MUST-VIEW Rachel Maddow: 'It's The Extremists...' (False Right-Wing/Media Spin PT.1)

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 15:01 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvlXfZa_UY   Posted on YouTube: October 19, 2010 By YouTube Member: StartLoving3 Views on YouTube: 38   Posted on DU: October 19, 2010 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 2924

 
MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show - Oct. 18, 2010: Rachel explains how the accepted media/punditry/Right-wing narrative memes that are being accepted as explanation for why Republicans are going to pick up seats this midterm election are proved false by what's actually going on in the Right-wing campaigns and ads.

PART TWO!!: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=516432&mesg_id=516432

RACHEL: "It is two weeks until the elections. And now, two weeks before the elections, it is finally becoming clear what is going to happen in these elections and why.

It has not been clear before because over the past few weeks in particular, the media narrative about what's going to happen in this year's elections has turned into a Republican campaign ad. There has been no daylight over the last couple of weeks between how the Beltway media has been explaining what's going on in politics, and what conservative candidates say they want to happen in American politics. In other words, the messages that the Beltway media is using to explain what happening in the election right now happen to be the exact same messages that the Republicans are using in their campaign ads. This might be one of those things thats easier to show then say. So here's just one example.

Here is the spin, as dictated by the punditocracy:

It's the Deficit! That's what the elections are all about. It's the deficit. 'The reason Republicans are going to pick up seats in this election is because people are FED UP with the deficit.' That's the media spin.

(QUOTING THE HILL) 'The Republican Party's focus on reducing the federal deficit may be resonating with independent voters who could swing the midterm elections.'

You know, conveniently, here's the exact same spin in a typical Republican campaign ad this year...

CHUCK FLEISCHMANN (VIDEO): "Deficit spending is the No. 1 threat to our country right now. It's immoral to spend money we don't have...'

- snip -

RACHEL: "See, these two dovetail really nicely, right? It's a perfect 'spin cycle.' The Republicans say 'We want to bring down the deficit.' And then the media says 'Republicans will win because they want to bring down the deficit. That's what explains the election. IT'S THE DEFICIT.'

RACHEL: "NO IT'S NOT. If it were the deficit, this would not have just happened..."

CHRIS WALLACE (VIDEO FROM FOXNEWS): "You want to extend all, all the Bush tax cuts which would add four trillion dollars to the deficit..."

- snip -

MEDIA/RIGHT-WING NARRATIVE: "It's Big Government!"

RACHEL: "No, it's not. Not this election. Not these Republicans."

MEDIA/RIGHT-WING NARRATIVE: "It's the Stimulus!"

RACHEL: "No. It's not. Not this election. Not these Republicans."

MEDIA/RIGHT-WING NARRATIVE: "It's Obamacare!"

RACHEL: "No, it's not. Not this election. Not these Republicans."

MEDIA/RIGHT-WING NARRATIVE: "It's the Populism!"

RACHEL: "No. It's not. Not this election. Not these Republicans."

MEDIA/RIGHT-WING NARRATIVE: "It's Outsiders!"

RACHEL: "No, it's not. Not this election. Not these Republicans."

RACHEL: "... the media dressing these guys up like there is some kind of coherent narrative here, like there is some kind of cogent argument here. THAT conveniently obscures what's REALLY going on here. Which is that we are on the precipice of elevating to federal office the most extreme, and in some cases, strange set of conservative candidates in a lifetime. Yes, this happened to a smaller degree before. In 1994, in the first midterm election after the last Democratic President was elected, we got a slate of candidates that included Helen Chenewith of Idaho and Steve Stockman of Texas. These two were so close to the militia movement in this country that Mr. Stockman actually received advance notice that the Oklahoma City bombing was going to happen.

There are extremist candidates who from time to time survive the churn of electoral politics and actually make it into the mainstream. There's always a few.

But there has never been this many.

NONE OF THIS (she points to the list of narratives) makes any sense.

We're JUST about to elect a whole bunch of EXTREMISTS. Unless things change in the next two weeks..."

[krispos42]

1. To the greatest n/t

[piggy2000]

22. Great Reporting

The Rachel Maddow Show has stepped up the game for all Political Reporting. This is some of the best work that I have seen since I have started watching in the last few years.

Kudos to Dr. Maddow and her team.

[Dawson Leery]

2. K AND R!

[donheld]

3. Love you for posting this!

[Hissyspit]

4. I wuv you, too, Don.

:D

[Blacksheep214]

5. Damn, She's Good!

nm

[lobodons]

6. Sad there are so many ignorant voters

that will vote for the politicians listed in this video. It is more than low information voters. It is even more than ignorant. Too bad you can't fix stupid.

[travelingtypist]

7. Thanks for posting this.

I wish she would do this every god damn day from now till Nov 2. It's so good.

[davidhilton]

8. It's so sad that Rachel is preaching to the choir.

[chollybocker]

9. Rachel is me.

[onlyadream]

10. I love Rachel BUT

everytime she makes a case against Sharon Angel she says the thing about fluoride in the water (to make Angel sound like a nut). Fluoride in the water IS bad.

Fluoride is fine on teeth topically, however, ingested it isn't. It can cause weakening of the bones, decay of the teeth (dental Fluoroisis) and fluoride is known to block iodine absorption in the Thyroid.

[AlbertCat]

15. Fluoride in the water IS bad

But is it a Commie plot? THAT'S what the John Birch Society claims.

[onlyadream]

23. Is that what Angle is saying - a commie plot?

The woman is a loon.

[Joanne98]

11. kick

[Uncle Joe]

12. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[PurgedVoter]

13. K&R nt

[zeemike]

14. All I can say is wow.

She grabs that subject like a dog with a nice juicy bone and does not let go...she is impressive.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

16. I love Rachel, but this mantra likely won't sway anybody. Hope I'm wrong!

[radiclib]

17. Is it me

..or does she sound really worried? Rachel usually finds a way to remain somewhat upbeat, in spite of all the crazy she reports on. It sounds to me like suddenly she sees a tsunami coming.

[humbled_opinion]

18. Look I know what it is that is driving this election...

and I am not smart enough to counter this point. As a matter of fact I feel myself being drawn to support this particular issue... Let me explain....

I work with a number of self stated fiscal conservatives, social issues are not really discussed but one of the main issues that I have been able to digest by their conversation and the one that they say is driving the tea party rage is that there is a belief by them that the Rich and the current body Politic have now merged and are overly powerful and oppressing the middle class. They form this opinion due to the current economic state, and past bail outs, TARP and the takeover of the auto industry and healthcare reform.. Here is a bit of the conversation...

Our Government is creating all these new regulations on businesses and they want to raise taxes on the rich, is our govt ignorant...., don't they realize that the rich never pay their fair share anyway, and ultimately all the wealth just flows right back to those same rich people because when the businessman's costs increase they just pass all this pain down to the consumers in the form of higher prices for their goods or services or they cut jobs or both. Additionally, the govt who created more beauracracy in order to regulate the business now claims that it needs to increase the size of its govt payrolls to manage all the new red tape and therefore because that itself costs money it is again passed on to the middleclass in the form of tax increases.

Have we actually become a Facist State?

[Dave From Canada]

19. Maddow = fear, fear, fear!!!!

[Hissyspit]

21. - 1

In the segment that followed, she discussed which Dems strategies and ads were more effective at dealing with the situation as she described it.

Cutting through bulldog with sharp reality-based analysis is not the same as fear-mongering.

[Dave From Canada]

24. Ouch, a - 1. Seriously, Maddow is like Bush, terra, terra, terra! Except instead of 911, 911, 911,

it's Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City. Sorry, but I can't give her a pass. When I see the fear card so deliberately played, I gotta call her out. Otherwise, I'd be a hypocrite for only taking action when the other side does it. It's lame.

[proud patriot]

20. this was an outstanding segment