Mainstream Media Committed Suicide – But Is Alt-Media on the Same Path?

 Intellectual Takeout  

"What we need are trustworthy experts, not overconfident amateurs, however well-meaning they may be."  The Tunnel Dweller included, as well as Greta Thunberg. 

"Recently, The Washington Post laid off a third of its newsroom and staff. It’s a monumental act representing the twilight of legacy media, a symbol of the changing information landscape. The one-time gatekeepers of information and “correct opinions” have lost a great deal of credibility, and, with it, profit margins. Jeff Bezos reportedly lost $100 million last year on The Washington Post, and he’d finally had enough, taking a hatchet to his workforce.

"This drastic action points to a profound shift in the media ecosystem – a shift providing both opportunities and risks for “the right” or the “alternative media.”

"The guerilla warfare of alternative media – largely enabled by the emergence of the internet as a prime news source – has taken a toll on mainstream media. The big budgets and (formerly) big reputations of legacy media outlets have rendered them unadaptable and obsolete as they suffer blow after blow from the alt-media’s hit-and-run tactics, such as James O’Keefe’s undercover cameras.

"The legacy media’s highly questionable – or downright dishonest – coverage of subjects like COVID-19 and the so-called Russiagate scandal didn’t help either. We’re living through a crisis of trust in institutions, and media institutions exposed their compromised state on a massive scale.

"Americans are waking up to the nefarious forces at work alongside many mainstream media outlets. The natural reaction has been for more Americans to turn to alternative online news sources to get the truth. That shift is both promising and dangerous." . . .

Who Cares If Democrats Boycott Trump’s SOTU?

 The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

Whether they sit in silence or grandstand outside, the President’s address will go on without them.   

"A guy is driving through the country and encounters a fork in the road that doesn’t include a sign indicating which choice leads to his destination. He tells a man standing nearby where he’s headed and asks if it matters which way he goes. The man answers, “Not to me.” That’s how much anyone should care about the Democrat boycotts." 

"A few days ago, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) gave America some very welcome news. During a press conference he said that his Democratic members had two choices with regard to President Trump‘s upcoming State of the Union address: “The two options that are in front of us, in our house, is either attend with silent defiance, or to not attend.” This will definitely be a win-win for everyone who tunes in Tuesday evening to hear what the President has to say about his first-year accomplishments and future plans for the country. If the Democrats are silent or simply elsewhere, the SOTU is bound to be a far more dignified affair than usual.

"Not that we won’t miss listening to Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) braying incoherent nonsense and waving his cane while being escorted out of the House chamber by the sergeant-at-arms, or watching our congressional representatives wave paddles in the air like so many vultures at an estate auction. Such asinine antics do have their entertainment value, of course, but most of the people who invest an hour or so of their time to watch President Trump speak will probably be more interested in the substance of his address than performative stunts. Nonetheless, for those who still yearn for sound and fury signifying nothing, a number of Democrats plan to participate in competing public events during the speech, according a report in NOTUS:" . . .   More...

Here are the Democrats who plan to skip Trump’s State of the Union address

‘Sparkle Beach’ Newsom Admits It: Trump Is No Threat To Democracy

 "We’d add only that Newsom also seems to have a bit of Groucho — “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them … well, I have others” — Marx. Except that Groucho was making fun of politicians like Newsom."   I&I Editorial Board

‘Sparkle Beach’ Newsom Admits It:  Trump Is No Threat To Democracy – Issues & Insights    "No one has ever accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of being consistent, or of having any actual principles, or of being much of an intellect, for that matter. Still, the fact that – while trying to bash a sitting president while in Munich – Newsom managed (accidentally, no doubt) to call a Big Lie on himself is a new milestone in self-owning.

"At a Munich Security Summit, Newsom had this to say: “If there’s nothing else I can communicate today, Donald Trump is temporary. He’ll be gone in three years.”

"Newsom was talking about Trump’s work to pull the country back from the climate lunacy that Newsom has been imposing on Californians.

"But he clearly meant that in the broader sense, because he told the press at that same conference that, while Europeans “see us as a wrecking ball,” and that “they don’t think we’ll ever come back to our original form,” that “whatever happens, we can undo, we can shapeshift, we can fix it. … I’m here in many respects to remind everyone that Trump is temporary. … He’ll be measured in years, not decades.”

"Newsom must think he’s pretty savvy to reassure Europeans that there are elections here in the United States and that presidents come and go, as they have 45 times in our history.

"But that’s not what Newsom has been telling Americans." . . .

California gas prices have risen 40 cents in the last 14 days

   . . . "The price gap between California and the rest of the United States has also widened. The national average is around $2.93 per gallon, putting California more than $1.50 higher. The price surge comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom is attending a high-profile European gathering in Germany, where he participated in a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, even as fuel volatility intensifies back home." . . .

. . . "The tax, also known as a road usage charge, would require drivers to pay a fee based on the number of miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they purchase. The proposal, lawmakers say, is designed to replace declining gas tax revenue as more drivers switch to electric and fuel-efficient vehicles. "

The Growing Liberal Backlash Against Newsom  "As Gavin Newsom works to project inevitability as the Democratic frontrunner, progressives are coalescing behind a single conclusion: He is not their man. (RELATED: Newsom Practically Demands to Be the Democratic Candidate)

"Progressive California journalist and political adviser Gil Durán published an op-ed with the Guardian Tuesday harshly titled “Gavin Newsom’s likely presidential bid is built on broken promises.” He makes the case that the California governor has repeatedly failed to deliver on his progressive commitments. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom’s ‘Self-Puffery’ Gets Him in Trouble With David Axelrod)" . . .   

Many progressives now argue that Democrats should rally behind a different candidate, someone who is concerned with their priorities, not self-aggrandizement or appeasing establishment donors and the billionaire class.