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So: extortion.
That's what we are talking about here, right?
Not that it would happen, but I would so love for everyone to be remembering all these people for later prosecution under different leadership when Taco's gone.
These assholes should go to fucking prison for this.
Yup, extortion from a private citizen and 1st amendment violations from the FCC.
Not to mention both Sinclair and Nexstar are publicly traded companies. Surely getting involved in politics to the point where you are denying your viewership popular programing would eventually negatively affect shareholder value?
I think if I had shares in either of these companies I'd be questioning the leadership of the organization.
These are MAGA companies that have been slowly pushing more and more propaganda on to the public airwaves. They firmly believe that their viewer base won't be losing that many viewers and are counting on MAGA's, rightly so probably, to cover for the loss.
Nexstar already has an almost 40% reach across the US. They've been sucking up to Trump this year because they want to merge with TEGNA, which would give them access to 80% of the country. To do this though, regulations need to be dropped to allow them to exceed limits that have been in place for decades to prevent this level of media control. This is the quid-pro-quo for them, as Colbert was for the Paramount merger.
(Source)
As Deadline’s Dade Hayes reported, the merger “challenges decade-old limits on control of local media” as the new company would control 265 local TV stations across 44 states and the District of Columbia, representing about 80 percent of American households. This would far exceed the current limit of 39 percent, which has been in place for the past three decades through both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Making his intentions crystal clear shortly after Trump’s 2024 electoral victory that he sought an end to the broadcast station ownership cap, Sook declared in November that he hoped GOP control of government would help usher in an expansion of his company.
The thing that's great about this fascism run is that we have the fucking internet.
Whenever this shit falls apart, many of those folks will literally have no choice but to self-deport or go to jail.
I sure hope someone is keeping stock. Taco himself does so many egregious acts that I can barely keep up with what he did this week, nevermind what he's done so far in this disastrous second term.
There are often times when someone will bring up something from his first disastrous term and I'll have this feeling of - oh yeah, how could I have forgotten about that?
And that's just him. Then there are all the things being done on his behalf by all his Little Eichmanns both when he was in office and not...there is a lot to track. And some of these assholes are so old - like, say, Roger Stone or Bannon - that they will likely die of old age before they get properly sent to (or back to) prison.
I have a feeling a lot of them are going to definitely attempt to do the modern equivalent of burn their Nazi uniforms afterwards, too, and the "liberal media" will do all the heavy lifting to sane wash these dickheads as much as possible. So I'm sure many, probably most, will escape justice.
Keeping track of liberal accusations is likely a crime.
I can certainly say that Trump never intimidated a witness such that his name would never end up on a list of pedophile buddies by famed pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump also never invited a riot on Jan 6 that aimed to overthrow the constitutional process
He also certainly never solicited bribes from corporations for his inauguration.
And he would never, NEVER break the Posse Comitatus Act in his occupations of LA, DC, and Chicago.
That’s why I will never keep track of these far left woke accusations.
This is a HORRIBLE Idea! If Democrats PROSECUTE these Republican Criminals then the Republican Criminals MIGHT turn Around and make Democrats STRAIGHT UP ILLEGAL BY LABELING THEM TERRORISTS! Which will ONLY happen if Democrats make the First Move!
Cute of you to think a subsequent government won't be a) Trump 2.0 or b) quick to try and forget everything that just happened under the guise of "return to normalcy".
This is what allowing media consolidation got you, Democrats. Sinclair has been putting its thumb on the scale for decades and you did nothing, even while they were having a measurable negative impact to Democratic support.
Perhaps most blatantly:
Sinclair executive David Smith met with Donald Trump during the 2016 election year, in which he told the future president, "We are here to deliver your message."
Yeah! The Democrats are the real villains here!! Not the actual fascists running the show, doing the evil, pulling the triggers, deporting the innocent, ignoring the laws... Fuck off with this hindsight blame game shit. Fascism is here and the real blame lies on the American people.
It's probably another example of Murc's Law. And once you see Murc's Law in action, you can never unsee it. You'll see it everywhere, and every day.
Murc’s law is named after the insight of the eponymous LGM commenter that, in American politics, only Democrats are assumed to have agency. Republicans are like rocks rolling down hill or perhaps sharks eating seals: they do what they do because that’s just what they are, so there’s no point in holding them responsible for anything, since they could not do o[t]herwise.
[emphasis mine]
That great description from : https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/12/the-paradoxical-limits-of-murcs-law
This is the first I have heard of Murc's law. It succinctly describes the nature of American politics. It's uncanny.
But it's also very accurate because the right simply doesn't listen. They might as well be literal rocks. There is no discussion or debate to be had because they don't follow your reality or logic.
Yeah, I've seen/heard it mentioned before, but The Professional Left podcast brought it up again. I'm fairly certain I've heard them mention it over the years, multiple times.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-933-meanwhile-in-local-fascism/id352076108?i=1000727128679
Anyway, it provides convenient shorthand for something you just read/hear all the freaking time. It's like ever since I became politically aware, decades ago, it's been there, but hard to put a name to. I'm sure this goes way, way back to at least the 1950s: "The Democrats made the Republicans form the John Birch Society!"
It’d be fantastic if Kimmel just says “fuck you” and donates to as many causes that Carotid Artery Charlie absolutely HATED and railed against as possible
Kimmel should post a full-throated denunciation of these media conglomerates capitulation and launch his own show.
He and Colbert and Stewart should legit start a new network and just constantly troll the regime. Maybe get Al Franken too - I’m still pretty livid about how he got character assassinated by the fucking DNC.
Hell, maybe they can rope in some actual progressive members of congress (AOC, Tlaib, Sanders, Porter, and so on - but absolutely not the ones who only pay lip service, and fucking NONE of the old guard or corporatists or neoliberals or political consultant class) and seriously bootstrap an actual progressive party to challenge and supplant the Democratic Party. If they were to do that, I’d definitely be willing volunteer my time and expertise to help them make it work.
Donate deez nutz. But seriously Kimmel don't bend the fucking knee.
The fact that he hasn't made any statement about this situation yet strongly suggests that he's got them stick straight legs. Guy's got plenty of money, and now, more attention on him than he's probably ever had in his life. From a "making his way in the world" perspective, he's fine.
Let the fascists keep digging a while, no reason to say anything at all until the absolute right moment presents itself.
He’s got a few hundred employees that are out of work. I wouldn’t be surprised if he bends if only to keep their paychecks.
He's not getting the show back, not without agreeing to be nice which defeats the fucking purpose. The president said as much after he got Colbert fired, that Kimmel was next. Appeasing them will not fix anything it will only make them worse. Making these appeasers pay for their Craven betrayal will help.
As Pritzker said just yesterday, there are consequences to standing up, but the consequences of not standing up are so much worse.
Might have to bring back the old team:
I'd like to make a donation...of shit...applied directly to his grave.
GET. FUCKED.
Donate a dump truck worth of manure to Turning Point USA headquarters
They want people to care about racists dying so bad.
... Or what they'll cancel his show?
Don't do it, Jimmy, keep your integrity
Get fucked. I hope Jimmy gives them the finger
I hope Jimmy demands the ABC affiliate owner gargle his scrotum.
It’s not Sinclair this time but it’s just as bad. Nexstar wants to merge with Tegna and create a new Sinclair, basically.
Media giant Sinclair called on Jimmy Kimmel to apologize directly to Charlie Kirk's family over remarks he made about the conservative activist's killing, and to give both them and Turning Point USA a "meaningful personal donation."
Sure thing. A million dollars of donations to trans orginizations in Charlie Kirk's name.
Fuck them. The fuckstick that got his jugular aerated had a net worth of $12 million. His rancid widow is going to be fine.
Is the right’s version of DEI just a constant barrage of IEDs?
lol fuck that
What did he even say? I thought he did the whole “I don’t condone violence, thoughts and prayers” thing.
Not good enough. You have to physically mime fellating Kirk's bloodless corpse now.