4 ms·

Seems like a strawman. The media landscape's merging and anti-competitiveness started way back in the Clinton years and textbook revolving doors continued righ

by xster 9y ago

Seems like a strawman. The media landscape's merging and anti-competitiveness started way back in the Clinton years and textbook revolving doors continued right up to Trump with Tom Wheeler being a textbook regulated becoming a regulator. Nothing changed with Trump. He's just not (and probably not capable of) making an increased effort to reduce the permanence of power among money elites. Having his personal net worth reduced pre vs post election as opposed to an increase for Clinton and Obama is probably as big a step in the right direction in favor of net neutrality than anything. A proper publicly funded election for the legislature is the next ultimate solution that will solve all this. The next best possibility is a self-funded election. An elite-funded election which is the state of the US is the worst option and the root cause of this.

dragonwriter 9y ago
> The media landscape's merging and anti-competitiveness started way back in the Clinton years No, it was well underway in the early 1980s; I think it started in the 1970s. The impact it was having on reporting was already a major discussion point before Clinton was elected.
- xster 9y ago
  I agree. I'd opine the most impactful and negative aspect that impacts today's social landscape though is still the telecommunication act of 1996.
andrewjl 9y ago
Tom Wheeler was very different from Ajit Pai. The optics may look the same, but Wheeler took a very critical stance on the telco perspective on multiple issues. If anything his background as a lobbyist let him navigate the inevitable moral hazards better.
- nitrogen 9y ago
  As I understand it, Wheeler was a cable lobbyist back when cable was the upstart against the broadcast incumbents. So it may have been easier for him to appreciate the upstart perspective as well as that of the incumbent.
cokeandsympathy 9y ago
Get out of here with that both sides the same bullshit. Wheeler was an industry man, but the the Obama administration fought to preserve net neutrality and Obama supported classifying ISPs as utilities. Campaign donations and lobbying are a systematic problem, but laying the blame there and only there ignores the fact that there there are degrees of complicitness within a corrupt system, as well as degrees of the impact imposed by the corruption itself. Ultimately only one side of the aisle seems so eager to get in bed with ISPs to destroy the internet, to deny climate change in support of their fossil fuel benefactors, and to dismantle the healthcare system for the benefit of the rich. Also, ask yourself which party supports citizen United, and which party obstructed any progress on legislative efforts to address it?
- xster 9y ago
  Identity politics is just today's means of mass control as an evolution on the use of violence or religion or some such. Classic Orwell vs Huxley. Getting the oppressed to self-drain oxygen by subdividing everyone into every which way to stop conversation about their self interest is the success the elites are seeking. The only meaningful distinction in today's america's social struggles is the class distinction between the common and the elite. The (CNN approved) examples you're giving are right. Though there are tons of non corporate news reported 'republican' things democrats have more success doing like making Bush elite tax cuts permanent, more wars of invasion, banking deregulation, social security privatization. > but laying the blame there and only there ignores the fact that there there are degrees of complicitness within a corrupt system, as well as degrees of the impact imposed by the corruption itself Sounds circular. Or maybe I misunderstood what you meant. Can you rephrase?
  - untog 9y ago
    What a load of complete waffling nonsense. You admit that the OP was correct that things were different under the Obama administration, then say it doesn't matter because Democrats get the country involved in wars? Please. "The only way to fix anything is to fix everything" is deeply intellectually lazy and allows you to disengage from any politics until it meets your idealised standard of what politics should be. Lets you feel great while you achieve absolutely nothing. We can all do better than that.
rrhd 9y ago
> Having his personal net worth reduced pre vs post election you really think he's not milking the presidency for cash?
belltaco 9y ago
Lets cut through all the noise and look at the President's uncut opinion on net neutrality. >Donald J. Trump‏ Verified account >@realDonaldTrump >Obama’s attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/532608358508167168?lang=en https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/53260835850816716...

by xster 9y ago

dragonwriter 9y ago

> The media landscape's merging and anti-competitiveness started way back in the Clinton years No, it was well underway in the early 1980s; I think it started in the 1970s. The impact it was having on reporting was already a major discussion point before Clinton was elected.

xster 9y ago
I agree. I'd opine the most impactful and negative aspect that impacts today's social landscape though is still the telecommunication act of 1996.

andrewjl 9y ago

Tom Wheeler was very different from Ajit Pai. The optics may look the same, but Wheeler took a very critical stance on the telco perspective on multiple issues. If anything his background as a lobbyist let him navigate the inevitable moral hazards better.

nitrogen 9y ago
As I understand it, Wheeler was a cable lobbyist back when cable was the upstart against the broadcast incumbents. So it may have been easier for him to appreciate the upstart perspective as well as that of the incumbent.

cokeandsympathy 9y ago

Get out of here with that both sides the same bullshit. Wheeler was an industry man, but the the Obama administration fought to preserve net neutrality and Obama supported classifying ISPs as utilities. Campaign donations and lobbying are a systematic problem, but laying the blame there and only there ignores the fact that there there are degrees of complicitness within a corrupt system, as well as degrees of the impact imposed by the corruption itself. Ultimately only one side of the aisle seems so eager to get in bed with ISPs to destroy the internet, to deny climate change in support of their fossil fuel benefactors, and to dismantle the healthcare system for the benefit of the rich. Also, ask yourself which party supports citizen United, and which party obstructed any progress on legislative efforts to address it?

xster 9y ago
Identity politics is just today's means of mass control as an evolution on the use of violence or religion or some such. Classic Orwell vs Huxley. Getting the oppressed to self-drain oxygen by subdividing everyone into every which way to stop conversation about their self interest is the success the elites are seeking. The only meaningful distinction in today's america's social struggles is the class distinction between the common and the elite. The (CNN approved) examples you're giving are right. Though there are tons of non corporate news reported 'republican' things democrats have more success doing like making Bush elite tax cuts permanent, more wars of invasion, banking deregulation, social security privatization. > but laying the blame there and only there ignores the fact that there there are degrees of complicitness within a corrupt system, as well as degrees of the impact imposed by the corruption itself Sounds circular. Or maybe I misunderstood what you meant. Can you rephrase?
- untog 9y ago
  What a load of complete waffling nonsense. You admit that the OP was correct that things were different under the Obama administration, then say it doesn't matter because Democrats get the country involved in wars? Please. "The only way to fix anything is to fix everything" is deeply intellectually lazy and allows you to disengage from any politics until it meets your idealised standard of what politics should be. Lets you feel great while you achieve absolutely nothing. We can all do better than that.

rrhd 9y ago

> Having his personal net worth reduced pre vs post election you really think he's not milking the presidency for cash?

belltaco 9y ago

Lets cut through all the noise and look at the President's uncut opinion on net neutrality. >Donald J. Trump‏ Verified account >@realDonaldTrump >Obama’s attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/532608358508167168?lang=en https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/53260835850816716...