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Related: About this forumGeorge Will On How Trumpism Became Republican Dogma - The 11th Hour - MSNBC
Veteran conservative columnist and thinker George Will joins MSNBC's Brian Williams to discuss how Trumpism - not conservatism - became the prevailing principle of the modern Republican Party. Aired on 09/17/2021.
JohnSJ
(91,966 posts)Rhiannon12866
(203,041 posts)JohnSJ
(91,966 posts)on this near the end of the interview with 90 seconds left:
Williams: You said to Andrea Mitchell today, and I am paraphrasing, if one man can change public life for the worse, I don't think we need to name names, that also means that one man can change change it for the better. I heard that, and I was briefly filled with hope, how about a couple of nominations, anyone come to mind?
Will: Sure, there is Ben Sasse, there are a number of Governors, I think Tom Cotton is someone who could step forward, and say what needs to be said to a nation which is weary of being weary.
When George will put Tom Cotton in the list of people he though couldt lead the republican party out of trumpism, that told me no amount of insufferable intellectual embellishment that George Will may try to paint as "reasonableness", in the end he is quite extreme.
I have that recorded so I was able to verbatim transcribe that.
During that interview, he was also throwing out the "both sides do it" argument, and Brian Williams was also playing up with that also.
That false equivalency isn't even close.
Bill Maher was spewing the same "both sides do it" nonesense. What was humorous on Maher's show was when he was arguing how the rich pay more than their fair share of taxes. When someone on the panel commented on Jeff Bezos not paying his fair share, Maher in his usual ignorant self proclaimed that was Amazon not Jeff Bezos.
All Maher had to do was look up in Forbes, not a liberal publication:
"Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos paid a true tax rate of 0.98% as his wealth grew by a staggering $99 billion between 2014 and 2018; he reported just $4.22 billion in reported income during the same period."
In addition:
Bezos paid no federal income tax in 2007, ProPublica found, even though he added $3.8 billion to his fortune that year. Thats because he was able to offset the $46 million in income he reported with losses from investments and deductions on debts and other expenses, according to ProPublicas analysis. ProPublica also found that Musk paid no income tax in 2018.
........
"$175 billion per year. Thats how much the top 1% of taxpayers contribute to the tax gapthe difference between federal taxes legally owed and those actually collectedeach year, according to a March study. The study estimated that the top 1% of taxpayers dont pay taxes on 20% of their income. Significantly, however, ProPublicas report does not suggest those billionaires broke the law and calculates the true tax not on income, but on wealth, which for the very rich is a much bigger number, since unrealized gains arent taxed."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/06/08/richest-americans-including-bezos-musk-and-buffett-paid-federal-income-taxes-equaling-just-34-of-401-billion-in-new-wealth-bombshell-report-shows/?sh=76bedc57fe1b
Usually the Maher's or George Will's are never called out on their inconsistencies, or downright incorrect information.
czarjak
(11,197 posts)Rhiannon12866
(203,041 posts)Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)The conservatives movement to my knowledge have never had any ideas to sell that come out as anything beyond No or That cannot be done. They are fear mongering, divisive, flag waving, ideological horses behinds used by corporations to keep everyone fighting each other while the 1% laughs all the way to their bank in the Cayman Islands.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)His embracing of the Tea Party caused me to disregard his opinions after that.
lonely bird
(1,643 posts)Conservatism has no ideas, no policies, nothing that is not negative. They spew terms without defining them. They fully utilize agitprop to generate fear and then exploit that fear.
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,848 posts)... the Republican party, with him among the WSJ-reading wealthy as they relax in leather chairs and feel innately superior to others.
Even cartoonists from years ago predicted where their propaganda and manipulations would lead...
Midnight Writer
(21,552 posts)Golden Raisin
(4,600 posts)in any of George Will's opinions after his lifetime of being a bloviating, pompous, professionally pseudo-professorial, Reagan-loving, filled-with-himself, conservative a**hole.
underpants
(182,284 posts)Ive had coffee this morning
Tiger8
(432 posts)You never complained when Talk Radio & Televangelists pushed Hate that got your friends Reagan, Bush and Gingrich elected - who passed laws against women, minorities, poor, LGBTQ+ to please "blue collar" Republicans.
George, the only difference between you and Trump - is he's too stupid to hide the Hate behind fancy language - which is why the MAGA Morons love him more than you.