Trump makes a second announcement today
And this one is considerably more substantive:
As Ace points out, it should be made very clear that this would only apply to large – essentially, monopolist – social media platforms and not to other formats like blogs. The latter are vehicles for the views of one person (or just a few people) rather than huge social media forums with no central speaker and where the entire raison d’etre is discourse among the millions of commenters.
I believe, although I’m not sure, that all of what Trump describes would have to be passed though legislation rather than executive fiat.
Surely a president can order his executive branch employees to cease colluding with big tech to censor speech, right? He can prevent at least some federal money from being spent—by the executive on its own initiative—to label speech ‘misinformation,’ right? So as much as the Biden administration in 2021 began, and the administrative state since who knows began, all these things the next president or even Biden himself can act to stop without legislation, right?
Even if all he is saying is true, *him* saying it hurts the cause.
That’s sad but true, and he has only his lack of self-discipline to blame.
It’s past time to appreciate the good he has done, and send him packing.
I’m tired of him.
M J R, then go take a nap.
What he said about collusion between government and media is dead right. His suggested remedies are acceptable to a majority of Americans. Will the MSM try to refute it? Will they try to suppress it?
IMO, no one else saying these words would garner the attention that Trump will. I’ve heard similar from Hawley, Rubio, and McCarthy. No one pays much attention to them. Many are tired of Trump, but he just laid down the first plank of his campaign platform and it calls for action that we all know is needed if the country is to turn away from the leftists’ drams.
I’m glad he’s raising the issues, and I hope it creates a firestorm of coverage and debate.
MJR:
It’s all his fault? Good thing the media, Silicon Valley, social media, the bureaucracy, and the Democrats weren’t allied and against him, that would have been unfortunate. As it is it is his own undoing.(farce)
Brian E (6:47 pm), my comment was totally serious; yours is not.
om (7:09 pm), all those entities *were* “allied and against him”. But he was tragically prone to unforced errors, very serious ones at that. He is a very flawed person [yes, we all are to a degree, but his degree is both tragic and fatal].
I did not write that “it’s all his fault”, nor did I imply that [I just re-read my comment to be sure it wasn’t hidden somewhere in there in emanations and penumbras]; I merely no longer desire his services in pursuit of what both us of want to see.
And yes, I am tired of him. So much potential. We have serious work to do; whaddaya say we-all get on with it.
JJ (7:00 pm), you raise a valid point. If Trump’s announcement does cause the issues to be discussed more widely — rather than give people (false) justification to dismiss / ridicule / sneer at / snicker at the points he made just because those points came from Trump — then I will need to walk back my criticism. Let’s see what transpires . . .
MJR:
Given that you acknowledge that there are some slight biases in the media and other sectors of society against Trump, and possibly your own (?), I doubt you will do much walking back.
Time will tell.
My first impression only, but that is exactly what Trump needs to do if he wants to make any sort of a comeback- strong aggressive statements addressing the problems and stating exactly what he’s planning to do.
No more whining about the stolen election and childish insults.
om (8:13 pm), time will tell, but this comment thread will cease to be current after around 24 hours. But I mean it, and the following sense:
Trump has served many a useful purpose already. To name just one, and an important one, he has demonstrated for all who are willing to see, that the deep state emperor has no clothes. I appreciate that, and I give him credit.
If I’m biased against Trump, it’s in the sense that not only does he commit serious unforced errors, but in doing so he harms our cause; no need to plow that ground again.
But I genuinely mean it, I hope his “announcement *does* cause the issues to be discussed more widely”, and in that event, I will be happy to walk back my criticism — and beyond this comment thread. ** Keep me honest, okay? **
[I *certainly* concur with Chris B (8:14 pm): “No more whining about the stolen election and childish insults.” We have *serious* work to do.]
I’m with M J R here.
Trump stepped up when it was hard and did some great things. Granted. Kudos. Especially the Supreme Court. But Trump has lost the plot and it’s a problem.
I notice commenters here have been careful not to notice Trump’s other “big” announcement — his idiotic, ego-maniacal line of Trump Digital Trading Cards.
I saw that and at first assumed it was satire. But nooooo….
A day late and a dollar short.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-social-media-censorship-a-crime-section-241-us-code-government-private-conspiracy-civil-rights-speech-11670934266?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
huxley:
The reason I said on this post that it was his second announcement today is that the first one – the trading cards – was dealt with earlier, on the roundup post. There were also a few comments there about the cards.
huxley (11:09 pm) called attention to those “Trump Digital Trading Cards”.
Shakin’ me head.
(Happy we’re in agreement.)
Re: Trump, The man is unelectable and will never be president again.
Even if he did manage to get elected, however, and given the disorganization in his previous administration, this sounds like this would end up as a half-baked executive order that would take a dash of luck to survive a court challenge. Frankly, I don’t think he would care. He would win the newscycle on right wing media on the day the EO was announced. He would also win the newscycle on the day the courts struck down the EO. (“All those disloyal Trump judges are actually enforcing the APA! Sad.”) Then his supporters would explain it all away yet another GOPe act of sabotage. The end result would be nothing, but Trump would remain as popular as ever with his base.
No thanks.
What we really ought to do is actually win an election and then start playing the “private cause of action” game as the left does. We know that even a successful EO would be wiped away as soon as Democrats take power again. We also know that Democrats have no interest in prosecuting or pursuing civil actions against companies that are censoring their opponents. So pass a bill creating a private cause of action for individuals whose speech is censored by social media companies for political reasons. Establish a plaintiff-friendly discovery process. Then sit back and see whether the social media companies wise up before or after they get sued into oblivion.
Republicans need to find the candidate who can do something like that (and I doubt that most GOPe figures would). The problem with Trump is that if you go with the showman, you’ll get a show, but not necessarily much else.
Judges dont care about the law we see how section 230 was gamed by hostile parties to silence others but violent actions see so called antifa al queda hezbollsh were allowed to flourish
He is such a terrible speaker. As the Duke of Wellington said about the Bourbonsthey “had learned nothing and forgotten nothing”. A second Trump term (which he will not get) will be so chaotic it would make the first term seem orderly and functional.