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The Drudge
Factor
by Brent Budowsky
Excerpt:
In the latest debate about Matt Drudge, Mark
Halperin of Time magazine suggests that Drudge
appeals to racism among a portion of his readers.
I often agree with Halperin, but he misses the point.
Drudge does not appeal to racism. This is wrong about Drudge and insulting to his readers...
There are times when Brent gets things 100% wrong.
This is one of those times.
Obama-hating right-wingers who read Drudge aren't
racists?
I'm not saying every Drudge reader is, but certainly
the majority are.
...and diverts attention from the big question:
With so many wealthy liberals and Democrats,
with Democrats controlling the presidency and
Congress, and with Hollywood and New York
full of brilliant, wealthy liberal stars and
moguls, why does the right have such a media lead over the left?
That's maybe a BETTER question that the race question, but the Fascist pigs ARE racist.
Where is the liberal Drudge? With Democrats controlling
so much of the information flow from the
White House and Congress, why does a conservative
have a monopoly on “the Drudge factor” while
liberal Democrats are reduced to reading Drudge,
reacting to Drudge and dishing dirt against their
opponents to Drudge? Why does Fox News have a
huge ratings advantage over MSNBC,
even after sweeping tides for Democrats in 2006
and 2008?
Why is conservative radio light-years ahead of
liberal radio in audience share, with the hapless Air America
a perpetual bankrupt? Some liberal hosts have
built significant audiences. There is discrimination by corporate
radio in some markets. But I won’t push the liberal
Fairness Doctrine issue, because it is a cop-out that will not
affect the larger liberal media failure.
There are progressive media beachheads. Arianna
Huffington is one. Ed Schultz has moved into radio,
TV and book publishing. Keith Olbermann and Rachel
Maddow have planted important flags on television.
In the 1970s, conservatives found large media
investors with a movement commitment to issues and
marketing savvy that turned masses of movement
voters into mass audiences for television, radio and publishing.
Conservative media became a voice for a movement.
The movement became a fungible audience swirling from
radio to television to books. Drudge, Fox News,
Rush Limbaugh, Andrew Breitbart and others are not a voice
for Republicans. They are a megaphone for conservatives.
Major liberal investors and Obama’s aides do not
envision a mass movement translated into media power.
BINGO! He finally stumbled onto the answer.
Bottom line, our side doesn't care about winning.
If victory knocks on our door, we might answer it,
but we damn sure aren't going to work for it or throw money at it.
As long as our primary concern is being nice and being fair, we're going
to lose
to the bastards who fight tooth and nail 24/7 with loads of cash.