# The Washington Post: Democracy Dies With Us **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [October 25, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210 "2024-10-25T17:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/61 "2024-10-25T22:59:45Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Cancelled our sub. I wish I was subscribed so I could cancel in protest. My company has a subscription and I use that and they will not cancel. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/62 "2024-10-25T23:00:12Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I wish I was subscribed so I could cancel in protest. You and me both. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/63 "2024-10-25T23:08:58Z")
lol, the delicate flowers we have here on these boards! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/64 "2024-10-25T23:12:22Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > Newspapers should not be in the business of endorsing political candidates. Not only should they endorse a candidate I think they have an obligation to do so. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/65 "2024-10-25T23:18:51Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > well, I guess I’ll be that guy. While I think people are right to suspect that the Post’s motives here are less than pure, I agree with the decision. Newspapers should not be in the business of endorsing political candidates. In normal times, one might have a reasonable debate about whether newspapers should be in the business of anything more than just reporting the news, though historically their editorial pages have always been explicit shapers of public opinion. The fundamental and tragic lapse in judgment here by WaPo is that this is just another election, just another Republican running against another Democrat. But when the nation is teetering on the brink of a dark and bottomless abyss, the debate is no longer about politics, but about the survival of democracy. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/66 "2024-10-25T23:19:04Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > > > Newspapers should not be in the business of endorsing political candidates. > > Not only should they endorse a candidate I think they have an obligation to do so. I personally disagree but I think that’s an entirely reasonable position depending on what you think the function of a newspaper should be. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/67 "2024-10-25T23:22:56Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > I personally disagree but I think that’s an entirely reasonable position depending on what you think the function of a newspaper should be. If the paper has an editorial section then they should weigh in on the candidates. If you think editorial pages are inappropriate for any newspaper to have I’m not sure what to say. These papers have a looong history of editorial content (since they were formed…it is a normal thing for a newspaper to have). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/68 "2024-10-25T23:23:14Z")
Troll harder, puppy. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/69 "2024-10-25T23:25:32Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But when the nation is teetering on the brink of a dark and bottomless abyss, the debate is no longer about politics, but about the survival of democracy. I get what you are saying. I vacillate myself on whether I really think this is the case. Sometimes I think Trump is a real threat to our fundamental democratic structures, and then other parts of me admonish myself for thinking that, and I try to remind myself that this is a resilient country, having been through a civil war, an almost complete meltdown of our economic system, world wars, and threats of nuclear annihilation, and that our country will weather these times as we have weathered everything else. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/70 "2024-10-25T23:28:31Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Troll harder, puppy. not trolling, just think your fussy indignation is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/71 "2024-10-25T23:29:04Z")
Well, looks like Bezos has won over the Sexual Matador vote. > ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/72 "2024-10-25T23:30:50Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > not trolling, just think your fussy indignation is hilarious. So if you’re not just wanting to fling around shit like a rabid orangutan, let me explain to you what you’re clearly struggling to understand. It’s not the lack of an endorsement that’s upsetting people. It’s the _reason_ for the lack of an endorsement. I mean, I assume you think the veteran journalists over at the _Post_ are a bunch of whiny crybabies too. When you post like a taunting shithead, you get treated like one. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/73 "2024-10-25T23:30:59Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > I vacillate myself on whether I really think this is the case. Sometimes I think Trump is a real threat to our fundamental democratic structures, and then other parts of me admonish myself for thinking that, and I try to remind myself that this is a resilient country, having been through a civil war, an almost complete meltdown of our economic system, world wars, and threats of nuclear annihilation, and that our country will weather these times as we have weathered everything else. Read about [Project 2025](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977njnvq2do). Also, see what Trump has said just today (or yesterday): > [@Donald Trump and the runup to the 2024 election](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/720): > > Trump’s latest policy proposals; Exile for people who investigate him! Jail time for criticizing the Supreme Court! Not voting for him = treason! > Trump says he wants total unchecked power to deport Jack Smith for investigating him: “Jack Smith should be considered mentally deranged and he should be thrown out of the country” > > Trump says Americans who criticize the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade should be imprisoned: “These people should be put in jail for the way they talk about our judges and justices” > > Trump says Americans who don’t support him are “enemies” and are “more dangerous” than Russia and North Korea I believe our major newspapers have an obligation to comment on that. _“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time”_ ~ Maya Angelou ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/74 "2024-10-25T23:34:22Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > Sometimes I think Trump is a real threat to our fundamental democratic structures, and then other parts of me admonish myself for thinking that, and I try to remind myself that this is a resilient country, having been through a civil war, an almost complete meltdown of our economic system, world wars, and threats of nuclear annihilation, and that our country will weather these times as we have weathered everything else. Yes, look at how quickly Germany bounced back. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/75 "2024-10-25T23:38:48Z")
Yeah, pity about the millions of citizens who were murdered, but oh, well. Who coulda seen it coming? ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/76 "2024-10-25T23:47:47Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > When you post like a taunting shithead, you get treated like one. and when you post like a petulant child, stamping your feet and wishing you had a subscription just so you could performatively cancel it, you will get called out on it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/77 "2024-10-25T23:48:20Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > and then other parts of me admonish myself for thinking that, and I try to remind myself that this is a resilient country, having been through a civil war, an almost complete meltdown of our economic system, world wars, and threats of nuclear annihilation, and that our country will weather these times as we have weathered everything else. This is exactly the kind of Shirley Temple thinking that allowed the current disaster to develop. I’m beginning to suspect that you’re either a troll or a moron. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/78 "2024-10-25T23:50:22Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > This is exactly the kind of Shirley Temple thinking that allowed the current disaster to develop which current disaster are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/79 "2024-10-25T23:58:03Z")
Moderating: > [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > not trolling, just think your fussy indignation is hilarious. > [@Atamasama](#): > > When you post like a taunting shithead, you get treated like one. > [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > and when you post like a petulant child, stamping your feet and wishing you had a subscription just so you could performatively cancel it, you will get called out on it. Getting way too personal. Dial it back, both. To all: Let’s stick to the topic at hand, which is The Washington Post’s choice to not endorse a candidate in 2024. Discussion of potential repercussions is fine, but let’s not get too tangential. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/80 "2024-10-26T00:07:09Z")
I will agree with those who are pointing out that, in a vacuum, that there may be a worthwhile debate to be had about whether or not newspapers should be endorsing political candidates. But this is the real world, not a political science or journalism class. And we are a week away from an extremely important election. And these sorts of choices and decisions have consequences in the real world. I don’t automatically place Bezos and Musk in the same basket. But this is a horrible decision. Not just because we’re getting, once again, ownership interfering with editorial decisions, but this is going to do a ton of damage to the Washington posts credibility and reputation. If this had been done even a few months ago I might have been more understanding. But I am really getting tired of technocrats interfering with the political discourse in this country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210.md?page=5)