On February 8, Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report describing President Joe Biden as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" and “diminished faculties.” Although Hur concluded that criminal charges against Biden for mishandling classified information were not warranted, his assessment of Biden's mental state prompted a media firestorm.
I too wondered about the big media and that report. I love the New York Times and the Washington Post ( the Wall Street Journal is loosing its way) BUT when I read their coverage I ( same age as President Biden by two days) said to myself WTF . I think CONFIRMATION BIAS plays an enormous role in that coverage. Selling papers does too. Here is something to remember, there is chronological age and there is biological age. WE ARE NOT ALL SUFFERING FROM SEVERE MEMORY LOSS. In fact look at Trump. Probably extremely physically unhealthy. His memory is (despite his assertion to the contrary) very faulty. And by the way in my experience many many 60 and 50 year olds have shit memories. All that screen ogling and social media noise has turned their minds into cream cheese. All presidents are surrounded by advisors and experts of many kinds. Good presidents learn from those around them. Trump , like many in the tech world , thinks he knows everything. If age is a major issue then they must run those types stories for BOTH candidates. Finally, since both candidates are OLD then morality, decency, and competence should be the focus.
A female commentator on my local channel 9 [Wausau, WI] managed to mention Biden's faulty memory 6 times in a 3 minute segment, so yes, Mr. Hur, who, let's not forget, is a Trump appointee, was somehow chosen by Merrick Garland.
I cannot understand this attitude of the AG: He knew that Trump had chosen Hur, but he didn't think that might be a problem to have HIM issue a report on President Biden, who is Trump's opponent in the presidential race? How could he NOT see the conflict of interest in Robert Hur? The divided loyalty?
There might have been a less biased person. For this report, Mr. Hur was the employee. Merrick Garland did read the report before letting it out the door. why did he allow it? Garland allowed Hur to "pull a Comey":
Troubling also is the fact that Mr. Hur resigned the day before his testimony: That put him out of the reach of the DOJ so he could continue the calumny in public and not be bound by the ethics of the DOJ., that he is not allowed to editorialize, which he did.
Finally, because Hur and his report were the center piece, we couldn't expect to have Trump treated the same way, but newspapers all over the country should be allowed to point out that Mr. Trump, in his testimony, said over 35 times that he : didn't remember, didn't recall etc. Over 35 times!
Hur must have forgotten that he credited our president for having near photographic recall. They (democrats) took it to him in that hearing and Stallworth's video montage was brilliant.
Of course the RW'z are trying to claim the hearing was a victory for their dubious and delusional side. Blaze Media is touting it and The RedState is shouting it.
More of that Comer, Jordon, Greene, Vance, Gates, Mace, Stefanick,Tuberville, Boebert, et-al style-loser energy and abject stupidity, not to mention an extremely high level of incompetence, whether natural or manufactured.
I can't wait to see the WHOLE damned party crater like a meteorite in the desert.
To me, a vital part of the story is that Hur resigned from the Justice Department the night before his testimony and had his own counsel at the hearing. Something very fishy about that and for some reason, the media does not want to touch it.
The corporate media is desperate to keep Trump and the MAGA Republicans in the game. The easiest way for them to avoid covering them honestly which would burn them to the ground with all but the hard core angry white rascist Christo-fascist base is to sully up Joe Biden. And Hur's report made that easy for them to do because it reinforced their narrative that Biden is a doddering old man.(translation, he might die and the black lady would become president, the horror!)
And they found themselves totally screwed by Joe's masterful delivery at the SOTU, followed up by Katie Britt's fundie baby lies, followed up by Hur's humiliation.
This will only slow their efforts, not stop them. But it will interesting to see what they do when Trump is convicted in Manhattan. And when it is revealed that his judgements are being bankrolled by the Saudis or the Russians.
Nothing is going to change in regards to the "mainstream media." They are permanently under-staffed now, and permanently neutered by a VERY successful 30+ year GOP effort branding of a "liberal media bias" (a myth if there ever was one). Couple all that with the aging, white male slant of editorial boards and that media companies are owned by massive companies with one singular mission, and, accurate and factual journalism is...rare, and rarely makes an impact. Not like the collective impact that 66 biaed stories on the Hur report have had, to name one example.
Not a single day goes by without Trump having increasing difficulty in getting a coherent thought together. He is cognitively a hot mess. There simply is zero comparison to be had, next to Biden.
No threats to cancel subscriptions, nor actual cancelations will make a difference. They might for a minute, the NYT might change a headline a day later, but that's a pyrhicc victory at best.
I wish there was another answer besides to look for and support places like Popular Information. Share articles like this one. To try not to engage when the click bait shows up in your feed. Find and follow journalists that do the work and can break a story - the guy who destroyed the GOP SOTU response thanks to his investigating is a great example.
Thanks, Judd for once again demonstrating what journalism is supposed to be. I am not at all surprised by the utter failure of the MSM to accurately report the story and to provide a proper perspective, as i have been tracking their failures on climate change and environmental problems for years.
What struck the most was the bar chart showing that the so called "liberal" NYT and WaPo were much more biased than Murdock's avowed right wing WSJ. Bothsidism on steroids.
I lost my daughter in 2018 and sometimes I still can’t believe she gone and have to take a moment to relive the timeline. I’m in my 50s. Screw the folks trying to make political hay out from a bereaved parent. They should go pound sand.
The media keeps making a big deal about the president fumbling the year of his son’s death. As someone who suffered a similar tragedy, I can tell you every minute detail about the day, where I was when I found out, my feelings, everything….but if you asked me the year, I’d probably have to stop and think, and I’m about 20 years younger than the president. They should all be so lucky as to never have to experience such a tragedy.
NPR Morning Edition also was horrible. Prior to the Congressional testimony Tamara Keith provided her highlights from reading the transcript and was fairly accurate in describing Biden's memory as photographic, clear on many events from years ago, etc. But she did add the piece about forgetting the year his son died and what year he stopped being VP. (As a psychologist it's horrifying that any journalist, DOJ official or anyone not a psychologist is opining on this, recalling the year of the deat of a loved one is NOT easy or diagnostic). The host A Martinez then said, so I guess Hur was right to say he has a very bad memory. And that was that. One wonders why national media orgs would want an autocrat - they won't survive. What's the upside to normalizing Trump and bashing Biden. It's not going to go well for them either...We need a national reeducation campaign bc Fox, Newsmax, OAN and now NY Times, Politico, the rest - they just cannot seem to cover Biden honestly and Trump gets normalized at every turn
I wonder why the fact that Donald Trump replied I don’t remember (or words to that effect) over 20 and 30 times respectively in two depositions recently.
We should not forget that Hur’s assessment of Biden’s memory was part of his justification for exercising prosecutorial discretion NOT to prosecute Biden. The alternative might have been to charge him so that there would be no question that he and Trump are being treated differently. But the reference to his memory was unnecessary in light of the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to meet the “reasonable doubt” standard. If the likelihood of a defendant’s claiming not to remember was relevant, Trump shouldn’t have been charged, either. How many depositions has he give in which he claimed not to remember things?
Isn't it clear by now that media are guided by money alone? The 4th Estate isn't a free press, it's a me press. As in mine to mine for money and play-along power. White-glove fascist oligarchs still think they can use and lose Trump. They're the worst fools.
Gee, I forgot the date of my marriage after about a decade. I forgot the day of my mother's death, etc etc. All were "important" days of my life, the exact date is unimportant to me...although I do remember my mother's birthday (month / day but not the year.
I too wondered about the big media and that report. I love the New York Times and the Washington Post ( the Wall Street Journal is loosing its way) BUT when I read their coverage I ( same age as President Biden by two days) said to myself WTF . I think CONFIRMATION BIAS plays an enormous role in that coverage. Selling papers does too. Here is something to remember, there is chronological age and there is biological age. WE ARE NOT ALL SUFFERING FROM SEVERE MEMORY LOSS. In fact look at Trump. Probably extremely physically unhealthy. His memory is (despite his assertion to the contrary) very faulty. And by the way in my experience many many 60 and 50 year olds have shit memories. All that screen ogling and social media noise has turned their minds into cream cheese. All presidents are surrounded by advisors and experts of many kinds. Good presidents learn from those around them. Trump , like many in the tech world , thinks he knows everything. If age is a major issue then they must run those types stories for BOTH candidates. Finally, since both candidates are OLD then morality, decency, and competence should be the focus.
The MSM mostly stinks and mostly stinks of billionaire and big corporate ownership.
The GOP stinks of the same influence.
The Attorney General and DOJ stink of the same influence. The Supreme Court of the US stinks of the same and the list goes on.
I will say the Dems who quizzed Hur did an awesome job. He wasn't nearly as cocky when he left the building. The GOP came across as Buffoons.
Again, little MSM coverage to the masses covered what really happened.
Good job, Judd and company
A female commentator on my local channel 9 [Wausau, WI] managed to mention Biden's faulty memory 6 times in a 3 minute segment, so yes, Mr. Hur, who, let's not forget, is a Trump appointee, was somehow chosen by Merrick Garland.
I cannot understand this attitude of the AG: He knew that Trump had chosen Hur, but he didn't think that might be a problem to have HIM issue a report on President Biden, who is Trump's opponent in the presidential race? How could he NOT see the conflict of interest in Robert Hur? The divided loyalty?
There might have been a less biased person. For this report, Mr. Hur was the employee. Merrick Garland did read the report before letting it out the door. why did he allow it? Garland allowed Hur to "pull a Comey":
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/15/white-house-doj-biden-report-00141729
Troubling also is the fact that Mr. Hur resigned the day before his testimony: That put him out of the reach of the DOJ so he could continue the calumny in public and not be bound by the ethics of the DOJ., that he is not allowed to editorialize, which he did.
Finally, because Hur and his report were the center piece, we couldn't expect to have Trump treated the same way, but newspapers all over the country should be allowed to point out that Mr. Trump, in his testimony, said over 35 times that he : didn't remember, didn't recall etc. Over 35 times!
Hur must have forgotten that he credited our president for having near photographic recall. They (democrats) took it to him in that hearing and Stallworth's video montage was brilliant.
Of course the RW'z are trying to claim the hearing was a victory for their dubious and delusional side. Blaze Media is touting it and The RedState is shouting it.
More of that Comer, Jordon, Greene, Vance, Gates, Mace, Stefanick,Tuberville, Boebert, et-al style-loser energy and abject stupidity, not to mention an extremely high level of incompetence, whether natural or manufactured.
I can't wait to see the WHOLE damned party crater like a meteorite in the desert.
To me, a vital part of the story is that Hur resigned from the Justice Department the night before his testimony and had his own counsel at the hearing. Something very fishy about that and for some reason, the media does not want to touch it.
The corporate media is desperate to keep Trump and the MAGA Republicans in the game. The easiest way for them to avoid covering them honestly which would burn them to the ground with all but the hard core angry white rascist Christo-fascist base is to sully up Joe Biden. And Hur's report made that easy for them to do because it reinforced their narrative that Biden is a doddering old man.(translation, he might die and the black lady would become president, the horror!)
And they found themselves totally screwed by Joe's masterful delivery at the SOTU, followed up by Katie Britt's fundie baby lies, followed up by Hur's humiliation.
This will only slow their efforts, not stop them. But it will interesting to see what they do when Trump is convicted in Manhattan. And when it is revealed that his judgements are being bankrolled by the Saudis or the Russians.
Nothing is going to change in regards to the "mainstream media." They are permanently under-staffed now, and permanently neutered by a VERY successful 30+ year GOP effort branding of a "liberal media bias" (a myth if there ever was one). Couple all that with the aging, white male slant of editorial boards and that media companies are owned by massive companies with one singular mission, and, accurate and factual journalism is...rare, and rarely makes an impact. Not like the collective impact that 66 biaed stories on the Hur report have had, to name one example.
Not a single day goes by without Trump having increasing difficulty in getting a coherent thought together. He is cognitively a hot mess. There simply is zero comparison to be had, next to Biden.
No threats to cancel subscriptions, nor actual cancelations will make a difference. They might for a minute, the NYT might change a headline a day later, but that's a pyrhicc victory at best.
I wish there was another answer besides to look for and support places like Popular Information. Share articles like this one. To try not to engage when the click bait shows up in your feed. Find and follow journalists that do the work and can break a story - the guy who destroyed the GOP SOTU response thanks to his investigating is a great example.
Thanks, Judd for once again demonstrating what journalism is supposed to be. I am not at all surprised by the utter failure of the MSM to accurately report the story and to provide a proper perspective, as i have been tracking their failures on climate change and environmental problems for years.
What struck the most was the bar chart showing that the so called "liberal" NYT and WaPo were much more biased than Murdock's avowed right wing WSJ. Bothsidism on steroids.
I lost my daughter in 2018 and sometimes I still can’t believe she gone and have to take a moment to relive the timeline. I’m in my 50s. Screw the folks trying to make political hay out from a bereaved parent. They should go pound sand.
The media keeps making a big deal about the president fumbling the year of his son’s death. As someone who suffered a similar tragedy, I can tell you every minute detail about the day, where I was when I found out, my feelings, everything….but if you asked me the year, I’d probably have to stop and think, and I’m about 20 years younger than the president. They should all be so lucky as to never have to experience such a tragedy.
NPR Morning Edition also was horrible. Prior to the Congressional testimony Tamara Keith provided her highlights from reading the transcript and was fairly accurate in describing Biden's memory as photographic, clear on many events from years ago, etc. But she did add the piece about forgetting the year his son died and what year he stopped being VP. (As a psychologist it's horrifying that any journalist, DOJ official or anyone not a psychologist is opining on this, recalling the year of the deat of a loved one is NOT easy or diagnostic). The host A Martinez then said, so I guess Hur was right to say he has a very bad memory. And that was that. One wonders why national media orgs would want an autocrat - they won't survive. What's the upside to normalizing Trump and bashing Biden. It's not going to go well for them either...We need a national reeducation campaign bc Fox, Newsmax, OAN and now NY Times, Politico, the rest - they just cannot seem to cover Biden honestly and Trump gets normalized at every turn
I wonder why the fact that Donald Trump replied I don’t remember (or words to that effect) over 20 and 30 times respectively in two depositions recently.
We should not forget that Hur’s assessment of Biden’s memory was part of his justification for exercising prosecutorial discretion NOT to prosecute Biden. The alternative might have been to charge him so that there would be no question that he and Trump are being treated differently. But the reference to his memory was unnecessary in light of the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to meet the “reasonable doubt” standard. If the likelihood of a defendant’s claiming not to remember was relevant, Trump shouldn’t have been charged, either. How many depositions has he give in which he claimed not to remember things?
Isn't it clear by now that media are guided by money alone? The 4th Estate isn't a free press, it's a me press. As in mine to mine for money and play-along power. White-glove fascist oligarchs still think they can use and lose Trump. They're the worst fools.
One again, another homerun.
Gee, I forgot the date of my marriage after about a decade. I forgot the day of my mother's death, etc etc. All were "important" days of my life, the exact date is unimportant to me...although I do remember my mother's birthday (month / day but not the year.