One thing about conservative talk radio that fascinates me...

[gekeeley]

and boggles my mind is the fact that the hosts somehow get absolutely obsessed with the strangest issues. They make them seem like they are a national crisis and not only that, but they make it seem like anyone who isn't as concerned is a terrorist. When serious issues are actually of concern, these men and women make it their life-purpose to diminish those issues... and make the most bizarre ones FRONT AND CENTER.

Case in point: During the confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel Alito, Bill O'Reilly was more concerned with another judge, the judge in Vermont who imposed a fairly lenient sentence on a convicted rapist. Granted, this did deserve some coverage, but for TWO weeks, O'Reilly made this his chief issue. Vermont judge takes precedence over the confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court? Hmm...

Case in point, part deux: This past weekend, while the rest of the country was enthralled by the Dubai World port deal and the US-India nuclear treaty, O'Reilly and his counterparts were at it again... covering these important and influential deals? Nope! Covering the teacher in Colorado we are all rallying behind.

I just don't understand it, anyone care to offer a reasonable explanation other than the fact that they have no good arguments or points to make regarding the real, serious issues, so they find some errant topic out in nobody-cares-land and makes it Code Red on the Terror Threat Level.

[Dr Fate]

1. Intentional distractions work best when they "fascinate."

What explanation are you looking for? They simply want to distract from important issues- issues that could happen to make Bush look bad if discussed fully.

[gekeeley]

4. Well I understand that...

...but I don't seem how they can claim credibility in representing the mainstream.

Last night, one host told a caller that the "mainstream media" shouldn't be called that, it should be called the "establishment media" because it doesn't represent the mainstream... but he and other conservative hosts do.

But this is the same channel that has Bill O'Reilly calling himself the speaker of truth and proclaiming that he doesn't like being right all the time, but he is, and its a burden for him.

[Dr Fate]

13. You dont actually NEED credibility in order to claim it.

And you dont need to actually be truthful in order to have people think you are truthful.

They are liars, it is truly as simple as that.

[brainshrub]

2. "We are all rallying behind."???

Who you 'talkin we?

I didn't support that teacher.

[gekeeley]

6. No...

That's what the conservative hosts are all claiming.

"Liberals are rallying behind this guy like he's FDR or something." -Boston 96.9 Talk host

[neoblues]

16. The teacher does appear all but entirely innocent...

Comments taken in context were fully reasonable, he made it plain that at most it was his opinion and that no one should just beleive as he believes but rather should merely think about such issues. Critical thinking skills being promoted.

Besides, who doesn't think Bush's SOTU address didn't sound alot like Hitler in both tone and content?

Even if it did somehow exceed the school's guidelines--and I don't think it did--at worst he should be told so/reprimanded but not fired. If everytime a teacher says something unpopular, despite having expressed disclaimers and asking students to merely consider such issues and form their own opinions, is fired for it... what an unfortunate education system it will be. What a chilling effect on free speech throughout society will result.

It might well be important to support this teacher and for greater reasons than that he simply deserves our support.

[chefgirl]

3. I think you answered your own question

I just don't understand it, anyone care to offer a reasonable explanation other than the fact that they have no good arguments or points to make regarding the real, serious issues, so they find some errant topic out in nobody-cares-land and makes it Code Red on the Terror Threat Level.

They get paid to pull listeners in, and fill up the hours on the air. They have to do it somehow, and its my belief that even the dumbest of the dumb mouthbreathers would start to catch on if they filled up those hours talking their trash about the real issues.

They have to be rabble rousers so they can deflect the attention of the public. When someone gets you all fired up about something, its real hard to spend any introspective time thinking about anything else.

-chef-

[pk_du]

5. Its called "lookee-here....shiny-thing !" n/t

[blondeatlast]

7. Read all about why in "The Republican Noise Machine"

by David Brock, who runs Media Matters and was once ONE OF THEM.

It's no accident, my friend. It's distraction and subterfuge.

[dogday]

8. It is amazing how much they lie and stretch the truth................ nt

[Kerrytravelers]

9. The reich-winger's mind can only handle so much info.

Delude the listeners from the real issues so they won't even know they're happening.


Look! Shiny things!

[neoblues]

18. They can't focus on more than one thing at a time...

That's why they're so damned determined on whatever issue it happens to be and why they're so easily co-opted from considering the important, albeit less glamorous or entertaining issues.

[Jane Austin]

10. Don't forget the War On Christmas.

That was a lot easier for them to yap about than Abramoff, DeLay, Katrina, Iraq and more.

[IsItJustMe]

11. What amazes me is tortured logic they use to justify the means.

[annabanana]

12. Today it's Mrs. Reeve and the body off the Belt Parkway

that are getting the bulk of the coverage. I swear, most of this crap used to be covered in one paragraph in the local police blotter.

[NightOwwl]

14. Arianna Huffington said it best on the Colbert Report...

He made a comment about "cutting and running" (he was being sarcastic, of course) and she replied:

"Cut and run is just a catch phrase designed to make people stop thinking."

You can apply that statement to any subject that these wingers latch onto. They don't want people to really think about what's going on, because they realize that would be their downfall.

[neoblues]

20. Has anyone compiled a good list of these thought stopper

catch phrases or canned rebuttals or whatever... I'd bet if considered in that light, most Repuglican responses have this effect--instantly springing forth a catchy but highly limited "frame" with which to consider an issue. In such a frame their partial, insufficient and wrong answers actually appear to be right.

A collection would be useful--especially if frame-fighting rebuttals were posted alongside.

[NightOwwl]

21. "Abortion as birth control"

I even saw this phrase used by a DUer today. No one supports the idea of abortion as birth control. It's just like the "Liberal War on Christmas."

Designed to incite and divide.

[RagingInMiami]

15. It's called distraction

[Bok_Tukalo]

17. My favorite is the annual War on Christmas

Hilarious.

[CottonBear]

19. Distraction! Terra! Missing white girls! Bad Liberals! Gay Hollywood!

Don't look at the man behind the curtain. :(

[Fleshdancer]

22. Welcome to DU!

Not only are they trying to get their listeners to not pay attention to the big news stories, but they fixate on stories that perpetuate fear. LIBERAL TEACHERS ARE RUINING YOUR CHILDREN! THERE'S A WAR ON CHRISTMAS! EVIL MEN WILL RAPE YOUR DAUGHTERS AND ACTIVIST JUDGES WILL LET THEM!

Emotion is cheap and easy...far less time consuming than exploring the issues and having an intelligent discussion. All they do is find new ways to tell their listeners that Americans with a different political ideology are enemies and must be hated.