The Two Dangerously Disparate Faces of American News Media

Vladimir Putin has won re-election in a landslide.

Shocking, huh? Who’d have thought a guy who routinely has his opposition imprisoned and/or killed (a lot of people in Russia seem to “fall out of windows”) would so handily win a fifth term as president?

No one who knows anything about how craven and bloodthirsty Putin is expected anything different. This election was decided before the polls even opened, and everyone knew this. Even the media has been calling this out for what it is: a sham.

Even American news media, which is horrifically corporatized and polarized, has been mostly unified in clearly stating that this election was pure theatrics. I’ve actually been rather surprised by just how pointed some of the news coverage has been; many outlets have moved beyond simply quoting the opposition and are now clearly stating that Putin staged his re-election.

MAGA's Subliminal, Anti-Democratic Messaging

Our democracy is in a dire and fragile state, facing a threat the likes of which hasn’t been seen here for nearly a century. The leading contender for the Republican nomination for President, Donald Trump, tried to overthrow our democracy three years ago by orchestrating, inciting, and aiding a violent insurrection and coup attempt against our government. Political discussions are naturally focused on this now, with many people, myself included, very concerned about what this year will portend for our democracy, particularly if Trump returns to power.

I honestly don’t think our democracy can survive another Trump presidency. He tested the absolute limits of our checks and balances three years ago when he attempted a coup and was allowed to walk free, and he’s made it clear that, should he return to power, he will focus all of his efforts on political retribution against his enemies, and that he’ll stock the entire federal government with sycophants who will do whatever he tells them to do without question. There’s a word for this: fascism.