You know why Fox News is so popular? This may seem strange, but it’s precisely because they don’t tell the truth. They tell people what they want to hear. Many people have preconceived notions about how things should be, and they like to feel validated, regardless of the lack of truth contained in their opinions. In other words, right wingers tend to be low-information types, and they care more about seeing their opinions being validated than telling the truth.
One thing you can count on from extremists; they don’t care about the truth much at all. And if you think only right wing extremists fall victim to the Fox News curse, then you need to pay better attention. Many on the professional left sell us misinformation in much the same way. If you fall for someone trying to flatter you into believing something they want you to believe, and you don't check the facts, that makes you just as gullible as those poor saps who depend on Fox News for all of their information.
Here are a few facts to chew on:
- Jon Bon Jovi is still not dead.
- Barack Obama was actually born in Hawaii.
- The NDAA bill Obama eventually signed was greatly changed from the one he threatened to veto, and it was nothing compared to the GOP-led House verson. Also, the bill passed with a veto-proof majority.
- Those with the most money don’t always win elections. In both primaries in 2008 and the GOP primary this year, the candidate with most money either is behind or lost.
- Citizens United and other really bad laws can only be overturned if you put people in office willing to overturn it.
- There is no evidence that the Department of Justice coordinated with Mayors to stop protesters.
- President Obama led the passage of the most significant health insurance reform in history.
- Democrats in Congress passed 375 bills that Republicans in the Senate blocked with the filibuster.
- Democrats never actually had 60 votes in the Senate.
- President Obama did kill the Keystone XL pipeline for now. He does not have the power to prevent it from moving forward in the future.
Except for the second one, all of the above are facts that other liberals have argued against over the last few weeks. I have proven almost all of them wrong on this blog, complete with citations. And yet, because many professional left keep repeating this crap, ad nauseum, many far lefties stick with them as if their BS was indeed true.
We cannot move the progressive movement forward unless we tell people the truth.
Two very important facts you need to understand;
- Not all swing voters are “low information.”
- “Too much information” is not always better than “low information.” (the tech term term GIGO comes to mind.)
Voter turnout has been way down for the past 32 years (which plays to the right wing’s election strategy quite well) precisely because voters are tired of being fed a diet of crap. They don’t watch Fox News, and they don’t immerse themselves in everything the “news channels” produce. That doesn’t make "news junkies" smarter or them “dumber.” They hate the right wing as much as we do, and while they’re looking for someone to vote for, they’re also looking for a reason to vote. Right wing Republicans are hoping to hell they won’t find that reason, and won’t show up at the polls; it’s a major Republican strategy. When they play to their “base,” they’re performing two tasks; they’re thrwing red meat to the far right Fox News enthusiasts, and they are also trying to discourage reasonable swing voters from showing up.
In 2008, they were being told by both right and left wings, “Obama’s a disappointment,” “Democrats are weak” and “Democrats suck.” Obama’s only a disappointment if your expectations aren’t reality-based, and the other two statements have been proven on this blog repeatedly, using actual facts in support.
The professional left often likes to push a narrative they know other “progressives” want to buy into, regardless of whether that narrative is borne of truth. Their motivation can be argued, but it doesn't matter. What makes it galling is that too many other progressives are all too willing to believe their crap and repeat it, which sets the progressive movement back, and gives the right wing even more hope. You may think what you Tweet, or post on Facebook, or publish in a comment on a blog doesn’t matter, but it does; it contributes to the overall meme, which plays right into the right wing’s hands.
How do we solve this problem?
It’s easy. It’s called skepticism.
Always be skeptical of everything you read, hear or see, even when it comes from someone other progressives tell you to trust. I’m not just talking about “facts” that seem a little smelly; I’m talking about everything. When someone tells you a bill is bad because of something they don’t like, read the bill yourself. Look at what others say about it, but evaluate it yourself. Consider all sides of an issue, and consider all possible consequences of any action taken by any poliitician.
Professional lefties love to frame things in stark black and white terms, because it makes things seem easy, but we skeptics understand that nothing is either all good or all bad. When someone tells you that an issue only has two sides, your BS detector should go off immediately, and you should investigate thoroughly. When someone tells you a politician like Obama is a "disappointment," don't just repeat it; look at his entire record and evaluate it for yourself. There are plenty of tools out there for doing so, including several on this blog and many others.
You also have to understand the difference between fact and opinion, and always value facts to a greater degree than opinion.
When evaluating any issue or any candidate, understand that most voters really don’t care about individual issues. They generally listen for the overall meme and look for someone they think is capable of handling the job. They understand current issues better than you think, because they live them, but they also understand that no one knows what issues will occur in the future, so an overall sense of competence is more important to swing voters than anything they say about most issues.
The above paragraph is an opinion. Hopefully, that was obvious.
In 2010, one solution to the logjam in Congress, in which Democrats passed 375 bills, many of them very progressive in nature, and Republicans in the Senate blocked them with a filibuster, was fewer Republicans.
The above paragraph is also an opinion, although it is supported pretty heavily by this very blog, right here. Though it is backed by fact, because it basically predicts the future, it can’t be anything but opinion.
Barack Obama is a Democrat, and the first African American President of the United States.
The above is a fact. That should be obvious, but with some of the things I read from progressives at times, I’m not 100% sure it is. Opinions can be backed by facts, but they are not actual fact. Beware of anyone who tries to claim his or her opinions are fact.
It is not a fact that NDAA will allow presidents to round up and detain citizens within the United States. It is not a fact that Citizens United will cause the rich to win every election. It is not a fact that President Obama has completely disregarded civil rights in his presidency, or that he refuses to close Guantanamo Bay prison. It is not a fact that Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same corrupt coin. It is not a fact that the Occupy movement gets no media attention, or that the “mainstream media” largely ignores progressives. Unless they present you with a massive study to back them up, all of the above are opinions or perceptions, not facts.
The way to move the progressive movement forward is to stick to the truth. Moderate and centrist voters DO listen to us, and they do hear/read what we say. When we repeat something that isn’t true, some of them will check our facts, even if we don’t. If they find out what we say isn’t true, they won’t believe us when we do tell the truth. And worse, they’ll tell other people.
Do we really want the reputation for crap that Fox News enjoys outside of the far right?
Be skeptical of everything you see, hear or read. Don’t be gullible. Question everything that everyone says (yes, that includes me; I'm not always right). Having a lot of information at your fingertips doesn’t make you smarter. Making sure the information you pass on is as accurate as possible, and considering every possible angle of every issue makes you smarter. One problem I have with the current state of journalism is this preoccupation with being first with a story, rather than being the first to get the story right. If we're going to spread the progressive message far and wide, we have to be better than that. We have to be curious, inquisitive, and we have to make sure we’re right. The right wing spreads enough crap over the electorate; we have a duty to provide them with actual intellectual nourishment.
Be intelligent. Be skeptical.
