Liars ....

I think it is amusing that, after years of listening to my conservative friends bemoan every news source other than Fox and AM talk radio as being hopelessly biased, their sources were not just biased... but deceptive.  Bias means you have a lean because of your starting point... Fox and company just lied... and the numbers show it.  Fair and Balanced is a lie.  We Report, You Decide is a lie.

O Reilly - Liar

Hannity - Liar

Limbaugh - Liar

Beck - Liar

Fox News - Liars

Drudge, Rove, Morris  - Liars

A Host of Conservative Web Sites - Liars!

I'll sift through some bias for the truth any day - over the conscious lies of the conservative newstainment behemoth.

Liars

Conservative Personalities

Fox News blows away the competition. I remember seeing a statistic that showed it had more viewers than the next three cable news networks combined. When it comes to radio, the top three spots are held solidly by conservatives. No one else even comes close.

If you were to judge which way America leaned politically according to the viewership of cable news and radio, you would assume America was firmly in the hands of conservatives. Yet, elections tend to be close. Congress regularly passes power from one side to the other.

So what is up with those cable/radio numbers?

As I churned over the discussions I had over the past few days, and recalled some recent conversations and incidences, I came up with a theory - People on the Right tend to have more emotional investment in their "celebrities" than do people on the Left.  Therefore, they watch and listen more.

Here are some observations (this is still an idea in progress).

Last spring I had a conversation with a friend and at some point Fox News came up. I made some disparaging remark about Fox's quality of news. My friend paused and said, "Ya know... I am kind of insulted by that."

"Why?" I replied.

"Well, I watch Fox News and I like it," he said.

"So how does that translate to my insulting you?" I questioned.

"Well, how would you feel if I trash-talked MSNBC?" he responded.

I shrugged, "I gotta say, I honestly wouldn't care."

I realized in that moment that we didn't just hold different positions, the way in which we held them was completely different.

A similar event happened over the summer. I was with another friend and the discussion drifted to politics. My friend referenced something Hannity had said recently.

I grinned, looked at a passing car, and made some statement about Hannity and the other two telling so many lies over the years that they can no longer differentiate truth.

When I looked back at my friend his face had gone red and all of the muscles in his neck had tightened. It looked like his eyes were about to pop from his head.  I recalled what had happened last spring and I realized my pronouncement had been like a slap to him!

My friend was gracious enough to turn the other cheek, and we quickly moved on to other topics.

I have seen this play out in numerous Facebook conversations over the past two years. The largest spikes in harsh rhetoric tended to follow someone making a critical remark about Fox News, Palin, Beck, etc...

As I look back on my own past, back when I was a Dittohead, I had similar reactions. Someone could critique this or that policy.... but if someone put-down Rush? Yeah, I got defensive! I was proud that I had gone to the "Rush to Excellence" tour. There was emotional investment there.

Yet today, when I think about it, there is no "liberal" personality that I am that attached to. If someone critiqued Moore, or Maher, or the President, etc... I may think their critiques are wrong, but I wouldn't be insulted by it. In fact, there are issues that those personalities hold to that I could be equally critical of.

And so, my theory of why the ratings of these shows are so comparatively high. For some reason, many on the Right form a deeper emotional investment into their "celebrities" than those on the Left. Critiquing one of the Right's center-stage personalities is taken as a personal critique. On the Right, there is more of a "team" bonding occurring. Not that there aren't exceptions on both sides, but I think this is generally the case.

What do you think?

** I have to add this note.  I was just de-friended by another of my more staunch Right-wing friends on Facebook.  This kind of defriending  has happened a number of times in the past few years.  Though they make Right-wing pronouncements regularly, it would never occur to me to defriend them over it.  Yet my often left-leaning views become too much for them to tolerate, and once again I find myself voted off the island. :)

Tomorrow Morning on Talk Radio

My friend Thomas wrote a note on Facebook talking about what has happened over the past day in political discourse. He also had a prediction for what he believes will be the tone of the Glenn Beck show tomorrow morning. He envisions something like this:

"The tragic shooting of Rep. Giffords, one of the few remaining honorable blue-dog Democrats that had not gone over to the communist front. Taken out by a left-wing radical. This is what I was talking about! This is what I warned you of! The progressives, the socialists, the communists in this government. This is where it begins. They are starting a revolution, and it's happening right now."

I had to laugh when I read it because, even though it was only written text, Thomas managed to capture Glenn's voice.

Though I think Thomas is probably going to end up being pretty spot-on; I found myself hoping that the ghosts of radio personalities past, present, and future would visit Glenn tonight. Perhaps a Dicken's like transformation would occur, and this is what we would hear on the radio tomorrow:

"I know a lot of you are tuning in today expecting me to say certain things, and I really was ready to...

...but I have something different to say, and I want you to hear me out.

Politics... got... infused with a lot of high energy this year... some of it good.. no, a lot of it good! Great even!  People cared! But amidst that energy, a lot of things got said and implied that shouldn't have. Hostile, threatening things.

Now, understand, I hear you. I know they did it too. Hateful, angry things said about conservatives. We can point at them and they can point at us. Each accusing the other of starting it or being the more vicious. We could go back over the administrations and see the same heated rhetoric being played over and over, as the other team had the ball.

And I have to confess, these past few years, I had no small role in it. I'll be honest, the more I stirred the pot, the more my ratings climbed. The book deals, the spotlight, more money than I ever thought I would have. I told myself, "I'm being truthful... I'm just leaving out parts ... or directing the story... but it's ok because other media outlets are covering those details."

But in truth, most of you are never hearing those missing parts or details.

Then yesterday happened.

And I quickly started to lay out my defenses and plan my attack...

But did anyone, liberal or conservative want what happened yesterday?

No.

No.

So, I am going to step into a different, perhaps career ending, direction. I am not going to try to justify conservatives or blame progressives today. I am going to turn away from my usual approach - which brought in ratings... but wasn't all that fair or balanced.

Today, I am going to tell the whole truth.

And the truth is that I really do think conservative principals are the best way to run a government and an economy. And honestly, I think I am pretty good at making a case for it; but how I do so is going to seem quite different from this point on.

Maybe you will join me in making our case to the American people. Maybe you will turn your radio dial hoping to find more of what you are use to.

Well, it is your choice.

It is a free country after all."

On Sarah Palin and Garbrielle Giffords

Most people are aware of the shooting of Ms. Giffords and others at a political rally today in Arizona. A lot of details are still coming in about this tragedy, but everyone is understandably shocked and grieved.

However, there is a story that sits off to the side and it is a matter of debate whether it is even allowed to be brought up. Last Spring, you may remember, Sarah Palin drew a map with targets on it. Amidst a lot of "gun" and "second amendment response" talk, Sarah indicated through these targets that Ms. Giffords needed to be "taken out".

I raised these thoughts on my Facebook page, and some declared this to be despicable politicizing. Was I blaming Sarah Palin for the unbalanced behavior of a nut?

No, not blame. I am aware that our society protects free speech; even idiotic, irresponsible speech. If we are to have free speech, then the Sarah Palins of the world are the price we have to pay.

I do, unfortunately, get to add this to the list for why I think of Sarah Palin the way I do - along with how dumbfounded I am that people admire her.

Go Get Em' Sarah!!

This past Friday at a Christian women's rally, Sarah Palin stirred up the faithful!  NO separation of church and state as far as she is concerned, and she is taking the battle to anyone who would say otherwise.

Well I say God bless her!  Go get em' Sarah!!

Now, what to do with all those other "Americans"? The Buddhists, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Jews, pagans, and (cough) non-believers, etc ... hmmmm, so many options that history has to offer. I like forced baptism at sword point myself... but do we really need to limit ourselves to only one option? I mean, I think in the spirit of freedom, we should allow all of those "others" to choose how they will convert to Christianity.

That's what America is all about... freedom... choice... and Christianity!

I Have A Confession

There is a scene in the Simpsons movie where Flanders stands up in church and announces, "I have a confession to make!" Homer immediately crosses his fingers and starts quietly chanting, "Gay, Gay, Gay!"

I have a similar reaction every time I see Republicans getting excited about Sarah Palin. I find myself smirking, crossing my fingers, and quietly chanting "Run, Run, Run!"

Would the rhetoric be different if....?

• If the Obamas had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
• If Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
• If Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after she had a severe disfiguring car accident?
• If Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
• If Michelle Obama became addicted to painkillers and had acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
• If Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
• If Obama was known to display publicly, an issue with his temper?

Would the educational backgrounds of the candidates be an issue if they were reversed?

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:

Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.

Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:

University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.

Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

John McCain:

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester

North Idaho College - 2 semesters – general study

University of Idaho - 2 semesters -journalism

Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester

University of Idaho - 3 semesters -B.A. in Journalism

If you are like most, your partisanship would skew your response. I, of course, raise an eyebrow at this stuff.... but I am sure there are those with an opposite list that I would shrug off. It makes you wonder.

What I find most interesting is that, one way or another, this election is about Obama. I meet few republicans who are behind McCain... they are simply against Obama. What is sad is that many of the reasons they articulate against Obama are false. I have heard from two different Christians in the past few days that they are nervous about his Muslim ties. Good Grief!! I guess those endlessly forwarded emails do work their magic.

In fact, one Christian I know feels it is still appropriate to paint Obama as a Muslim (regardless of his conversion to Christianity from an agnostic tradition) because "When you study the Muslim culture, you know that Obama is a Muslim (CULTURALLY) because of His father. The Muslim faith travels through the fathers line."

Well .... I guess it is okey-dokey then! :)

Third Option for the Palin Debate

In a previous post about Palin, I said in the comment section that if Palin does well at the debate it would be fair to forget the Couric interview. When I said that though, I was proceeding from the assumption of only two possible outcomes. Either:

A. The depth of Palin's knowledge and preparation would be shown for the shallow level that it is and she would lose horribly.

B. She would hold her own very well, and the Couric interview was just a bad day or a case of the jitters.

However, I did not consider the third possibility:

C. She would be instructed to memorize her talking points and not to deviate one iota from them, lest McCain put his foot up her rear (metaphorically speaking) after the debate.

I was suspecting C throughout, but she clinched it for me when she said that she was not going to answer their questions, but rather speak to the American people. I imagine her handlers gave her that line for when she was really, really stuck. The format of the debate allowed the C option to be pulled off and Palin was able to keep her head above water. I will be surprised if we see her in any open interviews from this point on.

I don't like to be this harsh because I am sure that she is a pleasant enough person to hold a conversation with while your kids play soccer - but LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD?? I kept asking myself during the debate - What, What, What made McCain choose Palin over Romney?? Is his Mormonism that big of an anchor? I think Biden would have had his hands full with Mitt.

HT for the chart: Shuck and Jive

Compare the Veeps

I agree with the point that Brook made in a previous comment section that, regardless of who takes the presidency, we are getting an upgrade. I believe Obama to have a greater vision for the future, but I can find things to like about McCain.

However, on the VP side, beside the fact that I would disagree with Sarah Palin on a lot -I feel she is out of her element. The very real possibility that McCain would leave her holding the reigns at some point during his term is quite unnerving. Here are videos of Biden and Palin in interviews.



Joe Biden on Real Time with Bill Maher

Palin quote sours everything else she might say..

At the RNC, Sarah Palin said her experience as "a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."

I will try to stay open minded, but it is getting hard. This quote was such an unfair, unkind, and horrid thing to say to the many, many of us who work in the inner-city with those who are struggling or have lost hope (and most of those workers are volunteers or working for peanuts). How dare she??!! Her attitude is an example of why I rarely vote Republican anymore.