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In their crusade to hit the GOP on Medicare, the Democratic Party is urging supporters to attend Republican town halls, bring protest signs, and report back to the party about what they see. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a campaign called "Don't End Medicare" that directs supporters to local meet-ups with Republican Congressman, suggesting that they bring signs that read "Vote Republican—End Medicare" and prepare themselves with Democratic talking points about the GOP’s "reckless privatization scheme."

Notably, the DCCC also urges supporters to "bring your camera and report back to us on what you see"—effectively asking them to turn themselves into citizen journalists who can catch potentially inflammatory or otherwise damning remarks by Republicans at their Medicare town halls.

The DCCC's efforts build on a push by their liberal allies in recent weeks to hit the House GOP for passing Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's drastic plan to overhaul Medicare. Republicans, perhaps responding to some of the blowback, have backed away from that proposal, but Democrats are unlikely to let the issue go anytime before the 2012 elections.

Joining the Democrats are not only traditional party stalwarts like labor unions, but also groups like the AARP which have launched ads that criticize—if obliquely—Washington Republicans for wanting to "make harmful cuts to Medicare" as well as Social Security. But like the labor unions who rallied supporters to attend recent town halls, national Democrats will likely face questions about how much grassroots support their Medicare crusade is really attracting, as the pushback seems to be coming from national groups rather than local organizers.

  they're trying to manufacture their own tea party movement, and do exactly what they accused republicans of doing in 08.

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Yeah, stooping down to the other sides level is not how one encourages intelligent dialog.  Very disappointing.

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Yeah, stooping down to the other sides level is not how one encourages intelligent dialog.  Very disappointing.

stooping down to the other side's level? care to back that up?

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Exhibit 1: Fox News

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

sorry, but i need examples. and i guess fox news is the moral equivalent of the democratic congressional campaign committee somehow?

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

What exactly did the nation's most trusted do besides not ridicule the Tea Party as other less trusted news agencies did???

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Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

What exactly did the nation's most trusted do besides not ridicule the Tea Party as other less trusted news agencies did???

Most trusted by who?  That stat exists because most Republicans (~50% of the USA's population) believe Fox because its the primary source of propaganda that reinforces their preexisting beliefs.  The Democrats (most of the rest of the population) have several contesting propaganda sources, preventing any one from competing with Fox.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32039.html

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

What exactly did the nation's most trusted do besides not ridicule the Tea Party as other less trusted news agencies did???

Most trusted by who?  That stat exists because most Republicans (~50% of the USA's population) believe Fox because its the primary source of propaganda that reinforces their preexisting beliefs.  The Democrats (most of the rest of the population) have several contesting propaganda sources, preventing any one from competing with Fox.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32039.html

Actually sarcastically referring to this poll: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/05/20/poll-fox-oreilly-most-trusted-news-sources

Of course it still stands that Fox was the only mainstream outlet that didn't take an offensive outlook on the Tea Party.

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

What exactly did the nation's most trusted do besides not ridicule the Tea Party as other less trusted news agencies did???

Most trusted by who?  That stat exists because most Republicans (~50% of the USA's population) believe Fox because its the primary source of propaganda that reinforces their preexisting beliefs.  The Democrats (most of the rest of the population) have several contesting propaganda sources, preventing any one from competing with Fox.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32039.html

Of course according to recent polls: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/partisan_trends

Your argument doesn't hold up. Only 1/3 of the nation is Republican. The rest is evenly divided among Democrats and independents.

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Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

What exactly did the nation's most trusted do besides not ridicule the Tea Party as other less trusted news agencies did???

Most trusted by who?  That stat exists because most Republicans (~50% of the USA's population) believe Fox because its the primary source of propaganda that reinforces their preexisting beliefs.  The Democrats (most of the rest of the population) have several contesting propaganda sources, preventing any one from competing with Fox.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32039.html

Of course according to recent polls: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/partisan_trends

Your argument doesn't hold up. Only 1/3 of the nation is Republican. The rest is evenly divided among Democrats and independents.

Touché!  I was making my argument based on the traditional narrow split on presidential elections, and didn't expect that large of a group without party affiliation.  I'm not sure if the argument still holds if one were to reword it conservative v. liberal as opposed to Republican v. Democrat, based off the spectrum split depicted in this 2010 Gallup poll:



http://www.gallup.com/poll/141032/2010-conservatives-outnumber-moderates-liberals.aspx

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Exhibit 1: Fox News

What exactly did the nation's most trusted do besides not ridicule the Tea Party as other less trusted news agencies did???

Most trusted by who?  That stat exists because most Republicans (~50% of the USA's population) believe Fox because its the primary source of propaganda that reinforces their preexisting beliefs.  The Democrats (most of the rest of the population) have several contesting propaganda sources, preventing any one from competing with Fox.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32039.html

Of course according to recent polls: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/partisan_trends

Your argument doesn't hold up. Only 1/3 of the nation is Republican. The rest is evenly divided among Democrats and independents.

Touché!  I was making my argument based on the traditional narrow split on presidential elections, and didn't expect that large of a group without party affiliation.  I'm not sure if the argument still holds if one were to reword it conservative v. liberal as opposed to Republican v. Democrat, based off the spectrum split depicted in this 2010 Gallup poll:



http://www.gallup.com/poll/141032/2010-conservatives-outnumber-moderates-liberals.aspx

We are a conservative leaning nation, that is true. That really is the genius behind Murdoch. He found a niche that needed a  product and that niche was......tUSA.

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
The Democrats (most of the rest of the population) have several contesting propaganda sources, preventing any one from competing with Fox.

yet isn't it funny how they all say the same thing? and you've just admitted something whether you know it or not. you have ALLLLLL these other outlets, saying the same things, and just one fox news. yet there's no media bias right? despite the fact that studies have consistently shown there is. and why do you think that increasingly, fox news is growing a larger audience and in polls is viewed as most trusted, while the rest of tv news is in the dumps? do you think there are more republicans being born or something? no, it's that more and more people are catching on to the unified talking points of the liberal media, and they're eyes are opening.

can you not see a colossal difference in the way that the media (collectively) covers obama over the way it did bush? i mean for crying out loud, bush legally engaged in war and he was hammered for it every day. obama on the other hand has us in an illegal war in lybia (he bypassed congress, and went over his 60 days) and it's almost not even mentioned? do you really think it would be that way if bush was in office?

dude, i feel like YOU'RE just repeating what you've heard. you gotta use this internet thing and start getting answers for yourself.

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The thing that Fox does as opposed to other outlets, is that they actually have both sides represented in the discussion and let the viewer make up their mind. Other sources very seldom invite Republicans to lay out their side of things. It is just Democrats bashing Republicans. If they do invite someone of conservative leanings, they are usually outnumbered and get ganged up on. Fox's problem is that CNN was well established beforehand and is used by many as the middle. CNN is not the middle.

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and it is AMAZING to me how zombie-like people are in opposition to fox news, without ever even watching. they're taking the liberal talking points, and running with it. oh faux is evil, and fox lies! really? how so? fox is evil and fox lies! give me a break. i'm losing hope that we can ever snap enough people out of this propagandized society we live in. think for yourselves people!

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Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:
CNN is not the middle.

yeah, they use msnbc as kind of a scapegoat, saying see, msnbc is so liberal, and fox is just like super conservative, and we're right here in the middle. mark, the middle has shifted, as we both know. the propaganda is so subtle and widespread, that it is now seen as fact.