American Election 2024

Jimmy's comment was dumb, but the exact mirror image to premature jumping-to-conclusions on the other side. Maybe a little worse, because by Monday there had been published some indications of motivation from the family and the roommate.
This is a major problem
By the media companies, absolutely. The proper action would have been a public apology by Jimmy for the premature speculation but not censorship or removal from the airwaves.
 
What was the worst part of what he said? It was a word salad, that escaped my limited attention.
 
What was the worst part of what he said? It was a word salad, that escaped my limited attention.
He implied that the shooter was MAGA. Needless to say, there were numerous people who jumped to conclusions in the other direction. But Kimmel's comments were on Monday, after there had been published some indications of motivation from the family and the roommate.

Bill Maher's closing monologue Friday ripped the entire concept of highlighting political motivation for these incidents.
Maher went on to add that trying to pigeonhole “nuts” who commit acts of violence like Robinson is a “false errand.”

“This kid doesn’t belong in either party. He belongs in a straitjacket. He’s an outpatient who should not be out,” Maher said.

“But you have the right to be wrong [meaning Kimmel] or to have any opinion you want,” Maher added. “That’s what the First Amendment is all about.”
 
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As a casual conservative I'd never heard of Kirk before the shooting. Since then I like some of the stuff I've heard about him, but have reservations about certain darker aspects such as racism or intolerance. But I really don't know that much about him. After DJT's current term I'm hoping for a return to more traditional Republican party candidates, not a bunch of DJT clones. George W looks positively mainstream at this point.
Kimmel was pretty much my least favorite late night tv host ever. Won't miss him. I like Jimmy Fallon, but don't watch network tv hardly at all anymore.
 
As a casual conservative I'd never heard of Kirk before the shooting.
I had barely heard of him, knew he was influential in some way raising money to support Trump and other right wing (I resist using the term conservative here for reasons I'm sure jimk would understand) causes.

Kirk's visibility was much higher among younger people due to podcasts, college visits etc. Adam is far left of center and has a very negative view. Adam's contentions:
1) Kirk's college visits were not to debate liberal professors of other left of center prominent people in any formal way. They were forums where students would come to a microphone and ask questions. Those students, often living in their own information bubble, would often come off as inarticulate, absurd in comparison to a well prepared public speaker like Kirk. Excerpt of these interactions were posted to Kirk's website, podcasts or whatever and were very effective in fundraising from older Republicans of my generation.
2) Adam does not believe Kirk is responsible for the uptick in younger voters for Trump on 2024 vs. 2016 and 2020. He thinks it's due to broader external factors that also rained Trump's support among minorities, or even in general due to the Democrats' failures like gaslighting Biden's health. This contention is of course unprovable in either direction.
After DJT's current term I'm hoping for a return to more traditional Republican party candidates, not a bunch of DJT clones.
I do not share that optimism. The takeover of the Republican Party by MAGA is essentially complete. It was a gradual process that could have been stopped by the right influential people doing the right things at the right time. The primary culprits:
1) Mitch McConnell for not supporting swift impeachment/conviction after January 6, 2021. This would have trended the Republican Party back towards the traditionalists jimk prefers. They got what they deserved by being cowardly then. Now they have essentially no power at all.
2) Joe Biden not agreeing to be a one term president. The Democrats have plenty of flaws, but a candidate emerging from a normal open primary process would be battle tested and have way more credibility to American voters than Harris did.
 
Kimmel. . . Won't miss him.
You won't. Disney is putting him back on the air starting Tuesday night.

So, MAGA vs. Disney, Round 2 (or is it 3 or 4 at this point?).

The pressure campaign, and Kimmel's suspension, has reminded me of the vending-machine scene in Dr. Strangelove where Col. Bat Guano warns Capt. Lionel Mandrake that he's "going to have to answer to the Coca-Cola company."

Is it really in MAGA's interest to take on Disney over this issue?

Disney blinked, but MAGA is fractured on this issue (for example, see Ted Cruz's comments last week).

Might be :popcorn:if the assault on first-amendment political-speech rights wasn't so terrifying.
 
MAGA is fractured on this issue (for example, see Ted Cruz's comments last week).

Might be :popcorn:if the assault on first-amendment political-speech rights wasn't so terrifying.
Yes. Those of us historically right of center have long critiqued left/progressive cancel culture in media, academia and within some government bureaucracies. But cancel culture with executive level government coercion behind it is far more pernicious. Credit a few people like Ted Cruz recognizing that.
Disney is putting him back on the air starting Tuesday night.
It will be interesting to see the ratings. It is not yet known whether Nexstar and Sinclair will go along with that.
 
It is not yet known whether Nexstar and Sinclair will go along with that.
Disney is clearly willing to take that risk. Earlier today, before Disney announced Kimmel‘s return, Sinclair had already backpedaled on its stated plan to air a CK memorial special during Kimmel‘s time slot.
 
He implied that the shooter was MAGA. Needless to say, there were numerous people who jumped to conclusions in the other direction. But Kimmel's comments were on Monday, after there had been published some indications of motivation from the family and the roommate.

Thanks Tony, I appreciate the summary.

I understood that he said that the shooter was Maga. I guess I didn't understand why that created such an uproar, I figured there must be something else. TBH bald face lies are standard fare now, but I actually assumed Kimmel was going on an early rumor that turned out to be false.

Not cool to be wrong like that, but does anyone think he'd do that thinking or knowing he was wrong? You'd never get away with it. At least Kimmel wouldn't.

What did the published indications say?
 
What did the published indications say?
Text message exchange between Tyler Robinson and his roommate on day of the shooting. It is dated "7 days ago", which would be the day after Jimmy Kimmel's monologue.

Also from BBC,
Robinson's mother told police that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and left-wing, "more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented". And in family conversations before the shooting, Robinson allegedly accused Kirk of spreading hate.
The above info may have been public by last Monday, but I'm not sure.

We are about to watch Kimmel's return to the airwaves.
 
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