I am so furious, I could spit. I am also so sick of listening to Democratic pundits and politicians compounding the problem, I'd send them stink bombs if I could.
Damnit, people, IT IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT!!!
It's the friggin' Social Safety Net.
STOP, STOP, STOP letting Republicans control the message.
Brazil, when asked on ABC's "This Week" about Democratic messaging (IIRC), actually used the term "entitlements" in her response. Does the woman not realize what that word implies? Would it be so hard for her and others (because virtually NO ONE uses the phrase "safety net") to DISCIPLINE themselves (yeah, the way Republicans do so successfully) to use the positive term instead of the negative one?
I listen on C-Span to all of the Sunday talk shows. As I type this, I've only heard the first three: "Meet the Press," "This Week," and "Fox News Sunday," but on not one single show yet has anyone said anything about the safety net that Republicans are dismantling. No one has connected unemployment insurance, aid to states, and public employee layoffs to rising unemployment, except in passing. Same with the Japanese earthquake, the Middle East unrest, or the record-breaking weather in this country.
No one, EVER, reminds people that the world is interdependent and complicated. Yeah, we're ignorant all right--and none of our leaders or representatives lift a finger to change that.
Why, PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME!, why is it so hard to make sure the public understands what Republicans are trying to do by describing it accurately? Tell me, could ANYONE disagree with what they are doing? Why else do people resist vouchers? It's because they do not guarentee anyone's security, especially if you aren't (for whatever reasons, including being poorly educated or are a bit muddled because you're elderly) able to "shop around to find the best school" or "best health insurance" or "best deal".
Why is that so hard to point out?
Oh, and by the way, in the three shows I've watched so far, you wanna know what the ratio of "tax loopholes" to "tax increases" were? Well, I didn't calculate it, but since I heard "tax loopholes" only ONCE, while Republican talkers were spewing "tax increases" in every other sentence out of their mouths, the ratio had to have been miniscule.
What is WRONG with our people? Please, someone explain it to me! I really, truly want to know. This question is right up there with why the hosts of these shows don't call a lie a lie consistently (although that useless, useless, wet noodle Christianne Amanpour IS consistent: she doesn't even blink when a lie flutters past her ears).
Seriously, people, what is it? IMO (because I've dabbled a bit in the media myself), the reason hosts and reporters don't ask that lies at least be "clarified" (if they want to be tactful and keep their guest options open instead of scaring them away) is because they aren't listening to the answers they get anyway. They are too busy thinking about how they will phrase their next, pre-set question in such a way that'll make them look like they know what they are talking about even though they don't.
Anyone out there ever had the opportunity to actually ask a host or reporter about that? How come someone like, say, Howie Kurtz, doesn't explore this? Has anyone ever heard any discussion anywhere about why hosts and reporters don't respond when they hear a flat-out lie?
And what about the polls? Why is it that every poll out there right now shows 60 percent or more of those polled indicating they feel the wealthy should be taxed more, but NO DEMOCRAT EVER MENTIONS THOSE POLLS? How come so few talkers on our side mentioned how only 8% of respondants blame Obama for the current state of the economy? Do they not realize that Republicans are IGNORING WHAT THE POLLS SAY...with IMPUNITY? I mean, geezum, the classic, classic example that no one ever calls Republicans out on is cutting Medicare. EVERYONE knows that the vast, vast majority of people are against it, but how many times have you heard John Boehner say, in direct response to criticism about killing Medicare, that "what the American people want is for us to get spending under control," and no one challenges him on dodging the real point? NO ONE...EVER!
And what about "out of control spending"? Even Obama has bought into that phrase, stupidly. What the fuck does it mean anyway? How is keeping people from suffering and businesses from collapsing OUT OF FRIGGIN' CONTROL?
Of course it isn't. It's shoring up those who need shoring up until the economy improves and they can stand on their own. It's the banks (yeah, not perfectly and maybe not even honestly), the auto industry, the unemployed, the poor, the states, and so on. But how often do you hear any Democratic talker make that point, EVER???? You know it. I know it. I assume THEY know it, but it never comes out of their fucking mouths!!! (I'm sorry for cursing. I'll try to stop...)
Same with the steadily increasing wealth disparity. Someone please tell me why that isn't a Democratic talking point in the same way that "out of control spending" is a major talking point with Republicans?
What is WRONG with our people??? When there is a clear majority of opinion amongst the electorate, a majority favoring democracy with a little "d"--not oligarchy with a big OH!--why isn't that point hammered into the ground at the feet of Republicans? Why do we let them get away with ignoring the public's will? Do they not realize that to ignore such polls is the exact same thing as ignoring the public's will--the very thing our talkers claim Republicans do?
And now there's this stupid $278,000 per job lie that is out there, unchallenged! What next? How come, if you polled the average American, they'd be CLUELESS about the amount of tax cuts and aid to the states that went into the hated "stimulus"? Well, you know "how come": It was because no one ever told them!
And how often do we hear coming out of Republican mouths "what the American people want" and not one single push-back when what follows contradicts--significantly contradicts--the majority of poll results? And why isn't there a big hullabaloo from our talkers about "Where are the jobs (or at least the job-creating bills or policies)?" Why aren't Republicans being held to account for doing nothing about jobs? Am I missing something? (The only thing I'm missing these days, IMO, is twisted-tongue Wasserman-Shultz, and I'm quite HAPPY about that!)
Anyway, I'm serious here. I want to understand this. I want to understand why we fail, time and time again, to get our messaging straight. Do we just elect people who are too stupid to remember talking points? Or to lazy to study them? Or to irresponsible to care?
And, NO, I do NOT want to hear conspiracy theories.
I'll tell you what I think. I think we have a weak crop of hosts and reporters, and a weak crop of politicians. We hire (watch/vote for) mamsy-pamsy politicos because they look like us or they talk with "hugs in their voices" (as a friend of mine put it) or they promise us the moon. We do not hire STRONG PEOPLE, nor do we reward them with our attention (in the case of reporters and hosts). We are as weak as they, I guess, in avoiding things we don't want to hear. So the result is that those who "speak" to us exhibit the same avoidance that we do.
Anyway, I'll end this rant with a message to Ms. Brazile: YOU, madam, need to step up or shut up because you are NOT HELPING.