6/ Republicans pretend to care about free speech and "letting people tell a joke," but as president, Trump literally uses government power to censor comedians.
Stephen Colbert getting fired was "a consequence that comes from Trump," according to Trump's own FCC comissioner.
Colbert's show was number-one in its entire category. And yet, rather than asking him to reduce costs, CBS fired him as a way of placating Trump so its owner could be approved to sell the company. https://www.rawstory.com/brendan-carr-stephen-colbert/
7/ As president the first time, Trump frequently declared journalists "the enemies of the people."
And he instructed staff members repeatedly to call Disney executives, demanding that Jimmy Kimmel be censored for anti-Trump jokes.
Can't get more anti-free speech than this: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-white-house-pressure-disney-censor-jimmy-kimmel-1234686853/
8/ Never in history has a president demanded that comedians be fired for joking about him.
From an institutional standpoint, this may seem less significant, but from a cultural standpoint, the pressure on comedians from Trump right now has not been seen since the beginning of standup comedy.
Now he's threatening Kimmel again and Jimmy Fallon https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jimmy-kimmel-fallon-stern-b2803584.html
@mattsheffield@mastodon.social
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHckZCxdRkA&ab_channel=CNN
9/ In his second term, Trump has been far more censorial than any modern American president.
He signed executive orders banning "improper ideology" from museums. He's removed thousands of web pages honoring historical figures--simply because they were not European Americans.
Republicans love censorship. It's their primary intellectual vehicle. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-targets-improper-ideology-smithsonian-museums-executive-order-rcna198503
10/ Reactionary beliefs lost in the "marketplace of ideas" decades ago. Science proved the Bible's creation, Babel, & flood stories were fables.
Tax cuts don't pay for themselves. The fiscal multiplier is real. Vaccines work.
Trump wasn't lying when he said "I love the poorly educated."
To think that he's competent, honest, intelligent, or fair is an obvious delusion. He needs ignorance. https://plus.flux.community/p/the-science-behind-why-donald-trump
10/ Reactionary beliefs lost in the "marketplace of ideas" decades ago. Science proved the Bible's creation, Babel, & flood stories were fables.
Tax cuts don't pay for themselves. The fiscal multiplier is real. Vaccines work.
Trump wasn't lying when he said "I love the poorly educated."
To think that he's competent, honest, intelligent, or fair is an obvious delusion. He needs ignorance. https://plus.flux.community/p/the-science-behind-why-donald-trump
11/ The only way Republicans win elections is ignorance. They can't govern. They have no reform ideas.
They just slash and burn because they hate the idea of community and shared responsibility. We saw that with their anti-mask and vaccine obsessions during Covid.
Reactionary Republicans have no affirmative ideas. They cannot build great things, only tear down what they cannot understand.
This is why they must lie and censor others. They'd never have a chance otherwise.
/end
11/ The only way Republicans win elections is ignorance. They can't govern. They have no reform ideas.
They just slash and burn because they hate the idea of community and shared responsibility. We saw that with their anti-mask and vaccine obsessions during Covid.
Reactionary Republicans have no affirmative ideas. They cannot build great things, only tear down what they cannot understand.
This is why they must lie and censor others. They'd never have a chance otherwise.
/end
Matthew Sheffield