Nutjobs Ranting About Politics.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Atticus, are you still driving?

No, I think SF is building some kind of public transit to Canada. Something about a railroad that's underground. Sounds pretty cool, and Earth-friendly, which is nice.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
No, I think SF is building some kind of public transit to Canada. Something about a railroad that's underground. Sounds pretty cool, and Earth-friendly, which is nice.

Suit yourself. I hear that there's no in-car dining during the travel, although they will serve organic herbal teas in the basements of overnight stops in Eugene and Seattle.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
You've mistaken me for a poster who believes that line reporters are neutral. They're not. They're leftist because they make $15K to perhaps $75K a year, and they're overeducated and feel underappreciated --- a classic recipe for liberal thought. This is the reason college professors are liberal: they do not personally experience that the market (as constituted) places an appropriate price on their contributions. "Reporters are leftist" has the same argumentative weight as "College students are leftist" or "Union workers are leftist."

All true. But, you seem to want to contradict this below.

There are such things as right-wing metro dailies (though living where you live you might not know that) and right wing newsmagazines (as you well know).

Few dailies, from what I've seen. I speak of the daily, leader-of-the-city newspapers that people generally read every day. Froim these, I think they get a very left-centric view. I agree that there are rightist sources out there, but not of this same genre (in terms of what kind of media we think of when we hear "honey, where's the paper!?" ) And, if your response is, put out a rightist one of the same character, I think that begs the question. My demand for ethics should not be met with "well, then, drop your own ethics, and it'll be fair."

The right raises the hue and cry against media liberalism, all while maintaining its own outlets in that marketplace.

Are you speaking of the Rushes, the Coulters, the NROs - all of which are specifically, and explicitly, setting out one defined viewpoint as a goal, not as news deliverers? When you hear or read those people, they tell you right up front what they believe and cherish. The NYT gives us "news" - they decide what to tell us, and their selection process is defined by what they want us to know that fosters their ideology, but they frame it so that an unsuspecting reader might think they've heard a neutral source.

[Gattigap]

Enterprising reporter Dan Rather tells us that fireworks are in the offing later this week at the RNC:

Two individual Republican powers on separate occasions in the past 24 hours have said, on a "Don't quote me by name, but…" basis: "Keep your eyes and ears open for Mitt Romney's convention speech Wednesday night."

Hmm. "Forget Rear Adm. Schachte. I was in the boat that night...."

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
No, I think SF is building some kind of public transit to Canada. Something about a railroad that's underground.

Urban myth, started around the time when Washington and Oregon residents stopped letting northbound Californians off the freeway exits.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Hmm. "Forget Rear Adm. Schachte. I was in the boat that night...."

Good one.

I'm betting it has to do with past election fraud in Mass.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Vancouver.

Anyone spent much time there? I hear it is beautiful, and Canada is a great place to visit, but I mean spend weeks/months there. I remember it closed it's zoo because of animal rights concerns. That alone makes it sound like such a PC place, it would be difficult to live there.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by bilmore
Few dailies, from what I've seen. I speak of the daily, leader-of-the-city newspapers that people generally read every day. Froim these, I think they get a very left-centric view. I agree that there are rightist sources out there, but not of this same genre (in terms of what kind of media we think of when we hear "honey, where's the paper!?" )

Question: Would a local paper's endorsement of Bush in the election be a leading indicator that its views are less than left-of-center?

I come from a part of the country where all of the local papers that I recall were quite enthusiastic in their support of Republican candidates. Sure, their most prolific writers of the daily stories may have had stoopid names like "Associated Press" and "Knight Ridder wire reports," but for all things local, opinion and editorial, I would hardly characterize them as lefties.

Typically, we left that to the big-city folk.

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Anyone spent much time there? I hear it is beautiful, and Canada is a great place to visit, but I mean spend weeks/months there. I remember it closed it's zoo because of animal rights concerns. That alone makes it sound like such a PC place, it would be difficult to live there.

BIL and his family spent a few years there. Gets a TON of rain, and mold is a big problem in houses. Lots to do if you're outdoorsy, though.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Question: Would a local paper's endorsement of Bush in the election be a leading indicator that its views are less than left-of-center?

I come from a part of the country where all of the local papers that I recall were quite enthusiastic in their support of Republican candidates. Sure, their most prolific writers of the daily stories may have had stoopid names like "Associated Press" and "Knight Ridder wire reports," but for all things local, opinion and editorial, I would hardly characterize them as lefties.

Typically, we left that to the big-city folk.

Maybe, like AG said, I see the wrong things - or a less-than-representative view - from my "Minneapolis Hammer & Sickle Daily" environment.

But, still, looking to the big newspapers with huge circulations, I think my rant still stands. The Groinpimple Ledger may well be endorsing Reps, but that provides little relief from the readers of the big-city dailies, which are, in the last several years, expanding rapidly in the out-in-the-sticks places that used to be served by the Groinpimple Ledger.

[bilmore]

Admissions against interest?

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
I come from a part of the country where all of the local papers that I recall were quite enthusiastic in their support of Republican candidates. Sure, their most prolific writers of the daily stories may have had stoopid names like "Associated Press" and "Knight Ridder wire reports," but for all things local, opinion and editorial, I would hardly characterize them as lefties.

Eggsactly. If you live in the Northeast or parts of, say, the Upper Midwest, your big city papers are going to resonate with the blue collar workers who (used to) read the afternoon paper after the whistle. A paper that resonates with readership will survive; one that targets a minority view is less likely to.

Those red states we keep reading about? Some of them have notoriously red papers. I read them when I'm there. Maybe this is obvious to me because I live in a city with 20% Republicans, and our paper would likely lose substantial readership if it endorsed Bush. How can the converse not be true in cities and regions with 20% Democrats?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by bilmore
Maybe, like AG said, I see the wrong things - or a less-than-representative view - from my "Minneapolis Hammer & Sickle Daily" environment.

But, still, looking to the big newspapers with huge circulations, I think my rant still stands. The Groinpimple Ledger may well be endorsing Reps, but that provides little relief from the readers of the big-city dailies, which are, in the last several years, expanding rapidly in the out-in-the-sticks places that used to be served by the Groinpimple Ledger.

Goddamnit, ixnay on the city amesnay. Any more questions on my practice and my geography on this board, and I'll have to give up and start using my picture as my fucking avatar, like Hank does.

But anyway, while I take your point, I think that regional papers in midmarket cities (like New Orleans or Louisville or Nashville, etc) may have a better than even chance of having an editorial staff supporting Republican presidential candidates. Perhaps someone with time could Google it.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by bilmore
But, still, looking to the big newspapers with huge circulations, I think my rant still stands. The Groinpimple Ledger may well be endorsing Reps, but that provides little relief from the readers of the big-city dailies, which are, in the last several years, expanding rapidly in the out-in-the-sticks places that used to be served by the Groinpimple Ledger.

You're the guys pointing out that Dem support is concentrated in metro areas --- but you think metro dailies' editorial tendency to lean left is unfair? Markets, baby. Trust the market.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by bilmore
Admissions against interest?

That's "two" as in "two more months."

Sadly, Moore is using the European-style hand signals, taught to him by Kerry while lunching over a Cheez Whiz Cheese Steak.