Thank you, Eric, for such a well-reasoned, fact-based response. You give this retired lawyer hope for the 2024 elections.
Your knowledge of American history applied to the breathless changes encountered in the last four decades provides a clear perspective of our current battle against Trump’s dystopian views - combined with the White/Chr…
Thank you, Eric, for such a well-reasoned, fact-based response. You give this retired lawyer hope for the 2024 elections.
Your knowledge of American history applied to the breathless changes encountered in the last four decades provides a clear perspective of our current battle against Trump’s dystopian views - combined with the White/Christian ideology - versus our desires for a robust, inclusive democracy.
Your response helps me understand the deep chasm between me and my white Christian siblings who apparently feel disenfranchised by the “others”. Perhaps their longing to return to the halcyon days of the 50’s motivates their discontent - the void the radical “Christian” right is all to eager to fill.
Having total ignorance of the “Fairness in Media Doctrine” of 1987, your reference to it motivates further investigation.
Until Citizens United is overturned, I remain fearful that corporations and the 1%
will continue to control our government. That, combined with the evangelical movement, makes it even more challenging for equitable, rational policies and values to prevail.
Thanks, again, for your encouraging, enlightening response. I hope you continue to spread your wisdom far and wide. We are going to need it!
Just to save you some time - up until 1987, the regulatory arm of the US government for media, the FTC, mandated that all networks had to present BOTH sides of an issue equally and fairly, given the radio listener or tv viewer the opportunity to make up her mind in an unpoisoned environment. Reagan cancelled this in his second term. This left media outlets the opportunity to take political positions (and make money doing so). It was not long before we got Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Fox News, Breitbart News and hundreds of other outlets who present the Right side of every issue with with scant, if any, regard for truth. Of course there are left wing media outlets as well. By and large, they have not been as rabid and angry as the Right. But they too spin their stories.
The results have been devastating - a huge increase in polarization, an increase in hatred for “the other”, disbelief in any sources than the one a person chooses, and an increase in radicalization by media companies who see that hate sells.
It is difficult now to find a “middle” position in political thinking. Dismantling the concept of Fairness in Media is one of Reagan’s most devastating legacies.
I appreciate learning about the "Fairness in media Doctrine", Eric. I never knew this part of history. Again, your salient views are honored very much by me, Eric. 🙏
Precisely correct; thank you Eric. And Florence is no less correct in identifying the other necessary target that 'must' go - Citizen's United. Those are my targets.
Good point. I don’t know if that should be more on my radar. My feeling was that the Citizen’s United ruling had, as a major effect, pushed many American politicians to go the small donor route as a way to fight back. That’s probably a terrible take.
The influence of money on elections is pernicious. I’d love to see Washington finance federal elections and each state finance state elections. No other money. Give each party a sum of money and set up rules for how they allot it. When the election is over, they could be audited appropriately, and lose part of the allotment in the next election if they can be proven to have spent beyond the limit.
As the richest country in the world, America could afford
to do that.
It’s probably a terrible idea, one that could be swatted away by a single informed commenter. But currently the amount of money in politics is obscene and the non-stop mass solicitations make my skin crawl.
Thank you, Eric, for such a well-reasoned, fact-based response. You give this retired lawyer hope for the 2024 elections.
Your knowledge of American history applied to the breathless changes encountered in the last four decades provides a clear perspective of our current battle against Trump’s dystopian views - combined with the White/Christian ideology - versus our desires for a robust, inclusive democracy.
Your response helps me understand the deep chasm between me and my white Christian siblings who apparently feel disenfranchised by the “others”. Perhaps their longing to return to the halcyon days of the 50’s motivates their discontent - the void the radical “Christian” right is all to eager to fill.
Having total ignorance of the “Fairness in Media Doctrine” of 1987, your reference to it motivates further investigation.
Until Citizens United is overturned, I remain fearful that corporations and the 1%
will continue to control our government. That, combined with the evangelical movement, makes it even more challenging for equitable, rational policies and values to prevail.
Thanks, again, for your encouraging, enlightening response. I hope you continue to spread your wisdom far and wide. We are going to need it!
Just to save you some time - up until 1987, the regulatory arm of the US government for media, the FTC, mandated that all networks had to present BOTH sides of an issue equally and fairly, given the radio listener or tv viewer the opportunity to make up her mind in an unpoisoned environment. Reagan cancelled this in his second term. This left media outlets the opportunity to take political positions (and make money doing so). It was not long before we got Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Fox News, Breitbart News and hundreds of other outlets who present the Right side of every issue with with scant, if any, regard for truth. Of course there are left wing media outlets as well. By and large, they have not been as rabid and angry as the Right. But they too spin their stories.
The results have been devastating - a huge increase in polarization, an increase in hatred for “the other”, disbelief in any sources than the one a person chooses, and an increase in radicalization by media companies who see that hate sells.
It is difficult now to find a “middle” position in political thinking. Dismantling the concept of Fairness in Media is one of Reagan’s most devastating legacies.
I appreciate learning about the "Fairness in media Doctrine", Eric. I never knew this part of history. Again, your salient views are honored very much by me, Eric. 🙏
Precisely correct; thank you Eric. And Florence is no less correct in identifying the other necessary target that 'must' go - Citizen's United. Those are my targets.
Good point. I don’t know if that should be more on my radar. My feeling was that the Citizen’s United ruling had, as a major effect, pushed many American politicians to go the small donor route as a way to fight back. That’s probably a terrible take.
The influence of money on elections is pernicious. I’d love to see Washington finance federal elections and each state finance state elections. No other money. Give each party a sum of money and set up rules for how they allot it. When the election is over, they could be audited appropriately, and lose part of the allotment in the next election if they can be proven to have spent beyond the limit.
As the richest country in the world, America could afford
to do that.
It’s probably a terrible idea, one that could be swatted away by a single informed commenter. But currently the amount of money in politics is obscene and the non-stop mass solicitations make my skin crawl.
I’d like to be more educated on this topic.