Guess what? Talk radio hosts and cable tv stars like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck say crazy, paranoid, flame-baiting, stupid, awful things. Surprise!
They do it for the ratings. It’s a ploy that is very, very successful. It works on the right a lot better than on the left for sociological reasons beyond my understanding. It makes the television and radio broadcasters a great deal of money. It makes the stars a great deal of money. And they get fantastic pulpits from which they can grind out their populist ire, churning up whatever angst or fear already exists amongst the grassroots fans who adore them. They lie, they exaggerate, they race-bait and call names. They represent the lowest form of debate.
And it’s high time we stopped talking about them.
That’s right. Limbaugh may be contemptuous and he and his ilk may represent a cancer within conservatism, but talking about them endlessly, pointing out their every fault, their every foible, their every stupid or ugly sentiment – it just gets old. And not only that, it serves very little practical purpose. My own flirtations in anti-talking-head blogging taught me that.
I’d rather hear constructive ideas than another lament over Mark Levin’s intellectual dishonesty or anger management issues, or whatever. I mean, who are we really trying to convince? Not the fans, surely – their minds are made up. And for independent minded people, these talk radio types hold very little sway to begin with.
Who, then, really benefits from conservatives attacking conservative talk-radio hosts? If the answer is reform-minded, sensible Republicans, then I have to ask – do these sensible types, these independents and moderates benefit more from attacks on Rush than they would from some constructive ideas or strong policy suggestions? Probably not. So who benefits?
When you focus on attacking Rush and Beck and Levin you stoop to their level, plain and simple. It’s inevitable. You play at their game and by their rules. And let’s face it, that’s a game you just can’t win. You don’t like them because they fight dirty, but you can’t beat them unless you fight dirty, too. And if you fight dirty – well – you no longer have any legs to stand on.
It’s an exercise in futility. Give it up.
Update.
See also Noah Millman who wants the crazies to piss on the sleeping bags – or something like that….
Here’s a conversation I have regularly with a very liberal blogging friend of mine:
Me: Why do you keep posting stuff about Glenn Beck? Are you just trying to drive traffic to your site?
Friend: I talk about him because he and Rush Limbaugh are the voices for the Right at the moment and what they say matters.
Me: Really? Because none of my conservative friends like them.
Friend: Well a lot of conservatives do like them which is why their ratings are so high.
Me: Don’t you think a significant number of their audience is actually liberals looking to be outraged and indendents looking to be entertained?
Friend: A very small %. But millions of conservative Americans rely on them for their talking points.
Me: I know politically it benefits you to say that and that if Americans think Rush is a typical conservative it equals votes for your side, but you don’t REALLY believe that, do you?
Friend: Yes, I do.
Me: Why don’t you read some intelligent voices that lean to the Right like Ross Douthat or Megan McArdle or even my super-awesome blog? We don’t sound like Rush.
Friend: Your audiences are tiny and insignificant and therefore a waste of my time. When you all have 10 million readers per week I will call you the Voice of the Right. Until then, Beck is my man.
Me: I give up.
The point I’m trying to make with this dialogue is that many conservatives can’t resist bashing these tools because we hate being associated with them. It’s like the outrage you feel when someone on the internet calls you a liar and you know you aren’t. That conversational impotence is so frustrating that you can’t help but lash out. Liberals want America to believe Rush is giving conservatives their marching orders when from my window he’s looking less and less relevant. So we get frustrated and tell Rush to shut up. Liberals don’t hear us (or don’t care) and Rush keeps right on chugging. it’s a vicious cycle.
Mike at The Big StickQuote Link
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