Why MSNBC's ratings are down

Everybody has a theory. Certainly Steve M. points to some valid reasons for MSNBC's ratings drop. It's true compelling current events will trump opinion programming. Perhaps some of their core audience is disillusioned because of the scandals, but I don't think that applies as strongly. And as far as the summer lag in readership for left wing political blogs, as long as I've blogging these ten years, that happens every summer. I think that's more because every damn summer brings some blitz of GOP generated faux outrage that draws their base and the lack of real news leaves liberals with more free time to do real world stuff like create Vines and take Instagrams of their cute pets. Also liberals tend to travel more than conservative poli-junkies. Liberals post travel pix. Meanwhile the cons are caught up in pushing the lastest haterage. It never ends for them.

The other thing I'm seeing in terms of the current drop in ratings is based solely on what I see on social nets. I don't watch any of the talk shows anymore, but I do *watch* Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow on the twitter every night. I'm seeing mostly viewer dissatisfaction with Hayes new format. What they loved about Uppers was the comprehensive coverage of undercovered stories and the mix of mostly liberal guests. What I'm seeing now is a lot complaints about too many conservatives on his show and a notable lack of pushback by Chris. In fact, I've seen more than one accusation about Hayes "going emo" and gettin all anti-Obama. That's not what they're tuning in for. They want to see right wing memes get shot down, not validated by yet more exposure.

To some extent that's Rachel's current problem too. Lately I've been seeing a lot of -- oh, you're giving air time to that right wing idiot ... click. This was especially true about her show that joined in on the Obama bashing over the leak investigations. The complaints about that one survived well past the actual airing of the program. However you want to define Chris and Rachel's viewer base, within my circle of view anything that smacks of both sides do it turns them off. We're inundated with that sort of journalism already. They want a refuge where the liberal view is fully aired and undiluted by too much conservative view balance.

Far as I can see, Rachel is already turning that around. Last night's program was being cheered again. As for Chris, not seeing any love for his new format. Apparently it's just not the same kind of show anymore. They should probably work on that.

Progressive agenda is popular with Republicans

Really try not to avoid encouraging poll mania, but this was such an interesting stat, it's worth sharing. Business Insider commissioned poll testing on alternatives to the sequester showed the Progressive Caucus’ plan was the most popular of the three choices by a rather unimpressive margin. However, this was surprising:

– Shockingly, 47 percent of Republicans preferred the House Progressive plan to the sequester. This means that Republicans supported the House Progressive plan just as much as they supported their own party’s plan. [...]

The CPC’s plan involves replacing the sequester with $960 billion in new revenue — raised via closing loopholes that benefit the rich and corporations, as well as ending wasteful subsidies — $278 billion in defense cuts, and investment in new job creation measures, including spending $160 on America’s crumbling infrastructure. The House Republican plan, meanwhile, replaces the sequester with a basket of cuts to food stamps, Medicaid, and the social services block grant (which, among other things, funds Meals on Wheels).

The downside is the other half support the Republican's slash and burn agenda, but I'd like to think they just don't really know what it is and only chose it because it said Republican. Either way, it feels like we're making a little progress.

You can't win if you don't play the game

Adding a bit to my previous post on tragically disappointed emo-progressives, the lovely Marcellina, (if you're not reading her Austrian based blog, you're a loser), kindly provides a link to this Rebecca Solnit piece on pragmatism versus wishful thinking of the emo-left.

Read it all because she's so eloquent but here's a couple of the salient points. On the accusations of the purists that pragmatic libs are ignoring, if not condoning, the unattractive policies of the Obama administration:

There are bad things and they are bad. There are good things and they are good, even though the bad things are bad. ...mentioning [the good things] does not negate the reality of the bad things.

And on why we vote for compromised Democrats instead of throwing away our ballots on protest votes:

But having marriage rights or discrimination protection or access to health care is not the lesser of two evils. If I vote for a Democrat, I do so in the hopes that fewer people will suffer, not in the belief that that option will eliminate suffering or bring us to anywhere near my goals or represent my values perfectly.

All politicians are flawed. All politicians are bought off to some extent. It's in the job description. Nonetheless, as a whole, Democrats are still the most responsive to the concerns of the left and advance our goals, albeit at a glacial pace. Republicans will not only ignore us, they will do everything in their power to thwart liberal goals and destroy any advances we've ever made in the entire course of our history.

This is not rocket science. There's plenty of time between elections to agitate for change. If you haven't built a viable third choice by the last few weeks before the casting of ballots, then the winning tactic is to install the politicans you have the best chance of persuading to your side. You won't get there by tearing those candidates down. Or by wasting time attacking your natural allies for their lack of purity.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Because bitching on the internets changes everything

Shorter this guy: Pragmatic liberals are being mean to me because I have unrealistic expectations so I going to whine about their lack of purity and call them names. No idea who he is, but he called Doug J a Manichean monster.

I'm so tired of self-proclaimed hippies claiming to be punched because they didn't get the damn pony they expected, much less the unicorn they dreamed of and practical liberals point out that's not a realistic goal. Probably shouldn't have bothered but I left the woebegone "lifelong" pacifist this in his comments:

I see this long post that tells me what perfect outcomes you want, but I don't see is what ARE you doing to get there besides bitching on the internet? And please don't tell me you're punishing the lesser evil side by withholding your vote, because all that does in reality is give the more evil party the implicit consent to do whatever they want.

You want a third party alternative, then you have to commit to working every single day for years to build one that presents a viable challenge. And you need to accept that you sometimes have to make tradeoffs. Take small progress over grand changes. And even that you might not live long enough to see the results of your work.

But that's too much effort. Much easier to proclaim principled dissent as an excuse for laziness. Meanwhile, we're watching decades worth of actual progressive policies being systemically destroyed because no Democratic hero stepped up to deliver their demands instantly and single-handedly. These "principled hippies" think it's okay to let that happen because, that'll show the man he's not the boss of them.

They don't seem to realize people fought hard for the rights they benefit from today. They fought for years, over multiple adminstrations. Hell, many gave their lives to win the incremental changes that led to larger and better outcomes over time. It's not that I don't have any empathy for guys like this whiner. I do. But if they want things to change they need to focus on the small victories and build on them instead of overdosing on the emo in a transparent bid for validation for their world view.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Gut check for progressives

Facebook find of the day. Something to think about from Van Jones.



Lost the link to the original, but click the graphic to embiggen.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]