where did the "right" lose its way?

[06wildcat]

It seems to me as though some have taken the outcome of the election as license to talk about all the things they hate about FOX News type stuff.  I have no idea what the FOX News type stuff has to do with any dumbasses that run the Republican party/campaign.  Even more, though, I'm not willing to take the further leap in logic to  that the Democratic party/campaign is relatively free of the very same sorts of dumbasses.  But the most enjoyable part, for me, is how one can berate a group for failing to be rigorous while oneself blatantly fails to be rigorous in doing so.  I suppose if one is going to do that, one might as well do it in a self-righteous way like they do.

The difference in the two parties is that one party has used their entertainers to shape their platform and divide the party.  When Chris Matthews and John Stewart start to influence policy then and divides the party then we can talk similarities.

How did the Rupublican party use its entertainers in its campaign strategy?  Why did doing so cost them the election?  In your answers, be as rigorous as Rachel Maddow expects whoever it is she's attacking to be.

Fox News was wall-to-wall Benghazi since the attack. It seemed like a sure winner, an attack on an American embassy that left four Americans dead with a muddled response from the president. Fox News made it their story of the election. So Fox News viewers though that Benghazi story was the story that would bring Obama down. Rightwing radio picked up on it and pretty soon all Republicans were certain Obama would lose the election due to his failings in handling Benghazi.

The only problem is, for everyone else in the world, they don't care about Benghazi or the fact that four Americans died there. The only reason Republicans cared to begin with is it was a way to make Obama look bad. Those who don't watch/listen to Fox/talk radio, aren't going to be influenced by something that happened nearly two months before the election in a country they couldn't point out on a map.

[Cire]

It seems to me as though some have taken the outcome of the election as license to talk about all the things they hate about FOX News type stuff.  I have no idea what the FOX News type stuff has to do with any dumbasses that run the Republican party/campaign.  Even more, though, I'm not willing to take the further leap in logic to  that the Democratic party/campaign is relatively free of the very same sorts of dumbasses.  But the most enjoyable part, for me, is how one can berate a group for failing to be rigorous while oneself blatantly fails to be rigorous in doing so.  I suppose if one is going to do that, one might as well do it in a self-righteous way like they do.

The difference in the two parties is that one party has used their entertainers to shape their platform and divide the party.  When Chris Matthews and John Stewart start to influence policy then and divides the party then we can talk similarities.

How did the Rupublican party use its entertainers in its campaign strategy?  Why did doing so cost them the election?  In your answers, be as rigorous as Rachel Maddow expects whoever it is she's attacking to be.

Fox News was wall-to-wall Benghazi since the attack. It seemed like a sure winner, an attack on an American embassy that left four Americans dead with a muddled response from the president. Fox News made it their story of the election. So Fox News viewers though that Benghazi story was the story that would bring Obama down. Rightwing radio picked up on it and pretty soon all Republicans were certain Obama would lose the election due to his failings in handling Benghazi.

The only problem is, for everyone else in the world, they don't care about Benghazi or the fact that four Americans died there. The only reason Republicans cared to begin with is it was a way to make Obama look bad. Those who don't watch/listen to Fox/talk radio, aren't going to be influenced by something that happened nearly two months before the election in a country they couldn't point out on a map.

that's a good point, sean hannity thinks a crime was committed by the president and there was a full scale government cover up.

[sys]

Fox News was wall-to-wall Benghazi since the attack. It seemed like a sure winner, an attack on an American embassy that left four Americans dead with a muddled response from the president.

only to complete retards.  attacks on americans almost always provide a political benefit to an incumbent president.  they were playing with fire, and if they didn't know it, they were incredibly stupid.

[theKSU]

If you watch the Republican Primaries, and the candidates they selected, you will see how Fox News and Rush Limbaugh drive what happens in that party. It's part of a long-term strategy devised in Think Tanks in Washington since the 70s to further the right-wing agenda using propaganda. They lost a lot of money supporting talk radio, until their message began to monopolize the airwaves.

Talk in the '80s was very different--it was reasonable discussion of issues before Reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine. Now the more extreme the hosts are, the higher the ratings. I hate David Sirota just as much as Sean Hannity btw. They're all off the deep end. Alan Colmes is okay--he's mostly logical and fields calls from southerners foaming at the mouth all night.

Fox News is just an arm of the Republican Party. it's hard to watch and not come to that conclusion, especially after Karl Rove's meltdown on Tuesday night.

[felix rex]

If you watch the Republican Primaries, and the candidates they selected, you will see how Fox News and Rush Limbaugh drive what happens in that party. It's part of a long-term strategy devised in Think Tanks in Washington since the 70s to further the right-wing agenda using propaganda. They lost a lot of money supporting talk radio, until their message began to monopolize the airwaves.

Talk in the '80s was very different--it was reasonable discussion of issues before Reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine. Now the more extreme the hosts are, the higher the ratings. I hate David Sirota just as much as Sean Hannity btw. They're all off the deep end. Alan Colmes is okay--he's mostly logical and fields calls from southerners foaming at the mouth all night.

Fox News is just an arm of the Republican Party. it's hard to watch and not come to that conclusion, especially after Karl Rove's meltdown on Tuesday night.

Yeah probably

[Panjandrum]

Fox News was wall-to-wall Benghazi since the attack. It seemed like a sure winner, an attack on an American embassy that left four Americans dead with a muddled response from the president.

only to complete retards.  attacks on americans almost always provide a political benefit to an incumbent president.  they were playing with fire, and if they didn't know it, they were incredibly stupid.

Given their presidential candidate pool and who they ultimately chose, I think a more appropriate word would have been desperate.

You've got Romney just openly flip flopping all over the place, talking about Jeeps in China, and Fox is hammering people about Benghazi because they're just throwing haymakers all over the place hoping one would land.

All the while, Obama and his team are using their master database to figure out who to target for turnout.

The administration of this beat down was almost clinical.

[Cire]

I wonder what % of voting pubs watch fox news regularly?  My dad is a prime right leaning moderate.  Hates Clinton, probably voted Bush, Dole, Bush, Bush, Mccain, Romney.  socially pretty liberal IMO for a pub, could give a rats ass about gay marriage (would be in favor of it if you asked)  Social issues aren't issues for him and a president.

Fiscally extremely conservative but not tea party.

Is he the norm or the exception?

[sys]

I wonder what % of voting pubs watch fox news regularly?  My dad is a prime right leaning moderate.  Hates Clinton, probably voted Bush, Dole, Bush, Bush, Mccain, Romney.  socially pretty liberal IMO for a pub, could give a rats ass about gay marriage (would be in favor of it if you asked)  Social issues aren't issues for him and a president.

Fiscally extremely conservative but not tea party.

Is he the norm or the exception?

extremely fiscally conservative and doesn't give a rat's ass about socially issues isn't a right leaning moderate, cire.  that's a hardline 'pub.

[Cire]

I wonder what % of voting pubs watch fox news regularly?  My dad is a prime right leaning moderate.  Hates Clinton, probably voted Bush, Dole, Bush, Bush, Mccain, Romney.  socially pretty liberal IMO for a pub, could give a rats ass about gay marriage (would be in favor of it if you asked)  Social issues aren't issues for him and a president.

Fiscally extremely conservative but not tea party.

Is he the norm or the exception?

extremely fiscally conservative and doesn't give a rat's ass about socially issues isn't a right leaning moderate, cire.  that's a hardline 'pub.

[Cire]

he's also not crazy religious, methodist.

[sys]

he's also not crazy religious, methodist.

hey!  my family is methodist.  my dad's basically a communist though.

[Cire]

he's also not crazy religious, methodist.

hey!  my family is methodist.  my dad's basically a communist though.

pretty wide range in the church that i don't go to very often.

[theKSU]

My Dad is a Rush Limbaugh catholic. My Mom used to be a Republican because of abortion, but she realized they're just trying to eff everyone she's helped in her life as a teacher in KCK. Think she went Obama.

[06wildcat]

I wonder what % of voting pubs watch fox news regularly?  My dad is a prime right leaning moderate.  Hates Clinton, probably voted Bush, Dole, Bush, Bush, Mccain, Romney.  socially pretty liberal IMO for a pub, could give a rats ass about gay marriage (would be in favor of it if you asked)  Social issues aren't issues for him and a president.

Fiscally extremely conservative but not tea party.

Is he the norm or the exception?

extremely fiscally conservative and doesn't give a rat's ass about socially issues isn't a right leaning moderate, cire.  that's a hardline 'pub.

Hardline might be a bit much. Def. a Goldwater pub...which is the best kind btw.

And yes, if you're a GWP, you simply vote for the guy the fundies have selected and go with it hoping he's not too fundie himself.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Everything that happened in this election is a mirror image of the 2004 election, but instead of one media outlet blasting the incumbent with straw men, it was the main stream media doing it. Nothing to see here. Incumbents are hard to beat.

[06wildcat]

Everything that happened in this election is a mirror image of the 2004 election, but instead of one media outlet blasting the incumbent with straw men, it was the main stream media doing it. Nothing to see here. Incumbents are hard to beat.

The Republicans' structural issues are much, much more daunting than anything the Democrats faced after 2004. That's not to say a similar turn around isn't possible, it's just not as likely, with regards to presidential elections. Thanks to gerrymandering, the House will probably remain with Republicans through 2020.

[p1k3]

Everything that happened in this election is a mirror image of the 2004 election, but instead of one media outlet blasting the incumbent with straw men, it was the main stream media doing it. Nothing to see here. Incumbents are hard to beat.

The Republicans' structural issues are much, much more daunting than anything the Democrats faced after 2004. That's not to say a similar turn around isn't possible, it's just not as likely, with regards to presidential elections. Thanks to gerrymandering, the House will probably remain with Republicans through 2020.

The Republicans really put all their eggs in one basket this time. Changed the party rules to scare and intimidate Libertarians and Independents in order to prop up Him. That will be hard to recover from

[OregonSmock]

Do you guys think Fox News is partially responsible for the right's collapse?

Yes.  Their brain chemistry is literally changing due to outlets like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.  Human beings are an optimistic species, and so we love it when people tell us what we want to hear.  The problem for the right wing is that the majority of the information that they ingest is filled with lies.  When you start to believe a lie, it becomes a "fact," and that's when things get scary.

[Cire]

Bill Maher always says people are better off watching no news than fox News