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Trump, Biden, Racism, the Media and the 2024 Race [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-06-16

Trump, even though indicted for espionage, remains a 24/7 media creation that jumps out from the very foundations of American racism and patriarchy. Going back to the days our Declaration of Independence signed in 1776, when slavery was memorialized in the Southern states and later in the Constitution. It is a product of empire and white supremacy and the brutal, murderous and even genocidal aspects of our past that have been concealed as much as possible from most Americans long before Trump arrived on the scene.

If you thought this devil dominated media coverage while he was president, today’s media is just as obsessed, keeping his pathetic campaign alive as he grifts money to pay for his lawyers, that is if he can find one.

Media Motivations and Forces Behind Trump

There are a number of motivations for Trump’s media coverage:

Ratings, Listenership and Income: This motive is shared to various degrees by all media, left, center, and right. Trumpism represents the potential future direction of American, for better or worse, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. He’s simultaneously the most hated and loved man in America, and that is no understatement.

This motive is shared to various degrees by all media, left, center, and right. Trumpism represents the potential future direction of American, for better or worse, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. He’s simultaneously the most hated and loved man in America, and that is no understatement. White Supremacy: Trump should do well picking up these votes. It’s always been the Republicans not so secret favorite political weapons list, which today Trump has cornered the market on.

Trump should do well picking up these votes. It’s always been the Republicans not so secret favorite political weapons list, which today Trump has cornered the market on. Corporate Media Motives: Some are obvious, like keeping up their record ratings and advertising income related to their ratings. Or fascist sympathies held by the owners. One you might not of thought of is precedent. What precedent you say? The one that protects most powerful people from facing prosecution for their crimes. If they will prosecute a president, that could easily lead to a lot more prosecution of individuals in the upper echelons of society normally immune from prosecution for crimes that are never enforced, such as corporate crimes and crimes of greed. Should Trump be elected, he’s the one that will weaponize the justice department, and indict as many Democrats and progressives as possible.

Some are obvious, like keeping up their record ratings and advertising income related to their ratings. Or fascist sympathies held by the owners. One you might not of thought of is What precedent you say? The one that protects most powerful people from facing prosecution for their crimes. If they will prosecute a president, that could easily lead to a lot more prosecution of individuals in the upper echelons of society normally immune from prosecution for crimes that are never enforced, such as corporate crimes and crimes of greed. Should Trump be elected, he’s the one that will weaponize the justice department, and indict as many Democrats and progressives as possible. Support for Authoritarian Fascism: Ranging from the MAGA folks, some ordinary Americans, to the Republican Party, to Vladimir Putin, to some segments of the major media, to elements and individuals in the upper classes, corporate America and Wall Street.

Ranging from the MAGA folks, some ordinary Americans, to the Republican Party, to Vladimir Putin, to some segments of the major media, to elements and individuals in the upper classes, corporate America and Wall Street. Legitimate Opposition: This includes all of the left, progressives, the Democratic Party, many non-political white Americans, the overwhelming numbers of people of color, some media outlets big and small, and elements and individuals in the upper classes, corporate world and Wall Street. The motivations of some of these may have more to do with believing that Trump, fascism, and MAGAs are bad for the business and the economy than any left sympathies.

This includes all of the left, progressives, the Democratic Party, many non-political white Americans, the overwhelming numbers of people of color, some media outlets big and small, and elements and individuals in the upper classes, corporate world and Wall Street. The motivations of some of these may have more to do with believing that Trump, fascism, and MAGAs are bad for the business and the economy than any left sympathies. Grifting and Greed: While Trump and family head this list, many others have latched on to his grifting gravy train.

While Trump and family head this list, many others have latched on to his grifting gravy train. Men: Data suggests more men than woman support Trump.

Data suggests more men than woman support Trump. Vladimir Putin: Many think his connections with Trump convinced him that taking over Ukraine would be a cake walk.

Why Most Media Coverage Helps Trump

Trump couldn’t have designed a more favorable front page.

Many argue that even indisputable facts and negative Trump news can easily be twisted by media into helping him. It makes sense as far as the cult-like MAGA folks are concerned. Persuading MAGAs with reason and logic is probably not in the cards for most of them. Authoritarian and fascist leaders in America are not followed based on a perception of decency or humanity.

Rather, they are selected primarily by white people seeking an angry male authoritarian leader who thinks like them, shares their biases and prejudices, and most of all, who will protect and defend their perceived white skinned privileges.

Donald Trump and John Gotti: Anti-Heroes

Trump and Gotti, two different very types of mob bosses.

While his popularity was more local in the NY area than national, mob boss John Gotti’s popularity evolved from the mean streets of Queens. It was similar in some ways to Trump’s. Gotti beat Giuliani 3 times in court, until finally winning a conviction on the fourth. He was a hero to whites and an authoritarian figure that was admired for beating the system and the suits three times. His murderous crimes were irrelevant to his supporters. He also like Trump got a lot of media coverage.

Trump beat two impeachments, it made him a hero to many. His crimes too were irrelevant to supporters. Trump, of course, didn’t get his “wings” on the mean Queens streets Gotti grew up on. His father taught him how to grift surrounded by wealth and power and get others to take the fall for his crimes. Anti-heroes are all to common in politics and fascist movements headed by groups that take power violently. They are also popular among the public, as you can tell by the T.V. shows and movies that are most popular.

The Republicans have long known this, and have been very effective at misdirecting small business owners and working class whites toward various anti-heroes. And diverting their anger away from them and putting it on the Democrat’s and the left’s shoulders. They are adept at painting a hostile, anti-intellectual picture of the Democrats, who committed the cardinal “sin” of being perceived as helping blacks and immigrants and oppressing whites.

The Centrality of Race in America

President Lyndon Johnson

In the past, Republican presidents were able to get way with alluding to a Trumpian type racist agenda, without being totally blunt or crude, or going too far in practice and openly endorsing white supremacy. Running in 2016 started as a grift until Trump realized that the MAGA types in waiting were starved for a candidate who would more openly embrace their racism, white supremacy, misogyny and long list of other biases. It didn’t hurt that their plentiful media connections managed to report their talking points almost daily, as handed down by the Republican National Committee.

Trump is often undeservedly given credit for creating the MAGA faction. But MAGA, just under different names, was a white supremacist movement known throughout our history under different names by virtually all American politicians. As former president Lyndon Johnson once crudely but accurately remarked long ago,

How to Neutralize MAGA Supporters

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Truth be told, there is no way to easily cure members of Trump’s cult of the racial demons that have devoured their souls. Biden seems to be hoping he has the votes to checkmate Trump and therefore can let Trump self destruct and just fade away into obscurity, just like a famous general once remarked this line to Congress after his removal from command in Korea by President Truman.

Biden has obviously taken a circuitous but surprisingly effective road in undermining Trump and the MAGAs. His relative lack of speaking skills combined with the overwhelming media coverage Trump gets are two of the main reasons he has proceeded carefully, cleverly and slowly. He has avoided making too many direct attacks against the MAGAs, fearing this is just what the Republicans want. As escalating confrontation which ends in violence.

Weak Democratic Messaging

While Biden has done better in dealing with the major media, past Democratic leadership, it must be acknowledged, has done a poor job in responding to the daily Republican lies and talking points as dutifully carried in mostly corporate owned media. One of a number of reasons for this was the leadership’s reluctance to respond, a reluctance often based on a pathological fear of red baiting and being accused of being on the left or being supportive of aspects of socialism and some progressive causes.

Another was the leadership’s fear of losing support from their own corporate backers and their own open embrace of capitalism. A final short-coming is thinking that responding to some of the illogical and patently false Republican propaganda is both beneath them and too moronic to be believed by voters.

Facts themselves will not convince Trump supporters to abandon him, nor will engaging him in debates, since he avoids them like the plague, but multiple impeachments and indictments have undermined his ability to keep convincing people he still merits being their Fuehrer. Time and photos of Top Secret classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago bathrooms are doing what logic and reasoning cannot accomplish.

The Florida Fuehrer.

There is a literal Mt. Everest of evidence against Trump which includes his own words admitting culpability in removing Confidential and Top-Secret Nuclear Policy records from the White House and taking them to Mar-a-Lago. There are also multiple videos of him denouncing other politicians for mishandling confidential documents and signing a law while president making deliberate abuse of them a felony. It would seem an impossibility and political suicide for the Republican Party to nominate him. They have three choices: 1 — Find a way to dump Trump and go with De Santis; or 2 — Go with Trump and lose both the Senate and House along with the presidency; or 3 — Stage another coup.

I see a shift coming in regard to media focus given the Mount Everest of evidence against him being presented. Less stories on Trump, and more damaging manufactured attacks against Biden circulated by Republicans.

Troublesome Elements in the 2024 Election Strategy

There are a number of factors that could effect the 2024 Presidential Race.

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