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| Christopher Horner Video: "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming" |
Posted on 03/04/2008 8:39:08 AM PST by rightinthemiddle
Is there any doubt who controls most of our beloved Republic?
Last night, as I flipped through the countless television channels available on my satellite dish, I saw:
A BBC America promotion touting "One World" as a slogan and interviews ridiculing a number of conservatives.
A program called "The L Word" on Showtime, depicting two women engaged in "normal" sexual relations.
An endless stream of business channels predicting economic disaster.
One out of three commercials followed a "Green" theme, pushing Environmentalism as if it was a religion.
The Weather Channel talking heads seemed to think man-made "climate change" was the cause of all atypical weather, warm or cold.
Not one, not two, but THREE Home Improvement shows depicting gay "couples" as normal, happy homeowners.
A CSPAN program featuring a liberal author presenting Socialism as a viable "solution" to our economic and cultural woes.
The local university Education channel featured a professor railing against the "inequities of capitalism."
Even Fox News, the channel that "presents the news without the Liberal bias" was running wall-to-wall coverage of Obamamania while giving Geraldo Rivera a platform to blast the evil "nativists" who oppose illegal immigration.
It was nearly impossible, outside of Speed Channel's coverage of NASCAR and a horse show on RFD-TV, to view a program that didn't include a Liberal slant. Endless movies that cloud the lines between "right and wrong." Reality shows depicting the worst in human nature. Countless shows with women as "victims."
I attempted to watch Star Trek Voyager for the first time...within minutes, I received a political message about "the progression of human collective."
Bill Mahrer was on HBO, as he seems to be every night, lambasting anything and everything Conservative. At least three programs on the "educational" channels (such as the History channel), covered the topic of "climate change."
This list goes on and on.
No matter if WE choose not to view the programming, it is real and it is having an impact. News, sports, public programming, movies, entertainment of all types...local, regional and national...all seem to be in lockstep with the "Progressive" movement.
It is more than content fabricated by Hollywood; it is the coverage, the topics and the depiction of every day life that is most disturbing. Of course, we have the option of turning the channel or not watching television..but to where? And, how many in the "Mindless Middle," and young people, are being "programmed" by the Left's dominance of the Media and the Entertainment Industry?
Make no mistake: Conservatives are being marginalized and dismissed. Politically, the Republican Party seems to have given up, if not contributed to, the sequestering of Conservatives to forums such as this.
This election season has had consequences; the McCain candidacy, pushed by the Media and "moderates" in our own party, has done much to dishearten Conservatives and embolden the Left. Fox News has rushed to, and embraced, the "new" demographic of Liberal Republicanism.
What are the solutions? Perhaps recognition of the situation and the advances made by Left in the past months and years is a start.
Who will carry on the cause of Conservatism? McCain? Don't think so. Has everyone, besides us, given up?
The Left seems to be in control of the Media, the Entertainment Industry, the Educational System, the Judicial System, and most State and Local Governments. Liberal bureaucrats are entrenched in the Federal Government. Even "evil corporations" seem to have adopted the ideology of Socialism and the Health Care Industry is looking to the Federal Government instead of the private sector to continue their "gravy train."
When will the madness end? I can click off the power button on my remote control and ignore the situation. But putting my head in the sand doesn't solve the problem.
Let’s see. I live in a rural area. Yesterday, I had lunch with a client who is located in my home town, outside a larger city.
A couple of farmers were talking politics. These guys are hard working, socially conservative, gun owners, etc. Just like you and me.
It was amazing how SHALLOW their conversation was...one was opposed to Hillary. They talked about how “bad” things were and how we needed a “change.”
They’re voting Democrat, cuz they don’t know the difference between political parties. They knew only what the media told them and what they experience every day. Bush’s fault gas prices are so high. Bush’s fault the economy is down.
They read it in the newspapers, heard it on TV, read it on the Internet portal...doesn’t matter.
10 years ago, they would have never voted Democrat. Who’s to blame? Bush (for abandoning Conservative principles), the Media, government programs, the liberalization of churches...on and on and on.
But, the difference now is: The Conservative message is NOT reaching the general public. Conservative solutions are not being presented in mass media.
The Internet and Television will soon become one medium, through Convergence. That’s why Microsoft bought that old WebTV a few years ago, to secure the marketing position. They certainly didn’t buy if for the technology.
One-on-one at the barber shop is great...but that seems to be all we have left. I grew up working at the local old fashioned grocery store. People used to sit around and talk politics. That store was bulldozed in favor of a C-store with computerized gas pumps. No conversation or interaction.
The discussion we are having right now is limited by our own abilities to write “letters” to each other (another lost art). I checked out your profile...we have a lot in common. You and I could sit on the tailgate of my truck and solve the world’s problems, if we had the power.
Texting is not a solution! The control of Internet portals is being won by the Left. Google News is as left as it gets. The same people trained (by Liberals) as newspaper reporters 20 years ago are now being trained as webmasters, bloggers, etc.
I wonder if the Internet has been part of our problem: We’re able to get together in our sheltered Conservative forums and make observations. FR is often a respite for me, as is a great conservative book or the Mark Levin show. But the Left is working hard to marginalize talk radio, even as we speak.
Fox News, as usual, moves left in an election year because most of the behind-the-scenes people are Liberal as well. They cater to Conservatives for ratings, but run left at election time. I can’t even watch it.
As I posted earlier, I am an avid reader. But a trip to a book store is like visiting DU!
The Mass Media dictates what content is presented; the Internet provides more choice. Young people must SEEK conservative viewpoints on the Internet. How do we drive them to stay informed is the question.
The news media is trusted by fewer people (24%) than who trust Congress, give or take a few points.
You seem to be of the mind that the news media, or TV in general, leads...rather than follows.
For that to be true, Obama would have had to have had face time prior to becoming a political force.
I’d suggest to you that the opposite is true...that the news media saw the *popular* appeal of Obama and then followed him onto his bandwagon.
Another example would be immigration. The illegal alien amnesty of 2007 wasn’t stopped by the news media, wasn’t aided by Hollywood, and wasn’t a popular topic among college professors.
Why has Hollywood made a movie about Myspace? Shouldn’t the internet be following TV if the world works in the way that you allude?! Shouldn’t it be the other way around?!
What made “24” popular?
Anyway, what I am doing is forcing you to see that “culture” is more powerful than you’ve been led to believe.
Sure, you make valid points about TV influencing views. That does happen...but you need to put that fact into the correct context by recognizing that TV can only influence a little bit.
There’s no TV show about going to church each Sunday, but every candidate in this election has campaigned inside one.
Why is that?!
So while TV can influence a little bit, it still has to accept that it is the tail wagged by the larger cultural dog.
TV is *great* at reinforcing a message that one group or another is committed to pushing, but keeping people on one side is a far cry from reaching over to new converts.
For instance, a TV show isn’t going to convince our society to tax emails, but such a program could easily keep constant the number of voters who already *want* to tax emails.
And when TV overreaches...straying from its ability to keep into an attempt to persuade, the effect is often the opposite (e.g. 60 Minutes slamming Bush with a fake Texas ANG story just before the 2004 election).
Another thing to realize is that U.S. culture was more liberal a generation or two ago than today. Today, partial birth abortion and smoking in public is banned.
Go back 60 years or more and the whole concept of holding a father responsible for child support was gone, too.
Go back even further and gambling and prostitution were legal (or prohibitions actively flaunted) just about everywhere.
So the culture war continues...
I’ll make a couple of points then get back to you later.
First, our general election this year is going to be between the most Liberal Democrat Senator and the most Liberal Republican Senator (base on ACU ratings for the past few years, not McCain’s lifetime rating).
McCain is a classic example of a Media Creation, something that has been going on for the past 8 years.
Another thing: Most people will not admit they are influenced by advertising or asy they trust advertisers when making buying decisions. The same goes with the media...people say they don’t trust the news media, but they are influenced by it. They just don’t want to admit it.
And...very few candidates have campaigned in churches WITHOUT a TV camera present to record it!
24. I never watch the show on the networks (I never watch network shows, really), but I have all the seasons on DVD after recommendations from Freepers. It’s moving left as well.
I’ve enjoyed the debate.
You claim that McCain is our most liberal GOP’er, and that actually supports your theme for this thread about TV’s influence, I’ll concede.
Because in 2000, it was McCain who wanted to go to war against Saddam Hussein, and Bush who was viewed as the more centrist diplomat.
Unlike Hillary, over the next 7 years as Senator, McCain actually worked to author and pass significant legislation (I happen to disagree with most of it, but give credit where it’s due).
That legislation, plus his Senate compromise (Gang of 14) that got Bush’s judges confirmed, rewrote McCain...instead of being the most hawkish, his image was changed to “most bi-partisan.”
Well that, and being percieved as a news media darling. So by showing McCain some small “favor,” the news media was able to turn McCain’s most hawkish backers against him.
Now McCain is viewed as Center-Left instead of Far-Right...because the news media knew how to play the game.
Which is to say, the News Media knows that the Right doesn’t trust ‘em. By showing McCain some favor with all of his face time, the news media was able to use our low approval rating of them, to their advantage.
Their move has made the Right distrust McCain.
We don’t trust anyone who is shown favor by the news media.
PING
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| Christopher Horner Video: "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming" |
LOL!
Didn’t know there was anyone with that screename. Glad you have the remote!
Burn baby burn!
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