36 thoughts on “The Branding of a Candidate”

  2. Scary propganda at its finest
    That shows propaganda.
    Everywhere!
    Oh my.
    I smell kickbacks or bribes.
    Or perhaps the lure of power overcame some innocent media people. LOL.
    And most people don’t notice.
    Media is a common bedfellow with politicians.
    Propoganda was flagrant, everywhere, on every station, in every paper, last summer when I was home. But last summer it was promoting war, subtly at times, but media was doing so. It must be because I’m not normally there and don’t see it.
    You do not want to see, hear or know what people around the world really think about the US. The common citizen would be scared stiff. That would wake them up to reality.
    It is easier to ignore reality.

    Like

    • Re: Scary propganda at its finest
      I don’t think there are bribes or kickbacks but I do think the corporate-owed media are heavily invested in maintaining the status quo. I also believe the media find it easiest to latch onto a narrative they can run with, in this case, that McCain is a maverick. Following the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, many in the media admitted they did not do their jobs in terms of digging deeper and presenting other information but that they accepted the BushCo party line.
      As for what you saw last summer, I know what you’re talking about. I posted this little clip about how BushCo was using the same game plan for invading Iran as they used to when they wanted to push the fear button before invading Iraq: http://tracyworld.livejournal.com/33591.html
      The media are absolutely complicit in this.

      Like

  3. Scary propganda at its finest

    That shows propaganda.
    Everywhere!
    Oh my.

    I smell kickbacks or bribes.
    Or perhaps the lure of power overcame some innocent media people. LOL.
    And most people don’t notice.

    Media is a common bedfellow with politicians.

    Propoganda was flagrant, everywhere, on every station, in every paper, last summer when I was home. But last summer it was promoting war, subtly at times, but media was doing so. It must be because I’m not normally there and don’t see it.

    You do not want to see, hear or know what people around the world really think about the US. The common citizen would be scared stiff. That would wake them up to reality.
    It is easier to ignore reality.

    Like

  4. I’m still sitting here in shock.
    Even though I noticed the propaganda last summer.
    A few people who own media companies are swaying the people, laughing that the common man is more easy to manipulate than a puppet.
    Oh my.
    Power does corrupt. So does the promise of power.

    Like

  5. I’m still sitting here in shock.
    Even though I noticed the propaganda last summer.

    A few people who own media companies are swaying the people, laughing that the common man is more easy to manipulate than a puppet.
    Oh my.
    Power does corrupt. So does the promise of power.

    Like

  6. Interesting — it’s so hard to know anything these days. The media distorts so much.
    What’s really weird? I took one of those political polls a while back (it was here on LJ) that matched people up with the candidates. McCain and Hilary were tied in my results — at the top.

    Like

    • I read the paper and many political blogs plus watch video clips on http://www.crooksandliars.com/. The more I learn the more I despair for those who aren’t paying attention at all (as in not making any effort whatsoever to stay informed).
      I saw other people’s results to those political polls and someone said she’d scored for Edwards, Thompson and Kucinich which tells me there are huge flaws in how that poll weights answers. Edwards and Kucinich are at the other end of the spectrum from Thompson.

      Like

  7. Interesting — it’s so hard to know anything these days. The media distorts so much.

    What’s really weird? I took one of those political polls a while back (it was here on LJ) that matched people up with the candidates. McCain and Hilary were tied in my results — at the top.

    Like

  8. I’ve worked in the media.
    I’ve worked in politics.
    I have yet to see a conspiracy in either industry hell-bent on manipulating the mind of the masses.
    If bribery were involved and it were discovered, it would be a HUGE story – one that competing networks could not wait to sink their proverbial teeth into!
    I voted for John McCain – for many good reasons, and none of them being that I am the victim of propaganda.
    Quite frankly, it would be easier to be quiet in the midst of my many friends’ more popular and vocal Democrat preferences. But I just wanted to remind my many good friends here in LJ Land – wonderful people with whom I do not always agree on matters politic but with whom I probably share many priorities and values – that Republicans and conservatives are not mindless, or simian, or judgmental. The reality is, we probably share the same views, but we see a different way of getting there.

    Like

    • P.S.
      Dear Tracy, I hope it doesn’t seem like I hijacked your post! I am trying to get better about expressing my opinion in LJ Land – but certainly did not mean to sound confrontational.

      Like

        • Re: P.S.
          Thank you for sharing your insights. For the record, I don’t think there’s bribery/payola going on between politicians and the media.
          I do, however, absolutely believe that Fox News exists solely to push its corporate/conservative viewpoint and that it doesn’t think twice about misrepresenting the truth and using outright lies to achieve its ends. It took about 25 years of orchestrated chants about an unproved “liberal media bias” to set the foundation for Fox News and as a result of that noise machine, many in the mainstream media bend over backward to prove they aren’t liberal and also won’t call Fox on its lying and manipulation. I read many political blogs and over the years have seen numerous screen saves of Fox News broadcasts containing incorrect captions. The most recent was this past week with “Sen. John McCain, D-Arizona” beneath his photo. When republican officials are in the spotlight for some crime or misdemeanor, Fox will label them with a D so viewers will connect those crimes with the Democratic party. It’s calculated and intentional.
          I certainly don’t think all Republicans and conservatives are mindless but I have to say that at this point in time, anyone who continues to stand behind the Bush administration is in complete denial due to willful ignorance and/or is the ultimate partisan. That 30% base won’t budge no matter what happens (not illegal invasion or torture or warrantless wiretapping or Katrina or signing statements, etc). If people get all their info from Fox (and surveys have shown that the most misinformed people re: Iraq get their “news” from Fox), they are grossly misinformed about what is happening in this country.
          As for McCain, he’s not a maverick but a Republican who has voted in lock-step with Bush on most every issue which brings me back to the question of why anyone would vote for him. The vast majority of people in this country want an end to Bush policies so it’s particularly galling to watch the media fawn over “McCain the Maverick.” You say you have your reasons for voting for him, and I believe you, but I must say I wonder how he can be considered a reasonable candidate when, for instance, he thinks it’s okay to joke about dropping bombs on other human beings.
          Again, I do appreciate you taking the time to share your views.

          Like

    • Pam-I appreciate hearing your viewpoint, and I’m glad you spoke up. But I have to respectfully disagree with you on the media. While I don’t necessarily see it as a conspiracy per se, I don’t think there is any doubt that the media in this country is biased, always spinning the most sensationalized story to promote as headlines all in the name of ratings.
      And the thing is that while some news like Fox is obviously biased in a conservative slant, media across the board–TV news, newspapers, internet–spew sound bites from right to left, and sometimes I catch myself getting caught up in those repeated nuggets until I research the issue. Now that takes time, and many people don’t have the time or inclination to devote to digging for the truth of the story, so they rely on these quick snappy headlines that are worded in such a way to often mislead. In a sense, I think all of us in this country are subject to propaganda, and it takes a lot of effort to make sure we become informed. All the media is driven by profits, so what sells best takes precedence over facts.

      Like

      • I agree, Lorraine, about the media driven by profits. It’s all about sensationalizing and making sure we’re properly frightened about something. That little insight about fear-mongering was what I took away from Michael Moore’s BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. Ever since seeing that film, I’m hyper-aware of the “Be afraid” messages on the news and in the papers. There’s a snowstorm coming – Be afraid.

        Like

  9. I’ve worked in the media.
    I’ve worked in politics.
    I have yet to see a conspiracy in either industry hell-bent on manipulating the mind of the masses.
    If bribery were involved and it were discovered, it would be a HUGE story – one that competing networks could not wait to sink their proverbial teeth into!

    I voted for John McCain – for many good reasons, and none of them being that I am the victim of propaganda.

    Quite frankly, it would be easier to be quiet in the midst of my many friends’ more popular and vocal Democrat preferences. But I just wanted to remind my many good friends here in LJ Land – wonderful people with whom I do not always agree on matters politic but with whom I probably share many priorities and values – that Republicans and conservatives are not mindless, or simian, or judgmental. The reality is, we probably share the same views, but we see a different way of getting there.

    Like

  10. P.S.

    Dear Tracy, I hope it doesn’t seem like I hijacked your post! I am trying to get better about expressing my opinion in LJ Land – but certainly did not mean to sound confrontational.

    Like

  11. Pam-I appreciate hearing your viewpoint, and I’m glad you spoke up. But I have to respectfully disagree with you on the media. While I don’t necessarily see it as a conspiracy per se, I don’t think there is any doubt that the media in this country is biased, always spinning the most sensationalized story to promote as headlines all in the name of ratings.

    And the thing is that while some news like Fox is obviously biased in a conservative slant, media across the board–TV news, newspapers, internet–spew sound bites from right to left, and sometimes I catch myself getting caught up in those repeated nuggets until I research the issue. Now that takes time, and many people don’t have the time or inclination to devote to digging for the truth of the story, so they rely on these quick snappy headlines that are worded in such a way to often mislead. In a sense, I think all of us in this country are subject to propaganda, and it takes a lot of effort to make sure we become informed. All the media is driven by profits, so what sells best takes precedence over facts.

    Like

  12. Re: Scary propganda at its finest

    I don’t think there are bribes or kickbacks but I do think the corporate-owed media are heavily invested in maintaining the status quo. I also believe the media find it easiest to latch onto a narrative they can run with, in this case, that McCain is a maverick. Following the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, many in the media admitted they did not do their jobs in terms of digging deeper and presenting other information but that they accepted the BushCo party line.

    As for what you saw last summer, I know what you’re talking about. I posted this little clip about how BushCo was using the same game plan for invading Iran as they used to when they wanted to push the fear button before invading Iraq: http://tracyworld.livejournal.com/33591.html
    The media are absolutely complicit in this.

    Like

  14. I read the paper and many political blogs plus watch video clips on http://www.crooksandliars.com/. The more I learn the more I despair for those who aren’t paying attention at all (as in not making any effort whatsoever to stay informed).

    I saw other people’s results to those political polls and someone said she’d scored for Edwards, Thompson and Kucinich which tells me there are huge flaws in how that poll weights answers. Edwards and Kucinich are at the other end of the spectrum from Thompson.

    Like

  16. Re: P.S.

    Thank you for sharing your insights. For the record, I don’t think there’s bribery/payola going on between politicians and the media.

    I do, however, absolutely believe that Fox News exists solely to push its corporate/conservative viewpoint and that it doesn’t think twice about misrepresenting the truth and using outright lies to achieve its ends. It took about 25 years of orchestrated chants about an unproved “liberal media bias” to set the foundation for Fox News and as a result of that noise machine, many in the mainstream media bend over backward to prove they aren’t liberal and also won’t call Fox on its lying and manipulation. I read many political blogs and over the years have seen numerous screen saves of Fox News broadcasts containing incorrect captions. The most recent was this past week with “Sen. John McCain, D-Arizona” beneath his photo. When republican officials are in the spotlight for some crime or misdemeanor, Fox will label them with a D so viewers will connect those crimes with the Democratic party. It’s calculated and intentional.

    I certainly don’t think all Republicans and conservatives are mindless but I have to say that at this point in time, anyone who continues to stand behind the Bush administration is in complete denial due to willful ignorance and/or is the ultimate partisan. That 30% base won’t budge no matter what happens (not illegal invasion or torture or warrantless wiretapping or Katrina or signing statements, etc). If people get all their info from Fox (and surveys have shown that the most misinformed people re: Iraq get their “news” from Fox), they are grossly misinformed about what is happening in this country.

    As for McCain, he’s not a maverick but a Republican who has voted in lock-step with Bush on most every issue which brings me back to the question of why anyone would vote for him. The vast majority of people in this country want an end to Bush policies so it’s particularly galling to watch the media fawn over “McCain the Maverick.” You say you have your reasons for voting for him, and I believe you, but I must say I wonder how he can be considered a reasonable candidate when, for instance, he thinks it’s okay to joke about dropping bombs on other human beings.

    Again, I do appreciate you taking the time to share your views.

    Like

  17. “I do think the corporate-owed media are heavily invested in maintaining the status quo.”
    “I have to say that at this point in time, anyone who continues to stand behind the Bush administration is in complete denial due to willful ignorance and/or is the ultimate partisan.”
    I totally agree.
    Democracy takes work. If a significant percentage of the population isn’t interested in putting in the effort this is the crap we we end up with. If McCain is a maverick I’m a bowl of eggdrop soup.

    Like

    • I had such an interesting talk with my mother this afternoon. She voted for Bush both times and it was SO frustrating for me because I knew those were fear-based votes. Then a couple months ago she said she would never vote for another Republican (which seemed too little, too late…ahem) but now she’s talking about liking Obama! I think she’s actually going to vote for a Democratic candidate!
      Anyway, my point in all this is that for years my mother was an absolute partisan who maintained a willful ignorance but now she’s joined the reality-based community. There’s truly hope.
      (You made me laugh about the eggdrop soup!)

      Like

  18. “I do think the corporate-owed media are heavily invested in maintaining the status quo.”

    “I have to say that at this point in time, anyone who continues to stand behind the Bush administration is in complete denial due to willful ignorance and/or is the ultimate partisan.”

    I totally agree.

    Democracy takes work. If a significant percentage of the population isn’t interested in putting in the effort this is the crap we we end up with. If McCain is a maverick I’m a bowl of eggdrop soup.

    Like

  19. I had such an interesting talk with my mother this afternoon. She voted for Bush both times and it was SO frustrating for me because I knew those were fear-based votes. Then a couple months ago she said she would never vote for another Republican (which seemed too little, too late…ahem) but now she’s talking about liking Obama! I think she’s actually going to vote for a Democratic candidate!

    Anyway, my point in all this is that for years my mother was an absolute partisan who maintained a willful ignorance but now she’s joined the reality-based community. There’s truly hope.

    (You made me laugh about the eggdrop soup!)

    Like

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