Millions Listen To Three Hours Of Lies Every Day
Think Progress reports that today, still,
–47 percent believe that Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001 (up six percentage points from November).–44 percent actually believe that several of the hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis (up significantly from 37% in November).
–36 percent believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. invaded (down slightly from 38% in November).
Do you find this hard to believe? Do you have a hard time understanding how so many people could be so misinformed? All you have to do is turn on the radio and listen, and you’ll understand what is going on in this country. It’s hard to listen to, but try it. It is important to understand what is going on. Millions and millions of people listen to Rush Limbaugh every day. In my opinion his radio show is the biggest single factor in American politics, yet so much of “the left” largely ignores him. It’s understandable — who wants to listen to that vile,m insulting, manipulative, lying, hateful, fascist crap? But it’s there, it’s real, and it is having a huge effect on what many Americans believe.
For three hours every day Rush tells people to ignore traditional news sources and listen only to him and Fox News. For three hours every day he tells people that everything bad is because of Liberals and Democrats and women, while everything good is because of the far right. Over and over again he repeats one form or another of the Right’s line that Democrats and Liberals hate America and are on the side of the terrorists. It is a simple, basic fact of human nature that repetition works, and for three hours every single day the far-right’s expert-crafted, focus-group-tested, poll-verified, persuasion-machine message is repeated across America to millions and millions of believers.
And then there’s all the other far-right radio shows, too… Watch your backs!
February 23rd, 2005 at 12:29 pm
#1 is correct as phrased. Saddam did support Al Qaeda lietentants and by extension the hijackers, and even may have supported the specific 9/11 terrorist(there’s no evidence for that but little evidence against it either, intel is not a black/white issue and the quote asks for a belief, not evidence).
I don’t see how Rush is to blame for #2; that’s just general ignorance. I don’t listen to Rush myself, but I doubt he claims they were Iraqi.
#3 is actually correct as phrased (we did find WMD, just not stockpiles, and even if you argue that point they could have been moved to Syria, and even if you argue THAT they could be buried in the vast Iraqi desert), so apparently MORE people need to wtach Fox and listen to Rush, including you.
Fortunately, millions aren’t reading your lies every day.
February 23rd, 2005 at 12:31 pm
“lieutenants” sp, forgive my hasty typing, lots of debunking to do here
February 23rd, 2005 at 12:35 pm
You have to wonder about the LEFT’s misapprehensions, too — how many lefties believe, for instance:
1) Saddam Hussein complied with UN resolutions
2) Abu Ghraib was markedly worse than most prisons
3) Large numbers of black voters were disenfranchised by Republicans in 2000 and 2004
Maybe they need to turn off CNN and CBS?
February 23rd, 2005 at 12:38 pm
Two things come to mind: 1.how f***d up our culture is that that many would seek a place to feed their hate toward scapegoats, and 2.the consumerism of ideas where even vaster numbers shop for opinions that reinforce their ignorance and prejudice rather than seek greater understanding through honest research and reflection.
February 23rd, 2005 at 1:17 pm
Y’know, I was reading somewhere how Serbia’s TV stations egged on the anti-Bosnian feeling until it reached the level where it became a political force, with the reults we well know.
February 23rd, 2005 at 1:32 pm
Now that Dave has provided the meat, the Rude Pundit provides the dessert.
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:03 pm
Either we develop an educational system which teaches people to listen, read, and think carefully — to QUESTION — or we lose freedom. But it may be too late. Complexity (see also “nuance”) is already considered to be dangerous.
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:14 pm
TallDave is right on target. Everyone knows the Iraqis had WMD prior to our LIBERATION of that land from Saddam. Everyone knows he had used those weapons against his own people and against Iranian troop during their conflict. Why do you all on the liberal left choose to ignore that?
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Erkie — Kindly back that up with some evidence. “Everyone” who has had anything to do with investigating the WMD issue, including the team appointed by Bush, have said, Nope, no WMD’s. Do you have special information?
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:35 pm
Tall Dave, what the hell are you smoking? What planet do you live on. I’ll only comment on one of your outrageosly wrong assumptions.
You have to wonder about the LEFT’s misapprehensions, too —how many lefties believe, for instance:
3) Large numbers of black voters were disenfranchised by Republicans in 2000 and 2004
I’m a Floridian, and on November 4, 2000, I was listening to the radio in “REAL TIME” as to the voter disenfranchisement of blacks that was taking place in Florida particularly in the upper east coast. It is an indisputable fact that blacks were disenfranchised not only before the election with non-felons erroneously being put on felon lists (on purpose douchebag), and then during the election blacks were harrassed as they went to the polls. 537 votes. (The NAACP settled a pretty hefty lawsuit-unfortunately their was a settlement before anything came out-why short dave?)
Even without them Gore won, but with them he would have won handily, and Jeb and Cruella wouldn’t have been able to steal it. If you don’t think our ancestors will believe nothing less than the 2000 Election was nothing less than an out and out Third World Banana Republic style theft you have got another thought coming. In the end, the truth will come out. Have fun winning the battles, we will eventually win the war and the Republicans will go the way of the Whigs. The truth shall set you free short dave.
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:37 pm
The trolls here are an excellent example of the right’s tactics in general - don’t answer the question asked, keep on repeating what has already been proven false, turn the question around and tell new lies.
The “left” (which, apparently, includes everyone not certifiable as a right-wing nutcase… probably much to the disgust of the tiny minority of authentic “leftists” in this country) has very few illusions (aside from our own batch of wing-nuts)… as a famous recent study showed, if you get your news from NPR and PBS, your grasp on reality is vastly greater than that of someone who gets their news from Fox.
I’ll call your bluff… lets find a dozen questions we can both agree aren’t “loaded” (unlike the ones above) that a “lefty” might believe are truth but actually aren’t, and then have a professional polling organization ask self-described “liberals” and NPR/PBS listeners about them.
Bet the answers will show a lot more contact with reality than your typical Fox News listener.
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:48 pm
It must be the moonshine.
a) Zero evidence of Saddam and Al Qaida. Saddam supported other terrorists previously but Saddam & Al Qaida’s leaders didn’t trust each other.
b) Only WMD’s were traces of things on old, defunct and destroyed sites. US inspectors and the UN inspectors indicate there’s no evidence anything was continued after 1996.
3) Zero ties to 9/11. Even Bush admits that.
Please TallDave (and others) if you troll here, at least demonstrate a grasp of the facts, as the US military and government has presented it. Or are you saying you don’t believe the troops, Bush’s inspector, or Bush?
February 23rd, 2005 at 3:09 pm
There is a fine line between belief and self-delusion. Just look at the trolls on this comment thread.
February 23rd, 2005 at 3:30 pm
Fred, give me the name of 1 black voter that was disenfranchised in the 2000 election in Florida. How about the 35,000 - 40,000 N.Y. snowbirds that voted in N.Y. and then again in Florida!
February 23rd, 2005 at 3:56 pm
It really is a shame that there are no liberal radio talkshow hosts able to pull in an audience.
I listen to NPR myself.
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:09 pm
Abigail, just because 49% voted for Kerry, most of them are not radicals like the libs who post here.
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:15 pm
Michael -
You are a sad, small little man…your comment (for which you fail to produce any evidence) nails exactly what we are talking about here - not only are you wrong, but JOYOUSLY, PROUDLY wrong. Listen to the mocking tone of your post. THAT is the voice of right-wing America, a voice that delights in being contrary to the truth and that eats schadenfreude for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s more important for you to be RIGHT than it is for you to present facts.
As fot the disenfranchisement of black voters, to paraphrase Oliver Platt, they hide information like that in things called BOOKS.
I realize that it’s like dropping a Calculus text in front of Corky from LIFE GOES ON, but good christ, read THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY. In that book you will find copies of FUCKING MEMOS highlighting the very things you are disputing…but I know that you haven’t read that book because it wasn’t ejaculated into your eager brain by the Rushbot and his filthy minions.
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:16 pm
It really is a shame that there are no liberal radio talkshow hosts able to pull in an audience.
Huh?
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:43 pm
Proof positive that - when given a choice - a substantial number of people will choose a comforting lie over an uncomfortable truth. The Bush malAdministration plays to the fools and tools and gets exactly what it wants: A willingly ignorant population to support policy objectives which are antithetical to their own interests.
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:44 pm
thedarkbackward, I wouldn’t waist my money on a book unless it was recommended by Ann Coulter. By the way, I don’t listen to Rush. So thedarkbackward give me 1 name?
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:56 pm
Hey there, Michael!
How about 44,000? Would you care to view the information?
Linkage.
Good luck.
February 23rd, 2005 at 5:09 pm
I think the time has come to stop trying to reason with the animals hiding as conservatives and start bashing heads, crackin skulls, and takin out these fascist basta*rds. Sometimes, rebellion must take the next step–especially when those being rebelled against are leading us into hell. Be warned–I WILL NOT GO PEACEFULLY.
February 23rd, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Interesting you say that, Killah–i been thinkin the same thing for quite some time now. Maybe its time to take some drastic action to protect the future of this country. Shocking that anyone would think this way but didn’t we complain loudly that when the Nazis were killing millions, someone in those towns should have stood up and done something about it? Nonviolent and passive resistance works at times but sometimes it takes the complete arrsenal of guerrilla tactics to bring down a regime; and after all, we ARE witnessing a regime that is using the principles of fascism to indoctrinate, corrupt, and manipulate the very foundations of truth, justice and liberty we have all come to take for granted in this country. In 5 short years we have discovered again just how fragile democracy, justice, the rule of law, and freedom can be. I too will not go peacefully, Killah–in fact, I’ll be right at the front of the line to defend my liberty. We’ve been far too apathetic and forgiving, and look what it has gotten us. The truth must be told and sometimes the loudest voices are those that speak with actions….
February 23rd, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Attention trolls, ENLIST!
Otherwise you are just a pack of blood thirsty cowards.
February 23rd, 2005 at 6:07 pm
Please don’t feed the trolls. The more they’re fed, the more crap we have to clean up.
Their purpose is to agitate and to manipulate.
They only need to be shown some farfetched line of thought that kind of, almost, in a round-about way, in the best of conditions, maybe, perhaps shows how there could have been WMD’s in Iraq sometime in the 20th century. That’s all they need. That’s all their brains can hold.
Facts and evidence mean nothing to them; theirs is a culture of faith, not faith in God but faith in the spin. They have no need of facts when all they have to do is just believe Rush and Fox.
As TallDave said: “…more people need to watch Fox and listen to Rush.”
Why? Simple. He cannot conceive of the truth as it really happened because Rush and Fox News will not show it that way. It’s not that he cannot think for himself, its that he cannot conceive of why anyone would want to. It’s the same with all the other rightwingers, wingnuts, freepers, and GOoPers, they haven’t a clue how we can see things the way we do when we are not being told how we are supposed to see them.
Do not challenge them, pity them. They are lemmings running to the sea, the best we can do is step out of their way.
The Rovians are past their prime. Their greed and voracious need for power will be the end of them. We on the left must bide our time staying focused and not backing down. The days of Joementum are over. When the Rovians fall, we need to be on top of our game to pick up the pieces of this country or we will be in the same world of hurt as the old Soviet Union.
February 23rd, 2005 at 6:40 pm
Haven’t seen hide nor hair of Erkie, have we?, since facts were requested.
OT — What is the latest on Cosanostrdamus, Kevin? Have I missed anything?
February 23rd, 2005 at 10:05 pm
Talldave,
If we found WMDs,were were they? Were they at the depot at al qaqua? If they were, why didn’t we guard them like the oil ministry was guarded in 2003? Don’t you have anything better to do? You could read the newspaper.
February 24th, 2005 at 1:16 am
Shouting down dittoheads is a waste of time. All those statistics in Dave J.’s original post tell us what we need to know: certain Americans are innocently or willfully ignorant, and the willful ones can be expected to don armbands and brownshirts when their gauleiters demand it. For now, these armchair fascists are a diversion from the real task - to do all we can to make Dubyanocchio’s Second Term a misery for him, his mentors and his minions.
February 24th, 2005 at 10:04 am
Killah and Paul, comments like yours are exactly why your party will be in the minority for years to come. Don’t you think that you might feel more comfortable in say, Cuba?
February 24th, 2005 at 11:03 am
Why do trolls always want to send us to Cuba?
Cuba restricts what you say, doesn’t allow for political dissent, makes political opponents disappear, requires unwavering devotion for its leader from the people, and is run by a single political party.
Hm, sound familiar?
Michael, this is right up your cabana. Can you habla español?
February 24th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
You guys and gals just don’t know how to lose elections. We had to put up with the pervert Clinton for 8 years and we never talked about rebellion! You are literally a bunch of losers!
February 24th, 2005 at 3:30 pm
Meteor, what do you mean by the comment “armchair fascists”?
February 24th, 2005 at 6:03 pm
I’m not wading through the previous comments, but as an occassional “Rush” listener, I can tell you that Mr. Limbaugh doesn’t promote any of the “Iraqis did 9/11″ conspiracies.
As for Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson–I doubt that they promote such ideas either. But then again, not as many folks listen to them 3 hours a day!
February 25th, 2005 at 1:40 pm
You flag-waving, religious wacko, low IQ morons are pathetic. No wonder the whole world thinks Murricans are so STUPID! Everybody knows that the biggest terrorists in the world are ISRAEL and the USA!!! Stop watching so much reality TV and pay attention to the reality that is happening to your country right now. Do a little research and find out WHY your country is so passionately hated (and NO, it’s not because of your FREE-DUMB–and only the stupid Americans actually still think they’re free). But then, you never travel or pay attention to world events or even care…so how WOULD you know? Your country has brainwashed you so long into believing “America is the freest country in the world!” “America is the greatest!” blah, blah…so why would you think otherwise? You will meet the same fate as every other Empire in history if you don’t WAKE UP!!
America 2005=Germany 1938
September 11=Reichstag Fire
February 25th, 2005 at 3:32 pm
Alfred, what do you mean by this statement? “only the stupid Americans actually still think they’re free”. Be specific. I don’t want to hear any of your stupid, pathetic rantings.
February 25th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
Alfred it makes me so happy to know that you are so miserable. I don’t know what gulag they relegated you to but I’m pretty satisfied, with some exceptions, with the direction W is taking us in. It’s taken us 50 years but finally someone had the guts to smack down these Muslims. And why is it that you proponents of the first Amendment have to resort to cursing and name calling when we exercise our freedom of speech? Grow up!
February 26th, 2005 at 2:31 pm
“I think the time has come to stop trying to reason with the animals hiding as conservatives and start bashing heads, crackin skulls, and takin out these fascist basta*rds. Sometimes, rebellion must take the next step–especially when those being rebelled against are leading us into hell. Be warned–I WILL NOT GO PEACEFULLY.”
*laughs* At least 4 more years of watching whack-jobs like that poster implode–that’s priceless!
February 28th, 2005 at 9:51 am
Let’s get it on……we’re waiting!!!!!!