The idiocy and heartlessness being peddled on RWNJ talk radio is unbelievable.

[highplainsdem]

I couldn't sleep last night, and I was switching between radio stations when I ran across RWNJ Bill Cunningham's talk show, which I'd never listened to before. He was talking to a woman complaining about the lockdown, and she said there were several hundred thousand people in her county and there'd been only a few COVID-19 deaths. She added that the people were between the ages of 74 and 93. Neither she nor Cunningham seemed to think the elderly dying mattered. Cunningham even said something like, "So the youngster was 74?" -- as if it was a joke for anyone to care about a 74-year-old dying.

It apparently never occurred to either of them that their hero, Trump, will be 74 soon.

Cunningham then did an interview with another RWNJ talk show host, Wayne Allyn Root.

I heard COVID-19 compared to the flu.

I heard the suggestion that doctors are falsely describing deaths as being from COVID-19 rather than other causes because the payment from the government will be higher. (This is one conspiracy theory I hadn't run across before.)

I heard that the only real problem in the US was from a few counties in the NYC area, and there were no serious problems elsewhere.

I heard them lament that Americans are being told to stay safe when this country was built by risk takers who faced, for instance, attacks by Native Americans as they traveled west. So people ignoring lockdown orders will be comparable to pioneers taking risks.

I heard them say that probably most people can get back to life as it used to be, with only those at risk having to stay at home and take other precautions -- the elderly, those with other health problems, the obese...and then whichever of those RWNJs said that cut off quickly, probably realizing how many Americans, including how many of their listeners, fit that last description.

What I did NOT hear was any concern for health care workers, first responders and others in the front line who would be even more at risk.

Or any concern for the elderly or others who would be at increased risk. Including the minorities and the poor who are being impacted more already.

Or any recognition of the fact that reopening too soon won't help the ecoomy if people don't suddenly flock to those restaurants, bars and stores, so jobs will be lost anyway, along with more lives lost.

I heard nothing but egotism -- the grandiose comparison to the pioneers -- and lack of compassion.

And this sort of garbage is being peddled across the country, with people hearing it at all hours of the day and night.

It isn't just Trump's insane press briefings (which Cunningham said he admired) or the propaganda spewed on Fox News. On some radio stations, this sort of crap is being promoted almost 24/7.

[Squidly]

1. Thats one of the conspiracy theories floating around facebook lately

That they are taking any death and attributing it to covid-19 in order to inflate the death count. These people are whacked.

[highplainsdem]

3. I'd heard the conspiracy theory that doctors were inflating the COVID-19 death count. But this

was the first time I'd heard they were supposedly doing so for financial reasons, for higher payments from Medicare and Medicaid.

[highplainsdem]

6. Adding another reply because I just googled this and discovered a Snopes page saying this nonsense

about the financial incentive got started on Laura Ingraham's show 11 days ago, with the source of the conspiracy theory then Dr. Scott Jensen, a Minnesota state senator (Republican, of course):

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/medicare-hospitals-covid-patients/

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Yes. Basically hospitals get reimbursed for treatments regardless of cause or assignment. . . . nt

[Windy City Charlie]

13. I've even heard

I've even heard a few say just as many people are dying due to the economic shutdown (suicide, stress, etc.) than there is of COVID-19 itself, but that the economic shutdown deaths are being counted as COVID-19 deaths. There's no basis for what they're saying, other than trying to find any justification whatsoever to re-open things. Just when I think I've heard of the wildest conspiracy theory, another one comes along!

[yellowdogintexas]

33. how are they going to know? Stress would not be listed as cause of death

nor money problems and for the most part suicide.

I am the daughter of a suicide, and I have a certain radar for suicide as reported in paper etc. It is in the language of the death notice, or a comment, certain phrases. In a normal, (non celebrity) death notice you just don't see it phrased openly. Sometimes when I read them I just KNOW. For example, cause of death on a death certificate would be GSW (gun shot Wound) but not self inflicted GSW

SO how are they going to know. That would require too much research for this crowd.

Besides, the numbers we are seeing in COVID are far higher than one would expect from other causes of death

I could be wrong but this is just what I think

[Codeine]

17. A coworker was telling me that the other day.

I just shined him on; he’s already a Q person, so it’s best to just quietly move along without engaging.

[abqtommy]

2. reTHUG messaging is nothing new. But it's even more apparent now that their end game is

total destruction, even their own. We have to beat them down any way we can...

[highplainsdem]

11. I usually try to avoid it. This program caught my attention because of the complete lack of concern

for older people who might die of COVID-19.

Btw, I just googled Cunningham and discovered he's 72, only two years younger than the person whose death he seemed to be mocking.

[certainot]

32. thanks for this diary. limbaugh is kingpin for these lying putin tools and if you want to

get a flavor of what they're all selling just turn that on once in a while.

it started as a hoax designed to bring down trump and force socialist big gov solutions.....

after limbauagh got back from a 2 week cancer treatment it was clear it wasn't a hoax and they just pivoted to cherrypicking and regurgitating stories at high unchallenged volume - for instance a story that a GOP or russian think tanks might put out or even a valid research paper they can take out of context.

a paper explaining how covid attacks weakend organs means it wasn't covid that killed them - they died of 'preexisting conditions' etc - like old age - so the death rates are exaggerated

when a well-used RW hack gets something published suggesting the reason CA has done so 'well' rel to NY is that it was around in CA before anyone noticed so the 'herd mentality' was working for them and so we just need to ignore it get back to work and let it happen - ignoring the density differences, that NY was getting euro traffic, and the impact on elderly and health care etc

and they get to pump this crap out all day on 1500 radio stations and get calls from who knows where and most of it is unchallenged or fact checked or given context

the local blowhards here are asking why can't a lot more businesses be opened if peoplle social distance, ignoring the impact of all that extra activity and interaction, etc

right now in NM the local blowhards are attacking the dem gov for not firing a spokesman who called their calls to open business prematurely a death cult. the shits who want to sacrifice people for business are outraged!

all those stations depend on advertisers that should be recognized and publlicized for their part in helping trump delay action and get more people killed -- and at least 260 of those limbaugh stations depend on 87 universities (fakenewsradio.org) that also need shaming

[PatSeg]

19. Yes, reTHUG messaging is nothing new

but I don't think it has ever been this dangerous. They aren't only hurting the people who disagree with them, they are hurting themselves. They've been playing these stupid political games for so long, they don't know how to quit, even if it kills them.

[Takket]

4. At what age does someone dying not matter anymore?

That’s what I would ask these scumbags

[JHB]

9. About the time the umbilical cord is cut.

[flying_wahini]

25. Touch!

[Maru Kitteh]

34. THIS.

[Renew Deal]

5. Conservatism's founding principle is selfishness

Idiocy and heartlessness are a badge of honor. It’s hard to have conservative ideology without selfishness, idiocy, and heartlessness because there is no room for reason. Let them have their protests and deal with whatever comes out of it.

[DBoon]

12. Selfishness is a virtue, altruism the ultmate evil

[HAB911]

7. Mental illness

IMHO

[GoCubsGo]

8. It's not unbelievable at all.

They have been peddling this kind of lies and propaganda for decades. This is standard operating procedure. It's how we got here in the first place. These are all the same assholes who lionized George Bush and the military, and encouraged everyone else to be a "hero" and go fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, while they sat home on their asses. This is nothing new.

[CrispyQ]

10. Ignoring hate radio is the stupidest thing our side ever did

and we still do.

[ooky]

21. +1

[dalton99a]

29. +1

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. "false cause" theory is easily nixed by telling people that excess obits & excess deaths don't lie

Direct people to search on "excess deaths" in NYC & Lombardy, etc.

10 pages of obituaries in Boston newspapers.

[Progressive Jones]

16. The majority of right wingers are arrogant idiots. Know-it-alls who know very little. nt

[machoneman]

18. Well, a silver lining to all their lies is the falloff, big time in Republiscum voters. Cruel you...

...say? It's not crueler than all the shit pitched our way where only blue states have COVID-19, where do Democrats get off on telling us what to do. Death threats for folks like Dr. Fauci.

Yeah, let the asylum patients run free I say. Unchain those poor devils and let they shop at their guns stores and old gas station porn shops. Let mom take the kids to jam-packed parks and pools.

Just keep those assholes away from me until they die. And even then, I won't shed a tear for their insane hatred of science, all things Democratic, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, former Vice-President Biden, SOS Hillary Rodham Clinton and far more REAL AMERICAN LEADERS!

[IronLionZion]

20. People are severely underestimating the underlying conditions Americans have

Tons of Americans have heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, respiratory conditions, etc. that they might not even have diagnosed if they don't regularly get screenings or have health insurance. A Trumpster I know is constantly claiming socialists are ruining the economy to hurt Trump and we should all go back to work and open everything back up. Obesity runs in his family and both his parents died in their 50s. Seems suicidal. He's another one who claims they shouldn't count COVID deaths if there are underlying conditions.

It's a dangerous game to assume it will only impact other people.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. Please, it's hate radio driven by acute paranoia and resentment at anyone who gets ahead of them

These people are very sick indeed

[Bengus81]

23. Yep and Obama wasn't born in America, and Hillary had kiddies in a Pizza restaurant basement

Gosh who didn't see that "over reporting" RW theory coming?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

24. Highplains, do you have the call sign of that radio station?

Time to call or write with a complaint to station management.....


Do you remember any of the ads that ran during that show?.....

[rurallib]

28. FWIW I believe Cunningham is a longtime staple on WLW-AM in Cincinnati

WLW is one of the 50,000 watt night time radio stations that can be picked across most of the country. He msy br pickrd up by other stations.

BTW Cunningham is 72 years old. I ran across this scum long ago.

[AtheistCrusader]

26. As settlers 'moved' west stealing land, and wiping out livestock etc..

Yeah, those poor yet plucky wayward pioneers.

[Politicub]

27. Conspiracy mongering has life-or-death consequences, and alt-right outlets are responsible.

And Trump is culpable, too. We know that the virus is highly contagious. We know it is deadly. It's absurd that right-wing media spreads disinformation about it. But the only reason why they get away with it is that their audience is watching with mouths open to be filled with lies.

[cstanleytech]

30. A manager at a Food Lion in my area insisted the virus was only in China

and that it was contained last week.
That is how stupid some people are.

[Richard58]

31. He's your typical right-wing host.

I had heard Bill Cunningham before when I came across his radio show while doing interstate traveling. He was as loathsome then as he is now. I ended up switching channels because I couldn't take his stupid, hateful BS. (He was ranting about Obama being a Muslim Kenyan.)
I have watched clips on Rightwingwatch.org regarding comments being made by talk radio nutjobs. They are all like Cunningham, beating their chests and saying America was built on taking risks and that we are all acting like cowards by staying indoors. They tell their brain-dead listeners to DEMAND that they be allowed to go back to work. Oh sure some people will die but people die all the time. Then they usually start talking about how many Americans die in car accidents, or with the flu or in military conflicts, etc so what's the big deal if 100,000 people die? Gotta get that economy going!
These people are heartless monsters. And for them to use patriotism as a reason to go back to work is inexcusable. What's funny is that their audience is made up of mostly elderly people and they are saying they should just die for the good of the country.

[cynical_idealist]

35. Garbage in, garbage out

So many people basing their world view on bad data.