Posted on 04/18/2014 8:33:38 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In her Article, What I Learned As a Liberal Talking Head For Fox News, for The Christian Science Monitor, Sally Kohn indicated that while working for Fox News, she had what can best be described as an epiphany. She said, For a radical progressive who once harbored negative stereotypes about folks on the right, it was a turning point for me: Though Sean Hannity or Sarah Palin and I disagree profoundly on politics theyre personable, kind, and human. If you want to persuade people, you cant demonize them.
. She went on to say, And no one will even listen to your argument, let alone agree with you, if they think you dont like them . . .That is the essence of my lessons from working at Fox News and the idea behind what I call emotional correctness that the key to persuasion, the key to being an effective communicator in general, in any aspect of life, is making authentic, compassionate emotional connections. Emotional correctness is how we say what we say. Its not only the words or tone we use but the feelings we signal when we communicate. Its how we show respect for others even if we dont agree with their opinions.
. In response to Ms. Sally Kohns love letter to the people at Fox News, I can only say that while shes obviously learned to embraced the lyrics of Kumbaya in a very passionate way, shes just as obviously learned very little about fact-driven, objective journalism.
. The national interest of this country is much too important a subject to be based on emotional correctness. It is essential that we base our policies and governance on facts, not our ability to schmooze one another. And the fact is, the conservative agenda is based on selfishness, bigotry, greed, and carefully contrived lies, and we should never try to tap dance around that issue. Another fact is, the problem is not that the left is being too strident in attacking the fraud of the conservative agenda at all. The problem is, theyre not being strident enough in making it clear to the American people that conservative propaganda is just that - propaganda and should be dismissed out of hand.
. One of the biggest problems that weve had in this country for the past 35 years is that progressives have been so polite in addressing the complete idiocy of the conservative agenda that its led the public to believe the facts are debatable. This tendency toward timidity on the part of the left started during the Reagan administration. The American public became so enamored and bamboozled by Ronald Reagans aw shucks, John Wayne-like persona that the left gave him a pass in fear of antagonizing the public, and then later, when Dan Rather was excommunicated from his public platform for relating the facts regarding George W. Bushs missing-in-action status when he was supposed to be serving this country in the military, that reinforced that timidity on the part of the press, when it came to confronting the GOP.
.But history is clear for the past one hundred years the conservative agenda has repeatedly shown itself to be a disaster, and a bane to the economic health of this nation, and its past time for both politicians, and journalists, to start bringing that fact out for public scrutiny. Due to the brutal assault on our educational system over the past thirty years, theres an entire generation of Americans who are completely clueless to the GOPs history.
. The Wall Street meltdown took place after eight years of George W. Bush, and the Great Depression took place after twelve years of Republican rule. Thus, Democrat, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had to come in and save America from, Republican, Herbert Hoovers incompetence; Democrat, Bill Clinton had to come in and save America from, Republican, Ronald Reagans incompetence; and now, Democrat, Barack Obama has had to come in and clean up after, Republican, George W. Bushs gross incompetence. For the past one hundred years, every time the Democrats have moved the nation a step forward, Americans begin to feel comfortable, upwardly mobile, and elect Republicans, only to be dragged two steps back. Now those are the facts.
. Of course, I expect to be brutally attacked by Ms. Sally Kohns emotionally correct friends on the right, but I assure you, itll only be a spitball attack, and not on the facts, because they cant challenge the facts.
. Ms. Kohn also said, Sean Hannity is one of the sweetest people youll ever meet and even now that Ive parted ways with Fox, he remains a good friend and mentor.
. What does Sean Hannitys personality have to do with truth, or this nations survival? Absolutely nothing, and the mere fact that a nationally known journalist would take the time to write an article spewing this nonsense is not only beyond chilling, but quite instructive of the huge problem that we have in journalism today.
. Schmoozing should never be a part of any serious debate. Were trying to save this nation, not sell vacuum cleaners. Theres only one issue thats relevant to the public debate on this issue who was the last Republican president who DIDNT drag America under a bus? And every progressive in America should be shouting that question from every rooftop period.
Mr. Wattree
It's useless to try to argue with people like Wattree. They don't want to hear anything but their own words. "Big Government Is Great!" say the Wattrees of the country. There's no reasoning with an ossified brain.
One more thing: keep in mind my comment was directed at the kind of liberals who say that waterboarding a few AQ terrorists was just about the worst thing this country ever did, the worst betrayal of our values.
...and what facts would those be?
I've never accepted that.
I did say it was arguable. But I'm convinced, as were Truman and his generals, that a ground invasion of Japan, which was the planned alternative to the A-bombs, would have caused at least as many Japanese casualties as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, and more importantly from an American point of view, a tremendous loss of American lives. I, and many others, applaud Truman for making his decision on that basis.
I understood your point. I just didn't think A-bombing the Japanese in the context of total war, and in view of the gross atrocities the Japanese had committed, was a betrayal of our values.
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