Rush leveled the media playing field...WITH MUD

[prescole]

For decades, I think it's fair to say there was a liberal bias in most of the media...but can you imagine a Murrow, Cronkite, or Brinkley using the kind of derisive language that peppers the work of Limbaugh ("dirty, smelly, dope-smoking hippies"), Hannity ("Schmucky Schumer, Ted *hiccup* Kennedy, Robert KKK Byrd"), or Savage ("Liberalism is a Mental Disorder")?

The reaction of the most influential right wing pundits to liberal bias has been to drag journalism and commentary through the mud in an effort to completely discredit and demean liberalism.

The nation suffers, journalism suffers, discourse and civility suffer...and these fucking assholes laugh all the way to the bank.

I wish we at DU could start a call-in campaign where we address issues seriously with these jerks, then insert a simple phrase before we're inevitably cut off:

"Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

[NYCGirl]

1. It's not a good comparison.

Murrow, Cronkite and Brinkley were newsmen, journalists.

Rush is a "pundit", which is shorthand for "rightwing gasbag." He is not, has never been, nor could ever be a journalist.

[displacedtexan]

2. Dirty, smell hippies WAS mainstream media coverage.

There was no liberal media bias. It was called, "reporting the news and reporting what elected officials said."

Now, if the opinions and spin of repuke fringe wingnuts aren't pimped on the news, they scream "liberal bias."

[BOSSHOG]

4. Here, Here

Reporting facts without comment is not liberal bias. limbaugh and his kind have proven they are failures at everything but hating. limbaugh and his kind would fail miserably if they attempted to "do the news" ala Murrow, Rather etc. limbaugh and his kind are "successes" only because there exists in this country rampant ignorance which is easily exploited. Extremely easy; just take a close look at who is doing the exploiting.

[blm]

3. The current media made loudmouths and dopes "regular guys like you and me"

and demonized thoughtfulness and nuance delivered with intelligence and elegant use of proper language.

Somehow guys like Bush, Rove, O'Reilly and Rush were twisted into the ideal while guys like Gore and Kerry, Rather and Oliphant were to be scorned.

It couldn't have happened without a complicit media.

Back then, Cronkite and others saw intelligence and elegant use of language as a strength and virtue. Today's asshat media treat it as if were a disease.

[kurth]

5. Some people still believe everything he says

If you ever listen to him even on a random basis, he's still rambling on and on about the "TWO TONS of uranium for nuclear weapons" that were found in Iraq and airlifted to the U.S. in June 2004. Of course, the asshole never mentioned that the stuff was either low-enriched material under IAEA control or worthless research samples...

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Just call in and jam their lines. They don't want any discussions

They preach, not discuss.