DL Open Thread Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024
Today’s top story: Joe Biden turned one day older yesterday, continuing his troubling tendency to age. Worse, he refuses to do anything about it, despite the throngs demanding he step aside so Jane or Johnny Unbeatable could run in his place.
That hit job report slagging his memory is being kept alive not by MAGAts, who already “knew” all that, but by the supposedly left-leaning media, especially the New York Times, fretting endlessly about it. Columnist Paul Krugman all but called out his colleagues over it:
Again, I wish this election weren’t a contest between two elderly men and worry in general about American gerontocracy. But like it or not, this is going to be a race between Biden and Trump — and somehow the lucid, well-informed candidate is getting more heat over his age than his ranting, factually challenged opponent.
I generally ignore the breathless day-by-day reports on what’s happening in Trump’s various trials, because the only one I’m interested in is his theft of classified documents. That’s the one with the incompetent pro-Trump judge in charge, and there’s speculation that her latest fuckup will get her removed from the case. Don’t count on it.
The evidence that AG Merrick Garland is a bumbling incompetent has become overwhelming and he needs to be shitcanned, says Charlie Pierce. Better late than never.
Talking Points Memo launched a three-part series today based on a trove of documents that lays bare the conspiracy to cause chaos on and after Jan. 6 in an effort to usher in martial law and a continued Trump presidency. All involved should be hung. It’s in the Constitution, which of course Democrats won’t follow because they’re eunuchs.
The floor’s yours.
The NYTimes’ 5-(or was it eight-) pronged attack on Biden’s age should be taught in J-schools everywhere as a case study in what not to do.
I can perhaps understand some lack of coordination between the opinion and news editors, but this was either an entire communication breakdown or an orchestrated blitzkrieg–or an unintentional exercise in group-think.
Do we even need j-schools anymore? actual reporting isnt happening its all click driven drivel. j schools and cursive should go the way of pompeii
If you hire a bunch of Republicans for your op-ed page, you’re going to get a bunch of Republican opinions.
Next up, NYT will be haunting diners to interview MAGAs about the soon-t0-happen annual increase in gas prices and how it is a sign of “soaring inflation” and is all Biden’s fault.
https://www.convenience.org/Topics/Fuels/Changing-Seasons-Changing-Gas-Prices
Here’s an interesting graphic showing the price of gasoline year by year going back to 1929. Back when it was cheap in absolute terms, it wasn’t all that cheap in buying power. For example, in 1955 gas cost 29 cents per gallon – the equivalent of $3.14 today.
https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/planes-trains-and-automobiles/average-gas-prices-through-history/