We have to do something or we are done for a long time.

[slater71]

That is the way I feel. At every turn they kill us. I know you say don`t listen to Hannity Limbaugh and the others but I believe they are killing us. We can`t get anything out to the media without them piling on one after the other. They not only use the radio but Hannity is going out around the country to help sell the S.S. program. My be we should find out who is paying for this shit. I know you think that he is only preaching to the choir, but I think people who want information will listen to someone who has it. Unfortunately, it`s the republicans.
AirAmerica is OK but we need some overwhelming force to go up against these assholes. They lie and use partial quotes in their sound bites to destroy us and no is fighting back. We have no message to get out. No alternative plans. Only obstruction which is OK but we need an answer also.
We know their goal is to have this country a one party power and they will do it if we keep fucking around. We as a party better get our shit together or we are done. Quit the pissing and moaning and get organized. Until there are some solid responses with plans in them they will beat our asses like a step child. Hannity and the rest of them will continue to laugh at use until we find someone who can get a voice out in allot of radio stations and say Hannity, your a fucking lier, and here is proof. That is my rant. Thank you.

[ynksnewyork2]

1. Hannity's been doing it for years

It's nothing new. During the campaign season he went everywhere Michael Moore did but didn't charge a fee for his speaking tour (Maybe that's the only way colleges let him speak there but i don't know) My niece and nephew saw both him and Moore at different schools. They said Moore had a bigger crowd but Hannity still had a hell of a lot of people. You'd think on a college campus that Hannity wouldn't be very popular. You're right, people like him and Limbaugh have a large following and do exert some power out there.

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. Well, in Hannity's case, Rupert Murdoch is paying for that shit.

...And given the number of actual PNAC members on FAUX shows any given week, I'm sure they have some financial input as well.

Then of course there's advertising as is the case on any other channel. And that's where you can hit back. Find out who advertises on FAUX News, refuse to buy their products, and let these companies know that you specifically stopped doing business with them because they sponsor FAUX News. Or Clear Channel, or Mush Limpdick or whomever.

If enough people did that, the companies would take serious hits and pull their ads. Now realistically, I don't see FAUX changing. They were specifically created to be a right wing news network. Such a strategy might be better employed at CNN, which hasn't always been right wing shills, and might be salvageable, if they feel enough economic pressure. And especially if Ted Turner buys them back from AOL.

[hector459]

29. There is so much stuff to work with about Bush and this administration

that fact that nothing seems to get legs is very scary. It means that the US is really, really controlled by a power elite that can thwart democracy at will. We impeached a President (Clinton) for actions that had absolutely no bearing on the safety, security, economics, and freedom of our nation. Yet everything that Bush and his administration does is devastating to all of that and no journalist or media conglom will take them on. It's like nothing is happening. THIS SHIT IS REALLY SCARY!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. We need a TRUE left wing Limbaugh!

[slater71]

5. Maybe your right.

I know some people think they aren`t important to anyone but the right, but they are killing us and we have no response. They call Hillery, Hitlery and Sen. Kenndy a drunk and Kerry a lier and no response. Yet, we challenge Condi Rice and oh the outrage. They got this Churchill guy suspended. and they are already after Dean. I'm`t telling you somehow someway we have to have an answer to them beyond Air America.

[LittleClarkie]

27. My money is one Ed Shultz

How fast is he really growing anyway? Is he coming up as fast as HE says he is?

He's liberal, but not too far to the left. He has a fairly simple way of talking about things, a very midwestern way about him. I like him. And if he's growing as fast as he says, he might be the answer.

What about that progressive media Gore was working on.

[pacalo]

4. Who would benefit most from private s.s. accounts?

Big corporations, the theme of this administration's focus, and of course, Wall Street, too.

WhatsHisFace is getting the cheerleaders out to spread the propaganda, as well as using government agencies like the SSA as political pawns to recite their talking points to s.s. recipients.

One day, the People are going to organize to march up to Capitol Hill to say, 'WE'VE HAD ENOUGH & WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!'

As long as this administration is able to conduct its corrupt business without interference, we'll have more of the same.

[golden voyages]

6. Is it illegal to mail pretzels to the White House?

[newyawker99]

10. Hi 4 more pretzels!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[jerryster]

14. Welcome!

Welcome to the DU! By the way, are those pretzels making you thirsty?

[snippy]

17. What this country needs is a more powerful pretzel.

Welcome to DU.

[golden voyages]

20. I couldn't agree more. Thanks to all for the nice welcome

:yourock:

[calimary]

24. Welcome to DU!

Delighted you're here. We need you. Now, please help us get a few things accomplished, 'eh?

[NVMojo]

31. we need to send him a big fat "Bavarian" pretzel!!!

:toast:

[welshTerrier2]

7. stay tuned, my friend ...

the tide is turning ...

you are quite right to point out the massive disparity in media control ... you've already made the first step in the battle which is awareness ...

AAR is a great start ... we're on the air ... take heart from the fact that AAR is finding an audience ... and you're also correct that it's nowhere near enough ...

i also see an anger growing in the MSM ... maybe the evil ones own the stations but the rank and file journalists know they sold out their country and didn't do their jobs in the lead up to the Iraq war ... they have an awareness that what happened must not be allowed to happen again ...

and if you find no comfort in any of the above, know that the pendulum's wild rightward swing has crashed into the rock solid wall of reality ... you can't just keep spewing right-wing bullshit and not have the bankruptcy of your policies come home to roost ... media hype goes a long way ... but bush has run the military into the ground ... under Clinton, we used to debate whether the U.S. had the adequacy to fight a two-front war ... bush may want to go into Iran, but he can't do it anytime soon ... he just doesn't have the manpower and a draft can't fix that in the short-term ... and the political costs of a draft will be staggering to the right ... it's not clear he'll be able to get one put in place ... so bush, the great warrior, is not able to even sustain a one-front war ...

and the deficit? you can hype and hype about your great economic program all you want ... but the bills are coming due and the interest rates are on their way up ... wait until this impacts the housing industry ... and there's been no jobs recovery from the bush recession ... media is critically important as you pointed out, but they will not be able to smooth over the crisis bush has created ... people may get suckered by fancy advertising and fancy packaging for a long time, but at some point you lose them as customers if what's actually inside the box is no good ... bush's product sucks and his pendulum has already hit the wall ...

finally, the fact that Kerry got something like 59 million votes is no small thing ... frankly, i thought he could have run a much better campaign ... still, 59 million people saw right through the bullshit ... and many, many more still will ... i have all kinds of criticisms of the Democratic Party ... when it comes to the issues I care most deeply about, I'm sad to say the Party just doesn't get it ... but one thing's for sure, the Democrats have finally awakened from their dazed stupor ... and that's no small thing ... i understand the dismay you see at the events going on ... bush and the neo-cons have no respect for American institutions ... their goal is to weaken the government so that mega-corporations are relatively much stronger and don't have to worry any longer about government oversight and government restrictions ... they may have all the power now, but our seeds have sprouted and they will not be able to keep us from growing ...

keep the faith ... the tide has turned ...

[fooj]

8. Wow...WT2! What a great post! Being aware is key to this struggle...

There's no doubt about it! I keep feeling that the tide has turned, as well! Thanks for a post that helps people to believe again...

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. PBS and C-Span are all that's left and they are under attack too.

We have a WAR on our hands!

Liberals are the Allies and Conservatives are the Axis!

[babylonsister]

12. Thanks, wT2.

It's so refreshing to read such optimism after reading so many negative threads on DU lately. And I'm guilty of feeling really negative, so you're inspiring!

[thefloyd]

13. Interest rates are the key!!!!!

I have been telling my conservative friends when interest rates start rising things are going to change. As for Hannity he needs to be taken tit for tat. When he starts painting the party as Churchill, Michael Moore.....You know his usual candidates, Well democrats need to bring up Fallwell and his 911 comments, interview people from the Godhates"gays".com website, or any other Zealot democrats can get their hands on. When he starts bringing up the morality card, bring up every republican who is an adulterer, who steals. When he starts saying "libs" or what other jack off name he comes up with start calling conservatives "cons" for con men, or when he starts calling democrats socialists, bring up England and the rich throwing bread to the peasants, ultimately that is what the republican economic policies will lead to. Oh and make sure to say "typical" in front of ever thing. One big thing is call Hannity out for being a chicken hawk, I have been kicked off his website 3 times for that one. Yes all of this is lame but for a short time Democrats need to play their game.
As for the long term, As long as conservatives continue to talk about "values" they are digging the whole deeper and deeper for the future. When people start acting righteous people ultimately become hypocrites.

[snippy]

18. I agree about Falwell et al. I tell every republican I know

as often as I can that each of them is the most important supporter that Falwell, Dobson, and Robertson have. The republicans I know are fairly moderate and are embarrassed to be associated with these Reich wing fundamentalists. But it is exactly these moderate republican voters who give the Reich wing its power. If the moderate republicans stopped voting republican, the Reich wing once again would be part of a weak minority party on the national level.

I also agree about interest rates. Interest rates and inflation are a time bomb planted by Bush which he hopes explodes only after he has left office.

Welcome to DU.

[thefloyd]

22. yes I have similar experiences

I am shocked when I tell my moderate Republican friends about Falwell and they have no clue who he is!!!!!!! These friends of mine tell me "michael moore this and that" (Which I don't care because I like Micheal Moore but I don't agree with him all the time) Moore hates america blah blah blah......I bring up Jerry Falwell and what he says and they are like "really who is that"

[snippy]

28. Moore has no power or influence over either the federal government or

the democratic party. Dobson, Falwell, and Robertson are three of the most powerful republicans in the country and have a huge amount of influence over the current federal government.

[thefloyd]

30. yes I totally agree

very good point.
The difference between me and my Repubilcan friends is I read news from all different sources and they watch fox news. Is it me or has foxnews
just become incredibly worse about bias since the election?

[calimary]

25. Yes INDEED. Welcome, and YES INDEED! They're republi-CONS

because all they are - are CON-artists. CON-men and CON-women. All they offer is a CON-job. The Party of PIRATES. The Greedy Old Party - or GOP stands for "GET OLD PEOPLE."

YES to your ideas. YES to your suggested game plan. We HAVE to start fighting back, in the language they understand. We cannot continue fighting as gentlemen and gentlewomen when the rules of the battle are set by the folks who run "SmackDown." Let's not pull our punches anymore. PLEASE!!!!!! The bully needs to be hit back, and hit back HARD. Unless you wish merely to continue being bullied as before.

Make sure to add in the reminder that the same guy who wants to "fix" Social Security is the one who arrived in the White House with a surplus to work with, and promptly SQUANDERED IT ALL. Plus, this is the SAME guy whose track record in business involved taking THREE - count 'em - THREE TEXAS OIL COMPANIES straight into bankruptcy. And this is the guy you want "fixing" Social Security, 'eh?

[union_maid]

11. It is a war. Acting locally will help if everyone does it.

Democrats and everyone who is not on board with the crazed ideology of the Bush administration have to realize that it's everyone's job - every single last one of us - to get the truth out. It's frustrating, infuriating and worse to have the administration's lies spooned to the public by the MSM day after day. We need to challenge it every chance we get in every way that we can.

[moggie12]

15. The best defense against this is to have Dems that take on this crap

I'm looking forward to Howard Dean taking over the DNC spot -- the man knows how to grab attention (I wasn't a Dean supporter back during the primaries, but I think he'll do a good job as DNC chair, for this among several reasons). Barbara Boxer, Durbin and others are also good at coming up with some zingers. I'm encouraged so far by what the Dems are doing to get their side of the story out. It sure ain't going to be easy, but they're getting off to a good start.

[leesa]

16. Actually, we just have to wait. The GOP is doing it to themselves

Unfortunately we ALL go down with the ship, but I doubt Republicans will be worth much for a long while.

[snippy]

19. You are right of course. Corrupt one party control will always lead

to a change of control eventually. However, Bush and the GOP are going to spread lots of death and destruction and lots of misery and suffering before they are done.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

21. must read..."don't think of an elephant!" by George Lakoff.....

know your values and frame the debate...do not use the conservatives framing/ tax relief, tort reform ... or else we will keep shooting ourselves in the foot!

go to www.rockridgeinstitute.org and read

[John_H]

23. I'm absolutely DONE assigning 100% blame on the whores.

The democratic party has had since 1997 at the very latest to do build what the rethugs had in place by 1994 at the latest. And it just flat out hasn't been done. That's a crime in and of itself. But whyit hasn't gotten done is truly tragic.

Except for a couple years 98-99 when survival made us put aside all the bullshit and get real, the Dem media operation is most notable for its bizarre mixture of arrogance and incompetence.

So why does the rethug spin machine work and ours doesn't? I like to call it the Ohio test. The GOP may lie, simplify, obfuscate, and rant. But let's face it. It plays in Ohio. They know what to say, how to say it, and what platforms to use. Their message is developed by a very well paid, very experienced group of professionals, most of whom have spent time in "the real" non-DC world and who know they're toast if they lose. And most impoortantly of all, once the message is devised it is repeated--without variance--by every spokesperson, radio screamer, TV surrogate, columnist, blogger, mediawhore, and elected official in the party.

Here's how the we do it. We've got surrogates so insistent on sounding clever that they are unable to see the devastating effectiveness of relentless hammering of the same talking points over and over. So they all say different stuff that sounds like high-modernist poetry at DC cocktail parties and like jibberish in Ohio livingrooms. Longtime DC residents repeatedly rehired as strategists, consultants, and spokespeople despite a demonstrated record of having no idea how to speak to people in ohio telling candidates how to speak to people in Ohio. People who haven't spent a day of their brief, underpaid, post-college lives out of the remarkably college-like world campaign offices, hill offices, or some acronym starting with D telling candidates how to get to working parents of four teenagers in Ohio to vote for them.

Combine this with an institutional arrogance, through which we as a party dismissed (at least until we finally got around to thinking about copying) the rethug disinformation mechanism of "think tanks," radio screamers, rightwing kook owned newspapers, the careerist impulses of lazy mainstream mediawhores, and it's no mystery why we're 4th and 23.

[qwghlmian]

26. You're right about language -

in another thread, when I pointed out that if you raise caps on SS without raising benefits for those above the current cap, it will be called "welfare", the poster I was talking to said:

"Fine,...let's call "welfare" (for the sustenance and strength of both our people and nation) another word.

Let's call it "MISSION: PROGRESSION"!!!"

"MISSION: PROGRESSION" indeed. Unfortunately, a lot of Democratic strategists come up with pearls that are as "great" as that "MISSION: PROGRESSION" stuff.