John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY J. D. TUCCILLE IN CHECKPOINT ASIA
“The Revolving Door Between Government and Cable News
“The creeping merger between the political class and the journalists supposedly tasked with subjecting government to scrutiny”
I don’t know about the author’s main theme of a “creeping merger” between media and the government they are supposed to scrutinize. I think that separation hasn’t existed for a very long time, if ever it did, and not just because of “revolving door” jobs.
The idea of press or media independence from government is one of those notions Americans are so fond of as part of what has been called the American Civic Religion, much as the idea of “rights” and their “guarantee” by a piece of parchment.
See some discussion here about the relationship of the American press and government:
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2019/07/19/john-chuckman-comment-the-difficulties-of-understanding-what-has-happened-in-the-news-the-motives-of-news-organizations-the-great-cost-of-good-information-the-motives-of-government-and-especial/
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2018/11/29/john-chuckman-comment-unavoidable-flaws-in-our-press-government-press-relationship-in-the-west-americas-basic-structural-problem-is-plutocracy-and-its-empire-and-not-globalism-myth-of-tru/
But Sarah Huckabee Sanders for me absolutely symbolizes the worst of legendary "trailer park values" making it into positions of influence in America.
Going back to, say, Kennedy’s day, it would have been inconceivable for someone with a crude and irritating voice like hers to become a spokesperson for any large organization, government or private.
Her career does provide a good measure of just how far down America has sunk in values and principles and just in decent taste.
And I'm not sure there is any path back up from it.
Trump is not the only one, but he really has been instrumental in bringing this about.
I think it fair to call him the first Beverly Hillbillies President.
