Robert Reich points out a few fake crisis that MAGA politicians have pushed. Might I add that the corporate media has done little to debunk these crises and in fact often pushes them despite having no corroborating evidence that such crises are real – 5 minutes:

(Excerpt from Robert Reich’s sub stack column of Tuesday October 10)

Reich wrote about how right wing economists twist economic news to fit their agenda. Here he fights the claim that the national debt causes interest rates to rise. Funny, just a couple of years ago the debt was high and the interest rate was near zero, but a MAGA was president.

But there’s not a shred of evidence that long-term interest rates rise and fall with the size of the budget deficit or the nation’s debt. No current economic data point to budget deficits as the cause of the higher long-term rates we’re now seeing.

When the mainstream media fall for this narrative, they give credence to the views of right-wingers who want to slash federal spending — which, as a practical matter, means Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Some of these people are the Republican extremists who nearly caused a government shutdown (on which, more in a moment).

The truth is that long-term interest rates rise when uncertainty about the future rises. (Ed. note: This can be easily driven by corporate media) 

And the biggest uncertainty right now is not found in economic data. The biggest uncertainty is political — not just about what will happen in global hotspots like Ukraine and now Israel, but more directly, about whether America is still capable of governing itself.

This uncertainty has been caused by those same Republican extremists who didn’t want to raise the debt ceiling, and then refused to fund the federal government, and have abdicated political leadership of the House for the first time in the history of the nation.

Include the increasingly wild ravings of their party leader, Donald Trump (along with the hair-raising possibility that he could be president again) and you have reason to be frightfully uncertain about the future.

Among other things this article got me thinking about is the absolutely piss poor job America’s media does of informing the public of what the real nature of America’s problems are and of what solutions are available. As we hear about the debt, do we hear any corporate media calling for tax raises on the wealthiest Americans who can afford it? I sure don’t.

Iowa’s media in particular has a unique position to ask the questions that need to be asked. As MAGA candidates for president crawl across Iowa’s landscape and make outrageous statements claiming things such as a need for border walls or more tax cuts for the rich or how America is a Christian nation where is that one “journalist” who will stand up and say “Prove It!”

Oh there are a few journalists in the state who would do that. No MAGA candidate would dare invite them to a press briefing. If they were to get in, staff would make sure that journalist would be ignored. The regular media in Iowa learned long ago during the Branstad reign that asking real questions will get a journalist blackballed from ever doing that again.

Every Friday night here in Iowa we are treated to an exercise on public TV where MAGA politicians are treated with kid gloves by what is supposed to be top Iowa journalists. Instead of being confrontational which it should be, the Iowa Press show is nice and polite with few followup questions. 

National politicians are now running around the state making ridiculous claims. Where is the journalist, or for that matter the citizen who will ask questions such as “Back your claim with facts, please” or “Why are you in favor of banning books in a free speech country?” or “What makes you think that the January 6th coup was not lead by Donald Trump?”

Let’s just play a game. Since I see a lot of Tim Scott’s ads, let’s play one and ask some questions. C’mon Iowa, you can do this: (30 seconds)

“Mr. Scott – how then do you feel about subsidies for farmers? 

• What about forcing people to pay back loans that were made fraudulently? 
• What about white collar crimes – People are greatly hurt by them? Shouldn’t those crimes be dealt with harshly? We have a case of a politician committing fraud – how do you feel about that?
• Is there a particular group of people in this country passing themselves off as victims? I can think of some
• In the case of trans participating in sports – is your aim to isolate people based on some difference with the majority so they can’t live a full life?

I would so love to see these lying politicians answer real questions just once. Biden does it. Democrats up and down the line do it. C’mon press, do your job.