The Democrat Thread

[Rex Kickass]

What influence. They get shown on TV, and then portrayed as wakkos. That is exactly the worst possible thing for them. Even if they don't they are immediately proceded by someone telling the audience why what they saw was just wrong.

 

The most popular cable news network, by far, is Fox News. It's two most popular programs is Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck. Both shows in the past six weeks have been regularly viewed by upwords of 3 million people, nearly triple anything on CNN and double the highest rated programming on MSNBC.

 

Bill O'Reilly is generally pretty rude, and nasty. Glenn Beck is just bats*** crazy on any average day.

 

The most popular talk radio shows belong to conservatives. Rush Limbaugh who says crazy s*** all the time. And stood up for a Congressman breaking decorum to personally insult a sitting President during a joint address to Congress last week.

 

Among the most popular Conservative columnists is Ann Coulter. She says bats*** crazy things all the time and has made a career of being patently offensive. She sells hundreds of thousands of books with every release.

 

These people represent some of the most extreme voices in the conservative movement. Yet they enjoy a bigger audience than most of the crazy left wing people that proud liberals wear like an albatross around their collective neck.

 

As not necessarily accurate as it is, you're often judged by the company you keep. This is the company the mainstream GOP keeps.

[lostfan]

That wasn't exactly where I was going with that Rex, but I was going to say something along the lines of "Rush Limbaugh is a multi-millionaire and Ann Coulter has several best-selling books, and it isn't an accident." There is a very large corporate conservative media presence, dare I say it qualifies as MAINSTREAM in and of itself.

[Balta1701]

That wasn't exactly where I was going with that Rex, but I was going to say something along the lines of "Rush Limbaugh is a multi-millionaire and Ann Coulter has several best-selling books, and it isn't an accident." There is a very large corporate conservative media presence, dare I say it qualifies as MAINSTREAM in and of itself.

Even then though, the rest of the media makes so much more of an effort to make sure conservatives are sampled. You aren't running in to Meet the Press/pick your show panels that are dominated by Democrats right now like you were with Republicans in 2001-2008, regardless of how big the majority is. John Kerry didn't get the kind of media face time that John McCain is getting as an opposition figure. And that extends throughout the rest of the 24 hour networks except for you know the Maddow and Olbermann shows.

[mr_genius]

 

An interesting study on people's view of the news media done by the Pew Research Center.

 

http://people-press.org/report/543/

 

cable news chart -

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2009 by mr_genius

[lostfan]

Even then though, the rest of the media makes so much more of an effort to make sure conservatives are sampled. You aren't running in to Meet the Press/pick your show panels that are dominated by Democrats right now like you were with Republicans in 2001-2008, regardless of how big the majority is. John Kerry didn't get the kind of media face time that John McCain is getting as an opposition figure. And that extends throughout the rest of the 24 hour networks except for you know the Maddow and Olbermann shows.

Glenn Greenwald makes note of this a lot in his blogs (I like how he sarcastically capitalizes certain words). Network execs are incredibly sensitive to the charge of being labeled as "liberal" to the point of being p*****s or just flat-out begging pathetically, so sometimes they really bend over backwards to try to be seen as balanced. It has to be put into perspective to really be explained, Greenwald does it best. And they also tend to blindly pick up the latest conservative meme (e.g. "death panels") and talk about them at face value. Sometimes you'll get one of them complaining that it ruins the news cycle that the "media" reports these things as if they forgot they were in the media.

[bmags]

An interesting study on people's view of the news media done by the Pew Research Center.

 

http://people-press.org/report/543/

 

cable news chart -

 

 

 

If the democrats go on a 40 year crusade about how the media is conservative and unfair, then we'll see how that poll looks in 40 years.

[kapkomet]

Oh the media is SO conservative!!!!!

 

LMAO.

[Balta1701]

Oh the media is SO conservative!!!!!

 

LMAO.

The media is SO LIBERAL!!!!

 

LMAO.

[kapkomet]

The media is SO LIBERAL!!!!

 

LMAO.

I don't think "conservatives" are running around in the NYT today saying conservatives are raging racists, either. So, you do your own tilt to that story, BOY.

 

[KipWellsFan]

Yah, I never understood this "mainstream media" thing. Aren't Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh mainstream?

 

So most of the media don't think like Kapkomet, for example, doesn't mean they're liberal. I would say the media has major problems, but whether or not they're liberal or conservative is probably not the biggest problem.

[kapkomet]

Yah, I never understood this "mainstream media" thing. Aren't Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh mainstream?

 

So most of the media don't think like Kapkomet, for example, doesn't mean they're liberal. I would say the media has major problems, but whether or not they're liberal or conservative is probably not the biggest problem.

 

But of course Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh aren't mainstream, they're right wing kooks. Get with it, you're not following your marching orders!

 

[mr_genius]

If the democrats go on a 40 year crusade about how the media is conservative and unfair, then we'll see how that poll looks in 40 years.

 

They would likely be laughed at. The Dems still have MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC news all strong pro-Democrat. Now, it may not be the far left wing radical screeching of MSNBC , but they are still pro-Democrat.

[mr_genius]

Yah, I never understood this "mainstream media" thing. Aren't Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh mainstream?

 

FOX news is definitely mainstream media now.

 

[Balta1701]

They would likely be laughed at. The Dems still have MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC news all strong pro-Democrat. Now, it may not be the far left wing radical screeching of MSNBC , but they are still pro-Democrat.

I love how MSNBC runs what, 4 hours of Joe Scarborough in the morning and is therefore the left wing equivalent of Fox News.

 

And they're strong Democrats...compared to where you're looking at things from.

[lostfan]

But of course Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh aren't mainstream, they're right wing kooks. Get with it, you're not following your marching orders!

kap - if he is echoing anything it's my thoughts, and they are entirely my own. I didn't bite this opinion off anyone.

[lostfan]

FOX news is definitely mainstream media now.

My point here is that there is an entire "mainstream" conservative media presence. Unless one is to believe that hundreds of thousands of people appear in DC because of genuine grassroots populist outrage.

[mr_genius]

I love how MSNBC runs what, 4 hours of Joe Scarborough in the morning and is therefore the left wing equivalent of Fox News.

 

ah yes, the Alan Colmes argument. Since Alan Colmes was on Hannity's show, it means it was totally non-biased. 50% was a liberal.

 

But anyways, MSNBC has gone further out of the mainstream than FOX.

Edited September 15, 2009 by mr_genius

[lostfan]

I love how MSNBC runs what, 4 hours of Joe Scarborough in the morning and is therefore the left wing equivalent of Fox News.

 

And they're strong Democrats...compared to where you're looking at things from.

MSNBC's prime time lineup is definitely the equivalent of Fox. That was a conscious decision on the part of MSNBC execs.

[mr_genius]

My point here is that there is an entire "mainstream" conservative media presence. Unless one is to believe that hundreds of thousands of people appear in DC because of genuine grassroots populist outrage.

 

There definitely is, without question. It was inevitable, as much of the 'news' media alienated half their audience, new media sources would cater to this discouraged audience.

Edited September 15, 2009 by mr_genius

[Balta1701]

There definitely is, without question. It was inevitable, as much of the 'news' media alienated half their audience, new media sources would cater to this discouraged audience.

Which is of course why Liberals dominate the blogosphere. Because they were so thrilled with the news sources out there.

[StrangeSox]

I don't think "conservatives" are running around in the NYT today saying conservatives are raging racists, either. So, you do your own tilt to that story, BOY.

 

There are plenty of equally-s***ty conservative opinion columns printed.

[mr_genius]

Which is of course why Liberals dominate the blogosphere. Because they were so thrilled with the news sources out there.

 

But don't most of them consider themselves independent to some extent? Besides MSNBC and FOX, the other major TV news divisions are more along the lines of Bill Clinton type Democrats.

[bmags]

They would likely be laughed at. The Dems still have MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC news all strong pro-Democrat. Now, it may not be the far left wing radical screeching of MSNBC , but they are still pro-Democrat.

 

Would they? They aren't speaking to you. You made your mind up long ago that you think you know what you know blah blah blah...

 

They are speaking to democrats. If democrats start pointing to greenwald, start pointing to mediamatters consistently, saying LOOK AT THE MEDIA THEY ARE DISTORTING THINGS THE OTHER SIDE ARE WHINERS BUT WE WHINE ALL THE TIME OH ME OH MY then well see what that poll represents of democrats views of trust in the media.

[StrangeSox]

I see plenty of dem/ liberal blogs b****ing about the uber-Dem MSM all of the time.

 

Given that the whole political spectrum in this country is shifted center-right, I don't by claims of a liberal press dominance. Pro-dem, maybe, but not liberal.

[chunk23]

But don't most of them consider themselves independent to some extent? Besides MSNBC and FOX, the other major TV news divisions are more along the lines of Bill Clinton type Democrats.

 

Funny that you say Bill Clinton Type Democrat, as Clinton is widely recognized as being a Conservative.

 

I wish MSNBC was far left wing as you think they are. If they were, they would be criticizing Obama for abandoning single payer without a thought. As well as increasing military action in Pakistan and Afghanistan, selling out to lobbyists, and ignoring gay rights. Pro-Obama does not mean far radical left wing, seeing as Obama is by all measures a centrist at best.

 

edit: just for an idea of the liberal MSM myth, look at the list of just how much Rupert Murdoch controls.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation

 

And for good measure, this exceptional article about the myth.

 

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/05/28/mcclellan/

Edited September 15, 2009 by chunk23