Paul Krugman offers more plain talk about the horrors of this political
season in his recent New York Times column, “A Tale of Two Parties.”
Here’s a taste:
“The Republican establishment was easily overthrown because it was
already hollow at the core…
“But as Mr. Trump is finding out, the Democratic establishment is
different.
“As some political
scientists are now acknowledging, America’s two major parties are not
at all symmetric. The G.O.P. is, or was until Mr. Trump arrived, a top-down
hierarchical structure enforcing a strict, ideologically pure party line. The
Democrats, by contrast, are a “coalition of social groups,” from teachers’
unions to Planned Parenthood, seeking specific benefits from government
action.”
There are more insights, read his column here.
Perhaps another way to say it is:
Too many Republicans are "against" stuff and people, while
plenty of Democrats are "for" stuff and people. The difference is not
subtle, but the essence of it often escapes public notice and thoughtful debate.
Which brings me to the media. I've stopped calling it "news
media" because the content---on paper, on TV, online---isn't really about
news anymore, it's about entertainment for the narrowly defined audience of
each of those media channels. The media enabled Trump's success. I don't say
the media "caused" Trump to win, but without the gazillions of dollars'
worth of free coverage, I think he would have had a much more difficult time.
Needless to say, I don't watch TV anymore.
Have you noticed that it’s hard to find
a “news” show that doesn’t have at least two people talking at the same time?
Copyright © Richard Carl Subber 2016
All rights reserved.
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