Did anyone hear NPR's report on PA voting trends yesterday?

[AP]

No doubt, PA is a crucial state for 2004.

Yesterday NPR did not one but TWO long segment interviewing PA voters. One thing that was curious was that, although Dems did great in PA last tuesday (in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia), almost ALL the people they talked to were very conservative.

The good news is that nobody is enthusiastic about Bush. The bad news is apparently there are no Democrats in PA. However, I think it was an editorial decision to only talk to Republicans. I find it hard to believe they couldn't find one person who was willing to say something other than, "I like Buhs, but I'm worried about Iraq, which I support in principle, if not in execution.."

One sentiment NPR went out of its way to convey was that although the voters might be a little concnered about Bush's Iraq crap, they felt that the Democrats attacking Bush only made them put down their objections to Iraq and run to Bush's defense. Although they were having doubts, they felt it was unseemly for these doubts to be expressed out loud by others at times like this. Ugh. But there you have it.

The other thing that was noticeable was the damn music they play at the end of the second segment (I'm not sure if the order below is they order they were played yesterday). After hearing lots of people expressing doubts about Bush, the music they used was REALLY somber, as if to say, isn't this sad? Isn't it sad that we've come to this point that people are having doubts. My interpretation could be wrong here, but, when they finished playing the interviews, the soundtrack that was playing in my head was "Happy Days are (almost) Here Again" and "Don't Stop Thinking about Tomorrow."

It isn't bad to have doubts about Bush.

It would have been more appropriate to play music about trains or coal mines or something like that. But I definitely wasn't sad that people were doubting Bush.


http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1496987
Voters in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania - two hours from New York City and an hour from Philadelphia - talk about how they think President Bush is handling his job. NPR's Michele Norris reports.

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1496985
3
With the presidential election just a year away, President Bush finds himself in a tough position. His approval ratings have dropped from a high of 86 percent after the Sept. 11 tragedy to 50 percent today. To hear how citizens are thinking about the upcoming election, NPR's Michele Norris spoke with a range of voters in Lehigh County, Pa.

[Brucey]

1. Can someone explain NPR to me?

What the hell is going on there? Are they afraid of losing funding? Are they sucking up? Do they have new management? What is it?

[The Zanti Regent]

4. NPR = Nothing but Propaganda for Republicans

NPR has been owned lock stock and barrel by the GOP since 1980. All you hear from the newscasts is endless GOP propaganda.

They should be glad they pimped Joan Kroc out of 200 million. I wonder if Noah Adams did the Jimmy Swaggart thing when he was seducing her for the cash. It would have been a lot better for the country if Joan gave that bequest to FAIR instead of something as unfair as NPR!

[annak110]

2. National Corporate Radio has been like this for a long time

they turned back in the 80's when the government cut off public funds and Corporations started supporting them. Too bad, when it really was publicly funded they were able to be something besides shills for the rwnuts.

[Fla Dem]

3. " The bad news is apparently there are no Democrats in PA"

There was untilI moved to Florida 4 years ago. Seriously, They have a great Governor in Ed Rendall. In fact one of the last Democratic governors in a large state. Philly is pretty democratic, as is Steel town, bygones of of the big steel workers unions. But, a lot of rural Pa is right leaning. Fundamentalism is almost as rampant there as in the deep south. Explains strong support for ultra right winger Santorum.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi Fla Dem!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[DUreader]

5. It is pretty standard for PA , Two Dem Metro Areas

Sea of puke in between

[goobergunch]

8. The "T", as it is called

Carlos posted a GREAT thread on Pennsylvania in DU1 right around when I signed up. Working on a link...when I click the link in the DU1 GD archive, I get a totally different thread.

[DUreader]

6. Sidenote, NPR actually reported on W* protesters yesterday

I was shocked

[AP]

9. Watch how they spin Bush anti-war protests in Bush's favor in about 6 ...

...months. The total focus on Iraq does not help Dems long run, I bet.

From 1997-2000 NPR was TOTALLY obsessed with the economy. It was like a daily commercial trying to get people into the stock market. That made a lot of insiders a lot of money, and it made very few of the their listeners anywhere near as wealthy as it made those insiders, and it probably cost lots of listeners lots of money.

So, what happened? They don't care about the economy now? Oh, yeah. That wouldn't help Republicans and the insiders they enable make any money now. In fact, it would probably cost them the election.

Instead, now we're told that the only think we should think about is Iraq. What do you want to bet that that's not going to work out in Bush's favor? You think that the idea that national security (even poorly executed, but working national security) trumps economic malaise helps Democrats? It doesn't.

Let me write the script for you: WMDs found. A big terrorist attack somewhere in the world. Another invasion. They're bringing us down now, so they can bring us up next summer. The perception will be that things are getting better. They'll encourage protests, however, they'll do it in a way so that we get a '68/'72 scenario which lables Democrats as crazy anti-security, hippies. Maybe not all those things will happen. However, it's too obvious that some of those things will happen, and NPR is only trying to help W.

[Catholic Sensation]

7. when I lived in Bucks County, this is how the state was described by

a local paper in terms of its voting:

It's Massachusettes on the east and west, and Alabama in between. Thankfully the biggest concentration of people is on the east and west.

[dofus]

10. I don't understand it either,

but reports like that from the likes of NPR go a long way in keeping progressives and liberals feeling isolated, even wrong in our opinions.

I live in Johnson County, Kansas, and this morning attended a breakfast meeting of the Johnson County Democratic Party, and almost invariably the newcomers say things like, "I thought I was the only Democrat in the county." There were around 60 people there, and in truth, we're the tip of the iceberg. But we've all been intimidated, especially since 9/11 into not speaking up.

As the election cycle moves on, and even NPR continues behaving like just another media outlet for Republicans, it will make it that much easier for the election to be stolen, because we'll all have been convinced that we truly were in the minority.

It's scary.

[srpantalonas]

12. 400,000 more Democrats than Republicans in PA

But they are "Casey Democrats", who tend to be more conservative.

The Senate Race will go a long way toward determining who will win the presidential. Which is why I need your support! :) ;)

http://www.CrystleForSenate.com