Not Falling For It This Time

Abigail and Dolley readers I have been an intense observer of politics and the media for many years - no more so than when I became a Tea Party Member in the early months of 2009.   Plugged into the 24 hour news cycle for four years was illuminating, because I understood what was going on I could easily pick out spin and lies when they were spoken from a podium or a news desk.  Thus, I can no longer be led about by my nose.

My friends over at the Patriot's Business Alliance, hypothesized that the 2012 election would be the last time major media controlled the narrative.  They were right.

George and I were discussing this morning how people are not buying the story the media is selling.  His theory is that the electorate have watched their candidates be skewered by false narratives spun by the establishment and the media.  As supporters of these candidates they know the truth and not the sound bites and have been infuriated by the personal destruction of men and women they supported.

Think about the last Presidential election, were you a Michelle Bachmann fan?  How did you feel about her treatment?  How about the Newsweek cover that made her look like a lunatic or a Iowa State Fair picture that made her look like a porn star?  Her campaign was scuttled while in its infancy.

Then let us talk about Herman Cain... A strong man of integrity and intelligence.  Surges in the polls in October with smart ideas about revamping Social Security, creating jobs, and turning the country from a left wing course that had us reeling.  Well, since he was a Black Man, it was easy to create a sex starved predator image.  Vindicated well after the fact, a good man's reputation and his family were drug through the mud on the way to anointing the impotent establishment candidate Mitt Romney.   

A Good Man Drug Through the Mud

Finally, let's look at Newt Gingrich.  Long term readers will remember that Newt was my candidate of choice.  I wrote in detail about my thought process, my support of Newt, and in the end the utter annihilation of an excellent candidate.  The destruction came from all sides, Romney's carpet bomb negative barrage of false campaign ads, the Fox News hatred of him and negative coverage, and then finally what was a death blow at the time, Beck's character assassination.  Had Newt become President, the country and the world would be a vastly better and different place.

Destroyed by Negative Ads

This story is repeated over and over again - Sarah Palin and Dan Quayle were absolutely destroyed by the press and the elite.  Even folks like ultra liberal Howard Dean have seen momentum destroyed by a single incident, gaffe or not, that sunk their careers and bids for public office.

The infamous Dean Scream

The cumulative effect on the public is disillusionment and resentment.  How many people have watched their candidate of choice destroyed?  With the rise of the internet, alternative media, and cell phone video cameras discerning individuals can do their own research.  When a story comes out, they can find the source material and review it for themselves - thus, the ability of pundits and SuperPacs to set the narrative are greatly diminished, to their utter horror, I might add.

They are desperate!  The Huffington Post broke a story this week where GOP elite and tech ultra rich met in secret to decide how to stop the rise and nomination of Donald Trump.  Fifty four private jets... they will lie, cheat, and steal to insure they stay in power.  The illusion of political parties, is just that, an illusion.  What we see today is a ruling class, an elite, who will do or say anything as long as the cash cow of unfettered government spending continues to line their pockets.

The thing is, the American People aren't falling for it this time.  

The Destruction of America - Right Before Our Eyes

About 2 am on Election Day 2012, I crawled out of bed praying fervently that the news was better than it had been when I went to bed.  I opened my laptop and on the screen was a picture of the Obamas, walking on stage as a family with the headline, "Four More Years."  I wept bitterly, as you would over a terminal cancer diagnosis for a loved one.  It was in that moment that I realized that we were not going to remain the shining city on the hill, the beacon of light and hope for the world - we were going to fall away (2 Thessalonians 3).

Up until that very moment, I believed that the United States would cease to be a player in the End Times because the Rapture would wipe us out.  Who could have ever imagined we would be where we are today?  When Obama was first elected, I was sick to my stomach.  Speaking to my Sister the morning after, she confirmed that the Holy Spirit inside of her recoiled at the man, mine always has.  I have never listened to a speech of his; he has been in the public arena since 2007 and have never been able to hear him without major warning bells reverberating through my spirit.  The optimist in me hoped that it would be like the Clinton years and that the favorable press coverage would encourage the economy out of the downward spiral we were experiencing in the days after the crash.  I was wrong.

GOP Media Betrayal

Abigail and Dolley have you ever seen such a spectacle as we have witnessed in the past month?  Tried and true, trusted media outlets, commentators, and institutions have betrayed the faith we have placed in them.  It is baffling and disconcerting to realize that there is almost no one left to turn for news that is not propaganda force fed to us by a GOP establishment bent on their own power and control.  No where is this more evident than at Fox News; with the exception of Greta, Hannity, and Brett who are still playing it straight.

Rush has said for years, the reason he lives in Florida and not NYC or DC is that being human, you want to hang out in your social group.  You want to be liked and respected, you want to be invited to the right parties, you can not help it you are human.  What is the best way to fit in?  You must conform to the crowd, you remember high school?  Well, we don't change that much.

The truly shocking thing to me is the vitriol directed at Newt, as if he was the enemy.  Really?  When did a Conservative Icon become the enemy?  When did one of the greatest idea man of our age become worse than BHO?  I just shake my head and say that we are indeed living in strange times.

There are several that have struck a deep chord in me and my trust and respect in them is gone forever:  Beck, Coulter, Hume, and Drudge.  Thank God for Rush and Brietbart...

Newt - the Progressive?

Is Newt Gingrich really a Progressive in disguise?  Glenn Beck seems to think so and is absolutely tearing up the airwaves to insure everyone who is still paying attention to him hears it, too.  I heard the interview that Beck did with Gingrich last week - I also saw it.  I saw how Beck was rolling his eyes, not paying attention to answers to his questions; the man had clearly made up his mind before the interview started and it was a sham to try to prove to his audience that he "gave him a chance to explain these things."  Immediately after hanging up with Gingrich, he got Bauchmann on the line and they held a Newt bashing.  Beck is publicly supporting and endorsing Bauchmann, so take this assault with a grain.

I've been a long time fan of Beck's and have caught him on the radio in the weeks leading up to this "interview" and was appalled at the lies he was spouting.  I kept yelling at my radio, "That is propaganda, Glenn!  Do your research."  I was relieved when Newt agreed to do the interview and figured that once they had a chance to speak and once Beck had done his research he would quit with the smear, alas I was wrong. Beck has revealed himself to the public, what others in the industry have known for a while now, he is a charlatan. 

Many pundits have been open about their dislike of Newt and while I don't agree with them, I respect their right to feel that way.  Beck has taken it several steps further and he is dead to me.  He has incorrectly labeled Newt a Progressive - a label that Beck has raised to the level of evil incarnate to his audience.  He has then gone on to say that anyone that supports Newt over Obama is doing so because they are a racist.  Then he goes on to say the furor over his remark comes from the Progressive GOP media...ummm, no Glenn, it's from your former audience.

Now the Tea Party is once again racists.  The liberal media will make hay out of this one.  Glenn's attack on Gingrich is absolutely irrational.  Thanks a lot Glenn.  I would venture a guess, he will have Paulbots swarming to his side but what of the 35% of GOP voters that are supporting Newt?  What of the Reagan Democrats who are emerging from hibernation?  What of the 45% of Tea Party folks that are supporting Newt?  They are gone and once you loose folks in a manner like this, they don't come back.  Bye Glenn, you broke my heart.

A New Voice Shouting From the Wilderness

Perhaps it is my circle of conservative friends, perhaps it is the engagement I am seeing on shows like Glenn Beck, perhaps I am listening to the reasoning of Thomas Sowell, or perhaps I am just seeking information, I can't really say but regardless of the circumstances, I am extremely encouraged by the dialogue going on regarding the future of America.

It seems since the election of Barack Obama that other voices have emerged from the Black Community, in the absence of the voice of Obama, and this time it will not be squashed and silenced.  There is a Conservative voice shouting from the roof tops declaring that there is a better way!  Black leadership and participation in the Tea Parties is scorned and discounted by the media but that is not stopping them.  Conservative Black bloggers and talk show hosts are prolific and persuasive in their logical and impassioned presentation of the facts.

Intellectuals such as Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Alan Keyes, among others,  present rational and substantiated information on what has occurred in the Black Family since the "Great Society".  The figures are stunning and should serve as a wake up call to all rational and thinking people in America.  The Black family has been utterly destroyed by Government "Assistance".  In 1980, 12% of black children were being raised in single parent homes.  Today, 70% of children born to Black women are born out of wedlock.  The complete absence of fathers in the black community has left a gaping void where no one has taught this generation how to be a man.  No one has modeled the behavior that is so crucial to all boys on what it takes to be a good man. This is of course true for all, who are being raised with the absence of a strong father, this tragedy crosses all racial boundaries.

There is another voice from less political men of a different generation are declaring that the culture of ignorance, ebonics, and insolence will lead to ruin.  Bill Cosby has been a crusader against the societal norm that says if a child does well in school that they are "Acting White".  Even the "Pants on the Ground" General Larry Platt, who by all accounts is a Liberal Democrat, is declaring to the world that folks need to pull their pants up!

The one group that I am sorely disappointed in is the Black Preacher!  (I am going to generalize here and recognize that there are a lot of exceptions to this.)  Of course Jackson and Sharpton are prime examples, but there are perhaps thousands of these men behind pulpits today.  They, who hold the power and the answers through real faith in Jesus Christ are more concerned with influence, position, and money than they are in telling their parishioners what is right.  They stand at the holy pulpit and promote Liberal Democratic candidates whose policies are in direct contradiction of the gospel they are supposed to be preaching.  They sit back in silence while the genocide of abortion engulfs their congregations.   These men are wolves in sheep's clothing and I would not want to be one of them on Judgment Day, for they have much to answer for in God's eyes.

Far from doing anything to alleviate the plight of generations of blacks caught in the bondage to the government, the first "Black" President (I put that in quotes because, in fact, he is actually the first bi-racial President) the Liberal and Progressive policies seek to further enslave the dependent class. Ironically, while they are promoting policies that keep the Black Community in the ghetto they preach the gospel of antipathy toward those who would seek to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness.

I pray for these Black leaders speaking out and standing strong in the face of criticism and cat calls of "Uncle Tom", for it will not be my voice that makes a difference, but theirs.

Why Does Left Wing Talk Radio Fail?

With the demise of Air America this week, I have been contemplating talk radio.  Why is Left leaning talk radio a dismal failure, when Right leaning talk radio is a phenomenal success?  I am always amazed at the lefties that will call into conservative talk radio shows and try to argue with the hosts.  Invariably, they will say they listen to the show all the time and then they will add some disclaimer such as, the show lets them know what they should be against or some other such banal excuse.  The fact remains that they ARE listening, yet very few listen to the Left when they go on the same airwaves.  Why?  I mean there is certainly no shortage of Left leaning broadcasts, movies, and shows - why does Left talk radio fail?

I think I know the answer.  The difference is that left leaning movies, TV shows, and "news" programs are subtle in their message.  They frame it with humor or language or drama, it is the underpinning, but the audience is never asked to validate or confirm the opinion.  It seeps into their conscience without careful analysis in the harmless guise of fun or information.  Direct participation in the process by the recipient is not required.

Talk radio on the other hand is a straight forward presentation of ideas and information that necessarily requires blunt and clear communication.  Successful talk radio of course requires callers and others to debate the subject matter.  When confronted head on with what the lefties believe in and want to do the American people recoil in disgust.  When the lies and the spin and the agenda are not cloaked in subterfuge, they are rejected by all but the most rabid of lefties.

I have XM radio in my car and know exactly what and who are on during my morning and evening commute.  Ironically, the station that hosts Glenn Beck in the AM is the same one that hosts left leaning Randi Rhodes at night.  Inevitably, I get in my car, proceed out of the parking lot with this harridan spouting lies full blast over my speakers.  I physically cringe at the sound.  I have actually forced myself to try and listen on a few occasions to see what the other side is saying and I honestly just can't stomach it.   

How can liberals confess to regularly listening to Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and I can not abide 5 minutes of Randi Rhodes?  Are they stronger than I am some how?  No, I don't believe that is the case.  I believe the liberals are able to listen, even though they disagree, because they are for the most part listening to the truth.

Everyone has that spot planted within them that will respond to the truth.  The truth is compelling and fills a missing part in your soul.  Lies on the other hand make one recoil, we know instinctively when someone is a liar.  Leftist talk radio is full of the bare bones lies they try to portray as truth.  Even those that agree with it find it unpalatable.