4 ms·

You are mixing up "DC the actual city" and "DC as a synonym for politics". DoD couldn't care less about Bezos' mansion or HQ2's impact on the city's economy.

You are mixing up "DC the actual city" and "DC as a synonym for politics". DoD couldn't care less about Bezos' mansion or HQ2's impact on the city's economy. And running a newspaper that continuously annoys a President doesn't really fit the apparently popular idea that Bezos is spending money to get favourable treatment from politicians. Especially when that politician you're annoying is known to have a somewhat vindictive streak and doesn't quite grok the difference between being entrusted money and power to use on behalf of a country and owning money and spending it in his own interest

GCSAQCMIYI 7y ago
>And running a newspaper that continuously annoys a President doesn't really fit the apparently popular idea that Bezos is spending money to get favourable treatment from politicians. At least from outward appearances, most of the ruling class and permanent government isn't particularly fond of the current President.
- r_luna 7y ago
  That's what our current President and his "deep state" wants you to believe. However, after three + years it's pretty obvious that our President has a firm grip on power. He still plays the victim every once in a while. But all the departments are quite clearly bowing and pleasing him as best they can.
  - Aeolun 7y ago
    Or giving that appearance while they wait it out?
    - smabie 7y ago
      Is there a difference?
  - SuoDuanDao 7y ago
    I don't know about that, he wasn't able to get the press to play nice on COVID the way it did during swine flu.
    - derstander 7y ago
      In the US the press is not part of the state. Also the swine flu was much less of a problem for the US: the CDC reported less than 13,000 deaths in the US over a one year period vs stats today of over 34,000 for COVID-19 in just a few months — despite the extra precautions taken.
      - jazzyk 7y ago
        Slightly off-topic, but if you consider that 90% of "mainstream" media is owned by 6 huge corporations, which are interested in maintaining crony capitalism (of which the state is a central player) - then it would not be completely outlandish to think that the press is kinda part of state (conceptually speaking) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownersh...
        cvlasdkv 7y ago
        it's the difference between explicit and invisible force. people in favour of capitalism (in all its forms) consider the invisible forces "the way the world works".
      - SuoDuanDao 7y ago
        Eh, fair point that the epidemics were different scales, when I first saw that comparison they were still fairly close in terms of impact to the States. Still, it seems to me that the Trump administration originally clearly wanted to go for a 'herd immunity' strategy and changed it due to political rather than practical considerations. I'm quite sure that if it had the relationship with the fifth estate that, say, the Biden campaign enjoys, there would have been very little political fallout as a result. The press has managed the truth far more aggressively for other administrations.
    - 7y ago
  - jlj 7y ago
    > He still plays the victim every once in a while. Try continuously. Every problem is someone else's fault, and every success is solely because of him.
GCSAQCMIYI 7y ago
>DoD couldn't care less about Bezos' mansion or HQ2's impact on the city's economy. How do you know that?

GCSAQCMIYI 7y ago

>And running a newspaper that continuously annoys a President doesn't really fit the apparently popular idea that Bezos is spending money to get favourable treatment from politicians. At least from outward appearances, most of the ruling class and permanent government isn't particularly fond of the current President.

r_luna 7y ago
That's what our current President and his "deep state" wants you to believe. However, after three + years it's pretty obvious that our President has a firm grip on power. He still plays the victim every once in a while. But all the departments are quite clearly bowing and pleasing him as best they can.
- Aeolun 7y ago
  Or giving that appearance while they wait it out?
  - smabie 7y ago
    Is there a difference?
- SuoDuanDao 7y ago
  I don't know about that, he wasn't able to get the press to play nice on COVID the way it did during swine flu.
  - derstander 7y ago
    In the US the press is not part of the state. Also the swine flu was much less of a problem for the US: the CDC reported less than 13,000 deaths in the US over a one year period vs stats today of over 34,000 for COVID-19 in just a few months — despite the extra precautions taken.
    - jazzyk 7y ago
      Slightly off-topic, but if you consider that 90% of "mainstream" media is owned by 6 huge corporations, which are interested in maintaining crony capitalism (of which the state is a central player) - then it would not be completely outlandish to think that the press is kinda part of state (conceptually speaking) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownersh...
      - cvlasdkv 7y ago
        it's the difference between explicit and invisible force. people in favour of capitalism (in all its forms) consider the invisible forces "the way the world works".
    - SuoDuanDao 7y ago
      Eh, fair point that the epidemics were different scales, when I first saw that comparison they were still fairly close in terms of impact to the States. Still, it seems to me that the Trump administration originally clearly wanted to go for a 'herd immunity' strategy and changed it due to political rather than practical considerations. I'm quite sure that if it had the relationship with the fifth estate that, say, the Biden campaign enjoys, there would have been very little political fallout as a result. The press has managed the truth far more aggressively for other administrations.
  - 7y ago
- jlj 7y ago
  > He still plays the victim every once in a while. Try continuously. Every problem is someone else's fault, and every success is solely because of him.

GCSAQCMIYI 7y ago

>DoD couldn't care less about Bezos' mansion or HQ2's impact on the city's economy. How do you know that?