Republicans Have Been Emboldened by a Lazy Media that Won’t Call Out Their Lies

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/republicans-emboldened-lazy-media-call-lies.html

Republicans Have Been Emboldened by a Lazy Media that Won’t Call Out Their Lies

By: Rmuse
June 26, 2012see more posts by Rmuse



One would think that when politicians give statements or speeches that are disseminated by the media, they most certainly would not be bald-faced lies because there are too many, nearly instantaneous, sources to check for veracity. However, at this point in time it is best to assume that every Republican utterance is mendacious, and it is in part because their veracity is never challenged and they know they are saying exactly what a certain demographic wants to hear whether it is true or not. This week, John Boehner nearly equaled Willard Romney as the biggest liar in the Republican ranks followed closely by ex-governor and senatorial candidate from Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson. The media is remiss to label any politician a liar, but there comes a point when misleading, embellishing, or mischaracterizing fails to describe what Republicans have become; habitual and dangerous liars.

snip//

If the segment of the population that falls for Republicans’ unbelievable lies were not so incredibly racist, fundamentally religious, and monumentally uninformed, they would see Republicans for what they really are; lying bastards. If the corporate media were not panting for a corporate-controlled Congress and White House, they would do their jobs and either call Republicans liars, or at least use the mounds of data available to disprove the assertions they know are false. In fact, the media has become the Republicans’ propaganda arm since 9/11 when they let the Bush-Cheney duo lead America into two disastrous wars this country will continue funding for a generation at least, if not longer.

Republicans are going to lie because they have no record to stand on, but the real blame rests with the media and a lazy segment of the population who depend on sources like Fox News to do their thinking for them. For example, two weeks ago a retired electrical engineer who is also a racist and devout conservative repeated Ted Nugent’s assertion during an interview for a 2nd Amendment article that President Obama is “dismantling the Constitution,” and his verification was “that’s what they’re saying.” The man said that “if they (Ted Nugent) were lying, why wasn’t the media correcting him?” Whether the media is attempting to appear objective, or are afraid to contradict Republicans’ fallacious statements is irrelevant, they bear a responsibility to inform the public, not campaign for Republicans.

Let’s face it, if Republicans were called on every one of their lies during interviews, on political talk shows, or during the evening news, they may abandon lying as their modus operandi. However, when Willard assails the Affordable Care Act as government-run healthcare, and Boehner says the GOP’s focus is jobs while a three-million job transportation bill sits on his desk and the media is silent, Americans will continue hearing nothing but lies. As tempting as it is to wonder if Romney’s Mormonism or Boehner’s Catholicism encourage lying as a political tactic, the truth is they are both just lying for political expediency to win elections, enrich the wealthy, and punish the American people.

[LiberalEsto]

1. The media are owned by Repukes.

There isn't going to be any calling-out in the corporate media.

[Blecht]

4. Exactly

That article the OP references is utter bullshit. The media are doing exactly what they are paid to do.

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Fox and everyone else

are owned by Republican Corporations who only want their Republican viewpoints aired. Its as simple as that.

[OnyxCollie]

24. Bill Clinton could have never anticipated

that the media would be owned by Repukes when he signed the Telecommunication Deregulation Act of 1996, allowing corporations to buy as many television and radio stations as they wanted.

[Make7]

2. The media isn't lazy - it makes great effort to perform its role. ( n/t )

[progressoid]

29. Yep. n/t

[Snotcicles]

31. Not lazy, Complicit. nt

[phantom power]

3. Shape of earth -- opinions differ!

[kentuck]

5. In my best Bob Schieffer imitation:

"Mr Romney, isn't that a bald-faced lie??"

How many times would he tell the same lie again, if that question were asked?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

6. Not lazy

They've been beaten into submission for over 30 years with the "librul media" bullshit. Whenever they have the temerity to question a Rethug, it's dismissed as "bias" and the stupid public believes it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. Is it really "lazy" ...

when one is doing the job that one is paid to do?

[Selatius]

8. Joseph Goebbels never could craft a news media that pumps propaganda and appears heterogeneous.

By heterogeneous, I mean a news media that looks like it has many viewpoints offered, but in reality, it limits the scope of the debate, typically between the center-right answer and the far-right answer and lets the hosts and commentators fight over which one wins. As long as there appears to be a conflicting of opinions, it can create the illusion of open debate when, really, there is no debate, especially when center-left and far-left opinions are entirely removed.

[janlyn]

10. dumbing down of america

There are many factors as to why our government has been able through complicity with media to fool the average citizen.
But I believe that the main factor is that critical thinking skills are no longer being taught to our children. And no child left behind was the final nail in that coffin.

Children are taught to memorize,and teachers are told to teach to the test.resulting in robotic recitation of only certain knowledge.
No effort is being made to get our children to think,unless it is done by the teacher.

The greatest gift my parents gave me was the phrase "look it up"

[sandyshoes17]

11. The media is not lazy

They're doing exactly what there supposed to do.
In fact it can't be easy making those clowns look normal.

[Doctor_J]

12. Ridiculous

they are not lazy. They work hard for the forces of evil. Articles like this one are likely written by Repuke moles to throw up a smokescreen.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. K&R

Liberals and Progressives need to amass their own media outlets.

[hay rick]

14. Left on.

We need to abandon the corporate media en masse. You can have a democracy or you can have a misinformed and misled public. You can't have both.

[jillan]

15. I don't think most of them have never heard of a follow up question.

It's so frustrating watching the lies go unchecked.

[malaise]

16. Well the media are the beneficiaries in chief from

all that Citizen's United money - what do you expect from those greedy corporate hacks

[Rex]

17. Republicans Have Been Emboldened by the fact that

the M$M works for the same paymasters as the GOP! It is one reason this country is going to hell in a handbasket.

[FiveGoodMen]

18. Complicit more than lazy, I think.

[spanone]

19. i don't believe they are lazy. not one bit.

[DeSwiss]

20. They're not lazy, they're corrupt. - K&R n/t

[valerief]

21. Lazy media? Bought and paid for media is more like it!

[Auggie]

22. Maybe it would help if powerful Democrats called them out ...

I mean, really call them out. No more strongly worded letters. Make some goddamn news and maybe some of the media might just pay attention.

[Historic NY]

28. Maybe it would help if all Democrats hammer them 24/7....

via twitter, internet, phones, etc etc....call them out

[Jack Sprat]

23. It could be laziness, but

I think it may be partly job security and pleasing their bosses. They have been accomplices of Republican lies for many moons now.

As for being a Catholic or a Mormon politician, lying is certainly no problem for them. Neither would let their religious label stand in the way of misleading any or everyone within hearing distance.

[stupidicus]

25. it's not laziness, it's complicity and concerted activity

hiding behind the facade of the "liberal media" charge and some misguided need to be "civil" to those who are uncivil with their lying. That's why the rightwingnuts worked so long and hard at making "liberal" a seven letter word.

I've long argued and firmly believe that their lies/dishonesty is the root/proximate cause of most (more than the lion's share) of the incivility, not only with the lying but the lame efforts to defend them as well.

This became clear and undeniable imo, in the wake of the Durbin "gulag" comment during the Bush admin, which wasn't far off the mark as a factual matter.

They (that mythical liberal media) also have two different standards in terms of who gets raked across the coals for such infractions, and who doesn't.

This has been one of my fav topics for over ten years now. What needs to be understood, is that the more their mountain of shame grows, the harder they cling to it. That's why it's always escalating, and will until the credulity of their near mindless minions is finally broken. ANd don't hold your breath while waiting for that too happen either. Their minions have been on the bandwagon for so long as gullible and/or uncaring dumbasses, that acknowledging they've been had or knowingly participated in this shameless and unxtian conduct is almost an insurmountable obstacle on the individual level at this point. That's why 2/3 of them still think Iraq had wmds. Every lie they swallow retains some vestige of truth in their mammilian brains, which is why they really don't see it as "lying" --- you infanticidal marxist muslim who's the terrorists best friend supporter...lol

And we see what happens when a Bartlet, Frum, ect breaks away from the cult.

It goes without saying that this is why they are almost all faith-based, fact-averse morans and turd polishers at this point.

The quasi-constitutional fourth branch morphed into rightwingnut lapdogs quite some time ago, and only occasional bark at them to keep the myth/lie that they're watchdogs alive.

The truth is the biggest existential threat to the modern con/repub party, and that's why it's in such short supply with those best able to drown them with it.

[DallasNE]

26. Just Today I Heard Romney Say

That Obama should have tried to pass immigration reform when he had majorities in Congress. Obviously, that must test well since he has been telling that same lie for nearly 3 weeks solid now. The House passed the Dream Act in December 2010 and it had a 55-41 majority in the Senate but that fell short of the 60 votes needed to end the filibuster. It is a blatant lie and MSM has had nearly 3 weeks to call attention to the lie but nary a peep.

It's like Citizens United means that corporate media are people so they are Super PAC's that can identify with a single party or issues. Freedom of the press has died. What else can you conclude when they are aligned with one political party.

[Auntie Bush]

27. I stopped watching Anderson Cooper when he insisted republicans didn't have a war on women .

That told me then and there that CNN was bias toward Rethugs. The meme that we have a liberal media is a total lie.

[Skittles]

30. they are not lazy

they are paid rightwing hacks

[CrispyQ]

32. Several years ago on AC360,

Anderson Cooper asserted that the media is actually doing a good job because the number of viewer complaints saying that they are too liberal is almost exactly equal to the number of viewer complaints saying that they are too conservative.



Seriously. A trained journalist stated that on a major news network.

[Blue Owl]

33. M$M = Enablers

n/t

[just1voice]

34. What about people who won't hold repukes accountable for treason and torture?

Torture camps = Violation of 1996 War Crimes Act
WMD conspiracy = Illegal propaganda, lying to Congress, conspiracy to commit war.
Wiretapping Americans = Felony.
Issuing false terror alerts for political gain = Treason