They make promises only to attack and attempt to debunk those of their opponents. They cling to extreme claims or ideals in a desperate hope that more votes, donations and support will come pouring in. They are Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, candidates and constituents — these are irrelevant titles — and they’re abandoning any middle ground seeking to exist on the fringe and remain in the way of progress.
In today’s political atmosphere, the idea of the political party sheds any notion of a platform of issues in favor of a full on media brand.
This discussion stems from conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s inappropriate remarks toward Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, who after speaking before Congress on the issue of women’s access to birth control, was regarded by Limbaugh as a “slut.”
Limbaugh isn’t the official media outlet or spokesperson for the Republican Party. His frustrations with President Obama’s urge to include the provision of contraception under employer-paid health insurance find themselves landing misguided at Fluke’s front door. This isn’t the bigger issue, though.
Republicans and Democrats alike fail to distance themselves from extreme viewpoints such as Limbaugh’s in general. In the mind of the voter, if Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum opposes Obama on birth control availability (they do), then Romney and Santorum agree with Limbaugh. When candidates immerse themselves so deeply in social issues as some of the GOP have done thus far in 2012, the line between editorial remarks from political talk show hosts and campaign promises from the candidates themselves gets blurred.
It goes both ways. Bill Maher and Keith Olbermann are to liberals what Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are to conservatives.
In a video series that aired on Slate, Rachel Maddow is asked if she believes Fox News is “political propaganda,” and to explain the relevance that term has in modern media.
“Political operation that produces broadcast media vs. a propaganda operation — you could call those things synonyms,” Maddow said. “Fox is operating with a political objective to elect Republican candidates … I don’t think that they are getting direction from the Republican Party about what to put on TV. I think they are putting on TV what they think the Republican Party ought to be doing and the Republican Party is saluting and getting in line.”
So then, what is the solution? To blame this all on the media feels like a copout or a trite resignation to no better answer.
The change needs to come from us — the collective we, the people. By actively absorbing and interpreting anything that comes our way via television, political literature and even these words, we are better able to cipher through the Limbaugh comments and engage in a real discussion.
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