The Great Mexican Wall

[RSL]

That liquor store thief gets due process and the government doesn't kidnap his kids to coerce a plea bargain.

Robert, that's about the silliest comparison as I've ever seen. Ever notice that the liquor store thief doesn't bring his little kids with him when he robs a store. But if they catch him, they throw him in the pen, and if the rest of the family can't take care of his kids they get hauled off to government facilities of one sort or another.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Ever notice that the liquor store thief doesn't bring his little kids with him when he robs a store....

Perhaps he should? Hoping a bleeding heart judge would give him a get-out-of-jail free card? Fast forward, and 80% of liquor-store robberies are conducted with a toddler in tow, own or borrowed.

[James Clark]

Does this headline leave any doubt where the WP bias is?

That "headline" is part of WAPO's op/ed section, which, on the whole, is probably about as close to balanced as you're going to find.  Regular op/ed columnists include noted conservatives George Will, Charles Krauthammer (until his recent passing), Michael Gerson (a former Bush speechwriter I believe), as well as more outspoken/partisan right wingers like Marc Theissen and Hugh Hewitt.   It also frequently offers guest  columns by numerous current and former notable Republicans like Bill Frist, Eric Cantor, Alberto Gonzalez etc. etc.

It's also important to note that  being "anti-Trump" doesn't equate to being a liberal.  Plenty of sensible conservatives that believe in the traditional values of free trade and a government that is "hands off " with the economy understand that Trump's "management" style is chaotic, lacking consistency, and pretty bad for the country.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

That "headline" is part of WAPO's op/ed section, which, on the whole, is probably about as close to balanced as you're going to find.  Regular op/ed columnists include noted conservatives George Will, Charles Krauthammer (until his recent passing), Michael Gerson (a former Bush speechwriter I believe), as well as more outspoken/partisan right wingers like Marc Theissen and Hugh Hewitt.   It also frequently offers guest  columns by numerous current and former notable Republicans like Bill Frist, Eric Cantor, Alberto Gonzalez etc. etc.

It's also important to note that  being "anti-Trump" doesn't equate to being a liberal.  Plenty of sensible conservatives that believe in the traditional values of free trade and a government that is "hands off " with the economy understand that Trump's "management" style is chaotic, lacking consistency, and pretty bad for the country.

And it just so happens that all the "balanced" opinions in WP come from anti-Trump "sensible" conservatives

Btw, is that the same Gorge Will who said that in the next elections conservatives should vote for... Democrats?

[Robert Roaldi]

Robert, that's about the silliest comparison as I've ever seen. Ever notice that the liquor store thief doesn't bring his little kids with him when he robs a store. But if they catch him, they throw him in the pen, and if the rest of the family can't take care of his kids they get hauled off to government facilities of one sort or another.

Because that's what important here, my choice of analogy.

[James Clark]

And it just so happens that all the "balanced" opinions in WP come from anti-Trump "sensible" conservatives

No, not at all actually.  Hewitt and Theissen are often Trump apologists, and there's a frequent contributor named Gary Abernathy that's a full-on Trump supporter.

Btw, is that the same Gorge Will who said that in the next elections conservatives should vote for... Democrats?

This is what Will actually said:  "In today’s GOP, which is the president’s plaything, he is the mainstream. So, to vote against his party’s cowering congressional caucuses is to affirm the nation’s honor while quarantining him. A Democratic-controlled Congress would be a basket of deplorables, but there would be enough Republicans to gum up the Senate’s machinery, keeping the institution as peripheral as it has been under their control and asphyxiating mischief from a Democratic House. And to those who say, “But the judges, the judges!” the answer is: Article III institutions are not more important than those of Articles I and II combined."

He makes the argument that Congress has abdicated it's responsibility to act as a co-equal branch of government and in doing so is allowing Trump to run roughshod over the parts of the American tradition that he values.  It's a sound point, I think (and less and less unique amongst more traditional Republicans).

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... This is what Will actually said: ...

Long story short, he said what I thought he said

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

No, not at all actually.  Hewitt and Theissen are often Trump apologists, and there's a frequent contributor named Gary Abernathy that's a full-on Trump supporter...

And guess what? I personally have never seen a headline from WAPO favorable to Trump, Opinion page or not.

Nobody reads articles these days. Attention span is barely sufficient for headlines. And in the example I provided, it does not say "Opinion," it just says Washington Post.

Now feel free to counter my example with something that is in Trump favor and only bears WAPO logo on it.

[James Clark]

And guess what? I personally have never seen a headline from WAPO favorable to Trump, Opinion page or not.

Nobody reads articles these days. Attention span is barely sufficient for headlines. And in the example I provided, it does not say "Opinion," it just says Washington Post.

You must be looking on Mobile, because on the main site it's clearly in the opinion section.  Not are what more you want?

Now feel free to counter my example with something that is in Trump favor and only bears WAPO logo on it.

How many do you want?  These are all archived, so they would have been under the same WaPo op/ed area at the time of publication, and as I said, WAPO regularly prints opinion pieces supporting Trump's positions' s well of those of conservatives that do not agree with Trump. As I said before, don't confuse "anti-Trump" with "liberal." 

Now go find me four pro-Obama pieces on Fox or (shudder) Breitbart.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Ok, James, you made your point, thanks.

However, I guess my main beef is that headlines come without "opinion" note (at least not in news aggregators, which I use - Bing News, Apple News) thus making people think it is a WAPO position.

[LesPalenik]

One wall goes up, the other is removed. Or “The enemy of my enemy is my friend".
Interesting video on the new deal between Germany and China by Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-07-10/merkel-lauds-china-s-market-opening-video?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=bd&utm_campaign=headline&cmpId=yhoo.headline&yptr=yahoo

[Alan Klein]

That "headline" is part of WAPO's op/ed section, which, on the whole, is probably about as close to balanced as you're going to find.  Regular op/ed columnists include noted conservatives George Will, Charles Krauthammer (until his recent passing), Michael Gerson (a former Bush speechwriter I believe), as well as more outspoken/partisan right wingers like Marc Theissen and Hugh Hewitt.   It also frequently offers guest  columns by numerous current and former notable Republicans like Bill Frist, Eric Cantor, Alberto Gonzalez etc. etc.

It's also important to note that  being "anti-Trump" doesn't equate to being a liberal.  Plenty of sensible conservatives that believe in the traditional values of free trade and a government that is "hands off " with the economy understand that Trump's "management" style is chaotic, lacking consistency, and pretty bad for the country.

You fail to mention that Trump, a populist,  went against these people during the nomination process when he beat "traditional" Republicans like Bush, Cruz, Rubio, etc.  who most of these people supported.  So the bulk of the WP opinion writers are either anti-Republican Democrats or anti-Trump Republicans.  What kind of balance is that?   But the really unfortunate part is that it's their regular news section that's biased to destroy Trump.

[Farmer]

Ok, James, you made your point, thanks.

However, I guess my main beef is that headlines come without "opinion" note (at least not in news aggregators, which I use - Bing News, Apple News) thus making people think it is a WAPO position.

And that's a very good and important point that you make, Slobo.  Without any deliberate attempt at bias, aggregators and secondary reporting sources can significantly impact the view of the original material because it no longer sits within a primary context.

[Rob C]

And that's a very good and important point that you make, Slobo.  Without any deliberate attempt at bias, aggregators and secondary reporting sources can significantly impact the view of the original material because it no longer sits within a primary context.

This, of course, underlines the futility of seeking anything that resembles an objective point of view.

My late wife was into maths and the sciences (chemistry and physics) and, as a result, would avoid allowing herself to be drawn down the path of futile argument. I, naturally enough, was the absolute opposite, and rose to almost each and every occasion where even the shadow of contretemps was on the table. All in all, she was generally the more contented soul. We can learn much, not just from our mothers.

:-)

[KLaban]

This, of course, underlines the futility of seeking anything that resembles an objective point of view.

My late wife was into maths and the sciences (chemistry and physics) and, as a result, would avoid allowing herself to be drawn down the path of futile argument. I, naturally enough, was the absolute opposite, and rose to almost each and every occasion where even the shadow of contretemps was on the table. All in all, she was generally the more contented soul. We can learn much, not just from our mothers.

:-)

Wise woman.

[Alan Goldhammer]

The WP allows x number of free articles per month which I read.  Once I go above the free limit, I can't read any more until the next month.  The entire paper is against Trump.  Everything they write is slanted against him.  He could walk on water and they'd complain that he doesn't know how to swim.  Regarding my comment about how they play to their readers, when you read the email "letters" underneath an article about Trump, 95%+ of the postings are against Trump, with many just being vile vituperations.  You get the same thing with the NY Times, although it's probably 90-95% anti Trump.  But at least the NY Times doesn't allow the vileness of the letters the WP posts.  NY Times readers hate Trump just as much as WP readers.  They're just a little more classier.

I just sent you a 30 day free past to the WaPo (as a subscriber, I get one of these each month; maybe I'll send next month's pass to Russ ).  I never read the email comments as they are just people venting on one issue or another and certainly it would not be surprising if they were mainly anti-Trump.  David Farenthold who uncovered some of the issues about the Trump Foundation during the election had a nice piece in today's paper about Trump's former driver who is now suing for not receiving overtime pay and having his health insurance taken away.  WaPo writes

"Noel Cintron, 59, who said he served as Trump’s driver for more than 20 years, alleges that Trump did not pay him the time-and-a-half overtime wages required under New York state law. Instead, he was paid a flat yearly salary, which was set at $62,700 about 2003 and rose to $75,000 in 2010, according to his suit.

Cintron — who still worked for the Trump Organization in security as of Monday, according to his lawyer — served as Trump’s driver until mid-2016, when the real estate developer became the Republican presidential nominee and the Secret Service took over."

Maybe this is just a nuisance lawsuit, I don't know, but it is a patter of past behavior where various workers/suppliers to Trump hotels have been stiffed.

[Alan Goldhammer]

And it just so happens that all the "balanced" opinions in WP come from anti-Trump "sensible" conservatives

Btw, is that the same Gorge Will who said that in the next elections conservatives should vote for... Democrats?

As have Max Boot, Jennifer Rubin, and a host of other conservative Republicans.  These folks have a long history with the Republican part.  George Will helped prepare Ronald Reagan for the first debate with President Carter during the 1980 election.  Perhaps they understand or see something that you don't.

[Alan Klein]

Thanks Alan for the subscription. I'm sure I'll learn a lot. Regarding Trump and his driver, I know I've reported here numerous times that I think Trump is a cheapskate. I worked with other real estate guys in New York City. They're all the same. It's hard to get paid.

[Alan Goldhammer]

So the bulk of the WP opinion writers are either anti-Republican Democrats or anti-Trump Republicans.  What kind of balance is that?   But the really unfortunate part is that it's their regular news section that's biased to destroy Trump.

Hewitt, Thiessen, Abernethy (who is the editor of a small town Ohio paper and has been an op-ed contributor to the WaPo for almost a year) and the not yet mentioned Ed Rogers are all pro-Trump writers.  Gerson has not explicitly come out against Trump but has been critical of many things he has done.  It would have been interesting to see what Krauthammer would make of what is going on had he lived.How many more do you want?  The fact that Rubin, Will, & Boot have turned against Trump is reflective of the mood of a number of Republicans who have defected from that party (I think you can agree with this).  I see nothing wrong with this.  If anything, the WaPo op-ed page has given much more space than many other newspapers.

Your statement about the news section being biased is arguable.  Is the the goal of the press to report the truth?  If we had a President who did not have an itch Twitter finger and didn't reflect the day's "Fox and Friends" news we would not need so much fact checking.  Also, the WaPo fact checking column led by Glenn Kessler has gone after many Democrats as well!

[RSL]

Because that's what important here, my choice of analogy.

Why are you complaining? It illustrates your method of reasoning.