When I Was a Kid

As predicted by the Grand Prince, I'm posting another video as part of the "weapons of mass distraction."

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A Different Take on Glenn Beck and the Others

The New York Times published an op-ed piece by David Brooks that I found quite refreshing. Thanks again to George for the tip.

In the article Mr. Brooks traces the recent history of the right-wing spokesmen, Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity. The basic point is these guys are not as powerful and influential as we've been led to believe.

So what is the theme of our history lesson? It is a story of remarkable volume and utter weakness. It is the story of media mavens who claim to represent a hidden majority but who in fact represent a mere niche — even in the Republican Party. It is a story as old as “The Wizard of Oz,” of grand illusions and small men behind the curtain.

What do you think? Is it possible that we've been giving these characters more credit than they deserve? Brooks claims that when Limbaugh attacks the switchboards light up with phone calls but nothing really changes. "There is no effect on the favorability rating or the re-election prospects. In the media world, he is a giant. In the real world, he’s not."

But this is not merely a story of weakness. It is a story of resilience. For no matter how often their hollowness is exposed, the jocks still reweave the myth of their own power. They still ride the airwaves claiming to speak for millions. They still confuse listeners with voters.

So the myth returns. Just months after the election and the humiliation, everyone is again convinced that Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and the rest possess real power. And the saddest thing is that even Republican politicians come to believe it. They mistake media for reality. They pre-emptively surrender to armies that don’t exist.

They pay more attention to Rush’s imaginary millions than to the real voters down the street. The Republican Party is unpopular because it’s more interested in pleasing Rush’s ghosts than actual people. The party is leaderless right now because nobody has the guts to step outside the rigid parameters enforced by the radio jocks and create a new party identity. The party is losing because it has adopted a radio entertainer’s niche-building strategy, while abandoning the politician’s coalition-building strategy.

The rise of Beck, Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and the rest has correlated almost perfectly with the decline of the G.O.P. But it’s not because the talk jocks have real power. It’s because they have illusory power, because Republicans hear the media mythology and fall for it every time.

What do you think about David Brooks' assessment? Is it only "illusory power" these celebrity talkers have? Has the whole country bought into it? Has it damaged the Republican Party the way Brooks describes?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Let's Blame Beck and Hannity and Limbaugh and Michele Bachmann

Trueslant.com has published an interesting article by Rick Unger about blame and responsibility. Referring to the hanging of 51-year old Bill Sparkman, a part time worker for the US Census Bureau, whom we discussed yesterday, Mr. Unger says it would be inappropriate to pre-judge the motive behind the murder before the FBI finishes its work. Nevertheless, with the word “fed” scrawled across his chest, it's probably safe to assume the crime was motivated by “anti-government” sentiment.

This latest shock to the national system will inevitably lead to yet another discussion about the influence incendiary broadcasters, such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, have on the minds and hearts of those who would commit such a horrible act.

But it’s not only the radio and TV talkers. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann recently bragged about how she was going to refuse participation in the census because she "does not wish to assist the president in his effort to create what she charges are ‘re-education’ camps where children would be indoctrinated in the Obama government’s official philosophy. According to Bachmann, such internment camps are the direct result of the national census, as she explained in an interview on FOX News."

If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the census bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations, at the request of President Roosevelt, and that’s how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps. I’m not saying that’s what the Administration is planning to do. But I am saying that private, personal information that was given to the census bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up.

The folks who irresponsibly scream "fire" in the crowded theater that is America need to be held accountable for this. Some say the person who commits the crime is 100% responsible for his or her actions, which leaves no part of the responsibility for anyone else. I look at it differently. The killer can be held responsible as well as the Becks and Bachmanns who incite them, call the percentages what you will. Don't forget Mr. Adkisson's Manifesto.

Nobody ever intended our public airwaves to be turned over to irresponsible voices. Maybe the time has come for the FCC to worry a bit less about wardrobe malfunctions and a whole lot more about those who would use our airwaves to make a name for themselves at the expense of the public they are suppose to serve – particularly when the expense comes in the form of blood.

What's your opinion? Many say Beck is in it for the ratings, what about Bachmann then? What's her motivation? Isn't the idea of shared responsibility something that makes sense? The ones who spout this poison are highly intelligent, talented people. On the receiving end you've got either extremely uneducated and unsophisticated people, Jim Adkisson for example, or the ones who are already cracked and just need a little encouragement, Timothy McVeigh for example.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.