How Steve Bannon Rescued Roy Moore’s Campaign From Near Death
Bloomburg has an article, posted today, How Steve Bannon Rescued Roy Moore’s Campaign Against All Odds. Basically, Bannon used Breitbart News as a political front to 1) get Sean Hannity to back off Hannity's initial negative approach to the pedophilia charges against Moore, and 2) get local media in Alabama to swallow and regurgitate Bannon's counternarrative, designed to destroy the credibility of Moore's accusers.
Bannon worked to create a counter-narrative that ultimately would change many Republicans’ perception of the scandal. A former filmmaker, he’s long been captivated by the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi filmmaker, and the Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein for their power to shape public sentiment.
And,
Through his staff at Breitbart News, his talk radio show, and his allies in politics and media -- Hannity among them -- Bannon has worked harder than perhaps anyone else to sow doubt about the accusations against Moore and to push the claim that his accusers are lying. In doing so, he’s illustrated the growing power of conservative media to shape the perceptions of Republican voters, something that may keep Alabama’s Senate seat in Republican hands when polls open on Tuesday.
Bannon understands the power of talk radio to shape listener's opinions and beliefs, and he is eager to harness that power. Of course, television is important also, but Bannon and other conservatives have some concerns: "Fox News has gotten more liberal,” according to Dean Young, Moore’s chief political strategist.
I will just interject here that Rupert Murdoch and Fox News should have been subjected, minimally, to the same scrutiny and harassment RT is now. Murdoch is a British subject. It is not so much a question of "is Murdoch a covert British agent?" Rather, what must be questioned is how much does Murdoch think like a subject of a monarchy, as compared to a citizen of a democratic republic? Does Murdoch truly believe, in his bones, in government of, for, and by the people? Or is he more comfortable with a society and economy that is ordered hierarchically by power and wealth? Some people may point out that Murdoch now has U.S. citizenship. So what? So did Jefferson Davis, Robert W. Lee, Thomas Jackson, and every other Confederate elite. It didn't stop them from trying to destroy the country using violence and force.
Or, look at Bannon now. There is not doubt that he is a U.S. citizen. But what has being wealthy done to his political sensibilities? Does he believe in government of, for, and by the people? If so, why does he believe he must use the totalitarian misinformation tactics and techniques of the Nazi, Riefenstahl, and the Soviet Communist, Eisenstein, to shape peoples opinions and beliefs?
With Fox News faltering in the eyes of conservatives, the wingnuts have found a new, rapidly growing network: One America Network. The Moore campaign leaders tell it, OAN treats them "fairly."
OK, so, who owns One America Network? I'm sure that there is some dirt somewhere on OAN. For now, my brief search of the tubez came up with an interesting Washington Post article dated July 5, 2017:
An inside look at One America News, the insurgent TV network taking ‘pro-Trump’ to new heights. OAN is owned by Herring Networks Inc., which was founded by Robert Herring Sr., who made a fortune printing circuit boards. This is ironic: without the government's programs and projects from World War Two, which supported and promoted the creation of transistors, computers, semiconductors, and the Internet, Herring would not have had anything to print circuit boards for. Just last week, I posted a timeline of this history over at Real Economics: HAWB 1940s-1950s Timeline of computer development shows crucial role of government.
Herring is a prime example of the danger to a democratic republic created by allowing the rich to buy and use a megaphone in the marketplace of ideas:
....since its inception in 2013, and especially since Trump began his march to the White House, One America’s owner, Robert Herring Sr., a millionaire who made his money printing circuit boards, has directed his channel to push Trump’s candidacy, scuttle stories about police shootings, encourage antiabortion stories, minimize coverage of Russian aggression, and steer away from the new president’s troubles....
Just stop thinking or even hoping that there will ever be a chance of convincing conservatives and libertarians to stop thinking, believing, and acting as they do. According to the Washington Post article,
In a volatile TV news landscape where the longtime ratings leader, Fox News, is suffering through a period of internal turmoil, One America has tried to elbow itself into the big leagues, publicly wooing former Fox star Bill O’Reilly to join OAN. Although O’Reilly didn’t take the bait and the channel is available in only about 30 million homes, a far cry from Fox News’s 90 million, One America is growing — in viewer numbers, in influence in Republican circles, and as a potential alternative for conservatives and libertarians who believe Fox’s commitment to a right-wing perspective is weakening.
Comments
If my mother were alive
she might be one of those thinking Faux has "gone soft" on "communism/liberalism." Depends though, if El Gasbag is hyping that site then she'd be right there trying to get it. These sick shills do know very well the power of radio. My mother was ripe for the picking too, schooled heavily on "free enterprise" and the communist bogeyman. They know their audience very, very well.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
I often wonder
why we constantly hand-wring when speaking of the "right-wing" machine. Let's face it, they have the corporations on their side and are much better funded. Their whole purpose is the squelch any opposition and to drown out any and every liberal or progressive thought out there. The problem with liberals and progressives is they have "varied" opinions about how things should be run. Conservatives get behind one idea and run with it for all eternity. They never change their positions about anything. It has always been said on many media outlets that progressives can learn a thing or two about conservative single-mindedness. In my opinion, we need to start beating them at their own game instead of running behind them always complaining about how they don't play fair.
Well done is better than well said-Ben Franklin
Maybe we can learn something
from their single mindedness but I for one am not so sure. Much of their "single mindedness" on any issue is complete and utter bullshit of the most simplistic kind. One of my asshole RWNJ relatives once made the comment that "liberals talk too much" and I shot back that yes, why yes, we do, but that is because most real issues in the real world of actual fact are not nearly as cut and dried as the RW likes to make them either. And besides, the RWNJ's have almost completed their infiltration of anything even remotely progressive now, Dollar soaked Dimocrats being a prime example.
As for whining about the RWNJ, well I will have to defer there. It is personal for me as I grew up under these fucking hypocrites and have watched them try to weasel out of said hypocrisy over and over again with just such simple bromides as "free enterprise" and "you don't want totalitarianism do you?" to last me a fucking lifetime. I hate them all but I do reserve special ire for RWNJ idiots, can't help it.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Bannon's success here is partly due to Gloria Allred
Gloria Allred is a publicity whore and in the Moore case probably an obstructor of justice. Since I learned legal knowledge on Law & Order, some of what I write should be taken at swamp value. Without in anyway excusing Moore's alleged behavior, he couldn't have had better help at undermining this story than revelation of accuser Beverly Nelson who forged a diary entry in whole or in part, likely at Allred's urging. It took that one discreditation to undermine the legitimacy of all other accusers.
You give Bannon too much credit here. Kudos to Gloria Allfraud for helping elect a right wing sex offender to the senate.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9X-cgihXqQ]
You nailed it, AE, bringing
Allred into the picture was beyond stupid. For cryin' out loud, it's hard to imagine a better 'poster child' for everything that Alabama conservative evangelicals despise about coastal liberal elites.
Whew!
I expect that many, if not most, of the votes cast for Roy Moore will be due to the locals' resentment that so many news outlets, political shills, etc., attempted to nationalize the election.
Mollie
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."--Lao Tzu
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
The whole concept
only works with a weak minded populace.
Mission accomplished.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Roy Moore is not a pedophile
"Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children."
Moore "forcefully kissed" "grabbed her buttocks" and "groped" teenage girls. Which is horrible, traumatic and indefensible.
However, victims of child sexual assaults who were raped and sodomized have higher suicide rates and, as Mitchell Garabedian, the lawyer portrayed in the movie "Spotlight" said, "The damages are endless and everlasting for many victims."
Betty Clermont
I think the technical clinical term is ephebophilia
that is, obsession with (potential) sex partners in the mid to late teens (circa 15-19). It's very borderline and depends on the legal "age of consent" in the jurisdiction. (In Alabama both parties must be 16 or older.)
It's still considered squicky by most people, even when it's "legal".
There is no justice. There can be no peace.