The Battle Is Joined

With both national party conventions having concluded, we now have two primary nominees from which to select our next president.  Although the candidates are perhaps not of the personal quality we might desire, they do in fact represent a clear choice in the direction our government would take under their tutelage.  The difference is not in degrees; as in 160 degrees versus 210 degrees.  Rather the difference is in primary direction; as in east versus west or south versus north. 

 

In spite of the effort by both political parties to inundate us with trivia, minutiae, and outright deceit…there is simply no excuse for any American voter to put forward an uninformed vote this November.   Despite promises and pledges about what they intend to do, we have a clear record for each candidate of what they have done.  It is upon those records that voters should make their decision. 

 

The best place to begin is to consider the platform of policies that each party has put forward through their convention process.  Even though the glitz, glamour, and superficial nature of the conventions might give a different impression, these platforms represent the official principles and goals of each party.  It is only fair that they be judged based upon where they say they want to take this country.  Any fair assessment of those platforms will entail a comparison of what the platform says in comparison to what the past records reflect.  In other words, can you trust them to do what they say?

 

The clear answer is…no, we cannot.  However, it is all we have upon which to base our decision and the upside is that if we objectively hold them to their promises, we will then have a fair standard upon which to judge them when the next election rolls around.  So do your homework, figure out where YOUR priorities lay, and trust your gut.  Decision day is rapidly approaching.

 

It should be noted that these platforms are fairly reflective of the party’s overall policy agenda.  They are products of endless committee meetings and input processes from the various members.  There will be language in here that the party would prefer not to have, but it is there because it is the actual belief of some significant part of the party.  Both parties assume that YOU will not take the time to read these documents; so much of the policy and position language will be either totally ignored or selectively and artfully presented to you in other forms.  Don’t be fooled; this is the heart of the matter.  Here are your platforms:

 

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform

 

https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/

 

All things Kamala:

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/what-kamala-harris-didnt-say/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/3132804/kamala-harris-big-lie/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/24/strategic-vagueness-is-the-democrats-new-switcheroo/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/democrats-convention-bill-clinton/2024/08/23/id/1177690/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2024/08/12/a-harris-walz-administration-would-be-a-nightmare-for-free-speech/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/daily-memo/3118293/no-kamala-harris-cannot-flip-the-script-on-the-border/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/the-questions-the-media-should-be-asking-kamala-harris/

 

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/wedharris-hypocrisy-vp-digs-both-sides-key-issues

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine/3121896/kamala-harris-has-a-history-of-convenient-conversions-and-concealment-of-her-record/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/3121319/10-radical-harris-positions-the-media-is-helping-her-hide-list/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/3129440/kamala-harris-far-left-platform/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/mrc-poll-harris-ice/2024/08/14/id/1176561/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/president-harris-same-as-senator-harris/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/kamala-harriss-statist-economic-plan/

 

https://reason.com/2024/08/19/kamal-harris-dishonest-and-stupid-price-control-proposal/

 

https://reason.com/2024/08/21/kamala-harris-price-gouging-ban-is-a-new-idea-that-has-failed-for-thousands-of-years/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3124664/a-story-everyone-should-know-harris-biden-and-gianfranco-torres-navarro/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/16/ominous-signs-of-what-us-middle-east-policy-might-be-under-a-harris-presidency/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/its-the-obamas-world-harris-and-walz-just-live-in-it/

 

All things Walz:

 

https://thefederalist.com/2024/08/12/dont-let-the-camo-hat-distract-you-from-tim-walzs-radical-record/

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/08/of-tim-and-the-tampons-megyn-kelly-responds.php

 

https://reason.com/podcast/2024/08/12/tim-walz-is-another-big-government-liberal/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/tim-walz-unsafe-at-any-speed/

 

All things Trump and Vance:

 

A person might look at the large amount of coverage I apply to Harris/Walz compared to the scant amount of coverage on Trump/Vance in this piece and be puzzled by the disparity.  There really is no disparity.  No politician in my lifetime has been scoped deeper and wider than Donald Trump; there is little, if anything, we do not know about him and his life.  On the other hand, Harris remains very much a mystery and if you are going to consider her for the office of the presidency, you should know who she is and what she has done.  I have covered Vance pretty extensively following the Republican National Convention, so now it was time to turn to Walz.  ‘Nuff said.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/23/trump-and-vance-explain-how-they-will-handle-a-world-on-fire-at-north-carolina-rally/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/19/j-d-vances-promise/

 

The election state of play:

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/12/our-three-silent-mice/

https://reason.com/2024/08/23/manufacturing-joy-at-the-dnc/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3125495/five-things-stand-out-democratic-party-platform/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/17/the-great-basement-campaign-2024-version-2-0/

 

https://jewishworldreview.com/0824/hanson081624.php

 

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/22/who-is-destroying-democracy-in-darkness/

 

It is entirely appropriate that the Democrat National Convention was held in Chicago.  Democrat-ruled California is a microcosm of what a Democrat-ruled America is or would be.  Chicago is a microcosm of California: https://nypost.com/2024/08/18/opinion/crime-filled-chicago-displays-all-thats-wrong-with-democrats-in-one-failing-city/

 

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/all-things-trump/frifrom-kitchen-table-world-stage-trump-just-defined-what

 

https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/thuharris-faces-harsh-economic-reality-she-seeks-win-women-minorities

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-makes-the-case-that-kamala-harris-is-responsible-for-rising-food-prices/

 

https://mrctv.org/blog/craig-bannister/biden-harris-economy-after-42-months-six-charts-media-dont-want-you-see

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/were-probably-approaching-peak-kamala-mania/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-suspends-presidential-campaign-endorses-trump/

 

All things re: the integrity of our election process:

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/08/media-bias-call-it-by-its-true-name-regime-propaganda.php

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/the-media-have-forgotten-why-they-exist/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2024/08/14/an-america-issue-washington-post-reporter-calls-on-white-house-to-censor-trump-for-america/

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/3121882/democrats-google-search-ads-falsify-news-headlines-past-harris-campaign/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2024/08/15/want-more-freedom-of-speech-try-less-government/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2024/08/12/the-feds-election-interference-didnt-stop-after-2020-it-just-got-more-sophisticated/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2024/08/16/majority-of-postal-facilities-audited-by-inspector-general-failed-to-follow-election-mail-procedures/

 

All things in general:

 

Our Biden/Harris economy continues to drag: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/13/investing/home-depot-earnings-housing/index.html

 

Can we “trust” anything our government tells us?

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/finance-and-economy/3129087/job-growth-set-to-be-revised-down-by-818000-jobs/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/u-s-department-of-labor-oopsie-we-overcounted-new-jobs-created-by-818000/

 

Will American government ever learn that our entitlement programs must be overhauled: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/entitlements-vs-workers/

 

The heartbreak and tragedy of the “Forgotten War”…

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/a-people-fights-back/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/ukraine-defies-the-doomsayers/

 

As extra-ordinary as it was, there was a very good reason why the Democrats dumped Joe Biden as their nominee.  They tried to hide him, but the debate spoiled that party.  The man and his family are corrupt to the bone and the chickens are coming home to roost.  Can you even imagine the media handwringing that would be occurring had this been the Trump family?

 

https://nypost.com/2024/08/19/opinion/damning-impeachment-report-shows-why-dems-were-desperate-to-get-rid-of-corrupt-biden/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/08/the-biden-family-scandal/

 

The actual report: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wtgskxx248erx8lnj7tc1/2024.08.19-Report-of-the-Impeachment-Inquiry-of-Joseph-R.-Biden-Jr.-President-of-the-United-States.pdf?rlkey=a2z1pg4hfaphv4akyz0yyijyc&e=2&st=6h0lamz3&dl=0

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/impeachment-inquiry-house/2024/08/19/id/1176996/

 

Just one of the many bad things that the Biden/Harris Administration will never be held accountable for: https://justthenews.com/government/security/nearing-anniversary-final-afghanistan-withdrawal-accountability-may-be-slipping

 

 

 

The State of Play: Democrat

Note to Reader: I had intended to post this piece on the weekend following the conclusion of the Democrat National Convention in Chicago.  It was deigned to be a summary of where the Democrat Party stands following their convention; just as my prior post following the Republican Convention.  I try to tend towards the middle of the political spectrum and readily confess that I pretty much fail that test in a big way.  I truly am a registered Independent; but I am also a conservative, and that mindset simply does not comport to the Democrat Party of today.  I can occasionally be very critical of Republicans and their agenda; I can sometimes identify in a positive fashion with old-school liberal policy positions; but it is just beyond my tolerance capacity to agree with this bunch of progressives running today’s Democrat Party.  They are idiots.  They are vile.  They are truly dangerous.  After two nights of their convention, I found that I could no longer contain my contempt for the show they were staging and yielded to the necessary expression of my disdain by posting this piece prior to their convention’s conclusion.  I have few doubts that anything will occur during the last two days of their celebration that will change my mind about what I have written.

 

The Democrat National Convention has now concluded.  Having exorcised itself of its legitimately-chosen nominee Joe Biden in the first night of the convention, the Democrat Party spent the next three nights celebrating.  I’m not real certain exactly what the celebration was about; perhaps it was simply the absence of Biden.  I think they called it a celebration of vibes and joy.

 

Kamala Harris is not any kind of prize worth celebrating.  I am confident that the more people find out about her, the less they will like her.  That process will be somewhat mitigated by the Democrat Party and their progressive cabal sheltering Harris and providing her maximum cover right up to election day.  I have my doubts that ploy can be successful.  The American voter has proven to be quite shallow and unserious; but keeping Harris bubble-wrapped until November and then expecting voters to select her as president is perhaps a lift too heavy.  We can only hope so.

 

In a strange way, I think that Harris’s selection of Tim Walz as her running mate reflected the same thought process as that of Trump selecting Vance; they each selected someone who they viewed as being in lockstep with themselves while eschewing clearly better choices that would have significantly improved their chances of victory.  Trump could have gone with either DeSantis or Haley; Harris could have gone with Shapiro.  Much like Harris, Walz is a rather weasely type of person and I doubt increased voter familiarity with him will increase his approval ratings.

 

To me, the Democrat National Convention is an affirmation of what the Democrat Party has become.  The pure, unadulterated conceit and arrogance of Obama has marinated in the Democrat Party over the last seven-plus years, and has been strengthened by the fait accompli of sneaking Joe Biden into the White House in Machiavellian fashion.  Having accomplished this feat, the Democrats have clearly decided that the voters of our nation are quite simply dolts who can be herded into whatever direction the Democrats and their allies choose.  They truly believe they can parade around in the nakedness of their lunacy while expecting the people to look upon them as elegantly dressed.

 

Barack Hussein Obama is a snake.  Through deceit, outright lies, and slick oratory, he put together a fictionalized account of his life and sold it to the people on his way to the presidency.  His conniving and illegitimate genesis occurred in the very town where this convention is being held.  Not content with serving two terms as the most corrupt and autocratic president in memory, he continues to meddle in the world of domestic politics.  He strategically emerges from the shadows occasionally to preen in front of his followers and to simply remind everyone that…yeah, I am still around and…yeah, I am still so very good.  He never liked America; he never respected the Constitution upon which our nation is based; and he always held himself above the standards applied to all others around him.  Obama should take the immense wealth he has politically accumulated and buy an island somewhere.  He could then be the King that he has always aspired to be.  But…I suppose he is rather content simply being the Monarch of Martha's Vineyard and continuing to serve as the puppet master of the Democrat Party.  This is “who” Obama is.  He is the perfect caricature of today’s Democrat Party.

 

He stands before the Democrat Party convention and says: “Well, we have a broader idea of freedom.  We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work hard.  The freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and send your kids to school without worrying if they’ll come home.  We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life, how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry.  And we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that other people have the freedom to make choices that are different than ours.  That’s okay.”

 

But look closely…THIS is what he and his Party actually do:  https://jonathanturley.org/2024/08/21/shut-out-in-chi-town-chicago-accused-of-blocking-jewish-groups-from-marching-during-the-democratic-national-convention/ .  Those rights and freedoms that Obama and the Democrats love to bloviate about…well, that’s just fine; as long as THEY get to determine exactly what those rights and freedoms are.

 

Note that Obama never mentions our Constitution.  He artfully implies it is the Democrats who have come up these lofty ideals.  He and his shameless Party blatantly co-opt (adept plagiarists that they are) the ideals of our Constitution and then ladle them out before us as if it were their original thoughts.  They conveniently ignore the fact that this nation has a document…a blueprint…upon which it was established well over 200 years ago.  Our founders fought and died for that accomplishment.  That document does not need to be replaced (or in Democrat terms…aborted), evolved, mocked, or perverted to somehow reflect the personal agenda of Obama and the progressive liberals of the Democrat Party.

 

THIS is what the Democrat Party has become. They are unapologetic hypocrites who will say one thing, do another, look you straight in the eye and lie about it, and fully expect you to nod in agreement.  Their insatiable appetite for a colossal authoritative government drives their all-encompassing obsession to obtain political power and then, once obtained, to keep it at any cost.  You, the American voter, are nothing more than an amoeba they choose to condescend to, and…ultimately control.

 

The liberal/progressive element has always been certain that it knows better what is good for us than we know for ourselves.  Obama’s two Administrations prepared the way for the Biden Administration to force-feed this agenda to the American people.  This self-assuredness is certainly what led them to the extra-ordinary selection of Harris as their nominee and this convention is simply an affirmation of their certitude towards making all the right moves.  Frankly, I can see why running against Donald Trump might lead to that type of thinking.  It has worked before.

 

The Democrats will now deploy their entire progressive team to sell Harris/Walz to the public as the saviors of democracy; a term with which they clearly have a tenuous relationship.  The one overriding message that should come across to anyone who tracked the Democrat convention should be this: When you have been in power for over three and a half years, two of which holding clear control of the Executive AND Legislative branches, and all you can talk about is your opponent…what does that say about what you have…or have not…accomplished?  Is it not fair to surmise that many if not most of the problems you so readily complain about are problems of your own creation?  After all, you have been running the show.

 

It sickens me to have millionaire/billionaire Democrat politicians and celebrities pontificate on the evils of wealth and influence…while they wile away their days in their multiple homes in gated communities.  This bunch of asses have attacked Republican VP nominee Vance as being a privileged elite.  J.D. Vance was not my choice for Republican VP, but give the man the credit he deserves.  From the hills of eastern Kentucky where poverty at its worse gives a whole new meaning to depression, he pulled himself up.  He graduated from Yale; he built a successful business; he became a U.S. Senator.  Obama never worked a day in his life.  He has shifted and grifted to gain every cent he ever got.  He, or his self-righteous wife, is in no shape or form qualified to criticize anyone who has acquired anything through hard work and effort.  The Obamas, Harris, Walz, and all the other bourgeoisie Democrats do not merit consideration to even carry J.D. Vance’s briefcase.

 

Is it even conceivable that the Democrats can somehow disenfranchise Harris from her supporting role in the Biden/Harris Administration?  Can they really put her forward as the new ideal of Democrat leadership?  Can a person who went to high school in Quebec and grew up in Berkeley pass herself off as a member of the American proletariat?  Have they become so full of themselves and so contemptuous of the American voter that they have lost all sense of honor regarding rank hypocrisy and outright lying?  Are the older and closeted liberal/progressives, the blossoming Millennials, and the rambunctious GenZ kids who are clearly controlling the Democrat Party today so full of themselves that they are confident they can say anything, anytime, in any fashion and somehow escape accountability for the veracity of their content?  I think they have; I think they do; and I think they believe they can pull it off.  And you know…given the fact that their opponent is perhaps the only egomaniac that might actually surpass their own self-concepts…they just might do it.

 

It occurs to me that I may have finally solved one of my greatest political mysteries.  I have always been amazed at the degree to which many people embrace Donald Trump while fully acknowledging his many prominent character flaws.  I think the answer is that he, like no other Republican politician before him, unabashedly calls the Democrats out for exactly who they are.  He is our progressive/liberal/Democrat-slaying avatar. 

 

The intense dislike and frustration that I hold for Obama and today’s Democrat Party has no effective outlet; I sometimes get tired of hearing (or reading) myself constantly bitching and moaning about them.  On the other hand, Trump takes it down to the basic level and puts it all out there…diplomacy, decorum, and civilized behavior be damned.  He actually says and does what many, many people would like to.  And as imperfect as he is, he is more than content to do it.  He enjoys doing it, does it so well, and then invites us all to join in.  The invitation is hard to decline; unless, of course, you are a Democrat.  Even though I may detest the man that he sometimes is, I take perverse pleasure in him saying and doing the very things that I wish I could.  This might just be the magic ingredient that explains the Donald Trump phenomenon.

 

The converse is likely true for why liberal/progressive/Democrats have such a visceral, intense, organic, obsessive hatred for the man.  They can attack him…what he says and does, what he stands for…with absolutely no reservation.  No one is even remotely liable for ripping and tearing at Donald Trump!  They can say things about Trump they actually feel about conservatives in general; but they are far too cautious to openly express THOSE thoughts.  There is always the chance they might need those people somewhere down the line.  Trump?  They will never need him.

 

Donald Trump is the universal lightening rod for the American political system.  He is the release valve for both the right and the left.  He is the spark that can start the fire.  He is the gasoline that can enrage the flame.  He is the wind that just might spread the heat all across this country.

Objectivity? Ethics? We Don’t Need No Stinking Journalists!

If the Democrat Party is ultimately successful in their strategy to shelter their nominee Kamala Harris from public scrutiny and sell her to the voters as some cosmic variation of vibes and joy…well then, our democratic process truly is in jeopardy.  In fact, the damage will likely run far deeper than that.

 

Perhaps the majority of voters have decided that the President of our country is not really that important…not really essential to their well-being.  Perhaps they are more interested in hip imagery and cool quips that seem to slip off the lip and land softly on the ear.  Perhaps they do not really care about our Constitution and are comfortable with the way our government has been running for the last three-plus years.  Perhaps they are unconcerned that America has powerful, evil, and resourceful enemies abroad whose purpose in existing is to destroy our nation and…these folks are salivating at the vacuous leadership that the U.S. has demonstrated during the Biden/Harris presidency.  Perhaps people are beat down and so disillusioned with politics in general that they feel any attempt towards a serious approach to voting is farcical on its face.  Perhaps they feel so powerless that their main concern is not trying to right the ship, but rather to find something firm to hold onto so they do not get tossed overboard.  All of these feelings would be understandable effects of the world in which we live.

 

One thing is for certain: The mainstream media is playing the American voters for fools.  They are openly, unashamedly, and quite effectively doing everything in their power to tilt the electoral board to the favor of the Democrat Party and the candidates that they put forth.  There is no blush of embarrassment about saying something one day and saying something totally opposite the next; no explanation is needed nor offered.  The investigative standards they apply to their favored candidates pale in comparison to the magnifying glasses they put upon the candidates that they scorn.  They claim no evidentiary basis upon which to base their non-news, opinionated news reports and exhibit astronomical heights of hubris in their expectation for all to consume their goods with no questions whatsoever.  And why wouldn’t they act like this?  After all, it has been working pretty successfully for some time now.

 

Where was the first presidential debate?  CNN.  Where is the next one scheduled? ABC.   There may be more; there may not.  There is no excuse for these debates not to be on both conservative and liberal platforms with both conservative and liberal moderators.  Why do Republicans insist on running these campaigns with one hand tied behind them?  Even when they are on their best (least partisan) behavior, mainstream media condescension and antipathy towards Republicans simply drips from their presentations.  If you watch their faces and body language closely, they treat conservatives as if they are some type of other-worldly creatures.  They choose carefully what to report and what not to report.  They slant the coverage of what they choose to report on.  They ignore the misdeeds of their favorites while hammering the foibles of their despised.  Their insolent hubris is limitless and their unsupported sense of entitlement is not only dumbfounding…it is also disgusting.  American journalism, by and large, is in the dark deep throes of an Orwellian complex.

 

The best illustration I can find for this shameful dynamic is the recent Time magazine puff piece about Kamala Harris.  Time put an iconic-centric picture of Harris on its cover with the title “Her Moment”.  I won’t address how lopsided this kid gloves treatment of Harris is compared to the brutally critical approach Time has taken to all things Donald Trump (including “his” Time cover picture).  That patently obvious bias speaks for itself.  The incredible thing about this recent article on Harris is the fact that in spite of Time’s fawning and non-critical approach to all things Kamala…she refused to be interviewed for the article.  The fact that Time was willing to accept these terms, along with her “let them eat cake” attitude, clearly depicts how low they have placed themselves in their fealty to the Democrat Party and the progressive elements in our political world.

 

No doubt, there are conservative media platforms that are just as guilty as the liberal/progressive platforms in the way they handle the “news”.  But the simple fact is that the overall presence and influence of those liberal/progressive sources, aka the Mainstream Media, far outweighs the effective reach of the conservative sources.  They are both equally guilty of the same prevarication; it is just that one does it so much more prominently and frankly, is much better at doing it.   A sign of the times is that we all gravitate to the news sources that we are comfortable with; we seek validation of what we personally believe.  The internet and streaming options that we have makes that all too easy and we take full advantage of it. 

 

But living in those little bubbles of information puts blinders on us.  We lose sight of the fact that the little bubbles we inhabit are not really that significant in the overall state of things.  The fact is that CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Newsmax, etc. reach only a fraction of the viewers held by ABC, CBS, and NBC.  We might want to stand up and cheer when Hannity goes after Biden or Morning Joe goes after Trump; but their attacks pale in comparison to what the traditional mainstream media is broadcasting.  No matter how you might choose to characterize its content, the progressive/liberal influence in the Fourth Estate dwarfs that of the conservative.  Given the fact that academia and the education intelligentsia provide our newsrooms with their personnel…why should we expect anything else?

 

The simple truth is that the politicians the media covers…ALL of the politicians the media cover…are egomaniacal and arrogant in their pursuit of power, wealth, and influence.  Why else do these people put themselves through the personal wringer of pursuing political office?  I have to believe that we, the voters, have pretty much come to expect that and have been fairly comfortable with picking out the least of the existing evils to our own taste.  But this is no reason for the media to lower itself to the standards of the politicians.  I would like to think that if the media purports to present to us the facts, they would approach that task in an apolitical fashion.  Yes…I will say it out loud: The media should be holding itself to higher standards than our elected officials.  Their influence is that great; their product is that significant; and their place in our culture and society is that essential.

 

Look…I have no problem with everyone having their own opinion; we are all different people with different thoughts.  That is freedom; that is liberty.  But when discussing the Fourth Estate, it is not unreasonable for us, the consumers of their product, to demand a truth in labeling standard.  They are also entitled to their opinion.  Just draw for us a clear line between where the facts lie and where your opinion lies.  Do not blend them in a perverted fashion that allows you, the media, to insert facts that might be only privy to yourself with your own personal agenda in a way that effectively supports your opinions. 

Do not treat me as an automaton.  Give your consumers a level of respect to think for themselves and form their own opinions, no matter how outrageous, self-serving, or foolish they might be.  Give us the same privilege that you demand for yourselves.  Allow us, the consumer, to judge you on how well you obtain the truth and how well you report the truth to us.  Let us further judge you on how effectively you delineate between the facts and your opinions.  Do not judge us on the opinions we independently form.  Look at yourselves; surely you want to be better than this.

 

If you, the media, wish to actively support a candidate or an agenda, then that is your right.  We, the consumer, can take it or leave it.  Just do not disrespect your consumer and lower your own credibility by mixing up facts and opinions in ways that are clearly biased, dishonest, and shamefully deceptive.  Find some pride in your work; put some ethics in your journalism; realize that people have choices in their news/opinion searches to either shop around or to tune it out entirely.  Work hard and professionally to achieve high ethical standards in your profession and take the risk on being judged according to those metrics.  Our nation will be better for it.