And yes, isn't it a beautiful thing !
Posted on 01/13/2003 11:17:58 AM PST by Utah Girl
The New York Times frets. Its first front page for 2003 blared, "Outflanked Democrats Wonder How to Catch Up in Media Wars." The piece recounts the failures of liberals on radio and television: Mario Cuomo, Jim Hightower, Geraldo. Now Mrs. Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, tanks on MSNBC because the callers are not there.
Worse, bemoans the Times, a massive media juggernaut of conservatives, from Rush Limbaugh to Bill O'Reilly, monopolizes thought. Flummoxed Democrats quoted in the article sound daft. Liberals envision daily staff meetings of media baron Rupert Murdoch's conglomerate in which CEO Rush Limbaugh gives Sean Hannity, Michael Reagan, et al., their talking points for the day. They then toss darts at photos of Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn, and depart in black helicopters. "The vast right-wing conspiracy! It's alive!!!" liberals point and bellow.
John Podesta, former Clinton chief of staff, and Stephen Kirsch, Internet entrepreneur and $1 million donor in 2002 alone to the DNC, exclaim, "We need our own Rush Limbaugh!" Fools they be. There will never be a liberal Rush Limbaugh. Conservative talk radio, Fox News and conservative personalities succeed because the public chooses them.
Liberals continue attempts at end runs around human nature. Their Title IX litigation that demands parity for female collegiate sports drones on because people don't want to pay to watch broads shooting hoops. Policy wonks jabbering about how bad things are in America is not their cup of tea either.
When Americans have a choice, whether in mid-term elections, TV or radio listening pleasure, they choose conservatives. Democrats approached Haim Saban, Hollywood mogul and creator of deeply moving entertainment such as "The Power Rangers," to fund a network to counter Fox. For conspiracy theory, left-wing style, check out Saban's political donations. He gave $10.7 million to the DNC in 2002 and tosses about $1,000 each in donations to Hillary, Jean Carnahan, Feinstein, Kerry, etc. as if they were quarters.
Even Saban told them to pound sand because he understands the bottom line of business, and there will be no ROI from liberals. Heck, even liberals don't listen to themselves. NPR, the taxpayer-funded liberal media machine, has an audience that is 72 percent conservatives.
Why do conservatives listen to NPR? Well, we don't get near as angry about Daniel Schorr's contortions or Nina Totenberg's hissy fits as liberals do about Jerry Falwell or Charlton Heston. We listen for the hoots. To us, NPR is pure unadulterated fodder for laughing out loud at the bias, feigned concern and stewing and fretting over SUVs. Herein lies the Podesta blind spot. Liberalism is the entertainment.
But James Carville and John McCain, who called Limbaugh a "clown," mistakenly believe that the draw is the packaging. This bunch of ragtag media warriors is not exactly Hollywood material. Limbaugh has no guests on his show. Bill O'Reilly is not a particularly pleasing man to gaze upon, but he tackles what was once unspeakable. Rita Cosby of Fox News has a weekend-anchor-hired-out-of-Pittsburgh-look, but she has a nose for news and will not let interviewees wriggle out of answering.
Liberals can't do witty satire or rapier-sharp response and analysis. Al Franken's book, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot," is about all liberal comedy can offer. Michael Gartner, former head of NBC news when Dateline got caught adding incendiary devices to enhance video of its staged exploding GM gas tanks, said in response to Limbaugh decrying the unfairness of the report, "He's a showoff, a showman and a jerk."
Media conservatives draw audiences because they are upbeat about life and America. Sean Hannity sounds happy and grateful. Limbaugh breathes opportunity in America. O'Reilly smiles with self-deprecation even during his hate mail. Author Ann Coulter told CSPAN she has a great life, thanks to the American people.
Who on the left could be upbeat? Find me one happy liberal. Imagine Nina Totenberg and Barbra Streisand as joint hosts. The listeners would need Midol. "Now, pulling off the robes and tackling the issues of the day, your host, Ruth Bader Ginsburg!"
Conservatives offer a marketplace of ideas. Listeners and viewers tune in to debate, not grouse. Vouchers got their legs in conservative media and will not die because these outlets keep the data flowing. Welfare reform founds its roots here. These ideas, ultimately embraced by Clinton himself, work! It's substance, not form.
By contrast, Donahue recently had Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins on to discuss the war in Iraq. If you're looking for substance, Sarandon, Robbins and Donahue are dead men walking.
Liberals will never have their Rush Limbaugh. Liberals lack solutions, not media outlets for their tired musings. It ain't the messenger, stupid; it's the message.
That, is the Democratic party "message."
Mara Liasson also claimed this, although she works at FOX News. I can tell you for a fact that the DNC sends daily faxes to their cohorts in the media, but eh GOP does no such thing.
(1) The race card - "Those who patrol the border as armed civilians are racist vigilantes. They're racist because they do not want people trespassing on their property, and they refer to these people as invaders." (How does this make them racist? No matter, just repeat the same tired line.)
(2) Class warfare - The repeal of the tax on dividends is a tax cut for - one, two, three all together now - "the rich". Allowing people to keep their own money, whether they are poor, middle class, or filthy rich.......is a tax cut for the rich. Apparently, poor people cannot benefit from this, and no middle class members participate in the stock market.
They need new lies - the old ones have not only worn thin, but they no longer apply to the issues being "debated".
And yes, isn't it a beautiful thing !
And another reason they're popular is that what they say is based in reality. Any liberal talkshow host would be operating in fantasy. Reality trumps fantasy every time.
BUMP!!!
This hits the nail on the head. The best example of this was a skit on SNL years ago called "Make Joan Baez Smile". Contestants would come onto the show and tell jokes or do shtick to make "Joan" smile, but all she would do is say it's impossible to be happy while America was doing nothing about global warming, poverty, war, etc. This is why a liberal talk show won't work. Liberals can only see the down side of everything, and who wants to listen to a talk show where the host is constantly talking down to you and telling you why you should doing "X" things, or else you're homophobic, xenophobic, racist, sexist, anti-environment, anti-diversity, etc?
I don't know about anyone else, but I've got better things to do than hear someone bitch at me for 3 hours every weekday...
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com
I get a frequent e-mailing from the Washington State Republican party, and they post their own articles, and clip (and have html links) to great articles of interest that help demonstrate a point that they might be trying to make.
I see nothing wrong, on face value, of doing this.
But I do suspect the DNC of issuing talking points that try to "standardize" the various deplorable tactics that the Left uses ... where some mantra is repeated endlessly, using the same words (look at how the same cast of liberals will use the same phrases, repeatedly).
But of course, the end user, if conservative, is quite capable of sorting the wheat from chaff (while the liberals are too stupid, and don't mind oats, even after the oats have gone through the Democrat mule!)
Mike
LOL. I like that phrase. Very graphic.
Limbaugh has touched on this tangentially, but never distilled it down to this. This statement is the elegant E=MC^2 of it all.
This is WHY they can never be successful doing a show; because it would be a self parody. (e.g. Donahue)
Could it be this simple?
Aristotle identifies "Righteous indignation" as a virtue where "Envy" exemplifies excess indignation and "Malicious enjoyment" exemplifies behavior associated with an indignation deficiency.
The liberal left would like to be seen as hovering around righteous indignation; but their use of class-envy, and malicious, tactics reveals the obvious -- a lack of virtue in their approach.
"Misery loves company" is the underlying theme in modern liberal tactics.
Nope. Never had. Never will!
"It ain't the messenger, stupid; it's the message."
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