Hypothetical horrible becomes White House reality
Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 3:26 pm
On November 17, 2016, Matt Yglesias wrote a story warning that the incoming Administration might well use control of regulatory matters to engage in "systemic corruption": a regime in which supporters of the Administration enjoy a light regulatory touch, whereas businesses deemed unfriendly to the Administration are crushed. As one hypothetical example, Yglesias noted: "But big corporate media does face enough regulatory matters that even a single exemplary case would suffice to induce large-scale self-censorship. AT&T, for example, is currently seeking permission from antitrust authorities to buy Time Warner — permission that Time Warner executives might plausibl[y] fear is contingent on Trump believing that CNN has covered him 'fairly.'”
Here is a story published yesterday by the New York Times. According to the story, "White House advisers have discussed a potential point of leverage over their adversary, a senior administration official said: a pending merger between CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, and AT&T. Mr. Trump’s Justice Department will decide whether to approve the merger, and while analysts say there is little to stop the deal from moving forward, the president’s animus toward CNN remains a wild card." This, of course, is the very example of systemic corruption that Yglesias was warning us about eight months ago. --Bob
Here is a story published yesterday by the New York Times. According to the story, "White House advisers have discussed a potential point of leverage over their adversary, a senior administration official said: a pending merger between CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, and AT&T. Mr. Trump’s Justice Department will decide whether to approve the merger, and while analysts say there is little to stop the deal from moving forward, the president’s animus toward CNN remains a wild card." This, of course, is the very example of systemic corruption that Yglesias was warning us about eight months ago. --Bob