Conservatives are at an information disadvantage

[Phokus]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...-the-msm-and-failed-the-rank-and-file/264855/

Great article, and i also want to point out the first comment:

Well said!

But WHY are conservatives so misinformed? Because vast profits are made by misinforming them. Fox, Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, Weiner-Savage, Coulter, etc. make a huge amount of money catering to a crowd that wants a daily dose of outrage. It's business, pure and simple. The conservative media makes money by manufacturing anger and indignation. To do that in a complex world, they have to omit many facts, ignore other perspectives and often just invent things. The interests of the voters (and audience) are almost irrelevant. People seem to get addicted to the ego-rush that comes from feeling superior to "those damn unpatriotic liberals", and they get addicted to being angry and over-stimulated. This is a crowd that wants certainty, wants to feel important and affirmed, and likes to imagine it is powerful and dominant and has "inside knowledge". And that's what right-wing media delivers, no matter the actual reality. Because the profits are huge.

But it's all fantasy. A cartoon.

David Frum was right when he said that the conservative movement is now led by Fox and Limbaugh. Trouble is, they've led their audience off the cliff.

I've always said people like Ann Coulter probably doesn't believe in half the stuff she spews, but there's so much profit in it (in no large part to the ingorance of your average republican voter) that it makes sense to spew it.

Relevant Boondocks clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1seThIG34R8

There's no real liberal equivalent of these rightwing pundits because a liberal version of that is a huge turnoff to liberals. This is why we like NPR or fact/math driven "pundits" like Nate Silver whereas the bombastic drivel of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean hannity, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, et al rule the day, each one trying to one-up one another as to who can say the most outrageous thing to stir up anger amongst conservatives, truth and logic be damned.

I've said this a million times, but Stephen Colbert's famous quote of reality having a 'liberal bias' is probably the most prescient thing anyone has said in the 21st century. Conservatives have created their own reality distortion field.

 

[nextJin]

I agree to an extent

 

[MovingTarget]

Information Disadvantage or Disinformation Advantage? :hmm:

Who needs facts when you have branding?

 

[Charles Kozierok]

I'm live blogging talk radio today.

I just heard Glenn Beck say the US dollar is "crashing". It's actually down 0.1%.

Millions of people consider what these people say as gospel.

 

[HomerJS]

Closest thing libs have are people like Mahar, Colbert, Stewart.

While not in the tank for libs conservative give them more material. Their satire is not based in lies. Funny yet informative. Explains why a lot of young people go to them for news.

 

[Matt1970]

Good job. Prove the political commentators are full of shit by quoting a political commentator.

 

[Phokus]

Closest thing libs have are people like Mahar, Colbert, Stewart.

While not in the tank for libs conservative give them more material. Their satire is not based in lies. Funny yet informative. Explains why a lot of young people go to them for news.

Or Paul Krugman, but the difference between him and conservative pundits is that krugman is a highly intelligent, highly trained economist who's writings are fact/data driven (going back to the 'reality has a well known liberal bias' concept), rather than 'thinking with your gut' as most conservatives do.

 

[Phokus]

Good job. Prove the political commentators are full of shit by quoting a political commentator.

Good job comparing him to the rightwing blowhards in the rightwing media:

In an interview with journalist Matt Lewis, Friedersdorf stated that he has right-leaning views but that he does not consider himself to be a doctrinal conservative or a member of the conservative movement.[8]

Wouldn't expect anything less from someone who can't tell real news to fake news though

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Good job. Prove the political commentators are full of shit by quoting a political commentator.

It's proving that dishonest and stupid commentators are full of shit by quoting an honest and intelligent one.

You wouldn't understand.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I'm live blogging talk radio today.

I just heard Glenn Beck say the US dollar is "crashing". It's actually down 0.1%.

Millions of people consider what these people say as gospel.

I've been excoriating the cons elsewhere because they are whining about how unfair it is. I pointedly let them know this race was theirs to lose and like the good partisans they are failed to get that they succeeded magnificently in losing. But But OBAMA!

 

[HomerJS]

Good job. Prove the political commentators are full of shit by quoting a political commentator.

Conservatives are not capable of descerning if commentators are full of shit. Why do you think loyal Fox News viewers are time and time again proven to be the most misinformed?

 

[Steeplerot]

They think in their arrogance that twisting truth and playing loose with facts are a strength because they are told the enemy (their own countrymen) are sub human.

When you start a debate with such a failed mindset not based in fact, you already lost.

Maybe not in the short term but you cannot run on forever.

 

[Mursilis]

I'm live blogging talk radio today.

I just heard Glenn Beck say the US dollar is "crashing". It's actually down 0.1%.

Millions of people consider what these people say as gospel.

Good thing libs are for expanding gov't then. It's so smart to increase the power of an already dangerous institution, and then let idiots run it.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Limbaugh's start?

"Small things beat big things".

"Conservatism didn't lose last night, it's just hard to beat Santa Claus."

The delusion will continue unabated.

 

[Phokus]

Limbaugh's start?

"Small things beat big things".

"Conservatism didn't lose last night, it's just hard to beat Santa Claus."

The delusion will continue unabated.

Until conservatives denounce those like limbaugh, they will see more and more of these results.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Closest thing libs have are people like Mahar, Colbert, Stewart.

While not in the tank for libs conservative give them more material. Their satire is not based in lies. Funny yet informative. Explains why a lot of young people go to them for news.

Colbert or Stewart don't belong on that list. Colbert is pure satire, and Stewart points out hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle (granted, most of it comes from the right, but there's a reason for that). Maher and Michael Moore are closer to left-wing equivalents of the pundits at Fox News, and their popularity has waned as they've become more bombastic. Liberals, for the most part, aren't interested in being pissed off at the world to the same degree conservatives are, and that's reflected in the media each group consumes. Jon Stewart doesn't try to inspire rage so much as incredulity; he's nothing like Rush Limbaugh and company. "Here's something ridiculous; laugh at it" is a much different message than "Here's something ridiculous; get angry at it."

 

[Atreus21]

Until conservatives denounce those like limbaugh, they will see more and more of these results.

Sure. I'm sure the democrats did this sort of thing in 04.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Jon Stewart doesn't try to inspire rage so much as incredulity; he's nothing like Rush Limbaugh and company. "Here's something ridiculous; laugh at it" is a much different message than "Here's something ridiculous; get angry at it."

True.

Also: Jon Stewart doesn't lie his ass off 15 hours a week. Limbaugh does.

 

[halik]

Closest thing libs have are people like Mahar, Colbert, Stewart.

While not in the tank for libs conservative give them more material. Their satire is not based in lies. Funny yet informative. Explains why a lot of young people go to them for news.

HuffoPo!! (also common dreams .org etc), they all make money by posting lefty nonsense.

 

[Jaskalas]

Sure. I'm sure the democrats did this sort of thing in 04.

YEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

 

[soulcougher73]

LOL conservative whine fest in here.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Limbaugh's prescription for future GOP success: "Conservatism with a Capital C! It still hasn't been tried!"

LOL.

 

[piasabird]

So now the President does not have a clue how to solve the financial problems of the people that elected him. What will he do in the next 4 years?

The Media Successfully brainwashed the public.

Do we just keep extending the debt till we go bankrupt?

There is always the possibility that the economy will turn around despite what the government is doing. However, I doubt it.

 

[Steeplerot]

Face it,

These right wing talk radio/foxnews partisans/conservative true believers are the exact same kind of folks that got scammed into gladly giving lying/crying plastic hairdo televangelists their house and even their kids college savings money in the 80s.

Hopelessly naive morons who think they are on some moral righteous douchey trip.

Hold the snake oil salesmen accountable for their divisive lies, they should be ignored shunned/yanked off the airwaves when they get caught scamming.

 

[Zebo]

Face it,

These right wing talk radio/foxnews partisans/conservative true believers are the exact same kind of folks that got scammed into gladly giving lying/crying plastic hairdo televangelists their house and even their kids college savings money in the 80s.

Hopelessly naive morons who think they are on some moral righteous douchey trip.

Like snake oil salesmen they should be ignored shunned/yanked off the airwaves when they get caught.

Religion is still popular and Clefro Dollar has a private 747. Rage machine and limbaugh aint going anywhere.