this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2024
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politics

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...

This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people.

The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.

The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.

This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it.

As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost.

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[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 143 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Well done, whoever you are. Thoughtful and poignant.

[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 101 points 7 months ago (3 children)

By Chris Quinn, Editor, cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer

[–] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 37 points 7 months ago

Whoever you are...

[–] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 23 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Thank you, anonymous person. Whoever you are!

[–] catsarebadpeople@sh.itjust.works 18 points 7 months ago

If only we knew who this masked hero is!

[–] eatthecake@lemmy.world 19 points 7 months ago

Integrity is a beautiful thing.

[–] ZeroCool@slrpnk.net 111 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Much as it offends some who read us, we will continue to tell the truth about Trump.

To quote Ben Shapiro if I may... "Facts don't care about your feelings." Trump's a traitor who incited a violent insurrection and continuing to support him after what happened on 1/6 makes you one too.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 8 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Don't quote Ben Shapir, he's an ass who thinks he debates people very well because he can yell louder. He's not the type of person you'd want to quote

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 51 points 7 months ago

It's apt in this case, because old Benchy is a massive right wing hypocrite who cares infinitely more about feelings than facts. Using his stupid words against him and his ilk when they do the very thing they bitch about is ok in my book.

[–] whoreticulture@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago

but it's funny to use his quote when the facts argue against Ben Shapiro's beliefs

[–] RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Eh? A broken clock and all?

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[–] squid_slime@lemmy.world 79 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Being British but having to talk american politics ive started looking to Wikipedia for somewhat non bias information, or more so I am able to easily follow the source which often leads to first hand testimonials, court documents and some such information.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack

I find doing so gives me an advantage when combatting misinformation.

My uncle who seems to get all his insight from Ben Shapiro or as I say dry muff man, and Russell brand/Howard which ever is doing a pod cast theses days.

Anyway a lot of the right wing ideologs tend to side on conspiracy, hearsay. So be well informed and hopefully we can pull the working class away from these grifters.

[–] GladiusB@lemmy.world 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Ben Shapiro is an idiot and not a model American. He says shocking things for ratings and then acts like he's a victim. He is no different than Howard Stern but on the opposite end of the spectrum.

[–] whoreticulture@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

is Howard Stern considered left???

[–] GladiusB@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

He was back before Serious XM. People were flipping out for how progressive he was. How he is now? I don't know. I was picking a known entity that was a shock jock.

[–] whoreticulture@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Honestly most of what I know of him is that he seems to to be extremely misogynistic. I guess during the Bush administration you could get away with that and still seem like a raging liberal.

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[–] Green13@lemmy.zip 55 points 7 months ago

Couldn't agree more

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (2 children)
[–] harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Living in sin with a safety pin

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 5 points 7 months ago (2 children)

🎵Moon over Parma...tonight! 🎵

Oops. Wrong season

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[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 16 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (12 children)

Unfortunately, it doesn't matter. The people equating the two will loudly proclaim to be leftists while simultaneously saying that Trump wasn't actually trying to interrupt the certification of Joe Biden, and that Trump actually was trying to STOP the 'unruly protest'. No amount of arguing can get through to people who have no interests other than smug contrarianism.

[–] TehWorld@lemmy.world 72 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It does matter. Minds have to be changed one at a time. A constant drip is better than nothing.

[–] misterdoctor@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago

This was strangely reassuring 🥹

[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 31 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

I have yet to meet a leftist who doesn't think Trump is a piece of shit fash nepo baby rapist whose death will be celebrated. And I'm terminally online.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 9 points 7 months ago (6 children)

Stick around on here for a while - unfortunately, they're a constant problem.

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[–] JC1@lemmy.ca 5 points 7 months ago

I just met one. He doesn't think that Trump is a fascist. He thinks that Trump and Biden are the same. The thinks that we should bring the whole system of oppression down. He doesn't realise that in order to make change happen, we must make allies, that electing someone who wants to bring the democracy (even though it is flawed) is worse for his goals. He even repeats right wing propaganda.

They are few, but sometimes they can appear.

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 27 points 7 months ago (10 children)

Learn to tell the difference between leftists and right wing trolls. Anyone can call themselves a leftist. There is no leadership in the leftist movements that have come within a thousand miles of equating Trump and Biden. Biden is an old school right wing corporate Democrat, not fascist Trumpian garbage.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Hence "loudly proclaim to be leftists". But many of them aren't trolls, at least not in the sense of not meaning what they're saying.

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 8 points 7 months ago

A real king doesn't need to say they are the king.

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[–] RainfallSonata@lemmy.world 17 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Anyone who claims to be leftist and doesn't think trump committed insurrection is trolling you. Believing Biden is just as bad is another matter entirely.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 8 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

https://kbin.social/m/politicalmemes@lemmy.world/t/927705/Please-for-the-love-of-God-VOTE#entry-comment-5928401

You see this kind of comment intermittently from certain kinds of self-proclaimed leftists, where they parrot Trumpian claims about how he was actually trying to STOP the insurrection and is Totally Innocent and therefore it's Not A Big Deal if he wins again. Anything to feel better about helping him win against the filthy neolib Biden.

Believing Biden is just as bad is another matter entirely.

... is it? Because last I checked, there was a big difference between "Tried to overthrow a democratic process" and "Did not try to do so".

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[–] takeda@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago

Kind of related: On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder book also talks about WW1 and WW2 and a lot of that rings bells. He doesn't mention trump by name, and frankly it applies to what's happening in other Western countries as well.

Highly recommend it, the book is also quite short and to the point.

If you don't want a book, he is reading it on his channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhZxrogyToZsllfRqQllyuFNbT-ER7TAu

[–] Pacmanlives@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Bunch of snow flakes ❄️❄️❄️

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[–] PhAzE@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

There are two sides of a fact. One side is the fact, the other side is the spin. Spinster work had to make the spin look like fact and bend the opinions of those who can't separate fact from fiction.

One side is based on evidence, while the other is based on conjecture and opinion.

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