My dad funny enough, despite being black, is politically what most people would call a Reagan Democrat. Believe it's annoyed me over the years, even though I know the defense industry put food son our table as kids. But his politics have often gavin me greater incite into how to connect to swing voters. When I started canvassing, phone banking, and letter writing for candidates, I often heard the remark from "pro's" on the campaigns that "you're good at this". I personally believe this is because I grew up learning swing voter politics. My dad has a good feel for both how liberals and conservatives think. I'm giving this long preface for a reason, my dad made a very interesting observation the other day. It has to do with the way conservatives always scream "liberal bias." and are allowed to get away with it.
I'm writing this from memory, but I'm trying to stay as close to the actually words that my dad said. Quick side note what my dad calls "the middle class" is what most pundits refer to as "middle America". So with that out of the way, my dad asked me this the other day.
DAD: "If liberals on TV or in the newspapers screamed "racism" or the press is "sexist" every day how long would it take the press (traditional media) and the middle class (middle America) to start denouncing them?"
Dopper0189: "About six seconds!"
DAD: "No. It actually took about a decade and a half of it happening, or at least when they did it real loud! By real loud I mean when the middle class (middle america) started paying attention, not the conservative activist. The decade and a half is called the late 60's early 70's. It part of what caused the 80's backlash against identity politics. Once the middle class revolted the media was no longer willing to back down from stories just because a liberal activist charged the story was racist or sexist."
Dopper0189: "What?!? WOW"
DAD: "Now conservatives have been screaming "liberal bias" at every turn for about a decade and a half. It's intimidated the media. But now the media is slowly starting to get sick of being called bias. The same way they got sick of being called racist and sexist. The media feels pushed by conservatives to report to many stories differently then the way they want to, because they don't want to be called bias. But the middle class is tired of hearing that society, or a large part of it, the media, is biased. As the middle class starts to backlash the media will finally start too, don't forget they sell to the middle class. You can finally see it happening."
Dopper0189: "It's like crying wolf!"
DAD: "Yeah, or it's like always telling your buddy your broke when you go out for a drink. It's OK about three times, then he gets annoyed at you. It may not show for a while, but he's secretly steaming. The first time you get into an argument about something else it will pop out that your cheap punk!"
Dopper0189: "I think your right about that one."
Just an interesting political observation from dopper0189's dad. But as KOS has himslef noted the term liberal has lost much of it's political poison with moderate and swing voters. For several election cycles between 1988-2004 being called a liberal was the political kiss of death in most of America. It started to change around Clinton's second term (although Gore and Kerry both ducked from the term) then in 2006 it just suddenly stop being a negative.
Yes part of this was us the Netroots, Howard Dean, etc. getting democrats to stop backing down when being called a liberal. But part of it is that in 2006 Americans finally got sick of their cheap prick of a friend always saying their broke. The insult "liberal" just wore out it welcome, "yeah he's a liberal but I like his policies, what are yours?". If anyone uses a powerful pejorative to frequently it no longer "shocks and awes" as much. Think about the first time you heard the word "ass" played on the radio or said on network TV. Did it grabbed your attention? Did you remark on it to a friend? What about the most recent time you heard it? Did it just zip right by you if no young children were in the rooms?
Yup old dad is right, I think conservatives went to the "bias" well one time too many times. I think the day of the charge of "liberal bias" and it carry weight, making the press back down is starting to be over. As times go on only very blatant cases of liberal bias will raise people's attention. But it will definitely be a "show me how first public reaction", the public will no longer take it at face value.
My dad left one more pearl of wisdom.
DAD: "The problem democrats have is when conservatives scream the "media has a liberal bias", democrats either deny it, or fight back and say the media has a conservative business agenda. What they need to do is look the conservative in the eye and tell him "to stop whining about bias and blaming the fact they can't get their message out on society." That's how you shut up a man who won't stop nagging you about something that isn't there. Hit him back in his manhood!