I listened to Keith and Rachel; I've read the warm and enthusiastic responses on DU, but---

[Atticus]

the people who watch Keith and Rachel and read DU are "the choir". It may make us feel good to preach to each other, but let's not pretend that we are the congregation; the middle-of-the-road, moderate, independent voter. Some of these folks are more interested in the baseball playoffs or Bart Favre's revenge or Tom Delay's withdrawal from Dancing With The Stars than health care reform.

We spend an hour with misty eyes and a lump in our throat while Keith "lays it on the line", but THEY.DON'T.CARE.

We consider those we've known who have suffered and died for lack of insurance or who have had to squander precious time and energy fighting their insurance company for coverage. But, that's not happening to them right now so THEY.DON'T.CARE.

One of the best points Keith made was that it does us no good to criticize these "casually interested" citizens. We have to communicate with them and to them the clear truth of what is involved and what is really in it for them. And, we have to be heard over the din of all the lies that 1.4 million dollars a day will buy.

[valerief]

1. It's still on You Tube. nt

[lxlxlxl]

2. there are other posts like ths right now ie choir

who gives a shit about people that are so afraid to even try to watch something else? this is not the realm of objective data, it is tv, it is not about getting people over to your view anymore. that might have been true in the 50's, but not now, we have 1000s of channels, internet tv, on top of the older media.

keith stuck his neck out. put one of his special comments next to 3 hours of drudge/rush/glenn/hannity and ask yourself who looks better. the answer is fucking obvious.

[Atticus]

6. Sorry, whatever point you intended must have whizzed right past me. HUH? nt

[lxlxlxl]

7. i replied to the other threads

the special comment have way more value than you think...dont feel like repeating my comments to other posts now.

yes, wouldnt it be great if the entire country watched the same thing and we all knew what other people were thinking, but we dont'

take what you can from the comments and keith, and remember the days when there was nothing like it, like during the clinton years...

[Atticus]

9. I did not intend any disrespect or lack of appreciation for Keith's brilliant commentary.

In fact, I think he should get some kind of award---special Emmy or whatever---for tonight's program. My intent was simply to caution my fellow liberals that our world is not the real world. It ought to be, but it isn't---yet.

There is a staggering amount of fear and ingnorance out there and it is being carefully and enthusiastically courted by Big Insurance and Big Pharma and those who cash their checks.

I apologize if I did not make myself clear.

[lxlxlxl]

20. i was unclear also...sorry

i'll sound like an idiot (again) if i try to explain what i was thinking...

sorry if i sounded antagonistic.

[Old and In the Way]

3. We already know you can't preach to the choir.

It's the unbeliever's we have to convince.

[ezgoingrl]

4. You're right, but keep this in mind.

The choir needs to start preaching and we need to do it better than we've been doing it because so far we're failing. Keith is right, we need to start using terms that regular people, who aren't obsessed with politics like we are here on DU will understand and we need to remember that they are coming from a place of fear...anger is fear expressed, expressed poorly but expressed anyway.

The story about his dad helps put this debate in human terms. Keith meeting his friend who is having to sell everything to get his daughter the same care Keith can write a check for expresses how unequal the current system is.

The idea that we cannot accept such grim statistics for our COUNTRY and that WE ARE ALL AT RISK if we do nothing...these are the things that the choir needed to hear.

We also have a call to action, we need to do what we can to support the free clinics that Keith talked about.

I'm already boycotting insurance, since I don't have any, so I'm ahead of the game there!

edit: for better clarity, its still choppy but I'm not taking the time to fix it.

[shadowknows69]

5. True that. I'm sorry but that's what cable news has come to.

But who knows? If he reached one person flipping through the channels on the way to CNN then it was an hour well spent.

[Canuckistanian]

8. it's convincing the "moderates" and "Indpendents" that's important

And those people occasionally DO watch Keith and Rachel.

Let's hope they were watching tonight.

[shraby]

10. Congresscritters watch Keith and Rachel and that's who

the shows tonight are aimed at...the very people who have the ability to make health care for all happen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. DING, DING. DING. DING

[Johonny]

19. exactly

Washington is a very insulated town. Which is why Glenn Beck can speak for only a small fraction of the electorate, but because he's on TV all week, congress critters think FAUX speaks for some kind of huge movement..

[OhioBlue]

12. many times the choir needs the preaching.

I feel Keith's special commentary will go much further than just preaching to the choir... but let's assume it is just that.

What does preaching to the choir achieve? It is a pep talk, it is the recognition and the validation that it gives us. Yes, Keith didn't convince me to be in favor of reform or the public option because I already was... but.... he helps me. He helps me KNOW that I'm right and helps articulate why I'm right on this. He motivates me to keep talking, to keep writing, to keep going. He also has a very specific call to action, to donate to the free clinics, which I will absolutely do.

He helps me know that I'm not alone in this... DU helps me know I'm not alone... We don't all live in progressive areas. Some of us are in very red, tea-bag dominated, confederate flag wavin' kind of areas. When I waver and think... why write another letter, why make another call.. he tells me why... it isn't about me.. it doesn't matter if someone give me a dirty look b/c of my letter to the editor.. we have to keep going. It is life and death for some of our brothers and sisters, and for some of us, for us and our families.

It is US against the insurance companies.

solidarity.

[GrilledCheeses]

13. My mother, who is a republican,

watched it with me (she sat down while I was watching). Half way through she asked me what show this was and who he was. She really liked what he was saying. He left the politics aside which I think helped my mother see the reality of our health care situation. People are dying because of the selfishness of many in this country.

So, he did get through to at least one new person. Keep fighting the good fight Keith!

[shireen]

15. i'm so glad to hear that.

Please give your mom a hug for me.
:hug:

[Ian David]

14. TiVo says there isn't a single Republican TiVo user in the whole country who watches Olbermann.

TiVo's official count of Republicans watching Olbermann: 0
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6703558

Yes, Olbermann is preaching to the choir.

But our job is to be the most well-informed choir we can be.

Now, go out there and SING.

[ljm2002]

16. Yes, we are the choir ...

... and yes, it is unlikely that the rabid right will be swayed by Keith's commentary. But I have to say, there are still a large number of people who are not that into politics, who may be influenced. I happened to watch KO's program tonight with someone who is apolitical, and his reaction to it was that it was great commentary and very necessary. So there's another data point...

[jgraz]

17. I disagree. We're in the majority. We just need to get active.

If we get fired up and bring the noise, the opposition becomes irrelevant. Things like Keith's comment serve to light a fire under our butts.

[Dogmudgeon]

18. Put a copy on a DVD or VCD

Make lots of copies. Give them away.

Take some to hospital ERs and physicians' offices. Many of them have DVD players hooked up. Play it there. A large and growing number of physicians will allow and encourage this.

Link to YouTube. Make sure you get copies in any case -- NBC may be pressured to pull them. Any and all media should be considered to be fickle when it comes to the public interest.

If you have a big-screen TV, a decent sound system, and a big bay window, I'm sure you can think up some use for all that.

Offer a swap with your Republican/Conservative friends -- you'll watch an hour of O'Reilly it they'll watch the Olbermann vid.

--d!