"The rest of the White House press corps and cable TV news outlets habitually repeat GOP talking points on energy, even as reliable print media debunks them. Headlines such as “GOP blames Biden for gas prices after pushing for Russian oil ban” on ABC News’s website serve to amplify false claims. Politico’s “Biden blames Putin for inflation. GOP blames Biden.” might be the perfect distillation of both sidesism. " - Jennifer Rubin, 'TV News Amplifies The GOP's false claims about gas prices', Washington Post, Sunday March 13
In one nutshell column, WaPo writer Jennifer Rubin nails how it is the Right succeeds in appearing to be "smarter" than the progressive left. This follows a Sunday Denver Post piece dealing with a new podcast, 'Know Your Enemy' which bills itself as the "leftist's guide to the conservative movement." Therein, one reads an "answer to young progressives" - from NY Times former book review editor Sam Tanenhaus - to explain why the "right keeps on winning". In Sam's opinion (ibid.):
"Don't just see the right as the enemy! See them as brilliant- and maybe smarter than you are!"
Uh, no, Sammy, afraid not. See e.g.
Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice | Live Science
And this excerpt:
There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.. The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice.
So the right isn't "smarter" - not by a long shot - they're nearly all blowhards, as Janice put it, and: "just more shameless and unprincipled about lying and exploiting the ignorance and gullibility of too many lazy Americans". Ouch! But she's right. So is Jennifer Rubin who, in her column, detailed all the ways the TV media acts as unwitting (or maybe witting) spreaders of the Right's worst lies and mind viruses- especially regarding news items that ought to be common sense or common knowledge.
Take the recent polling asking Americans about whether a 'No fly' zone should be established by NATO over Ukraine. A full 59 percent said 'yes' and only 38 percent 'no'. This in a question that is emphatically not Einstein- level or caliber. Any dimwit, in other words, ought to know if such a zone were established it would mean shooting down Russian jets, which in turn would translate into a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia. But nearly 3 out of 5 Americans disclosed themselves as not even operating at room temperature digits IQ when they responded. This is serious. The same set of dumpkins and Trumpkins are allowing the Right to succeed merely because they are too gullible in swallowing their lies which Ms. Rubin has documented, e.g.
"Unsurprisingly, the most egregious examples of the media regurgitating right-wing talking points on gas prices often come from Fox News. White House reporter Peter Doocy has parroted oil industry talking points at White House briefings and insinuated that the administration is being dishonest about the cause of inflation. It’s increasingly obvious to those outside the right-wing bubble that the “news” side of Fox often serves as a content provider for the MAGA propaganda machine...
And NBC’s “Republicans cheer Russian oil ban and jeer Biden for rising gas prices” epitomizes coverage that treats the topic as a contest of partisan claims. We know Republicans’ claims are untrue. The Post’s fact-checker Glenn Kessler awarded four Pinocchios to an ad from former vice president Mike Pence that “tries to make two distinct statements — Biden canceled the Keystone pipeline and Russian imports of oil reached a high under Biden — but it does so in a way that virtually all viewers are going to think the two are connected.
Likewise, the New
York Times found that GOP claims blaming the Biden
administration for rising energy prices were “misleading.” The report
confirmed, “The primary reason for rising gas prices over
the past year is the coronavirus pandemic and its
disruptions to global supply and demand.” The pandemic brought the economy to a
halt, reduced energy demand and slowed production; when demand popped back,
supply was low and prices increased.
Moreover, the administration has not reduced domestic production since the Trump administration. The country became a net exporter of petroleum in 2020, the first time since at least 1949. That remained the case in 2021. It became a net exporter of natural gas in 2018 and remains so today, with exports reaching record levels in 2021.”
As for the
administration’s cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline, another go-to GOP
attack, our imports from Canada increased 70 percent without it. And when it
comes to federal oil lease permits, “the Biden administration actually approved
34 percent more of these permits than the Trump administration did in its first
year.”
Wow! That's a lot to take in but try to. It's important because it clearly shows how the electronic media aids and abets the Right's false messaging and thereby undermines the truth, and the progressives' own narratives. Why does the Right keep winning? Because most of the electronic media allows them to by not holding them to rigorous account and fact -checking.
Why are there so many American "idiots" as Janice constantly puts it? Is it their education that's wanting? Their IQ too low, or ability to learn? Or just plain laziness and opting for TV canned news over reading print media (where Rubin notes the lies are more often 'debunked' - and that media is more reliable). Janice believes it's mostly low IQ and monumental ignorance on account of it. I suspect it's more likely all of the above, but I come down (with her) more on lower IQ and lack of common sense for today's lot of pseudo-citizens.
In terms of Tanenhaus' claim of the Right's brilliance and "being smarter" than progressives , Ms. Rubin's column exposes that as errant twaddle on its face. Brilliance, the real, genuine article, occurs when one displays exceptional creativity in an endeavor. But the Right has to depend (cynically) on the lies of its main ideological sewers like FOX - and their uncritical adoption by secondary sources to regurgitate them to unthinking, lower -level dolts. That isn't "brilliance" it's blatant exploitation of dummies and ignoramuses.
All of this has led me now to conclude none of the existing polling which shows major negatives for Biden or his actions - whether on the pandemic, inflation or Ukraine - can be trusted. They all issue from the same sea of ignorance and gross stupidity and gullibility. Like the appropriateness of having a NO fly zone over Ukraine. (The stupidity exemplified by one enclave of Reddit - reacting to viewing the clip of nuclear bombing from the movie 'Threads' e.g.
Threads (1984) - Bombing Scene - YouTube
E.g. "Looka ET being burned to a crisp!".
That was a child, you blithering idiots, not "ET"! But this encapsulates why we have such piss poor polling now on Biden's 'No fly' zone response: the fact the Reddit morons can't even discern the reality of a H-bomb's thermal effects from fantasy. And have no concept of "mutually assured destruction". Again, an ignorance of Cold War history coupled with an inability to think or process information. Let us hope none of these bozos vote!
By contrast, it was a joy to read about Victoria Hammett on Tik Tok (WSJ yesterday, p. A7, ‘Tik Tok Stars Join Information War’) who put up a roughly 30-second post arguing that imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine risks escalating the conflict. She was 100% correct and her input was sorely needed in a social media environment too often governed by idiocy and emotions. (Like the Reddit crew displayed) The WSJ piece adding: “Ms. Hammett was one of about 30 social-media creators who joined the remote briefing. It was perhaps the starkest example yet of how the fight to control the narrative about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is playing out across social media.”
But how many will take Victoria Hammett's contribution seriously? They should! Also this WSJ letter segment (today) directed at a higher level idiot, Joe Liebermann,
But the tidal wave of disinfo and bollocks over the 'No Fly' zone is easily matched by the dross and crappola spouted about energy inadequacy and the cause of inflation - which Biden and progressives are also getting blamed for. (I.e. because of the $1.9 trillion infusion from the American Rescue Plan). This latter again is exploited by the Right which plays upon American dummies' vast ignorance, i.e. the inflation is a result of international supply chain breakdowns in tandem with pandemic -fed demand of limited supplies.
Bear in mind, finally, that if the Right does win the ultimate prize - both houses of congress in the midterms - this country is headed for perdition on a scale not seen since the Civil War. The nation will basically be delivered into the hands of incompetent obstructionists, liars and traitors who's only goal was always to obtain power, but never to wield it wisely for the general welfare. Do Americans really wants 'x' years of these assholes conducting 'y' bogus impeachments and House, Senate hearings on a scale that rivals the Benghazi fiasco back in 2015? Especially in a parlous global environment with attendant bad actors all around, including Putin's Russia?
Think about that! The greatest travesty (and tragedy) of all would be blindly and stupidly voting a hare-brained, narcissistic demagogue and traitor back into the Oval office. An orange maggot who had presided over a cesspool - inciting insurrection, denouncing the press as 'enemies of the people' and spreading the 'Big lie' to undermine our electoral system.
See Also:
by Alex Henderson | March 15, 2022 - 7:16am | permalink
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And:
by Robert Becker | March 14, 2022 - 6:06am | permalink
Modern presidents divide between grinders and actor/celebrity performers — handwriting on the wall?
Excerpt:
The puzzler I raise today: what does Biden’s curious 25% popularity falloff say about him, those polled, the presidency, and the world? Something lurched with surprising suddenness, but not the ever-predictable, right-leaning centrist: he governs as he campaigned, cautiously as the iconic, modest moderate. He remains loyal to getting things done (however compromised), talking up bipartisanship (a pipe dream), climate change as challenge (but not looming catastrophe, say, like Ukraine), even that negotiation, reality and reason still matter (increasingly in doubt).
Disturbingly more than ever, politics comes down to performance and misdirection, even magical thinking, thanks to dirty money, incessant media propaganda, and entombed electorates. Our best contemporary minds lust after treasure and private power, not public office. Along comes Biden (his policy and values aside) with more hands on federal experience and leadership chops than the last five presidents. Whatever, his electoral popularity cleaves like melting glaciers. If not Biden in charge, then who should rule today – McConnell, McCarthy, Trump? A GOP House?
And:
by William Rivers Pitt | March 19, 2022 - 7:57am | permalink
And:
by Amanda Marcotte | March 19, 2022 - 7:44am | permalink
by Meaghan Ellis | March 12, 2022 - 8:21am | permalink
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