Tuesday, October 25, 2016

The Washington Post Nails It

I'm probably just a fan of this column by Catherine Rampell because it's almost the exact same point I made yesterday, but it's very good. Here's an excerpt...

It is, after all, the right-wing radio, TV and Internet fever swamps that have gotten them into this mess, that have led to massive misinformation, disinformation and cynicism among Republican voters. And draining those fever swamps is the only way to get them out of it.

For a sense of just how misinformed Republican voters have become, consider a few of the provably wrong things many believe.

Seven in 10 Republicans either doubt or completely disbelieve that President Obama was born in the United States. Six in 10 think he’s a secret Muslim. Half believe global warming is possibly or definitely a myth concocted by scientists.

Among just Trump voters, 7 in 10 believe government economic data are fabricated. Half don’t trust that votes will be counted accurately in the November election.

Republicans and Trump backers didn’t come to these conclusions independently. They learned them from the influential TV, radio and Web outfits whose imprimaturs Republican politicians desperately seek, and whose more troubling content these politicians have been reluctant to criticize.

The news you wish was happening is not news. When it's presented as if it's true, and nobody on your side of the aisle points out that it's crazy, the public will believe it. When you do it for twenty years (which is how long Fox News has been relevant now), it might be too late to fix it.