pecosbob

pecosbob's Journal

April 21, 2020

How Fox News Is Supercharging the Coronavirus Protests

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/how-fox-news-is-supercharging-the-coronavirus-protests/

In 2009, the right-wing network helped build the tea party movement. It’s happening again.

In recent days, thousands of people have protested against coronavirus lockdowns in states across the country. The demonstrators—often wearing MAGA gear and directing their ire at Democratic governors—still represent a small minority; polls show that most Americans are actually worried the shutdowns will be ended too soon. But according to Matt Gertz, that could change quickly. Gertz, a senior fellow at the liberal group Media Matters for America, points out that Fox News has thrown its full weight behind the protests and that Donald Trump has followed the right-wing network’s lead. “Once you have Fox News and President Trump championing these protests for a while,” Gertz predicts, “you’ll see polarization kick in, I think, and Republicans begin to support them in larger numbers.”

Between April 13 and April 19, Fox devoted a whopping 4 hours and 23 minutes—across 69 separate segments—to covering the protests, a Media Matters report found. All this is eerily reminiscent of 2009, when Fox helped turn the nascent tea party movement into a powerful anti-Obama political force by relentlessly promoting its rallies. (Disclosure: I worked with Gertz at Media Matters back then.) On Monday, I spoke with Gertz about Fox’s coverage of the anti-social distancing demonstrations, its impact on Trump, and the striking similarities to what happened a decade ago. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

I have run out of expletives...

April 5, 2020

A life raft lost at sea - a short rant

If stranded in a life raft at sea with a companion that insists on bailing water into the life raft instead of out of the life raft the boat's passengers would simply throw the obstructionist into the sea and be done with it.

What is to be done with the saboteurs? The Interior Dept. wants to sell off the Grand Canyon to mining companies, Repubs in Florida designed their unemployment system to fail, DeVos dismantles the Education Department as we watch in real time, Erik Prince doing his best to start a new modern-day Holy War or Crusade in the Middle East and Asia, Repub state and federal officials continue to deliberately make it more difficult to vote...profiteers, disaster capitalists, idiots and fools all.

Today I heard some red-state governor's wife make another stupid claim about 5G and the virus being a hoax...

What can be done in the long term to exclude these modern-day monkey-wrenchers and fools from positions of authority?

March 27, 2020

Relevant then and now

Them sailing on their ego trip
Blast off in their spaceship
Million miles from reality
No care for you, no care for me

Now they sitting on a time bomb
Now I know the time has come
What goes on up is coming on down
Goes around and comes around

March 25, 2020

Rant...When the workers have to stay home the world crashes

the tiny middle class shrinks a bit more and the ultra-wealthy demand handouts from the taxpayer. Oh, and that we return to work and get back to making money for them as quickly as possible.

At times I wonder why we support a system that doesn't support us?

March 21, 2020

Dispensaries closing tonight in Nevada for the duration per Governor's order

Get it while you can.

No related story other than the Governor's formalizing the temporary closure of non-essential businesses. I personally called the dispensaries to verify.

March 19, 2020

Keep your head down...things are getting weird.

March 18, 2020

The Coronavirus Relief Bill H.R. 6201 does not apply to companies with more than 500 workers.

H.R. 6201, which would require employers to provide up to 14 days of paid sick leave, does not apply to companies with more than 500 workers.

It's true.

Everything's behind pay walls, but it's true...no paid sick leave for me or for you.

March 10, 2020

Charity for Disabled Veterans Raised Nearly $300 Million. Why Did Most of the Money Not Reach Them?

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/03/disabled-veterans-national-foundation-quadriga-innovairre/

In the summer of 2014, the Disabled Veterans National Foundation was in dire straits. Only seven years after setting up shop, DVNF had raised more money than all but a handful of other veterans groups, but only 15 percent of its revenue in that time directly reached veterans. The rest was owed, almost entirely, to a single contractor—an outcome that had already sparked a congressional probe and investigations by Florida and New York’s top prosecutors.

Like other groups, DVNF used sappy solicitations to raise money, often centered around veterans with heartbreaking stories of injuries suffered in combat. But many of these characters were completely made up. By the time New York authorities announced a settlement with DVNF that summer, the charity was spending 90 cents of every dollar it raised to pay Quadriga Art, the direct mail firm that coordinated its fundraising campaign, and Convergence Direct Marketing, a firm that designed the direct-mail solicitations. As part of the agreement, Quadriga was ordered to forgive DVNF’s massive debt and pay the state nearly $10 million, the “largest amount of financial relief ever obtained in the US for deceptive charitable fundraising,” according to the New York attorney general’s office.

March 7, 2020

David Corn follows the money...and yes, he went to Jared's.

How a Russian Billionaire With a Criminal Past Became a Major Investor in Lyft.

A Russian billionaire with a criminal record and alleged links to organized crime has been making large investments in US companies, including the ride-hail service Lyft, a biotech firm that does work for the Defense Department, and a prominent software company.

Gavril Yushvaev, who according to Forbes is worth $1.6 billion, invested a reported $100 million in Lyft. On a 2018 list of its investors that the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last year—which named LeBron James, General Motors, the Kuwait Investment Authority, and scores of other individuals and investment funds—Yushvaev stood out with his checkered past, which includes being cited in a Spanish government report as an associate of a Russian banker linked to organized crime and money laundering.

March 6, 2020

A Right-Wing Billionaire Was Just Convicted of Bribery and He's Dragging Republicans Down With Him

The GOP candidate for governor in North Carolina is already being plagued by his connection to Greg Lindberg.

On Thursday, Greg Lindberg, one of the largest Republican political donors in North Carolina and a self-described billionaire insurance baron, was convicted of trying to bribe a state official who oversaw his businesses.

It’s a case that has torn the Republican firmament in the state apart—right before a pivotal election year with new maps that are expected to help Democrats pick up seats.

The April 2019 indictments against Lindberg were a bombshell. Lindberg had been secretly recorded by North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who was working with the FBI, as the businessman tried to bribe Causey with $2 million. The charges linked state GOP Chairperson Robin Hayes to the scheme, who promptly stepped down from his role. He pled guilty and is now awaiting sentencing. (Dallas Woodhouse—dubbed the “Roger Stone” of North Carolina politics and Hayes’ second hand—stepped down too.) The indictments also revealed that Republican Congressman Mark Walker’s political action committee received $150,000 from Lindberg at the same time Lindberg was asking Walker to exert pressure on Causey. (Walker is not accused in the case.)

Profile Information

Member since: Wed Oct 26, 2016, 05:18 PM
Number of posts: 7,537

About pecosbob

Don't take what I say too seriously...I'm a dumb-ass.

« Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next »