I am constantly amazed at how seemingly pervasive the right wing's message. During the ramp up to the Iraq War it just amazed how the Bush regime and their point of view was on everybody's lips while the progressive view of war was hardly considered nevertheless understood. It seemed clear why Bush wanted to go to war, but it was clear about why not to go to war short of just a general aversion to all war. Instead of a "liberal bias" in the media I see a vast right wing conspiracy. Another example is how inheritance tax debate has been framed the right wing has been able to expropriate and redefine the very terms of the argument recasting the whole thing as the dreaded "death tax" like it applies to everyone that dies. This tax basically only affects those who are wealthy enough to leave their progeny a sizeable inheritance.
Well, it appears that my fears were real. The right has launched a concerted effort to control how the media presents certain issues and topics that are critical to our national dialogue at the moment. Alternet.org is talking about this guy named Rob Stein who has created this Powerpoint presentation called "The Conservative Message Machine Money Matrix," which he has taken on the road to inform the nation about this strategic move by the right wing impact the national dialogue. An excerpt from the article is below, you can check out the full article here. I am tried to find Stein's Powerpoint but I haven't had much luck so far ut if and when I find it I will definitely post about it.
Consider that the conservative political movement, which now has a hammerlock on every aspect of federal government, has a media message machine fed by more than 80 large non-profit organizations – let's call them the Big 80 – funded by a gaggle of right-wing family foundations and wealthy individuals to the tune of $400 million a year.
And the Big 80 groups are just the "non-partisan" 501(c)(3) groups. These do not include groups like the NRA, the anti-gay and anti-abortion groups, nor do they include the political action committees (PACs) or the "527" groups (so named for the section of the tax code they fall under), like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which so effectively slammed John Kerry's campaign in 2004.
To get their message out, the conservatives have a powerful media empire, which churns out and amplifies the message of the day - or the week - through a wide network of outlets and individuals, including Fox News, talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North, Ann Coulter, as well as religious broadcasters like Pat Robertson and his 700 Club. On the web, it starts with TownHall.com
Fueling the conservative message machine with a steady flow of cash is a large group of wealthy individuals, including many who serve on the boards of the Big 80.
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