When Did Alex Jones Go Mainstream?

[CJCRANE]

I remember in the Bush Era he was considered to be the fringe of the fringe.

Fox News pundits called him an "anarchist".

His conspiracy theories about 9/11 and the New World Order were considered beyond the pale.

But now elected Republicans use him as a credible source.

What changed?

[Lawlbringer]

1. My Mom always said

You can always tell how crazy a situation is by who's at the center of the commotion.

[MattBaggins]

11. Did she also tell you how life was like a box of chocolates

[Lawlbringer]

12. Yes, actually

but that's not really relevant to this situation.

[get the red out]

2. I have wondered that also

Would it have had anything to do with Ron and Rand Paul being guests on his show? Especially Ron Paul, who he supported for President? Maybe he latched onto that following and it led to benefits?

[OneGrassRoot]

5. That would make sense...

Because I'm seeing a lot of the same young people (mostly young men) who were for Ron Paul now full-on Alex Jones supporters.

Scary shit.

[get the red out]

6. Dangerous

I think Alex Jones is basically disinformation for Republicans. I can't help but wonder if he wasn't paid to bring back the people on the right who really were anti-war and not fond of Bush, back into the corporate Republican fold?

I know kind of makes me like Alex Jones himself, but for him, it's a job, and he's probably well paid for it.

[CJCRANE]

4. Oh right...so that's where that meme came from.

I just think that if Repubs are going to accept his ideas now then they need to accept all his 9/11 truth stuff.

ETA: but was he mainstream in the 90s with actual politicians or just the backwoods militia types?

[jakeXT]

7. I think he was more a local personality.

I think he started with public access TV and radio.
Basic themes were militarization of police, Martial Law etc

1998 America: Destroyed by Design
1999 Police State 2000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Jones

If you you want a feel of the early Jones you can watch a documentary by British journalist
Jon Ronson about Alex Jones infiltrating Bohemian Grove from 2001.
There you can see his wife and home where he broadcasted from.

Remember that before 2005 there was no youtube and google video. So there was no way to distribute multimedia content to a lot of people at low costs.
I think that changed in 05 and made 911 truth movies and research popular.

In 2006 Charlie Sheen went public with his views on 911 and Alex came on cnn
transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/24/sbt.01.html
After that they got on C-Span with a panel.

From then on he improved his web presence and built a new studio and hired more people, I guess.

He claims that Glenn Beck has copied his style, maybe the "mainstream" is adapting to him.

Glenn Beck's Shtick? Alex Jones Got There First
Long before he inadvertently brought an end to a popular sitcom by hosting last week’s mega-viral interview with Charlie Sheen, talk-radio host Alex Jones established himself as a giant in America’s conspiracy subculture.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/glenn-becks-shtick-alex-jones-got-there-first-20110304

His website is now ranked 314 in the US behind Chicago Tribune ( There is a spike in the last days, because one of his reporters asked about false flags during the Boston press conference)
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/infowars.com
http://www.google.de/trends/explore#q=false%20flag

He's on Siruius now, I don't know when that happened.
http://www.siriusxm.com/americastalk

[JHB]

13. No, Jones pumped that meme, but it started around the time he was born

It started with the 70s "cattle mutilation" conspiracies, competing with UFO experiments as the supposed cause. It may also have sprung up from Christian fundamentalist end-timers interpreting things from the Book of Revelation (which for some reason didn't need to be literal for these "biblical literalists&quot .

It percolated for a decade or two through RW anti-government circles until it became part of what they all "knew" (i.e., shadowy unidentifiable government agency up to no good). Their means of transmission back then were pamphlets, newsletters, shortwave radio broadcasts, and (by the 80s) dial-in BBSs.

Jones just rode a wave that was already coming in to shore.

However, it is an example of how nutty RW memes get transported into the mainstream.

[Archae]

8. Jones is as "mainstream" as Glenn Beck.

Jones is still on the fringe, it's only because some "news" media decided adding Jones' comments would add to their ratings, that's why he's getting more attention.

[Jamaal510]

9. Obama's election and re-election, that's what.

"But now elected Republicans use him as a credible source. What changed?"

[spanone]

10. the republicons have gone completely to the dark side..jones is practically a liberal to them

[KharmaTrain]

14. The Desperation Of The Wingnuts...The Fall Of Hate Radio...

...note that Jones' rise after all these years of being treated by BOTH sides as a lunatic comes in the fall in ratings and influence of Rushbo, Hannity and the other usual hate radio suspects. Last fall Jones expanded his own radio network and has been on a PR tear ever since...and his ratings and prominence among the great unhinged has risen.

One major reason for his rise was the fallout of last year's election...the lying that most right wing hacks did to push Willard on a party that really wasn't too hot on him in the first place and then his massive flame-out. The credibility of the rushpublican party is as low with its own people as it is with the rest of us. Instead of looking to find realistic answers and finally grow up, many of the great unhinged are looking for their next snake oil salesman...and Jones is taking it all to the bank...

[geek tragedy]

15. Alan Grayson gave him a live interview on his show.

Paranoid loons vote too. Jones used to have outspoken defenders here during Bush's reign of error.

[Renew Deal]

16. Probably when Piers Morgan let him yell at him for half an hour

That helped.

[Jennicut]

17. The rise of youtube, Ron and Rand Paul, people being fed up with both parties,

9/11 truthers, all the mass shootings, etc. He is a libertarian conspiracy theorist. He attracts those that deeply dislike Obama and the Dems and anything to do with increasing govt. He deeply dislikes Republicans interference in govt. as well. Therefore, all govt. is bad and everything is a conspiracy. He is not really a Republican to me but he is a total and complete nut.