Mike Lindell, Not Yamiche Alcindor, Is the Hero
By: DAVID HARSANYI
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
M yPillow CEO Michael Lindell, a self-made former crack addict, is going to transform 75 percent of his manufacturing capacity to make 10,000 cotton face masks per day by the end of the week, ramping up production to 50,000 a day in a month. That sounds like a patriotic act to me, especially given that Lindell is undertaking the effort without being forced to do so by a federal agency. I hope the guy becomes a billionaire after this is all over.
NBC? Not so much. The headline on its “analysis” of Lindell’s remarks was “Trump fluffs MyPillow in Rose Garden.” This matched the basic tone taken by a large faction within the political press. Why? Presumably because, at the end of his remarks, Lindell claimed that the Lord Almighty had helped elect Donald Trump president to save our once-beleaguered nation from its alleged depravations. Listen, if there is a God, I hope He refrains from tipping the scales of presidential contests. But it’s not surprising to hear an evangelical Christian talking about the world this way — unless, that is, you’ve never met one.
Of course, anyone who shows anything less than hostility toward the president is immediately cast as a reactionary, and their actions dismissed as questionable and self-serving. Many of the CEOs who have stood with Trump at his press conferences — this week, or in weeks prior — hold varying religious and partisan beliefs. The press didn’t have similar qualms about the CEOs of CVS or Walgreens, because they kept their views to themselves.
Lindell is a villain for speaking his truth, as the kids say. Yet the real heroes of our age — White House political correspondents — are applauded for speaking theirs. Yesterday, PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor, one of the many pundits masquerading as a dispassionate journalist, was chided by Trump during his presser. Immediately, journalists, who are now perhaps the most tribalistic group in American political life, rallied around her with fawning tributes to her bravery and victimhood (because Trump only lashes out at black women, apparently). #WeLoveYamiche is the hashtag, if you’re interested.
Philip Rucker of the Washington Post noted that Alcindor “routinely gets under his skin with probing questions,” as if rattling our irascible president was a noteworthy accomplishment, or an act of heroism, or, in and of itself, a reliable indication that a reporter is doing a good job.
The Post ’s media critic, Erik Wemple, meanwhile, was forced to reimagine what Alcindor’s question might have sounded like had it been more coherent. And, simply because Trump had been rude to her, he claimed that Alcindor has now become “the symbol of American journalism.”
Yes, that’s the problem.
It’s Alcindor’s prerogative to try and bait the president, as she has done on numerous occasions over the past weeks, and it’s PBS’s prerogative to send her to ask questions that do absolutely nothing to help the public gain a better understanding of the government’s efforts to fight the coronavirus. But we should not forget that most of her narcissistic defenders are really talking about themselves . Some journalists are indeed on the front lines of “war zones, refugee crises, genocides,” as CNN’s S. E. Cupp put it recently. But Alcindor, whose Twitter feed is littered with all kinds of absurdity , is not. She risks absolutely nothing by asking the president questions. Like Jim Acosta, who titled his book, Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America , she is stealing valor.
The overall breadth and intensity of the anti-Trump press demonstrates there are few inhibitions and zero limitations on free press (though many in the media do advocate to limit your free speech). No one has been stopped from engaging, investigating, writing, or sharing their antagonism toward Trump. Nor should they.
Some lucky Americans, such as Alcindor, are afforded the benefit of challenging the president personally. That’s fine. I wish the press had exhibited the same level of reflexive antagonism toward every president. They don’t. But Lindell’s political and religious views do not diminish his patriotic act, just as Alcindor’s ability to make the president mad does not transform her into a hero. It doesn’t even make her good at her job.
Now, perhaps our media culture has spent so much time politicizing the world that they’ve confused patriotism with victimhood. Or maybe they’re so obsessed with fighting the president that they can’t recognize that his fans might be capable of a good deed. But if where you stand on Trump is your guiding definition of patriotism and heroism, your moral compass might be broken.
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"It’s Alcindor’s prerogative to try and bait the president, as she has done on numerous occasions over the past weeks, and it’s PBS’s prerogative to send her to ask questions that do absolutely nothing to help the public gain a better understanding of the government’s efforts to fight the coronavirus."
How disgusting!
Because journalism informs us of things that are wrong, like no one telling the Pentagon where to ship their excess ventilators and medical supplies
Sure there are always going to be Woodwards and Bersteins who are seen as total buttheads, until they aren't.
Mike Lindall is a good story. A hero? Hardly.
My industry, like most, is looking down the barrels of a potential protracted recession.
Lindall has already pivoted from selling pricey pillows to a now profitable market for medical masks.
Brilliant move. No deception at all. All of his employees are now essential. Brilliant.
But his pillow products and business practices have earned him an F with the Better Business Bureau in 2016 for his nonstop BOGO "sales" and confusing advertising about which pillows are available on line versus what is available at WalMart et.al..
More power to Mr. Lindell if he wishes to continue the path he has chosen. It's his choice to a degree.
He just settled with the State of California for deceptive advertising
So is Lindell a patriotic hero? Some undoubtedly see him that way.
Others just see a good businessman who has admitted to deceptive advertising and continues to do so.
I am sure his 1,500 employees don't care either way as long as they are gainfully employed in this time of crisis.
Read that this morning. THAT is the fault of those who need them FAILING to request them. You DO remember Katrina right? Where the Governor failed to ask for help from the Fed for DAYS and days. They don't just start shipping supplies OR aid/help unless there is a place to go and there is a need for their "presence". It's up to the "consumer" of the aid...........................
Misleading advertising puts him in Trumps good graces. Misleading advertising was one of the staples of trumps business model.
Then you read this and realize that while FEMA and HHS are telling Governors they don't have them
the military is asking for direction.
If the military were in charge of the logistics, people would already be using these ventilators,
unless of course the whole thing is a hoax...
Where if they don't know where to send them? They need that direction from someone. They are, for lack of a better term, a warehouse waiting for orders. It's called protocol now just like it was in 2005 in my example.
From your post........emphasis, mine.............
The previous link failed to mention $995,000.00 in civil penalties to California in that original 2016 case.
$1.1 million settlement to New York for not collecting or turning over NY sales tax from 2011-2015.
Come on Jim,
I said If, no matter how big the font...
If the military was in charge of the logistics, they would be coordinating the orders as well, not FEMA or HHS...
like the 500,000 virus tests we quietly picked up in Italy a few weeks ago
and flew back to a waiting fleet of FedEx aircraft in Memphis TN.
Are you honestly saying that they just up and went to Italy of their own ambition and were NOT requested to do so and be the carrier by the administration and just did so out of the goodness of their hearts? They have to be told to move. That's the way of the military.
Did I say that? No loki12, I did not.
But Carnac says
wait a few weeks, if our experts like Fauci and Birx are correct we will be up that creek
without ventilators soon enough.
unless it's all a hoax...
You keep reading things that aren't there my friend.
Argument for it's own sake is not profitable.
Stay safe, my friend.
Not at all. You said this................
And you really think they have the time to do that? Who do you think told them to go to Italy? And in your very statement "they would be coordinating the orders as well". The orders have to come from somewhere and FEMA and HHS have the resources to determine where they should go. What if Cuomo of NY called them up and said " I need 30,000 stat"? Would they have "processed" that order and sent all 4,000 they had because he wanted them?
Not arguing for arguing's sake at all. I just see things differently than you do.
You stay safe as well. I guess you are done then?
Well then they get a big fat F on the Russia/collusion story!
In 2020, you consider $70 for 2 pillows ... excluding promo code discounts ... "pricey"? Wow!
The first pillows my wife bought when we were newly married in the 1980s were $40.00 each.
The whole Trump/god thing is beyond the pale. Trump gives zero fucks about god, religion and the 10 Commandments. ZERO. Yet there is a group of evangelicals who decided he is their standard bearer of values. Doesn't matter how much Trump lies, grabs pussies, hates groups of people and insults anybody, including disabled, veterans and gold star families. Greed and narcissism are his calling cards. They call his lies 'telling it like it is'. Nothing he does is a problem for them. Oh, and that socialism they hate? If it goes to their pockets or to the corporate elite, no problems! Just don't try to include the poor and middle class, that doesn't sit well with them. Trump literally fucks up this pandemic from the start and now we have his sycophants lying to protect him from the truth - that HE is responsible for thousands of deaths that could have been avoided if he had taken this seriously from the beginning and listened to the experts instead of his gut (that was gas).
Every time Yamiche or any journalist asks Trump an uncomfortable question he goes off on them, especially the women. LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS. Because he knows they expose his lies and incompetence. Conservative standards are nonexistent for Trump. How many of Trump's base will die because they went with his ignorance? Watch Florida.
Well said, wish I vote this up 1000x
This whole Trump presidency has forced America see that there are a lot of people in our midst who dont care about tradition, standards, protocol, or honesty and decency, and yes, keeping the 10 commandments. They care about "making liberals cry".
Despicable people and America may never recover.
with pride in their vitriol for President Trump
Fixed that for ya. People can criticize trump and still be true patriots regardless of your bitter potshots.
That is not the role of reporters
And they call themselves "progressives"
Take a deep breathe. It's all OK. Once you do you might realize that probably most evangelicals ARE low to middle class, and still don't want socialism. Trump may not act like the pope but he supports causes that line up with their own. A mentality that lines up with their own. To follow anyone in the democrat party, they would have to be okay with gay marriage, prop up drug users instead of punish them, government dependence, encourage abortion, encourage divorce and single parenting, endorse illegal immigration and not work with authorities to stop it, legalize drugs and substances that go against their teachings, stop praying at any public event while cuddling up to muslims and other backwards religions and on and on and on. I could continue if you really wanted me to, point is anyone on the democrat side runs on a platform that is much worse than anything Trump is.
Hence, the birth of Blexit.
An uncomfortable question? An ideological debate is not a question. Ya, he did get rid of those destructive Obama policies, didn't he? Thank you Mr President!
How many Democrats will die because they choose to live in shithole cities and rely on the government to hold their hand?
I always just love how the left like to admonish someone all the while ignoring the comment they are responding to. You could almost say its hypocritical.
Without, I’m guessing, the smallest hint of embarrassment. Amazing.
Why would he be embarrassed? Has he said something about Trump that is wrong?
The hint of embarrassment should belong with trump and his supporters. That has been obvious for years.
Yes. The idea that he would be in any danger for telling the truth is - pardon my French - retarded. He should be embarrassed for even suggesting that he, or any other member of the press, is in danger in America. The very idea is moronic, stupid, imbecilic. Get it?
Actually, I take it back. There is one caveat. If Jim Acosta ever started telling the truth, it might cause him to have a brain aneurism from the reversal of flow. So, yeah. In that respect, it might well be a dangerous time to tell the truth. For him.
You forget that progressives have abandoned the idea of shame a long time ago. They are happy with their petty selves. We just have to learn to accept that.
Although I am sick and tired of his commercials, the guy manufacturers one hellava good pillow. I have been seriously happy with mine so far. It's sad that organizations like NBC can't be happy about an American stepping in to fill a gap for this country. If NBC can't congratulate someone just because they believe in God or have Trump's blessing, it further reinforces the reason why Americans have such low trust in news organizations.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/267047/americans-trust-mass-media-edges-down.aspx
Utter nonsense. Why would a news organization "congratulate" someone who says God chose Donald trump to be president? Besides being absurd as a premise it goes against separation of church and state, and is politically partisan at a time of national crisis.
It does not go against church and state, it's am opinion. We are all entitled to them. This is America, get used to it
Had to LMFAO on that original church and state comment............................haha
A briefing about a national health emergency is not a Trump rally. It was totally inappropriate.
No shit John. It was more of a "We are the US patriots and here is what WE as citizens are doing" rally inserted into a briefing.
They should be congratulating ANYONE who steps in during a crisis to help Americans. Right? I mean, I'm sure if he was a gay, transgender, bi-racial, pansexual, pro-choice, satan worshiper they would do a whole segment on his life story and what a great American he was.
No, that not what it was. He said that by Gods grace Trump was chosen president in order to bring religion back into the society.
It was a blatant endorsement of Trump and a suggestion that others dont follow God.
Trump doesnt follow God. How many damn times to you people have to be told that?
You can't POSSIBLY know that unless you asked him while he was living in your head still late last night.
Prove that he does.
The only thing we really know about Trump's religious endeavors is that he didnt know how to describe a bible passage, " Two Corinthians" , which suggests he had never quoted the Bible before.
And that's ALL you know about it. How many books of Corinthians is there John?
BF, this is not a fake news site. Remember when you posted an article from an insane defrocked Canadian priest who said he was bring the Pope up before an imaginary tribunal on the charge that the Pope murdered and ate babies?
You posted that article without a satire or comedy tag. You tried to get people to believe it.
Hopefully the days of you posting fake news here are over.
It would start with they aren't Trump.
Then dead silence.
Now for some comic relief:
the problem's all across the news lines that I read
this virus transfers if you cough or breathe on me
I'd like to teach my friends and loved ones to be free
there must be 50 ways to beat this virus
"Acosta acts "like an "opinion journalist" who has played "right into the explicit Trump strategy of portraying the press as the opposition party," ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl writes in Front Row at the Trump Show."
I, and I am sure the medical community, is very appreciative of what LIndell is doing. As to Alcindor, she was attempting to ask Trump about something he said, and it was recorded for all posterity to hear, and he said he didn't say and then became very defensive. The real outrage is that Trump keeps denying what he said and becomes very defensive and angry about being asked about it. It comes with the territory.
And before you go off on TDS, let me share this:
Treason (!), Sedition, and Trump Derangement Syndrome
" regarding Trump Derangement Syndrome: I'm getting rather tired of the phenomenon whereby anyone who examines and tries to comprehend what our president has done or said and to have a rational conversation about it is accused of suffering from TDS. Let's change that narrative, shall we? A number of diseases or syndromes are named after well-known sufferers from the disease —Lou Gehrig's disease being best known in this category. We've been thinking about Trump Derangement Syndrome all wrong! It refers, actually, to the particular form of derangement from which our president appears to be suffering. I invite readers to read what I have written about the Ukrainian Affair and what Trump has written about the Ukrainian Affair (additional excerpts from Trump's Twitter feed are below, and the rest can be found here ), and to ask yourself: who's the deranged one here?"
Mike Lindell is a Money Changer.