Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Do you foresee Dems and the left ever having a media machine like the GOP

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (Through 2005) Donate to DU
 
blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 11:25 AM
Original message
Do you foresee Dems and the left ever having a media machine like the GOP
Edited on Fri Sep-23-05 12:10 PM by blm
has had in place for over a decade?

Seems to me that the DNC, under Clinton's control via Terry MacAuliffe, should have put together a message generating truth system to rival the GOP's lie monster. Even a small network could have fought for greater discipline of message for the Dems since Bush took office.

Clinton knew well that the RW machine worked daily at their messages against him and all Democrats. Why didn't the DNC make that a priority goal after 2000?

Just wondering if there's any insight out there because.....the RW media machine just pisses me off to no end and it's hard to stomach that the DNC had to know about this but did nothing to change the reality throughout the 4 years they had.

One of the reasons I supported Dean for chair is because I trust that he is concerning himself with this issue as he had witnessed firsthand how badly the media distorts against Dems while providing cover for BushInc.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
meti57b Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 11:27 AM
Response to Original message
1. No, I don't. We don't have the stomach for being that dirty and corrupt.
I'm not against it, ... I just find it hard to see it actually happening.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Fovea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 11:30 AM
Response to Original message
2. The internet is our
broadcast, our samizdat, and our agora.

It is a bit surprizing how badly the right uses this toolbox.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
warrens Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 11:43 AM
Response to Original message
3. We could never be that regimented
I don't see us being able to get thousands of spokespeople to tell the same lie at the same time, then instantly say the opposite and deny we ever said the original lie. It's just not the nature of democrats. Repukes see lying as permissable because they're doing it for the "greater good," whatever that may be. They see lying as a perfectly acceptable tactic to defeat their enemies, to keep them confused, to suck up endorsements. They will literally say anything that will help them.

Bush is a master. Remember his bullshit about not getting involved in foreign wars, at least not without a firm time frame and exit strategy? They sold that bullshit to a thousand editorial writers, and they meant exactly the opposite. They couldn't WAIT to go to war and were just looking for any excuse.

As for getting our own media machine, not likely. Unfortunately, we tend to look at the gray areas, while the repukes phrase things in stark black and white. What makes a better headline? "Saddam, while a despot, plays a role in stabilizing the Middle East" or "Rape Rooms and Nukes"?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
AndyTiedye Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 11:55 AM
Response to Original message
4. No. The Republicans OWN the Media. They Are Not Selling.
If we are to win, we must do so with nearly all of the media against us.
We need to win by a landslide, because they own the voting machinez too.

http:/


Fixing the votes around the Party
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
The2ndWheel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 11:56 AM
Response to Original message
5. Clinton knew?
Then why sign the Telecommunications Act is he figured it would be so bad? Guess that education of his didn't help in 1996.

"message generating truth system"

Sounds as if something like that could really work. I'm guessing a channel big enough to compete against the RW would need to be commercially successful. That's where the money is. So I'm sure that as time went on, more and more truth would come out on such a channel.

It's a nice idea, but news doesn't sell. Although if we got some hot women on the air, that could help.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 12:08 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. I don't mean A channel, I mean a MESSAGING network that gave concise,
truthful facts about the issues from the Dem platform pov.

Just SOME form of disciplined messaging so the left pundits aren't caught unawares or veer off on their own in a way that obscures the message.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
melissinha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 01:43 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. I think somehting like that could/should exist on DU
It reminds me what harry Belafonte said just today at the Town Hall Meeting, he described a meeting between Eleanor, FDR and Philip Randolph.... Basically the story went like this, it was a private meeting and FDR let Randolph make his case... FDR then said that he understood and agreed with every single point that Randolph had made but asked him one favor "you need to make me do it".


Well we need to make them do it. Plain and simple.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Armstead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 12:03 PM
Response to Original message
6. It's possible IF....
1)The Democratic Party stops being so damn careful not to offend. That doesn't mean being offensive, but telling the truth without feeling the need to soft-peddle everything in order to "triangulare" and avoid offending the freepers.

And if they STOP APOLOGIZING all the time. Dick Durbin should have stuck to his guns about his Gitmo remarks, the Democrats should not have jumped on Daschle when he had the nerve to say something derogatoiry about Rush Limbaugh.

And, when Democrats have a positive and inspiring event like the Wellstone memorial;, they should not immediately help the GOP undercut it the next day by apologizing for going "too far" and making it "inappropriatly political."

2)The media sees the changes in the wind, and decidec that if they want to be on the winning side they have to start doing some butt kissing of Democrats and recognizing the majority audience of liberals, progressives and moderates.



Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
sandnsea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 12:13 PM
Response to Original message
8. 9/11
I don't think Bush would have had as near an easy time without 9/11. Before that, I think we were still sneering at Limbaugh and the mainstream media hadn't been completely steamrolled yet. Do you really think anybody could have predicted the media being effectively neutered? Not so sure. I think they thought we would still be able to get the word out through traditional means, activist groups, NYTimes, columnists, etc. I think the DNC was caught a bit by surprise by the Bushies in 2000. Then again, I think there are still some who don't get it.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 01:02 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. But, Clinton KNEW it was their messaging network who controlled the media
onslaught against him throughout his term. He KNEW they got their messages out daily into the mainstream with hardly any comparable counter effort.

No way could he have believed that any important truth would get past the organized onslaught.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
maxrandb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 01:24 PM
Response to Original message
10. No
Not Until the Democratic Party becomes corporate sell-outs like the Republicans. And when that happens, there will be no Democratic Party.

It's going to take a revolution to get this countries house back in order.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
orwell Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 02:35 PM
Response to Original message
12. They Both...
get their marching orders from the large multinationals. Since the Republican stated philosophy of "greed is good" more closely dovetails the corporate mindset, they have a willing mouthpiece for their spew. Any anti-corporate, pro-labor, pro-individual rights and freedom arguments are going to be watered down and marginalized by the media elites who are interested in a compliant, rabid consumer who supports unbridled capitalism.

In essence, the main reason the media seems to be such a RW shill machine is because that message so closely dovetails their corporate objectives.

The propaganda is relentless and effective...and most importantly, profitable. Follow the money...
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
tom_paine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-23-05 02:38 PM
Response to Original message
13. No. Our Dem Leadership refuses to see what it is up against
a New Beast, so to speak, that in size and sophistication dwarfs anything Adolf Hitler or Joe Stalin ever dreamed of.

We are trapped, I think, in the inevitable Death of the Old Republic and the Rise of a horrific New Empire.

Does this mean give up? HELL NO! But understand that we are in the position of German Jews in a "kinder and gentler" Nazi Germany.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Fri May 03rd 2024, 12:39 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (Through 2005) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC