Sanders Path to Victory Blocked by Media and Party Elites, TRNN, Bill Curry

[Scootaloo]

41. The media and party elites have absolutely no impact on voter habits?

Funny. 'Cause when I look at FOX news I see a media outlet that works very hard ot create and foster a certain selection of beliefs and biases in its viewership. And then the viewership expresses those same beleifs and biases, without fail. They can never really articulate WHY they feel the way they do. it's just 'that's how it is" or "I know it." or some other such. What's really weird? You take a moment to throw ideas at a typical FOX viewer. standard progressive, liberal ideas. And they will support those ideas, almost always... right up until you tell them that those ideas came from Ted Kennedy. or Harry Reid. Or president Obama. Then they hate them SO MUCH, they're terrible ideas!

But i'm sure this sort of thing is only and exclusively applicable to Republican voters. Certainly. The fact that Hillary supporters uniformly HATE Bernie sanders (but like his ideas when you don't mention they're his!) and LOVE Hillary Clinton (and are never quite forthcoming about why...) has nothing, nothing at all to do with the media. Even though the media has been treating Clinton like a beloved incumbent since before she even announced her candidacy, holds her to no expectations or standards, and treats sanders like - at best - a protest candidate and, at worst, your crazy racist uncle who nobody ever talks to at Thanksgiving.

Total coincidence.

So yeah, clinton gets more voters, but I don't think we can ignore the reality of influencing factors on those voters. Especially when there's never actually any coherent argument for why they favor clinton or disfavor Sanders. it's always "just the way it is." People are easy to manipulate if you know where to aim, and one of the easiest ways to manipulate people is to tell them that they're too smart to fall for manipulation. You know. "Image is nothing. Obey your thirst. Sprite." One of the most successful ad slogans in marketing history right there, because it plays off that pride, "I'm too smart to be manipulated by advertising, and sprite gets that! I'll give them my business, even if their product tastes like sugary battery acid!"