Stop the “what if Obama” whataboutism

Both Sides Are Using Democratic Politicians As Whataboutism Punching Bags And It Needs To Stop There is a particular kind of argument that has become so common in American political discourse that most people do not even notice it anymore. It hides in plain sight. It shows up in comment sections, in dinner table arguments, in cable news panels, in social media threads that spiral out of control at two in the morning. It is the "what if Obama did this" argument, and it is one of the most […]

https://theinterfaithintrepidart.com/2026/06/20/stop-the-what-if-obama-whataboutism/

@Quasit @AkaSci I get that Harris fucked up the messaging by not being willing to say the truth that Israel has been committing genocide. I agree that every politician needs to answer that question in 2026. I’m not interested in relitigating 2024.

The long and short of #bothsides here is that that genocide line worked in 2024 but now we *know* that Trump and the #EpsteinClass has been a million times worse for Palestinian kids.

@Quasit @DoomsdaysCW Yep, #bothsides just as bad, the side that is destroying everything is surely no worse than the side that failed to stop them from a minority position.
@lowqualityfacts It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen even today but it’s still kinda some #bothsides bullshit, right? I mean, Talarico and Platner are talking about the Epstein class and not the hand.
@Quasit @AkaSci That is some #bothsides bullshit. The Democrats are flawed but the Republicans are monsters, and your attempt to keep us home in November will not work here.

#TheMemeApps

Hate Motivated Politics #HateMotivated #HateMotivatedPolitics #FWakeHateMotivated

#BothSides #BothSideism #BothSidesism #FWakeBothSides

USA society 2026:

1. App brain rot Reddit Bluesky

2. App brain rot Facebook Twitter #Musk users

3. Everyone brain rot due to technology #Common

More #USPol here, though this is about #media. The rot is worse in the #USA than most democratic nations [1], so examples of what I'm about to bitch about flourish there.

The problem is that the media - mainstream media, corporate media, legacy media - has given up calling things what they are, lest they appear "biased". Instead, they engage in "both-sides-ism" where they describe one party's horrific, unethical, illegal position on an issue in the same #neutral terms they describe the "other side"'s reasonable and factual take on it.

Example:

Reasonable side: "The prison camp Alligator Alcatraz has inhumane conditions for inmates and fails to uphold their rights to security, food, facilities, medical treatment, and other things. It violates human rights and must be closed permanently."

The "other side" in this case is a bunch of racist nazi nutjob fascists in favour of throwing all non-white people into concentration camps, and the media say something like "Critics say, however, that the prison is a cost-effective means of detaining those in violation of immigration law prior to deportation".

The media fail when they describe a "side" like this neutrally.

And it is the reason the USA now has a #fascist #dictator.

Today: you don't say "critics say" here - a no-bid contract by #definition did bypass the normal #competitive process. It's a #fact.

[1] Note: not "most other democratic nations".

#BothSides #BothSidesIsm #journalism #stenography #failure #criticism

@mistergenest 0% of Republicans believe in providing any healthcare at all, so let that inform the general election vote too! #bothsides

tweeting about marner against my better judgement...

it is possible that #bothsides of the debate should simply be more sensitive to opponent defensive quality

Today in "Tankies on .world's PoliticalMemes", Part 1