No one would think of the Beltway as being a place of the naive innocents of our society. Washington is the only ecosystem composed entirely of apex predators. Yet, this week everyone seems to be eternally shocked by what has been obvious for years.
The press and pundits are coming off an embarrassing couple of weeks where the Hunter Biden laptop was authenticated in federal court as real. This occurred in the trial of the president’s son almost on the anniversary of a debunked letter of intelligence officials claiming that the laptop appeared to be Russian disinformation. Biden then repeated the claim in the last presidential debates to avoid answering questions over the massive influence peddling scheme of this family revealed by the laptop.
After the story was suppressed before the 2020 election, it took years for the media to admit that, oops, the laptop is surprisingly real.
For years, the press and pundits piled on experts who suggested that Covid 19 escaped from a Chinese lab. The New York Times reporter covering the area called it “racist” and implausible. Now, even W.H.O. accepts the lab theory as possible and federal agencies now believe it is the most likely explanation.
The response: surprise and spin.
This week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Justice Department has unlawfully charged hundreds of people with obstruction of an official proceeding after the January 6th riot. For years, objections to the excessive treatment of these cases were dismissed as the view of the radical right. Now, even Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to toss out these convictions.
Surprise.
Whether it was the false story about agents whipping migrants in Texas or the photo op claim in Lafayette Park, false stories were disproven only to have a collective shrug from those who spread them.
For years, the press and pundits have repeated like gospel that Trump had called neo-Nazis “fine people.” At the time, most of us noted that Trump condemned the racists and neo-Nazis and made the statement about fine people on both sides of the controversy over the removal of historic statues.
Six years later, Snopes finally decided to do a fact check and, surprise, found that Trump never praised neo-Nazis as fine people. The only person not surprised was Biden who repeated the false story on Friday as true.
Heading into the presidential debate, the White House and the media attacked Fox News and other outlets for “cheap fake” videos designed to make the President look confused and feeble. For months, politicians and pundits have insisted that Biden is sharp and commanding in conversations even after Special Counsel Robert Hur cited his decline as a reason for not charging him criminally for the unlawful retention and mishandling of classified material.
On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough stated “start your tape right now because I’m about to tell you the truth. And F— you if you can’t handle the truth. This version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever. Not a close second. And I have known him for years…If it weren’t the truth I wouldn’t say it.”
Then the presidential debate happened and, after years of being protected by staff, tens of millions of people watched the president struggle to stay focused and responsive.
After the debate, there was total surprise, if not shock, on CNN and MSNBC. Suddenly, it is not a cheap fake but reality.
Just seven days before the debate, the New York Times was running cheap fake articles on how Biden was being wrongly portrayed. The day after the debate, it was calling for him to withdraw from the race after expressing shock at his appearance.
On CNN, Biden biographer and CNN contributor Evan Osnos admitted that many Americans were likely “shocked” by Biden’s appearance: “I don’t think there’s any other way to put it. This was clearly a person who was diminished from where he was on the debate stage four years ago.”
Pro-Biden columnist Thomas Friedman wrote that he was floored by what he saw and that “heartbreaking” appearance of Biden made him “weep.”
Washington is now full of surprises. It is a city of people who display that practiced faux shock that you adopt when you learn in advance that your friends are throwing a surprise party. The key is to look stunned and then mingle.
It is a city of Claude Rains:
The laptop is real, the President is really old, and Washington is really really phony.
The only thing that would be more surprising is if pundits and the press started being a lot less shocked and more honest.
They are about as shocked as the individual that discovers their overdrawn on their bank account. In their “Truth” account, they have been making withdrawals (lies) for years, some extremely large. Their deposits (truths) have been relatively insignificant. They are not shocked to learn they are overdrawn on their truth account. They are horrified that everyone now knows they are not to be trusted to tell the truth.
They are horrified that everyone now knows they are not to be trusted to tell the truth.
🎯
Today on X the big thing is blacks talking about black jobs. What they failed to mention is what Trump did to make sure they would have the funding to get an education so that they would qualify for the jobs they have.
Trump made funding for black colleges permanent. https://apnews.com/article/c4834e48841d97c5a93312b1bf75302a. How can they be that educated and at the same time so stupid.
What a great piece, especially, ‘Washington is the only ecosystem composed entirely of apex predators.’
I personally don’t believe it was an accident the DNC let Biden look bad, nor were any other of the examples given; the modern dems do nothing arbitrarily. But it is what the above paragraph describes, IMO.
The media though: they have collectively stooped to lows that will be impossible to recover from. Independents will still consider Republican candidates; the left has been removed from consideration by their own elitist malfeasance. They have all gone WAY too far, and that pendulum swing is going to be a real b*tch.
COLUMNIST THOMAS FRIEDMAN WEEPS. OTHERS ARE SHOCKED. STUNNED. DEEPLY SADDENED. YADDA-YADDA-YADDA. THIS IS THE WORST PLAYED GAME OF “COVER YOUR ASS” I’VE EVER SEEN FROM THE LEFT.
With the core Biden team circling the wagons, the dutiful media are falling in line as early as Saturday morning. “Biden had a bad night.” Just the one. Look at the “30 lies” Trump repeated during the debate, without naming one of them. I say fine, ride Biden all the way to November.
Surprised the rules aren’t being changed
so he can have another eight years.
“Washington is the only ecosystem composed entirely of apex predators.”
I hate to quibble, but after living in DC, working for the federal government, hanging out with some of the people who consider themselves really really smart, and learning something of how the system actually functions, DC seems to me more like an inbred community composed of con artists, spin artists, and narcissists, not unlike an old-fashioned traveling carnival, complete with Elephants, Democrats, and attractions not fit for the midway, but perfect for the side-shows.
So not so much apex predators as well-organized parasites.
Lawyers
Duh, an advocacy media having no choice but to report the truth for a change.
From The New York Times. “It is morally bankrupt to go on supporting Biden after the debate. I am shocked shocked I tell you to have to say that I agree with The New York Times. Morally bankrupt!!
Most of the MSM told one story about how sharp Biden is until Thursday night and then in unison switched during and after the debate. The reason is that they take their talking points from those they consider Democratic Party insiders. They made this explicit Thursday night by reporting the content of the texts and calls they were receiving. Obama, Bill Clinton and other true leaders of the Democratic Party have now signalled their support for Biden. The donors will likely fall into line. By the end of this weekend the MSM will have its new talking points and advocacy for the removal of Biden will end.
That bastion of conservatives over at The New York Times has said that Biden showed his age and frailty in the debate. There’s a tactic in warfare known as diversion. This morning the diversion is “Trump lied and lied and lied.” Here’s the Times podcast. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwlBPW-9bk&t=868s&pp=ygUiTmV3IHlvcmsgdGltZXMgYmlkZW4gc3RlcHBpbmcgZG93bg%3D%3D. The Democrats think that you’re so stupid that the diversion tactic will work. Are they right in their assumption?
If you want a really good laugh, read Obama’s endorsement of Biden after the debate. They’re still trying to spin Trump as something besides the person he is. Here’s a thought after you read Obama’s narrative, who went into the Whitehouse with $1M networth and came out with $18M after 8 years? Hint: Smokes crack and hangs out at the bathhouse.
See no _____, Hear no _____, Speak no _____
(until the word goes out to do so with a certain spin)
This is the reason journalists should be made fiduciaries where omission of the truth is the same as a commission of a lie.
The new talking point of the left this morning is that Trump is an habitual liar. Biden said in the debate that he was endorsed by the border patrol. What was the response by the border patrol. “To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden”. Biden also said that Trump wanted to get rid of the police when it was the Democrats who wanted to defund the police. Who’s the liar?
Think, he also repeated the “fine people on both sides lie” and the “bloodbath” lie. For Democrats to be calling Trump a liar (he does certainly embellish) when they support JOE BIDEN is just another gaslighting-palooza.
–The new talking point
They’ve been using it for years now. Often as a smear.
Newsflash: Trump does lie sometimes.
Biden may have him beat in overall totals, though.
So another election where the voters must choose between
whoever they see as the ‘lesser of two liars’.
Part of the solution to the lesser of two is voting reform to open up our political processes to responsible 3rd parties
See the following one page brochure at http://www.nationalrenewal.org/ElectionReformFlier.pdf
God bless the skeptical and cynical. Nullius in verba! Sapere aude!
Think for yourself. You won’t get hurt. Promise.
It is clear that the media, as well as Washington, operated with the same external knowledge that we, as receptive commoners, had. But wait, there’s more! We were told to dismiss our own intuitive feelings and skepticism— Because they had control of much, much more [inside] information…
They have learned that DELAYED REACTION (“surprise”) tactics pay big premiums:
First, according to agenda, bombard us with lies, innuendos, misstatements, and selective information, discredit skeptical alternatives, —and then, only then,—several months later, –act surprised! at the true story.
(–By then, the public has diminished interest in old stories; -the damage has been done. Agenda achieved and they saved face(s) to boot.)
During my college years, on the wall above my bed was an image of a big, yellow balloon, slowly deflating, with these words below it:
“The human mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimension.”
In a free speech/press society like ours, it is incumbent upon all of us to approach all news with critical thinking and educated review. Sad, but that is the price we must pay for our freedom. I still, of free volition, choose this burden over restrictive propaganda.
Beautiful comment LIn!
Spot on, I have also noticed the tendency for them to subtly rewrite historical facts to fit their narrative.
So true. No one stops them.
Yes, it’s so obvious that the powers have told their followers and psychophants that they can now pretend to suddenly notice Joe Biden’s frailty. I refuse to believe they’re so dumb that they’ve not seen it until now. They’ve seen it just like we have. Either that or there’s a mass delusion going on.
It’s been a one-way avalanche of lies.
“Washington is the only ecosystem composed entirely of apex predators.” Every so often Turley lets his formidable wit off the leash of mild-mannered fair balance opinion and it’s beautiful to witness.
Very nicely said.
Please recall Mel Brooks as Governor in Blazing Saddles. The famous quote; Men, we have to protect our phony baloney jobs! Government IS Socialism!
Oh what a tangled web we weave …
Classic Casablanca clip. Well done !!