Posted on 01/29/2015 5:51:37 PM PST by Kaslin
Bill Maher called Chris Kyle of "American Sniper" a "psychopath patriot."
Michael Moore called military snipers "cowards" who shoot people in the back.
Howard Dean said "American Sniper" appeals mostly to angry Tea Party types.
So what?
Why do we conservatives give two cents about what these lefties and liberals say about "American Sniper" - or anything else?
Nothing they ever say is surprising. Nothing they say ever adds to the debate, has any effect on anything or helps us find a solution to a serious problem.
The predictable - and wrong -- things these liberals and others on the left said about "American Sniper" glorifying killing or whitewashing the Iraq war couldn't stop or hurt that great movie.
Its record $250 million box-office take in just two weeks says it all.
Spending time or space reacting to anything Moore tweets or Maher says on his barely watched HBO show is a waste of time for conservatives and their media.
Dean's comment (which he later apologized for) was seen and heard by far more people on conservative media outlets than on Maher's show.
Ditto for Moore's garbled tweets, which otherwise would have been seen only by his mindless followers.
So why does the conservative media take the bait, time and time again, and give the inane comments of liberal cranks so much attention and publicity?
Simple. It's great for their bottom lines.
Unfortunately, attacking your enemies - even when you can predict what they'll say before they say it - is what the American TV viewing audience wants.
I wish I could change it, but the reality is that it's all about getting higher ratings.
Whether it's on MSNBC, CNN or Fox News, the media boxing ring has been set up for everyone to be always fighting somebody else. It's all about clashing opinions and playing to the opposite corners. You watch MSNBC to be mad at the right and Fox to be mad at the left and no one watches CNN.
These staged media fights are rarely worth watching and they don't bring any benefit to the country, the conservative cause or the political process.
It's rarely a fair fight. Alan Colmes and Bob Beckel are the Washington Generals of Fox News.
And what good does it do for more than 2 million people to watch four conservatives beat up Beckel every night on "The Five"?
Beckel, not to mention Fox News, is laughing all the way to the bank.
But the show is a total waste of time for everyone else. You might as well watch an hour of professional wrestling.
I'm looking for straight news, news I can use, not reports on dumb things said by my enemies. But straight news is hard to find on TV these days.
Other people have noticed the news shortage. Last year during D-Day celebrations in Normandy I was talking to some high-ranking members of the 82nd Airborne.
"What news do you guys watch?" I asked.
"Al Jazeera America."
"'Al' what?"
"Al Jazeera. Because we're looking for straight news, not opinion. We'll form our own opinion."
Al Jazeera America being touted for its un-spun newscasts by U.S. military leaders is a shocking and depressing thought.
But straight news won't sell to the TV masses in America, where the news media have turned us into a National Inquirer country.
We're not getting the news we need or can use from network and cable TV. We get bad news, gotcha news, sensational news or shock-video of car wrecks.
The conservative media only make things worse when they constantly publicize the stupid things liberals say.
It may be good for ratings. But at some point you have to say to the conservative media moguls, "Guys, there are a lot of important things going on in the world and what Michael Moore and Bill Maher think are not two of them."
I agree. The only time we should talk about Dean, Maher and Moore is to point out the need for more funding for mental illness research, of which these three are the posterboys of the decade.
The reason we pay attention to stupid things said by liberals is because, if unchallenged, their insane statements help form the narrative pushed by the liberal media.
We should publicize inane blatherings by these idiots, to demonstrate how idiotic they are. We should join the debate and have our say about what we think of American Sniper, or any other subject,,and contrast our opinions with those of the liberals. We may just persuade some people that the liberal narrative is often horseblank.
This is where I will part company with many of you. No, do NOT ignore them, and do not take “the high road”. Mock them, curse them, call them names, calmly point out their idiocy, make oblique references to them, deface their images, use them as a point of comparison for things that are stupid, and anything else you can think of, every chance you get.
Complaining about head butts and low blows does no good when there’s not a ref. Throw some elbows. Fighting them and their ilk is not a waste of time. The Bush years have one real lesson: failing to fight lets them win by default. That goes for show biz just as much as for Washington, to the extent there’s even a difference anymore.
Add Jesse Ventura to that list.
You folks are exactly right.
We do not have to stay in the getter with them but we do have to respond in kind.
They cannot take control of the narrative. AND, we must let fellow conservatives, the ones who are troubled/angered that their feelings are not existing in a small vacuum of their lives...there are a lot of people around who are just as disturbed and angry as they are.
Maher and howard Dean are total douches. And we need to say that loudly and often.
getter=gutter
Right on
These three are no different from Madonna, Al Sharpton, or Miley Cyrus. The only way they stay in the limelight is by being outrageous. They can’t make an honest living; they are attention ho’s.
These libs should be called out.
They say they “support the troops”, well, here’s one of the troops, and far from supporting him they are attacking.
Truth revealed, the mask is off, libs don’t support the troops they hate them, they always have and always will.
Folks......just get out and see the great film “American Sniper” and....that will take care of all the low life, “Obamabot” anti-American, scum & vermin like Moore, Dean, Maher & Rogan, etc. See it this weekend!!!
I disagree, in part. Don’t mock them, call them what they are, voices for mainstream democrats, once again attacking soldiers from the comfort of well behind the battle lines. Look how democrats again shoot a soldier in the back. Look how democrats are once again more married to their dogma than celebrate a war hero.
Use these ‘now retracted’ exposures of liberal opinions to beat up the entire party. This is red meat for liberals, and said by those who don’t have to face the wrath of voters, but certainly represent the opinions of Reid, Boxer and Pelosi. This is how Obama views the troops, but are afraid to say publicly as soldiers would likely refuse his next idiotic idea.
Biggest box office gross, and they are so out of touch with the people that they attack this brave and humble soldier’s story.
You get nothing from calling Moore an idiot. You get a ton of thinking by saying he is Reid’s mouth piece.
I agree as well. We should be more concerned about pretend conservatives who claim to speak for us.
To not respond is to let them control the narrative. Karl Rove and W already screwed the pooch by not responding, and it darn near destroyed the GOP.
These are vile people who use vile means. They need to be ridiculed for their vapid stupidity. Responding to them quickly is not only appropriate, it's the best way to deal with them.
W’s lack of a defense of himself and his policies allowed the leftist fascists to speak the most horrific lies and slanders. They outright advocated his assassination, for gawd’s sakes!
I am convinced the media mindless frenzy cost the pubbies the Congress in 2006. There was no articulate defense or even any explanation of ANYTHING.
It was conservative pressure on the idiots in the dem party that helped give conservatives a couple fine victories...could have had the presidency if mittens hadn’t inexplicably laid off Benghazi.
Its not being negative...its being forthright and calling these idiots on their massively high piles of bs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.