The truth.
When you tell a lie over and over and over ….
“Job Killers” in the News: Allegations without Verification
“…there’s a simple rule: You say it again, and you say it again, and you say it again…and about the time that you’re absolutely sick of saying it is about the time that your target audience has heard it for the first time.” — Frank Luntz, Republican pollster
A comprehensive study analyzes the frequency of the “job killer” term in four mainstream news media since 1984, how the phrase was used, by whom, and–most importantly–whether the allegations of something being a “job killer” were verified by reporters in their stories.
With President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney delivering dueling visions for the U.S. economy in speeches on Thursday, a majority of independents said that Obama’s policies have made it harder for Americans to gain employment, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Friday.
I don’t have the quote, but Goebbels also recognized the power of film. Regarding Nazi propaganda, it was film used in theaters. IMHO, it can be easily extrapolated to include TV, which is obviously prolific today.
Look, this should all be academic by now. Any of us with a functioning brain can see the wealthy class is effectively using the media (TV & radio) that they own to propagate anti-democratic propaganda.
Criticizing/complaining about this is getting us nowhere, zero. We aren’t going to “shame” big corporations into stopping this, nor are they going to stop merely because we point out again and again what they are doing. forget it.
I keep coming back to: “Don’t complain about the media, become the media!” Jello Biafra.
Liberals claim to be smarter than conservatives, but we dismally fail to get it. We continually fail to use the tools laying right in our hands. Thus, we’re stupid. The wealthy class is kicking our ass on the messaging/propaganda front, and they have been doing so for decades.
The answer is: better/smarter/more prolific propaganda.
Failing to do this ultimately means total fail at the end.
Be modern, go for neuromarketing. Dollar for dollar a good corporate investment, no it’s not about healthcare.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Great link, thanks.
“Or so say neuromarketers, a nascent group of researchers who use techniques from neuroscience to analyze people’s responses to products and promotions.”
This is getting into Philip K Dick territory- one of my fav Sci-fi authors.
Regarding “old-fashioned”, thinking outside of the box will not be what we see Obama do over the next few months.
Were they truly independents? Or Republicans who sometimes vote for a Democrat? Many people say they are independent but when you question them closely they have a partisan bias but occasionally cross over. Others rarely cross over but think “Independent” sounds smarter or more sophisticated.
The only true “independents” in a media-run mind control system are those who do not make a habit of unconsciously subjecting themselves to trance-producing media. They cannot be polled because there are so few of them. Everyone else? Whether they call themselves Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Tea Partiers, Independents, Progressives or whatever other convenient tags the media use to herd sheeple into their designated corrals?
The rest?
Sheeplecrats.
No more; no less.
Sheeplecrats.
Good Point, Arthur! Like the guy at work who insists he’s not a Republican; he belongs to the Tea Party! Would he ever vote Democratic? No, because Democrats are all socialist pansies (direct quote). He probably would claim to be an independent in a survey.
“Were they truly independents?”
Good question. I don’t have any stats, and I’m not sure how you, or anyone, defines “true” independent, but I think most independents are more or less phony.
IMHO, most so called independents are disgruntled republicans or democrats who know their respective political parties stink, but in the end they vote for one or the other– and I think most vote republican.
Good example is the recall vote in WI. Just like in 2010, Walker won the independent vote.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/walkers-base-similar-to-10–but-more-energized-8u5m7tp-15
7408985.html
“…but I think most independents are more or less phony.”
IMHO, many are small minded, fearful people who want to be free to jump on whatever bandwagon they feel best serves their notion of personal greed and/or security.
Or wanting to be with the “in crowd,” aka winner. IOW, their “independence” is social/group think and not principled or ideological.
In High School Civics they called this the bandwagon effect. I never understood it. With a secret ballot, why? When I lived in a totally Republican town, the precinct captain would button hole me outside the 100 yard limit and ask me to vote for the clique that ran the town. I always assured him I would then went inside and voted the other way. Was it a lie? Sure, but remember, ” lies, damn lies, and politics”.
LOL… this is why exit polling isn’t accurate.
For one reason or the other, voters don’t tell the truth regarding who they just voted for.
Remember George Wallace got many more Northern votes in 1968 than were polled. IMHO, he’s the major reason we had President Nixon instead of President Humphrey. If there is a study that shows otherwise, I’d appreciate a reference.
I don’t have a study, but based on the 1972 vote, I’d say it’s just as likely that Wallace cost Nixon a landslide. Even just counting the five Deep South states whose electoral college votes went for Wallace instead of Nixon helps make the case (though those five states by themselves wouldn’t constitute a landslide).
Could be. In my corner of the USA, Humphrey was stronger.
In either case, Wallace was strong enough to heavily influence the election and he had NO political appeal other than racism.
I may be one of the more unusual independents – mainly so because there really isn’t a viable party for me. If a space opens up for a Syriza-style equivalent, not only will I be joining, but I’ll be ridiculously active. Then again, I have a fairly thought-out ideology that is more years in the making than I would care to admit. The best I can say of our current political system is that voting GOP should be written off at all costs – the party is no longer recognizable to those of us who are old enough to remember the 1970s or earlier.
Of course, I should also note that the term “independent” really is something of a catch-all – there may be some genuine moderates (at least by current standards), but such voters should be considered potentially all over the political map. I can find independents who are to the right of Mussolini, and I can find some who might be like me, and still others who clearly regularly at least grudgingly support one of the two big parties, and of course the usual smattering of libertarians and anarchists. Many may well be small-minded, but many probably have carefully thought about where they stand and why they feel the need to take the stands they choose to take.
Food for thought. 🙂
Absolutely there’s a wide spectrum of voters who identify as independent for all sorts of reasons, including, of all things, principal. I had more in mind the thought-challenged Joe & Jane Sixpack sheeple of TV land with whom I’m sure you’re familiar. As for me, after sad experience, first with Eugene McCarthy and later Barry Commoner and Lenora Fulani, I gave up and decided maybe I could pull the Dems to the left a little locally from the inside, so that’s where I wound up. The Greens wanted me, but there is little to no hope for them in Southern Indiana right now that I can see, so I guess I’ll keep on in the same direction. Keeping one eye on the Pirates in Europe to see how that plays out, though.
I’ve pretty much written off the Greens in the state in which I currently reside – too adept at recruiting crazies to run for office. A few years ago, a neighboring state’s Green party HQ handled the nomination of the Cynthia Mckinney/Gloria La Riva ticket for Prez/Veep rather poorly. I had the distinct impression (I hope incorrectly) that particular state’s party brass wanted to keep it white, if you catch my drift. The Greens in Europe and Australia are arguably more enlightened and less dysfunctional. The upshot is that I’ve essentially decided that steer clear of that bunch, for as long as I reside in the US, barring some massive change in direction. Now a Pirate Party would be an intriguing development here. 🙂
For the time being, I am awaiting to see what, if anything, develops out of the Occupy movement. Building a party out of that movement will take a number of years (Syriza in Greece was not built overnight). In the meantime, I have seen the occasional Democrat emerge out of Occupy. There’s one whom I am supporting in my Congressional district this year. His odds of winning the district are slim, but he does have the potential to at least do some damage to the facade of permanent GOP rule in the district. I do have to give props to anyone who, in spite of the odds, goes out and actually mounts a serious campaign.
This year is a good opportunity for us to recruit new candidates, especially from labor, since they’re now pissed off and ready to rumble. The state party does a crappy to non-existent job of candidate recruitment out here in the sticks, so we’re doing it for them. Working on filling a state rep seat candidacy slot right now.
We need a second political party: one made up of Labor, “real” independents, Greens, non voters, etc.
Perhaps the Pirate Party will continue expanding as it picks up supporters. It could eventually even wind up being the sort of entity you describe.
Don, would you mind telling us a rough percentage of how your votes split?