Two Videos Worth Watching
President Donald Trump would much prefer to live inside his own self-constructed bubble, where everything he does is the right thing to do and he gets nothing but praise for his stable genius and masterful leadership. But since it's an election year, he's not going to get that luxury. In particular, the reality of his ongoing incompetent and disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic is now beginning to invade his own personal safe space. Because more and more people are pointing out the vast difference between Trump's "reality" and the actual facts on the ground, with increasing bluntness. After all, people are dying out there -- a lot of them. Nothing could be more serious.
Astonishingly enough though, the two most effective blows to Trump's bubble this week did not come from his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, but rather from two other sources -- one very close to home, and one from afar. Two videos were released this week, one of which Trump just took notice of in a post-midnight tweetstorm (which undoubtedly boosted its viewership, much to the delight of its creators), and one of which has so far flown mostly under Trump's radar. The first came from a group of Trump's fellow Republicans which is led by George Conway, husband of Trump sycophant and apologist Kellyanne. The second came from China. Or, as we're now supposed to refer to them: "the Chinese communist government." More on that in a moment.
There's Mourning In America
The Lincoln Project is a political action group founded by Republicans who were (and still are) aghast at what Donald Trump is doing to their own party. The group has already produced many scathing commentaries on Trump's myriad faults, but their latest release really stands out. Whatever person or team was responsible for coming up with this one really deserves a raise, in fact, because it's that good.
The ad is titled: "There's Mourning In America," which is a riff on a famous ad by Ronald Reagan (hallowed be his name, at least to Republicans...) from his 1984 campaign. Reagan's ad was called "It's Morning In America," and it proclaimed a bright and optimistic future brought forth by St. Ronnie himself, after Democrats had destroyed everything good and wholesome about the country back in the 1970s. The ad was incredibly effective, and Reagan went on to win another landslide victory in the 1984 election. That's why the ad is still remembered today, in fact.
The Lincoln Project's ad is the dystopian flip-side of this coin. It slams Trump's coronavirus response and presents the current reality as bordering on postapocalyptic. It scathingly lays blame for the mishandling of the pandemic squarely at Trump's feet, where it belongs. The production values are top-notch and the message is both crystal-clear and devastating: Trump badly screwed things up, and he is certainly not fit to be president for another four years.
The ad begins with: "There's mourning in America. Today, more than 60,000 Americans have died from the deadly virus Donald Trump ignored." After pointing out the destruction of the economy in detail, it concludes with a downright existential question: "There's mourning in America. And under the leadership of Donald Trump, our country's weaker... and sicker... and poorer. And now Americans are asking, if we have another four years like this, will there even be an America?"
The effectiveness of the ad is what got under Trump's skin, obviously. Which led to the rage-tweeting in the wee hours of this morning. As usual, Trump stooped to playground name-calling and insults, because he simply cannot argue the merits of the case.
Once Upon A Virus
Donald Trump and those around him (including some people who really ought to know better) have grasped at one last thin reed in their ongoing attempts to be sure that the buck stops anywhere but on Trump's desk. They're now attempting to shovel all the blame onto China for Trump's own utter failure to realize the pandemic was so serious until -- at the very earliest -- mid-March.
They do not even attempt to explain how anything that happened in January could possibly have prevented them from acting in February or early March, but all of that is papered over by increasingly-strident propaganda efforts to place all the blame at the feet of (as they've now taken to calling it) "the Chinese communist government." That is the new order from on high: never just say "China," always use the full propagandistic Cold-War-era phrase instead. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they even completed this journey into the dim and distant past by dusting off the old term "ChiComs" once again. The Chinese communist government, according to Team Trump, lied and covered up the seriousness of the pandemic in its earliest days, thus preventing Trump from acting as early as he certainly would have if only he had known.
While the complaints about what China did in January are almost certainly true to some degree or another, this utterly fails to explain what happened here in February and the first two weeks of March. How could what happened in the first few weeks of January have prevented Trump from acting during this later period? This is never explained. Also never explained (or even mentioned) was Trump's fawning praise for China and his good buddy Chairman Xi -- including specific praise for their "transparency" -- all throughout January and beyond. All that's gone down the memory hole, because if any American is now angry about anything at all to do with the virus response, they should just simply blame China, because it's all somehow entirely their fault.
The Chinese (excuse me... the "Chinese communist government"...) has now gotten tired of Trump's view of things, so they put out a propaganda video of their own, which is not only devastating to the story Trump is trying to tell, it is also downright hilarious.
Titled: "Once Upon A Virus," the ad is done using Lego figures. That's right -- a miniature Lego movie. On one side of the screen is a Chinese warrior (backed up by Chinese doctors), while on the other side stands a Lego Statue of Liberty. They could easily have decided to go with a Lego version of Trump, since almost everything said is either a direct quote from Trump or a fairly accurate paraphrasing of his own words, but they decided to go with symbolism instead.
Notably, the ad is in English. Because its intended audience is the American public.
The ad takes you through the calendar, showing (in their opinion) how things progressed. China warned the world, but America totally ignored the warnings. [China: "It's airborne." U.S.A.: "It will magically go away in April."] When things got bad, America desperately tried to blame China for their own shortcomings. And America couldn't even keep its story straight. [U.S.A.: "We are always correct even though we contradict ourselves." China: "Gosh! Just listen to yourself!"]
For a propaganda film from (ahem) the Chinese communist government, it's pretty hilariously effective. After all, if the United States is engaging in their own propaganda war against them, why shouldn't they fire back? And by using comedy instead of attempting to whip up public sentiment by using old Cold War language, the Chinese seem to be winning this propaganda war.
Conclusion
There is indeed a propaganda war being waged right now. Or, in less judgmental language, both Trump and his detractors (who are legion) are trying to convince the American public (especially those who vote) of their particular version of events. The Democrats have the upper hand in this P.R. war, as usual, since they have the truth on their side. But the Democrats aren't the only ones who are savagely pointing out how ridiculously laughable Trump's declarations of "success" and "winning" have been all along. Trump's bubble is also under assault from members of his own party (who have the resources to produce and field such effective ads) and from those on the world stage that Trump is now desperately trying to blame for all his own failings. He's finally met a crisis that can't just be tweeted away, which many are now pointing out to him.
No wonder he's so angry. Up until now, his bluster and outright lies have always turned the media tide and won each day's news cycle. Which is all he really cares about, of course. But this time around, with the election now less than six months away, Trump's Teflon has lost its slipperiness. Things are beginning to stick to him, in other words. In Trumpworld, seeing 100,000 Americans die can be chalked up as a great success, but not so much in the real world.
Trump is now increasingly trying to circle the wagons. He's issued an edict that nobody on the pandemic response team will be allowed to testify before Congress without his express permission. Because who knows what all those scientists will say under oath? Today the news broke that he's even considering disbanding the team entirely -- since, according to Trump, the crisis is now officially over and America can just reopen and get on with normal life once again. So much winning!
But, of course, not everyone sees things quite the same as those within the Trump bubble. So I would bet that these two videos -- devastating though they may be -- will not be the final salvo in this war of words.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Astonishingly enough though, the two most effective blows to Trump's bubble this week did not come from his Democratic opponent Joe Biden …
Hmmm … I thought there was more connection between the Lincoln Project and the Biden campaign, no? Heh.
For a propaganda film from (ahem) the Chinese communist government, it's pretty hilariously effective. After all, if the United States is engaging in their own propaganda war against them, why shouldn't they fire back? And by using comedy instead of attempting to whip up public sentiment by using old Cold War language, the Chinese seem to be winning this propaganda war.
The Lincoln Project could learn from Chinese propaganda!
Seriously, is it propaganda when it is the God's honest truth?
I wonder how the Lincoln Project video is going to play - I didn't really like it.
It's just way too depressing. But, it must have been an easy one to make.
Michael,
Sure I'm disappointed that the Democratic Establishment got the major non-Biden candidates to drop out and (mostly) endorse Joe. I'm disappointed that Democratic voters wussed out on the subject of "electability," as I think Bernie is not only more electable but would have handled Trump better than I fear Joe will (or won't.)
But there isn't a chance in hell that I'd ever vote for the worst President in our history. America can't do this for another four years.
Who's Michael?
And, if the Democratic establishment did what you say they did, then that's the first time that I'm aware of that they finally figured out who Joe Biden is. Just like most Democratic voters. Ahem.
If Bernie was electable, he'd be the nominee today. But, he's not, so he isn't. Deal with it.
And, I would just as soon see you not vote at all or write Bernie in than to have to visualize you voting while holding your nose … for no discernable reason, I might add.
Sorry, MtnCaddy - that was a bit harsh. :) I'm a bid on edge, these days ...
… as you can clearly see.
In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they even completed this journey into the dim and distant past by dusting off the old term "ChiComs" once again.
Oh, ChiCom has been all the rage for a while already; see e.g.:
https://www.redstate.com/stu-in-sd/2020/03/26/the-chicom-propaganda-offensive-is-real-and-ongoing-and-the-democrat-media-complex-are-complicit/
MFP
[65] dsws wrote:
[149] of previous thread
ListenWhenYouHear wrote:
Fact is, he knows Biden is innocent
No one knows whether Biden is innocent, except Biden himself. We don't have The Truth. We have the evidence.
dsws:
Our legal system views Biden as “innocent until proven guilty”. I am also saying that he is innocent because Reade waited almost 30 years to report this....and because Reade did not make a criminal complaint at the time that she now claims she was assaulted (1993) there is no chance that evidence is available that would prove that he was guilty!
Biden has denied that this event ever took place. Reade’s past online posts of support for Biden when he has championed protecting women in the workplace now seem like an odd reaction from her considering what she has now accused him of doing!
MFP
[66] nypoet22 wrote:
@dan,
a "metaphorical" gun to your head? like donald threatened to destroy a girl's career and that's why they let him touch them? i'm not saying it doesn't happen, but that doesn't seem to be his thing. donald's probably just so into himself that he can't conceive of a reality in which every woman alive doesn't desperately want to jump into bed with "a star"
JL,
The above post stemmed from a previous comment you’d made regarding Michale’s claim that the unsuspecting women (that Trump bragged about kissing before they could stop him) had allowed Trump to do that to them:
that's getting consent after the fact
Consent has to be given... silence is not consent. Trump knew that most women are less likely to make a fuss if he does it when no one is looking and it would be their word vs. his. And Trump has publicly humiliated women who had the gall to not accept his sexual advances. And if they try to go after him legally, Trump has a long history of going after and trying to destroy anyone who has stood up to him. The National Enquirer was Trump’s BFF as they acted like spoiled mean girls spreading rumors that could destroy people’s lives unless they withdrew any complaints about Trump.
Dan,
Not even close. Letting someone do something because they've got a gun to your head is the opposite of consent. No matter whether the gun is literal or metaphorical, the significance is the same, as long as it's effective.
But in this context, that was not the case...
In this context, the women "let" the rich guy do anything they want because they are attracted to the money..
I know you people like to spin what Donald Trump says to feed the hate...
But would it be possible to stick with the FACTS???
It would be a welcome change around here... :D
Russ,
Our legal system views Biden as “innocent until proven guilty”. I am also saying that he is innocent because Reade waited almost 30 years to report this....and because Reade did not make a criminal complaint at the time that she now claims she was assaulted (1993) there is no chance that evidence is available that would prove that he was guilty!
WOW...
Dood... Did you hurt yourself.. That exact 180 whiparound from what you claimed during the Kavanaugh lynching must have really put some Gs on yer body..
So... NOW you are claiming that a person is INNOCENT until proven guilty in a court of law...
NOW you are claiming that a woman's accusation is not proof of guilt..
NOW you are claiming that because the rape happened so long ago, it simply CAN'T be proven as fact...
WOW...
What a complete turnaround from yer Kavanaugh lynching, eh?? :D
So, let's apply this new found epiphanies of yours..
Since you NOW believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty, then you believe that President Donald Trump is completely innocent of everything he has EVER been accused of...
Since you NOW believe that ALL WOMEN are **NOT** to be believed, President Trump is completely innocent of all those women's accusations..
Since you NOW believe that sexual assaults that happened so long ago cannot be proven as fact, that means that there are no facts to support any of the accusations that women have made against President Trump..
You've come a long way, baby... Congratulations... :D
Who's Michael?
I was wondering the same thing m'self... :D
CW,
So.. Now yer pushing Chinese Propaganda Videos???
Against your own President???
"Oh how the mighty have fallen..."
-Guinan, STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION
Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized, expects to participate in oral arguments Wednesday
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ruth-bader-ginsburg-hospitalized-expects-to-participate-in-oral-arguments-wednesday-2020-05-05/
Looks like President Trump is going to get his third SCOTUS pick sooner rather than later..
ANOTHER factor that guarantees that President Trump will be re-elected..
Biden allegations reverberate on Senate campaign trail, as Dems face accusations of double standard
While the sexual-assault accusation against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden swiftly dominated the presidential race last week, the case also has had an impact on the Senate campaign trail.
Republicans are accusing Democrats of treating this allegation differently than they did for those against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation process, as Democrats largely stand behind Biden and his denials.
"Well, at the very least it's pretty obvious that the same people who were outraged about allegations -- unproven allegations against Justice Kavanaugh when he was in high school -- seemed to have little or no interest, or certainly not as much interest, in suggestions of improper behavior by an adult who's in the Senate," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in an interview on the "Guy Benson Show" on Fox News Radio last month.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-tight-senate-races-say-dems-enforcing-double-standard-sexual-assault
The rape criminal complaint against Joe Biden continues to reverberate up and down the campaign trail...
Anyone who thinks this is just going to fade away is deluding themselves..
Assuming that MC was talking to me..
Michael,
Sure I'm disappointed that the Democratic Establishment got the major non-Biden candidates to drop out and (mostly) endorse Joe. I'm disappointed that Democratic voters wussed out on the subject of "electability," as I think Bernie is not only more electable but would have handled Trump better than I fear Joe will (or won't.)
What's yer take on the rape criminal complaint against Biden???
But there isn't a chance in hell that I'd ever vote for the worst President in our history. America can't do this for another four years.
So, you would vote for Biden The Rapist.... OK... Just wanted to get that on record..
But have no fear.. America WILL have President Trump for another 4 years..
And despite this minor setback, courtesy of the Chinese Government and the Democrat Party, America will rise up stronger than ever..
Thanx to the awesome leadership of President Donald Trump..
Joe Biden Is Not Persuasive
His responses to Tara Reade’s allegations may be forceful, but they’re not particularly convincing.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/05/joe-biden-not-persuasive-tara-reade.html
Democrat water carrier...
Tara Reade is NOT going away....
Joe Biden was already talking about the past. “April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee wrote on Friday, May 1. That was how he opened his first direct public statement about his former staffer Tara Reade’s claim that he had sexually assaulted her in 1993. It took him nearly 400 words to get to the allegation itself, and to deny that it ever happened—nearly 400 words in which he framed himself as an ally, as a crusader even, for women, based on his work on the Violence Against Women Act as a senator, on the “It’s On Us” campaign as vice president, and on his diligence, apparently, each April, to think about victims of sexual assault.
He went on Morning Joe that same day, to have a conversation with Mika Brzezinski where he offered his first spoken remarks on the now-month-old allegation. Brzezinski started with the obvious question—did this happen? Biden denied it unequivocally. His most repeated phrase during the interview was “it never happened,” but they also spent a good amount of time talking about access to files that seem extraordinarily unlikely to prove anything about whether or not Joe Biden put his fingers up Tara Reade’s skirt and penetrated her in a Senate hallway in 1993.
That DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS interview with Brezenski did Joe Biden some real harm..
It was obvious he was struggling to be convincing, but you could tell he KNOWS that the Delaware papers are rife with accusations..
If they weren't, he would release them in a stone cold minute...
This, apparently, was enough for leaders of the Democratic Party. Elizabeth Warren, who is widely thought to be under consideration for the VP spot and who spent the most memorable parts of her own campaign for president knocking down men accused of sexual harassment, found Biden’s words “credible and convincing.” Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan and another possible VP, similarly spoke in favor of Biden following his rebuttal, saying that “not every claim is equal.” Tom Perez, the head of the Democratic National Committee, said that Biden has been “very clear that this did not happen.” Perez called Biden’s rebuttal “forceful” while also noting that the former vice president managed to be clear that women’s complaints of this nature ought to be taken seriously.
Perez is right that Biden was forceful in refuting the allegations. But there’s a difference between forceful and convincing. When it comes to the nominee for president, you want someone who can go beyond saying “I didn’t do this” multiple times, to face the most unfavorable of the evidence and give a believable account of what it means. Ideally, you might even want someone who could speak cogently and intelligently about the complications and difficulties of where we currently are in #MeToo, even someone who could provide a path forward for where we ought to go next.
That, obviously, is not Joe Biden. It’s worthwhile to dig into the talking points he was using to form the argument for his innocence, because it shows just how far Joe Biden is from being that person.
The bulk of his argument is a matter of misdirection, or category error: Joe Biden couldn’t have done this, because he is an advocate of women. The proof is found in how he’s behaved in public during a particular stretch of time, whose dates were established by Joe Biden. He started doing this kind of pro-women work “over 25 years ago,” the statement notes repeatedly—an oddly chosen time frame for a 77-year-old whose political career began nearly 50 years ago. But starting in 1994, when the Violence Against Women Act was passed, is much easier for Biden than starting in, say, 1991, when he bungled the Anita Hill hearings.
This is the problem with all of the Trump/America haters defense of Joe Biden.
Joe is an advocate for women so he COULDN'T have done it..
Bill Clinton and Harvey Weinstein were ALSO big advocates for women..
And we now know that Joe Biden is of a kind like Bubba and Harvey..
Tara Reade is NOT going away..
This much is fact..
So.. Now yer pushing Chinese Propaganda Videos???
Why not? You yourself have become quite infatuated with a Russian asset.
72,024 Americans dead due to Coronavirus and counting...
Why not? You yourself have become quite infatuated with a Russian asset.
You mean Biden?? The guy who said he wants to keep his interactions with Putin secret??
I am the very opposite of "infatuated" with Joe Biden..
72,024 Americans dead due to Coronavirus and counting...
And you are happier and happier with every dead American..
#SickFuck
President Putin has a higher approval rating in America then the American President, particularly with women. President Putin has an alluring combination of strength with gentleness. His sensuous image projects his love for life, the embodiment of grace while facing adversity. It is evident that he loves his country, his people and his job.
-Tara Reade
72,050 Americans dead due to Coronavirus and counting and all you can do is distract, name call and make excuses...
Funny how no one here cared about dead Americans until such time as the number of dead surpassed Odumbo's...
Which simply proves that no one here cares about dead Americans unless they can beat President Trump over the head with it..
Just like no one cares about rape unless they can beat President Trump over the head with it...
The FACTS clearly show that with ya'all, it's *ONLY* about the -D vs -R...
“They are documents that existed and that for example when I go, when I met with Putin or when I met with whomever. And all of that to be fodder in a campaign at this time.”
-Joe Biden
and all you can do is distract, name call and make excuses...
Says the douche bag moron who has been doing NOTHING but distract, name call and make excuses since Jun 2015..
72,050 Americans dead due to Coronavirus and counting
Yep.. The glee in your comment is as unmistakable as it is sick and pathetic...
Look in the mirror...
Just think how yer gonna feel when President Trump wins re-election.. :D
Oh yer gonna get bitch-slapped every day.... :D
Look in the mirror...
Your rebuttals are as lame and pathetic as your glee about dead Americans..
that lincoln project video is pretty powerful.
Independent voters, by a 43-22 percent margin, say the allegations {{that Joe Biden raped Tara Reade}} are likely true.
Biden is toast... Pure and simple...
Joshua,
that lincoln project video is pretty powerful.
Really? How so?
@liz,
the link is in CW's article, so click it and find out.
JL
Joshus,
I've already said I click it and didn't think it was powerful, just too depressing.
If you don't wish to tell me why you think it will have an impact, don't bother then.
so much for rational discussion around here … especially around here
geesh!
Whatever.
adios.
i'm back.
Let me put it another way. How do you think this video is going to change any minds?
@lizus,
the ad is effective because it communicates in language that a large swath of fox viewers can actually relate to. it reaches beyond the left-wing echo chamber, so to speak.
JL
I see. :)
That reminds of … you had to be there!
It could be said that what the country is undergoing from the corona virus is a 'Pandemic', and what Biden's supporters are undergoing from his pending nomination is a 'Dempanic'!!
@crs,
it has been said. i think it was michale who said it.
JL
"the Chinese communist government."
Could be worse. They could be demonizing people of Chinese heritage worldwide.
[5]
the worst President in our history.
I don't know. I'm still pretty impressed with Buchanan (and not in a good way).
[10]
Our legal system views Biden as “innocent until proven guilty”.
No one is talking about criminal prosecution. It's about the right of citizens to a reasonable level of confidence that they're not nominating or electing a perpetrator of sexual assault.
I am also saying that he is innocent because Reade waited almost 30 years to report this.
Delayed reporting is normal in such cases. Are you also ready to declare Trump and Weinstein innocent of offenses that weren't reported much later (even though Weinstein was convicted in court)?
Biden has denied that this event ever took place.
Practically every perpetrator denies that their alleged crimes ever happened. So that can't count for much, unless we're prepared to abandon most response to a wide range of offenses.
@dan,
accusing a candidate for office of an ancient sexual offense has become so standard it's a cliche. if not beyond a reasonable doubt, i think the public would need a heck of a lot more than just one accusation to abandon their chosen candidate.
JL
dsws,
No one is talking about criminal prosecution. It's about the right of citizens to a reasonable level of confidence that they're not nominating or electing a perpetrator of sexual assault.
OK. What would we need to do to achieve a “reasonable level of confidence” that we are not backing “a perpetrator of sexual assault”?
Looking at Biden’s and Reade’s histories are a good place to start. Biden never had any complaints of sexual harassment or assault brought against him in the decades that he served in Congress. Zero. We know this because he was extremely well vetted before becoming Obama’s choice to run as VP on the 2008 ticket. If there was even the smallest indiscretion to be found, it’s safe to say that the GOP would have brought it forward at the time!
Reade was let go from her job in Biden’s office after only 9 months. Why? We don’t know. Long time members of Biden’s staff either barely remember her time working in the office or have no memory of her at all. Had she been fired for accusing Biden of sexual harassment, it is likely that would be something they would have remembered; especially since she’d have been the first person to make such allegations against him.
I am also saying that he is innocent because Reade waited almost 30 years to report this.
Delayed reporting is normal in such cases. Are you also ready to declare Trump and Weinstein innocent of offenses that weren't reported much later (even though Weinstein was convicted in court)?
You are right. I edited out a large part of my reply and took out more than I meant to.
I agree that it may take victims decades to have the strength and courage to bring forth allegations against their attackers. It may be the first time they say the person’s name since the attack occurred. But Reade’s accusations were not the first time she’s made comments regarding Biden. She had been a fan of his on social media for years... proudly telling the world “that’s my old boss” when Biden made headlines for pushing legislation that helped women reporting sexual harassment in the workplace.
If Kavanaugh’s accuser had been a big supporter of his ruling against those who committed sexual assaults for years but never mentioned that he had assaulted her — she would not have been taken seriously by anyone.
Reade’s story keeps changing details. She never mentioned being assaulted when she talked to reporters two years ago and joined other women who said Biden had been overly affectionate with them and they felt uncomfortable because of it.
Given all of these factors, I cannot imagine why anyone would think it is reasonable to believe that Biden was guilty.