Hersh: Obama Did It

[honorentheos]

Down ballot Democrats in tight races were legitimately concerned and vocal over Biden's debate performance and subsequent inability to steady the ship. I'd probably put that just behind the question of if he could beat Trump as far as order of concerns being raised.

It isn't controversial to claim senior Democrats were pressuring Biden to step down. They weren't hiding it. It isn't controversial to say Biden was resisting this. He wasn't hiding that either. The controversial statement Hersh is making is that Obama directly and definitively intervened through a threat. And that threat reinforced core negative narratives about both Biden and Obama that otherwise aren't present in the evidence. The source for this is suspect. Outside of that statement, Hersh is just saying what happened in a way that pretends to be insightful. Like he's just singing out loud what he just watched happen. Then he adds the spicy but unsubstantiated claim built on the scaffolding of stuff he didn't need an inside source to provide. Exactly the way Rush Limbaugh did things. I'd say skepticism is pretty strongly warranted.

[Jersey Girl]

Down ballot Democrats in tight races were legitimately concerned and vocal over Biden's debate performance and subsequent inability to steady the ship. I'd probably put that just behind the question of if he could beat Trump as far as order of concerns being raised.

It isn't controversial to claim senior Democrats were pressuring Biden to step down. They weren't hiding it. It isn't controversial to say Biden was resisting this. He wasn't hiding that either. The controversial statement Hersh is making is that Obama directly and definitively intervened through a threat. And that threat reinforced core negative narratives about both Biden and Obama that otherwise aren't present in the evidence. The source for this is suspect. Outside of that statement, Hersh is just saying what happened in a way that pretends to be insightful. Like he's just singing out loud what he just watched happen. Then he adds the spicy but unsubstantiated claim built on the scaffolding of stuff he didn't need an inside source to provide. Exactly the way Rush Limbaugh did things. I'd say skepticism is pretty strongly warranted.

This. All of this. Thank you, honor.

[Some Schmo]

It's funny how the right thinks Obama was such a terrible president but is currently uber-powerful behind the scenes.

What a life, to be completely unrestrained by reality, logic and common sense. If only they used that unfettered imagination to avoid crippling fear about everything.

[Kishkumen]

Down ballot Democrats in tight races were legitimately concerned and vocal over Biden's debate performance and subsequent inability to steady the ship. I'd probably put that just behind the question of if he could beat Trump as far as order of concerns being raised.

It isn't controversial to claim senior Democrats were pressuring Biden to step down. They weren't hiding it. It isn't controversial to say Biden was resisting this. He wasn't hiding that either. The controversial statement Hersh is making is that Obama directly and definitively intervened through a threat. And that threat reinforced core negative narratives about both Biden and Obama that otherwise aren't present in the evidence. The source for this is suspect. Outside of that statement, Hersh is just saying what happened in a way that pretends to be insightful. Like he's just singing out loud what he just watched happen. Then he adds the spicy but unsubstantiated claim built on the scaffolding of stuff he didn't need an inside source to provide. Exactly the way Rush Limbaugh did things. I'd say skepticism is pretty strongly warranted.

Hersh did not make up this material himself. He put it together using his sources. I am totally on board with being skeptical of those sources, but that is different from saying that he just made this all up to “pretend to be insightful.” In fact, I don’t agree with this characterization at all, and was much more persuaded by your earlier criticisms, which are in line with other solid criticisms of Hersh out there.

[Morley]

Hersh did not make up this material himself. He put it together using his sources. I am totally on board with being skeptical of those sources, but that is different from saying that he just made this all up to “pretend to be insightful.” In fact, I don’t agree with this characterization at all, and was much more persuaded by your earlier criticisms, which are in line with other solid criticisms of Hersh out there.

Kish: Sure, Hersh may have said that he had a source, but relying on poorly sourced information is not much different than pulling said material out of your arse. Sy Hersh has been accused, for some time, of abandoning sound journalistic practices--and of formulating a theory and then going looking for a source that would justify that theory. His recent track record is pretty sketchy.

[Moksha]

...but relying on poorly sourced information is not much different than pulling said material out of your arse.

So what is wrong with using ideas Q pulled out of his butt? It's not like actual fecal matter can stick to Q's ideas.

[honorentheos]

Hi Kish,

I'm not saying Hersh made the comments up. I'm saying that the majority of what he reported is not news. He does report it in a way that colors it but the broad strokes aren't what defines the claim or headline. His claim that Obama directly threatened Biden is the one item that is unique to his reporting and as you says, he claims it came from a source though the description of the source leaves much to desire in terms of reliability. That it also aligns with Conservative narratives about Obama and Biden that are otherwise insinuations rather than supported facts? Folks can decide how they want to take that into account as well.

[Dr Exiled]

Hersh has written things that certain people in government and certain people in certain political parties don't like. So, obviously there will be push-back and doubt and even anger. However, the lack of enthusiasm for the nordstream investigation by Sweden, Germany and other countries seems to point the finger at a certain government whose executive was controlled by a certain political party and its adherents don't like being called out when they would rather bask in the glory their scriveners create. Also, the heroic Biden story seems a bit much and the kicking and screaming Biden story where he left only after threats seems more plausible. I know it goes against some quasi-religious whatever to not believe in the chosen narrative, however, sometimes we have to eat the ________ sandwich and move on.

Again, time will tell whether Hersh was correct in his assessment regarding Biden, when the coast is clear and others can come forward, if there is still interest in getting to the bottom of this. If the source was someone in the room when this was going on, that's one thing, and if the source is questionable like some here would like to believe, that's another. We'll see hopefully. With nordstream, Putin just needed to turn off the pipeline from his end. He didn't need to blow it up. So, I think it is safe to say based on motives, the Russians didn't do it. Sweden and Denmark stopped investigating, perhaps when they discovered something they shouldn't have? And Germany is dragging its feet, even though the lack of cheap energy is causing a lot of economic strife. I wonder why? Looks like Hersh may have been on to something there.

[honorentheos]

Yeah. Time may tell. Until than? The evidence is not on his side.

[Dr Exiled]

Yeah. Time may tell. Until than? The evidence is not on his side.

Ok