Why it's OK...no, NECESSARY to also hold Bob Woodward accountable

[maxrandb]

There's no one to blame for this shitshow other than Donnie Shit for Brains and his asspickle enablers.

Let me say that again; there's no one to blame for this shitshow other than Donnie Shit for Brains and his asspickle enablers

That does NOT remove the responsibility to inform, when you have information that is critical to life and death

This isn't just the Dipshit claiming that President Obama was born in Kenya in public, but privately admitting that he's full of shit. That's dirty fucking politics, but it's not life and death

This would be akin to knowing that planes were going to be flown into the World Trade Center, and just allowing people to go to work there that day.

The reason it's important is because it's not just a responsibility to journalism... it's a responsibility to humanity

I sit here and watch... EVERYDAY...as human decency, compassion, integrity, ethics, responsibility, accountability, empathy, self-sacrifice, care, honor, courage, love, truth and hope is being murdered right before my very eyes.

In other words, everything that makes us human is being snuffed out in front of us... EVERYDAY!!!

If we don't demand better than this, than what's the fucking point?

Either we are truly compassionate caring human beings, or we're not.

If we have no responsibility, refuse to hold others responsible, and see every act through a political lens, then we've surrendered our humanity.

Pointing out that Woodward had information that could have potentially saved tens of thousands of lives doesn't make him responsible for those lives, but it does send a message that it's not acceptable human behavior.

And that's the point. It's not his responsibility as a journalist... it's his responsibility as a human being.

[Spazito]

1. Don't buy his book....

Keep the focus where it belongs, on trump's responsibility for the deaths of 190,000+ American dead and a failing economy and just don't buy the book. Seems simple to me.

[BannonsLiver]

3. Ironically

For all the anger directed at Woodward here his book has done a great job getting the conversation back to exactly what you mentioned and that’s good news for Joe Biden.

[Spazito]

10. I agree, Biden and Harris were already laser focused on the pandemic...

and Woodward's book and tapes back up their focus even more. The anger is over the top, imo, as only trump and his enablers in the Senate and in governorships could have made a difference and we know full well they would have done nothing different regardless.

[Phoenix61]

2. The information was already out there and was being reported.

It wouldn’t have made any difference at all if Woodward had released the tapes then.

[Squinch]

4. But those who listen only to Trump were listening only to Trump. They are where the problems

of non-compliance come from, and where the greatest spread outside of the Northeast came from.

If they heard Trump saying it was deadly, maybe they would have believed it was deadly.

[Miguelito Loveless]

8. Imagine what would have happened if Woodward had released the tape of Trump

saying the virus was deadly, right after he dismissed it as a hoax.

But, never forget the the grifter's motto, "Denaris uber alles".

Congrats to Bob Woodward, who now shares the cold, calculating avarice of Spiro Agnew.

[Montelimar]

26. Absolutely nothing?

[Miguelito Loveless]

34. It would have immediate put a stop to Trump

dismissing the disease as a hoax because his own words would have been available to contradict him. It would certainly have added a different context to his rallies. Here he is inviting you to come die, and asking you to sign a waiver confirming the danger, but absolving him from blame.

[RobinA]

51. Wouldn't Have Made

a bit of difference. He would have slithered around to a different, but just as useless and dangerous, narrative if he had been exposed.

[Miguelito Loveless]

52. If true, then what difference does it make now

other than to make Woodward millions richer. At least if Woodward had blown the whistle then, SOME people would have been saved. In pandemics, preventing one person's infections means saving a lot of other people, since the people they would have infected, don't pass on the infection to others, etc.

Instead, Woodward kept quiet, secured his pay day, while others paid with their lives and health.

[LisaL]

19. And they are still only listening to Trump even after the tapes came out.

NT

[uponit7771]

21. This is false, NJ Gov Murphy didn't know (link)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100214051687

[malaise]

5. No problem but focus on the evil president

He swore to defend national security - he lied to the people

[GusBob]

6. Ethics and all those things lost

Those virtues sailed along time ago

This is why we have a president like Trump

[Miguelito Loveless]

11. What credibility problem?

Whose credibility would have been hurt if he released the tape of Trump saying the disease was deadly after Trump had repeatedly dismissed it?

[quickesst]

9. blame and hate Woodward....

.... for his perceived lack of humanity, but remember, without his book, and taped interviews, this would just be another day in trump denial land. Woodward is an author, while donald trump is supposed to be the leader of the free world, the President of the United States for all the people. Woodward's lack of humanity pales in comparison. While it might be deserving, every negative comment concerning Woodward is adding fuel to the GOP fire. FOCUS!

[Miguelito Loveless]

13. I am sure that this will really be a comfort to the people whose family members died

while Woodward kept quiet.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

16. No, I'm still pretty much blaming Trump. I can't see this thing playing out

any better for me or my family if Woodward would have released the tapes "back then". BUT I'm feeling more hopeful now that he's releasing them as he is.

[Miguelito Loveless]

23. Trump is to blame, yes

but what about all the Washington media insiders who normalized and enabled him?

[quickesst]

24. Consider....

....all those family members who would never have gotten the proof, and heard the truth from Donald Trump's own mouth as to who was ultimately responsible for their loved ones deaths were it not for Woodward's taped interviews. They would be exactly where they were beforehand. Knowing the truth, but without the concrete proof needed.<br>
I am by no means exonerating Woodward for his lack of humanity, but Shifting the blame to him is only adding fuel to the GOP fire. Consider that Donald Trump is already using this line to distance and trivialize his responsibilities in all of this.

Donald Trump quote:<br>
“Bob Woodward had my quotes for many months. If he thought they were so bad or dangerous, why didn’t he immediately report them in an effort to save lives?" Trump tweeted. "Didn’t he have an obligation to do so? No, because he knew they were good and proper answers. Calm, no panic!”

[Miguelito Loveless]

37. This is NOT an either/or situation

Our choice is NOT blame Trump, or blame Woodward. It is blame both. Why is this not permissible? What Trump did was WRONG. Woodward knew this, and decided to PROFIT off it.

[quickesst]

46. because....

.... This.

Donald Trump quote:<br>
“Bob Woodward had my quotes for many months. If he thought they were so bad or dangerous, why didn’t he immediately report them in an effort to save lives?" Trump tweeted. "Didn’t he have an obligation to do so? No, because he knew they were good and proper answers. Calm, no panic!”

I think it's ridiculous to equivocate the responsibilities of an author selling books to the president of the United States and the responsibility they both have, but that's exactly what people have done, giving Trump a path to distance and minimize his own involvement. I suppose for some people it's impossible to understand the bog they have been led into by the bog monster himself. It should bother people on the left to no end that Trump is using the very same argument they are to minimize his responsibility. If there are people who can't understand this, then I am just spinning in the wind.

[Miguelito Loveless]

48. Indeed it would be ridiculous to equivocate Trump's crimes with Woodward's moral failings

As I did no such thing, pray explain your objection.

Woodward's profiteering does not in any way mitigate Trump's crimes. I do not understand why people seem to believe that it is only possible to hold one person accountable for their actions.

[quickesst]

53. You.....

Today:
"Indeed it would be ridiculous to equivocate Trump's crimes with Woodward's moral failings
As I did no such thing, pray explain your objection."

Yesterday:
"Our choice is NOT blame Trump, or blame Woodward. It is blame both. Why is this not permissible?"

Sounds like equivocation to me, and I would venture a guess, to anyone else reading this, and sadly, around here at least, more attention has been directed towards Woodward's moral failings than Trump's failing to protect the citizens of this country.

[Miguelito Loveless]

54. Only if you believe all blame to be equal

which I don’t, and did not so state.

A person who commits mass murder is not the same as a grave robber, but both should be punished, which is what I said.

[Miguelito Loveless]

49. I have gone back three times and reviwed my comments

and the only place where I make any kind of equivocation was in comparing Woodward to Spiro Agnew in the area of avarice.

[Montelimar]

28. People died

because there was no coordinated federal response to the pandemic that was actually worth a fuck.

And idiot red state governors killed plenty of people.

But the buck stops with chump.

Anything else is misguided at best or trolling at worst.

[Miguelito Loveless]

32. I am neither misguided, nor trolling

I simply believe all people with blood on their hands should be held to account. There is not a finite limit or rule that says only one person may be blamed for death(s) and held responsible.

[Montelimar]

33. chump, republicans, and their enablers

are SOLELY responsible for the mess we are in.

Blaming Woodward is deflecting blame from chump. Blaming Woodward lets chump off the hook, blaming Woodward enables chump.

[Miguelito Loveless]

38. If I knew a guy was lying about a dangerous situation

Say, a nuclear plant with serious safety issues. I knew the head of the plant knew about the safety problems, knew that people would die in large numbers, but kept secret this information secret in the face of him repeatedly lying to the public about the danger, and kept that information to myself until LONG after 200,000+ were dead, so I could make money selling a book about how the plant head was a liar, how am I guiltless?

This is not a "we can either blame Trump or blame Woodward" situation. Both have done evil things causing innocent people to die. Both deserve blame. Both are horrible people.

[Montelimar]

39. Right wing propaganda

Trump enabling syndrome.

[Miguelito Loveless]

40. If one guy murders your family

and another guy knew it was going to happen, but didn't warn your family, but instead sold a book about it after the fact, he deserves no blame, since blame in a finite commodity and can only be allocated as all or none?

[Montelimar]

41. Analogy fail

Why are you defending Donald Trump?

[Miguelito Loveless]

42. Please point to where I defend Trump

I blame Trump AND Woodward. Both are guilty, but of different crimes. I do NOT at any point defend Trump.

[Montelimar]

43. November 8, 2016

I don't recall seeing Bob Woodward's name on any ballot?

[Miguelito Loveless]

45. You accused me of defending Trump

please provide evidence where I did so, or withdraw the accusation.

[CTyankee]

31. You are so right! Morning Joe dedicated a long part of the show to Woodward's book.

He may be self serving (heavens!) but that's Washington. He's doing a service for us Dems at the same time.

Everybody, FOCUS on our real enemy and keep your eyes of the prize!

[quickesst]

47. *****

[Demsrule86]

12. This needs to be about holding Trump accountable.

[snowybirdie]

14. I prefer to

direct my anger at Mattis, Kelly, Bolton, Pence, and other WH officials who have known what this man is and haven't let the country know. Woodward was building his case over only seven months. The rest were complicit.

[Thekaspervote]

15. Exactly..stop shooting the messenger! He didn't make this mess

[lame54]

17. Trump Trump Trump...

Why?
Because in less than 2 months Trump may be handed our country for keeps

What's Woodward going to do?
Put out another book?
Who gives a shit?

By talking about them both with so little time left IS going to get Trump another pass on what should be a damaging story

[OhZone]

18. Yeah, don't blame the messanger!

You know Trumpers are still out there, displaying their flags and wearing their Trump garbage, even after these tapes came out.

[uponit7771]

20. **** THANK YOU !!! **** Woodward could've SMARTLY leaked info about airborne lethality and

... been wrong the other option is quiet and what we got now.

[LisaL]

22. Why is he the only one who could have leaked it?

People who briefed Trump, they actually had all this info from original source. Why do you not demand they leaked it?
Woodward got it from Trump and like we all know, Trump lies a lot.
But people who briefed Trump and then heard him denying it, they are not responsible?

[uponit7771]

25. True, I think they should be held accountable too

[maxrandb]

27. He had TAPES... with the president in his own words

And yes, hold ALL of them accountable.

Cockroaches never say; "hey, I've got a little bit of a deadly desease on my feet, so maybe I shouldn't run across this families kitchen counter"

Rats never say; "hey, I know that dropping my turds everywhere can lead to deadly respiratory desease in humans, I think I'll shit outside from now on"

Fleas never say; "gee, I've got a little Black Plague in me, I think I'll skip biting humans for awhile"

They don't do that because they're COCKROACHES, RATS and FLEAS!

Can't we expect better from humanity?

Apparently not.

[Montelimar]

30. um, WHO, CDC, other countries

were pretty much releasing the same information as this shit was happening early on.

Everyone knew what we were up against, even though it was still a mystery, I knew what was happening in late January/early February when my Chinese manufacturers started shutting down and we couldn't even get turnaround times. I still have the emails and guidance from these vendors about the protocols they were ensuring to make sure their overseas clients understood WHY things were happening the way they were happening from a business standpoint.

Point is: no one had to leak jack fucking shit, because everyone who was paying attention and not a brainwashed Trumplodyte knew what the fuck was going on.


The issue isn't Woodward, it is chump's lying.

Why aren't you up in arms about that?

Bob Woodward isn't the president of the united states.

[LisaL]

35. I agree with you totally.

Claiming a reporter for "not warning us" is ridiculous. All this information was out there.
The most interesting thing to me is that Trump had this information early on, understood it, apparently believed it, yet lied to the public on PURPOSE.

[Montelimar]

36. Yep

it is trump enabling syndrome at its most twisted.

Sheer, ugly wickedness.

[Montelimar]

44. Please define "airborne lethality"

what in god's actual fuck does that mean?

[UTUSN]

29. *TOTALLY*

[tavernier]

50. Yes because since the revelation, trump is finally warning the public

and will now follow the science and provide the country with truth and the necessary means to end the pandemic.



Please stop deflecting from the monster. It wouldn’t have made any difference. If anything, they would have used the lower numbers in the spring to mock Woodward.