I have the Fox Bubble on my mind for three reasons: first, because of NewsCorp's exposure as a criminal syndicate; secondly, because of the too-simultaneous-to-really-be-coincidence collapse of the GOP debt ceiling flimflammery; and thirdly, because of the arc of the Paul Ryan story, from the infamous "plan" to the $350 wine hubhub.
Is NewsCorp faltering because of the scandal? Or has the space opened up for the scandal to come to light because NewsCorp was already faltering? Sometimes you don't see the bubble burst, you just see the after effects (summer of 2008 anyone?).
The interesting thing about the Fox Bubble, of course, is that there have been people living inside of it who really should know better. Bush/Cheney are said to have required Fox News be on 24/7 in the White House, and this was natural fit with their "empires create their own reality" theory.
One might expect that people who get all of their information from an agitprop organ would have a limited and grossly inaccurate understanding of the reality-based world. Is it any surprise, then, that Boehner, McConnell, Cantor, and Ryan appear completely tone-deaf to the vox populi? Going back to the 2010 campaign, we Progressives have sat with mouths agape every time they have spoken or promoted a policy. We look at what they say, we look at the polling, and we look back at them, certain there's something we're missing. No way can prominent national politicians be so clueless.
But they are - and one might conclude it is because they do not know that Obama's stand on deficit reduction is more popular. Look at Ryan's lunch buddies: does that not just say it all? Bill Clinton might have had the same lunch with the same right-wing crackpots but he would do it to gain breadth and understanding of the whole battle theater. Can anyone imagine Ryan lunching with Krugman or Roubini? Of course not: he can't handle the truth. His job is to craft and promulgate a message, not to govern effectively.
Maybe these people should watch something other than Fox News. Maybe start with reading George Will and David Brooks, the broken clocks that are right twice a year. They will still get a steady diet of Republican talking points, with just the occasional rational idea served in a mild center-right sauce. When they feel up to it, they can try the so-called liberal broadcast networks and CNN, where at least rational ideas are still steeped in corporatist blather.
Once they have built up some comfort with reality-based reporting, they can try some NPR and MSNBC, but not all at once. They should start with Weekend Edition and straight news - Rachel and Lawrence and Ed might scare them back into the cave.
At some point, though, they will have to read DailyKos, MediaMatters, and ThinkProgress. I know there are ideological differences, of course. Of course! But I don't think a Conservative of conscience - assuming any exist; I am unconvinced - can come to reasoned understanding of the world while exclusively drinking the Fox (or WSJ or National Review or RedState) KoolAid.
Many might be surprised to find that the Progressive organs are not "hate groups." The a-holes who push that meme - I'm looking at you, Bill O'Reilly - know perfectly well it is not true. Those a-holes are the bubblemakers not the bubble tenants.
Many will be amazed at how much more accurate Progressive polling is. We are not afraid to see the truth, whether we are winning or losing. How do you know when to apply effort and when to let off the gas if you don't have a meaningful grasp of the will of the people? You can't! RedStaters were convinced PPP was off on CA-36, for example - and they were right: PPP underestimated Hahn's lead by 1.5 points! - so who's living in a fantasy world, us or them?
Of course, I do not myself watch Fox or read WSJ op-eds. For one thing, I am lucky to have Kossacks and Steve Benen and Kevin Drum to do that nasty work for me - which I think may be a job too dirty even for Mike Rowe!
But then, the balance to Progressive ideas is not the BS they pump out in the Fox Bubble. The real balance is right here, in our own community! Where ideas are discussed and alternative views are dealt with on their merits rather than based on who is expressing them or what corporate interest is sponsoring them.
The reality-based community is not a bubble; it will be interesting to see a year from now whether or not Fox News still constitutes one.