repudiated in the next election. Maybe then the Republicans will put down their bullhorns (and guns and placards), and try to rule for the legitimate right rather than the small-minded, the Constitution-as-holy-vessel right. But the legitimate right continues to blow the horn of Trump because they are as hungry to govern as Trump is hungry to be a demagogue. They have forgotten that Trump has almost no interest in governing, anymore than he had an interest in the gauge of steel used to construct one of his buildings. He wants something shiny, impressive and expensive in his buildings, as he wants a Presidency that adds to his glow and his ego.
Thank you for clarifying eloquently that it is not Congress that is failing to govern nor a Supreme Court failing to uphold the intent of our Constitution, but the Republican Party applying brakes to the process of governance and packing the highest Court via criteria that suit the minority and endanger the Constitution. In this time of crisis, whether or not citizens are aware, every vote at every level of government becomes critical to the security of our democracy. Citizens must receive the information in order to understand the crisis and participate in elections. Democratic Party strategists must wake up and effectively inform the voting citizenry.
From what I see and hear I think he may indeed have the beginning stages. And all the more reason that Republicans want to renew his power to the presidency. As they were the puppet masters for Reagan, they would again be pulling the strings on everything that comes out of the White House. Frightening.
Mr. Dan Rather…Onciously my response to your (as always, eloquent and truthful ‘Steady’), is now In The beginning of a massive and deathly war AGAIN against Israel. However, this time, it hurts far worse then any before. This Deathly War was planned by Hamas and others, for a long time.
This time, the casualties are hideous. This time, it’s time to take them and STOP all of them.
I know that this may read and sound like ‘pie in the sky’, because the hate against Israel has boiled over into this bloody and internecine War.
Now is NOT the time for our Politicians to play Democrats and our very divided Republicans, in our House, Senate and White House. Now is the time for us to step up and put our sides AWAY. Our Ally, Israel needs our force. You may not agree with me, but I don’t care.
Time for our scandals, time for our Divided and battle crazy Republicans , TIME FOR DEMOCRACY to prevail.
This time where we are In total chaos , this time we are severely Dysfunctional. Mr. Rather says ‘our political polarization is way extreme.’ False equivalence infect the framing of our political moments and have such undue influence on governing’.
WTF! I could word for word put down what Mr. Rather said about our ‘Lockstep Republican Party as it marches to an extreme dangerous undermining of our Democratic Stability and our core belief that EVERYONE should be equal under the law. But, read Mr. Rather’s “Steady” column.
Israel finds itself in trouble again, this time by a bloody and hideously pre-planned surprise attack on non-military people…people breathing the same air we all do. Some have been killed by smiling and evil animals…more will die. They don’t have to, but will.
Matt Gaetz and his following group of diarrea-tic seditious autocrats must get in lockstep with our entire Political malignant, egotistical cluster we call The House and figure out a way to both stop our Nations’ severe ever growing split and try, TRY, to put The United Sates together for a common goal.
I truly believe that we know what that goal is, but we don’t intelligently know how to go about doing it.
STOP TRYING TO CONTINUE TO SPLIT US LIKE OTHER DICTATORSHIPS DO, BUT START TO PUT OUR MULTITRILION PUZZLE PIECES BACK TOGETHER.
It seems we cannot do it for ourselves, but how about trying to do it for our children, our children’s children and so on.
With all that I’ve said, if it didn’t come out sounding like ‘alphabet soup’, I hope, I truly hope, it cannot hurt to try.
Do Try Please. We teach our Children to say Please and Thank you, how about us trying to do the same.
I agree that the problem right now in our American democracy is the corruption of the Republican party -- a large part of it -- by Trump and some of his family and associates. We need (to put it in plain English) to throw the bum out! Let's go back to a real 2 party system with 2 honest alternatives.
Absolutely! Starting with the entry of Rupert Murdoch into American media, the news has become more and more shaded and slanted. I'm not sure whether the previously more discerning sources, like the Washington Post and the New York Times, are themselves being undermined from within or are simply following the lead of the Murdoch doom machine. Maybe they're just misled - after all, newspapers are dying slowly away as we watch, thanks to streaming services and social media, and they tend to fight one another over scraps. But the endless Trump stream of nausea-inducing idiocies and "reports from the field" of half-truths and outright propaganda leave most of us with both a feeling of hopelessness and a bad taste in our mouths. This adds to the feeling that things are out of control and that our democracy is doomed.
I say "Nonsense!" Our Constitution is as strong as it ever was, our Bill of Rights is still the bulwark against tyranny, the division of powers strengthens each branch of government - it's not the system that is broken. It will work as well as it ever did, with one amendment.
Our system of government was designed by men of good will, men with the health and selflessness of the entire country not only in mind, but at heart. Not being idiots, they built in some measures to keep the outright crook and miscreant from being able to manipulate the government to enrich himself (in the event that he was able to get himself elected to high office,)
However, they could not have anticipated the onslaught against our very way of life and governance that is currently being perpetrated by the Republican Party, led by an evil thug of small brain like Trump - I feel certain that the sheer malice of it would have been incomprehensible to our Founding Fathers.
It is not the system, but the men of bad intent who have studied it and worked their way into it in order to break it up, tear it down and replace it with a fascist oligarchy. First of all, they are funded by wildly rich backers, whose personal interest in gaining more wealth and power is unbridled. Get rid of this big money, which is slowly buying our government at bargain basement prices. Replace the men of bad intent with those who care for our country and the rights our Constitution guarantees, and the problem will be gone. Honesty, true patriotism to America and not to some strongman-like leader, a selfless willingness to care for one's fellow man, for ALL of America, not merely one political or religious faction - these are the things we need to look for in our political candidates. These are the men and women who will lead us out of this valley of despond and back into the light of democratic equality. Or, put another way, these are the people who will lead us out from under the Stupid Cloud under which we now slump. Take heart! Be of good cheer! This is a fight we can win, if we but try.
That a major political party is led by a twice impeached, four times indicted, confirmed sexual abuser and prolific liar says it all. There would have been a time when no one in the GOP would even listen to someone like that, let alone have them as their leader. But they pay no price for it in the media, and that's why they continue to do it. And as long as we continue to sacrifice truth for a false sense of fairness, this dynamic will only get worse. We're already seriously talking about replacing democracy with a form of autocracy.
Dan…. I almost fell of my chair with laughter when I read this opinion piece probably paid for by the democratic party.
You actually want us to believe you have not crossed the line on non-partisan reporting?
Just about everything you write is across the impartial line….. what a joke!
If you want the mantra of an unbiased journalist, you have much work to do.
I would characterize the 2 factions of the dems and Repubs in this way.
The dems don’t want change and don’t even see the real problems and threats that our western nations face on many fronts and have lost their direction as to who they represent.
The repubs understand the threat very well and are trying to fix it…… and agreed….very badly…
The real problem is that the western style of government has become out-dated and ineffective and needs a shove toward stronger leadership so we can get more done and are not mired and lost in the haze of so-called democracy.
Voters are correct to be apathetic and have lost confidence in the government systems of all stripes and want action that never comes….. with many of the decisions that do make it through the process based on minority watching and virtue signaling to the global group think and nothing to do with serving citizens.
You are right on only one thing…its sad. but for different reasons.
The bothsideism is intentionally promoted by Republicans, and was a foundation of the cult leader’s marketing: “the swamp”. It drags everyone serving in Congress , working for anyone in Congress or even in government service down to his level, and they don’t care if you vote for them as long as you don’t vote at all. This is part of their voter suppression campaign, so pessimistic, and it’s depressing to see people internalize this message and give up, and it’s worse when it’s carried by the New York Times, obliviously.
Thank you Mr. Rather, these are important messages regarding the political situation. The next important message to tackle, which is likely to make you even more uncomfortable, is that were Trump not present, the situation would continue as is. So much messaging blames Trump. He may be easy to focus on but he is merely capitalizing on the loss of Republican leadership. Note that ALL Republican congress members vote lock-step regardless of their individual beliefs, needs, and indeed morals. Members of congress should feel a call to serve their community. That should be their motivation for running. And perhaps some start that way. But they have shown that not one of them does more than vote for power, prestige, or position. When will tru journalist tackle the "why" and not just the "what"?
Trump provides the rallying point for the basket of deplorables we re currently lumbered with. While most of them don't care a fig about him one way or another, he provides cover for them to vent their spleen. He himself is nothing, or less than - under multiple indictments, about to come under multiple judgements against him, lacking the governmental shroud of power and might he once wore and thought was his forever, he will bloviate and posture on and on until one day he realizes no one is watching, no one is listening. Still in the meantime, he is the only rallying point the Republican Party has. They have no platform, no ideas, no sense of governance, to real idea what the people of this country want or need. Without him, they will have to give some account for their candidacy. And the media might actually have to start paying real attention to what's going on.
I feel like it’s not just the major outlets either. My family’s roots are in a small town in southern Ohio, and a local newspaper there is just straight up propaganda. It’s obvious that whoever owns the paper has no interest whatsoever even in the traditional “fair and balanced reporting” idea, let alone the kind of clear-eyed reporting its readers need. For residents there, it’s an unrelenting diet of garbage everywhere they turn, and I imagine that the situation is representative of small town USA.
I generally find that the unworthy questions are:
🚫Who is at fault?🚫
🚫Who is to blame?🚫
The only worthy questions are:
✅What is real?✅
and
✅What is next? ✅
repudiated in the next election. Maybe then the Republicans will put down their bullhorns (and guns and placards), and try to rule for the legitimate right rather than the small-minded, the Constitution-as-holy-vessel right. But the legitimate right continues to blow the horn of Trump because they are as hungry to govern as Trump is hungry to be a demagogue. They have forgotten that Trump has almost no interest in governing, anymore than he had an interest in the gauge of steel used to construct one of his buildings. He wants something shiny, impressive and expensive in his buildings, as he wants a Presidency that adds to his glow and his ego.
Thank you for clarifying eloquently that it is not Congress that is failing to govern nor a Supreme Court failing to uphold the intent of our Constitution, but the Republican Party applying brakes to the process of governance and packing the highest Court via criteria that suit the minority and endanger the Constitution. In this time of crisis, whether or not citizens are aware, every vote at every level of government becomes critical to the security of our democracy. Citizens must receive the information in order to understand the crisis and participate in elections. Democratic Party strategists must wake up and effectively inform the voting citizenry.
If you were back on air, where could I find you? I miss balanced news calmly presented, intelligently and fairly written.
I wonder if Trump (tffg) has dementia like Regan?
From what I see and hear I think he may indeed have the beginning stages. And all the more reason that Republicans want to renew his power to the presidency. As they were the puppet masters for Reagan, they would again be pulling the strings on everything that comes out of the White House. Frightening.
Mr. Dan Rather…Onciously my response to your (as always, eloquent and truthful ‘Steady’), is now In The beginning of a massive and deathly war AGAIN against Israel. However, this time, it hurts far worse then any before. This Deathly War was planned by Hamas and others, for a long time.
This time, the casualties are hideous. This time, it’s time to take them and STOP all of them.
I know that this may read and sound like ‘pie in the sky’, because the hate against Israel has boiled over into this bloody and internecine War.
Now is NOT the time for our Politicians to play Democrats and our very divided Republicans, in our House, Senate and White House. Now is the time for us to step up and put our sides AWAY. Our Ally, Israel needs our force. You may not agree with me, but I don’t care.
Time for our scandals, time for our Divided and battle crazy Republicans , TIME FOR DEMOCRACY to prevail.
This time where we are In total chaos , this time we are severely Dysfunctional. Mr. Rather says ‘our political polarization is way extreme.’ False equivalence infect the framing of our political moments and have such undue influence on governing’.
WTF! I could word for word put down what Mr. Rather said about our ‘Lockstep Republican Party as it marches to an extreme dangerous undermining of our Democratic Stability and our core belief that EVERYONE should be equal under the law. But, read Mr. Rather’s “Steady” column.
Israel finds itself in trouble again, this time by a bloody and hideously pre-planned surprise attack on non-military people…people breathing the same air we all do. Some have been killed by smiling and evil animals…more will die. They don’t have to, but will.
Matt Gaetz and his following group of diarrea-tic seditious autocrats must get in lockstep with our entire Political malignant, egotistical cluster we call The House and figure out a way to both stop our Nations’ severe ever growing split and try, TRY, to put The United Sates together for a common goal.
I truly believe that we know what that goal is, but we don’t intelligently know how to go about doing it.
STOP TRYING TO CONTINUE TO SPLIT US LIKE OTHER DICTATORSHIPS DO, BUT START TO PUT OUR MULTITRILION PUZZLE PIECES BACK TOGETHER.
It seems we cannot do it for ourselves, but how about trying to do it for our children, our children’s children and so on.
With all that I’ve said, if it didn’t come out sounding like ‘alphabet soup’, I hope, I truly hope, it cannot hurt to try.
Do Try Please. We teach our Children to say Please and Thank you, how about us trying to do the same.
👍
I agree that the problem right now in our American democracy is the corruption of the Republican party -- a large part of it -- by Trump and some of his family and associates. We need (to put it in plain English) to throw the bum out! Let's go back to a real 2 party system with 2 honest alternatives.
Superbly written!!!
Absolutely! Starting with the entry of Rupert Murdoch into American media, the news has become more and more shaded and slanted. I'm not sure whether the previously more discerning sources, like the Washington Post and the New York Times, are themselves being undermined from within or are simply following the lead of the Murdoch doom machine. Maybe they're just misled - after all, newspapers are dying slowly away as we watch, thanks to streaming services and social media, and they tend to fight one another over scraps. But the endless Trump stream of nausea-inducing idiocies and "reports from the field" of half-truths and outright propaganda leave most of us with both a feeling of hopelessness and a bad taste in our mouths. This adds to the feeling that things are out of control and that our democracy is doomed.
I say "Nonsense!" Our Constitution is as strong as it ever was, our Bill of Rights is still the bulwark against tyranny, the division of powers strengthens each branch of government - it's not the system that is broken. It will work as well as it ever did, with one amendment.
Our system of government was designed by men of good will, men with the health and selflessness of the entire country not only in mind, but at heart. Not being idiots, they built in some measures to keep the outright crook and miscreant from being able to manipulate the government to enrich himself (in the event that he was able to get himself elected to high office,)
However, they could not have anticipated the onslaught against our very way of life and governance that is currently being perpetrated by the Republican Party, led by an evil thug of small brain like Trump - I feel certain that the sheer malice of it would have been incomprehensible to our Founding Fathers.
It is not the system, but the men of bad intent who have studied it and worked their way into it in order to break it up, tear it down and replace it with a fascist oligarchy. First of all, they are funded by wildly rich backers, whose personal interest in gaining more wealth and power is unbridled. Get rid of this big money, which is slowly buying our government at bargain basement prices. Replace the men of bad intent with those who care for our country and the rights our Constitution guarantees, and the problem will be gone. Honesty, true patriotism to America and not to some strongman-like leader, a selfless willingness to care for one's fellow man, for ALL of America, not merely one political or religious faction - these are the things we need to look for in our political candidates. These are the men and women who will lead us out of this valley of despond and back into the light of democratic equality. Or, put another way, these are the people who will lead us out from under the Stupid Cloud under which we now slump. Take heart! Be of good cheer! This is a fight we can win, if we but try.
That a major political party is led by a twice impeached, four times indicted, confirmed sexual abuser and prolific liar says it all. There would have been a time when no one in the GOP would even listen to someone like that, let alone have them as their leader. But they pay no price for it in the media, and that's why they continue to do it. And as long as we continue to sacrifice truth for a false sense of fairness, this dynamic will only get worse. We're already seriously talking about replacing democracy with a form of autocracy.
Dan…. I almost fell of my chair with laughter when I read this opinion piece probably paid for by the democratic party.
You actually want us to believe you have not crossed the line on non-partisan reporting?
Just about everything you write is across the impartial line….. what a joke!
If you want the mantra of an unbiased journalist, you have much work to do.
I would characterize the 2 factions of the dems and Repubs in this way.
The dems don’t want change and don’t even see the real problems and threats that our western nations face on many fronts and have lost their direction as to who they represent.
The repubs understand the threat very well and are trying to fix it…… and agreed….very badly…
The real problem is that the western style of government has become out-dated and ineffective and needs a shove toward stronger leadership so we can get more done and are not mired and lost in the haze of so-called democracy.
Voters are correct to be apathetic and have lost confidence in the government systems of all stripes and want action that never comes….. with many of the decisions that do make it through the process based on minority watching and virtue signaling to the global group think and nothing to do with serving citizens.
You are right on only one thing…its sad. but for different reasons.
The bothsideism is intentionally promoted by Republicans, and was a foundation of the cult leader’s marketing: “the swamp”. It drags everyone serving in Congress , working for anyone in Congress or even in government service down to his level, and they don’t care if you vote for them as long as you don’t vote at all. This is part of their voter suppression campaign, so pessimistic, and it’s depressing to see people internalize this message and give up, and it’s worse when it’s carried by the New York Times, obliviously.
Thank you for your clarity and voice of reason in a murky and unreasonable political miasma.
Thank you Mr. Rather, these are important messages regarding the political situation. The next important message to tackle, which is likely to make you even more uncomfortable, is that were Trump not present, the situation would continue as is. So much messaging blames Trump. He may be easy to focus on but he is merely capitalizing on the loss of Republican leadership. Note that ALL Republican congress members vote lock-step regardless of their individual beliefs, needs, and indeed morals. Members of congress should feel a call to serve their community. That should be their motivation for running. And perhaps some start that way. But they have shown that not one of them does more than vote for power, prestige, or position. When will tru journalist tackle the "why" and not just the "what"?
Trump provides the rallying point for the basket of deplorables we re currently lumbered with. While most of them don't care a fig about him one way or another, he provides cover for them to vent their spleen. He himself is nothing, or less than - under multiple indictments, about to come under multiple judgements against him, lacking the governmental shroud of power and might he once wore and thought was his forever, he will bloviate and posture on and on until one day he realizes no one is watching, no one is listening. Still in the meantime, he is the only rallying point the Republican Party has. They have no platform, no ideas, no sense of governance, to real idea what the people of this country want or need. Without him, they will have to give some account for their candidacy. And the media might actually have to start paying real attention to what's going on.
I feel like it’s not just the major outlets either. My family’s roots are in a small town in southern Ohio, and a local newspaper there is just straight up propaganda. It’s obvious that whoever owns the paper has no interest whatsoever even in the traditional “fair and balanced reporting” idea, let alone the kind of clear-eyed reporting its readers need. For residents there, it’s an unrelenting diet of garbage everywhere they turn, and I imagine that the situation is representative of small town USA.