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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy America can no longer have rational fact-based discussions about race or any other major issue.
Most Americans wanting to have a rational discussion about Mike Brown's murder and the killing of young unarmed black men and boys by police won't know what's blasting from the 1000 coordinated radio stations that lead the Republican propaganda operation.
And they don't know how much those radio stations parasitize professional and college sports and its black athletes. More than 28% of racist Rush Limbaugh stations rely on the sports programs of our publicly funded colleges for community credibility and advertising revenue.
Republican radio reaches 50 million people a week and will continue to attack the "thug" Mike Brown and his supporters and make excuses for Darren Wilson and prosecutor/defense attorney McCulloch for the foreseeable future. That will go on as long as the Republicans find it useful. They have that control. Just like they did with Trayvon Martin. I heard it yesterday afternoon from the local talker on my local Limbaugh/Savage station. This morning another local talker claimed 25 building were burned (12?) and African Americans (president Obama) are the real racists.
They are the same stations that egg on mayors and police departments to crack down on protestors. Like they did with Occupy Wall Street.
The Republican higher-ups like race related violence. It's good ammunition for their racist blowhards on radio and Fox TV. It ramps up the fear that increases the value of the unchallenged certitude authoritarians need to sell lies. It's why they waited for nighttime to announce the injustice.
Their nationwide unchallenged talk radio repetition gives them the confidence to try just about anything.
Michael (aka Savage) Wiener is a regular on hundreds of those stations. I recently recorded about 6 minutes at the start of his November 19 show and got his take on Ferguson. He starts with President Obama and his executive order on immigration and equates him with Cambodian genocidal maniac Pol Pot's use of "street garbage" to relate him to the rioting Wiener hopes for. The same way Limbaugh hoped for black on white violence in post Katrina New Orleans.
Barack Hussein Obama said he is going to act within the law. Moussolini said he was acting within the law when he violated the law. Hitler said was that he was acting within the law when he needed some living space for the Germans.
Pol pot did it legally. That's the mountain of human skulls in Cambodia. It started with a nice professor in Cambodia who went to Paris to study Marxism. He came home a dictator. He arrested everyone the middle class, everyone with eyeglasses. He elevated the street garbage in Cambodia the street garbage who never went to college, who never went to high school, who never went to grade schools. The street garbage in Cambodia were elevated to the leadership positions in Cambodia. They were 13 14-year-old thugs, does it sound familiar, and they were given red scarves, red scarves, to wear so they could be part of this identified gang under Pol Pot.
Limbaugh (and maybe others) have suggested Obama organized the recent influx of young Central American refugees as part of a strategy to bring in diseases like ebola, increase the number of Democratic voters, and form a secret (brown) army/gang.
And they started to arrest the entire middle class architects- doctors, lawyers, teachers, social workers, dentists, anyone with eyeglasses was considered a counterrevolutionary under Pol Pot, the mild-mannered Marxist professor who work came back to Cambodia and started to institute what he said was fairness- policies of fairness. He said that the Cambodia had been taken over by a parasitical middle class and they just want to make things fair and so he unleashed 13 of 14-year-old garbage on the middle class along the lines of Ferguson. Yes I'll say all go online and say the garbage in the streets of Ferguson, they don't work. Tell me what they do for living. They’re parasites on society. Tell me how people can be in the streets for months at a time without any known source of income and not be called a parasite. Explain that to me. Tell me how you can explain that to me. So if you think there are no parallels in history that means you do not know your history and you condemned to repeat it.
He goes on:
demonic man in the White House
dictator
gangs in the streets being run by all of the social activists
street rats
the vermin in the street
what they do best which is selling drugs or whatever they do to make a living
Then in typical reality-denying hypocrisy, he blames Obama for our crumbling infrastructure, schooling system, poverty, unemployment, health care, etc....
He's creating the America that he and Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama and the other four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse are creating- a new America right in front of your eyes...
At least 28%, or more than 170 of Limbaugh's stations, depend on major 'liberal' university sports programs for community credibility and ad revenue. I don't know how many of Michael Wiener's do also. Many of those stations probably couldn't survive without those relationships, especially after the heroic work from the StopRush and FlushRush crew who are being doxxed by iHeart/Clear Channel.
Parasites? The talk radio gods use our public schools while they attack teachers, students, and public education and try to defund it so it can be privatized. Talk about parasites.
Three of the major publicly funded universities in Kansas and Missouri broadcast sports on 11 stations that headline Rush Limbaugh. University of Missouri lets Limbaugh ride the Missouri Tiger on 7 stations, the Kansas State Wildcat on 3 stations, and the Kansas Jayhawk on 1 Limbaugh station.
How many cops hear this stuff from radio stations endorsed by our major universities? These stations are often the loudest stations in local or national emergencies.
Police and soldiers around Ferguson might think differently about what Limbaugh and Savage are saying if communities and students made it clear it's not okay for a bunch of racist, misogynist liars to ride their sports mascots.
And what if America's professional and college athletes refused to be used to sell the racist Republican propaganda?
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yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Nothing will change. Complaining doesn't do anything. We need liberal progressive radio stations. We certainly cannot blame conservatives for having 50 million listeners. We have to look at why we let radio lose the liberal progressive stations or at least buy some. 50 million conservatives listening to radio is a staggering number.
Rex
(65,616 posts)from the GOP. I've been browbeat here about moderates having the money and power...well then they need to put their money where their mouth is and buy up all the media.
The GOPs control over 30 years caused a huge amount of damage to the country. Now, the GOP is controlled by crazy RWing wackadoodles, so a moderate message from someone would probably resonate with the most people.
Certainly running as republican-lite doesn't work, despite the experts here who demand that it does.
certainot
(9,090 posts)it's not about market forces- they already subsidized and grew and protected the monoply
REPUBLICAN RADIO MYTHS
MYTH: Republican radio’s primary purpose is to sell product for advertisers.
The advertising pays rent and salaries. Republican radio spreads disinformation and outrage to convince Americans to hate other Americans and to act and vote against their own best interests.
Republican radio’s more profitable purpose is to sell:
war
global warming denial
deregulation- wall street, banking, environmental, media, etc.
tax breaks for the 1%
privatization of the commons and the public sector
excuses, rationalizations, distortions, diversions
sycophant Republican politicians
unqualified Republican judges
lies and distortions used to swiftboat Democrats and liberals, short circuit democracy, and obstruct reforms
MYTH: Republican radio's popularity and success is market-based. Liberal radio fails because no one listens to it and it can’t compete.
When Ronald Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, Republicans bought up hundreds of radio stations and subsidizied talkers like Rush Limbaugh. The Fairness Doctrine would have prevented the levels of unchallenged lying and distortion used so successfully today to create alternative realities and made-to-order constituencies.
One of Republican radio’s early successes was the media deregulation that allowed consolidation of Republican radio ownership to fewer companies/owners.
Liberal radio talkers have shown they can compete on an even playing field and even beat the main Republican talkers. That is why the Republican radio monopoly controls most of the loudest radio stations and works hard to limit direct competition by liberal talkers. Republican radio can’t handle the truth.
The argument that 95% of the people who would listen to talk radio prefer the hate and disinformation that the Republican radio monopoly is using to destroy American democracy is an insult to Americans.
Kilgore
(1,733 posts)Other than in Portland, not sure there any others.
If Blue state like Oregon can't keep them on the air, I think it's time for someone to seriously rethink the format to try to appeal to more listeners. I spent some time working as a radio tech for a station while in college and the following was drilled into us.
Listeners + advertisers + revenue = staying on the air
Stations who can't make the above equation work simply go away.
certainot
(9,090 posts)the true market for those lying racist misogynists is about 50 stations, mostly in the southern swamps
from republican radio
REPUBLICAN RADIO MYTHS
MYTH: Republican radio’s primary purpose is to sell product for advertisers.
The advertising pays rent and salaries. Republican radio spreads disinformation and outrage to convince Americans to hate other Americans and to act and vote against their own best interests.
Republican radio’s more profitable purpose is to sell:
war
global warming denial
deregulation- wall street, banking, environmental, media, etc.
tax breaks for the 1%
privatization of the commons and the public sector
excuses, rationalizations, distortions, diversions
sycophant Republican politicians
unqualified Republican judges
lies and distortions used to swiftboat Democrats and liberals, short circuit democracy, and obstruct reforms
MYTH: Republican radio's popularity and success is market-based. Liberal radio fails because no one listens to it and it can’t compete.
When Ronald Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, Republicans bought up hundreds of radio stations and subsidizied talkers like Rush Limbaugh. The Fairness Doctrine would have prevented the levels of unchallenged lying and distortion used so successfully today to create alternative realities and made-to-order constituencies.
One of Republican radio’s early successes was the media deregulation that allowed consolidation of Republican radio ownership to fewer companies/owners.
Liberal radio talkers have shown they can compete on an even playing field and even beat the main Republican talkers. That is why the Republican radio monopoly controls most of the loudest radio stations and works hard to limit direct competition by liberal talkers. Republican radio can’t handle the truth.
The argument that 95% of the people who would listen to talk radio prefer the hate and disinformation that the Republican radio monopoly is using to destroy American democracy is an insult to Americans.
Response to yeoman6987 (Reply #1)
Kingofalldems This message was self-deleted by its author.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)certainot
(9,090 posts)underfunded their effort (air america). it was up against their monopoly and never had a chance.
but it's not about competition. those 1200 coordinated radio stations are incompatible with democracy.
it's as simple as this: if americans want a real democracy they have to stop giving republican radio a free speech free ride. they have to challenge those megaphones in their communities as if they are teabagger headquarters and components of a coordinated propaganda operation used to short circuit the feedback mechanisms a democracy relies on to survive.
phantom power
(25,966 posts)
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)As Hutus -
They say everything except - Cut the tall trees.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Unfortunately, though, I'll have to be honest: some of the bad rhetoric and nuttiness coming from the fringes of our side hasn't been helping, one bit.
I am all for getting that windbag Douche Blimpbaugh and his buddies kicked off the air, and StopRush & FlushRush have been doing an excellent job. But just that may not be enough.
We need to keep clawing back as much space as we can for the media in general; for a start, we need to start replacing the Ta-Nehisi Coates's, and the Chauncey De Vega's, the Fire Dog Lakes, etc., with more David Pakman's, more Melissa Harris-Parry's, etc., for already existing favored sources.....because, let's face it, the activist left needs to repair our own reputations. And then we need to start encouraging more people to start their own radio podcasts; Stephanie Miller may be good, but she needs some company.
certainot
(9,090 posts)it's often the dominating radio buzz of approval or disapproval that decides who and what is acceptable or not acceptable on TV.
and the monopoly has to end- it's like a mom and pop hardware store competing with home depot and wall mart.
as long as it's a well coordinated monopoly used by the GOP and corporate think tanks to short circuit democratic feedback mechanisms, americans who want democracy have to stop giving it a free speech free ride.
XemaSab
(60,212 posts)Also, why do you think Ta-Nehisi Coates, Chauncey De Vega, and Fire Dog Lake are damaging "our" reputation? Be specific.
certainot
(9,090 posts)I am all for getting that windbag Douche Blimpbaugh and his buddies kicked off the air
they have free speech rights, although tat's kind of like saying corporations are people and money is free speech. and although they regularly yell fire! and try to incite violence from a distance, and go after private citizens, there are people who want to listen to them. if the left stopped ignoring what they're doing in their communities and the country in general they'd be gone from 90% of the stations they're on, maybe ending up on a few stations in the southern swamps and texas and on streaming sources.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)nt
certainot
(9,090 posts)who absorb it.
in most parts of the country there are no free alternatives for politics while driving and working. a lot of people get it while they're just trying to get weather, sports, traffic, etc. even more during important events and emergencies.
many people get the lies from friends, co workers, relatives.
the general buzz that slimes the country isn't just for the dittohead/teabagger base
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)with great clarity. And yes, a huge share of it is a form of psyops.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Last edited Tue Nov 25, 2014, 07:28 PM - Edit history (1)
at this link, just be sure to bring a BIG bag. Don't go unless you have a VERY strong stomach. I was searching last night and lured to a source I thought was progressive, since, duh, it was called PROGRESSIVES TODAY.I was looking to see what kind of propaganda was being directed at the white people of the area, to make them act so crazy and get armed up. Because I did not grow up in this extremely hyped up media milieu, where people are very well paid like Boortz, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Savage, Hannity and Beck, etc. to spread this. Look up the net worth of these pundits who spew this using all the psychological tools available. They are all millionaires many times over for their circus acts.
Note all the media hype which does not cite the hate groups as a bad thing, or does not analyze what they say which is why I consider most of the talking heads nothing but goons more befitting the Third Reich.
But in following this, I got far more than I bargained for. This is the mentality fed to the Ignoratti, which they carry out against POC daily. It does nothing to unify or inform Americans. I wish people just thought, on any side of an issue, of what the end result of swallowing and acting and voting on what the media swill tells them from all sides.
For me it's always been a series of questions for each part of the journey into the state of mind, asking myself 'why' and 'who benefits from the philosophy being fed here?'
And 'what is the replacement when our current form of government it ceases to erase as they claim it must be?' Since the language now calls reform or voting useless. I know the answer to that, theocracy and or neo-feudalism. There will never fail to be something waiting in the wings to take over. Usually regressive.
But PROGRESSIVES TODAY is really an anti-left, liberal, Democratic Party, racist cesspool that originated from the operator of the Gateway Pundit site that is posted here on occasion but I've never paid attention to much.
It is full of videos and editing, and in most cases they are narrated by this guy. He is the voice of the Tea Party and I'm sorry to post this here, but it made me so upset I didn't sleep all night as they demonized Ferguson:
http://www.progressivestoday.com/lisa-fithian-accuses-conservative-journalists-of-violence/
If you follow the linking pages at the bottom or elsewhere, this is scary stuff. This is right wing sophistication, and I am sure it draws many people into its web. Here's About:
Jim Hoft, founder and proprietor of The Gateway Pundit, brings you the new online project “Progressives Today.”
Many Americans who consider themselves left of center have an antiquated sense of today’s Democrat party. This is not their father’s Democratic party. Democrats today are controlled by, and answer to, the most radical elements of their party. Yet, with cover generously provided by the mainstream media, progressives are able to push their influence in the shadows. And they have no shame.
Progressives Today follows and publicly exposes the radical elements of the institutional left. It will be the go to resource for all elements of the progressive movement through old school investigative journalism. We will cover their conferences with undercover reporters, we will interview their leaders, we will follow their writings, teachings, social media presence. Our goal is to finally hold the left accountable for their radical opinions, their destructive policies and their dangerous anti-American agenda.
One of the goals of PT, in addition to simply exposing progressives, is to expose their views to moderates and Democrats so that a choice must be made. It is our strong belief that, Progressives Today will cause many on the left to re-evaluate their political alliances.
http://www.progressivestoday.com/about/
The fact that we daily complain on DU that it is too mainstream or corporate or whatever and does not listen to all, is surely lost of these guys. The kind of concepts and prejudices at PT are aired daily on talk radio and the cable news networks, and on the regular broadcast networks and the newspapers now, too. This how they built another culture and why they have an unreasonable hate for all things liberal and progressive. And those in it believe they are very educated and know a lot.
This stuff is pretty slick at times, although that site and the videos definitely are not well done with his voice telling the viewer what the 'truth' is. Reminds me so much of Rush's spiel, with his almost patented 'We all know...' tone of racist and sexist familiarity.
Rush was outted a while back by Jim Armey of FreedomWorks, a Koch sponsored group, and I've seen pics of Rush and most of the GOPTea elected officials with Charles Koch. They really have gained respect by using this propaganda on the masses. Armey said Rush was no longer as good an investment of their money as he had been for some years. So, they'd been paying him, and probably very well.
Which means to me, is that Rush and the rest are employees, not of the stations they are on, nor the advertisers. They work directly for the Kochs, their real benefactors. If advertising revenue and market share was a true indicator of popularity, Rush would have been long gone, with his fellow hatemongers. They have achieved a monopoly through their ownership of stations.
They are an investment in influencing voters, because the real prize is the land we live on, the technology we have and a population willing to act out the will of the ultra rich like the Kochs'. It has proven an excellent investment strategy, they push the billions or even trillions of dollars that the USA is in control of to their pockets and their friends.
Wonder who is really paying Jim Hoft to do their dirty work, probably AFN or some other front group. Knowing hat is what is needed to open some people's eyes. Unless they have totally bought into the feudalist idea. I've talked to some Tea Partiers and Libertarians who really think that is the natural state of mankind. They don't mind the big rich men behind the curtain one bit.
They just wish it was them and attempt to create their own little fiefdoms in their own lives. Their self-interest drives them but it the kind that is only for them. And all the people they hate can FOAD.
certainot
(9,090 posts)compared with talk radio stations and it's probably similar to what some of our govt agencies (FBI) have done and are doing . maybe they'll get some bucks from patrons and think tanks to fund their efforts and actually do some of what they're saying they want to do but they'll find out most 'radical' progressives are just dedicated social activists and they'll be pretty disappointed so they'll have to make stuff up and just sound like the talk radio kings.
thing about web sites is that unlike talk radio, there are plenty of alternatives and it's easy to hop to another page.
i think your'e right about the limbaughs-
If advertising revenue and market share was a true indicator of popularity, Rush would have been long gone, with his fellow hatemongers.
they exist to sell war, deregulation, tax breaks for billionaires, global warming denial, etc.
and there may be an opportunity for some investigative journalism when it comes to where the talk radio kings and their stations get their bucks- are they getting payola for putting on guests from the think tanks? limbaugh doesn't do guests but maybe he's getting paid by the minute- sometimes he'll chew a particular issue a long time.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)I don't find OUR side to be particularly rational OR fact based.
How much of either is involved when you start right off talking about "Mike Brown's murder"?
certainot
(9,090 posts)Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human, and generally this premeditated state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide (such as manslaughter).[1][2]