Fit for Office... the media assassination of a president
Mainstream media is an accessory to murder
Happiest of Fridays to all,
Well TAT readers, I was hoping to not have to write about this topic, but it seems that the DNC in characteristic fashion, continues to be an example of self-destructive cat-herding, attempting to assassinate their own presidential candidate. Sure, mainstream media and the GOP are both accessories to the crime, but this doesn’t excuse the DNC, by any stretch of the imagination. Today’s piece is to discuss about what we know, and don’t know about the candidates for the highest office, not just President Biden. There are so many facets to this discussion that crafting a helpful narrative based on the most relevant truths, is a challenge. Still, in support of a well-informed presidential election cycle, I will as always, give it my best effort.
First and foremost, the 2024 election is quite likely, one of the most consequential in our history. Nationally, we continue to dodge the unconstitutional bullets sprayed indiscriminately by today’s, MAGA controlled GOP, at the heart of American democracy. On the other side of the aisle, we have a party that by all accounts, is incapable of campaigning effectively and supporting their candidate. As long-time readers well know, I despise what US, big money political parties have grown into. As that we have little choice at the ballot box with only two primary parties, here’s where I am regarding preference.
The GOP is hellbent on riding their wave of FOX News, fake patriotism, in support of a coup attempt called Project 2025, that turns our government into a fascist, oligarchical cancer, with a supporting ideology called Christian Nationalism.
The DNC, as they have been for decades, is essentially a cat-herding organization. Sure, their primary policy objectives are constitutionally sound and far more beneficial to working Americans but, what difference does it make if they can’t do something as simple, as to campaign effectively? Yes, I realize that this is a rhetorical question.
Now, let’s get down to some hard-core facts, instead of the DNC and MSM narratives that play endlessly across our laptops, TVs, phones, etc.
As noted at the beginning, a smooth narrative about the situation is extremely challenging due to the complexity. There will not be enough time and space in this essay for all, so I will focus on the handful of most critical issues.
The precise state of POTUS Biden and candidate Trump’s mental soundness
First, President Biden:
Other than via personal observation, it is tough for nearly all voters to make a sound diagnosis of President Biden’s cognitive status. He is 81 years old and managing multiple, high-profile and sensitive issues plus running a campaign. As any, before and after photos of presidents will clearly show, the job in the Oval Office, ages every POTUS, far past their years. At least those that do the work.
President Biden has led the nation since January 20th, 2021, and by all legitimate accounts, has restored order to the chaos left behind by Trump and his administration. The economy is soaring, two-wars and a long list of other foreign and domestic issues are being managed with success. Whether Biden or others within the administration’s elite circle or responsible, things are in order, especially with an obstructionist House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson. The 118th Congress with Speaker Johnson running the House of Representatives, has been one of the least productive congresses in our nation’s history.
Yes, from the perspective of media and the president’s performance in the last debate, it would seem that there is a little reason for concern, but to date, no other facts are available. As a professional that depends on reliable data and reporting in order to assess risks, I would have very difficult time making a reliable assessment of President Biden’s cognitive status.
Next, Candidate Trump:
Like President Biden, Candidate Trump’s cognition is subject to the hyper partisan narratives of respective party machines. There are no verifiable test results to assess his status. Also, like Biden, we have only what we can see when Trump is speaking or acting out, in his traditional irrational manner. Irrational behavior as a brand, also makes it more difficult to assess his state in a reliable manner, as that such behavior, masks symptoms.
As that I have lost both parents within three months of each other to dementia related illness I watched such masking in my mother over the last year of her life. As her doctors always said, “she was very good at masking the symptoms of her disease. Still, this leaves us with a great deal of doubt as to Trump’s cognitive state.
Like Trump’s previously discussed irrational behavior, his presidency was so chaotic and impulsive, that it is quite difficult to assess how well or to what degree he understands and can manage what goes on around him.
The one primary difference between him and Biden is the number of esteemed professionals willing to publicly offer opinions as to Trump’s declining cognitive abilities. High-profile, recognized experts have weighed in by the dozens since Trump’s presidency with dire warnings about his cognitive state’s perpetual downslide. While that any simple “google search” will deliver any number of high-profile and professionally respected mental health professionals commenting on Trump’s cognitive state negatively, when it comes to Biden, there are none other than utterances of inuendo from those claiming to have observed issues. Also, inconclusive evidence.
Credible reporting background:
Next, I offer some of the most insightful news and professional articles on the mental soundness of both candidates. There are multiple good thoughts in all of the articles below but in the end, the most valuable is the very first one, from the Alzheimer’s Society.
Donald Trump, Joe Biden and dementia: Why not to diagnose from a distance | Alzheimer's Society (alzheimers.org.uk)
As Biden’s memory issues draw attention, neurologists weigh in (nbcnews.com)
Joe Biden Has Suffered 'Cognitive Decline' in Past Six Months: Report - Newsweek
WATCH: Garland defends Biden’s mental fitness and says he has ‘complete confidence’ in him | PBS News
Joe Biden's 'Cognitive Fluctuations' - The Atlantic
Trump’s experience with father’s dementia colors his political attacks on Biden - The Washington Post
Let’s Talk About Trump’s Gibberish - The Atlantic
Trump’s bizarre, vindictive incoherence has to be heard in full to be believed | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Are Verbal Flubs by Trump or Biden Signs of Cognitive Decline or Innocent Mistakes? | BU Today | Boston University
Trump's weird words: What's behind his rally rants (axios.com)
Trump admiration for Putin is constant. All the rest is gibberish. (usatoday.com)
Donald Trump Dementia Evidence 'Overwhelming,' Says Top Psychiatrist - Newsweek
Now, my most pointed condemnation is of the MSM/ Mainstream Media. The news world has long lived by the mantra, “if it bleeds, it leads.” This simply means that the more sensational the headlines, the more readers. The more readers, the more advertising dollars and in today’s world, also more investment dollars. In other words, so-called news entities make more money so long as they can promote sensationalist headlines. Most news these days bear far more resemblance to “click bait” than actual serious reporting or journalism.
If you have noticed, since the last debate where President Biden appeared confused, the MSM has been producing sensationalist headlines about his mental state pretty much, around the clock. For 9 years, Trump’s regular unintelligible rants and gibberish, concern over his mental acuity has received far less attention. Like sports betting, the excitement generated by a close contest makes “the house” a lot more money.
The false or misleading Yellow Journalism 2.0 that dominates today’s news market, is also based on making a race more exciting, solely to drive revenue. This not only violates Journalism ethics but creates a false reality for news consumers. No wonder half of America lives on conspiracy theories and GOP/ Russian propaganda. On top of this revenue pursuit comes the agenda of owners and investors who wield power over newsroom editors. News Corp, the parent of FOX News for example drives their far-right propaganda narratives via a wide variety of other media entities that most do not know belong to the disgraced, founder, Rupert Murdoch.
The bottom line to the agenda-driven news markets is that media moguls and oligarchs, control what we see, what we read and what we hear. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some media and extraordinary journalists that do top-tier work, but I no longer believe them to be the majority. Cable News is the absolute bottom of the barrel for moral reporting. Such oligarchy in media and the rest of the elite wealth world, also control politicians via the mechanism of campaign donations. This has become even more prevalent since the John Roberts’ Supreme Court issued their Citizens United decision.
Last but not least, for decades, the Democratic party has been the very definition of feckless at best, impotent at worst. Both Clinton and Obama were powerful, charismatic orators who generated their own political momentum, despite party leadership. President Biden ran against a POTUS that had spent four years tearing down our system of government, handing our national security to foreign adversaries for what he could get for it, and was and still is, so repugnant personally, that even a large percentage of those who voted for him, denied it.
The DNC hasn’t got a clue how to talk to the American people. Joe Biden actually is a pretty darn good narrator that connects to voters, but where the hell is the rest of the party. Perpetual cat-herding for disparate agendas and infighting simply make their lack of effective campaigning worse. They are oblivious on how to, “get ahead” of an issue and then pile on so much policy language that no one wants to listen.
Were it not for the potential for the current version of the GOP to completely undue our constitutional republic via Project 2025, I would not even care if the DNC was replaced with an effective, new party but… our nation’s future as a republic is at severe threat. This means that the only viable option is the DNC. If we can save ourselves in November, the most important focus for our nation, is to rehabilitate our republic via hard-core campaign finance reform that includes full transparency, reverse Citizens United, strictly enforce violations of campaign laws and any other factor that adds to transparent, honest campaigns.
As for the MAGA GOP, there is no saving it. It has become so treasonous, corrupt, dishonest and immoral, that only a complete do-over will suffice. I’ve written on these issues so often my fingerprints are nearly worn off of my fingers. I will leave a couple of links to deep background below.
Our 2024 election isn't politics, it's a new, Civil War (truthaboutthreats.com)
Project 2025; part cheerleading, part war plan and all, bullets of BS, aimed at the heart of American Democracy. (truthaboutthreats.com)
The GOP fiddles while America burns - by Paul Cobaugh (truthaboutthreats.com)
What is Christian Nationalism and why it is a threat to democracy? (truthaboutthreats.com)
Without factoring "brainwashing" into the equation for 2024, we're doomed to another far-right, extremist administration, no matter what pollsters say. (truthaboutthreats.com)
Being a Republican today, doesn’t make you a Conservative (truthaboutthreats.com)
Our Founding Fathers were "Woke" and also... radical progressives, for their time. (truthaboutthreats.com)
As we head off into the weekend, please remember that November will be here soon and that our republic is at stake. As far as the candidate’s cognitive health is concerned, please think long and hard about the first part of today’s essay. No one knows the full truth about the cognitive status of either candidate, but there are other elements to consider when pondering the quality of both. Their recent activities, statements and accomplishments are strong clues to competency. POTUS Biden is by far, the better and more moral candidate, based on all that has been accomplished these past three and half years. Trump though hasn’t accomplished anything the past three years but to become a convicted felon and run Truth Social into the ground.
Based on the competency of their past three years, their former experiences and their well-established political identities, I truly don’t see any equivalencies in candidates, outside of both being geriatrics.
In regard to character, there is no reason to believe that Trump will ever be a moral human being. By now, it is also quite clear that he and his enablers will do anything and everything, to convert our nation into a fascist run oligarchical nation, underpinned by White Christian Nationalist, ideology. Project 2025 is the strategy to do precisely this. Trump’s penchant for keeping criminals and thugs as his closest advisors present an entirely more serious threat. Consider the following, should Trump actually be afflicted by dementia or other cognitive impairments, his enablers using the 2025 strategy would be well placed to do irreparable harm to our government structure.
If the same cognitive degeneration were to occur to President Biden, senior White House and Cabinet leadership would not be working on undercutting our constitution but faithfully honoring their oaths while the ship of state is working on a replacement. We have already experienced a similar experience during the second Reagan administration, when the president was suffering from dementia. Under normal circumstances, we survived this experience but then, the GOP wasn’t attempting to replace the republic with fascism. Now, not only are they trying, but have already attempted an armed insurrection January 6th, 2021, but have in Project 2025, a grand strategy.
Should readers even assume that both are equally impaired, the other factors noted, I can hardly see any choice but one, team Biden. This still doesn’t matter if the DNC continues to remain feckless and the mainstream media continues to market Biden as the only one impaired. No matter what, Oligarchy, Yellow Journalism, extremist ideology and dark money in politics are still dangerous threats to our republic. The only answer to all of these threats is to have voters better and more accurately informed. Any honest voter, well and accurately informed, would have already reached the same conclusion.
The only answer to these threats is better voters that act on the knowledge that they learn from credible sources. This means no more cable news, lists of carefully curated websites and access to trusted government sources. Learning how to access truth or as close as you can get to it, requires a bit of learning but nothing insurmountable. The failure to do so will put our recovery from Trumpism, back at severe risk. With no intention towards hyperbole, “America’s republic” is at severe risk of demise. Honest American voters are the last stand. We have a choice in November between elderly incompetence and incoherence or elderly competence with morals. I would say that it is an easy, common-sense choice. But then again, that’s just me.
Enjoy every moment of your weekend,
Paul