Secrets of the conservative media machine [FR and yours truly mention]

Salon ^ | April 23, 2013 | By Lee Fang

[Jim Robinson]

To borrow a Sarah Palin aphorism, after their election defeat in 2008, conservatives didn’t retreat, they “reloaded.” Instead of finding new solutions to public policy problems or seriously reevaluating Bush’s failures, conservatives focused almost solely on new ways to communicate their old ideas. To do so, they looked to their natural allies in corporate marketing for inspiration — and they looked to the Left for imitation. The result has been a recent and profound turnaround that has allowed the Right the bury Obama’s message and dominate the political debate.

Historical right-wing domination of the media

Traditionally, conservatives have almost always dominated direct mail solicitations, retained the best pollsters money could buy and paid for the most celebrated advertising makers. Message discipline is the first lesson for any Republican politician. Talk radio? unquestionably controlled by conservatives.

Cable news? Fox News couldn’t be more right-wing and popular. The Right had also dominated the Internet for most of the Internet’s fledging history. Throughout the 1990s and for much of President George W. Bush’s first term, conservatives easily ruled online news. And much of that initial sucess stemmed from foundations and entrepreneurial pioneers such as Matt Drudge, creator of the wildly popular headline-aggregating site Drudge Report, and Jim Robinson of the news message board Free Republic. The pair formed a symbiotic relationship. Drudge, who played a role in breaking the Monica Lewinsky story, made waves in the media with scoops on the latest Clinton scandals, and Free Republic provided a platform for conservatives to share conspiratorial perspectives and to organize their own rallies and events. Many of the angry mobs hounding Clinton at public events were mobilized by Free Republic. The impeachment rally that was organized by the Free Republic, “Treason Is the Reason,” featured Republican lawmakers and writer Christopher Hitchens...

[Jane Long]

Free Republic provided a platform for conservatives to share conspiratorial perspectives and to organize their own rallies and events.

...because they can't call it what it is....FReepers are always seeking the TRUTH!!

Congrats, Boss!

They've got you, Drudge and Sarah under their skin....bwahahahah!

[dforest]

I guess you can take some credit for getting in the way of the glorious communist takeover of America.

[freedomfiter2]

Fox News couldn’t be more right-wing and popular.

Fox is a left of center RINO habitat but they’re still better than the rest.

[onyx]

Not in Breaking News?
Everything else is...LOL.

[KC_Lion]

The Left Always tells you who they are Afraid of.

They are Terrified of Free Republic, JimRob and Sarah!

[deoetdoctrinae]

Hat tip to you, boss.
We are the resistance!

[atc23]

For me, the Internet is Free Republic.

[darrellmaurina]

Congratulations!

This actually showed up on one of my secular news feeds before I saw it on Free Republic. Good for you that you’re getting recognition as part of the “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” — a part you’ve been involved in for a very long time but not always been recognized for doing.

[glock rocks]

click.

[darkangel82]

Fox and FR also started in the same year (1996).

[penelopesire]

WooHoo!! You da man Jim!! Thank you for pioneering this site and giving liberals heartburn for so many years!! Just the thought of FReepers dogging Clinton back in the day makes me smile! Wish I was here back then.

Keep them on the defense FReepers!! These morons will never get it if they truly believe that we are all bots controlled by the Kochs or some other corporate interests...LOL. Let them chase ghosts. We are real, we are patriots and we are not going to allow our country to be turned into a Godless Marxist hell hole and we are not going to allow them to take our guns!!

Btw..never heard of Ning. . ???? I see that this writer failed to acknowledge that Conservatives rule on Twitter too. It drives them mad...lol!!

[Carry_Okie]

Instead of finding new solutions to public policy problems or seriously reevaluating Bush’s failures, conservatives focused almost solely on new ways to communicate their old ideas.

So many lies, so little time.

1. Bush never was a conservative.
2. "Bush's ideas" were long entrenched Democrat policies.
3. There was never a conservative House or Senate.

As to ideas, the left doesn't even know what they are, much less how they would work. Unfortunately and to the latter, neither do most conservatives.

[txhurl]

Notice they didn’t bring up Rather.

[cizinec]

ROFLOL. Internet’s fledging history. What’s a fledging?

Watch out, or Jim Robinson will give you a good internet fledging!

[NoGrayZone]

"I also love the part that says we’re financed by rich investors."

Then where the heck is all my money??? I could really use it!

[KC_Lion]

Wow, not 5 Words in and we have them mentioning Sarah.

It is Her, JimRob and Free Republic keeping them up at night Ping!!

Jim Keeps Good Company!

[Fresh Wind]

Conspiratorial perspectives?

Heck no, we don’t do that, do we?

[penelopesire]

You Betcha!!

[redgolum]

They now are saying “We need to limit freedoms and take guns because he WASN’T a white guy!”

[penelopesire]

Loved the part about the ‘myth of the liberal media’....ROTFLOL!! These people are the delusional ones!!