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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 03/26/2006 : 02:46:58
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Our loonies vs. their loonies; some thoughts from John Aravosis. quote:
I started thinking about all of this during the brouhaha this week with the Washington Post's ex-blogger who was a plagiarist and a liar, in addition to having some interest racial views about Coretta Scott King. I was trying to think of whether the top bloggers on the left were as dishonest and angry and hateful as the top bloggers on the right. And that got me thinking more generally. And what I realized was that across the board, the liberals who conservatives most hate simply aren't as hateful themselves as the worst the conservatives have to offer.
They have terrorists - pro-lifer murderers. Who do we have on the liberal side who outright murders their political opponents?
Ann Coulter and Pat Robertson have called for the assassination of their political opponents. Jerry Falwell and the religious right groups are bigots who are still embraced by the Republican party. Who do we have on the religious left who even holds a candle to these hatemongers?
Then there's the angry factor: Ken Mehlman, O'Reilly, Hannity, Scarborough, Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, Newt, Frist, Santorum, Delay, George Will, Krauthammer, most of the top Republican bloggers, Bob Dole, Cheney, and more. The Republicans are an angry party, most of their leadership on TV, the radio and in politics is simply motivated by, and exudes, an unhealthy anger.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 03:07:31 [Permalink]
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Mike Malloy comes close to being like the bad guys on the right. Randi Rhodes is close but stays more with the facts. And there's an Air America show on Saturdays (I'll have to look up the host) that's full of all sorts of nonsensical conspiracy claims.
Today they made claims that while drug companies could take the mercury preservative out of vaccines they aren't doing it because the rate of autism would go down and expose the connection. Mercury was removed from most kid's vaccines years ago, the rate of autism has gone up, and the autism vaccine connection has been disproved by further research. 
And while I sympathize with the raw deal New Orleanians are getting, the fact many of them that didn't carry flood insurance are crying foul now that their insurance carriers aren't paying for flood damage doesn't garner much sympathy from me. They aren't being cheated in most cases. Anyone who owns a home and chose to carry or not carry flood insurance should have known what that meant. The radio program went on and on about the lying cheating insurance companies.
But don't get me wrong. The jerks representing the left are few and far between compared to the jerks on the right. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 08:56:56 [Permalink]
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Ahhhhh, you know, it's a formula that works. Especially on talk-radio. I suppose people enjoy getting riled and indignant over the how they want to see the other side.
I think its show business. Back in the sixties there was Joe Pine. Later, there was Wally George and his nut gallery. Then came Rush who is completely unencumbered by facts.
If you look at the demographics and realize who these people are appealing to, you can easily see how they have found a formula that works for them.
I mean, in every poll I have ever seen the left tends to be better educated. I am not talking about the leadership of the parties here, but those who they are counting on for votes. If you're middle class, and you have the time to listen to talk-radio and you choose shows like Rush or Bill Oh Really, you are probably not as educated as your counterpart on the left. And the right plays directly to that less educated audience with a nod to the RR. If they played to fiscal conservatives, another educated bunch, they would probably go down in the flames of bad ratings. They would also loose more elections.
They have hit on a formula that works for them. They are masters of the strawman, hasty generalizations and all kinds of smoke and mirrors that bring outraged voters who think they are getting the news from these people to vote their way.
Naturally, I prefer our liars to their liars. But there really aren't as many of them. And I probably wouldn't listen anyway…
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 11:00:00 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Kil
Ahhhhh, you know, it's a formula that works. Especially on talk-radio. I suppose people enjoy getting riled and indignant over the how they want to see the other side.
I think its show business. Back in the sixties there was Joe Pine. Later, there was Wally George and his nut gallery. Then came Rush who is completely unencumbered by facts.
If you look at the demographics and realize who these people are appealing to, you can easily see how they have found a formula that works for them.
I mean, in every poll I have ever seen the left tends to be better educated. I am not talking about the leadership of the parties here, but those who they are counting on for votes. If you're middle class, and you have the time to listen to talk-radio and you choose shows like Rush or Bill Oh Really, you are probably not as educated as your counterpart on the left. And the right plays directly to that less educated audience with a nod to the RR. If they played to fiscal conservatives, another educated bunch, they would probably go down in the flames of bad ratings. They would also loose more elections.
They have hit on a formula that works for them. They are masters of the strawman, hasty generalizations and all kinds of smoke and mirrors that bring outraged voters who think they are getting the news from these people to vote their way.
Naturally, I prefer our liars to their liars. But there really aren't as many of them. And I probably wouldn't listen anyway…
Well said & indeed.
As I stated in another thread: life is too short and the music too good to waste any time listening to opinionated blitherers on either side.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 11:04:56 [Permalink]
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Liberals don't have anyone who has killed or advocates killing our opponents, but keep in mind that all those pro-life conservatives regard every abortion as the murder of a human being. So from their point of view, we are violent monsters.
Not saying I agree with them at all. Just trying to point out their point of view. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 03/26/2006 11:05:13 |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 12:34:19 [Permalink]
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| You have eco-terrorists and enviro-terrorists. Are they considered liberal? |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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| Edited by - pleco on 03/26/2006 12:34:42 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 16:51:43 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by pleco
You have eco-terrorists and enviro-terrorists. Are they considered liberal?
That was a point I was trying to raise in another thread a little while ago. Someone who has gone so far over the edge that they advocate legislation which would ban "hate speech" in order to encourage "tolerance" (for example) is no longer a "progressive" in my mind.
Now that I think about it, it seems to me that "militant liberal" is a contradiction in terms. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2006 : 02:28:18 [Permalink]
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| Don't forget the SLA wanted to feed the poor and the Weather Underground set off a bomb or two if I recall. |
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