Reply #79: the vitriol "news"

[budedis]

I accept your congratulations on not watching the so-called "news". Especially "FUX NOISE" and all the other talking-heads trying to tell us what to think. I do read DU and Daily Kos and 20+ other online civic and issue oriented web sites, and the Wash Post, NY Times and my local newspaper. I write letters to the editor; sometimes they are published. Most recently pointing out that all of the US military deaths in Iraq, every single one, was "in vain". When Bush says he wants to make sure they didn't die "in vain" what he really means is that he wants to vindicate his policy, part of which is to never change his mind or admit mistakes. They did die in vain; not for their own vanity but for the vainglory of Bush, Cheney, Rummy-cake, fart-blossom and the rest of the neocon crew.

TV news became completely irrelevant during the 2000 campaign so I turned it off for good and gave the TV to Goodwill a few weeks later. I would much rather spend my limited time finding my own news, registering voters, working at the polls, going to see what Michelle Obama has to say, reading everything I can find by Bill Moyers, ...

The swift-boating style of political discourse is productive. It is a shrewd campaign tactic to get the other side to spend their time, energy and money defending themselves against ad hominem attacks. This isn't rocket science and Rove certainly didn't invent it, but he uses it well and has taught others how to do it. (He even has opponents doing it to each other.) It doesn't matter how big the lie is (and bigger is always better in America), tell it often and say it loudly. Politics of fear is disgusting, but sadly it works too often. They're called "ditto-heads" for a good reason and they will go to the polls and vote the way Rush told them too. Progressive voices are easily drowned out by this crap.

Unfortunately posts concerning misogyny are irrelevant. Whether you are right or not, you're preaching to the choir. One or two jokes told by Jay Leno or David Letterman on Nov 3rd about Hillary's ankles will have more impact on voters than everything Noam Chomsky has ever written.

Obama's "bitterness" comment is on target. And Jeremiah Wright and Michael Pfleger are right and have told us why a large number of Americas are bitter.