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unblock

(51,974 posts)
Sat Jun 24, 2017, 10:18 PM Jun 2017

gaffe

a long, long time ago, there was a political concept called a "gaffe".

a gaffe is simply when a politician does or says something regrettable, usually alienating a notable political constituency.

now, you young 'uns might not even believe me, but there was a time when political careers could be highly damaged or even destroyed by a bad gaffe.

for instance, former president joe biden was widely dismissed as a serious presidential candidate because he is "gaffe-prone". he once said, um, i don't remember. something to someone and the media went bananas and he had to apologize. few people really remember any particular joe biden gaffe, but they do remember him for being "gaffe-prone". so much so that his selection as vice-president led to many media stories questioning obama's judgement.

his biggest "gaffe" as vice-president was, i think, when he said "it's a big f*cking deal" when obamacare was signed into law. of course, he couldn't have imagined how right he was, as not only did it have a huge positive impact for many as a matter of policy, but that law dominated politics from that moment on and it continues to do so today. but he said a naughty word, so, gaffe. the media raked him over the coals for that. bad biden. gaffe-prone.


now, you all are familiar with the current occupant of the oval office, benedict donald.

benedict donald has never had a gaffe, ever. oh, he says (or tweets) more regrettable things than biden says in a year before america has gotten up for breakfast. he's alienated huge swaths of the american landscape. repeatedly and intensely.

in fact, unless you're a rich, white, christian, conservative, able-bodied, male, natural-born citizen of european decent, he's said a whole bunch of things to offend you.

but none of that was ever a gaffe.

i know because the media tells me so.

mike dukakis defending his death penalty stance? gaffe, because the media wanted him to be outraged at the mention of his wife.
al gore sighs? gaffe.
howard dean cheers at a pep talk? gaffe.
hillary calls racists "deplorables"? gaffe.

but benedict donald can insult and offend anyone and anything, and it's never *ever* a gaffe.


are we in a post-gaffe era?

well, we'll see the next time a democrat says, well, just about anything.




it's time we called the media what it is: not just right-wing biased, but insanely right-wing biased.


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UTUSN

(70,497 posts)
1. Not to mention other DRUMPF ignorantisms like "fake news" which means disinformation/propaganda/etc.
Sat Jun 24, 2017, 10:30 PM
Jun 2017
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»gaffe