What Is The Story Behind The Democratic Win In '06? (William Chirolas)

[Tace]

William Chirolas -- World News Trust

Nov. 10, 2006 -- Control of the narrative is what the right wing media do so well. We continue to get news story selection and slant that pushes the latest Republican National Committee handout that the media editors/producers have received.

Today the media were selling that the Dems won because they ran as Dem candidates folks who were really conservative Republicans. Seems that the Media are shocked to find out that the Democratic Party includes moderates, fiscal conservatives, war veterans, folks against abortion, gun owners, hunters, and a lot of voters who put family values ahead of all other issues. Did the media notice that the Democrats got one-third of the evangelical vote?

The media are also trying to sell the GOP's idea that Democratic party members will lose all future elections if they do things like oversight that reveals Bush and company's errors, corruption and incompetence (God forbid hearings develop proof of Bush law breaking and that leads to an impeachment resolution), or pass any of those laws that might help the non-rich or will result in a better planet being passed to our grandchildren.

There was even one GOP cheerleader who saw a positive result for the GOP because Santorum is now available for a seat on the Supreme Court! Another GOP cheerleader compared the result to 1986 and that election's loss of eight Senate seats by the GOP (to a 55-45 Dem majority) and a result in the House of a 258 Dems to 177 GOPers.

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http://www.worldnewstrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=582

[Lexingtonian]

1. that's too fussy

It's easier to look over the past 30 or so years (maybe going as far back as 1966) and consider it all a game of musical chairs. The demise of the FDR coalition of Democrats and formation of the Nixon coalition of Republicans in ~1968 started this present particular dynamic. Every midterm election (or so) plus the subsequent Presidential electon a different political bloc was given de facto control or ability to set the tone, generally via control of majorities or agenda in Congress, and its predecessor was knocked out from contention for the remaining duration of the era.

In 2002 and 2004 the last centrist bloc, the moderate Democrats, were knocked out. Only two viable political blocs were left at that point, the classical Right wing Republicans and the 'hardcore', i.e. liberal, Democrats. Obviously, the Right wing Republicans took power and the liberal Democrats were the the functional opposition. Both represent end portions of the political spectrum, so "polarization" and 'irreconcilable differences' were the political terms of their argument.

This election (2006) the pattern or process has continued, with the Right wing Republicans losing control. The 2008 election should complete their demise. No defeated bloc has been able to rally after its midterm catastrophe- moderate Republicans were wiped out further in 1992 after bad losses in 1990, conservative Democrats fell further in 1996 after their 1994 disaster, conservative Republicans lost more seats in 2000 after their debacle in 1998, and moderate Democrats couldn't hack it in 2004 after their crushing defeat in 2002.

The there wasn't room in the middle for the media, or anyone else, after the 2002 elections. Business reasons and defeatism and rationalizations ('this is a center-Right country') mad them easy marks for partisan Republicans.

What we're watching now is the media work its way through its rationalizations and a slow, incremental, realization that Right wing Republicans are a dying power bloc and their 'pull' on the political center is breaking down. Furthermore, RwRs are the last politically viable bloc of the Nixon coalition Republican Party, and with their demise that Party has the choice between long term inviability or its coalition (and thus its Nixonian selfdefinition) breaking up. Either way, they are fated to be the minority party during the next political era, just as they were during the FDR Democratic era and just as Democrats were during the Nixon Republican era.

Liberal Democrats are the presently ascendant political bloc. But it's a long journey for the media from conformity to Rightist views to acceptance, intelligent critique, and partial embrace of liberal worldview. It's painful to watch the 'mainstream media' chewing through the beliefs and recognition of realities, but it will be a substantial leftward shift (as if there were any other direction possible!). But one thing that will be compelling is that Republican polling numbers will continue to fall, and Republican 'ideas' and beliefs and conventions and good faith support will continue to disintegrate and become discredited. Their bleeding out will continue.

How long this political moment will last...well, the liberal bloc also has its limitations and The People only has limited uses for it. (I say that as member of it, of course.) The need to implement some liberal measures will still win things nationally for them in 2008- maybe even the Presidency. I'm quite sure, though, that in 2010 and 2012 it will also be out of favor and its particular job (setting fundamentals aright) done. But at that point the inviability of the Right except as a counterbalance will lead the center of political opinion in the country slip to what we call center-Left. "Progressives" will inherit power in the long term.

[papau]

2. I like your long term view better than my short term view - your post is well stated

But we disagree as to the corporate media. I do not recall major media being in FDR's corner the way current media is backing the GOP.

Plus along the path that you lay out - which seems quite plausible - there are specific laws to be passed that (1)that could gend up with a right wing slant via compromise with the right, or (2)veer left, or (3)just please the base with meaningless claptrap that is a cover for doing nothing. It is these immediate decisions that must be made by the party that I worry about.

Plus I want the narritive that the media is selling to reflect what I believe is the truth, and to not be a reprint of a GOP handout. Unfortunately I do not know how to accomplish in any other way besides getting wealthy liberals to buy media. Until we have the presidency, a fairness regulation - like the one Reagan killed by excutuve authority, later veto'ing a bill passed to restore fairness - is not likely to be adopted by regulation or by law - and the corporate media will continue to dump on progressives because that is what management wants them to be doing.