Rove "attacked the media as a way of working the refs" (GOP threatened)

[ProSense]

(July 30, 2006 -- 06:35 PM EDT)

Karl Rove, media critic, political scientist, and staunch democrat (small "d"):

Snip...

It's not necessary to parse the substance of Rove's fatuous comments. We all know how preposterous any of this is coming from Rove. And it's certainly not the first time the GOP has attacked the media as a way of working the refs, which is exactly the purpose of those particular remarks.

But I am struck by Rove's remarks as another example, among many in recent months, that most of the reliable campaign themes the Republicans have employed in the last two decades are no longer viable. National security policy is in a shambles, the federal budget is a wreck, and the GOP's reputation for bringing mature and competent managers to government may take a generation to rebuild. Thematically, only social issues still resonate. That leaves the GOP with two main tactical weapons: demonizing opponents personally and shooting the messenger.

Over the next four months, we will see blistering negative attacks on Democrats of a ferocity and corrosiveness that will make Swift Boats look like the Love Boat. And we will see a continuation of what started in the spring, an unprecedented attack on journalists and journalism, using not only the rhetorical flourishes favored by Rove, but the powers of the state via investigations, subpoenas, and the invocation of state secrets.

Snip...

The vigor with which the GOP has attacked journalism in recent months is a reliable indicator of what conservatives see as the greatest threat to their power (and if journalism is the greatest threat, that's a sure sign that other democratic institutions have withered). The Administration has attacked then investigated journalists for disclosing illegal government activities, some authorized by the President. It has suggested that journalists play into the hands of terrorists by reporting on the strife in Iraq. And 24 hours a day, conservatives' Fox News makes a mockery of journalism.

more...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/009247.php

[bleever]

1. Demonize opponents, and shoot the messengers.

JMM is right IMO when he predicts they'll lean almost exclusively on these, and to new levels of stridency, as we approach November.

[Patsy Stone]

2. Why isn't this called Fascism?

Why isn't control of the media seen as the last hurdle they must overcome in order to be in complete and total control?

Also, ya gotta love this from the original CNN article: "Rove told about 100 graduates trained to be political operatives that they should respect the instincts of the American voter."

Riiight. Because that's exactly what they do by manipulating the votes to reflect the exact opposite of the right instincts.

:hi:

[SlavesandBulldozers]

3. when you think about it, though, he's right.

notice - respect the instincts, not the intellect. shoot for the base reptilian mind to motivate the reactionaries and the genuinely ignorant- then manipulate the votes to shave the numbers to a suitable level.

[bleever]

5. Good point. "Instincts" as code word for

the reflexes of the reptile brain. Fight or flight.

Nuance and reasoning are for losers.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

7. yep.

gotta hand it to Rove, and I know its been said before, but he knows his audience. well.

[blm]

4. They've been doing this for decades even as they've bought control over

most broadcast media.

[welshTerrier2]

6. media motivation: profit or truth?

you're always dead on the money in your observations and criticisms of the MSM ... the question is, what changes should we push for?

for starters, we simply cannot allow the kind of massive centralized control of our media we currently have ... i'm told that all major media outlets are owned by only five (some say six) corporations ... obviously, that's insane and we cannot allow this situation to continue ...

but even beyond "break ups" and even beyond the restoring of the Fairness Doctrine, we still face a major problem ...

let's accept as a given that an ill-informed populace, armed with the right to vote, is little more than dangerous prey to power hungry madmen skilled in the methods of propaganda and media manipulation ... let's also accept the fact that far too many of us get all our "news" from the TV ...

we have a problem in this country because the mega-corporations, and even most of the smaller ones, that control a very high percentage of news that gets disbursed set as their highest objective the acquisition of profits for their shareholders ... while some might make a good case that their greatest allegiance is to the right-wing agenda and corporate control of our "democratic" institutions, i still believe most of them can be "bought for a buck" ... plain and simple, they're out for money ...

and so, what's to be done about this sad state of affairs ... when profits are the goal, the truth always takes a beating ... the expression in the news business is "if it bleeds, it leads" ... we cannot afford the damage that these "profits first newspeople" are doing to our democracy ...

it seems to me, short of looking at pure socialism, that we need to mandate "free time" to alternative views ... we need to subsidize organizations and individuals who bring less mainstream ideas to light ... basically, we need to level the playing field ...

watching the MSM cheerlead for bush as he led the nation into the horrors in Iraq should never have happened and should never be allowed to happen again ... if Americans remain badly uninformed, we will inevitably suffer badly from the results of the misguided lunatics we far too willingly put in office ... if we care about having a real democracy and any kind of future, radical reform of our MSM should be among our highest priorities ...