Using Logic in politics

(Warning: Politics ahead)

Political Logic: If A is true and B is true, then so is C.
Logic: If A is true and B is true, C is also only if they both relate to C.

Trying to look at logic where it comes to extremists, the right wing in particular, is not possible. Listening to the righties who were out April 15th protesting taxes, suggesting they might like to secede, saying it's taxation without representation, was enough to cause anyone who did use logic to go nuts. The phrases were flung around and nothing had to relate to anything.

(Incidentally, if you are a right winger, who reads here or happens to come across this blog by chance, give me one example of logic, not hate, not fear, not platitudes, not I don't want to pay taxes (who does?), but actual logic for something that will help our country's economics right now. Ideally, then discuss it as in real programs, real ideas and what their success has been in the past not a series of catch phrases that Rush Limbaugh taught his followers. I might not agree with your ideas but real ideas are welcome.)

Coming home from Tucson to Oregon, once again while clicking through the radio stations, most of the time all I could find were right wing talk shows. By this time I partly understood why. Many of those small stations receive programs like Rush's for free. It's how he got his start in radio by having someone behind him big enough to give away the program which means the local station could get all the advertising revenue. Obviously he doesn't do that with the big stations today, but he still does for small venues. It gives him the reputation of having so many stations and leads to higher fees for the bigger venues.

Irritating as listening to that kind of host and caller was, I felt some reassurance when I got home and read an article that said the average age of listeners to talk radio was 67. Apparently younger people are using other media to get their ideas. Does this mean the era of right wing radio having a major influence will soon be past?

I have one strong opinion regarding talk radio, after listening to the hosts and their callers mutually stoking each other's ego, anger, fear and not bothering with facts on anything: Listening to this kind of thing cannot be good for the part of the brain that uses logic.

Did you know that 50% of Americans don't pay taxes? True according to right wing talk radio and Bill O'Reilly... or is it? Here is another look at the same question: the half of Americans don't pay taxes fraud.

The problem with sound bites is they don't have to involve facts. They could have a few facts, but then draw a conclusion not based on logic-- as in A + B might not equal C even if they both happen to be true.

It seems to me, an admitted leftie, that the intention of talk radio is to irritate-- everyone. Maybe they think it's like the grain of sand that irritates the oyster to create a pearl. I am not sure of their reasoning, but I think they irritate right and left-- but just with different results.

Talk radio as well as those emails that are sent around, usually from the right, require that responsible listeners or readers do some research to check facts. First are A and B true and then do they add together? How many people do any research? They see the numbers, the conclusion appeals to them, then they pass it on.

$3000 extra per family for carbon credit tax is how they reach the conclusion that Obama is raising taxes on the middle class despite his tax cuts for the same group: Gingrich rips Obama's 'energy tax. Keep in mind that this is a suggested program and has some offsets. Actual cost is an unknown factor. A + B and who knows what it equals for now. What if reducing our dependence on foreign oil has a net gain? I don't know it does, but the naysayers don't know that it doesn't.

When someone is exploring ideas rather than the scare talk, how about asking questions that might get us somewhere. Like: What are better solutions to cut our energy usage? Do we have an unhealthy dependence on foreign oil? Is there enough local oil to supply our needs/wants? Is part of our nation's roller coaster ride on costs (i.e. inflation and deflation) due to no control over energy costs?

But, if you are a right wing talk radio listener, it appears to me that you aren't wanting discussions like that-- especially not if it involves a lot of facts, dry details, or worst guests to discuss alternative ideas. You want to hear ranting, excitement, fear and anger while stirring in some paranoia. Glenn Beck fits the bill nicely.

The problem with a knee-jerk reaction from the right is they leave the question of what to do wide open with no options to consider other than from the left. Real discussions of viable ideas is what we need from the conservative and the liberal side. We aren't getting that from any right wing talk radio at least not that I heard on this trip.

Extreme right wingers probably number a few million and only a few of those are avid enough to come out to rallies such as we just had (which had around 300,000 across the nation); but those who do are clearly listening to leaders who stoke them up by shifting the facts to suit the situation and their cause.

An example: When it was Democrats who had lost the election in 2001, Sean Hannity was espousing how good citizens would not revolt, not demonstrate in the streets, but would instead work to make things better. Patriotism, baby! Sounds responsible, doesn't it? Now Hannity says revolution is just dandy. He grins at the talk of Texas seceding from the United States. Hey, what better way to express irritation than to revolt or secede? (75% of Texans didn't see it the way of their current governor. Might it be, because of his loose mouth, his being stoked to some of that right wing hysteria, that Texas will next elect Kay Bailey Hutchinson?)

One thing that really got me was the huge difference when I finally found (in the Sacramento area) an NPR station (not something I listen to much at home but then at home I don't listen to talk radio period). It was Fresh Air and Terry Gross was interviewing a financial expert who had headed the International Monetary Fund and now teaches economics at MIT. The questions, the articulate responses, the exploration of ideas was fresh air. There was no anger, no spiel but rather a look at what could help, what isn't helping, and where might we be heading.

Coming into Oregon, for the very first time, we found an actual liberal radio station, which was based in Portland but evidently had repeaters down state. By this time I could not stand to even listen to the first sentence by that hate-monger, Michael Savage. Anyway we heard Tom Hartman who had on guests to discuss various problems, one included Roger Hedgecock (right wing radio host, sometime substitute for Rush), and the two of them actually managed intelligent discussion of right wing extremists being targeted by Homeland Security and what that means.

Can you imagine if Homeland Security (like Hartman, I dislike the word homeland as it is a reminder of Nazi Germany and how fascism works) ignored groups which sometimes spawn militias which can turn violent-- think Timothy McVeigh! The United States has and will continue to also be looking at left wing extremists who are also capable of turning violent. For someone to think that extremists groups cannot turn violent, especially when being fed as they are today, they have to be suffering a failure of logic-- not to mention ignoring history.

Here are some links regarding the tea bagging groups (did these sweet old ladies parading against taxes understand what that term means in slang? Somebody has a sense of humor).

Sharing tea bags with right wing extremists

For satire in the grand old tradition, check out Daily Show regularly. This clip was of the laugh and shake my head kind: John Oliver Talks Tyranny with Tea Partiers. It reminded me of when we listened to the Sarah Palin supporters, who I would bet these people all were. There is a humorous irony in all of this-- except our nation is at stake.

If you don't know much about Rush Limbaugh, this expose from Vanity Fair is an excellent one-- as are many of their journalism pieces: Rush Limbaugh: The Man who Ate the G.O.P by Michael Wolff.