Dan Rather: I felt a shudder down my spine yesterday watching Donald Trump

[kpete]

Dan Rather
Yesterday at 3:53am ·

I felt a shudder down my spine yesterday watching Donald Trump's fusilade against the press. This is not a moment to be trifled with. It wasn't his first tirade and it won't be his last.

I was reminded of my college journalism professor, the late Hugh Cunningham, who would exhort his young charges in a thundering voice to "never let them scare you." It was his most important lesson. One of Edward R. Murrow's favorite words was "steady." That also bears repeating today.

This is a dirty, nasty election. And it is only going to get worse. The reporters in the trenches need no lecture from me. They are walking through daily minefields, bracing themselves against winds of discontent whose effects no one can predict.

I know what it is like to sit in those seats and feel the scorn and even wrath of politicians of all political persuasions. Attacking the press for unfair coverage has long been a bipartisan pursuit. Sometimes it works. I am happy to say that more often it doesn't. But Trump's brand of vituperation is particularly personal and vicious. It carries with it the drumbeats of threatening violence. It cannot be left unanswered.

This is not about politics or policy. It's about protecting our most cherished principles. The relationship between the press and the powerful they cover is by its very definition confrontational. That is how the Founding Fathers envisioned it, with noble clauses of protection enshrined in our Constitution.

Good journalism--the kind that matters--requires reporters who won't back up, back down, back away or turn around when faced with efforts to intimidate them. It also requires owners and other bosses with guts, who stand by and for their reporters when the heat is on.

I still believe the pen is mightier than the sword. And in these conflicted and troubled times, we should reward the bravery of the men and women not afraid to ask the hard questions of everyone in power. Our nation's future depends on it.

https://www.facebook.com/theDanRather/posts/10156957001515716

[dembotoz]

1. i do not expect that todays journalist are up to the task

newsrooms to close to the corporate overlords and everyone likes to get a paycheck

hell we have one entire network whose staff toe the gop line. and if you really have a need to experience the dry heaves some time...go experience what passes for new on the "christian" stations

[bullwinkle428]

2. Exactly - this comes off as the ultimate acid test for today's class of journalists,

which oftentimes seem to pale in comparison with the ones I grew up watching/reading in the 1970s and 1980s.

[whathehell]

4. +10 n/t

[billhicks76]

68. Bernie's New CA Ad Gets At The Truth Of Injustice...Reminded Me Of How Investigative Journalism Was

No more stenographers.
http://www.mangofeed.com/bernie-sanders-new-cali-ad/

[Cosmocat]

13. Let's take the mystery out of it - they aren't

up to the task.

That time is long past, and it isn't coming back.

[Jitter65]

14. Yep. Seem like critical thinking was not part of their educations. nt

[Nay]

81. Not only are they "not up to the task," they don't even know what the task is,

historically. Who hasn't read 'news' stories that don't even investigate or report on the relevant facts of the story? Look at the idiotic 'reporting' on the father of the child who fell in the gorilla enclosure -- THE FATHER WASN'T EVEN THERE.

What we have in place of reporting is simply gossip mongering, slurs, deliberate misdirection, and slanted sensationalism. Not news. We haven't had news since the 24-hour-a-day news cycle started.

[1StrongBlackMan]

31. Watching this morning's Morning Joe ...

I was struck by the thought that, for all our talk about the "corporate media", the sole purpose of the show seems to be to "break the system."

They spent the whole part of the show, riling against HRC, propping up Sanders, and alternating between, riling against, then propping up, trump ... when they weren't calling for a 3rd party candidate to throw more gasoline on the fire.

It was like watching a panel of nihilistic Eeyores whose faces only light up when they contemplate the trains approaching the approaching, sorely neglected, rickety wooden bridge.

There may be a "corporate media" out there; but, I can't see how they would actually WANT what they are promoting ... Or, perhaps, they have adopted the American business model: actively destroy the enterprise, while sucking out as much revenue as possible, without a thought of what comes next. In this case, their method of sucking up revenue is playing to the eyeballs of all the people that want to/think it's best to destroy the American enterprise ... who, also, haven't thought about, or have fantasies about what comes next (whether that fantasy is an egalitarian utopia, or dystopic strongman government).

My fear is that this broken system will bring real pain ... and I'm not talking about "not being able to get paid what you want" pain; but, "foraging for food/survival of the nastiest" pain.

Well ... That's my happy thought for the day.

[LuckyLib]

51. MSM is about the business (literally) of keeping so much smoke and crap floating out

there in public view that Americans are anesthetized and entertained, while behind the scene the real governing of the country occurs.

[1StrongBlackMan]

55. Given the public's penchant for falling for, and being entertained by ...

the anesthetizing smoke and crap ... I don't know (and will, likely, regret writing this) that it's not for the best that the real governing of the country occurs behind the scene.

Yes ... I'm in a real dark mood, today.

[WiffenPoof]

58. You are not alone my friend...NT

[LuckyLib]

60. Lots of us out there in the same mood. I'm thinking of going "off the grid" news-wise

for awhile. It's still hard to wrap my brain around what's going on in this country.

[Third Doctor]

78. I know how you feel.

I may tune out for while. Not forever though.

[Doctor_J]

57. Indeed

The media moguls are extremely conservative, and anyone who wants to work for them needs to toe the line.

[Beartracks]

66. Yeah, not all reporters are journalists.

Many -- far too many -- are just talking heads.



======================

[Wounded Bear]

3. There is a reason...

that Freedom of the Press is delineated in the very first amendment, and early in that as well. It is one of the most important.

Trump is a bully, and the RW echo chamber has intimidated and brain-washed their minions to the point that they will take his side on this. Most of the rights listed in the Bill of Rights have been eroded over the years, will anybody stand up and fight for this one, one whose existence is supposed to help guarantee all of the others?

[LiberalFighter]

8. Keep in mind that it was not part of the original Constitution.

[Wounded Bear]

12. Really?

Your response is a cheap dig of a history lesson?



Yes, I know the sequence of how it went down. Your point is?

[LiberalFighter]

18. How is it a cheap dig?

Not everyone realize that is the case. Too many think that it all occurred at the same time. You pointed out how it is in the first amendment. It was not originally intended for there to be a Bill of Rights. The construction was to involve inserting the new elements throughout the Constitution instead of where it is now.

[Wounded Bear]

19. Because it is needless deflection...

you want to argue semantics and finer points of history while the important point I made is that when they adopted the Bill of Rights, and if you assume they are ordered in some form of importance with most important first, Freedom of the Press was rather high on the list.

[LiberalFighter]

23. I take it that you are easily offended and don't like different views.

[Wounded Bear]

24. Yawn...I don't like deflection and obfuscation....nt

[LiberalFighter]

27. Maybe you should try having a nice day.

[Wounded Bear]

29. Not sure why you singled me out, but back atcha...nt

[LiberalFighter]

32. You seem to have trouble relating to other people.

Was not singling you or anyone out. If you don't look at the whole picture you reject the truth.

[Wounded Bear]

41. Historical tutoring...

Pshych evaluation, and some sage advice.

Thank you for all the valuable lessons.

[nruthie]

5. I've been shuddering too.

The idea of a sociopath in the White House should be enough to make us all shudder. Unfortunately he seems to be steamroling along. The more disgusting he is the more his minions love him. Scary times for sure.

[Person 2713]

17. I am even more scared of his voters as unstable as he is, he is empowering many who could

do harm in his name and possibly be led to mob vigilantism or individual violent acts

[sorefeet]

22. So how does the supposedly

smartest, sanest, richest, modern,best country on earth allow a stoned cold nutball to be president???????? Or do we have more nutballs than sane people and that's just the way it goes, they win??? Is this the nuts running the insane asylum like the old sayin goes?
How can a man with legal mental health symptoms become president. The entire world is watching this fiasco.

[philosslayer]

38. Ronald Reagan

Need I say more?

[justiceischeap]

25. Sad fact: most politicians, Dems and GOP alike, could be considered sociopaths

From HuffPo:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-freeman/are-politicians-psychopaths_b_1818648.html

Anyway, when I asked Dr. Stout if there’s any truth to the contention that politicians are more likely to be psychopaths, she said in an email that no solid statistics were available to prove or disprove the hypothesis. Yet despite the lack of proof, she gave a surprisingly definitive answer to my question:

Yes, politicians are more likely than people in the general population to be sociopaths. I think you would find no expert in the field of sociopathy/psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder who would dispute this... That a small minority of human beings literally have no conscience was and is a bitter pill for our society to swallow — but it does explain a great many things, shamelessly deceitful political behavior being one.

From The Atlantic:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/the-startling-accuracy-of-referring-to-politicians-as-psychopaths/260517/

In his landmark book on psychopathy, The Mask of Sanity, researcher Hervey Cleckley theorized that some people with the core attributes of psychopathy -- egocentricity, lack of remorse, superficial charm -- could be found in nearly every walk of life and at every level, including politics. Robert Hare, perhaps the leading expert on the disorder and the person who developed the most commonly used test for diagnosing psychopathy, has noted that psychopaths generally have a heightened need for power and prestige -- exactly the type of urges that make politics an attractive calling.

My point being: "The idea of THIS sociopath in the White House should be enough to make us all shudder."

[Oneironaut]

50. A sociopath who hates a free press, sneers at minorities and poor people, and built his whole

campaign on anger and "othering" vulnerable populations. If someone isn't worried, they haven't been paying attention.

[hamsterjill]

54. I have been shuddering, as well.

I thought George W. was bad because he was just so blazingly stupid. But Trump is clueless with a big chip on his shoulder.

We. Must. Stop. Him.

[ananda]

6. Well said!

nt

[jwirr]

7. A fund memory: Dan Rather standing up to power asking

Nixon "Who the hell do you think you are?" I wonder if we have anyone with the courage to do that today. Maybe KO?

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

37. yes

I was thinking of him as well.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

56. Another Nixon-Rather moment

[liberal N proud]

9. The media has the power to expose him

Do they have the guts for it?

[Fuddnik]

26. Expose him? They created him.

If the media didn't follow him around like puppies for the last year, he'd be back on tv as a barking buffoon.

[99th_Monkey]

49. A Fourth Estate Frankenstein. This is what is so egregiously ironic about the Trump candidacy. n/t

[mountain grammy]

10. Journalists? Nah, it's mostly show biz now,

and Trump is proof of that.

[spanone]

11. K&R...

[Person 2713]

15. The new leader in the Phillipines said he will kill journalists that are SOBs

Last edited Thu Jun 2, 2016, 03:45 PM - Edit history (2)

Do we need that???scary trump I agree

Philippines' Duterte condemned for saying journalists deserved to die
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36423329

[malthaussen]

16. Regardless of the relative strength of pens and swords...

... the Dollar remains almighty.

-- Mal

[Wounded Bear]

20. It used to be....

"Never start a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel."

Apparently, that has been superceded.

[corkhead]

21. So lets put the *second* most hated major party candidate in modern history up against him.

Just to keep it sporting.

[SammyWinstonJack]

47. Think the *second* most hated major party candidate in modern history

knows what's in store for her going up against trump....he's not going to hold back.

[HillareeeHillaraah]

73. 21...

I wondered how many posts it would take in this thread about Donald Trump's distain for the press, before someone found a way throw in a Clinton insult. 21 posts.

It IS getting better at DU!

[corkhead]

74. Got to try to get them out of my system before the hammer comes down

If my statement of fact in post number 21 is an insult to Clinton, that is not my fault or concern for that matter.

If you think that is bad, that's nothing. Wait till the repubs start in on her in earnest - which they will just as soon as the Dems go beyond the point of no return with her as a nominee.

[HillareeeHillaraah]

75. Wait...did you actually write "wait until the repubs start in on her"?

Have you recently awoken from a twenty year coma?

Wait until they start?

They started in the 90's and haven't stopped for barely a breath ~

[corkhead]

85. Yes, I did. You haven't noticed that they have been relatively quiet? If she gets the nomination

they'll be firing up the Wurlitzer so we can all expect the ugliest campaign ever this summer.

[HillareeeHillaraah]

86. That would be true no matter who the nominee

That's republican politics.

Although no, Trump hasn't been quiet at all in his smearing of the Clintons. He started a few weeks ago. You may not have notice because she's so used to it that her camp doesn't make a big deal over the snark and stays on the issues.

They don't complain, they campaign.

They don't sue, they work for Blue.

[tularetom]

28. The same Dan Rather who tearfully pledged his loyalty to Bush Jr on the Letterman show after 9/11?

[Fumesucker]

42. That was different, Dubya was a "Wartime President"

[Va Lefty]

44. Rather is far from perfect but 10 times better than any network anchor today

I'm old enough to remember him standing up to Nixon at press conference during Watergate.

"During Richard Nixon's presidency, critics accused Rather of biased coverage against him. At a Houston news conference in March 1974, Nixon fielded a question from Rather, still CBS's White House correspondent, who said, "Thank you, Mr. President. Dan Rather, of CBS News." The room filled with jeers and applause, prompting Nixon to joke, "Are you running for something?" Rather replied, "No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?"[27] In his question, Rather accused Nixon of not cooperating with the grand jury investigation and the House Judiciary Committee in relation to the Watergate scandal."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Rather#Nixon

[Octafish]

45. The one who saw the Zapruder film on Nov. 22, 1963 and reported the exact opposite of what it shows.

As to why Jacqueline Kennedy was "almost on all fours" on the trunk:
She was trying to retrieve a piece of her husband's skull.

[ChiciB1]

65. You Can Add HUNDREDS Of Names To THAT List... Because

even today I'm NOT SURE we even know for sure! How many books and films have been written and viewed with different "points" or "beliefs!"

[Octafish]

71. See for yourself.

Dan Rather makes me sad because he was willing to say what the authorities wanted him to say after Nov. 22, 1963.



Here's what a fellow Texan had to say:

Dan Rather Blinked

by Penn Jones, Jr
Continuing Inquiry

The greatest criminal in this nation, we think, is a dishonest newsman. Newsmen have been given the highest gift a nation can give a group: a right. Newsmen have been given this right of freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the expectation they would report the truth as honestly as humanly possible. Ordinary criminals kill individuals, but dishonest newsmen are involved in killing a nation--in this case, this democracy. Which brings us to native Texan Dan Rather, a longtime Houstonian, and his new book, The Camera Never Blinks.

SNIP...

But the biggest distortion is what he said he saw when he was one of the few persons in the world privileged to see the Abraham Zapruder film that Saturday morning, November 23. In his narration of the film as part of CBS nationwide television coverage, Rather said the President's head "went forward with considerable violence." This narration confirmed the so-called "Oswald position" for the nation, but he said nothing about the violent backward motion of the President's head which would have strongly suggested a second gunman at that early date. Rather does take care to tell us again that he took no notes.

SNIP...

His book says this about the incident: "At the risk of sounding too defensive, I challenge anyone to watch for the first time a twenty-two second film of devastating impact, run several blocks, then describe what they had seen in its entirety, without notes. Perhaps someone can do it better than I did that day. I only know that I did it as well and as honestly as I could under the conditions.

"But here is where the case gets tricky. Years later, a group of assassination buffs took an audio tape of my description of what I saw in the office of Zapruder's lawyer and laid it over the film as a narration. So the impression was given that Dan Rather was part of a conspiracy. Either that or he was a Communist dupe, or something, how else could he have seen the film, etc. etc."

CONTINUED...

SOURCE: http://www.acorn.net/jfkplace/09/fp.back_issues/05th_Issue/rather.html

ARCHIVE: http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/po-jones/id/1917

What happened on Nov. 22, 1963 is why the nation and planet are as messed up as they are today, where money trumps peace and the rich get richer.

[Jesus Malverde]

72. Thanks octafish

That video says a lot.

[Octafish]

89. There was no ''Secret Service agent...riding on the bumper.''

Those guys got ordered OFF the bumper at Love Field.

From footage found, I understand, in a dumpster outside ABC Dallas in the late 90's:

Afterward, in William Manchester's book, Death of a President, we see the "official story" of what happened:

"Kennedy grew weary of seeing bodyguards roosting behind him every time he turned around, and in Tampa on November 18 (1963), just four days before his death, he dryly asked Agent Floyd Boring to 'keep those Ivy League charlatans off the back of the car.' Boring wasn't offended. There had been no animosity in the remark." (1988 Harper & Row/Perennial Library edition, pp. 37-38)

The thing is PRESIDENT KENNEDY NEVER SAID THAT.

Not until 35 years later do we learn the truth, though, when the great investigator Vincent Palamara asked the Secret Service agents who were there what happened in 1963:

Agents Go On Record

There are a dozen or so other inaccuracies in Dan's report of Nov. 25, 1963. Perhaps they were done to keep LBJ happy, seeing how all the "evidentiary trail" led straight from the Texas School Book Depository to the Cuban embassy in Mexico City and to the KGB assassination desk at the Soviet embassy in M.C. and from there to World War III. Who'd want THAT?

Thank you for grokking, Jesus Malverde!

[Whiskeytide]

46. I don't hold that against Rather...

... I think most Americans were ready to support our government in the weeks following the attack. The fact that Bush quickly forfeited his entitlement to that loyalty wasn't Rather's fault, and wasn't readily apparent to us at the time lacking the benefit of both foresight (then) and hindsight (now).

Rather is, in my mind, one of the last solid journalist this country has seen. He wasn't perfect, but he was pretty damn good. JMO.

[sendero]

82. I agree...

.... Rather got drummed out of his line of work for PROVING that Bush was AWOL. He seriously took one for the team and few others ever did.

I have a generally negative opinion of the "fourth estate" as it has been in failure mode since the 80s. Culminating in handing Bush a pass to go to war with Iraq, probably the biggest mistake this country has ever made.

[ChiciB1]

87. Rather Was ON THE LIST For A Take Down Way Back During The

NIXON ERA! I DON'T have to watch certain videos, I was in Austin, TX when he got shot and since that time the stories, videos, films, books etc. are too many to count!

Dan Rather was an in your face, I WILL ask the hard questions thank you from way, way back! You may as well add people like Oliver Stone, Kevin Costner to name only two. Rather IS NOT alone!!!

And THIS IS MY OPINION! I've seen more than what Rather said in plucked out videos! YOU keep doing some research, ok????

[longship]

30. Doesn't everybody!

R&

[Sunlei]

33. Republicans do NOT want 'Freedom of the Press' .

[saidsimplesimon]

34. Recommended, thank you kpete

[13Dogs]

35. Pandora's Box Courtesy of Rupert Murdoch

I hold Rupert Murdoch and his ilk primarily responsible for the rise of Trump and the right wings descent into madness. You can't prime the pump of anger, racism, xenophobia, and authoritarianism day after day for the last 15 years on Fox News and hate filled radio and expect a civil result. There was bound to be an explosion at some point, and we're starting to witness the final stages of what a continuous diet of right wing propaganda does to people's ability to reason. Just look at the number of actual physical assaults happening against immigrants and the LBGT community across the country in Trumps name. Murdoch and his minions have unleashed the ugly, ignorant American on steroids, for all the world to see. And to most people who still have critical thinking skills it's a very disturbing site. Rupert is a pox on any country he establishes himself in. A sorrier excuse for a human would be hard to find.

[hibbing]

36. After serving as cheerleaders for the Iraq War

And serving as lapdogs for the criminal Bush administration, I don't look to corporate media for anything.

Peace

[Dems to Win]

39. I can count on one hand the brave journalists who meet his description

Amy Goodman, Alan Nairn, Shaun King, Juan Gonsales, Greg Palast.

The rest are just stenographers for the rich and powerful, re-writing press releases from corporations or the Pentagon.

Sure, Trump's an ass and a clown. But I'm not going to be steamrollered into defending the Establishment political parties or the Establishment media just because Trump has come along.

The Media Establishment created Trump by giving him a couple of billion dollars worth of free air time. Now I'm supposed to be so afraid of him that I will vote for the Establishment's preferred candidate in November?

How convenient that the Establishment has created a boogie man to force people into voting to continue the status quo. A status quo where half the country can't afford an unexpected $400 expense.

Hell of a mess we're in. Maybe we need a real revolution, if that's the only choice left to the 99%.

[skepticscott]

70. You have no clue what a "real revolution" would entail

Throwing the country against the wall and breaking it to pieces, then crossing your fingers that those pieces somehow magically reassemble themselves into something better, is not a sane plan for making things better.

[Fumesucker]

77. There is no sane plan for making things better

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world while the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -George Bernard Shaw

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

79. For your consideration

I don't know your past or what you've gone through, but I ask you to consider this.

I have a very good friend who survived the Balkan civil war in the 1990s. To this day she's very tight lipped about her experiences, but every so often she'll let slip memories of tanks driving through her family's home, the bombs, the rotting bodies left lying on streets for days, surviving on a meager diet of grass. And then I wonder if the Americans demanding revolution really understand what that term could entail.

Every threat of violence this election cycle has been reminding me of what my friend went through and I'm genuinely afraid of what could happen.

[skepticscott]

83. "Revolution" isn't a plan at all, sane or insane

There are many things that could be tried to make things better, though...difficult to accomplish, certainly, and with no guarantee of success, but with far less risk of total chaos, destruction of infrastructure and loss of life. They really aren't that hard to think of.

[Fumesucker]

88. No matter what you want to try someone will tell you you are crazy and it won't work

Which is what I meant by there are no "sane" plans to make things better.

Hillary has already let us know that better ideas will never ever come to pass if she has anything to say about the matter, she seemed quite worked up about it.

[Stuart G]

40. k and r...thanks for posting

[Initech]

43. "That shudder you're feeling is actually a tingling of greatness!"

"Because I will be the best president. I will have the greatest peace negotiations with Israel and Palestine. I will hire the best journalists to work at the White House Press Corps, and the best attorneys to work in the DOJ. We are going to build the best wall, it will have the best materials. See Mr. Rather is a stupid loser. He doesn't understand what being a great leader with a gigantic penis is all about!"

[yurbud]

48. it's only "confrontational" for those who don't do access journalism

[StarTrombone]

52. Well Dan, confrontation by definition goes both ways

The press needs to be called out and made to defend themselves too

BTW, is a shudder down your spine anything like a thrill up your leg

Is it any wonder that journalists are held in the same regard as piece of shit used car salesmen?

[Angel Martin]

53. "Attacking the press for unfair coverage has long been a bipartisan pursuit."

and Rather and Mapes gave them huge ammunition with the Bush National Guard letter stupidity.

[Gabi Hayes]

84. nominated for stupidest post of......

thread

day

week

ever

?

[UCmeNdc]

59. Agree!

There is definitely a screw loose inside Donald Trump. Do not vote for him!

[nikto]

61. Sometimes I think, we need Rick Grimes more than Bernie or Hillary

Because ..

[ChiciB1]

62. Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Chet Huntley & The

famous duo Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein were JOURNALISTS that I have "some" memory of. Even though I've felt that Bob Woodward has gone more Corporate/Journalism and to a smaller extent Carl Bernstein, they still write some good books.

What we get fed from the USUAL Big Corporate owned & controlled MSM is NOT JOURNALISM! What most here get from these so-called news people is what THEY want to feed the public. BUT, if anyone is willing to look for alternative news that actually reports news that isn't INFOTAINMENT it IS OUT there! Names of people who either got sacked when they didn't want to cow-tow to CORPORATIONS have gone to these other places and don't have a single minded agenda have become reporters there.

People that many here actually supported & respected didn't sell their soul simply to see their names in NEON LIGHTS! I used to watch MSNBC a lot but early on I slowly saw people being sacked and peeled away but still hung on for a few shows here and there! NOW, even the last person I thought would be FAIR has become controlled and lost ALL credibility with me... RACHEL MADDOW went to the very dark side.

It's simply SICKENING and I'm not buying their LOAD OF CRAP! Left them quite some time ago. I READ books and I believe I've learned so much more from them... footnotes ARE helpful. Truth be told I've learned facts that I believed were true, but actually weren't. But I CAN at least admit I was uninformed, too many people are UNABLE to do this and have feet stuck in cement & simply find a way to change the subject rather than SEE some truth. Even if you don't read a lot there are so many places on the net that YOU can become informed.

Here on DU so many people scratch their heads and wonder WHY so many in the SOUTH (using only as a reference) vote against their best interests. But it clearly exists here and people are unable to see they're doing the very same thing!!!

I shouldn't be amazed by so many people who simply WON'T even believe true FACTS when it's spoon fed to them! But at times I am.

But hey, I'm a BOOMER on my way out... and why should I CARE???

[mdbl]

63. I felt the same shudder with Ronald Reagan and

then worse with Bush/Cheney. Repugs don't give a crap.

[Hekate]

64. Dan Rather

[nadinbrzezinski]

69. BRAVO Mr Rather

it is indeed getting ugly out there. Though one small quip. They are not minefields, those are small tactical nukes.

[hay rick]

76. The problem isn't Trump intimidating reporters.

The problem is media ownership marginalizing good reporting by catapulting trivial stories and ignoring vital issues. The media air time devoted to the Cincinnati gorilla story probably exceeds the total air time devoted to our military budgets over the last decade.

More frightening than Trump spitting in the face of the media is the tens of millions of Republicans who watch him do it and don't care.

[Califonz]

80. It's a different era.

Reporters know that if they ask tough questions, vindictive pols like She Who Must Not Be Named will cut off access and the reporter will soon be looking for another job.