Spent time with one of my (my ONLY) Obama-smear-believing Fox-watching friends.

[Atman]

Yikes. This is the couple my wife and I go skiing/snowboarding with. He's a "convert," now hates all things Bush, claims to be a Libertarian (though he can't name any Libertarian candidates running for any office), but I do give him credit where other fake Libertarians have failed to walk the walk; he's been reading a lot of the "lefty" books about the stolen elections and the scam that is the Bush administration. Hell, at this point I think he's read more books about the subjects than I have.

But his wife. Oy.

She's a hard-core Republican. They have no kids, and are very well-off. IOW, they don't think they should have to pay any taxes for anything because they don't use any services. They even moved to a tiny town with no police force just so they cut out that part of their tax bill. Now they bitch about having to fund schools they don't use. Like I said, oy. But I digress.

The female of the couple made a comment this weekend that she just couldn't see voting for Obama. No way. Too many "questions."

"What question?" I asked. "I'll try to answer some of them for you."

"Well, his name for one. And the thing about his birth certificate. I dunno. I'm just suspicious...too much doesn't add up."

"What doesn't add up?" I replied, trying not to explode. "Those are false stories. Where did you hear them...wait, wait, let me guess...Fox News."

"Well, yeah," she said, not even halfway apologetic. "What's wrong with Fox News. They have the biggest ratings of any news organization out there."

Stay calm.

"First of all, no they don't," I pointed out. "They have the highest ratings among CABLE news outlets, but the cable outlets have NO ratings to speak of, compared to network news. Besides, by now it's long since been established that Fox isn't even a real news organization. They're just a division of the GOP."

"Oh, please," she countered. "Fox is bigger than every one of the other news organizations COMBINED."

"What? That is so not true!" My voice was tensing up. "The cable news channels have minuscule ratings, even Fox. Not a one of them can hold a candle to any of the network news broadcasts every single night."

She looked at me like I was on dope. Which perhaps I was. After all, this was the weekend and we were in a social setting. Anyway, she sprung to Fox's defense. "No way in hell. Bill O'Rielly's ratings alone beat everything in all of tv news."

"No, he beats everything among the CABLE news channels, which COMBINED can't drum up more than 2-3 million viewers a night. The networks draw more than double that EACH. Heck, even Keith Olberman is creeping up on his ass, and MSNBC barely draws half a million."

She was dumbstruck. No way my numbers could be right. Fox has HUGE ratings and...and...Bill O'Rielly...and...and...

"What's your source?" I asked flatly. "Remember, I'm in advertising...this is what I do. So tell me, where are you getting your facts?"

She paused and realized how stupid she was about to sound.

"Uh...well, okay, from Fox News. But they're the only ones that give you any real news! Olberman is a joke...MSNBC is a joke!"

I agreed that MSNBC was a joke, but that's all I'd concede. I backtracked and guided her in how to debunk for herself all the lies she's been told by Fox about Obama. She promised me she was going home to research all of it, including Fox's ratings and pedigree. We'll see. But it was really eye-opening that someone this bright, with this much access to all the new sources of information, could be so blissfully ignorant of the facts.

And it's all because she insists on watching Fox News as her single source for news, televised or otherwise.

They're out there, people. They're out there!

.

[spanone]

1. the ministry of propaganda has done a great job promoting itself

[islandmkl]

2. 'fair and balanced'....from the same kind of people who brought you:

The Clean Air Act

The War on Drugs

etc...

[Juche]

3. The average age of a fox news viewer is about 60

O'Reilly's viewers are about 71 on average. So for all the talk about O'Reilly being the boogeyman, all he is doing is giving speeches at retirement homes to a million or so viewers. I also, living in a red state, get those same arguments. Obama isn't 'trustworthy' because you don't know what you're getting. Of course these are the same people who voted for W in 2000 because he ran as a compassionate conservative moderate and after he failed to live up to any of his promises, voted for him again in 2004.

Its amazing that the people who trusted Bush in 2000 and 2004 now think they are experts on spotting fraud and manipulation a la the democrats.

[AlinPA]

4. These are your friends? Yoy.

[zeemike]

5. That is noting really

She sounds like she could eventually face the truth.
I have had a long relation with a right winger on the internet, for the last 15 years and he will never face the truth because he does not care about truth, only about how much of a tax cut he will get if a rethug is elected.
I would give a link to his forum so you could see how outrageous his propaganda is but it would just encourage him if he got a lot of hits.
But he repeats all of the lies about Obama and makes up some of his own.
There is no changing him because he is wealthy and makes his living by trading in the stock market and has never in his adult life had a real job.
When greed motivates you it can get pretty ugly.

[Frustratedlady]

6. Not only are they "out there" but the are avid fans...

I have about given up trying to deprogram most of my friends. In fact, I think I've lost a good percentage, only because I have had the nerve to put down their favorite news channel. Add to that the fact that many FAUX News fans are also Rush fans...oy is right. That's a challenge.

[freesqueeze]

7. "Fox News as her single source for news"

Boy, are they out there (and "out there").

I get some of the dumbest email from people who have fallen victim to the lure of "we distort, you concur" and I'm getting tired of it. I just delete the email and keep the friends but I do admire your willingness to risk this relationship for the cause of truth.



If Bill O tells you
he's a star, he's
a star.....right?

[madokie]

8. theres no doubt about it

a couple sundays ago we were at friends for a bday get together over beer, wine and well. anyways as we are preparing to leave I hear my wifes bestest friend say we don't have anyone to vote for this time around and I heard her mention something about his name. I just left rather than spoil an otherwise good afternoon. So yes they are out there and there is a lot of them too. Guess what she watches fox news and listens to rush, not in our presence as I'd call her out on it but I've heard her say things that I've read here that pickebrain had said. So I know but to keep peace I keep my mouth shut. I'll cancel her vote this time

[Javaman]

9. faux news tag line should read, "why ruin a good lie with the facts?" nt