Time is the friend of propagandists

[kentuck]

Last edited Sat May 26, 2018, 01:10 PM - Edit history (1)

Give them enough time and they can justify or validate almost any rumor or premise.

I think back to before Hillary announced that she was running for President. She was one of the most popular ex-politicians in America. Her favorable ratings in the polls were somewhere near the mid-60's.

But, the propagandists were able to flip those poll numbers over a short stretch of time. There was a poll that I recall, just before the election, where her "negatives" were worse than Donald Trump's. Give them time and they can destroy just about anyone.

These same propagandists are now attempting to destroy the reputation of Robert Mueller, one of the most respected figures in American politics. Only with the help of the corporate media are they successful. They have perfected the art of character assassination.

That is why time is not a friend of Robert Mueller. It doesn't matter how thorough and professional a job one might do if his character is questioned or destroyed.

We can never underestimate the power of propagandists. The only way to defeat them is to hit them quick and hit them hard. Keep them off-balance. Don't give them time. Time is their most valuable ally.

[dalton99a]

1. Good point. The Big Lie technique requires repetition

which takes time

[Funtatlaguy]

2. Excellent analysis

Lies, not treated, become like gaping infected wounds.

[malaise]

3. Dems need their own

For example

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210658925

I'd have ads about this starting immediately - saving democracy versus golf; saving democracy versus racist rallies - all at taxpayer expense.

[DemocracyMouse]

29. Brilliant! Anything contrasted with those golf images is effective

[TimeSnowDemos]

4. This is true, with the caveat

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/clinton_favorableunfavorable-1131.html

Clinton wasn't at 60% or anything like it when she announced.

The last time she was at 60% was in 2014.

The rest I largely agree with. Americans are well known for their inability to think for themselves when facing a concerted propaganda campaign.

[kentuck]

6. I think the poll in the link was just before the election?

Is that correct?

[TimeSnowDemos]

25. I can't vouch for the link

sometimes those RCP links lead to unfiltered results...

but if you google her poll results and compare them to when she announced it's clear she wasn't at 65 or 60%.

[kentuck]

26. When she left post as SoS, she was at 69%

https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/01/17/wsjnbc-poll-hillary-clinton-exits-with-69-approval-rating/

[TimeSnowDemos]

30. Sure, but

that was 2013.

Two years later it was much lower.

I'm not trying to say ANYTHING AT ALL other than correct the number... which is REALLY more about correcting the date, because yes in 2013 she was on a real high!

[EndGOPPropaganda]

5. Direct grassroots messaging against propaganda and for American values

I posted this in another thread. With grassroots messages like this we all can directly message against GOP propaganda.

If you have other things people can buy and wear or put up in their yards to counter the propaganda - post here!

--------

Many Trump supporters are propagandized by the Republican propaganda media - Fox, Limbaugh, Sinclair.
Reaching them is a way to weaken the president, until we can vote in 2018.

Good sources of progressive messaging apparel:
https://www.turnoutpac.org/ (This is my favorite!)


https://weprotectthetruth.com/


https://maddogpac.com/

[spanone]

7. don trump and the media colluded and destroyed Hillary Clinton

the media gave trump 2 BILLION dollars of free air time to do it.

[Mr. Ected]

8. "The wheels of justice turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine"

And therein lies the rub. In a battle between the rule of law and the propagandists intent on subverting it, the latter has the benefit of time, as you keenly point out.

The problem with the incessant propaganda is that any attempts to counter it are met with further propaganda. Media complicity nurtures the malevolence. Only the resolute can see through it. It's truly an uphill battle.

[kentuck]

9. It's an uphill battle but...

...if people understand the nature of the battle, propaganda can be defeated.

[Mr. Ected]

11. Living in rural Georgia, I can assure you, I cannot dissuade the Trumpies here to wake up

They're basically impenetrable.

The only folks that can be influenced are the ones who typically don't vote, or who are truly independents on the fence.

I'm not about to give up. But the longer this goes, the harder our job becomes, sorting out the truth from the lies.

[kentuck]

16. Eventually we must stop attempting to persuade or influence the impenetrable...

...and realize that the battle line is in another area. Hopefully it can be settled at the ballot box?

[pangaia]

14. there is the problem.

too many of people who need to be reached are too dumb and or uneducated. THANK YOU ronnie raygun and republicans nationwide.

[cubbies01]

10. Agree-one of the forgotten points of this nightmare...

...is they had a 25 year start. Rush on the AM begot imitators in AM begot Fox News begot take over of AM and FM begot Drudge Report begot Infowars begot insane conspiracies begot tea party begot Russia and GOP partnering to steer brain washed mass of white Americans into believing and doing anything. We completely underestimated what was happening, rolling our eyes and laughing at their stupidity not realizing just how many were becoming brainwashed and how bad their cult would become. It is no longer your crazy Uncle. It is 35% of the country, and embarrassingly for this white guy, about 70 percent of white america. 9/11 was the catalyst. It provided a unending well of fear to tap in.

[kentuck]

12. We hope it is only 35%...

We don't really know for sure.

[pangaia]

15. More like 40 years head start.

[DemocracyMouse]

31. Great summation --put that on a crisp T-shirt!

People above are sounding very defeatist. But I say countering utter stupidity with facts and clever wording is our challenge and we should simply rise to the occasion. Period.

Because we stopped leading from the front, because too many (but not all) progressives got comfortable, we are now forced to claw our way forward again. Progress takes ALL hands on deck.

But it's a noble undertaking. It's the very best of undertakings.

Order your T-shirts and stickers people. Better yet, make your own. I drove to the Midwest and back to NJ with this hand-written across my bumper:

WHILE CITIZENS CLASH
THE 1% TAKES THE CASH
VOTE DEMS NOV. 6

...and for a good moral booster shot I added in the margin:
"Love Thy Neighbor." –Jesus

Only got thumbs up! 2-3,000 people probably saw the thing. I felt really good. More fun than driving around in Grand Theft Auto! (the video game).

[maddiemom]

13. And Hillary has been Most Admired Woman of Year in the Gallup Poll 22 times since 1993.

Eleanor Roosevelt was second with 13 times.

[oberliner]

22. She has finished first every year from 2002 - 2017

[slumcamper]

17. An exceptionally important point to strategize around!!!

It the DNC, every D candidate, and every campaign worker held this as an article of faith, we would be in much better position.

Citizens & voters must question, reject, and counter at every chance the propaganda of the right.

[mountain grammy]

18. He's now "normal" enough for a 40 point

"approval" rating, proving once and for all, 40% of Americans are really stupid, hateful, racist, or all of the above.

[KPN]

19. Spit on. Tick tick tick tick.

[dembotoz]

20. enough of this high road crap

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

21. Time also causes people to forget outrageous acts.

Anybody still remember a WH staffer saying about John McCain, "We don't have to worry about him, he's dying." The WH never really admitted it, then said it was being handling internally, then no one continued to follow up on why is this person still a WH employee.

Or the Access Hollywood tape?

Or any number of events which in a normal WH would have been major scandals, but because Trump and his minions don't even admit the thing happened eventually it fades away into the noise of more recent outrages.

Ignore. Admit. Blame Obama or Hillary. Call it a witch hunt. Repeat at every appearance -- even on the way to Marine One -- that there was "no collusion."

Rinse, wash and repeat.

[dlk]

23. Propaganda Works, Unfortunately

[saidsimplesimon]

24. Good diary

I agree, we need to go on the offense, hit them early and hit them hard. Just read an interesting discussion over at fivethirtyeight.
Nat Silver has a list of issues, topics that he believes Democrats should make a priority.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-issues-should-democrats-ignore-in-2018/

...snip
So, we’re gonna try to do what Nate suggests here. The Republican side of this basically comes down to one person, President Trump — whatever he tweets or talks about stands in for the GOP’s message — so we’ll focus on Democrats today. In short: What topics/issues should Democrats focus on and what should they not focus on to set themselves up for the most success in this year’s midterm elections?

To give us a baseline, I made a list of topics by combining the options in Gallup’s “most important problem” survey and Pew Reseach Center’s “policy priorities” poll and then adding and subtracting stuff as I saw fit. (It’s surprisingly hard to make a list like this, so feel free to add stuff. Also, some of these obviously overlap.)
...snip

natesilver: OK here’s my list:

Health care — 20
Russia — 20
Gun control — 10
Election reform/civil rights — 10
Rich/poor gap — 10
Trump corruption — 10
Taxes — 5
Immigration — 5
North Korea — 5
#MeToo — 5
To explain a couple of these: Rich/poor gap is the Democrats’ best frame for talking about the economy. And I think election reform is a really important issue in the long run electorally for Democrats.

[sharedvalues]

33. Missing: GOP pro-billionaire propaganda

When we talk about the GOP we have to provide a FRAME.

Why does the GOP lie? Why do they use propaganda?

TO GET VOTES FOR GOP BILLIONAIRES. Because GOP billionaires want to destroy the government to cut taxes on the rich. And barely anyone will vote for that. So they need lies and propaganda and identity politics and hatemongering.

That is an easy case to make. And when you make it, people wake up. It’s incredible how effective this has been for me when talking to GOP voters. They have seriously never heard this before and in some cases it has a dramatic effect.

[saidsimplesimon]

34. I agree #33

Send your important observation to candidates running under our Democratic umbrella. Stand up Dems or the pig in the WH will bully you into submission.

[dameatball]

27. It seems that you are describing the Avenatti strategy, which has been very effective.

Unfortunately the numerous trails of corruption that Mueller has uncovered are not conducive to an offensive strategy…..until the bubble pops and all hell breaks loose.

[heaven05]

28. yeah and

unless something extraordinary happens, his face is all we'll see for the next 6+ years. Now the midterms, that is a saving grace. We must flip the house, at the least, in November.

[sharedvalues]

32. Yes but one note

There are two elements of the media propaganda strategy the right uses:

1. The profit seeking infotainment media- CNN, NBC, MSNBC, etc. They don’t create lies, usually, just amplify them.

2. The Republican propaganda machine- Fox, Limbaugh, Hewitt, WSJ ed page, Levin, NY Post, OANN, NRATV, Wash Times, Daily Caller, Breitbart, Wash Examiner, Drudge, etc. This is a propaganda arm of the Republican Party that tells lies to divide America, incite hate of Democrats, and get votes for GOP billionaires.

The propaganda machine pushes stories into the infotainment media via repetition. But please don’t confuse the two.