Thu
Feb 19 2009
10:00 am
Can the conservative right wing talk machine talk our way out of a recovery and into depression?
By: R. Neal

The Mrs. and I were discussing this the other night. I don't recall a more strident, coordinated attack on policy in quite some time, much of it fueled by disinformation spread by extremist right-wing talk radio propaganda outlets.

There's also the steady stream of talking heads, so-called experts, and Congressional Republicans on the cable "news" shows and op-ed pages telling us how the stimulus bill won't work and we're headed for "socialism". The right-wing bloggers have taken their cue and gone ballistic. They all openly admit they hope for President Obama to fail.

Will it work? And work to do what? Further wreck our economy? What is it they hope to accomplish? More tax cuts? Is it always and only about tax cuts?

Liberals complained loudly for years about Bush policies and nothing happened. Well, nothing except our economy and our respect around the world going down the toilet. Maybe this campaign will have the same effect, i.e. none, and cooler heads will give the plan time work so we can start climbing out of a hole that took Republicans eight years to dig.

On the other hand, liberals complaining loudly consists of an occasional op-ed in the New York Times, Air America chirping, and Keith Olbermann, which are hardly a match for the right-wing, corporate owned propaganda machine.

SEE ALSO:

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Southern Beale
Washington Monthly

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MDB's picture

On Limbaugh

Submitted by MDB on Thu, 2009/02/19 - 10:26am.

Y'know, I wish Limbaugh would actually venture into a forum he doesn't control, or is not hosted by ideological soulmates. (I know why he doesn't -- every time he has in the past, he's made an ass of himself.)

Because I'd like to see someone ask him, quite directly, "You say you hope President Obama fails. In what regard? Do you want to see him fail to protect American from terrorist attacks so we incur another 9/11 attack? Do you want him to fail to improve the economy and the US to continue in its current economic state?"

Voting is like driving. If you want to go backwards, select R. If you want to go forward, select D.

bill young's picture

We won

Submitted by bill young on Thu, 2009/02/19 - 10:29am.

So we got to lead.

Like I said on the presidential ranking thread:

The President knows if the country's still in a ditch @ reelection time he's one & done.

Iraq..Afghanistan are still theaters of war.Blood & treasure.How does it end? Or does it?

Iran + Russia = ?????
China????
India????

The economy ????

I was for the President back in the fall of '06 when he floated the idea that he would run.

I was for him because I thought he was not stuck in the ditch of the past.

Would take a hard look at how we do things & be opened to a new way.

But I also believed the President was a pragmatist.The only radical change the President would bring to the White House was that he was black.

So fuck em I dont give a shit what the right wings spewing..they just selling adds & trying to get our eyes off the prize.

We won..so we got to lead.

If we dont...we one & done.

Andy Axel's picture

As far as "getting to lead,"

Submitted by Andy Axel on Thu, 2009/02/19 - 11:34am.

As far as "getting to lead," great. That opportunity is there.

I'm skeptical as to whether or not that opportunity will be seized upon.

That said - when you have bone-in "markets! markets! markets!" ideologues like Alan Greenspan openly opining that nationalizing the banks is probably the course we should take, I'd have to say that the libertarian economic experiment is pretty well dead or dying. (As if Katrina wasn't enough already.)

____________________________

Dirty deeds done dirt cheap! Special holidays, Sundays and rates!

KC's picture

Oh ye of little

Submitted by KC on Thu, 2009/02/19 - 1:15pm.

Oh ye of little faith.

Number one, if the talking heads were important and made much of an impact these days, President Obama wouldn't be president.

Number two, the talking heads and "old hands" are doing what they only know to do, and that's fight the last war. It won't work.

Number three, Limbaugh doesn't care if his listeners are conservatives who agree, Marxists, liberals or whomever, as long as they're listening to him.

Don't get drawn into the echo chamber. Right now it's echoing pretty loudly with Republicans, but the cave is small and getting smaller.

Terry Troll's picture

Fight! Fight!

Submitted by Terry Troll on Thu, 2009/02/19 - 2:17pm.

My Keith Olbermann can beat up your Wm. Cristol.

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