This alone disproves Donald Trump’s crock-of-shit assertions that Obama was an affirmative action or charity admittee to the Ivy Leagues who couldn’t really cut it on his own IQ or test scores, as if there weren’t already evidence enough: It is his use at time 0:50 of the word “bemusement” in its proper sense (puzzlement, confusion) rather than what most people think it means (mild amusement). I would like to have someone ask Trump what he thinks the word means. Maybe some variant on “easement”?
The whole thing is worth a read, because he aims his kick towards the ass where it really belongs: the DC press carnival barkers.
This is not a great day for the press. For anybody, really — but maybe a tie for worstness between Trump himself and those who have been barkers for his sideshow.
eemom
I don’t think these guys are who Neil Young had in mind when he sang about “the barkers and the colored balloons.”
SiubhanDuinne
I was also pleased to hear the President use “bemusement” properly and appropriately. Nice that Fallows picked up on that!
Now, as to one of my own minor peeves (title of this thread): I like to keep a clear distinction between profanity (contempt or irreverance toward sacred things) and terms such as “crock-of-shit” that would fall under vulgarity, obscenity or scatology. I do realize that these are all used more or less as synonyms for each other in informal conversation, but each has a specific meaning.
/pedant
Zam
@SiubhanDuinne: Stop being an ass ;)
Superluminar
Well I don’t see why you’re singling us white folks out for this, when The Bell Curve conclusively proves it’s the blacks with their non-birth-curtificates who are the real problem…
Loneoak
@SiubhanDuinne:
I have the same pedantic complaints about a lot of misuses, but I hadn’t considered that one before. I’m curious how you would categorize this statement:
Fucking Christ, Donald Trump’s toupee looks like a merkin worn by Mother Theresa.
Brian R.
Nah, Trump’s been to plenty of bemusement parks. He’s a smart guy. Classy as hell, too.
Svensker
Just watched O’s speech for the first time. Felt like the principal was talking to a bunch of unruly 4th graders. I hope some of them, anyway, feel chastened.
srv
Fallows is like Sully’s jr sometimes, you start liking him, and then he does dickesh stuff. e.g. his post title last week about how the Sierra Clubs president using “Boiling Frog in a Pot” phrase was liberals equivalent to birtherism. His editor might have made the title choice, but Fallows didn’t have a problem with it.
Scott
@Svensker: I’d bet on more than a few of them getting pissed off about it. “How dare that uppity Kenyan scold me! Doesn’t he realize I’m a Very Important Member of the Fourth Estate! That does it, I’m putting Trump and Breitbart back on the front page!”
SiubhanDuinne
@Loneoak:
I have NO IDEA how to go about doing that. Maybe I just need a new username. Will check with M_C and get back to you.
@Zam:
That’s either a profane vulgarity, a scatological profanity, or a vulgar obscenity with profanity sauce on the side.
Wag
@Svensker:
Not a chance
SiubhanDuinne
FYWP edit function.
Edit: That’s not a figure of speech at all. It’s the simple truth.
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: How profane!!
OT..I am hoping that the weather forecasters are wrong about the impending storms. Stay safe.
Suffern ACE
Let me know when everyone and their foreign-born uncles back in the homecountry has weighed in and we can get back to important things.
Until then, I hope we never have to spend time reading about this after today again. Ever. Even if some nut in Texas brings it up.
kay
This is too generous to the media. What they do has no connection, whatever, with “people” anymore. If it did they would have stopped the relentless promotion of Palin when it became clear that she is not at all popular or well-liked, which was months before they stopped promoting her.
They didn’t. They’re a closed circle. What they do has nothing to do whatever with “us”. It’s about them.
dmsilev
Apparently, the press corps(e) is upset that Obama said mean things about them.
Anyone surprised?
slag
James Fallows needs to start his own news source. Really and truly.
Mnemosyne
@dmsilev:
I can’t wait for Jake Tapper to show up here again so we can slam him with that. Maybe we can get him to defend his “sister network” again.
Studly Pantload
OT, but “breaking,” as the newsters say: Per TPM: Harry Reid to Senate Republicans on Ryan/House budget: “Vote, bitchez.”
one two seven
I wish this had all happened before baseball season so I could name my fantasy team Carnival Barkers.
Comrade Mary
Fallows has walked back the crude language. His choice (and good on him for showing the crossout and explaining his reasoning), but the fact that he was moved to type it and hit Publish says a lot.
Basilisc
Hey, does anyone have an opinion about the fact that we have a new Secretary of Defense and a new CIA director? Just wondering.
Amir_Khalid
@Svensker:
No, they won’t feel chastened. Not at all. In fact, they are exploding with petulance: “How dare you call me out for my childishness!” As has already been pointed out on this thread.
Not, of course, that this surprises anyone here at all.
gex
@Studly Pantload: Niiiiiice. Good work, Harry. I love this new hang Republican budget around Republican necks approach of Pelosi and Reid.
JPL
@Studly Pantload: Hmmm. The repubs will not allow a vote on the bill, imo.
Parallel 5ths (Jewish Steel)
In an update:
So much for this site’s raison d’fucking etre.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
..”not a great day for the press” LOLwhut? I hope this is a case of massive understatement performed in the service of dry humor, otherwise what reality is Fallows living in? Every day is “not a great day for the press”. This has been the case at least since the Iran-Contra scandal.
cleek
@Basilisc:
same names, different titles. nothing changes.
Maude
@Studly Pantload:
Ouch.
montana
It is somewhat comforting to see someone with Fallow’s mainstream media profile clearly say that he has had it with these fucking idiots…his peers in that same mainstream media.
Also, despite his walking it back, “crock-of-shit” is a very proper description of his peers work, which will no doubt cause high-pitched sounds to flow forth from Tapper and all the disgraces to the legacy of the few great news men and women we have had.
Nellcote
@dmsilev:
The WH Corespondents Dinner should be interesting this year. I wonder if they hired Trump to be the featured comedian.
Rhoda
Ever since Trump went full birther on Today; the birther issue has come roaring to life and it re-entered mainstream cable conversation. Hell, it was an acceptable “tactic” and looked on as such by folks like Halperin who instead of clearly saying this disqualified Trump he and parts of the Morning Joe crew talked about how Trump got in Obama’s face and the Republican field should take note.
Mika tried to point out how stupid and disqualifying it was; but no one noticed and I guess she took a vodka cookie and went to the little kids table to eat.
So Tapper can fuck himself; this has been big on cable and yesterday a new front was entered with the school scores bullshit. Apparently, this was a real, long-ass conversation on Hardball between Matthews and BuKKKhannan. (ETA: This will probably become a real meme and likely coupled with the he doesn’t do press conferences/teleprompter jokes that the press will justify by talking about how everyone called Bush stupid. They’re going to be real pissed about the swipe Obama took at them and not forgive that any time soon.)
Shoemaker-Levy 9
@dmsilev:
Yikes, that’s pretty bad coming from Tapper, who is usually one of the less odious of the mainstream reporters. Yes, the President exaggerated, as one is wont to do when angry. It was not the “dominant” story, just one covered vastly out of proportion to its actual importance. But the fact that Tapper went to such ridiculous lengths to document this “untruth” says that the remarks hit their target.
Nellcote
Wolcott hearts John Cole
Nellcote
@Shoemaker-Levy 9:
Jake Tapper is a notoriosly thin skinned Village Defender. He defended Fox as a “sister network” when Gibbs took a shot at their bs.
daverave
@dmsilev:
From the article:
“These questions made up much of the coverage that focused on the Obama administration, a topic that accounted for another 4% of the newshole.”
Can’t say I’ve ever seen that word before although I can imagine lots of vulgar variations on it in this context.
Folderol & Ephemera
@srv: That was a joke, that you missed. Badly.
dmsilev
@daverave: Tapper probably meant news-whole. Though given the quality of the product, reasonable people could argue that newshole is far more appropriate.
Tuttle
OK, it’s a sign of defeat to resort to profanity.
What second rate milquetoast dildo fuck came up with this moronic line of shit?
Mike in NC
@Shoemaker-Levy 9:
Is that anything like being the purest whore in a brothel?
Studly Pantload
@JPL:
Not sure what choice they have, they don’t run the show in the Senate.
Here’s confirmation of the scheduling of the vote:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/reid-to-senate-republicans-you-wanna-privatize-medicare-vote-for-it.php?ref=fpblg
Not that Collins has already cried Uncle! Now, do the rest of the GOP senators want the same reception at home that the House GOPers are getting?
JCT
@Mike in NC:
Exactly and perfectly appropriate for these guys.
Valdivia
@daverave:
I used to work in a company where we needed to account for the newshole content of each paper–ie how much its news vs ads,etc. It is a word. :)
Tapper is still an ass.
skippy
i am watching (actually listening to as i do household chores) martin bashir on cnn. he just said to michael isakoff “when the president talked about carnival barkers, it’s likely he was referring to donald trump.”
and i said out loud to the tv, “no, martin, he was talking about you and isakoff and all your pindit pals.”
David Brooks (not that one)
You noticed that the longest pause, and stare at the press, was after the phrase “carnival barkers”. He took exactly enough time for everyone to realize he was talking about someone specific.
I also like how Fallows made “crock of shit” do double duty, by bringing it up again, and re-asserting it, in the walk-back update.
Martin
Not surprised. I have it on good authority that Fallows was personally responsible for all of Carter’s most profanity-laced speeches.
AnderJ
I expect the number to sink to 27% of the total electorate…
Shoemaker-Levy 9
@Nellcote:
I keep reading complaints about this and I don’t understand them. It was a factual statement. FOX is a sister to ABC. It’s different in degree, not in kind. If FOX is not a sister to ABC then why does the President keep calling on them at press conferences and having sit-down interviews with them? Anyway, there’s plenty to fault Tapper for today, this non-issue aside.
kay
@Valdivia:
I knew that was going to be the tactic. After spending two weeks talking about something ridiculous, they’re not going to talk about themselves for the next week.
They talk about themselves too much. They should stop doing that.
Do we have to listen to media analyze media, again?
Can’t they do this on their own time? Among themselves? No one else gives a shit.
kay
@Valdivia:
Remember this?
He is! That’s his real job :)
Shoemaker-Levy 9
@Mike in NC:
Actually, yes.
Citizen Alan
@Studly Pantload:
I think it would be the most hilarious thing I’ve seen in my entire life if the Senate GOP filibusters the House GOP budget bill to avoid having to vote on it.
NonyNony
@Mike in NC:
Well, except that one actually does a job with some value and the other is the Washington Press Corpse.
Flugelhorn
First of all, who thinks bemusement has anything to do with being amused? How is that a litmus test for genius? I certainly do not think Obama is a moron, but understanding English seems a fairly low bar for MENSA admittance.
scav
@David Brooks (not that one):
I’m trying to work out the subtle geography there. Not quite a walk-back, little bit of a side-step, shuffle and a dance step and then WHAM a solid kick.
Studly Pantload
@Citizen Alan:
Yeah, I wasn’t considering the filibuster option, but, yep, that would be every bit as damning to the usual monolithic appearance the GOP likes to present as if they voted against the budget outright.
Nevermind the Beltway enablers – Senate Republicans can plainly see how unpopular this vote has gone over in House district town halls, so now they either gotta subject themselves to the same abuse from constituents or turn tail, which sho’ nuff a filibuster would demonstrate.
Valdivia
@kay:
yep.. and not to repeat myself: still an ass!
geg6
@Studly Pantload:
In general, Harry Reid drives me to distraction. But every now and then, the boxer that he used to be peeks out from behind the mild-mannered, Mormon old guy curtain and lets loose with a fuckin’ roundhouse that would knock out a rhinoceros.
Phil Perspective
@Svensker:
Good luck with that!!
geg6
@daverave:
Next time Tapper comes sniffing around BJ, trying to defend himself and his buddies from the MSM, this is what I’m calling him. It’s an awesome word, but not in the way that Tapper probably thinks it is.
The Other Chuck
Frankly, I did read “bemusement” with the connotation of “amusement”, and it still works. As in “you dumbass nirthers cracked me up at first, but the joke’s over because you’re drowning out real news.”
catclub
@JPL: “The repubs will not allow a vote on the bill, imo.”
So instead they will FILIBUSTER the Ryan budget? How will
that work with their teatard masters?
The whole point is heads I win / tails you lose.
catclub
Reid to GOP: Just Try Voting Against Ending Subsidies For Oil Giants
Neat, now the House will be where good ideas go to die!
Change!
Bulworth
Aahhhhhh. Breakdown in civility! Super-partisan! Why can’t Fallows have Trump over for lunch or a beer?
Ash Can
I was wondering who would be the first media type to
get itexpress butthurt over the president being mean to the stenographer pool. I guess Tapper really is the ombudsman for the pressies. Or maybe the den mother.JPL
@catclub: Must see TV..
piratedan
@NonyNony: I would amend that to being in one group you actually get what you pay for and the other group…. not so much.
WaterGirl
@geg6: I think of it as the shorter version of “news asshole”. news asshole = newshole
NonyNony
@JPL:
Not allow equals filibuster
Filibuster equals voting against
If they filibuster the bill then they have to explain to the House and the Tea Party why, exactly, they filibustered the bill.
And if they go out and say “it was all a setup – Obama would have vetoed it anyway” then how does that help them?
There’s no lose here – the only way this loses is if a couple of Democratic Senators are stupid enough to vote for it (Joe Manchin I’m looking at you). Even THAT’S not a loss because at least the folks in their home states will know exactly where they stand on Medicare and can get ready to vote their asses out next time they come up for an election.
ETA: Apparently wordpress doesn’t like the “double equals”. I’ll keep that in mind.
Ruckus
@Tuttle:
What second rate milquetoast dildo fuck came up with this moronic line of shit?
OK I’ll probably get in trouble for this…
Don’t know but he was probably wearing an ankle length skirt, hair in bun that could be used in place of a brillo pad, a bible in one hand, and a temperance league hatchet in the other.
Kilkee
After the press conference I happened to be in the car for a 2-hour drive, during which I got to listen to various RW call-in shows. All, of course, blame Obama for having caused this problem. Many assume the new form is a fake. Many lauded Trump for his “success” in “forcing the President’s hand.” Not a single caller or host pointed out that, as it turns out, Trump was utterly full of shit not only with his “questions” and “doubts,” but with his now-obvious lies about the “very interesting” things his crack team of investigators was finding in Hawaii, stuff they “couldn’t believe.” I suppose it’s possible that the latter statement can stand alone: they couldn’t believe that they were finding that the President wasborn in Oahu.
Ija
@srv:
It was a freaking joke. The boiling frog metaphor has been Fallow’s pet peeve for a very long time. If that makes Fallow Sully Jr, then you obviously haven’t been reading him all that often.