Fear and Voting » Taxes

Tax cut deal passes heads, heads to President Obama’s desk http://bit.ly/h0Afo2 [DailyKos]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:36:34 +0000

Tax cut deal passes heads, heads to President Obama’s desk http://bit.ly/h0Afo2 [DailyKos]

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Congress Sends Tax Legislation To White House http://n.pr/e3BOLq [NPR]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:36:34 +0000

Congress Sends Tax Legislation To White House http://n.pr/e3BOLq [NPR]

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Thune says tax cuts for rich a priority — health care for 9/11 responders, not so much http://bit.ly/gRPEGC [DailyKos]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:29:19 +0000

Thune says tax cuts for rich a priority — health care for 9/11 responders, not so much http://bit.ly/gRPEGC [DailyKos]

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Fox News and Misinformation – Peas in a Pod

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:51:19 +0000

Most people who are the least bit into politics, or who watch some form of nightly news on a regular basis, know that most of what comes out of Fox News is anything but “Fair and Balanced”, as their tag line would have us believe. In fact, most conservatives with any shred of ethics will admit that Fox has a very heavy right bias.

Bias in media is certainly nothing new, but the spreading of misinformation disguised as news is unfortunately getting more mainstream. Since Fox appeared on the scene back in the mid-nineties, and with the proliferation of lunatic talking heads such as Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity (both Fox News regulars), and Rush Limbaugh before them, the tactic of using false and severely twisted news stories and commentary to manipulate potential voters has become commonplace. At Fox, it’s even an accepted practice, because let’s face it – there’s no way one organization can put out so much bullshit on a daily basis without it being a corporate mandate.

So to make my position a bit clearer, I came across this poll from WorldPublicOpinion.org – a survey of close to 850 random Americans after the last mid-term election cycle. Here’s one of the conclusions:

“…the poll found strong evidence that voters were substantially misinformed on many of the key issues of the campaign. Such misinformation was correlated with how people voted and their exposure to various news sources. “

Shocker.

The more important part of the survey found that Fox New was THE CULPRIT.

Shocker #2. ….and no, they didn’t just target Fox. MSNBC, CNN, and several other media outlets were included in the poll.

Some key quotes from the final analysis:

“…a survey of American voters that shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. What’s more, the study shows that greater exposure to Fox News increases misinformation.”

Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe the following, all of which is untrue:

- most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
- most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
- the economy is getting worse (26 points)
- most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
- the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
- their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
- the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
- when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
- and that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

The conclusion that Fox News spreads misinformation is not news to any of us that follow politics, even slightly. But think about the average American who is busy taking care of their family – working, paying bills, taking the kids to soccer practice, etc. – who doesn’t have the time or patience to dig deeper into the details, and is getting fed Glenn Beck’s B.S. on a daily basis, or Sean Hannity’s version of reality, mistaking it for actual truth, or falling victim to the wider net of manipulation cast by Fox News in general. Make no mistake about it – the pundits themselves only care as much about the average person on the street trying to make ends meet as it takes to round out their million dollar contracts and manipulate them into believing a manufactured set of ideals and carry out Fox’s conservative foolishness. I mean, do you really think Glenn Beck actually believes the pablum he spews out daily?

When it comes to pushing the conservative agenda, all too often these days the end justifies the means.

(Image Credit: Flickr by jugbo)

HuffPost TV: WATCH: Roy Sekoff Says Obama ‘Just Not That Into’ Tax Cuts For The Rich http://huff.to/gX16Al [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:29:20 +0000

HuffPost TV: WATCH: Roy Sekoff Says Obama ‘Just Not That Into’ Tax Cuts For The Rich http://huff.to/gX16Al [HuffPost]

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Scarborough Pushes Family Farm Myth While Attacking the Estate Tax http://bit.ly/g3TAdA [CrooksandLiars]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 02:28:31 +0000

Scarborough Pushes Family Farm Myth While Attacking the Estate Tax http://bit.ly/g3TAdA [CrooksandLiars]

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Tax bill clears test vote in House http://dlvr.it/BY825

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 02:27:56 +0000

Tax bill clears test vote in House http://dlvr.it/BY825

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House resumes action on tax cut deal http://bit.ly/genSmx [DailyKos]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:27:53 +0000

House resumes action on tax cut deal http://bit.ly/genSmx [DailyKos]

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More on that tax deal http://bit.ly/fyYr7A [The Blue Voice]

Jody Cowdrey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:27:52 +0000

More on that tax deal http://bit.ly/fyYr7A [The Blue Voice]

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House Pulls Tax Cut Bill After Snafu http://huff.to/hv9qwb [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:43:51 +0000

House Pulls Tax Cut Bill After Snafu http://huff.to/hv9qwb [HuffPost]

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Liberals’ Revolt Delays House Vote On Obama-GOP Tax Bill http://n.pr/gApd70 [NPR]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:43:51 +0000

Liberals’ Revolt Delays House Vote On Obama-GOP Tax Bill http://n.pr/gApd70 [NPR]

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Pelosi still plans Thursday vote on tax deal http://dlvr.it/BXjZc

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:43:50 +0000

Pelosi still plans Thursday vote on tax deal http://dlvr.it/BXjZc

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Barney Frank: Tax Deal Will Pass As Is Because ‘Cutting Taxes Is Always Popular’ http://huff.to/em1PkU [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:28:26 +0000

Barney Frank: Tax Deal Will Pass As Is Because ‘Cutting Taxes Is Always Popular’ http://huff.to/em1PkU [HuffPost]

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Republican Split Over Tax Deal Means Democratic Opportunity http://huff.to/dRz8cp [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:28:26 +0000

Republican Split Over Tax Deal Means Democratic Opportunity http://huff.to/dRz8cp [HuffPost]

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Tax Fight Loss Helps Reenergize Liberals http://huff.to/ikuiBW [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 06:21:19 +0000

Tax Fight Loss Helps Reenergize Liberals http://huff.to/ikuiBW [HuffPost]

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Paul Ryan accuses Romney of playing politics on tax cut deal http://bit.ly/fyR0NK [DailyKos]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:02:10 +0000

Paul Ryan accuses Romney of playing politics on tax cut deal http://bit.ly/fyR0NK [DailyKos]

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Rush Holt makes case against Social Security payroll tax cut http://bit.ly/hIt9yT [DailyKos]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:02:10 +0000

Rush Holt makes case against Social Security payroll tax cut http://bit.ly/hIt9yT [DailyKos]

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Sen. Thune Admits Bush Tax Cut Extensions Are More Of A Priority Than 9/11 Workers’ Health http://bit.ly/dLcuDM [ThinkProgress]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:46:01 +0000

Sen. Thune Admits Bush Tax Cut Extensions Are More Of A Priority Than 9/11 Workers’ Health http://bit.ly/dLcuDM [ThinkProgress]

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Raul Grijalva: Tax Cut Deal Likely To Pass House http://huff.to/i6htrl [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:45:59 +0000

Raul Grijalva: Tax Cut Deal Likely To Pass House http://huff.to/i6htrl [HuffPost]

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Melanie Billings-Yun: The Tax Cut Deal: Remember Give and Take? http://huff.to/g3Zw3S [HuffPost]

Jody Cowdrey — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:04:20 +0000

Melanie Billings-Yun: The Tax Cut Deal: Remember Give and Take? http://huff.to/g3Zw3S [HuffPost]

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