Carl Bernstein's advice for viewers watching the Trump impeachment hearings

[BlueMTexpat]

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/13/media/donald-trump-impeachment-hearing-reliable-sources/index.html

If this has been posted earlier, mea culpa.

If not, Bernstein has some tips.

...
Speculation about what might happen "is not the commodity we in news should be looking for right now. Rather, this is a time for more reporting, especially new avenues opened from the Ukraine facts now known to us. There's a lot to pursue, both substance and individuals we ought to be talking to — many of the latter apparently out of reach of the impeachment inquiry because of various privileges claimed by the White House and other lawyers." ...

Bernstein goes on to make six main points, which can be found at the link.

...
Bernstein's final point
"It should never be forgotten," he wrote, "that all of this is taking place in a Cold Civil War in the US -- which pre-dates Trump, though he has brought it to point of near-ignition. Trump has demonstrated remarkable support, especially given the unprecedented nature of his words and actions and attitude as President. The impeachment push by Dems -- given this dynamic of Cold Civil War could conceivably backfire. Once again, real reporting is the priority." ...

*******

I totally agree: REAL REPORTING is the priority. Not the crappy "spins" or pundits' "interpretations."

Reporting the facts and letting them speak for themselves are of the utmost importance.

[pecosbob]

1. I see he makes absolutely sure to repeat the far right's threats of political violence

His final point paragraph about a 'cold civil war' is utter bullshit and only serves the bullshit both sides narrative. The left calls an onion an onion...the right calls an onion an onion one day and a potato the next, saying it depends upon one's perspective. Then they'll declare the existence of the onion to be fake news. Neither the left or the center in this country is interested in any kind of violent struggle. The only bomb-throwers in this nation are right-wing reactionaries.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Stating a true fact (cold civil war) is not a threat of violence. The fact predates tRump.

And it is true that tRump has amped it up considerably.

You stick your head in the sand and ignore all the violence and threats of violence coming from the right ( calling it "utter bullshit" ) but you take the time to shoot the messenger telling you of it.

Do names like Matthew Shepard, InfoWars, Murrow building, and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge mean anything to you? The US is in a cold "civil" war.

All of the extremist killings in the US in 2018 had links to right-wing extremism, according to new report

Shitting on the reporters bringing you this news doesn't make it go away. Calling it fake news ( "utter bullshit" ) doesn't counteract it.

[pecosbob]

11. It was not my intent to ignore anything

But to call day to be day and night to be night. IMO the article was an implied threat from a pundit who was not writing in his past role of journalist, but that of the editorializing normalizer of Republican criminality. All of the violent rhetoric comes from the right and to call it any kind of civil war of any kind is simply a dog whistle for racists. Reporters report the news...they don't tell you to fear your neighbor if you try to remove a corrupt politician...that's an editorialist.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. it will post-date Trump, too

Some factions may be weakened, but others will intensify.

The push for unregulated industries will also continue long after Trump is a bad memory, and we can't survive if that gang wins.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Yes. Deaths due to deregulation of coal, emissions, education, election security, .... . . . nt

[Hortensis]

17. Yes. Threats to survival have a way of making people

pay attention, though. Especially when they threaten the wellbeing of the voting middle classes.

The cold civil war is real, of course. It's been created to inflame RW passions -- to the point that they are coming close to empowering the anti-tax and anti-regulation forces, who fully intend to "mess with" their Social Security and everything else.

As to violence, the GOP's increasing use of fascistic ideology and tactics, including harnessing religious antagonisms, now makes me believe that is the big reason they've been refusing ANY gun control laws. Also some other measures that would control isolated domestic terrorism. Use of violence is a major tactic in fascistic takeovers: its growth frightens and in democracies increases electoral demand for strong authoritarian government to control it. If "it" happens here, it will happen at the polls. As with almost all failed democracies.

Of course the hearings will further inflame the half of the right who are strong Trump authoritarians. Their leaders will make sure of that. But hopefully this will all help illuminate the situation for moderate conservatives who've become wobbly and the many others who haven't known what to think. We're still the nation who elected Obama by a strong margin.

2020's less than a year away now.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. we either get control of the brakes, or we all de-rail

The fossil fuels industries alone have gained trillions from delaying action and deregulating. It's not just Putin and his cohorts who try to manipulate the RW. A fascist, authoritarian government is the dream of parasites everywhere.

[Hortensis]

19. Basically agree. Libertarianism has been the happy excuse for

massive wealth accumulation. Authoritarian government threatens all those who aren't protected by it, including billionaire with the wrong friends or religion, or who forgot to invite someone to a party.

But of course, all these guys now have to protect the wealth they've accumulated so they can pass it on, and both democracy and the lack of legal controls of libertarianism threaten their ability to do that.

On the plus side, this isn't strictly an us versus them situation. And, things have finally gotten bad enough to force positive reaction from both responsible business seeing its own wellbeing eroding and an electorate who hadn't been hurt enough to pay attention, much less say no.

Not all the wealthy are hard-core RWers determined to destroy democracy. Those nearly 200 CEOs of major corporations who just -- all on their own and reacting to the economic and social destruction they're witnessing -- agreed on a redefinition of the role business should play in society are very real, as are the large shareholders behind them. The social responsibility and relative liberalism of their new definition of a corporation is very real, as is their emphatic rejection of the predatory, amoral libertarian ideology that gained dominance 40 years ago.

Without Russia, China, electronic weaknesses in voting, etc., working for those who've decided to do away with government of, by and for the people, I'd be feeling pretty confident the new era of liberalism they've been holding back has already begun. We are, after all, the nation who elected our first black president twice and our first woman once, both liberal Democrats.

[gab13by13]

2. Relying on the MSM is not a good strategy.

Jesus Christ could come down and testify against Trump and his followers wouldn't care. This hearing is to reveal a wicked, evil, pitiful little man to all of the sensible, normal people in our country, and the world.

[Sherman A1]

5. C-Span is the only place to watch

and draw your own conclusions from what is said and what is not.

[FakeNoose]

16. Here's C-SPAN link on Youtube

It will go live before 10 a.m. EST.

(link) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cspan+live

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. $Media makes money from controversy, so they create it, nurture it, amplify it.

Counteract spin (propaganda) with true facts delivered quickly and clearly frequently, redundantly, repetitively, often, over and over, repetitively and redundantly.

It works.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpropaganda

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. Bernstein points out the real elephant in the room, which is.....

that this impeachment has been constantly spun to be seen as a totally partisan effort. In a rational world, this event should be called a Congressional impeachment, not a Democrat's impeachment. In that rational world, both Dems and Repubs would have equally called for a logical investigation into allegations of impropriety by Trump.

But no, with today's Republicans in the room, they are ruled by St. Ronnie's 11th Commandment to the death and in this case potentially what could be the death of our democracy. They really do not care.

KY......

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Hopefully Impeachment will rise or fail based upon the facts

THAT is what Bernstein is saying. Facts. Democrats have to prove the case, Republicans can't be allowed to spin and obfuscate.

That being said, Trump's character is on trial. This case represents his way of doing business. His attitudes have been crude and raw at times. That's part of his appeal to his base, the no nonsense macho guy who tells everybody where to stick it. But MAGA drags with it elements of racism from the Confederacy, KKK, and Nazism. It is like the 1930s all over again.

I do expect any attempt to remove Trump from office to fail. The benefit here to a free society is in the telling, hanging the dirty laundry on the line for all to see. There is just no downside to that for defeating Trump in 2020. They can blame Democrats for partisanship, but so are they, and they can call it a witch hunt, but wasn't Benghazi! and her emails, and they can say the Mueller Report exonerated Trump which everyone knows is a lie. But they won't escape the facts of bribery, a foreign power again abused into cooperating with a campaign determined on fixing the election.

Bring it. Democrats must fight, and defend truth and rule of law, in every act we do, at every opportunity, for every hour of every day of the next year.

WHATEVER IT TAKES!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. The way to make that happen is to repeat true facts clearly (simply) quickly repeatedly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpropaganda

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Yes this is where the rubber meets the road

For the most part, we Democrats are ad hoc groups of online crusaders. We are countering GOP paid trolls, and those who are firm ideologues and don't need a job so they have nothing to do but propagandize all day every day. We rely on TV advertising. Yet we need to deploy foot soldiers, and give them no room to spread lies. Facebook doesn't help.

[Magoo48]

9. Personally, I trust Democracy Now and Amy Goodman.

[cachukis]

10. Remember, this is not political.

This is about malfeasance. It will be decided by politicians elected by us.

[bdamomma]

15. plus everything will be on record

that is including what the stupid repigs are going to say.

[Johnny2X2X]

20. It's hard because FOX won't do this

There’s almost a need to fight fire with fire. FOX will not report this fairly, if all the other networks do report it fairly it’s still a net gain for FOX’s narrative.