Arriana Huffington is out flogging her new book Right is Wrong and gives us a synopsis of her thesis in this column. Channeling the ghost of Herbert Marcuse, Huffington scolds the media not for giving the other side equal time, (which they don't) but for giving them any time at all. Like Marcuse, she believes her ideas are objective truths, and that the airing of competing ideas is a repressive tolerance.
"It's a paradox: the political center has clearly shifted; what used to be considered "left wing" positions have now become part of the mainstream, and the views of the Right are now at odds with the majority of the American public -- and with reality."
If that's true, then what's the problem? While she doesn't say it explicitly, her entire argument rests on the notion that the American public is so gullible and bereft of critical thinking skills that they shouldn't have to or be allowed to weigh things in the free marketplace of ideas.
"Think about it: on Iraq and the exercise of American power, on economic fairness, on corporate responsibility, on the environment and climate change, on the universal right to healthcare, the progressive policies and positions long championed by the left have moved from union halls and MoveOn emails to the sidewalks, backyards, and kitchen tables of Main Street, USA."
In other words, Huffington sees her propaganda gaining traction and that the truth is whatever the majority can be convinced to believe. Let's not let facts get in the way of a good argument.
"The earth is not flat. Global warming is a fact. Evolution is a fact -- sorry Mike Huckabee. And not even Republicans still believe in the unfettered, free market. Look how they rushed to Big Government to save their beloved Bear Sterns."
Trust me, if the left thought that belief in a flat earth would serve their collectivist goals, we would have phony pictures of polar bears falling off the edge posted in every school in the country.
Global Warming theory is a fact according to Huffington, even though thousands of real experts on the subject have valid questions and doubts. Indeed, Global Warming guru and non-scientist Al Gore has also chided the media for giving his opponents an audience because the "debate is over". Gore has never had the debate despite being invited to do so by "deniers" on countless occasions. If his position is so airtight, you would think he would jump at the chance to put this to bed once and for all. He won't. Which is prima facie evidence that he can't and knows it.
Evolutionary theory is fact even though no one can explain where that first single cell came from.
The law of supply and demand? That's something to be ignored or fiddled with when politically expedient. I ignored the laws of gravity when I pretended to be Superman as a kid, and disaster was the result. Ethanol is latest example of this leftist insanity as people are now dying from the hubris of Huffington, Gore and their cohorts. And Bear Stearns never would have gone to the government had they not thought there was a taxpayer funded life-preserver waiting for them. They were right and the government was wrong to give it to them.
"Nor are there two sides to the proposition that Iraq is our generation's greatest foreign policy disaster. It is. Period. Full stop."
And here I was thinking that Jimmy Carter was and is our greatest foreign policy disaster. Go figure. The left has decided that Iraq is a disaster and if you disagree then just shut up. That free speech stuff really is a problem when it applies to everyone.
"What is behind the media's lapdog devotion to the messages and framing of the Right? It's a combination of self-loathing and abject fear. The media wear their dread like a cheap aftershave. The broadcast networks and the cable news channels live in mortal fear of a dip in the ratings, and newspapers are constantly checking their pulse -- convinced by their deteriorating profits and market share that the end is near. So they continue to offer the views of the newly marooned Right more than equal time."
Get that? Failing outlets are trying to boost their ratings and readership by presenting both sides. Ironically, this is an admission by Huffington that the MSM is failing precisely because of its left wing bias. But she sees this not as a problem with left wing positions but that the unwashed masses are being confused with contrary views. When you start blaming the customer for not buying what you're selling, then you're really getting desperate.
What Huffington really wants is the near monopoly of ideas that exists in academia and Hollywood by supression of the opposition through intimidation and derision. They can't win their arguments on the merits, so the next best thing is to knee-cap the competition.
As of today, Huffington's book is still behind Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, which was published over four months ago. She would argue that hers would be number one if books like Golberg's weren't sold. That no one would buy it is irrelevant. Huffington wants you to pay attention to her or pay attention to nothing. By force if necessary. This is what the the orwellian fairness doctrine is really about.
What she should do instead is read Liberal Fascism while standing in front of a mirror.
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