(Great Read about why Power Dems complain but won't recognize what they are up against)
By Robert Parry
February 9, 2006
But what has been remarkable – considering the stakes involved for American democracy – is that wealthy progressives and major liberal foundations have mostly stayed on the sidelines, avoiding a significant investment in media infrastructure.
A shortage of money almost doomed Air America on takeoff and still limits its expansion, especially into the Red States. The Left’s funders have continued a pattern that can be traced back to the 1970s of focusing on “grassroots organizing” and “activism” instead of building media outlets and producing journalistic content.
When liberal foundations do provide money for media, it is often for “media reform,” which can be translated into organizing around media issues. So, the Left ends up financing petition drives that demand President Bush appoint someone nice to run the Corporation for Public Broadcasting or the Federal Communications Commission, when those appeals are certain to have no effect.
TriangulatingAnother consequence of the Right’s smart media investments – versus the Left’s clueless approach – is that nearly everyone at the national level in politics and journalism reacts to the pressures that the conservative media brings to bear.
Though Bill and Hillary Clinton may have popularized the concept of “triangulation,” it was a natural reaction to the career dangers faced in Washington once the conservative media became an intimidating force in the 1980s.
Intuitively, journalists began positioning themselves to avoid being branded “liberal,” a label that could mean the end of a promising career. National Democrats also tried to shield themselves from taking the brunt of the Right media’s attack by giving themselves some conservative cover.
Over time, rank-and-file Democrats grew furious – or demoralized – over what they saw as the equivocation and ineffectiveness of the party leadership. That, in turn, generated more stories about Democratic divisions and indecision.
So, while Kerry has a point in noting that a key weakness of the Democrats is the size of their megaphone, the more pertinent question is: What is America’s liberal community going to do about it?
For more on the nation’s media dilemma, see Consortiumnews.com’s “The Left’s Media Miscalculation” or “Five Pointers for a Left Media,” or read Robert Parry’s Secrecy & Privilege.
Much More of this great but long read at.....
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/020806.html