But Ashley Madison likely had more women involved.
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Pedantic nerd.
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What’s the other kind?
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I was already laughing by the time I got to “controversial leadership”, but the “practical jokes” link (a story I never knew until now, having failed to get past the creation of the world in the Silmarillion) sent me completely over the edge. Five stars!
Despite being pretty solidly in the atheistic camp, I still hope there really is a special hell for people like Ailes.
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Just remembered that there were virtually no women at Ashley Madison?
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Which had fewer?
Tough call.
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So instead of doing pushups on Daisies, he’s now…
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I don’t think any of these people are necessarily that smart.
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Agreed. I read somewhere where 45’s staff weren’t exactly the ‘A’ team in regards to why they haven’t bailed to find other opportunities. Then again Kellyanne is a lawyer for what it’s worth.
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I have a great hope that this ends up being Trump’s BEST week (by comparison to what could follow).
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We lost Chris Cornell at about the same time.
See how life balances out sometimes?
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The timing is not strange. Ailes lost his position of influence and it was detrimental to his health. He was unable to recover and died at 77, ~6 years below the median age for all men in his birth cohort, and far younger than most of his economic peers.
Older white Americans across the mid section of the U.S. have suffered from a similar pattern of premature death for years now. Loss of job. Loss of prestige. Loss of health. Early death.
I have long believed his propaganda machine helped create this situation. The fact that it may have pulled him in at the end as well is sad. But not surprising in light of his recent loss of stature. Crowing about his death now is… probably dumb. A healthy, lively and engaged Roger Ailes would have been yet another high end player in our current political-Kabuki funhouse. He would almost certainly have damaged the prospects of some actors whom I very much want to see lose out. Possibly Trump. Probably some of Trump’s crazier, Strangelovian advisors. He might have found a way to play favorites with Pence and Ryan, in the wake of an anticipated Trump “departure” from power.
We might have been better off as a nation with a damaged Ailes fighting to get back into power, cutting down some of his erstwhile fellow travelers on his way back up.
I think one of the things we need to realize from all this is that these kinds of manipulations are not the province of geniuses. Trump discovered the secrets of demagogic power by yelling lots of insults and lies without looking embarrassed. His party has been advancing its agenda with all the subtle art it takes to be obviously petty, dishonest dicks. Their media supporters have been covering for them with clever propaganda like “nuh-uh” and “look over there”, and yes, it seems people have been pulling strings by such insidious machinations as telling Trump “you’re great, do this.”
I know, it’s disappointing to find the shadowy Illuminati are just a clique of jerks that have to buy their homework answers. It’s much more comforting to say we were beaten by the best. But I honestly think that’s where we are now; there are no supervillains playing chess here, just deeply banal evil.
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A good read.
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I find this a much more apt characterization than “puppet masters”, for exactly the reasons you stated, though.
Maybe we just need some new vocabulary. “Puppet tanglers,” maybe.
EDIT: Found it!
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molest in peace
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How dare him avoid court appearances this way.
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