countering the republican tactic of derailing serious discussion

it's clear that a republican strategy which works almost without fail, is to subtly or not so subtly redirect discussion of serious issues to something inconsequential.

I notice that many articles on Gore's speech today have that ridiculous RNC quote by the 3rd or 4th paragraph. By including this bit of non-news, I guarantee that discussion of the serious issues brought up by Mr. Gore will be replaced by discussions of whether he is only trying to get attention.

By focusing on Ms Alito crying, discussion of Alito's fitness for the supreme court is derailed. By 'swift-boating' Murtha and Kerry, serious issues are forfeited to petty arguments amounting to "is" / "is not". I'm sure you can think of countless examples of this tactic in action.

These non-issue tactics are distractions which we are pulled into time and time again. It even happens here on DU.

My question - how to defuse this tactic? How to keep the conversation on the serious issues?

Wolf Blitzer, Judy Miller, and anyone else in the mainstream news culture who convey misrepresentations to the viewers.

I think a thunderous herd of maybe 4,000 feral dogs could go coast-to-coast and clear out the riff-raff in the media.

They'll cut a swath through their ranks much more easily than feral dogs.

and spliced with piranha genes would be amusing.

but i'm derailing my own thread. i had a serious question.

For starters we could certainly keep the pressure up on the media. I really do blame them for laziness and skewed coverage. Groups like the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth should be brought into court to defend their claims. The ACLU and many other groups should be supported generously. And we can all contribute by volunteering our time to causes and campaigns that reflect the inclusive and progressive ideology that motivates us in the first place.

allow bogus claims like 'aiding the enemy' and "We're at war" to not stand.

When they try and attack the messager, make them stick to the subject. Look at Jon Stewart. He does this very well.

the media? lack of discipline amongst the democrats?

do you think it's changing?

just about everyone you see on the media talk shows, or at press conferences are playing 'the game'. It's like role playing. The price for breaking the rule and speaking the truth, unless you happen to be a 'fake' news show, is permanent explusion from said game, which means no more fat checks.

Remember when Bush went to Ireland and the reporter who interviewed him had the audacity to ask questions outside the pre-defined set of talking points? Look at the ruckus that caused. If a journalist on CNN did that, they'd be selling hot dogs from a stand outside the building in a week's time.

That's the problem. There are a bunch of people making millions from playing this game, as we gleefully careen over the edge. They refuse to enforce actual debate, because it means expulsion.

That's my take on it, at least.

and perhaps my question is naive - but i think democrats, progressives, people who give a shit need to come up with a strategy to deal directly with the diversionary tactics they have been successfully using for the past couple decades.

I think that in many ways it's a technique the repubs started using when Newt Gingrich hired linguistic experts back in the 80's.

we need for the people we elect to grow a spine and actually do the right thing. There was a very brief moment of this right after the criminal negligence that was the FEMA response to Katrina. But you could almost hear the handlers reigning them in from the side of the stage.

If you want to look at what happens when a journalist starts telling the truth, just look at ex-CNN journalist Peter Arnett, who was summarily dismissed from CNN after having the nerve to actually report news rather than propaganda.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/31/sprj.irq.arnett/

...Instead of comparing fairly (Bush speeches Vs Al Gore speeches) why not compre Mehlman press releases compared to Al Gore-I'm willing to see who the press whore is....

since the election. They have used talking points to marginalize him in their attempt to paint him as crazy, unhinged, wild, out for attention. In reading right-wing comments and responses, it appears those lemmings just regurgitate those talking points--it is amazing how easily they are led.

How to make truth and persistence out weigh deceptive smoke. There was a moment a month or so ago when when the press corp were pushing on press secretary. Why did they finally get backbones and what called them off?

jumped up and expressed outrage at Lindsey Graham for insinuating 'what no decent Senator would or had done on the Senate floor, that Judge alito is a bigot' Then they should have demanded that he apologize to Mrs. Alito. And they should still be demanding an apology from him! That would have completely derailed their scheme as he tried to 'explain'. Once you start explaining you've lost, imo. Instead it was the Dems who were explaining, as planned.

Yesterday, eg, a freeper we were arguing with, felt certain that he was about to deliver, what he thought was going to be the finishing blow to us 'liberals' regarding Murtha, (he was sliming Murtha, which is what the discussion was about).

His BIG weapon was this: 'Lieberals have been waiting for 30 years to replace their favorite 'defeatist' (this is their talking point word of the week re Murtha) George McGovern, and now they've found him!! Say hello to the NEW McGovern, aka, Murtha, ha ha ha!' (typical freeper cackle inserted by him, as he got ready to take a bow')

Poor freep. In his ignorance he walked right into a trap we couldn't have laid better had we planned it! Googling up McGovern's military record as a war hero during WW11, we responded: "George McGovern!! Thank you, thank you for reminding us of yet another great Democratic war hero!! What an incredible tribute to Rep. Murtha. Another Democratic who served his country with honor and bravery, unlike that chickenhawk slime (Bozila) who is not fit to wipe the shoes of either man. What war did he fight in btw, and what are your credentials that gives you so much knowledge of military matters?' Link (with specially chosen excerpt) to glowing and awesome reports of McGovorn's WW11 fighter pilot escapades was inserted here!

A request for his own record, and for that of the latest rightwing slimer, was made, along with a suggestion that he go sign up, as McGovern and Murtha had, before he dared to speak about war, purple hearts or anything else he knew nothing about, again. He was then asked why Bush supporters hate America and why they have such hatred for the military and for war heroes? (This is obligatory! They hate it when we snatch their own weapons away from them and bash them over the head with them, figuratively speaking, of course, :-)).

We then advised him never to venture out onto the 'Internets battlefield' armed only with the girly man weapons given to him by Rush (anal cyst) Limbaugh, or any of the other chickenhawk mouthpieces of the rabid rightwing. We suggested that he always check the veracity of their statements, instead of making a fool of himself in front of the whole board, as he had just done.

We told him that the 'truth is a powerful weapon'. That he would not suffer defeat as often as he did, if he came armed with some heavy duty, powerful 'weapons' (facts), instead of the crappy 'weapons' (lies) handed out to him by his masters on the right'.

Considering what a big mouth he was when he started out, we are amazed that we are still waiting for a response, and that was yesterday. His buddies have become strangely silent also. I'm disappointed. I know it was a shock to him to learn that his image of McGovern was totally false, but still, I was looking forward to his response, since he was such a know-it-all! :rofl:

I don't know what works for other people, but for me the rule is: never, ever go on the defensive and learn their weekly talking points. Sign up for the memos, if necessary. Take something out of what they think is their 'zinger' and veer off in a direction they do not want to go. As above, instead of saying 'how dare you speak that way about a hero like Murtha' which is what they want, thank them for the reminder of yet another Dem. hero and challenge them to compare OUR genuine heroes, to their chickenhawks!

They're easy to frustrate once you've learned their tactics. It's always the same, attack, slime, name-call, lie, etc. etc. always using material they get from the noise-machine. They have NO facts in their own heads, which makes it easy. I know it's inhumane, and probably cruel, but presenting them with facts and going on the offensive, is like holding a cross to a vampire, and it's lots of fun too!