Two Types of People

 

There are two types of people that come to our attention from time to time. There are people that have a problem, and then there are people that are a problem. People who are a problem tend to increase the number of people who have a problem. I’m looking at you, Jim Acosta.

Jim Acosta is not really a reporter he is a pundit. A pundit who has turned White House press briefings into “The Jim Acosta Show.” His audience is the perpetually aggrieved and his fellow reporters in the White House briefing room. He’s not there to ask questions, he’s there to debate policy, and to make sure no other reporter gets camera time.

I’ve been reading some of the outrage from other media outlets about the revocation of his permanent White House Press Pass. All that tells me is that some journalists and their employers are exhibiting the characteristics of a species of rodent. Not rats, but lemmings. Lemmings that on occasion make a mad dash for the nearest cliff and throw themselves into the abyss. In Acosta’s case the abyss of boorish behavior and bad manners.

Jim Acosta has not been permanently banned from the White House, he now has to apply for a daily pass press. Good for one press briefing, and then repeat the process for the next briefing.

Mr. Acosta crossed a line by putting his hands on a White House intern and no matter how benign the touching was, it was to prevent her from taking a microphone that he does not own so it could be passed to another reporter. His fellow Lemmings, for whatever reason, are willing to tolerate Mr. Acosta preventing them from asking their own questions.

I know it may come as a shock to CNN and other media outlets that both private and public property belong to a person or persons who have lawful authority over that property. That lawful authority allows them to have people removed or limit their access to those properties. Mr. Acosta has no one to blame but himself for the loss of his permanent press pass.

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  1. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Acosta seems to think that preceding his little tirades with “If I may …” gives him license to proceed without even waiting for assent.

    I know four year olds that have that concept down, Jim. Why don’t you?

    • #1
  2. Vectorman Inactive
    Vectorman
    @Vectorman

    Doug Watt: I know it may comes as a shock to CNN, and other media outlets that both private, and public property have a person, or persons who have lawful authority over that property. That lawful authority allows them to have people removed, or limit their access to those properties.

    With you being a police officer, you bring a unique and very valuable insight to this situation. Thanks Doug!

    • #2
  3. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    He wasn’t asking questions. He was lecturing the President.

    And I have gotten the sense that his fellow “reporters” in the White House pool are not particularly fond of his antics. The talking heads back at their “news” desks might gripe on his behalf, but others in the actual room with him? I thought they were tired of his grandstanding, too. Am I mistaken?

     

    • #3
  4. EDISONPARKS Member
    EDISONPARKS
    @user_54742

    While the progressive Left (D)’s are free to “Resist” as they please, it is not the role of the fourth estate to “Resist”, but rather to report the news.

    Reporting will inevitably contain some bias, but that is entirely different from the MSM actively fighting against the policy of any elected administration.

    It would be nice if the MSM could at least go back to feigning impartiality.

    • #4
  5. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Vectorman (View Comment):

    Doug Watt: I know it may comes as a shock to CNN, and other media outlets that both private, and public property have a person, or persons who have lawful authority over that property. That lawful authority allows them to have people removed, or limit their access to those properties.

    With you being a police officer, you bring a unique and very valuable insight to this situation. Thanks Doug!

    Former police officer, who is now enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing, as the Italian’s say. My wife will verify that statement. My tolerance for nonsense, and those that defend nonsense is still pretty low.

     

    • #5
  6. Vectorman Inactive
    Vectorman
    @Vectorman

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    Former police officer,

    I was giving you the same respect as a Marine. You too deserve that.

    • #6
  7. Matt Bartle Member
    Matt Bartle
    @MattBartle

    On his podcast Andrew Klavan always refers to him as Jim “look at me I’m Jim!” Acosta.

     

    • #7
  8. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Vectorman (View Comment):

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    Former police officer,

    I was giving you the same respect as a Marine. You too deserve that.

    Thank you.

     

    • #8
  9. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Doug Watt: Mr. Acosta has no one to blame but himself for the loss of his permanent press pass. 

    Good riddance to bad rubbish . . .

    • #9
  10. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Acosta is not a pundit.  He is media creature, someone who only detects a very few bandwidths of reality, misses all else but is convinced he has a grasp on it all.  Acosta’s confidence is not just the result of an enormous ego.  He really does not know how shallow his grasp really is. 

    Philosophers and scientists would make lousy CNN on-camera talent because they tend to admit uncertainty wherever is exists and are plagued by the habit of humility that accompanies honest pursuit of truth and knowledge.  In contrast, a single-channel bandwidth moron (think Ted Baxter, Ron Burgundy…) can not only opine with confidence without any substantive foundation but expect that others should accept and affirm the pearls they dispense.

     

    • #10
  11. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    If Jim Acosta wants a talk show this badly, he should apply for Alec Baldwin’s slot over at ABC.

    Do you suppose that he’d be able to out-draw reruns of “Forensic Files?”

    • #11
  12. Mim526 Inactive
    Mim526
    @Mim526

    Probably what would really get to a person like Acosta is not to call on him.  Just silently shut him out until he gets the message he will be called on when he has a question to ask with at least a modicum of respect.  And if he doesn’t get the message, his network can either send a reporter who does or do without White House coverage. 

    One thing about Trump’s tweets, he’s proved he has other means of getting a message out than traditional reporters.  Shoot, all the networks could refuse to cover him and he’d still get millions of hits on a video the White House could produce as they want and put on YouTube…it’d be Yuge.

    • #12
  13. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    The next time Acosta is handed a mic it should be from the Secret Service. The agent should have a taser in the other hand.  If Acosta doesn’t hand the mic back promptly I would hope tasers don’t short out a mic permanently.

    • #13
  14. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    Gosh, even Kanye would’ve prefaced his hectoring remarks with “I’m-a let you finish, but…”

    And WOTP:

    Poor lemmings. Disney taught a couple of generations of Americans that they run off of cliffs en masse, but they do not (though they do sometimes kill themselves inadvertently due to the mating imperative.) Bonus fact: frogs just hop out of the water when it gets too hot.

    • #14
  15. Chris Campion Coolidge
    Chris Campion
    @ChrisCampion

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    Gosh, even Kanye would’ve prefaced his hectoring remarks with “I’m-a let you finish, but…”

    And WOTP:

    Poor lemmings. Disney taught a couple of generations of Americans that they run off of cliffs en masse, but they do not (though they do sometimes kill themselves inadvertently due to the mating imperative.) Bonus fact: frogs just hop out of the water when it gets too hot.

    We’ve finally uncovered the one lemming sympathizer here on Ricochet!  We discovered the mole!  

    Er, lemming.

    Norwegian genocide!  My own personal horrifying Nordic ancestry: From the link:

    Lemmings have become the subject of a widely popular misconception that they commit mass suicide when they migrate by jumping off cliffs. It is not a mass suicide but the result of their migratory behavior. Driven by strong biological urges, some species of lemmings may migrate in large groups when population density becomes too great. They can swim and may choose to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat. In such cases, many may drown if the body of water is so wide as to stretch their physical capabilities to the limit. This and the unexplained fluctuations in the population of Norwegian lemmings gave rise to the misconception.

    This urban myth was popularised after this behavior was staged in the Walt Disney documentary White Wilderness in 1958. However, the animals in the film are not wild animals jumping off the cliff voluntarily, rather they were bought by the producers and pushed over the edge of the cliff. The misconception itself is much older, dating back to at least the late 19th century.[11][12][13]

    These days, isn’t the white wilderness Appalachia, basically?

     

    • #15
  16. Simon Templar Member
    Simon Templar
    @

    Chris Campion (View Comment):

    These days, isn’t the white wilderness Appalachia, basically?

    OMG!  Give me funny.

    • #16
  17. Sisyphus Member
    Sisyphus
    @Sisyphus

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    He wasn’t asking questions. He was lecturing the President.

    And I have gotten the sense that his fellow “reporters” in the White House pool are not particularly fond of his antics. The talking heads back at their “news” desks might gripe on his behalf, but others in the actual room with him? I thought they were tired of his grandstanding, too. Am I mistaken?

     

    The media is nothing if not devoid of all self reflection. They will cheerfully chastise Trump and Sanders from one side of their mouths while sharing Acosta annoyance out the other. Hypocrisy is their chief virtue.

    • #17
  18. Barfly Member
    Barfly
    @Barfly

    Old Bathos (View Comment):

    Acosta [… snip …] really does not know how shallow his grasp really is.

    [… snip …] a single-channel bandwidth moron (think Ted Baxter, Ron Burgundy…) can not only opine with confidence without any substantive foundation but expect that others should accept and affirm the pearls they dispense.

    That’s a well-documented phenomenon: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect

     

    • #18
  19. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    The most irritating thing about this occurrence to me is the number of fools claiming that it is a threat to freedom of the press for Acosta to lose his pass. As far as I know, Acosta can stand outside the White House and babble incoherently all day and no government official will interfere. 

    • #19
  20. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):
    (though they do sometimes kill themselves inadvertently due to the mating imperative.)

    Who doesn’t?

    • #20
  21. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    Ontheleftcoast (View Comment):

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):
    (though they do sometimes kill themselves inadvertently due to the mating imperative.)

    Who doesn’t?

    Great point. It’s a wonder I’m still alive. 

    • #21
  22. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    He wasn’t asking questions. He was lecturing the President.

    And I have gotten the sense that his fellow “reporters” in the White House pool are not particularly fond of his antics. The talking heads back at their “news” desks might gripe on his behalf, but others in the actual room with him? I thought they were tired of his grandstanding, too. Am I mistaken?

    I imagine you are right, but wagons gotta circle. 

    • #22
  23. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    A ‘permanent White House press pass’ shouldn’t exist. 

    Nor should these inbred lapdog/attack dog ‘reporters’. They are an embarrassment to their profession. 

    • #23
  24. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Bill Clinton taught us the meaning of “is,” what constituted sexual relations, and now Acosta follows his Democrat Party elder’s example and puts his hand on White House interns.

    Unfortunately, this time it was non-consensual. When I did a previous employer’s mandatory sexual harassment training, it was made clear to us that permitting a non-employee doing business with the company to sexually harass a colleague or subordinate would in effect be creating a hostile work environment for the object of the harassment and was absolutely unacceptable.

    It wasn’t covered, but I would think that witnessing assault and battery on a colleague, and especially on a subordinate, without taking appropriate steps would also be grounds for disciplinary consequences.

    • #24
  25. Simon Templar Member
    Simon Templar
    @

    Ontheleftcoast (View Comment):

    Bill Clinton taught us the meaning of “is,” what constituted sexual relations, and now Acosta follows his Democrat Party elder’s example and puts his hand on White House interns.

    Unfortunately, this time it was non-consensual. When I did a previous employer’s mandatory sexual harassment training, it was made clear to us that permitting a non-employee doing business with the company to sexually harass a colleague or subordinate would in effect be creating a hostile work environment for the object of the harassment and was absolutely unacceptable.

    It wasn’t covered, but I would think that witnessing assault and battery on a colleague, and especially on a subordinate, without taking appropriate steps would also be grounds for disciplinary consequences.

    Ya but may I remind you of the Doctrine of Intersectionality which says that if one supports abortion and is a Dem President then he may rape women and underaged girls to his hearts content and still get oral sex on demand from the White House Press Corps.  R U not keeping up with current and not so current events dude?

    • #25
  26. Simon Templar Member
    Simon Templar
    @

    Billy-Bob Clinton is still a Prog icon, is he not?

    If so your honor, I rest my case.

    • #26
  27. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Simon Templar (View Comment):

    Bill-Bob Clinton is still a Prog icon, is he not?

    If so your honor, I rest my case.

    Harvey Weinstein must be wondering why Bill is still of use to the Left, then. 

    Location of buried bodies?

    A favor to Her Herness?

    It can’t be just Bill biting his lip and feeling our pain.

    • #27
  28. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    Ontheleftcoast (View Comment):

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):
    (though they do sometimes kill themselves inadvertently due to the mating imperative.)

    Who doesn’t?

    Great point. It’s a wonder I’m still alive.

    Here’s a case in point. 18 of them, in fact:

    Man shoots buck with two heads. One had been dead for quite a while.

    Sgt. Tony Dunker with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife told that he suspects the decaying head belonged to a deer who had been dead for weeks after locking antlers in a fight. Ballard County, where the deer was shot, is in far western Kentucky where Illinois and Missouri meet, about 30 miles southeast of Cape Girardeau.

    Dunker thinks that the bucks fought over territory or mates. After one died, its body decayed to the point where the head came loose, according to Dunker’s account.

    “He packed it around a little while until Mr. Long came along,” Dunker said of the deer and the extra head. Residents in the area previously had spotted the buck alive with the decaying head in its antlers and taken pictures.

    There are photos.

    • #28
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