The Media-Left’s Warped, Hypocritical, Political Definition Of ‘Monopoly’

"Ploy" Story

by Seton Motley, Contributing Author: As DC-based nationally syndicated radio host Chris Plante rightly notes: “Were it not for double standards – the Left would have no standards at all.”

To wit: How the Media-Left (please pardon the redundancy) criminally abuses the definition of “monopoly.” Or, conversely, cares not a whit about and in fact defends a monopoly. All depending upon whether or not the company in question is or is not a political ally.

The Tech Sector is rife with such Leftist double standards. The nation’s cable and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) – are pro-Reality-and-thus-anti-Net-Neutrality – so the Media-Left loathes them.

And as a demonstration of the Left’s loathing – they constantly whine about imaginary monopoly power cable and the ISPs don’t actually possess.

We Need Real Competition, Not a Cable-Internet Monopoly

How the Cable Industry Became a Monopoly

The Verizon-Cable Monopoly: Bad For Consumers

Quantifying Comcast’s Monopoly Power

Charter Time Warner Might Be A Monopoly

AT&T/T-Mobile: Why This New Monopoly is Bad for Consumers

A Thoroughly Modern Monopoly: AT&T and Time Warner Are Playing a New Game

Verizon Monopoly? Time to Bring Competition

Except…NONE of these are actual monopolies. Most of these headlines their own selves – clearly demonstrate that NONE of these are actual monopolies.

How can there be a “Verizon-Cable monopoly” – ??? Verizon is a wireless and fiber company – they don’t do cable. So the fact that there is also cable – clearly demonstrates that there isn’t a monopoly.

“Quantifying Comcast’s monopoly power” – ??? Comcast has access to about 40% of the Internet market. That is not even half of a monopoly. There you go – quantified.

“Charter Time Warner might be a monopoly” – ??? First of all, any headline that contains the word “might” – isn’t news. It’s fortune telling. And Charter and Time Warner – are two different companies. In other words – NOT a monopoly. And both of these companies have less market share than not-even-half-a-monopoly Comcast.

The Left alleges AT&T is so powerful – they can form…ummm,…multiple monopolies. Yeah – that makes sense.

And the Left alleges AT&T is that powerful – yet somehow also asserts competitor Verizon is a monopoly. Yeah – that makes sense.

Oh: And like a headline with “might” – a headline containing a question mark is…not news. The headline writer knows what he is writing is a lie – so he throws in these mush-ifiers. To still be able to write the lying headline he wants – while giving himself the mushy out.

All of this all-consuming Media-Left outrage…at fake monopolies. Of course – because the companies about which they are screeching are political opponents.

But what happens when a Leftist political ally acquires actual monopoly power? Like, say, gi-normous online retailer and Left-uber-funder Amazon?

Amazon’s cloud storage company Amazon Web Services in 2013 received an exclusive $600 million contract to provide said storage for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Exclusive – i.e. a monopoly.

Let’s look at some of the headlines at the time, shall we?

CIA $600 Million Deal For Amazon’s Cloud

Amazon Confirms CIA Spook Cloud Contract

The Details About the CIA’s Deal With Amazon

Amazon and CIA Ink Cloud Deal

Amazon-CIA Cloud Deal Finalized

What leaps off the page – is what isn’t on the page at all. The word “monopoly.” No one used the word – even though it exquisitely describes the deal Amazon cut with the CIA.

Flash forward a bit. Amazon is about to land an exclusive – i.e. monopoly – $10 billion cloud contract with the Department of Defense (DoD).

Let’s look at some of the headlines at the time, shall we?

Amazon Cloud Services Wins DoD Authorization

Amazon’s AWS is Now Hosting the Defense Department’s Most Classified Data

Department of Defense Uses Amazon Web Services as It Explores the Cloud

Defense Department Is Set to Begin Uploading Classified Information to Amazon’s Secretive ‘Spy Cloud’

DOD Details Its Plans for JEDI Cloud Contract

There again is the dog that didn’t bark. Nary a “monopoly” to be found.

People like myself and others started pointing out having a single company – ANY single company, regardless of political ties and donations – handle ALL of the DoDs cloud storage…is a TERRIBLE idea.

So the Media-Left went into dishonest damage control mode. And tried to dismiss all opposition to the monopoly Amazon-DoD cloud deal – as simply political opposition.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and President Donald Trump are sparring – because Trump rightly, reasonably objects to the US Post Office being contractually obligated to lose $1.46 on every single Amazon package they ship.

And this allegedly petty squabbling – rarely is the awful Post Office-Amazon deal mentioned as why they’re squabbling – is the only reason in the world to oppose Amazon getting the monopoly DoD cloud deal.

Not, again, the very obvious and perfectly reasonable concern that having a single company – ANY single company, regardless of political ties and donations – handle ALL of the DoDs cloud storage…is a TERRIBLE idea.

Trump-Amazon-Bezos Fight Could Affect Cloud Military Deal

How Trump’s Tweets Could Lay Groundwork for Amazon DOD Cloud Protest

Trump Can Hurt Amazon with Department of Defense Contract

Trump-Amazon Spat Puts Pentagon’s Cloud Bid in Spotlight

Amazon Likely to Win $10 Billion Pentagon Deal Despite Trump’s Tweets Attacking the Company

All of this Media-Left defense – of a monopoly Amazon-Defense Department contract.

An actual, bonafide monopoly.

But the Media-Left loves Amazon. Because Amazon and Bezos give the Left a ton of money.

So Amazon’s latest in a long line of government-monopoly contracts – is just fine. And never, ever called a monopoly.

Meanwhile, the Media-Left keep trying to pawn off on us fake, phony, faux monopolies – with their just-as-totally-dishonest reporting about cable and the ISPs.

Because the Media-Left loathe cable and the ISPs.

Even though cable and the ISPs…give the Left a ton of money.

(Something cable and the ISPs should STRONGLY reconsider. Stop feeding the hands that bite you.)

Were it not for double standards – the Media-Left would have no standards at all.
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Seton Motley is the President of Less Government and he contributes to ARRA News Service. Please feel free to follow him him on Twitter   /   Facebook.

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