Posted on 03/12/2011 5:58:26 AM PST by Kaslin
The current Republican Party, particularly the Tea Party, is fanatically involved in peoples personal lives and very fundamental Christian, said NPRs Ron Schiller to two undercover reporters. I wouldnt even call it Christian; its this weird evangelical kind of [movement].
Not knowing he was being videoed, Schiller continued: The current Republican Party is not really the Republican Party, its been hijacked by this group; that is, not just Islamo-phobic but really xenophobic. I mean, basically, they are, they believe in sort of white, middle-American, gun totingI mean, its scary. Theyre seriously racist, racist people. (Click here for transcript and here for video.)
Schiller is being heavily criticized for these comments, as is NPR and elite liberal thinking in general. Schiller, NPR Foundation president and vice president for development (until these comments), is the Lefts latest exhibit in smearing the Tea Party movement as bigots, racists, fascists, Hitler-ites, followers of Attila the Hun, Torquemada, Genghis Khan, or whatever other handy demon.
Yet, whats telling about Schillers comments is their lack of factual basis, an even greater sin from a man whose business, and erstwhile employer, is the reporting of facts. His comments are a PR problem for NPR, furthering the perception that NPR is not about unbiased reporting but primarily about opiniona leftist opinion camouflaged as objective news.
As evidence for my perspective, Id like to share some statistical information on the Tea Party movement. This information was widely published and is easily available to anyone, least of all a major news organization like NPR.
In March 2010, Gallup did a comprehensive survey of the Tea Party (click here). Gallup is the most respected polling firm on the planet, and not conservative. The headline Gallup chose to highlight its study speaks for itself, Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics.
That study found that 49 percent of Tea Party identifiers are Republicans while 43 percent are independents and 8 percent are Democrats. The majority are not Republicans.
As to Schillers strange evangelical comment, the study found that a little over a quarter of Tea Partiers describe themselves as pro-choice on abortion, suggesting a stronger libertarian presence than a uniform evangelical movement. Thats no surprise to anyone who has observed the Tea Party even casually.
The Tea Party movement was inspired by the breathtakingly reckless spending by the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Democratic leadership that took power in 2009. Its issues are far more economic/fiscal than religious/moral. Theres a more discernible Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged element than a Jerry Falwell Moral Majority feeland Rand was no evangelical.
Generally, Gallups survey indeed found that the Tea Party was fairly mainstream in its demographics.
At the same time as Gallups study, another survey was released, by Rasmussen. Particularly interesting about this survey was that it gauged public opinioni.e., how others viewed the Tea Party. Overwhelmingly, by 62 percent to 12 percent, Rasmussen found that Mainstream Americans judged the Tea Party closer to their views than the Democratic Congress. By 68 percent to 16 percent, Americans deemed Tea Party members better informed than members of Congress.
This suggests, as a matter of statistical fact, that NPRs Ron Schiller is the extremist when it comes to Tea Party views. Thats a claim I can make from datawhich Schiller never offered.
This information is out there, and has been for a while. I know it because, I, too, work in a field where reporting and analysis must be based on information. Anytime I talk to someone who has been to a Tea Party rally, I ask questions. Before I form or adjust an opinion, I want to hear actual experiences. And beyond anecdotal examples, Id like some hard data.
How could an NPR personthe pinnacle of the liberal news professionignore such information?
The answer is more psychological-political than logical. Many liberals despise the Tea Party movement because of its roots in opposition to Obama-Pelosi-Reid. Really, though, the Tea Party was inadvertently created by liberalsor, at least, by their reckless spending policies in Washington.
Yet, for many Obama supporters, that kind of careful analysis of opponents is jettisoned. Theyd rather transmogrify their detractors into devils and gargoyles than try to understand them and perhaps even answer them.
In Ron Schillers take on the Tea Party, we have a member of the liberal elite constructing a reality of his own making, one that flies in the face of evidentiary experience, of thoughtful inspection.
Unfortunately, Schiller is far from alone. And isnt it ironic that he, NPR, his former boss at NPR, Vivian Schiller (no relation), are losingactually, resigning? They are losing to perceptions of NPRcorrect perceptions of NPRs bias, perceptions that are grounded in reality, in actual examination.
Americans are gathering facts on the folks at NPR, and they dont like what theyre hearing.
One of the most surprising things people might find out about bigshot libs is how little they actually know about their opponents...us, that is. I sincerely doubt a dipwad like Schiller could recognize the names of any of the leading lights and inspirations in the conservative movement going back decades. I remember reading some lib article a short time ago where the lib scribbler confessed that he read Charles Krauthammer because he was the ONLY!!! intelligent conservative extant. These clowns are ignoramuses. I’d be laughing more if they didn’t wield so much power.
whats telling about Schillers comments is their lack of factual basis, an even greater sin from a man whose business, and erstwhile employer, is the reporting of facts. His comments are a PR problem for NPR, furthering the perception that NPR is not about unbiased reporting but primarily about opiniona leftist opinion camouflaged as objective news.It's a funny thing about objectivity - the only way to seriously attempt objectivity is to be open about any reason you know of why you might not be objective.Since that is the opposite of claiming to be objective, anyone claiming to be objective is too busy hyping their own virtue to even try to actually be objective.
"memetic engineering" - That's a superb insight into the relentless use of propaganda and outright lies manufactured by the Left! Are you the originator and if so, may I use it with attribution?
awesome...I like it!
Overwhelmingly, by 62 percent to 12 percent, Rasmussen found that “Mainstream Americans” judged the Tea Party “closer to their views” than the Democratic Congress. By 68 percent to 16 percent, Americans deemed Tea Party members “better informed” than members of Congress.
This suggests, as a matter of statistical fact, that NPR’s Ron Schiller is the extremist when it comes to Tea Party views. That’s a claim I can make from data—which Schiller never offered.
Great job by O'Keefe, and it's up to us now to get the Gallup and Rasmussen data in front of the public and our fellows, so the NPR/MSM elites can't get any more traction with their constant smears against the Tea Party and their champions like Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Allen West, and Annie Oakley's love-child by Teddy Roosevelt, Sarah Palin.
Very useful article!
Getting-in-line bump.
Excellent concept description and good wordsmithing -- our Warthog is a wonder.
;)
bump
Another good one!
It looks like a Rembrandt. It really does.
I think the press loves to try and marginalize what the Tea Party movement is.
What is it? Basically an increasing group of people who have the in common goal of taking the government back and giving it to the people with smaller, less intrusive government.
Still we need a balanced budget amendment put in place with at least a 5% a year pay back national debt clause in it. Until that we at most have Republicans trying to cut 2% out of a 500% bloated budget and that isn't going to save the USA at all.
>”leftist opinion camouflaged as objective news.”
***
Spelled out exactly.
I was just thinking how that would look, citing "Wonder Warthog" in the reference notes in my book...
leftist opinion camouflaged as objective news.
——Spelled out exactly-——
I object.
The broadcasts are a far cry from opinion. They are full fledged propaganda. To write them off as mere opinion is to misunderstand the leftist agenda
The writer brought a peashooter to a gun fight
Apparently it's been out there for a while (Google search). I have not seen it used before, so I at least came up with it independently.
Dan Burton, our Rep, showed up.
This littleoldman didn't like Dan too much. Thought he was gonna whop Dan with his cane for a sec.....
This propaganda technique was not started by Saul Alinsky, but Josef Goebbels.
It's called turnspeak or turnspeak propaganda.
As the Sudenten Germans were agitating for union with Germany back in the 30s, they did some really brutal stuff. Josef Goebbels, who was an evil genius, accused the Czech government of doing the thuggish, terroristic things that the Sudenten Germans were doing to the Czechs. Reporters at the time coined Reich Propaganda Minister's tactic turnspeak propaganda; i.e., doing odious things and accusing the other side of the odious/horrific things you are doing.
The propaganda technique is brilliant in its evil. Think about it. Such accusations psychologically paralyze the victim/target because they are such lies and so unfair it its blatant hypocrisy. Also, as Saul Alinsky maintains that the techniques his Commie side does must be fun, how much more fun can it be to accuse your target of the odious things that you're doing? The propaganda technique you described is so blatant and evil that us targets in many cases can only be psychologically paralyzed and merely sputter.
Hey! We're talking about evil people here, following the tactics of an evil man who got his Turnspeak Propaganda technique from another very evil man.
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