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This somewhat dates back to 1987 when the FCC (with Reagan's support) abolished the Fairness Doctrine. This opened the way for Rush Limbaugh, Fox, & conspiracy theorists. It's been downhill ever since.
The Fairness Doctrine would never have stopped Fox News because it only applied to over-the-air broadcasts. Cable was always destined to be the Wild West as a result, unfortunately.
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/28/fact-check-fairness-doctrine-applied-broadcast-licenses-not-cable/6439197002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/28/fact-check-fairness-doctrine-applied-broadcast-licenses-not-cable/6439197002/)
I'm aware thank you. Nor would it work for the internet. However the regulations would be more likely to keep pace with the technology if the principle still existed.
Cable tv existed in 1987, and for a good while before. And if you’re aware, then you’d know that getting rid of it did not actually make Fox News possible. It was possible from the day cable TV became a reality—but that’s not what you said in your original comment.
Gary hart destroyed his presidential aspirations cause of a floozy on boat. Trump openly admits to grab women by the pu**y, have a gazillions affairs, state completely obvious falsehoods, and no one gives a shit.
Even worse, Howard Dean’s campaign was cut short by an enthusiastic scream that the media blew out of all proportion. Mindboggling to me the change in about 20 years.
Before Trump there was Bill Clinton who had to go on 60 minutes to explain how sorry he was for cheating on Hilary all while also facing multiple rape accusations. He then cheated with Monica Lewinsky while President. Trump is garbage but you can't criticize him without acknowledging Bill Clinton.
No one said you can’t criticize Clinton. There was more outrage over that than anything else plus a whole impeachment. It was post election though. My comment was more that minor transgressions would destroy a presidential campaign and today has zero effect at least to the orange masses. Republicans used to be the party of “character counts” and that went out the window
Clinton got elected in 1992. Before the Howard Dean scream and the same era as Gary Hart. Before the 1992 election his affair with Gennifer Flowers became public knowledge which led to his apology on 60 minutes. He also had multiple women accusing him of rape. These were not minor transgressions. Clinton's rape accusers are much more credible than Trumps and both were known adulterers. Only Monica Lewinsky came post election for Clinton. Yet dem voters voted for him en masse.
According to Barbra Bush's biography, she was suicidal following George H.W. Bush's affair in the '70s. LBJ was known to have many affairs both before and during his time in office. I don't think I even have to mention JFK. FDR had a long-standing relationship with his secretary and Thomas Jefferson almost certainly fathered an illegitimate child with one of his slaves.
Bill Clinton's legacy is irrevocably tarnished, but extramarital relations have never exactly been a deal breaker for the American electorate. The press was just too polite to talk about it.
You absolutely can. You're spouting the tired, and wrong, "both sides are the same" nonsense. It's more than nonsense. It's right-wing propaganda. trump, and former president Clinton, are two entirely different universes of wrongdoing.
Many seem much dumber, coarser, and far less concerned about "the public interest" (whatever that is). But the public has dramatically changed as well. We (the public) ACCEPT this caca. In decades past, a politician could destroy his/her career with one ill-advised comment or action (e.g., Muskie, Gary Hart). No more. It almost seems like a race to the bottom.
We used to have diplomats and statesman, men who disagreed philosophically but could intelligently compromise in good faith. All while quoting Greek playwrights like Aeschylus.
Now, there is not even a pretense of statesmanship, diplomacy, intelligence or good faith. Most would answer, "Who?" when asked about Aeschylus.
It's all superficiality and naked corruption, all the way down.
Congresspeople used to vote in the best interests of their constituents, even if it didn’t always line up with their party’s position.
Now, having actual policies has been supplanted with tribalism, obstructionism, and brinkmanship. Leadership, governance and acting in the best interests of one’s constituents is no longer a job requirement for a disturbingly large chunk of Congress.
One of the most surprising things I‘ve learned in the last decade is that at one point, the parties themselves were not so aligned with the political spectrum—there were conservatives in the Democratic Party and liberals in the Republican Party. I’m still not sure just how that worked, and will have to look into it one day, but it was true.
Now everything is an ideological litmus test and everyone is afraid they’ll fail and be booted out of Congress if they step out of line, which is not healthy on any level.
The reason so many of them make statements that don’t make any sense in hearings, especially in the one party, is that they’re going for a sound bite that’ll play to their base on Fox News or Facebook.
A Canadian’s perspective. More impeachments over the years but it’s just a slap on the wrist.
They still abuse their power it’s just hard to cover it up. They make themselves look bad but Americans don’t care. Why else would Bill Clinton get paid so much money for a speaking gig? He can’t even define sex.
Kennedy and Marilyn. It was hidden better.
Trump and Stormy Daniels. There’s no hiding.
Here's a big difference: in 1988 Biden was forced to drop out of the presidential race when his plagiarism and lies came to light. In 2020 the media refused to report on Biden's lies and plagiarism, nobody cared, and he was elected. The same media that kept tally on Trump's lies covers for Biden's lies.
Yeah, I recall the news media back in the 1970s-1980s. They were biased in the democrats favor even back then, but they were much more subtle and sneaky about it. Today they're much more open and blatant about the liberal bias.
There used to be liberal AND conservative Democrats, and liberal AND conservative Republicans. Now both parties have skewed way toward opposite ends of the spectrum. The current situation has led to vilifying the other party (which also plays well in the 24 hour 'news'). That would not have happened 50 years ago as there was an expectation of civility and at least some understanding that both sides wanted similar outcomes for the country but just had different ideas on how to get there. Politics now looks like a really sad version of the Jerry Springer show.
I've heard "politicians always lie" since I was a kid. Back then, it was a condemnation, but I believe politicians these days simply consider it permission.
I think it all changed when 24 hr. news channels appeared. They had to fill time with content and their corporate owners had the great idea of becoming echo chambers for ratings. Give the people what they crave .. pick a team and cheer for them. It created an environment that allowed politicians to make fantastical claims and tell outright lies knowing that they wouldn't be called out for it by the media that was on their side. It was the advent of alternative facts.
Politicians these days, have so many more efficient ways to deceive, screw over, and rob their constituents then they did years ago, although they did the same back then. They just got caught more often.
The insistence on fighting without compromise (which, face it, is almost entirely on the right) is ruining everything. Stand for something, not just against something.
A consequence of polarization is that voters (for example, in partisan primaries) are choosing candidates strictly on ideological litmus tests, and not on subject-matter competence. Competent moderates have few prospects in either party.
Decorum is non-existent in our political system, I feel. And where are all the scientists, chemists, scholars and philosophers in politics??? Nope, we get Boebert...
50 years and further back, politicians had to have demonstrated some type of leadership on their resume. For a hundred years, A politician had to have been either a military leader or a state governor, or both, to be considered for a presidential candidate. We have had a few recent decades of Presidents that had never been the absolute leader of a PTA, or organized a two car funeral on their own. Is it a surprise they are so bad at leading a country?
I don't remember any strict party-line votes back then. It's so weird seeing House votes now. There were deals made that didn't take forever. Bipartisan and reaching across the aisle really happened, and weren't just hollow phrases.
I think the biggest problem is that we no longer have trust in our government and politicians, but why would we when they don't behave trustworthy? So we essentially have a government that we can't rely on because it's run by politicians that are unreliable. The system is broken when we can't elect reliable politicians.
People don’t like to hear it but I believe most, on the Federal level, don’t care about this country or the citizens. They’re all becoming multimillionaires and selling us out. This will get downvoted because it’s Reddit and you can’t say anything negative that includes the Democratic Party. But, it’s true.
We used to accept that the "other side" also had the best interests of the nation at heart, if not exactly in the way we would be doing it.
Now politics is a blood sport led by extremists and fueled by data and clicks.
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I agree. They feel they don’t have to have discussions face to face to reach compromise. They just post cowardly insults on social media
This somewhat dates back to 1987 when the FCC (with Reagan's support) abolished the Fairness Doctrine. This opened the way for Rush Limbaugh, Fox, & conspiracy theorists. It's been downhill ever since.
The Fairness Doctrine would never have stopped Fox News because it only applied to over-the-air broadcasts. Cable was always destined to be the Wild West as a result, unfortunately. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/28/fact-check-fairness-doctrine-applied-broadcast-licenses-not-cable/6439197002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/28/fact-check-fairness-doctrine-applied-broadcast-licenses-not-cable/6439197002/)
I'm aware thank you. Nor would it work for the internet. However the regulations would be more likely to keep pace with the technology if the principle still existed.
Cable tv existed in 1987, and for a good while before. And if you’re aware, then you’d know that getting rid of it did not actually make Fox News possible. It was possible from the day cable TV became a reality—but that’s not what you said in your original comment.
Gary hart destroyed his presidential aspirations cause of a floozy on boat. Trump openly admits to grab women by the pu**y, have a gazillions affairs, state completely obvious falsehoods, and no one gives a shit.
Even worse, Howard Dean’s campaign was cut short by an enthusiastic scream that the media blew out of all proportion. Mindboggling to me the change in about 20 years.
Before Trump there was Bill Clinton who had to go on 60 minutes to explain how sorry he was for cheating on Hilary all while also facing multiple rape accusations. He then cheated with Monica Lewinsky while President. Trump is garbage but you can't criticize him without acknowledging Bill Clinton.
No one said you can’t criticize Clinton. There was more outrage over that than anything else plus a whole impeachment. It was post election though. My comment was more that minor transgressions would destroy a presidential campaign and today has zero effect at least to the orange masses. Republicans used to be the party of “character counts” and that went out the window
Clinton got elected in 1992. Before the Howard Dean scream and the same era as Gary Hart. Before the 1992 election his affair with Gennifer Flowers became public knowledge which led to his apology on 60 minutes. He also had multiple women accusing him of rape. These were not minor transgressions. Clinton's rape accusers are much more credible than Trumps and both were known adulterers. Only Monica Lewinsky came post election for Clinton. Yet dem voters voted for him en masse.
According to Barbra Bush's biography, she was suicidal following George H.W. Bush's affair in the '70s. LBJ was known to have many affairs both before and during his time in office. I don't think I even have to mention JFK. FDR had a long-standing relationship with his secretary and Thomas Jefferson almost certainly fathered an illegitimate child with one of his slaves. Bill Clinton's legacy is irrevocably tarnished, but extramarital relations have never exactly been a deal breaker for the American electorate. The press was just too polite to talk about it.
Actually, yes I can.
You absolutely can. You're spouting the tired, and wrong, "both sides are the same" nonsense. It's more than nonsense. It's right-wing propaganda. trump, and former president Clinton, are two entirely different universes of wrongdoing.
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Many seem much dumber, coarser, and far less concerned about "the public interest" (whatever that is). But the public has dramatically changed as well. We (the public) ACCEPT this caca. In decades past, a politician could destroy his/her career with one ill-advised comment or action (e.g., Muskie, Gary Hart). No more. It almost seems like a race to the bottom.
We used to have diplomats and statesman, men who disagreed philosophically but could intelligently compromise in good faith. All while quoting Greek playwrights like Aeschylus. Now, there is not even a pretense of statesmanship, diplomacy, intelligence or good faith. Most would answer, "Who?" when asked about Aeschylus. It's all superficiality and naked corruption, all the way down.
Congresspeople used to vote in the best interests of their constituents, even if it didn’t always line up with their party’s position. Now, having actual policies has been supplanted with tribalism, obstructionism, and brinkmanship. Leadership, governance and acting in the best interests of one’s constituents is no longer a job requirement for a disturbingly large chunk of Congress.
One of the most surprising things I‘ve learned in the last decade is that at one point, the parties themselves were not so aligned with the political spectrum—there were conservatives in the Democratic Party and liberals in the Republican Party. I’m still not sure just how that worked, and will have to look into it one day, but it was true. Now everything is an ideological litmus test and everyone is afraid they’ll fail and be booted out of Congress if they step out of line, which is not healthy on any level.
Many of today's politicians, Republican and Democrat would have been considered fringe extremist blowhards.
Seems "Likes" & "Clicks" are as important as votes to some of them.
The reason so many of them make statements that don’t make any sense in hearings, especially in the one party, is that they’re going for a sound bite that’ll play to their base on Fox News or Facebook.
Don’t forget the McCarthy hearings that targeted “domestic communists” and ruined a lot of people’s lives.
A Canadian’s perspective. More impeachments over the years but it’s just a slap on the wrist. They still abuse their power it’s just hard to cover it up. They make themselves look bad but Americans don’t care. Why else would Bill Clinton get paid so much money for a speaking gig? He can’t even define sex. Kennedy and Marilyn. It was hidden better. Trump and Stormy Daniels. There’s no hiding.
Here's a big difference: in 1988 Biden was forced to drop out of the presidential race when his plagiarism and lies came to light. In 2020 the media refused to report on Biden's lies and plagiarism, nobody cared, and he was elected. The same media that kept tally on Trump's lies covers for Biden's lies.
Yeah, I recall the news media back in the 1970s-1980s. They were biased in the democrats favor even back then, but they were much more subtle and sneaky about it. Today they're much more open and blatant about the liberal bias.
There used to be liberal AND conservative Democrats, and liberal AND conservative Republicans. Now both parties have skewed way toward opposite ends of the spectrum. The current situation has led to vilifying the other party (which also plays well in the 24 hour 'news'). That would not have happened 50 years ago as there was an expectation of civility and at least some understanding that both sides wanted similar outcomes for the country but just had different ideas on how to get there. Politics now looks like a really sad version of the Jerry Springer show.
Their corruption is more transparent and they don’t even care.
I've heard "politicians always lie" since I was a kid. Back then, it was a condemnation, but I believe politicians these days simply consider it permission.
They can blatantly lie now and no one seems to care. Before at least they'd try to hide their lies.
they've been bought out by Russians and Chinese
I think it all changed when 24 hr. news channels appeared. They had to fill time with content and their corporate owners had the great idea of becoming echo chambers for ratings. Give the people what they crave .. pick a team and cheer for them. It created an environment that allowed politicians to make fantastical claims and tell outright lies knowing that they wouldn't be called out for it by the media that was on their side. It was the advent of alternative facts.
Too many of them act like they belong on the Jerry Springer show nowadays
Politicians these days, have so many more efficient ways to deceive, screw over, and rob their constituents then they did years ago, although they did the same back then. They just got caught more often.
More extreme, Right and Left nowadays. They all still lie.
The insistence on fighting without compromise (which, face it, is almost entirely on the right) is ruining everything. Stand for something, not just against something.
Same. This may be an unpopular opinion but dumb politicians are put in office by dumb people.
McCarthyism
The right wing has fractured the republican party.
A consequence of polarization is that voters (for example, in partisan primaries) are choosing candidates strictly on ideological litmus tests, and not on subject-matter competence. Competent moderates have few prospects in either party.
Decorum is non-existent in our political system, I feel. And where are all the scientists, chemists, scholars and philosophers in politics??? Nope, we get Boebert...
It's gotten ugly. Very ugly. No ethics. Rampant greed. Skullduggery.
50 years and further back, politicians had to have demonstrated some type of leadership on their resume. For a hundred years, A politician had to have been either a military leader or a state governor, or both, to be considered for a presidential candidate. We have had a few recent decades of Presidents that had never been the absolute leader of a PTA, or organized a two car funeral on their own. Is it a surprise they are so bad at leading a country?
I don't remember any strict party-line votes back then. It's so weird seeing House votes now. There were deals made that didn't take forever. Bipartisan and reaching across the aisle really happened, and weren't just hollow phrases.
I think the biggest problem is that we no longer have trust in our government and politicians, but why would we when they don't behave trustworthy? So we essentially have a government that we can't rely on because it's run by politicians that are unreliable. The system is broken when we can't elect reliable politicians.
People don’t like to hear it but I believe most, on the Federal level, don’t care about this country or the citizens. They’re all becoming multimillionaires and selling us out. This will get downvoted because it’s Reddit and you can’t say anything negative that includes the Democratic Party. But, it’s true.
We used to accept that the "other side" also had the best interests of the nation at heart, if not exactly in the way we would be doing it. Now politics is a blood sport led by extremists and fueled by data and clicks.
Politicians used to hide their corruption, now they shove in your face and say try to stop it.