Andrew Sullivan believes we, the United States, are in a Cold Civil War, and have been for some time, after watching the alternative reality that is presented on Fox News as news. He points out that now, even inter-marriage between the ideologies of liberal and conservative is frowned upon more and more.
Three-out-of-ten (30%) consistent conservatives say they would be unhappy if an immediate family member married a Democrat and about a quarter (23%) of across-the-board liberals say the same about the prospect of a Republican in-law.
But two of his commenters aren’t concerned. Why? Because of the age of the average Fox News Viewer.
Sorry to say, but you’re suffering from PTSD associated with watching too much Fox News. Thanks to new media, people in general are far better informed than they were in the past when old media ruled. Ask yourself, could gay marriage and pot legalization have happened before new media?
The fact is, most people do not get their news from TV anymore, which is why CNN, MSNBC and Fox News have stopped trying to actually report news. Conservatives rely on talk radio and WSJ (the intellectuals) for their news, then maybe go to Fox to confirm what they already know. Liberals go to the NYT and informative blogs (like yours) and we tend to disdain MSNBC because we don’t like to be pandered to (which is why their ratings are much lower than Fox). About the only people who get their news from TV are what we would call “independents” but are actually low-interest citizen (and voters) who tend to dismiss all politics as hooey. And they jump around confused as to what to believe (unless there is a murder trial or missing plane).
If you must believe in a Cold Civil War, then know that progressive side is winning hands down.
With Millenials decidedly pro marriage equality, pot legalization, and socially and economically progressive on a host of other issues, The GOP not only faces a demographic challenge but a generational one. They already do not have a demographic coalition that can win a national election, but the coalition they do have is old and getting older by the minute, meaning they are dying off by the minute. The one hope for the GOP is to go full bore Libertarian. And I do not mean the Rand Paul and David Brat Libertarian style where both still preaches social conservatism and theocracy.
Actual Libertarianism. It is their only hope.