Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

The most obvious criticism of the New Overclass is that their political machine is undemocratic. Using subversive techniques once aimed at communists, and with all the money they ever need to succeed, the Overclass undemocratically controls our government, our media, and even a growing part of academia. These institutions in turn allow the Overclass to control the supposedly "free" market. It doesn't win all the time, of course — witness Bill Clinton's impeachment trial — but it does score an endless string of other victories elsewhere, all to the detriment of workers, consumers, women, minorities and the poor. We need to fight it with everything we've got. Steve Kangas

Lets say you are listening to Rush on talk radio. Here's what you should know: Rush has a contract for hundreds of millions of dollars from Clear Channel which just about offsets the savings from Clear Channels layoffs. Clear Channel is actually losing a lot of money, but it owns hundreds of radio stations and it is a giant megaphone for Rush. The message is Republican and it is aggressive. It certainly is not in your interest unless you are in a very high income bracket...but, long-term, not even then. Have you thought of that ?

If jobs are scarce, your pension has disappeared, your healthcare insurance is unaffordable, college tuition is out of sight, your home may be foreclosed, the happy talk from broadcasters will tell you about the Republican YOYO agenda (Your On Your Own). If they can sell you that, they can privatize Social Security and that too would be a very large heist. Thanks to heavy insurance and pharma advertising, they oppose any attempt to reform health care.

Talk radio will tell you that you better arm yourself while you can so that you can defend yourself when the time comes. It is inciting to violence against a government that it does not like. Oh...and torture is fine. They laughingly propose waterboarding select Democrats. Ha Ha. Bush is a hero. (Should Waterford Parks and Recs be sponsoring this on WXLM ?)

They say history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes. Talk radio would rather you didn't know your history because here is what you would notice: Republicans have always been about rewarding the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. It is the party of the oligarchy. When Republicans bring us to a gilded age and most of the people are struggling, but a very few are obscenely wealthy, then there is a financial collapse. It has happened before in the same way, but they don't want you to remember. That's why they are anti-intellectual. In order to avoid the cost of pollution, they deny global warming even though the science is pretty much settled. In order to satisfy the religious right, part of the base, they deny evolution. The Republican war on science no doubt has caused a deterioration of education in the US. Have a beer with Sarah Palin and maybe you'll forget all that.

To be sure you forget the past, broadcasters serve plenty of advertising, celebrity news, Michael Jackson, the octomom, crime programs that leave you in fear, almost no real journalism. They will tell you this is 'fair and balanced'. It's not just that broadcasters have dumbed down the culture, it is actually the largest scam ever.

So what would you expect ? We can hope that the financial sector gets regulated so that it cannot again spin out of control. We forgot the lesson of the great depression and did away with the Glass-Steagle Act (which separated investment banking from savings banks.) If companies are too big to fail, they need oversight to protect the interest of taxpayers (who are actually getting caught with the tab.) Derivatives and other risky activities need full disclosure so that we know just how much trouble we're in. (We don't.) Yes Republicans, deregulation is a bad idea. Since the oligarchy that owns the media is powerful, it is unlikely we can get the reform we need.

What you have sacrificed for is a military that is larger than the rest of the world's combined. It is defending corporate interests world wide. War is profitable. The rest of the world is not happy about it, so you are likely not safer. The definition of fascism is government controlled by corporations. Talk radio will tell you that the market is a much better way to determine policy than a democratically elected government. They might then tell you they care about the Constitution.

You are being had...if you believe 'conservative' talk radio.

Links

Right Wing Watch

Bibliography

Republican Gomorrah: Max Blumenthal (2009)

The Republican Noise Machine: David Brock

Family of Secrets, Russ Baker

Blinded By The Right: David Brock

Conservatives Without Conscience: John W. Dean

The Coors Connection -- How Coors Family Philanthropy Undermines Democratic Pluralism by Russ Bellant (1991; 154 pgs; well-documented with 287 footnotes; published by South End Press

Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy (Paperback) by Jeffrey Feldman

Danger on the Right: The Attitudes, Personnel and Influence of the Radical Right and Extreme Conservatives. Arnold Foster and Benjamin R. Epstein.

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