One of these days ...
... the Republicans will finally figure it out.
The GOP is much like the boxer in the old cartoon who gets the crap beat out of him by the referee before the fight as the ref demonstrates everything that is prohibited by the rules. Republicans act like they still haven't figured out where they keep getting all those bruises. After all, the Democrats haven't laid a glove on them! (Hint -- the MSM "ref" ain't non-partisan. In fact, he has a huge wad bet on the fight and his money's not on you.)
The cluelessness is especially bewildering because we know that the Bush White House has clearly identified the MSM as a partisan enemy. Journalism professor Jay Rosen at Pressthink has been expressing outrage for a while over the way that the White House stiff arms the press and over Bush's candid admission that he sees the press as a special interest which doesn't represent the American people. If Bush realizes that the press isn't his friend, who does he think is out there presenting his message to the people every day?
Republicans don't seem to realize that the news media's partisanship and bias hurts them the most in non-election years. During election campaigns, GOP candidates are running ads and GOP supporters are actively engaged in getting out the message. The power of the MSM to influence voters is blunted by the cacophony of voices competing in the public square. But when there are no campaigns, the MSM is the only voice in the square. (Or used to be. With the rise of the alternative news network, the MSM is not the only voice, simply the dominant one.) Note also, that the more subtle bias present in the "news" is far more persuasive than the blatant hit pieces the MSM produces during elections. The news media's slanted presentation of "stories" on Iraq and the economy in 1993 and early 1994 did far more to hurt George Bush's re-election bid than the more one-sided propaganda put out as the campaign heated up.
So when will they finally get smart enough to figure out that the campaign never ends --especially after they saw how Clinton taught the Democrats? Didn't the success of the response to HillaryCare teach anyone anything?
Lori Byrd wants to know why the GOP hasn't made a point of publicizing the egregious behavior of the Democrats in slandering and filibustering Bush's judicial nominees. She wishes someone would start a 527 to publicize the issue. She's absolutely right. But we shouldn't limit it to this issue.
Let's face it. The MSM isn't going to tell our side of the story. We have to pay to get our message on the television. That means 527s. Talk radio, blogs, internet sites, and e-mail networks all help, but if you want to influence someone whose only source for political news comes courtesy of Matt and Katie in the morning, you have to buy ad time. And you have to work hard to rally and coordinate the efforts of your friends in the alternative news network. Because many of them are still simply reactive to the agenda presented by the MSM.
The right needs to create a structure to mobilize on a regular basis to get the message out. Start fundraising right now. Form 527s. Treat each key issue like it is a political campaign. If we want tax cuts made permanent, social security reformed with personal accounts, judges confirmed, drilling in Alaska commenced, and other assorted legislative efforts to succeed, it isn't enough to win an election. We have to win the PR battles, as well.
And remember, the ref ain't our friend.
By the way, thanks to Betsy for pointing out Lorie's post.
The GOP is much like the boxer in the old cartoon who gets the crap beat out of him by the referee before the fight as the ref demonstrates everything that is prohibited by the rules. Republicans act like they still haven't figured out where they keep getting all those bruises. After all, the Democrats haven't laid a glove on them! (Hint -- the MSM "ref" ain't non-partisan. In fact, he has a huge wad bet on the fight and his money's not on you.)
The cluelessness is especially bewildering because we know that the Bush White House has clearly identified the MSM as a partisan enemy. Journalism professor Jay Rosen at Pressthink has been expressing outrage for a while over the way that the White House stiff arms the press and over Bush's candid admission that he sees the press as a special interest which doesn't represent the American people. If Bush realizes that the press isn't his friend, who does he think is out there presenting his message to the people every day?
Republicans don't seem to realize that the news media's partisanship and bias hurts them the most in non-election years. During election campaigns, GOP candidates are running ads and GOP supporters are actively engaged in getting out the message. The power of the MSM to influence voters is blunted by the cacophony of voices competing in the public square. But when there are no campaigns, the MSM is the only voice in the square. (Or used to be. With the rise of the alternative news network, the MSM is not the only voice, simply the dominant one.) Note also, that the more subtle bias present in the "news" is far more persuasive than the blatant hit pieces the MSM produces during elections. The news media's slanted presentation of "stories" on Iraq and the economy in 1993 and early 1994 did far more to hurt George Bush's re-election bid than the more one-sided propaganda put out as the campaign heated up.
So when will they finally get smart enough to figure out that the campaign never ends --especially after they saw how Clinton taught the Democrats? Didn't the success of the response to HillaryCare teach anyone anything?
Lori Byrd wants to know why the GOP hasn't made a point of publicizing the egregious behavior of the Democrats in slandering and filibustering Bush's judicial nominees. She wishes someone would start a 527 to publicize the issue. She's absolutely right. But we shouldn't limit it to this issue.
Let's face it. The MSM isn't going to tell our side of the story. We have to pay to get our message on the television. That means 527s. Talk radio, blogs, internet sites, and e-mail networks all help, but if you want to influence someone whose only source for political news comes courtesy of Matt and Katie in the morning, you have to buy ad time. And you have to work hard to rally and coordinate the efforts of your friends in the alternative news network. Because many of them are still simply reactive to the agenda presented by the MSM.
The right needs to create a structure to mobilize on a regular basis to get the message out. Start fundraising right now. Form 527s. Treat each key issue like it is a political campaign. If we want tax cuts made permanent, social security reformed with personal accounts, judges confirmed, drilling in Alaska commenced, and other assorted legislative efforts to succeed, it isn't enough to win an election. We have to win the PR battles, as well.
And remember, the ref ain't our friend.
By the way, thanks to Betsy for pointing out Lorie's post.
posted by Stan at 11:55 AM
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