In the car listening to 1A today on NPR - it is clear we are two separate countries

[NRaleighLiberal]

The half that is lost - totally brainwashed by right wing hate TV and radio - and the rest of us.

This was cemented by a comment he read by a listener essentially saying that the Russia Trump thing is just paranoia that we should move on from - total conspiracy stuff - and that we should all unite and get behind trump.

Amazing....the person who responded did a good job refuting.

The decades of Faux/Rush and similar have done incalculable damage to our country.

The question is what makes some people so vulnerable to this stuff? I suspect various -isms and -ogenies - some right wing whacko religion - and just fear and a dose of authoritarian leanings.

[HughBeaumont]

1. The consensus of pretty much the entire Intelligence community is "conspiracy stuff"?

Does said caller (or any other brain surgeon making the same argument) have more information than the Intelligence Agencies do? If so, let them know . . . I'm sure they'll want to hear that a Presidential candidate colluding with Russian officials is really not the big deal they're making it out to be.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. that's the response that the media person made, in essence.

[JHB]

5. Trump has a brain surgeon on the payroll. Ask Ben!

[geek tragedy]

3. there's no such thing as America anymore, except in pop culture and legal forms nt

[Cosmocat]

4. Fine point - it isn't a 50/50 split, it's 1/3s

We are in a deeper hole than people think.

We are the 1/3 dealing in facts, reason and reality.

Team R makes up 1/3 living in the right wing echo chamber (see, Trumps level of support).

The problem is that there is another "middle" 1/3 that lives in the "they are both the same" mindset. They either don't vote or tend to go R as often as not, because this "they are both the same" bullshit enables republican fuck wittery. The false frame that Ds are just as bad allows people to hold their noses and single issue vote for whatever stupid ass bias that the Rs champion that they believe.

[Sanity Claws]

7. I think that is a closer approximation

But don't dis the middle third that way.
There was a time in my life that I was the middle-third. I was overwhelmed by responsibilities, financial obligations, work hours, etc. and did not have the time or energy to sort out things that didn't need immediate attention.
Our economy requires people to toil long hours with inadequate compensation. I think a lot of the middle-third may be in this situation.

[Cosmocat]

8. Fair enough

The bullshit from the right is so transparent I get frustrated that people get lost in it, but I do take your point ...

[JudyM]

9. Strongly agree. Many don't have time for much beyond the headlines.

[ginny skinny]

6. I'm always surprised how many conservatives are listening to NPR.

Before 1A, Diane Rehm got quite a few conservative commentors too.

[lovemydogs]

10. Some are hardcore right no matter what

And with Rush and Fox, ect., it just makes that a digging in. Regardless of facts.
And with conservatives being prone to victimhood and paranoia, they see it as themselves against the world. Dig in.
With that victimhood, sometimes they see us criticizing Trump or conservatives as an attack on them. Personally.
And for the older ones, its alot like Yankees vs. Red Sox (and every other American League Team). Their team period.

[Amaryllis]

11. THis explains it:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/17/how-fox-news-and-the-right-wing-media-machine-made-my-dad-crazy