Eumerica: The Lefting of the Center, The Extreming of the Right

[BurtWorm]

From Crooked Timber:

http://crookedtimber.org/2007/03/27/eumerica/


Posted by John Quiggin

There’s been a lot of discussion of a recent Pew Research Center study of US voters, mainly focusing on this graph, which certainly suggests a strong reaction against the Bush Administration and the Republican Party

But the underlying picture is much worse for Republicans than this, as Gary Kamiya observes. On the one hand, the Pew Survey shows that Democrats and Independents are becoming pretty similar in the views to people elsewhere in the developed world (such as Europeans) – liberal on social issues, moderately social-democratic in social policy, preferring peace to war and so on. Not surprisingly, this translates to a strongly negative view of the Republican party, just as it does everywhere else in the world.

On the other hand, Republican support is contracting to a base of about 25 per cent of the population whose views are getting more extreme, not merely because moderate conservatives are peeling off to become Independents, but also because of the party’s success in constructing a parallel universe of news sources, thinktanks, blogs, pseudo-scientists and so on, which has led to the core becoming more tightly committed to an extremist ideology.

There’s plenty to support this account outside the Pew survey. This Gallup poll shows that a majority of Democrats and a large plurality of Independents think that the US is spending too much on the military – hardly any Republicans take this view. The proportion thinking spending is too high is the highest since 1990 and one of the highest on record.

....

[baldguy]

1. Can the left get it's message out & capitalize on this ideological shift?

Not while all the major media are in the hands of fascist anti-American corporations.

[BurtWorm]

2. The "mainstream" media are actually beats behind the American people.

There's ample evidence nightly, but the Chris Matthews show video in which a bunch of lazy-assed pundits snicker at the idea of Karl Rove deigning to be investigated underscores how out of touch that classless class is.

[BayCityProgressive]

3. Can't blame the media 100%

the main "left" party has been pretty useless in getting a coherent message across as well..hoever, I will say that Pelosi has done a good job of keeping Dems unified and in my view, is moving the party in the right direction.

[Vincardog]

4. Exactly why we have to BE THE MEDIA

[John Q. Citizen]

9. We have a ready made way to get this out and discussed. Kucinich is running

for President and he's happy to deliver the message to small groups, to large groups, to TV and radio, through u-tube, etc.

We as progressives need to get Kucinich enough delegates to the convention that Dennis has some pull and gets to talk about liberal left issues with the other candidates.

[Sapere aude]

5. This doesn't say much for the power of the right wing noise machine.

I guess people don't really pay too much attention to it. Only the choir get preached to. Have you ever heard a right winger not repeat a noise machine talking point when you argue with them? They don't even challenge the ideas just accept them and repeat them. Most people at least try to see if they hold water.

[BurtWorm]

8. They don't pay attention to it.

Look at how well watched the news channels are--even Fox. It's a tiny sliver who watch it and pay any attention to it. Look at these apthetic numbers for NONcable news:

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/default.asp


Evening News Ratings: Week of March 19
ABC's World News was #1 in total viewers again last week.

NBC delivered 2,447,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, beating ABC for the second week in a row -- but only by 28,000 demo viewers, a statistical tie. "World News outperformed NBC on four out of five nights among key demo viewers," ABC notes.

Season-to-date, Nightly News is averaging a 2.4 in the demo, while ABC has a 2.3 and CBS has a 2.0.

ABC has topped NBC in total viewers for five of the last seven weeks. "Season-to-date, World News is the only evening newscast to grow its Total Viewing audience, increasing 1%; NBC is down 6% and CBS is down 3%," ABC adds.

> Note: CBS Evening News is based on a three-day average (Monday-Wednesday) because of reduced coverage on Thursday and Friday due to NCAA basketball...

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. interesting

[rodeodance]

7. isn't this the Truth!!-------------success in constructing a parallel universe

the party’s success in constructing a parallel universe of news sources, thinktanks, blogs, pseudo-scientists and so on, which has led to the core becoming more tightly committed to an extremist ideology.

[juno jones]

10. Internets...

This trend has definitely followed the use of computers in the homes of a majority of the population and thus a shift in news-gathering habits...I think it no coincidence that about 20-30% of the population don't have computers and 20-30% are goosestepping enabling traitors to democracy....