A Tree Falls in the Forest

 

There are many tragic elements to our current political moment, but by far the most tragic for liberty is the capture of the media by the Progressive Project. “If a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The mainstream press is incurious about the perfidy at the heart of the greatest political scandal in American history. Thus the only sure corrective — the people’s will expressed in thousands of precincts across America — is suppressed.

This thought was inspired by an anecdote included in Scott Johnson’s (PowerLine blog) review of Kim Strassel’s new book, Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America:

[W]e received this email message about Kim’s book from former SWIFT CEO Leonard Schrank. Writing from Brussels, Mr. Schrank noted:

“I was in Boston a week ago for an MIT workshop on Cybersecurity. I had time to hop the MTA to Harvard Square and its famous book store (three floors, classical music playing) at the Harvard Coop. The main floor had table after table featuring the latest books from the usual constellation of liberal/progressive authors. I browsed them all but no Kim Strassel. I finally asked the always helpful Information desk who queried his computer and directed me way up to the third floor “domestic affairs” section. I had to ask for help again on this floor and we finally located three copies buried on the bottom row of a bookshelf. I grabbed my copy and paid.

“Being an MIT alumnus, I call this Resistance cubed: Resistance to Resistance about the Resistance.”

As Strassel establishes in this valuable book, the tentacles of the Resistance reach wide and deep.

As Instapundit often notes in quotes:

Modern journalism is all about deciding which facts the public shouldn’t know because they might reflect badly on Democrats. (Jim Treacher)

Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving. (David Burge)

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  1. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    I have an audio version of her book, and her previous one about Intimidation.  We are driving to California tomorrow and listen to these books as we go.  I also have Gregg Jarret’s new book. His previous one was excellent but written before the Mueller farce report was published.  The car plays audio books through the radio speakers and I routinely do this.  One minor hazard. We listened to the Papadopoulis book last year and my wife nearly attacked the radio she was so angry at what was done to him.

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  2. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    President Trump is right about most things. But, the thing he’s most right about is the Press being the enemy of the people. The republic is under threat because of its mal-informed electorate. 

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  3. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    The sad part is that if Trump wins in 2020 and actually increases his victory margin, as Reagan did in 1984 and Bush did in 2004, many in the Democratic leadership will get the hint that that need to at least pretend to moderate for the next election. But many of the major media outlets won’t. They’re going to double down on their commitment to The Resistance, which means the invective would get worse, not better, in the 2021-24 period.

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  4. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment): President Trump is right about most things. But, the thing he’s most right about is the Press being the enemy of the people. The republic is under threat because of its mal-informed electorate.

    The sad part is that he was correct about it from the very beginning by being conspicuously specific with “the fake news is the enemy of the people.”  They reacted by throwing a temper tantrum of epic proportions that has now largely proven the more general phraseology used above to be equally true.  Now, if others in their camp would stop hiding behind false facades like “I’m an Arizona Republican” maybe the battle lines could be more accurately assessed by everyone.

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  5. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Rodin:

    The mainstream press is incurious about the perfidy at the heart of the greatest political scandal in American history. Thus the only sure corrective — the people’s will expressed in thousands of precincts across America — is suppressed.

    Except that Nixon won twice, and Reagan won twice when the far more limited forms of media, with much more social capital, worked diligently for their defeat. And President Trump was not supposed to win in 2016, as the entire media apparatus most people experience was telling people. I don’t think the suppression of voters is going to work in 2020 either.

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  6. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Rodin:

    The mainstream press is incurious about the perfidy at the heart of the greatest political scandal in American history. Thus the only sure corrective — the people’s will expressed in thousands of precincts across America — is suppressed.

    Except that Nixon won twice, and Reagan won twice when the far more limited forms of media, with much more social capital, worked diligently for their defeat. And President Trump was not supposed to win in 2016, as the entire media apparatus most people experience was telling people. I don’t think the suppression of voters is going to work in 2020 either.

    Fair point, @cliffordbrown

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  7. Tennessee Patriot Member
    Tennessee Patriot
    @TennesseePatriot

    This post is spot on. The national conversation should include the opinions in Andrew McCarthy’s book as well as Strassel’s and the allegations by Papadopoulis. The media will not discuss them or even review them. They have done the same to our Mollie Hemingway and her great book. People who get their news from Yahoo, Facebook, Google, etc., which is most of the electorate, know nothing of these books or views. A democratic republic cannot function when news which is damning to Progs is hidden from view of most of the populace.

    Our only hope is if the Progs suffer a thundering defeat at the ballot box in 2020 and slaps them in the face to a degree that really shakes things up. I am reminded that after McGovern was slapped hard, and Mondale, the Dems were chastened to not support radicals for a while- or at least they started lying about their true goals.

    I am not sure what to do about the media though. We need one or more of the major media outlets to be bought by Conservatives. It would also help people to be exposed to conservative views if we could break up the education monopoly as well as the social media monopolists by simply outlawing any person or business from gathering information about their customers. Outlaw cookies! They would lose their revenue stream and go broke.

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  8. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Tennessee Patriot (View Comment):
    I am not sure what to do about the media though. We need one or more of the major media outlets to be bought by Conservatives. It would also help people to be exposed to conservative views if we could break up the education monopoly as well as the social media monopolists by simply outlawing any person or business from gathering information about their customers.

    Yes.

    • #8
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