2 reasons we will lose on Nov. 7: Right-wing radio and corporate-controlled media

[Francine Frensky]

As long as right-wing radio is allowed to spread lies and innuendo 24/7, we will keep losing elections. Period. It's a very simple formula for the republicans right now: say something half-true or flat-out dishonest, repeat, repeat, repeat, and just like that, they have brainwashed millions and millions of voter-robots and the dems have no chance. They have built an incredible network over the years. The fact that the Whitehouse called two dozen conservative commentators to a meeting yesterday and got them all pumped up should not be overlooked. That was a big play by Rove, and that combined with some complacency on our side thanks to over-confidence is going to flip the election outlook.

The simple fact is they reach more people with their spin than we reach with the truth, and the brainwashed masses can easily beat us.

I can't repeat this enough: until we take down talk radio, we will keep losing. And it's not about building our own radio stations: our goal should NOT be to copy-cat them and brain-wash millions of voters. Our focus should be on stopping the spin. Stop rush's lies. Stop hannity's spin.

I would love to see a lawsuit against these guys for their on-air lies. Those lies influence millions of voters and absolutely influence elections and the direction of our country. Which impacts all of us. Why is that not actionable?

It's all about '08 now. Let the repubs keep control and hang themselves further over the next two years; it will help us in '08 as they spin themselves further and further from the truth and even the middle 30% will soon see the gap.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Well, then, let's not even bother to vote on the 7th

since we're just going to lose anyhow.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. You convinced me...

Screw it. I'm staying home.

[Vickers]

2. Garsh, you're right! I'm just going to stay home on Election Day!

It's all so HOPELESS!

:sarcasm:

[babylonsister]

3. Read this and pls. don't share your pessimism with the rest of us:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2905930

[Francine Frensky]

10. Oh please, nobody who posts/reads here is going to stay home

Comeon, give me a break, our side is already extremely motivated to vote, there's nothing in the world you or I or ANYONE could post that would get our crew to stay at home.

The point is that middle 30% - what they do will determine the outcome. And until we expose the truth-gap, we are going to have a tough time winning elections.

[babylonsister]

14. So then stop suggesting 'we will lose'. That attitude benefits no one. nt

[Francine Frensky]

15. now you sound like bush talking about Iraq

my point is: The situation on the ground is not as great as maybe you think it is. Look at our failures in past elections. Let's face reality here ourselves!

Spin is winning vs. truth, and we've got to attack the spin-masters or we will keep losing.

[NotGivingUp]

20. this is a place for truth and free speech...NOT SMILEY FACES!

[Avalux]

4. Talk radio? Ha ha ha.

No - the brainwashed masses CANNOT easily beat Democrats if we GOTV. Your discouraging post is suspect - why on earth would you try to keep people from going to the polls on November 7th?

[bowens43]

5. I agree, let's all throw up ours hands in resignation

and stay home on the 7th. That will show those damn rightwing talk shows hosts and the corporate media.....

Your post , in addition to being defeatist, is down right silly.

[Francine Frensky]

6. The best tactic for our side in '08 is to attack limpaws credibility

I think our side needs a campaign called "the truth will set you free" . Or "don't get fooled again". Show people that what is said on right-wing talk shows is spin and lies. Put it out there in black and white for people to see.

Don't copy right wing radio, we should never stoop to the level of brain-washing, but attack their credibility. Expose the lies. TV and radio ads and billboards that expose them would do much more for our side than anything else in the world.

Until rush and insanity and o'really are the laughingstocks of the credible world, their brainwashed robot-votors will continue to control, and destroy, our country.

[postulater]

16. That means someone actually has to listen to them to know

what to rebut. Yuck. And then find a way to publicize the rebuttal.

[Red Zelda]

7. You make some good points, F

But the numbers of people who even listen to talk radio are exaggerated.
Corporate spin TV news and, actually, jaundiced newspapers (there are MANY!)
are probably a bigger problem.
We must keep talking to people!

[Francine Frensky]

12. 75% of bush voters in '04 thought we had found wmds in Iraq

There was a whole study done on bush voters and how out of touch with reality they were.

I think here at DU we UNDERestimate the number of talk radio listeners, then are surprised on election day when their votor-robots turn out in mass. Don't you remember what this board looked like two weeks before the '06 election??

[chefgirl]

8. Well, at least I'm not stupid enough to fall for THIS yet

It's all about '08 now. Let the repubs keep control

"Roffle"

-chef-

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Francine Frensky]

21. If they give false information to voters, then that should be stopped

As I posted above, someone did a detailed study of bush voters in '04, and found that 75% of bush voters thought we HAD found wmds in Iraq. So who told them that? Right wing radio, Fox news, etc. Those guys changed an election by passing out false information. That should be wrong, that should be stopped.

[NotGivingUp]

23. you are absolutely right!

[OneBlueSky]

13. wrong! . . . people are waking up -- finally! . . .

oh, there's a hard core of neocon Bushniks who aren't intelligent enough to think for themselves, but most Americans have had it with BushCo and their enablers . . . that's why more and more are bypassing the corporate media and getting their news on the net . . .

Democrats will win BIG in November . . . whether the counted results actually reflect how the votes are cast is another story altogether, though . . .

[Francine Frensky]

22. Katrina was the best example of lies vs. truth

People watched bush praise Brown "heckuva job, brownie" while they had images of the flooding and suffering burned into their heads. It was an obvious moment when the spin stopped.

But our side could play that up more.

[NotGivingUp]

17. let's see...if i close my eyes and cover my ears THE PROBLEM

DOESN'T EXIST??? c'mon. i can't believe some of the responses here. so francine states the problems of our sold out media and you want to tell her she can't say that here? that she's telling people to stay home and not vote? what the heck is this forum turning into?

[FormerDittoHead]

18. We will win on 11/7, but you're right - as long as they have media...

As long as they are allowed to maintain their unchallenged propaganda machine, they will maintain a core of COMPLETELY DELUSIONAL voters who can be trained to believe ANYTHING.

In contrast, does it seem our side has to wait until things get THIS BAD to have a SHOT? (about 1/2 of what I see does NOT say we'll get control of both houses, while I do hope we do).

The point is that while '06 is a nice STEPPING OFF point, even if we win both houses, our work is JUST BEGINNING, and we're only fooling ourselves if we think the influence of talk radio and corporate controlled media, which brought Republican control since '94, will just go away...

[ozymandius]

19. Please stop wringing your hands.

Shrill desperation is all the Republicans have left.

I will also add that your deference to Republicans maintaining their hold on power will not earn you many points here. No need to wait until 2008 for Republicans to hang themselves. They've already done it.

[cautiouslywaiting]

24. Don't be so cynical.

I can feel it. We're going to win on November 7th.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Francine Frensky]

29. So I'm a troll because I think we will not take congress?

Really, seriously, you need to remember what happened on this board in 2004. Everybody here, my self included, was 100% sure Kerry was going to win, we kept seeing really positive poll numbers even during election day, then bam, everything went sour.

I'm just saying that the biggest threat to the truth, and to this country, is the spin of talk radio. Their lies influence millions of voters. Ignore them at your own peril, and that of our country.

[riverwalker]

26. RW radio ratings are down

and only a small percentage of knuckle dragging believers are left. Rush and his buckets of illegal Oxycontin bought in a Denny's parking lot, or his trips to Thailand fortified with unlabeled Viagra, have no effect on them. Hannity's twisted sexual repression and sexless marriage, and the married man Bill O'Rielly's sexual harrassment and predatory loofah lathered phone calls to women, also have no ill effect on the brain dead faithful.
They are actually doing us a favor by existing, as the exposed face of the GOP.
They have become politically impotent.

[saltpoint]

27. Disagree.

A huge majority of people who will be supporting Democrats across the nation do not listen to hate radio.