate and the unstoppable migration of desperate people. If we cannot respond thoughtfully, and together, democracies as we treasure them may not long outlive those of us born as boomers.
18
It's just the way that for Trump and Trumpists, "Western," is a synonym for, "Aryan," that gives me an eensy bit of pause.
2
So intelligent people are going to vote for socialism, or the great policies of Auntie?? Not around here, at least that is my hope.
5
@vulcanalex
A handful of Democrats are running on European or Canadian style socialism (AOC, Bernie, Warren). The rest of the Democrats are running on issues that matter to their constituents.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party is the Party of Corruption.
- Chris Collins (R-NY) - arrested for insider trading
- Tom Price (HHS Secretary, and former GA-6(R) congressman. Driven out for corruption, bilking the taxpayers, and tied up in the same insider trading scam with that Australian insider trading drug company.
- Scott Pruitt - driven out for outright fraud of the taxpayers, and self-dealing.
- Paul Manafort and Rick Gates - former Trump campaign chair and inaugural committee chair. Fraudsters, tax cheaters, and money launderers.
The list goes on and on and on.
How much of their ill-begotten money is hidden in tax havens in Cyprus and other offshore havens? Why did we even need a tax cut bill, if prominent Republicans are all tax cheats anyway?
Everyone knows the Republicans don't pay their bills.
Your president and your party are a bunch of crooks.
I personally have no problem with European-style socialism, but that is a policy question that can be honestly debated.
But - if it were the only choice - I'll take Sweden over these self-dealing crooks and low-rent mobsters any day - if that is the choice at the ballot box.
15
A little googling and you can find out how much federal aid Tennessee gets. Not a small part of your budget.
Here is a handy link to see a portion of what Tennessee gives out in social programs.
https://www.benefits.gov/benefits/browse-by-state/state/183
2
@vulcanalex
Give it up with the socialism tripe. The 1950s called and they want their red scare back.
There are a handful of Democrats pushing for something that resembles European or Canadian socialism (AOC, Bernie, Warren, a few more). There are many more neo-Klansmen in today's Republican Party. It's not just Steve King of Iowa or Kris Kobach. That rot is pervasive.
Your senator Bob Corker, a reasonable Republican, is retiring because the party left him. The decent and thoughtful Republicans are dropping like flies.
Beyond the extremes, there are a lot more reasonable people in this country who will vote for decency. Today's Republican Party does not offer that. It's a shame - we actually need two viable parties.
The Republican Party has already shrunk 5% since Mr. Trump won the election. He has a large piece of a shrinking pie.
6
I've been very concerned about the safety of our press at these rallies and torn about their purpose there. You've convinced me their presence is necessary. My own solution is to turn off the sound whenever a sound bite from a Trump rally OR press conference is played.
I assume your suggestions about a single camera feed, and a more low key presence for reporters has been discussed among the industry. I hope so. I think they are great suggestions.
Also, the concept that a blue wave could happen in part due to conflicted and apathetic Republicans staying away from the polling booths has made my day!
Living in Idaho I know numbers of these kinds of quality Republicans who may just do that.
68
@Susanna what i don't understand is that they also make money in the process of saying he's calling for violence against them or saying dangerous things etc. i don't understand whether they're worried, or complaining, or celebrating, or all at the same time. if they're making money, how can what he says really be bad for the press??? they seem to be doing well. they run all the way to the bank, he screams all the way to even greater name recognition. how exactly is this bad for the press, or whats left of it, that is?
2
Tribalism only goes so far in a great state because informed voters see that their interests are greater than the interests of any one tribe to which they are affiliated. People may identify as Republicans and as citizens of a municipality and a state and of a whole country as well as members of a church and of other groups all at the same time.
5
@Casual Observer
Ideology is seldom single and dogmatic, as most individuals and groups belong to many types of ideologies, as they are socialized into many ways of seeing the world, while living in a community.
Culture and the media sell the delusion that only one ideology ever dominates, or is relevant to people's every day lives.
There are always contradictions in the way that human beings react to political and ideological problematics,
and a plurality of ideas occupy the minds of individuals.
5
Solid premise. But we must remember that two prominent television stations "promoted" Trump before the election, allowing him virtually free exposure (mostly to boost their ratings). He was the same then as he is now. So who ended up staying home for the 2016 election?
Also note, most of the solid, insightful reporting is coming from print journalists, to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude.
81
What you say is correct--for those willing to actually THINK. So many are not.
I do believe we must cover everything he does, BUT differently than we do now. I firmly believe (since we know how he searches for his name on memos he gets) we have to take his name out of the equation. Is there ANYONE who doesn't know who the president is? Of course not. When he is being covered, whether actions or words, the press/media should not mention his name! Just use "the president' instead. And label his unsubstantiated assertions as lies. Call it what it is if he is repeating something he has gotten wrong, and been confronted with, before. Finally, no photos! Use a photo of the WH or whatever building is part of the story. No more photos of him, as that is positive reinforcement.
If the mainstream media would follow this, I believe we would initially see a great escalation of his provocations (and prevarications) but it would add to the pressure and discomfort he feels. It is nonsensical to keep feeding him what he wants--his name and photo!
167
@Ginger People who vote for Dems are generally not thinking, but rather just voting what the media says is in their selfish interest.
5
@vulcanalex
Actually all the scientific research reveals that the right wing is dominated by un-thinking and un-critical individuals who live in a culture of group think, and use the notion of "belief" rather than rationality, logic and reason as a basis for a world view rooted in prejudice and bigotry.
The less educated are the individuals/people
the more open are they for indoctrination and manipulation of the psychological and emotional construction of the human brain.
What is thinking? Was a question that Socrates
asked, and what neuroscience asks now.
Thinking begins with asking questions and not taking anything without being critical and analyzing the context of the facts.
If people asked critical questions about the political positions of individuals, then may be the world would be safer from cons like Trump.
6
@vulcanalex No, people who vote for Dems ARE thinking and voting in their interest, contrary to trump supporters who unthinkingly vote against their self interest.
1
It's time to give Trump what he wants. Remember how he complains constantly about the tv media not panning the crowd and showing the size of his adoring base. Well, at the next rally don't focus one second on the President but instead just pan the crowd. One hour of looking at the crowd should go a long way on making us understand.
497
@RNS
These are not policy speeches and Trump is not on the ballot in 2018 so they should not be covered live at all. However, if the news media insists this would be a great way to cover it.
@RNS You've hit on one reason why we won't set foot in a Wal-Mart...
3
@RNSOh yes, oh yes. Great Idea!
2
Let's broaden the focus. Trump's offensive comments are revealing sure, but not in as consequential a way as his bankruptcies, non-disclosures, secrecy and tax evasion are.
The difference between Trump voters and never Trumpers is the way they view his rambling or offensive remarks. Trump voters believe that these outbursts/tweets are a sideshow, whereas never Trumpers understand that they are the WHOLE show. For Trump they are not a distraction from the business of governing, they ARE the business of governing and Trump is governing in the same way he runs his business.
Supporters think Trump knows stuff because he's rich, when the key to his success was being born wealthy. This gave him the leverage to borrow money easily, craft his own public image through friendly and controlled media exposure and by buying off people he's wronged, silencing others with non-disclosures, and hiring the best lawyers/accountants money can buy in order to game the tax code.
Many wealthy people prefer not to focus on Trump's privilege, perhaps because they don't want to acknowledge that you can be so "successful" without some kind of acumen, and that access is as or more important. But the fact that Trump enjoys any support from successful, savvy financial people is proof that they value people who can make them money over competence or ethical behavior. They understand, as does Trump, how much you can make if the odds are even tipped slightly in your favor.
104
@DebbieR so true.... a great read on this subject is Frank Rich's piece, covering Trump's early 'schooling' by Roy Cohn. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/frank-rich-roy-cohn-the-ori...
1
Also, third party candidates need to bow out for 2018 and 2020. They draw votes away in very tight races, without any hope of being elected. So what's the point? If third party candidates don't like what they see today, the smartest thing to do is don't run, and help the Democrats bring balance to Trump's agenda.
427
@Deb The political Left: Helping Republicans Win Elections Since 1968
Yeah, thanks a lot for Nixon, Reagan, the Bushes, and the worst of all time: Donald J. Trump
1
@Deb
Third party candidates could also help by running, campaigning, and building their voter base and enthusiasm. Then just before the election bow out and urge that base to vote blue. Just being patriotic in a time of need.
@Deb
Yes, I wonder how those Jill Stein voters are feeling now.
"The president is coming off a crisis-defusing summit with North Korea."
The summit is crisis-defusing in that North Korea got everything it wanted without paying a thing to get it. It's armament program continues apace. It has gained a new-found stature. It has returned remains whose provenance remains unresolved.
I agree with everything else you say, Mr. Friedman.
112
@Mostly Rational What crisis might that be, I saw nothing that would qualify as a crisis.
4
@vulcanalex
The ''crisis is the one at home, his personal crisis, with Mueller advancing and with Donald Jr. under the bus wheels.
@vulcanalex My, that's a surprise.
A steady diet of division and hate will in fact wear thin with a majority of the electorate probably sooner than later. Appealing to our better angels is something that will find it's way back into the political arena. The problem is that in the interim our standing in the world is suffering a generational setback that will take a stable and trustworthy hand to correct. The consequences of the 2016 election will be long and lasting and not for the better. A switch of control in the House will be a small first step to normalization of policy, tone and something that resembles what the country has stood for.
117
@Dennis W
Let's not settle for just a switch of control in the House. Did you read Frank Bruni? Please let's not give up on the Senate or any other institution or elected office. This is hardly a time for small steps. We have to work incredibly hard and take responsibility for our country's future.
5
@Dennis W
Sooner is already here.
1
Agree.
What is also need is historical perspective, because even if Trump is gone tomorrow, 100% of the factors that led to Trump will remain in place. How about ...
Blanket coverage of how Reagan dismantled the Fairness Doctrine, and how Murdoch and Roger Ailes made Fox into a profitable alt-right propaganda machine.
Blanket coverage of all the loopholes corporations like Exxon, GE, and real estate mavens from Leona Helmsley, the Trumps and the Kushners have used to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense.
Blanket coverage of how one issue voters have been manipulated regarding abortion, gun rights, and taxes over the last 38 years, to the point of voting literally against the interests of themselves and their families.
564
...and Blanket coverage of how the Republicans Gerrymandered, suppressed votes and used social media and The National Enquirer to influence low information voters to vote for the worst president ever or to waste their vote by voting for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson. A remarkable tour de force of the Dark Arts of winning elections.
3
Why, that'd be ... Communism!
The Free Press isn't Supposed to tell US what's going on! They have so much Stuff to sell! We're consumers, commodities, cannon fodder or collateral damage -- not Citizens!
That "inform the Masses" stuff's a notion from the Olden Days. And, with a little help from our Sponsors, we're moving on.
1
@Gustav
So, my one question to you is how do you get hate radio and Fox News and Infowars and Breitbart to run this coverage, becasue that is the only media the deplorables follow?
The rest of us have known and been outraged about this for decades, in my case since I was in law school and Reagan's first tax obscenity was proposed.
1