The Rise of The High-Misinformation Content Voter
Remember the “low information content” voter? Well, they are a dream compared to these guys:
The High-Misinformation Content Voter
Tea Buggers spend a lot of time acquiring misinformation. To hold the beliefs they do requires a lot of work, as does maintaining those beliefs. They read things on the intertoobz (just as you are right now). They watch faux news–and sometimes even actually news-like products. They regularly vote. They disproportionately attend rallies, town halls, and even actual government meetings (e.g., school board hearings).
This post by Mike the Mad Biologist put words to some queasy feeling I’ve been having for a while – We are contending with a virulent strain of stupid.
It is hard work to believe that:
* State workers lavish pay and benefits created the current economic crisis,
* President Obama was born in Kenya,
* the wealthy are overtaxed and the poor are under-taxed,
* climate change is a hoax, and
* the Christian Theocracy envisioned by the founding father has been perverted by gay mexican liberals, [but can be restored by tearing up the Constitution they claim to venerate].
You need to be constantly shoving nonsense into your head through your eye and ear holes to believe the whacked out shit that Teabaggers believe. And yet, they are willing to put the effort in. They get off on it.
They are energetic and engaged, but apply their energy to growing more and more misinformed. Delaware’s “9-12 Patriots” exclaim:
“The challenge this generation faces is probably the greatest “crisis” since the revolution and demands bold, fearless and unwavering participation from our patriotic citizens. We all gain strength and inspiration from one another; let’s forge ahead with one voice, one vision – Protect Our Constitution!”
To that end they meet twice a month in each of Delaware’s three counties to hear from conservative intelligentsia like Dave Anderson (who is currently running to bring his brand of Christian Theocratic Teabaggery to Dover’s City Council) and renowned Climate change quack, Dr. David Legates.
Does anyone else feel like we are in a mild version of a Civil War?
You have that feeling because we are. While the conned conservabots chirp “class warfare!” or “class envy!” whenever talk turns to taxing the rich, they feel no hesitation or shame to declare war on and envy of middle-class public workers who merely have better benefit packages than they do.
They foment civil war amongst the middle class to prevent the middle class from banding together and taking back what’s their from the upper class.
It is hard work to believe that:
* State workers lavish pay and benefits created the current economic crisis,
It is harder than you think. Before they could move in that load of crap, first they had to move out last years’ misinformation that the crisis was caused by brown deadbeat homeowners and Barney Frank.
And it wasn’t that long ago they had a full load of “It’s Clinton’s fault.”
Does anyone else feel like we are in a mild version of a Civil War?
Yes, and General Obama, if you aren’t going to use your army, please let us borrow it for a while.
Forget Obama. He’s not on our side.
The First Battle Of Bull Run:
Wingnuts are always praying for war, calamity, civlil disorder, and/or financial crisis. They think it validates their cockamamy apocalyptic world view.
Reagan Republicans believe in the rapture – George W. Bush Republicans want to hasten it.
Contrary to popular liberal conceit, the vast majority of those who are ‘active’ Tea Partiers only constitute a very slim portion of society.
The remaining segment of society simply believe in what could be termed Tea Party sentiment. This rather large segment of society includes various Democrats, Independents, Libertarians and Republicans.
The latter group is fed up with the current state of affairs in the U.S. (e.g., dangerous debt levels, the onslaught of Statism, high taxes without requisite ROI and an unwillingness of many politicians to not make the tough choices to get us on a path forward).
The fact that the MSM, liberal bloggers and Democratic politicians villify at evey chance those who are Tea Partiers or loosly affiliated with the beliefs of the Tea Party sentiment means they are scared shitless that the pendulum has swung markedly against Liberalism in general.
Do you guys at DL realize that you spend nearly every waking moment railing against:
Anything Tea Party related
Sarah Palin
So-called GOP wingnuts as oppossed to Progressive wignuts
Christine O’Donnell
The DE GOP in Sussex County
Plutocracy
Wealth redistribution
There ain’t much substantative stuff left to write about.
To wit:
“Does anyone else feel like we are in a mild version of a Civil War?”
“You have that feeling because we are. While the conned conservabots chirp “class warfare!” or “class envy!” whenever talk turns to taxing the rich, they feel no hesitation or shame to declare war on and envy of middle-class public workers who merely have better benefit packages than they do.
“
“Wingnuts are always praying for war, calamity, civlil disorder, and/or financial crisis. They think it validates their cockamamy apocalyptic world view.”
I appreciate that comment Newshound. You allow that the tenants of modern conservatism are ridiculous, but (not being very smart) you are attracted to the vibe. I think a lot of Republicans fall into your ideological niche.
It is similar to liking the band Kiss. Nobody defends the music, but the over the top energy is infectious.
Thanks for moving the conversation along.
The Tea Party has outsized influence compared to their numbers. They are in fact running the Republican Party now. We should ignore that?
Ah, yes, if you speak against something you must be “scared shitless” of it. This is the perfect summation of the conservative worldview: Be afraid, be very afraid. But as usual, you have identified not the true source of what’s wrong with the world, but the one that the rich and powerful have instructed you to blame: your own class.
Look up the numbers, you lazy hound. The upper class is winning. The middle class is standing still. Their propagandists fill every radio station and most of the rest of the media, proclaiming that middle-class entitlements must be cut because the middle class can’t pay any more in taxes. Yet they say nothing about the continual slashing of tax rates on capital gains and dividends. We must have that, they maintain, in order to have growth in the economy. Yet for 30 years all the benefits of economic growth have gone to the upper class. Why should I care if the economy grows if all the growth fattens the already fatted?
When the Tea Party, which is as ignorant of the historical movement it appropriated for its name as it is of economics and world affairs, starts to advocate for tax fairness and an end to imperialism, I will start to respect it. Until then I don’t fear it. I merely point out that it is made up of the frightened, the half-educated and the traitors to their class.
And of course NH is here complaining about the content, and yet here he is, not adding to the content whatsoever. Sort of like KISS fans, I guess.
But while NH is here misrepresenting what the American public wants, let’s remind ourselves that the data says that Americans are still worried about jobs and job creation by far over deficit reduction (and mainly they rank health care are the second priority). The thing that Americans are tired of are politicians who are working on their own agendas. Much like the current crop of Republicans and some Democrats. Because deficit reduction doesn’t have a damn thing to do with job creation. Nor does restricting abortion rights or defunding Planned Parenthood.
But that the rise of the high-misinformation voter does show you how spectacularly the Democrats AND the media have failed in delivering *information* to their consumers. You won’t get any information in the persistent “he say/she say” BS that is supposed to pass for political news, and since the FOX News and wingnut radio types are apparently getting eyeballs, journalists are following them down the rabbit hole and then wondering why they are having issues with respect and audience.
Let me know the next time you hear anyone who isn’t a talk-radio/Fox News propaganda recipient voice a concern about “the onslaught of Statism.” Yes, with its Social Security and its Medicare, its roads and schools, the State is crushing me beneath its jackboots!
This post hits the nail on the fucking head. Delaware Tea baggers don’t recognize the truth, they don’t speak the truth, and when confronted with the truth they wave their arms around, pray to Jesus and call the truth “slander.”
Please feel free to apply the above comment to Delaware Conservatives, too.
Riddle me this. What happened to Air America? Why did it fail miserably? Competition is competition.
Surely you don’t thing equal outcome means letting the Baltimore Orioles ‘borrow’ Derek Jeter and A-Rod for the 1st 7 innings of a game because the O’s suck?
Way to dodge the multiple questions and points lodged your way.
Not that we expected any better from you, though.
That’s your comeback? Don’t worry. Despite your ignorance, we are fighting for the middle class — which means we’re fighting for you, too, even as you fight against us.
Surely you don’t thing equal outcome means letting the Baltimore Orioles ‘borrow’ Derek Jeter and A-Rod for the 1st 7 innings of a game because the O’s suck?
OK Dawg, you asked for it. Since you mentioned baseball…
Play ball, comrades!
To stay on the baseball theme, let’s also realize that until the players banded together in a union, the owners set them against each other and kept them bound to their original teams in perpetuity. It wasn’t until they formed a union and went to court that they gained the power to determine their own futures — and that, in direct contrast to what the owners insisted would happen, the game has grown exponentially ever since.
And to remain on the theme of willful ignorance, the way in which you chose to view the game — the on-field competition alone, ignoring the actual business of the sport — is exactly how the Lords of Baseball want you to view it. Open your eyes and see!
“Do you guys at DL realize that you spend nearly every waking moment railing against:
Anything Tea Party related
Sarah Palin
So-called GOP wingnuts as oppossed to Progressive wignuts
Christine O’Donnell
The DE GOP in Sussex County
Plutocracy
Wealth redistribution… ”
I suppose we should be grateful that they’re doing this here, in relative obscurity, than actually doing something substantive.
“Traitors to their class.” Right on, Geezer. That’s precisely what the middle class conservatives are: class traitors. They are so benighted and propagandized that they can’t even be loyal to their own best interests. For all their energy and anger, at bottom they are cowardly and pathetic.
“class traitors”….
bahahahahaahahhahahahahahaahhahahaha…cough…hahahahaahhahhahahha
It is difficult to blame these middle class Republicans for being so throughly duped. Not only does the GOP, and the bulk of the media reinforce the notion that the poor are to blame for their miserable lot in life – but the Democratic Party and the bulk of the current generation of Democratic politicians reinforce that message.
It’s sad that the conservatives buy the line that the “government is the problem”.
Don’t they realize that ONLY the government can provide a LEVEL playing field for all.
The filthy rich don’t want a level playing field, thus the rampant propaganda campaign.
…and then they can get away with doing all sorts of crap like excessive pollution, or destroying net neutrality, or making shady financial deals on Wall Street…
Yep.. If you put blinders on the referees, all sorts of things can happen… “Hey right winger, can you help me muzzle this referee over here too? I don’t like his whistle!”
What happened to Air America? Are you serious or just socially stupid? It’s common knowledge that the FoxNews and AM radio dependents are like severe church-goers, meaning that it’s always the same people, older and white, who don’t miss a day of their “Daily Affirmation”. Given that the points of view from the conservative media flies in the face of reality, most of the time, it’s completely understandable that listeners and viewers tune in regularly validate the bastardized world-view they were told to believe – “what? Obama has a pastor? I was told he is muslem, blah, blah….ok, I’ll completely buy into what you tell me next anyway…..”. Conservatives, for whatever reason, believe if it’s the most watched or listened, then it’s the bestest, truest thing ever. Well using that faulty logic, that would make McDonald’s the best, tastiest restaurant of all time. Much better than Le Bec Fin, you know, because it serves more people.
Liberals and moderates have their sources too, but unlike conservatives, they, like the make-up of the Dem party, are not a homogenious Borg block that’s reliant on the same, single tv outlet, corporate welfare pundits, and shock jocks to keep on keeping on the “don’t believe your lying eyes” charade.
It is as simple as this: I’ll believe the thing that tells me I’m smart and good looking. The rest can go to hell!
In those few markets where Air America was actually broadcast consistently during peak hours, its shows scored ratings competitive with or in some cases higher than those of long-established conservative talkers broadcast in the region. Where they “failed”, from a business perspective, was in not bowing down to worship Corporate America to pull in high-value advertisers, and not being able to make much headway into new markets when most of the radio stations in the country are owned by a small number of large, right-leaning conglomerates like Rear Channel.