Question about C-SPAN:

[Nevernose]

I haven't watched C-SPAN in about a year, or at least not their morning call-in show (what's it called? Washington Journal?), although I read here that they were doing shows from FAUX headquarters last week.

Anyway, I'm watching this morning for twenty minutes or so, and EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN CALLER talked about Bush's godliness (one woman actually used the word "whoremonger" to describe Bill Clinton, and suggested that it was his obsession woth women that caused 9/11).

The Republicans on C-SPAN were always pretty weird, but I don't remember there being quite so many references to *'s "godliness." Is it like this with the Republican callers every morning now? If so, for how long? Is "brought God back into the White House" all they've got left?

[KoKo]

1. Yes, lots of "God Squad" callers whenever Bush starts to have a problem.

So many of the callers are so "out of it," I can't believe they actually watch C-Span at all. I think they are paid to make these calls. And, many of them seem to read from a script.....at least the ones who can get a straight sentence out.

It's depressing to listen to them.

[LibDemAlways]

2. The most extreme rightwing nutcases know they have a voice

on c-span, and they've been deluded into thinking the chimp gives a f*#% about religion. However, since their own warped brand of "Christianity" has nothing to do with the life or teachings of Jesus anyway, maybe in their eyes Bush - warmongering, greedy, evil bastard that he is - is their idea of "holy." The other morning some fundy whackjob railed on about how people on welfare should be left to "die in the street." I think this says it all.

[kodi]

3. the callers show a definite unity of rhetoric

and it is a reflection of the ability of the right to frame their messages in easy to understand terms.

[immoderate]

4. To get the real flavor of C-SPAN...

You have to watch a lot of it. They are as neutral as possible.

Yes they did a whole Journal from Faux, but they have done the same from Times, Post, WSJ, etc.

The phones are truly open, so they are not going to get Repug intellectuals. (There being relatively few of them and they have better things to do than hang on the phone.) These days, what can a winger say, except God likes GWB even if regular folks don't.

I always admire the way the C-SPAN moderators maintain their neutrality. They're frequently accused of having a bias by one side or the other. I believe that none of them can be right wingers, because the lines are truly open, and no winger could tolerate that.

That's why the press in general is perceived as being liberal, because the act of disseminating information to the public is a liberal function.

Yes the Republicans that call in are stupid. But C-SPAN philosophy is that if it is so, then the public in general is smart enough to see it. (Very Jeffersonian, I think.)

--IMM

[Catherine Vincent]

7. I agree 100% on your thoughts about C-Span.

They try very hard to be neutral.

[Cat Atomic]

5. They don't do this stuff for nothing, you know.

They're marketing to fundamentalists.





^^ They even got him tossing Bible signs here with that Trinity hand gesture.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. It's Happened More In The Last Year

As policy initiatives began to blow-up on him, the mantra changed. When he was basically caught lying about WMD, it changed even more. He's a "moral" man who believes in Jeebus. Hear that all the time now.

Somehow morality is not violated by lying, cheating, stabbing business partners in the back so they lose money and you don't, drinking, caruousing, using cocaine, quitting on the TANG. But, don't have an affair with an intern. That makes you immoral. Lying, cheating, stealing: No. Sex: Yes.

But the whole morality and god thing apropos Bush has gotten stronger and stronger in the last year. And you've properly analyzed it. It's all they've got.
The Professor