This is so timely as I was just thinking a few days ago “hmm haven’t heard much from Glenn Kessler lately, did he retire?”.
I’m willing to admit that each of us lives in somewhat of a bubble of our own creation, but Kessler’s job is to call balls and strikes… or… Pinocchio’s and he is a glaring example of how legacy media and those who operate within that system no matter how genuine or diligent literally do not seem to be able to be even slightly objective when it comes to Trump & America First voters. That means it’s up to us, as citizens to be aware, to analyze, to call out at times, the resulting products the left/mainstream media churns out. I’m glad to see so many people who previously fell in line with the BS, after 4 years of “Press by gaslight “ opened their eyes and realized just how the media bubble works and how they really don’t want the best for us and for this country.
I might give Kessler grace as a human being, but in his professional duties as with the broader media, I’ll continue operate at maximum skepticism with both eyes wide open.
CIA runs WAPO and State Department runs NYT. Mossad runs CIA and State Department. Sometimes the most obvious answer is also the correct one. Kessler can’t admit truth anymore than a Zionist can about their ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
"...anymore than a Zionist can about their ethnic cleansing of Gaza." You yourself cannot SEE the truth about what is happening in Gaza. If Hamas had its way, the Israelis would be "cleansed" from the planet.
You conveniently leave out the parts about why it all started and why it continues. And the words "racist" and "Nazi" have been so inappropriately overused that they have lost all meaning.
It started in 1948 when the Eastern European Jews, who were responsible for killing tens of millions of Christians in the Bolshevik revolution, paid the Brits and Americans to force the Palestinians out and establish the nation of Israel. Since then, the Israelis have been torturing, imprisoning innocent Palestinian children under decades of apartheid rule. Thanks for asking, K.
Most claims in the statement are factually incorrect or based on debunked conspiracy theories, especially regarding the role of Jews in the Bolshevik revolution and the manner of Israel's establishment. There is, however, credible and growing international documentation of human rights abuses and allegations of apartheid in today's Israel/Palestine context, though these are the subject of ongoing legal and political debate.
The statement is overwhelmingly false. It contains some superficially accurate historical elements but is riddled with distortions, exaggerations, omissions, and antisemitic tropes that misrepresent the complex histories of the Bolshevik Revolution, the establishment of Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I'll break it down part by part, drawing on historical facts and a range of perspectives (including pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian, and neutral scholarly sources) to explain why.
Libertarian you ignoramus: Jewish Bolshevism is an antisemitic and anti-communist conspiracy theory that claims that the Russian Revolution of 1917 was a Jewish plot and that Jews controlled the Soviet Union and international communist movements, often in furtherance of a plan to destroy Western civilization. It was one of the main Nazi beliefs that served as an ideological justification for the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the killing of Jews.
Libertarian: You re a run-of-the-mill Jew hater and do not belong in polite or well-informed conversation. Just stop this stupid vicious nonsense and get either smarter or better educated. You contribute nothing of value here.
Do you think your Jew hatred has any influence on people? You make a stupid point not about the OP and do you think you are making an arguable thoughtful point? Or anyone will go ‘hmmm….I didn’t know Mossad was running the CIA! That shouldn’t be.’
Anyway, it is OBVIOUS Mossad is NOT running the CIA. Mossad is hilariously funny and very very intelligent. It is for Israel. The CIA is stupid and incompetent. If Mossad were running it it wouldn’t be the clown show it is. Also the CIA has been anti Trump from the beginning and Trump is pro Israel.
I don’t hate Jews; I am anti-genocide and anti-ethnic cleansing. That the Jewish nation of Israel is committing these crimes against humanity is not my fault. Thank-you for the opportunity to explain.
It is obvious from your previous comments you are operating under false historical facts weaving together a myopic view that seems to explain things in your own head as opposed to reality. Back in the day there was a word for that, now one would most likely call it sad.
Libertarian: if you really hate genocide you would see that the entire Middle East has opposed the Israelis for decades, in fact for centuries, and the only people in that part of the world that want to commit genocide are the arabs who hate Israel and want to wipe Jews off the map. Israel would gladly stop warring in Palestine if Hamas had not committed the atrocities of October 7.
Seriously, if you refuse to recognize these clear and explicit facts, you are coming from sheer ignorance of historical truths, coupled with deep-seated anti-semitism. You show no indication of any nuanced understanding of the history of the Middle East.
Hey Mystic William, if Mossad is so very, very intelligent how do they let a bunch of barefoot barbarians with machine guns fall out of the sky to slaughter your innocent children for hours before the IDF came to save them? Was it because they were stupid and completely missed something that had been planned right next-door to them for a year? Or is it because they’re evil and let it happen because they love war? Because it’s one or the other. No decent intelligence agency would have missed that. Mossad was most definitely either incompetent or complicit. There’s no other choices in this scenario. So which one is it?
Then what are the other choices? Please explain how Mossad would not know about Oct 6 ahead of time unless they are a) incompetent or b) complicit. You can’t just say that’s a false dichotomy and then not provide any other possible scenarios. I see NONE.
It was so low tech it went under the radar No emails or phones, just pagers used. But a bigger problem is Israel is one of the most vaxed peoples on the planet. Incompetence is increasing everywhere. Someone might have screwed up.
What you need to understand is that BOTH sides are led by warmongers who are actually on the same side. The side of making endless war, which they will never cease doing because their god Satan calls for it. I loath the leaders of both sides who foment war and sabotage peace and I feel terribly for the citizens of both sides who have been brainwashed by their evil leaders into hating each other.
Libertarian, off topic but want to ask. I’ve been attending Catholic Mass again on the regulars after long absence, here in blue Oregon. I still attend my evangelical church w/ wife later in the Sunday, but I need the formal, Eucharist Sacrament. Here, Communion to parishioners is only the Body but without the cup. Only priest drinks from the cup. Experienced this in 2 Catholic churches and told is a Covid germ holdover. Do you see the same out your way?
Hey Matt, yes - we are not offered the cup. But I haven’t seen that regularly offered for at least 40 years here in PA. I always thought it was stopped because we altar boys were stealing the wine bottles from the sacristy. Lol.
Hahah! I read up and Cup not offered in most parishes nowadays. I was recently back in my medium size home town in Washington State and they offered the Cup, which I appreciated. Be well, my friend.
This is for Sasha: Love what you write and create , but even at my age, my favorite movie of all time is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You have used this scene before which is my favorite scene in the movie….
“And so shines a good deed in a weary world.” Amen!
I totally agree Janis! His posture is very much akin to religious fanaticism. He’s up way too close to his work and is so invested in it as being next to Godliness he can’t perceive the changing realities.
The ideology of the Democratic Party is indeed a religion. They frame it that way. Either you believe in that ideology or you are evil and need indoctrination and a re-education camp. Those are their words
This begs the question… Do Demons know they are demons? Do they know they are sowing lies, chaos and destruction? Remember no one is ever the villain in their own story… democrats will be happy to burn down the entire country as they take selfies in front of the flames, long before they admit they were ever wrong about anything… 😑
In the movie "12 Angry Men" about jurors in a murder trial they initially vote 11-1 for guilty, but the juror played by Henry Fonda brings out new information and slowly most of the jurors begin to have a reasonable doubt except for one. Juror 3 played by Lee J. Cobb . He won't change his opinion until he has an almost emotional trauma. Glenn Kessler is juror 3 . Juror 3’s belief that the defendant is guilty feels like a matter of existence because it’s tied to his identity, trauma, and moral worldview. His resistance to new information—until emotional trauma forces a shift—mirrors the “dead-enders” like Kessler in political bubbles.
We saw that during the COVID shut downs. I saw Pelosi on cable TV smiling radiantly, saying “The government will take care of us.” I can understand why people would want the government to distribute money in a socialist manner, at least if they think they will be more on the receiving end than the donating one. I have more difficulty understanding why people want to be told what to think and what is “okay to say.”
"COVID-mania was astonishing to me in that it brought out in the open the fact that such a large number of persons were still dependent, and would thus sell their souls (and yours) for the promise of someone else keeping them safe."
Astonishing to me as well! I had no idea that so many people were so ready to submit themselves to authority figures. I knew it was a large number, but didn't think it would be the majority of the supposedly anti-authoritarian leftists in my vicinity.
I’ve heard this explanation a time or two, Janis, and I kind of get it. I’ve also had some interesting discussions about “Post Modernism”, and find the idea of no objective truth (ie gender is a social construct) seems to give some people license to go about creating their own truth. For those who have a platform like the NYT or WaPo, it can create an alternate reality. What troubles me is whether those folks really believe what they say, or is there something much more nefarious going on.
Haha - I’m well versed in the history and principles of authoritarianism.
I’m conservative but not religiously extreme. This is true of practically every other political conservative I know. I suggest you work on developing more nuanced ways of thinking. Grouping people into broad pigeonholes may be convenient, but isn’t productive.
Please don’t take my future silence in this exchange as a concession that you have prevailed. You haven’t. I suggest acquiring some humility. I go in peace. Have a great day!
A.A: "You would need to get up early in the morning to compete with me. Did you complete any grad work in other fields, beyond an undergrad law degree?" Now I get it. Jung and evolution are all you need to see "truth". I too am well versed in evolutionary science , but that education alone does not prevent you from wielding a self-aggrandizing set of biases that you clearly think make you alone the authority here.
Conservatism is not "extreme". It is within a normal spectrum of opinion and has been in existence for centuries. Yes there is an "extremist" right , but they are no more correct than the truly twisted people on the current progressive left.
Progressive is known to be left of liberal whereas there doesn’t seem to be a word or label for being right of conservative, as Conservative is the moderate term.
I suppose one needs to invent a word to make the horseshoe terms more balanced.
What is your idea of a presumption of grace? The man is too self- righteous and arrogant to take a hard look at himself and those he likes. He offends by this alone. This has been hurtful and damaging in many ways yet his kind are offended that anyone would push back on their prejudice and it has been to other Republicans as well. They are over the top with Trump though. What about Russiagate? Many people were hurt. No examination of conscious, no seeking of truth, just self- righteousness.
I agree. Yes it’s nice to have an example by Mark of treating someone with grace and kindness. But this isn’t about how Kessler is treated. It’s about taking accountability no matter the cost when the truth is shown to you.
Sasha said, “I saw a guy who loved his job and loved the Washington Post. Every day, he showed up and worked in that bustling newsroom. How could anyone ask him to throw that newspaper or his work under the bus?”
So, his pride in his job is much more important than the girls raped and murdered by illegals or the millions harmed by the covid shots, or our rights to not be censored when speaking truth to the government and the powerful, etc etc. There are hoards of horrible things done to our country because of the lies that were peddled gleefully by people like Kessler.
And that’s the cost of doing it, you will be expected to throw the evil rag you worked for under the bus. Certainly NOT defend it as if it is worthy in anyway, it is not.
Lying is an overly simple word. People twist logic all the time, and everyone tries to justify their beliefs. We are drawn to facts that support us, and ignore those that don’t. It is easy to get trapped in delusion. Most of us want to be. It is a challenge to avoid it. Kessler is sadly in delusion. He is old enough and “educated enough” to know better. Now just an old fool.
There are no facts that support the belief that Trump is evil. There are lies that are presented as facts, which is the entire Russia Collusion story or the idea that Trump has been convicted of 37 felonies (untrue), that Trump is guilty of insurrection (never even charged against him or anyone on January 6th because there are no supportive facts), or that Trump was convicted by impeachment twice (also untrue, since bringing an indictment case, which is the role of the House, is not conviction, which is the role of the Senate and Trump has not been convicted on either case which were both bogus on "trumped up" charges. If you believe in lies, there is no grace in that act. In fact, representing yourself as the source of Truth when in fact you are telling lies, is the greatest evil of all
I blame Glenn Kessler. And every EVIL Glenn Kessler just like him, refusing to acknowledge that "killing fields' are right here, TODAY in the USA, bc of Demoncrat policies. This isn't about which flavor of ice cream is more palatable. This is about Right vs. Wrong/Evil.
Why should 'angel' moms & dads who've lost their children to criminal illegals even exist?
Here's just one of many, as the author says, difficult to write
(also heart breaking to read), but here goes:
'Not One More Number: Say Their Names or Admit You Don’t Care. " Jocelyn Nungaray was twelve years old when she was raped and murdered by two men who should never have been here. We should know her name, far and wide, not because of how her life ended, but bc she represents each child lost in a country that never protected its children... Recently, DHS reported 214 people in Houston area arrested within six months: All of them here illegally, and all of them charged with child sex crimes.
Using chryons or screaming headlines, newsrooms across the country used the number like they were updating a game:
I see Glenn Kessler to be in a stage of cognitive dissonance where one’s feelings are so overwhelming that he is not ready to admit or say “I was wrong”. I am allowing him presumption of grace because he submitted himself to this interview. I am thinking as similar to starting a “12 step” program. There many others that are not ready even for that. Many were indoctrinated themselves by money, others plainly lied (sociopaths). It took a very strong and smart person like Trump to create and lead MAGA. Imagine continuation of indoctrination of another generation by the Dems and our complicit media with more sophisticated tools (AI). Stalin had only Pravda, Izvestia for print and TASS for airwaves.
He took the interview to convince Halperin of his righteousness. There is nothing graceful about trying to convince someone else your lies are in fact truth
I like your take, “similar to starting a 12 step program” is an insightful description and helpful to explain the notion of giving a presumption of grace to others we disagree with, be it words or behavior.
May I sum up Sasha’s take? In other words, Glenn Kessler isn’t evil, he’s simply deluded. That’s what living exclusively in the bubble does to people. Therefore, he’s entitled to our forgiving grace - and perhaps our pity, the poor, deluded fool.
I have a few friends like this. I love them, on a certain level, but have given up trying to talk politics with them. It would ruin the friendship. A lot of conservatives are in the same boat.
Go to it, padre. Unfortunately his kind have caused a harm far beyond that of simply being deluded. Pity I will grant him, otherwise contempt, ridicule and exposure are more his due.
My friends, I can give this grace. I cannot and will not extend that to the mainstream media who turned my friends into these deluded fools because they fully trusted them to tell the truth.
Grace is the road to Gulags. Applying "peace, love, and understanding" to those who apply "war, hate, and misunderstanding" to us is a slow-motion suicide.
And how does the (Far) Left achieve "misunderstanding"? Thru the miracle of logically invalid arguments, formerly known as "fallacies". And Halperin could not be bothered to say even once "That's a fallacy". That is how Western Civilization dies.
Their favorite logical fallacy is ad hominem, ie, attacking YOU for your opinions, not the opinions themselves. In every discussion/argument I have had with leftists, including some in my own family, whenever they think their arguments are going nowhere, they begin on me.
"you're naive", "you get your arguments from headlines", "you only read right wing sources" (which is not true), and then the suggestions ; "You should read Heather Cox Richardson".. So I did. She says nothing that I can't read in WaPo or any other left wing screed, she says nothing positive about Trump or negative about Democrats, and the "sources" she lists are all left wing sources.
I don't know that they have a favorite. All of the following have played a significant role:
1) Affirming the Consequent ("consistent with" = "indicative of"). This is logically equivalent to not believing in subsets.
2) Guilt by Association. This is logically equivalent to not believing in intersecting sets.
3) Ad hominem. By preferred refutation: "I could be Ted Bundy without that refuting anything I say".
4) Unfalsifiability: no possible negative evidence.
5) Non-definition of terms. Not too long ago I read a book where, for large stretches, the author (Yascha Mounk) used "racism/st" in almost every paragraph without bothering to say what he meant. Gee thanks, now I know I *nothing* about what he thinks.
6) Shifting meaning of terms. As in "White Supremacy" being both a belief and a state. That's like a variable in an equation having two values. How does that work?
7) Prejudicial (and anti-prejudicial) terms: making judgments during an argument rather than after. That is a form of "circularity". Which brings me to ...
8) Circularity.
9) Straw Man: asserting or implying that the opposition makes an argument that it does not.
No doubt I am forgetting a few. But those will do for now.
Yeah, Halperin gives too much grace at times. This was one of them.
Another time was when he gave waaayyyy too much grace to Ann Setzer after she threw away her reputation near the end of the 2024 campaign in order to do her part to keep Trump out of the White House by releasing that bullschidt Iowa poll that had Harris leading by 3. Halperin had her on his show and afterwards defended her to the end.
Selzer had Harris leading by 3 the weekend before the election. Trump ended up winning by 13, a 16-point difference. When Selzer went on Halperin's show and basically said "I did not manipulate the poll, this is what the numbers told me", she was either lying or she is just plain stupid. I don't believe she is that stupid after all these years of having very accurate polls.
I am not sure what Halperin's kindness and understanding towards Kessler accomplishes. In a way, it allows Kessler to continue to believe his delusions. It does nothing to pop his bubble and help him see the world as it is, not as he wants it to be. Halperin is an enabler of a psychiatric illness rather than someone helping to cure it. Being nice is not the answer. Holding people accountable for their words and actions is what is required.
People like Kessler are either disingenuous or stupid. It's difficult to imagine that he's stupid. I agree with another commenter. He deserves grace, as does every person, but not for his skewed, supposed professional opinion. If he's unable to recognize or break out of his bubble, that's his problem, not mine.
This is so timely as I was just thinking a few days ago “hmm haven’t heard much from Glenn Kessler lately, did he retire?”.
I’m willing to admit that each of us lives in somewhat of a bubble of our own creation, but Kessler’s job is to call balls and strikes… or… Pinocchio’s and he is a glaring example of how legacy media and those who operate within that system no matter how genuine or diligent literally do not seem to be able to be even slightly objective when it comes to Trump & America First voters. That means it’s up to us, as citizens to be aware, to analyze, to call out at times, the resulting products the left/mainstream media churns out. I’m glad to see so many people who previously fell in line with the BS, after 4 years of “Press by gaslight “ opened their eyes and realized just how the media bubble works and how they really don’t want the best for us and for this country.
I might give Kessler grace as a human being, but in his professional duties as with the broader media, I’ll continue operate at maximum skepticism with both eyes wide open.
Indeed.
CIA runs WAPO and State Department runs NYT. Mossad runs CIA and State Department. Sometimes the most obvious answer is also the correct one. Kessler can’t admit truth anymore than a Zionist can about their ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
"...anymore than a Zionist can about their ethnic cleansing of Gaza." You yourself cannot SEE the truth about what is happening in Gaza. If Hamas had its way, the Israelis would be "cleansed" from the planet.
You are no libertarian, bub.
Definitely not a Libertarian.... that is pure racism, dude
Actually, Jews ethnic cleansing Palestinians from Gaza is much more racist, accurate and Nazi-like.
You conveniently leave out the parts about why it all started and why it continues. And the words "racist" and "Nazi" have been so inappropriately overused that they have lost all meaning.
It started in 1948 when the Eastern European Jews, who were responsible for killing tens of millions of Christians in the Bolshevik revolution, paid the Brits and Americans to force the Palestinians out and establish the nation of Israel. Since then, the Israelis have been torturing, imprisoning innocent Palestinian children under decades of apartheid rule. Thanks for asking, K.
5-Pinocchio’s for Libertarian.
I didn't ask and you are just deflecting to cover your ass.
Perplexity's Response : The Conclusion:
Most claims in the statement are factually incorrect or based on debunked conspiracy theories, especially regarding the role of Jews in the Bolshevik revolution and the manner of Israel's establishment. There is, however, credible and growing international documentation of human rights abuses and allegations of apartheid in today's Israel/Palestine context, though these are the subject of ongoing legal and political debate.
Grok's Response : The Summary
The statement is overwhelmingly false. It contains some superficially accurate historical elements but is riddled with distortions, exaggerations, omissions, and antisemitic tropes that misrepresent the complex histories of the Bolshevik Revolution, the establishment of Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I'll break it down part by part, drawing on historical facts and a range of perspectives (including pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian, and neutral scholarly sources) to explain why.
Libertarian you ignoramus: Jewish Bolshevism is an antisemitic and anti-communist conspiracy theory that claims that the Russian Revolution of 1917 was a Jewish plot and that Jews controlled the Soviet Union and international communist movements, often in furtherance of a plan to destroy Western civilization. It was one of the main Nazi beliefs that served as an ideological justification for the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the killing of Jews.
Libertarian: You re a run-of-the-mill Jew hater and do not belong in polite or well-informed conversation. Just stop this stupid vicious nonsense and get either smarter or better educated. You contribute nothing of value here.
Do you think your Jew hatred has any influence on people? You make a stupid point not about the OP and do you think you are making an arguable thoughtful point? Or anyone will go ‘hmmm….I didn’t know Mossad was running the CIA! That shouldn’t be.’
Anyway, it is OBVIOUS Mossad is NOT running the CIA. Mossad is hilariously funny and very very intelligent. It is for Israel. The CIA is stupid and incompetent. If Mossad were running it it wouldn’t be the clown show it is. Also the CIA has been anti Trump from the beginning and Trump is pro Israel.
I don’t hate Jews; I am anti-genocide and anti-ethnic cleansing. That the Jewish nation of Israel is committing these crimes against humanity is not my fault. Thank-you for the opportunity to explain.
It is obvious from your previous comments you are operating under false historical facts weaving together a myopic view that seems to explain things in your own head as opposed to reality. Back in the day there was a word for that, now one would most likely call it sad.
I appreciate your love and affection, Cartman.
Libertarian: if you really hate genocide you would see that the entire Middle East has opposed the Israelis for decades, in fact for centuries, and the only people in that part of the world that want to commit genocide are the arabs who hate Israel and want to wipe Jews off the map. Israel would gladly stop warring in Palestine if Hamas had not committed the atrocities of October 7.
Seriously, if you refuse to recognize these clear and explicit facts, you are coming from sheer ignorance of historical truths, coupled with deep-seated anti-semitism. You show no indication of any nuanced understanding of the history of the Middle East.
Arabs wish to genocide Jews. Jews wish them not to.
Hey Mystic William, if Mossad is so very, very intelligent how do they let a bunch of barefoot barbarians with machine guns fall out of the sky to slaughter your innocent children for hours before the IDF came to save them? Was it because they were stupid and completely missed something that had been planned right next-door to them for a year? Or is it because they’re evil and let it happen because they love war? Because it’s one or the other. No decent intelligence agency would have missed that. Mossad was most definitely either incompetent or complicit. There’s no other choices in this scenario. So which one is it?
False dichotomy.
Then what are the other choices? Please explain how Mossad would not know about Oct 6 ahead of time unless they are a) incompetent or b) complicit. You can’t just say that’s a false dichotomy and then not provide any other possible scenarios. I see NONE.
It was so low tech it went under the radar No emails or phones, just pagers used. But a bigger problem is Israel is one of the most vaxed peoples on the planet. Incompetence is increasing everywhere. Someone might have screwed up.
What you need to understand is that BOTH sides are led by warmongers who are actually on the same side. The side of making endless war, which they will never cease doing because their god Satan calls for it. I loath the leaders of both sides who foment war and sabotage peace and I feel terribly for the citizens of both sides who have been brainwashed by their evil leaders into hating each other.
Mossad is hilariously funny? 🤔
Or an anti-Christian Jew.
Libertarian, off topic but want to ask. I’ve been attending Catholic Mass again on the regulars after long absence, here in blue Oregon. I still attend my evangelical church w/ wife later in the Sunday, but I need the formal, Eucharist Sacrament. Here, Communion to parishioners is only the Body but without the cup. Only priest drinks from the cup. Experienced this in 2 Catholic churches and told is a Covid germ holdover. Do you see the same out your way?
Hey Matt, yes - we are not offered the cup. But I haven’t seen that regularly offered for at least 40 years here in PA. I always thought it was stopped because we altar boys were stealing the wine bottles from the sacristy. Lol.
Hahah! I read up and Cup not offered in most parishes nowadays. I was recently back in my medium size home town in Washington State and they offered the Cup, which I appreciated. Be well, my friend.
more like an ex-Jew
This is for Sasha: Love what you write and create , but even at my age, my favorite movie of all time is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You have used this scene before which is my favorite scene in the movie….
“And so shines a good deed in a weary world.” Amen!
Kessler reminds me of a religious fanatic. No matter what you say or do affects his beliefs in any way. To him his belief is the right belief.
I totally agree Janis! His posture is very much akin to religious fanaticism. He’s up way too close to his work and is so invested in it as being next to Godliness he can’t perceive the changing realities.
The ideology of the Democratic Party is indeed a religion. They frame it that way. Either you believe in that ideology or you are evil and need indoctrination and a re-education camp. Those are their words
It’s like the Seinfeld episode where George says, “It’s the truth if you believe it.”
Critical thinking, objectivity and perspective are long gone in the MSM news rooms. It’s all group-think.
Seinfeld show: Larry David is one of the deepest believers in Democrat ideology.
Democratic ideology today is much more different than in the 90’s when Seinfeld was made.
Yes my point as well. Aaron Parnas anyone? Has been on Mark’s show twice.
Matt Taibbi who?
This begs the question… Do Demons know they are demons? Do they know they are sowing lies, chaos and destruction? Remember no one is ever the villain in their own story… democrats will be happy to burn down the entire country as they take selfies in front of the flames, long before they admit they were ever wrong about anything… 😑
Progressivism is religion for atheists
In the movie "12 Angry Men" about jurors in a murder trial they initially vote 11-1 for guilty, but the juror played by Henry Fonda brings out new information and slowly most of the jurors begin to have a reasonable doubt except for one. Juror 3 played by Lee J. Cobb . He won't change his opinion until he has an almost emotional trauma. Glenn Kessler is juror 3 . Juror 3’s belief that the defendant is guilty feels like a matter of existence because it’s tied to his identity, trauma, and moral worldview. His resistance to new information—until emotional trauma forces a shift—mirrors the “dead-enders” like Kessler in political bubbles.
Tom, I love this analogy. "A matter or existence because it's tied to his identity."
Bravo, well said. That explains the left hivemind brilliantly; they can't let go of their identity.
True Believers are all alike. The only difference among them is the content of their beliefs, which are all just stories.
"No possible negative evidence" <=> "True Believers"
We saw that during the COVID shut downs. I saw Pelosi on cable TV smiling radiantly, saying “The government will take care of us.” I can understand why people would want the government to distribute money in a socialist manner, at least if they think they will be more on the receiving end than the donating one. I have more difficulty understanding why people want to be told what to think and what is “okay to say.”
"COVID-mania was astonishing to me in that it brought out in the open the fact that such a large number of persons were still dependent, and would thus sell their souls (and yours) for the promise of someone else keeping them safe."
Astonishing to me as well! I had no idea that so many people were so ready to submit themselves to authority figures. I knew it was a large number, but didn't think it would be the majority of the supposedly anti-authoritarian leftists in my vicinity.
I’ve heard this explanation a time or two, Janis, and I kind of get it. I’ve also had some interesting discussions about “Post Modernism”, and find the idea of no objective truth (ie gender is a social construct) seems to give some people license to go about creating their own truth. For those who have a platform like the NYT or WaPo, it can create an alternate reality. What troubles me is whether those folks really believe what they say, or is there something much more nefarious going on.
I don’t like your equating “religious extremists” with political conservatives. That’s a vast, but perhaps convenient, oversimplification.
Bahaha what devolvement from the topic -into apes flinging sh**.
Haha - I’m well versed in the history and principles of authoritarianism.
I’m conservative but not religiously extreme. This is true of practically every other political conservative I know. I suggest you work on developing more nuanced ways of thinking. Grouping people into broad pigeonholes may be convenient, but isn’t productive.
Please don’t take my future silence in this exchange as a concession that you have prevailed. You haven’t. I suggest acquiring some humility. I go in peace. Have a great day!
You're quite fond of yourself. Not a good look.
A.A: "You would need to get up early in the morning to compete with me. Did you complete any grad work in other fields, beyond an undergrad law degree?" Now I get it. Jung and evolution are all you need to see "truth". I too am well versed in evolutionary science , but that education alone does not prevent you from wielding a self-aggrandizing set of biases that you clearly think make you alone the authority here.
I think you have a lot of growing up to do.
Conservatism is not "extreme". It is within a normal spectrum of opinion and has been in existence for centuries. Yes there is an "extremist" right , but they are no more correct than the truly twisted people on the current progressive left.
Progressive is known to be left of liberal whereas there doesn’t seem to be a word or label for being right of conservative, as Conservative is the moderate term.
I suppose one needs to invent a word to make the horseshoe terms more balanced.
What is your idea of a presumption of grace? The man is too self- righteous and arrogant to take a hard look at himself and those he likes. He offends by this alone. This has been hurtful and damaging in many ways yet his kind are offended that anyone would push back on their prejudice and it has been to other Republicans as well. They are over the top with Trump though. What about Russiagate? Many people were hurt. No examination of conscious, no seeking of truth, just self- righteousness.
Ignorance = Willfully uninformed. And it's no excuse for anything.
An old fool.
Absolutely!
A presumption of grace for Mr. Kessler is a big ask. I don't see it. He must know he's lying at some level, but has an agenda that makes it ok.
Presumption of grace does not excuse the consequences of actions. That's where the problem lies.
There MUST be accountability. I disagree with Halperin
I agree. Yes it’s nice to have an example by Mark of treating someone with grace and kindness. But this isn’t about how Kessler is treated. It’s about taking accountability no matter the cost when the truth is shown to you.
Sasha said, “I saw a guy who loved his job and loved the Washington Post. Every day, he showed up and worked in that bustling newsroom. How could anyone ask him to throw that newspaper or his work under the bus?”
So, his pride in his job is much more important than the girls raped and murdered by illegals or the millions harmed by the covid shots, or our rights to not be censored when speaking truth to the government and the powerful, etc etc. There are hoards of horrible things done to our country because of the lies that were peddled gleefully by people like Kessler.
And that’s the cost of doing it, you will be expected to throw the evil rag you worked for under the bus. Certainly NOT defend it as if it is worthy in anyway, it is not.
💯
Lying is an overly simple word. People twist logic all the time, and everyone tries to justify their beliefs. We are drawn to facts that support us, and ignore those that don’t. It is easy to get trapped in delusion. Most of us want to be. It is a challenge to avoid it. Kessler is sadly in delusion. He is old enough and “educated enough” to know better. Now just an old fool.
There are no facts that support the belief that Trump is evil. There are lies that are presented as facts, which is the entire Russia Collusion story or the idea that Trump has been convicted of 37 felonies (untrue), that Trump is guilty of insurrection (never even charged against him or anyone on January 6th because there are no supportive facts), or that Trump was convicted by impeachment twice (also untrue, since bringing an indictment case, which is the role of the House, is not conviction, which is the role of the Senate and Trump has not been convicted on either case which were both bogus on "trumped up" charges. If you believe in lies, there is no grace in that act. In fact, representing yourself as the source of Truth when in fact you are telling lies, is the greatest evil of all
I blame Glenn Kessler. And every EVIL Glenn Kessler just like him, refusing to acknowledge that "killing fields' are right here, TODAY in the USA, bc of Demoncrat policies. This isn't about which flavor of ice cream is more palatable. This is about Right vs. Wrong/Evil.
Why should 'angel' moms & dads who've lost their children to criminal illegals even exist?
Here's just one of many, as the author says, difficult to write
(also heart breaking to read), but here goes:
'Not One More Number: Say Their Names or Admit You Don’t Care. " Jocelyn Nungaray was twelve years old when she was raped and murdered by two men who should never have been here. We should know her name, far and wide, not because of how her life ended, but bc she represents each child lost in a country that never protected its children... Recently, DHS reported 214 people in Houston area arrested within six months: All of them here illegally, and all of them charged with child sex crimes.
Using chryons or screaming headlines, newsrooms across the country used the number like they were updating a game:
“Trump’s ICE Ramps Up Enforcement..... ~ ”https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2025/07/31/not-one-more-number-say-their-names-or-admit-you-dont-care-n4942294
I see Glenn Kessler to be in a stage of cognitive dissonance where one’s feelings are so overwhelming that he is not ready to admit or say “I was wrong”. I am allowing him presumption of grace because he submitted himself to this interview. I am thinking as similar to starting a “12 step” program. There many others that are not ready even for that. Many were indoctrinated themselves by money, others plainly lied (sociopaths). It took a very strong and smart person like Trump to create and lead MAGA. Imagine continuation of indoctrination of another generation by the Dems and our complicit media with more sophisticated tools (AI). Stalin had only Pravda, Izvestia for print and TASS for airwaves.
He took the interview to convince Halperin of his righteousness. There is nothing graceful about trying to convince someone else your lies are in fact truth
I like your take, “similar to starting a 12 step program” is an insightful description and helpful to explain the notion of giving a presumption of grace to others we disagree with, be it words or behavior.
Agree. Our tax $ funded UNRWA and other NGOs to develop children programs indoctrinating children in GAZA and in other places.
Sorry attribution of good faith to Kessler does not fly.
The necessary precursaor to forgiveness is repentance. Didn't happen.
Exactly. Acknowledgment that it is needed.
Well stated!
May I sum up Sasha’s take? In other words, Glenn Kessler isn’t evil, he’s simply deluded. That’s what living exclusively in the bubble does to people. Therefore, he’s entitled to our forgiving grace - and perhaps our pity, the poor, deluded fool.
I have a few friends like this. I love them, on a certain level, but have given up trying to talk politics with them. It would ruin the friendship. A lot of conservatives are in the same boat.
Go to it, padre. Unfortunately his kind have caused a harm far beyond that of simply being deluded. Pity I will grant him, otherwise contempt, ridicule and exposure are more his due.
The propaganda orchestrated by the WaPo among others is never to be forgotten. The damage they've done is reprehensible.
I was trying to sum up Sasha’s position, which seemed more forgiving than mine or yours. I might’ve gotten hers wrong.
Now that I hear where you were coming from, I think you got her's pretty spot on. Gracias, for the explanation.
Seems dead on to me Mike.
My friends, I can give this grace. I cannot and will not extend that to the mainstream media who turned my friends into these deluded fools because they fully trusted them to tell the truth.
I tried watching that interview. Sorry, Kessler gives me the creeps. No grace
Like death row inmates these fake journalists justify their behavior no matter how abhorrent or evil.
It’s just unfortunately a major flaw in humans who are not capable of accepting that the life they choice is a complete failure.
Grace is the road to Gulags. Applying "peace, love, and understanding" to those who apply "war, hate, and misunderstanding" to us is a slow-motion suicide.
And how does the (Far) Left achieve "misunderstanding"? Thru the miracle of logically invalid arguments, formerly known as "fallacies". And Halperin could not be bothered to say even once "That's a fallacy". That is how Western Civilization dies.
That is how some Israelis got themselves into the debacle on Oct 6....trying to apply their own ethos to those who hate them. It doesn't work
Their favorite logical fallacy is ad hominem, ie, attacking YOU for your opinions, not the opinions themselves. In every discussion/argument I have had with leftists, including some in my own family, whenever they think their arguments are going nowhere, they begin on me.
"you're naive", "you get your arguments from headlines", "you only read right wing sources" (which is not true), and then the suggestions ; "You should read Heather Cox Richardson".. So I did. She says nothing that I can't read in WaPo or any other left wing screed, she says nothing positive about Trump or negative about Democrats, and the "sources" she lists are all left wing sources.
Don't fall for this one.
I don't know that they have a favorite. All of the following have played a significant role:
1) Affirming the Consequent ("consistent with" = "indicative of"). This is logically equivalent to not believing in subsets.
2) Guilt by Association. This is logically equivalent to not believing in intersecting sets.
3) Ad hominem. By preferred refutation: "I could be Ted Bundy without that refuting anything I say".
4) Unfalsifiability: no possible negative evidence.
5) Non-definition of terms. Not too long ago I read a book where, for large stretches, the author (Yascha Mounk) used "racism/st" in almost every paragraph without bothering to say what he meant. Gee thanks, now I know I *nothing* about what he thinks.
6) Shifting meaning of terms. As in "White Supremacy" being both a belief and a state. That's like a variable in an equation having two values. How does that work?
7) Prejudicial (and anti-prejudicial) terms: making judgments during an argument rather than after. That is a form of "circularity". Which brings me to ...
8) Circularity.
9) Straw Man: asserting or implying that the opposition makes an argument that it does not.
No doubt I am forgetting a few. But those will do for now.
Sorry Sasha. He’s a Hateful wretch. He knew exactly what he was doing. Let him stew.
Yup.
Yeah, Halperin gives too much grace at times. This was one of them.
Another time was when he gave waaayyyy too much grace to Ann Setzer after she threw away her reputation near the end of the 2024 campaign in order to do her part to keep Trump out of the White House by releasing that bullschidt Iowa poll that had Harris leading by 3. Halperin had her on his show and afterwards defended her to the end.
Selzer had Harris leading by 3 the weekend before the election. Trump ended up winning by 13, a 16-point difference. When Selzer went on Halperin's show and basically said "I did not manipulate the poll, this is what the numbers told me", she was either lying or she is just plain stupid. I don't believe she is that stupid after all these years of having very accurate polls.
Yep. She was busted and lacked the cojonas to admit it.
Too True. He is in The Club after all. Still 2Way and Next Up With Mark Halperin are well worth the time spent.
I am not sure what Halperin's kindness and understanding towards Kessler accomplishes. In a way, it allows Kessler to continue to believe his delusions. It does nothing to pop his bubble and help him see the world as it is, not as he wants it to be. Halperin is an enabler of a psychiatric illness rather than someone helping to cure it. Being nice is not the answer. Holding people accountable for their words and actions is what is required.
People like Kessler are either disingenuous or stupid. It's difficult to imagine that he's stupid. I agree with another commenter. He deserves grace, as does every person, but not for his skewed, supposed professional opinion. If he's unable to recognize or break out of his bubble, that's his problem, not mine.