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The Truth Will Tell
Nov 08, 2008
In a few months, it should soon become apparent to all but the lowest
knuckle-draggers that Barack Obama is not a terrorist sympathizer,
he's not a Muslim, he's not going to take away your guns, he's not a
Black Liberation theologist, he's not going to raise taxes on the poor
or middle class, he won't surrender in Iraq, he isn't supported by
al-Qaeda, he won't play nice with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he isn't a
socialist and his health care plan isn't even universal, much less
"socialized medicine."
All of these outright lies -- which formed the basis of John McCain's
run for the presidency -- will be easily disproven as events unfold
during the Obama administration.
So when the predictive lies don't come true, and the others are
exposed as utter nonsense, I'm going to expect an apology from Sean
Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and all the other professional
liars. They must come before the nation and say, "I'm sorry, I was
wrong. And I also lied." Nothing short of a statement like that will
atone for the outrageousness of their claims.
Yet, obviously, that won't happen. Limbaugh and his ilk will have
moved on to a whole new avalanche of lies. Palin seems to have
difficulty making even the most elemental assertion without lying --
just the other day, she claimed there was no friction whatsoever
between her and McCain's staff, which anyone who can read knows is
demonstrably untrue. And she probably thinks -- and will think for the
rest of her life -- that she didn't lie about Obama hard enough. The
right-wing still believes they lost because they weren't tough enough
on Obama -- that the campaign missed many golden opportunities to lie.
Of course, they don't really see it that way. They think the truth
about Obama was suppressed by the mainstream media -- that no one wrote
the full story about his association with William Ayres, that his
relationship with Jeremiah Wright wasn't emphasized enough, that his
link to Rashid Khalidi was swept under the rug. Of course, because
their worldview necessitates it, they are blissfully unaware of the
reams of copy written about all of these things. The reason that these
weren't daily stories in newspapers and on television was because
reporters looked into these matters and concluded there just wasn't
much there! Although the right-wingers might think otherwise from
watching Fox News, real reporters don't just write things to support a
particular point of view. The good ones actually try to find out the
truth and report on objective reality.
Many of these people still believe that Obama is dangerous and that
his election to president means grave things for the future of
America. Never mind that the election of George Bush actually did
prove to be a dangerous disaster. They will believe in the goodness
of Bush and in the falsehoods about Obama even when it becomes
apparent that none of the lies are true.
Some of these right-wing believers aren't fully to blame. They have
been misled and brainwashed by an army of conservative blowhards who
tell lies, minute by minute, 24/7, on talk radio broadcast in every
town in America. This parade of charlatans has poisoned the minds of
millions and caused them to believe that the nation has elected a
terrorist-sympathizing, socialist baby-killer. Professionals such as
Limbaugh may realize, at times, they are lying, that they are engaging
in hyperbole, but the listeners often do not. That's why Obama's
election, and his performance over the next four years that will
disprove all the absurd assertions about him, may actually be a chance
for some of these people to wash the scales from their eyes and see
how easily they have been played for fools. Well, one can at least
hope
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Guy Reel
Guy Reel is an associate professor of mass communication at Winthrop University. He may be reached at reelg@winthrop.edu
In a few months, it should soon become apparent to all but the lowest
knuckle-draggers that Barack Obama is not a terrorist sympathizer,
he's not a Muslim, he's not going to take away your guns, he's not a
Black Liberation theologist, he's not going to raise taxes on the poor
or middle class, he won't surrender in Iraq, he isn't supported by
al-Qaeda, he won't play nice with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he isn't a
socialist and his health care plan isn't even universal, much less
"socialized medicine."
All of these outright lies -- which formed the basis of John McCain's
run for the presidency -- will be easily disproven as events unfold
during the Obama administration.
So when the predictive lies don't come true, and the others are
exposed as utter nonsense, I'm going to expect an apology from Sean
Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and all the other professional
liars. They must come before the nation and say, "I'm sorry, I was
wrong. And I also lied." Nothing short of a statement like that will
atone for the outrageousness of their claims.
Yet, obviously, that won't happen. Limbaugh and his ilk will have
moved on to a whole new avalanche of lies. Palin seems to have
difficulty making even the most elemental assertion without lying --
just the other day, she claimed there was no friction whatsoever
between her and McCain's staff, which anyone who can read knows is
demonstrably untrue. And she probably thinks -- and will think for the
rest of her life -- that she didn't lie about Obama hard enough. The
right-wing still believes they lost because they weren't tough enough
on Obama -- that the campaign missed many golden opportunities to lie.
Of course, they don't really see it that way. They think the truth
about Obama was suppressed by the mainstream media -- that no one wrote
the full story about his association with William Ayres, that his
relationship with Jeremiah Wright wasn't emphasized enough, that his
link to Rashid Khalidi was swept under the rug. Of course, because
their worldview necessitates it, they are blissfully unaware of the
reams of copy written about all of these things. The reason that these
weren't daily stories in newspapers and on television was because
reporters looked into these matters and concluded there just wasn't
much there! Although the right-wingers might think otherwise from
watching Fox News, real reporters don't just write things to support a
particular point of view. The good ones actually try to find out the
truth and report on objective reality.
Many of these people still believe that Obama is dangerous and that
his election to president means grave things for the future of
America. Never mind that the election of George Bush actually did
prove to be a dangerous disaster. They will believe in the goodness
of Bush and in the falsehoods about Obama even when it becomes
apparent that none of the lies are true.
Some of these right-wing believers aren't fully to blame. They have
been misled and brainwashed by an army of conservative blowhards who
tell lies, minute by minute, 24/7, on talk radio broadcast in every
town in America. This parade of charlatans has poisoned the minds of
millions and caused them to believe that the nation has elected a
terrorist-sympathizing, socialist baby-killer. Professionals such as
Limbaugh may realize, at times, they are lying, that they are engaging
in hyperbole, but the listeners often do not. That's why Obama's
election, and his performance over the next four years that will
disprove all the absurd assertions about him, may actually be a chance
for some of these people to wash the scales from their eyes and see
how easily they have been played for fools. Well, one can at least
hope
Guy Reel
Guy Reel is an associate professor of mass communication at Winthrop University. He may be reached at reelg@winthrop.edu
In a few months, it should soon become apparent to all but the lowest
knuckle-draggers that Barack Obama is not a terrorist sympathizer,
he's not a Muslim, he's not going to take away your guns, he's not a
Black Liberation theologist, he's not going to raise taxes on the poor
or middle class, he won't surrender in Iraq, he isn't supported by
al-Qaeda, he won't play nice with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he isn't a
socialist and his health care plan isn't even universal, much less
"socialized medicine."
All of these outright lies -- which formed the basis of John McCain's
run for the presidency -- will be easily disproven as events unfold
during the Obama administration.
So when the predictive lies don't come true, and the others are
exposed as utter nonsense, I'm going to expect an apology from Sean
Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and all the other professional
liars. They must come before the nation and say, "I'm sorry, I was
wrong. And I also lied." Nothing short of a statement like that will
atone for the outrageousness of their claims.
Yet, obviously, that won't happen. Limbaugh and his ilk will have
moved on to a whole new avalanche of lies. Palin seems to have
difficulty making even the most elemental assertion without lying --
just the other day, she claimed there was no friction whatsoever
between her and McCain's staff, which anyone who can read knows is
demonstrably untrue. And she probably thinks -- and will think for the
rest of her life -- that she didn't lie about Obama hard enough. The
right-wing still believes they lost because they weren't tough enough
on Obama -- that the campaign missed many golden opportunities to lie.
Of course, they don't really see it that way. They think the truth
about Obama was suppressed by the mainstream media -- that no one wrote
the full story about his association with William Ayres, that his
relationship with Jeremiah Wright wasn't emphasized enough, that his
link to Rashid Khalidi was swept under the rug. Of course, because
their worldview necessitates it, they are blissfully unaware of the
reams of copy written about all of these things. The reason that these
weren't daily stories in newspapers and on television was because
reporters looked into these matters and concluded there just wasn't
much there! Although the right-wingers might think otherwise from
watching Fox News, real reporters don't just write things to support a
particular point of view. The good ones actually try to find out the
truth and report on objective reality.
Many of these people still believe that Obama is dangerous and that
his election to president means grave things for the future of
America. Never mind that the election of George Bush actually did
prove to be a dangerous disaster. They will believe in the goodness
of Bush and in the falsehoods about Obama even when it becomes
apparent that none of the lies are true.
Some of these right-wing believers aren't fully to blame. They have
been misled and brainwashed by an army of conservative blowhards who
tell lies, minute by minute, 24/7, on talk radio broadcast in every
town in America. This parade of charlatans has poisoned the minds of
millions and caused them to believe that the nation has elected a
terrorist-sympathizing, socialist baby-killer. Professionals such as
Limbaugh may realize, at times, they are lying, that they are engaging
in hyperbole, but the listeners often do not. That's why Obama's
election, and his performance over the next four years that will
disprove all the absurd assertions about him, may actually be a chance
for some of these people to wash the scales from their eyes and see
how easily they have been played for fools. Well, one can at least
hope
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