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How Conservative Media Lost to the MSM and Failed the Rank and File
The Atlantic ^ | 11/7/2012 | Conor Friedersdorf

Posted on 11/07/2012 1:46:31 PM PST by ksen

Before rank-and-file conservatives ask, "What went wrong?", they should ask themselves a question every bit as important: "Why were we the last to realize that things were going wrong for us?"

. . .

It ought to be an eye-opening moment. But I expect that it'll be quickly forgotten, that none of the conservatives who touted a polling conspiracy will be discredited, and that the right will continue to operate at an information disadvantage. After all, it's not like they'll trust the analysis of a non-conservative like me more than the numerous fellow conservatives who constantly tell them things that turn out not to be true.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012analysis; 2012electionanalysis; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; randsconcerntrolls
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The information was out there and readily available but the conservative pundits just scoffed and wrote it off. You're not going to fix your party until you first fix the people feeding you information.
1 posted on 11/07/2012 1:46:37 PM PST by ksen
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To: ksen

We believed in the old America..it will be gone soon..after the collapse it may or may not be rebuilt..


2 posted on 11/07/2012 1:52:29 PM PST by Hojczyk
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To: ksen

“After all, it’s not like they’ll trust the analysis of a non-conservative like me more than the numerous fellow conservatives who constantly tell them things that turn out not to be true.”

At first I scoffed. But upon reflection, mMaybe I should trust the “analysis” of “non-conservatives.” It’s their “facts” I don’t trust because they lie so easily about them. Their analysis, though, that the gullible sheep in the electorate believe their lies is spot-on.


3 posted on 11/07/2012 1:55:54 PM PST by henkster (If you let them do it to you, you got yourself to blame.)
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To: Hojczyk

America isn’t going anywhere. I understand that you’re sore now and probably will be for a few days but understand will be here long after President Obama is gone.

And be of good cheer because I’m sure you guys will get another chance to eff things up eventually! :cheer:


4 posted on 11/07/2012 2:01:18 PM PST by ksen
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To: ksen
I read this article and it came across to me as mere gloating by the left.

True, conservative pundits, even the venerable Michael Barone, were wrong about the polls showing 0’s lead. I agreed with them, not because I live in an echo chamber, but because I shared a similar assumption about voters not being eager to return an incumbent who has presided over a disastrous economy. Nate Silver and the other number crunchers were right. But what this says about the character and values of the US electorate is gloomy at best.

On the other hand, the article is entirely self-serving. The reason that Benghazi didn't become an issue in the campaign was not because the president and his administration weren't guilty of dereliction of duty, but because the MSM itself decided that it wasn't interested in putting the story before the electorate.

This article is very happy to call conservatives who got things wrong a bunch of ignoramuses, but entirely avoids the issue of outrageous MSM bias in favor of 0, Benghazi being only the most egregious example. And that bias, oddly enough, is why conservatives despise the MSM and discount what they say.

5 posted on 11/07/2012 2:01:55 PM PST by mojito (Zero, our Nero.)
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To: ksen

The media misinformation and disinformation agenda has a lot to do with the electorate being so ignorant. Despite the loss, I’d still say that republicans and conservatives are much better informed than democrat voters.

The liberal media is a big reason, if not the biggest, for the Obama win.

So, if it’s the media that is at fault, why can’t republicans take back the media, or at least, equal it???

I think it can be done, and it could be done very quickly with the new age tools, such as the internet and all the many different devices which people use to get their “version” of the news and information.


6 posted on 11/07/2012 2:02:23 PM PST by adorno
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To: ksen

I’m just scared that someone is going to start shooting left-wing media types.


7 posted on 11/07/2012 2:06:30 PM PST by SF Geo (arnold-jones, non-voting citizenship)
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To: ksen

A ham sandwich should have beaten Obama into the dust

Face it, the 47% is the 51% now


8 posted on 11/07/2012 2:07:57 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: ksen

Why are you on this site when you aren’t a conservative?


9 posted on 11/07/2012 2:10:33 PM PST by conservativebuckeye
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To: ksen
On the biggest political story of the year, the conservative media just got its ass handed to it by the mainstream media.

You stay classy, Conor Friedersdorf!

I don't think anybody was seriously "misled" -- not misled more than journalists on both sides always "mislead" their readers or viewers.

Everybody understood that Romney had weaknesses and that Obama and the mainstream media would exploit them.

Most people understood that this was going to be a close election that would come down to a comparatively small number of votes in a few states.

Some of the rank and file deceived themselves into thinking that Romney would win by a landslide but I don't see the "conservative media" actively talking anybody into taking that position.

Partisan enthusiasts do that on their own, whatever information they have.

10 posted on 11/07/2012 2:11:51 PM PST by x
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To: ksen

It’s the echo chamber effect. In this case everybody was noticing the big drop in support Obama was suffering, but nobody bothered to notice that Romney wasn’t getting as much support as McCain, everybody assumed he’d do no worse. And of course when the only people you listen to are people that agree with you...


11 posted on 11/07/2012 2:14:28 PM PST by discostu (Not a part of anyone's well oiled machine.)
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To: adorno

The MSM has ruined the country pushing it to Socialism because they refuse to tell the truth. What if the dollar becomes worthless MSM? What a bunch of fools.


12 posted on 11/07/2012 2:14:52 PM PST by FreedBird
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To: conservativebuckeye

I’ve been a member here since 1998. Started conservative and am now liberal. But I still have a soft spot for this site since it is the first messageboard I got involved in and I don’t like seeing you guys flailing around because you are listening to people who are misleading you in pursuit of selling you books and other crap.


13 posted on 11/07/2012 2:17:35 PM PST by ksen
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To: SF Geo
I’m just scared that someone is going to start shooting left-wing media types.

My bet is they're a whole lot tougher on bronco bama in his second term ... they got him there, there's no upside to covering his ass any longer ... in four years he's gone.

14 posted on 11/07/2012 2:22:03 PM PST by BluH2o
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To: ksen
Re: “Polling Conspiracy”

I suspect the 2012 results were equally shocking to the Democrat pollsters.

Did the new Democrat wonder boy Nate Silver predict that Obama would get 9 million fewer votes in 2012, and still win?

Of course not.

Did Nate Silver predict that Romney would get 2.4 million votes less than McCain?

Of course not.

Did Nate Silver predict that minority voters would increase by 2% in 2012?

Of course not.

15 posted on 11/07/2012 2:23:26 PM PST by zeestephen
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To: adorno
The liberal media is a big reason, if not the biggest, for the Obama win.

Between last night and tonight these have been THE reasons I've been reading here as responsible for Obama's win:

1) liberal media
2) women/sluts
3) anyone else not a white male
4) Chris Christie

Please make up your minds.

16 posted on 11/07/2012 2:23:47 PM PST by ksen
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To: ksen

What are the highlights of what pulled you left?


17 posted on 11/07/2012 2:26:33 PM PST by ansel12 (Romney not only reelected Obama, he lost the Senate,ruined the "down ticket", West, Mia Love, Brown.)
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To: ksen
said, " Started conservative and am now liberal."

Conservatives have always been called liberals in other countries. Do you mean your now a socialists or a libertarian or what?

18 posted on 11/07/2012 2:27:16 PM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric Cartman voice* 'I love you, guys')
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To: ksen

A good portion of the conservative media let us know just how unconstitutional Obama has been, and how we couldn’t let him win. You can’t say what many said, and then go back to politics as usual. It’s time to stop trying to fix a broken system within that broken systems framework. We have no good options at this point, but it’s clear we need revolutionary sized change to save anything good. It’s time for a new revolution, and that’s basically been supported by those conservatives in the media who have shown just how legitimate a revolution is at this point based on the disregard for our Constitution, and the enormous amount of soft tyranny we live under. Even if they can’t accept support calling for a revolution at this point, they have already made the case for it.


19 posted on 11/07/2012 2:27:58 PM PST by ThermoNuclearWarrior (We must start working outside the broken, corrupt, and unconstitutional system to save this nation.)
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To: ksen

“And be of good cheer because I’m sure you guys will get another chance to eff things up eventually!”

What do you mean by “You guys” sounds like something Obama
would say.


20 posted on 11/07/2012 2:31:08 PM PST by funfan
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