OldBoss
OldBoss's JournalHeather Cox Richardson - Deja Vu
I started following her substack a few months ago after others here began posting her Letters from an American. This one really resonates with me. Our media has the power and influence to shape our culture and economy, and theyve been mucking it up for well over 100 years.
'The divorce between reality and peoples beliefs illuminates just how important media portrayals of events are.
In the landslide election of 1892, when voters elected Democrat Grover Cleveland to the White House for the third time (he won the popular vote in 1888 but lost in the electoral college) and put Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans insisted that the economy would collapse. The previous administration, that of Republican Benjamin Harrison, had openly and proudly worked for businessmen, and Republicans maintained that losing that administration would be a calamity. Democrats, the Republicans insisted, were really socialists and anarchists who wanted to destroy America.
As Republican newspapers predicted an impending collapse, fearful investors pulled out of the market. Although economic indicators were actually better in 1892 than they had been for years, as soon as Cleveland was elected, the nation seemed to be in terrible trouble. Money began to flow out of the stock market, and the outgoing Harrison administration refused to reassure investors. By February 1893 the stock market was paralyzed.'
Snip
'Republicans promised voters that they would restore the health of the economy. The 1894 midterm elections reversed the landslide of 1892, giving Republicans 130 more seats in the Housea two-thirds majorityand a majority in the Senate. The economy had begun to recover before the election, and that uptick continued. The Democrats had plunged the country into a panic, the Chicago Tribune reported, but now American manufacturers and merchants and business-men generally will draw a long breath of relief.
More at link ...
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-15-2024
Humans suck ...
Thought I couldnt be shocked by our species disregard for life in general. But today I was behind a guy who steered and aimed his truck to smash a turtle crossing the road. I caught up to his big pickup at the stop light and just shook my head as he laughed. Ill shrug it off but seriously wtf.
Influencing sane people ...
Sorry for the tl;dr. I mistakenly posted this in the Lounge and reposting here.
Ok Ive had fun recently engaging in convos with both Trumpers and confused independents. While its not gotv I feel its my job (our job) to try to rationally engage folks in our communities and hopefully influence them. Its not easy to do in rural MN or WI but so far its been worth the effort.
One acquaintance (friend of a friend) is a farmer and Fox viewer and we got into last weekend. He claims Biden is marching us into Socialism and must be stopped. It was not easy to let him monologue without rolling my eyes, but I tried to treat him with respect and follow along and nod okay. When he was done I asked, Do you remember when Trump put huge tariffs on Chinese goods when he was in office? Oh yeah that was awesome! Well, youre a dairy farmer but do you recall what happened to your friends who are corn and (soy) bean farmers? Um no. What? "Well their crop prices plummeted and crop insurance didnt cover most of them. Oh yeah I remember that. Well because of their huge losses and anger, Trump gave them tens of Billions of aid aka payoffs. Squirming, Yeah I remember that. Well, isnt that the definition of Socialism? He actually thanked me for sharing that calmly and succinctly.
In another convo a gal who Ive been fishing with is a bible-thumper and gave me the stupid, We cant afford another four years of Biden! Why? Hes crushing the economy. Ok, so last year you got a new fishing boat that cost more than the new truck you had to buy to tow it. It cant be that bad. Well that doesnt count. OK, well things like gas, eggs, milk, bread and other staples are pretty reasonable right now - why do you think the economy is so bad? Fox News doesnt prepare them for this convo. Jen, I just dont understand how any person of faith can vote for anyone shucking bibles for $49.99. Im not religious and it offends me, why doesnt it offend you? She told me shes secretly very offended but really hadnt considered it much. She also thanked me and said Im voting for Kennedy. Maybe not the result I wanted but sounds like one less Trump vote.
In another convo a buddy from Duluth area claimed Trump is the law and order president and crime is so out-of-control with the Biden admin. I calmly asked, What do you mean? Well, look at how badly the George Floyd crowd attacked and burned your city, thats insane! I agree it was crazy and unfortunate, but dude - Trump was President when that happened, not Biden. As well, crime and policing are local issues - city, county, and state. The federal gov really doesnt impact crime that much. What do you mean? Well, the governor can call up National Guard for certain situations, but the President cant send in armed forces. Oh really? And again, he thanked me.
Ive begun to shy away from the veteran angle, How could any vet support a draft dodger? But it turns out Biden had deferments too so its not as strong an argument as I hoped. Since most of these people are not affected by nuance, its not an easy conversation despite plenty of ammo.
Lastly, the one convo that is most puzzling to me is the whack jobs who claim, If Biden steals another election we are going to civil war! My 72yo female neighbor widow told me this in my driveway two weeks ago. Who is we? All of us! Well dear neighbor, the only people I hear talking about civil war are Fox News viewers and theyre a pretty small minority of citizens. She screamed some nasty expletives and now she flips me off whenever I drive by her house. Oh well.
Edited to add
Due to my location and demos (mostly purple) I am eager to volunteer that
the only positive thing that Trump will do this year is easily ensure a Biden/Dem super-majority for another 4-8 years! I dont say this to own the pugs or to stir the pot - I say it because I believe it. And I want my purple friends to know that I believe it. Cuz I think it influences them.
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