There are three absolutes in this world: death, taxes, and the complete and total lack of journalistic integrity with grocery store tabloids. Case in point is this hatchet job published [sic] by the Globe out of Boca Raton, Florida, which I just happened to see tonight at a local Publix grocery store checkout.
This is the same lie first puked out by Carl Rove in early May and reported by that bastion of northern journalistic integrity the N.Y. Post. This was Carl Rove and the Republican establishment attempting to keep alive the Benghazi lies and misinformation by any means possible. The key event is then Secretary of State Clinton’s admission to a hospital for three days for health reasons right in the middle of the initial Republican Benghazi witch hunt. The Republicans took this as a personal affront, and Karl Rove hit upon the brilliant, if twisted, lie of accusing Ms. Clinton of brain damage and a 30 day stay in the hospital.
This is the start of the 2016 presidential silly season (even if it is 2014). This is the Republican’s efforts by any means possible to discredit through lies, like they tried with Obama’s birth certificate and the resulting birther controversy. This is also Rove’s attempt to get back into the good graces of the right after his meltdown during the 2012 election reporting of Ohio presidential results, where he tried to keep Fox News of all people from calling Ohio for Obama. Who’s acting like they’re suffering from brain damage?
What makes this sickening for me personally: I have no desire to try and support either Obama or Clinton. But the behavior of Rove and Co. makes them the worst of the two sides. I won’t put up with lies from anyone, and in Rove’s particular case, his means never justify any of his ends.
Update 1
The Republican we all love to hate, Sarah Palin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwzKrIJI40g
Radarwitch
Used to be that supermarket tabloids mostly covered celebrity gossip: rumors and revelations about stars of movies, tv, music and other fields of entertainment. Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Cruise and Madonna have been favorite subjects at various times. Many educated people dismissed them as targeting the ignorant
More recently, the tabloids have moved into politics, promoting various alt.right stories and fantasies about Democratic politicians, Muslims, Mexicans and other popular targets.
This might be just another instance of freedom of speech and the evolution of the media, but these publications are not just another item on the magazine shelves. In many supermarkets, they are the last thing you see on checkout – right next to the checkout person. The supermarket management wants us to pay particular attention to them.
Defenders of the markets might note that this is just a matter of good business sense. Many products are in supermarkets because their manufacturers or distributors pay the market to carry them, and desirable locations bring a higher price. The tabloid location is one of the most visible locations in the building, seen by almost all customers while waiting to pay. The spot is a prime location for advertising. Even if people don’t buy them, their presence plants their headlines in the minds of shoppers. The important thing for the publisher may not be to sell magazines, but to get eyeballs: to publicise the meme.
So why do supermarkets display the tabloids in such a prominant place? Either they have a political agenda, and want to actively push the messages on the front page of the tabloids, or they are simply selling shelf space to the highest bidder. Either way, they promote anger, unhappiness and the goals of the far right.
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