When the Truth Goes Viral

Posted on | August 19, 2012 | 35 Comments

‘Occupy the Truth’ rally in Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 18, 2012
Photo by Pat Dooley (Hat-tip: Instapundit)

Iowahawk’s observation — “Paul Ryan represents Obama’s most horrifying nightmare: math” — is well on its way to becoming world famous, and may yet become the final epitaph on Obama’s presidency. As I remarked Thursday:

If voters can be made to focus on the numbers — including the administration’s record deficit spending and historically high unemployment — it seems unlikely that the Democrat incumbent can be re-elected. And polls indicate that the “Ryan Effect” may already be making a difference. Not only does the Romney-Ryan ticket now lead both the Gallup and Rasmussen national tracking polls, but the latest Ohio polls also indicate a bounce for the Republicans since Ryan was announced as Romney’s running mate.

The Democrat-Media Complex has expended a lot of effort trying to convince us that Mitt Romney made a bad choice, and that the selection of Paul Ryan is a mistake. But the bold truth is always better politics than a timid evasion, and telling the truth — that Obama’s policies are actually a threat to the Medicare benefits of current retirees — is what the Ryan pick is all about. Evidence of the “Ryan Effect” includes the huge enthusiastic crowds that have begun showing up at GOP rallies, including Saturday’s unprecedented turnout at The Villages in Florida:

I have no idea how many people were there, I’ve never seen a crowd that large at any of the events I’ve attended at The Villages, and the crowd was not disappointed.

Instapundit: “These guys don’t seem to be following the script that the Dems and media had written for them.” Exactly so. One of the great secrets to clear-thinking conservatism is being able to tune out the disinformation emanating from the liberal media — and from Republicans who have internalized a negative self-image based on the liberal worldview. The idea that retirees in Florida are so ignorant and so vulnerable to the Democrats’ “Mediscare” demagoguery that they will automatically reject any attempt at entitlement reform is part of the GOP’s negative self-image that cannot be defeated unless it is directly confronted.

Democrats succeed by distractions and distortions, and we have become so accustomed to this that we often don’t even notice it. Generic promotional boilerplate from ABC News:

Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter and Romney campaign senior adviser Kevin Madden face off on the latest battles in the 2012 presidential campaign, Sunday on “This Week.”
Mitt Romney and his new running mate Rep. Paul Ryan hit the campaign trail this week, looking to gain momentum with just over one week before the Republican convention in Tampa. Has Ryan’s selection energized the ticket and galvanized conservative supporters for the fall? Or will continued scrutiny of Ryan’s Medicare proposals and Romney’s tax returns hurt their campaign for undecided voters?

The alternatives presented here are dishonest to the point of being counterfactual, and give us a glimpse into the liberal mindset.

First of all, there is no question — none at all — that Ryan’s selection has “energized the ticket.” I don’t need any polls or pundits to tell me this, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, live and in person, in the thousands of fired-up Republicans who flocked to see Romney-Ryan in Manassas, Romney in Chillicothe and Ryan at Miami (Ohio) University. The fact that ABC News poses this as a question can only be understood as a bizarre attempt to confuse readers.

The second alternative presented by ABC News, of factors that might “hurt their campaign for undecided voters,” is actually a repetition of Obama campaign talking points. It is only Democrats, and their friends in the media, who believe that “Romney’s tax returns” are a legitimate issue, or that “Ryan’s Medicare proposals” are a liability with “undecided voters.” The “continued scrutiny” of which ABC News speaks is coming entirely from journalists who are echoing and amplifying the Democrats’ message.

Where is the ABC News story about the threat to Obama’s re-election posed by “continued scrutiny” of the Fast and Furious scandal?

(Crickets chirping.)

At some point, blatant dishonesty from the media loses its effectiveness for the simple reason that people just aren’t as stupid as the media think they are. Once people start figuring out they are being scammed and hustled, once they see for themselves the yawning chasm between the media’s misrepresentations and the actual truth, the media constructed illusion rapidly collapses.

The White House’s attempt to defend Joe Biden’s “chains” remark is doomed to fail for this very reason: People can see for themselves what Biden said — how he said it, and to whom that “y’all” was directed — and it is impossible to evade the self-evident truth.

Two weeks from today, Sept. 2, Romney’s lead in the polls will be a solid fact that the media won’t be able to ignore. Then we’ll see a lot of stories about how Team Obama plans to mount a comeback — casting Democrats in the underdog role, even though anyone can go back and see that, in early August, the same media were trumpeting polls that allegedly showed Obama a shoo-in for re-election.

On Aug. 12, the Real Clear Politics average of national polls showed Obama leading by 4.7 points. That lead has now narrowed to 3.4 points, despite all the confusion caused by the disinformation emitted from the Democrat-Media Complex.

We are still a week away from the Republican National Convention in Tampa and, by the time that concludes on Aug. 30, we will see a steady stream of polls that show the Romney-Ryan ticket moving ahead. So when the Democrats convene Sept. 3 in Charlotte, Obama will be on the defensive, trailing in the RCP average for the first time all year. And what then? An avalanche of lies.

Democrats will unleash smear-and-fear tactics in a campaign of raw dishonesty unprecedented in American political history. The only question is to what extent the liberal media will cooperate in Team Obama’s attempt to decieve their way to re-election. During the final 10 weeks of this campaign, journalists will find themselves forced to choose between their political loyalty to the liberal cause, and their professional obligation to the truth.

The Democrat-Media Complex would be unwise to risk what remains of their credibility on politically convenient falsehoods.

Liars cannot succeed, when the truth goes viral.

Update (Smitty): Thank you, Instapundit, for not pussyfooting around. Except for when you do:

Click here to order your PAUL RYAN ‘MATH’ T-SHIRT!

Category: Barack Obama, Election 2012, Joe Biden, Media Bias, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan

Comments

35 Responses to “When the Truth Goes Viral”

Beto_Ochoa
August 19th, 2012 @ 2:58 pm

The last question on a Train Engineer’s Exam…

Examiner: You’re coming to a crossing going 60MPH and a school bus full of children and a Semi full of cattle are on the tracks. What do you do?

Junior: I’m gonna’ make sure my conductor is awake.

Examiner: What good is that going to do?

Junior: Oh, none at all but he ain’t ever seen a wreck like we’re fixin’ to have.

The wreck coming this fall will be like nothing we’ve ever seen.
lloydrmc
August 19th, 2012 @ 3:33 pm

I don’t think that most liberal #RealJournalists (but I repeat myself) are aware of the stakes of continued lying and Democrat lapdog hackery. Further, even if they were:
1) Liberals are liberals first.
2) Liberals would see it as noble to martyr themselves for the cause.
JeffS
August 19th, 2012 @ 3:34 pm

Liars cannot succeed, when the truth goes viral.

Exactly. The media, once a cornerstone of American liberty and exceptionalism, has put themselves in the niche boldly labeled “Hacks, shills, and sycophants”.

The Democrats, who once claimed to be the champion of the poor and downtrodden, have outed themselves as corrupt oligarchs (or autocrats, if you prefer), harkening back to their days as Copperheads.

Both are proven liars. But we still have a job o’ work ahead of us, thanks to the tools, fools, and followers who welcome a nation which would no longer be Home Of The Free.
Adjoran
August 19th, 2012 @ 3:49 pm

Obama may end up being the Big Lie that destroys the last shreds of Big Media credibility. From their adulation at his 2004 convention speech to covering for him in the 2008 campaign so he could avoid vetting to the sugar-coated unicorn poop they pass as “reporting” on his failed administration, Obama is the nail on the coffin of their public trust.

From now on, even the gullible citizens will know they just can’t depend on the legacy media for truth. Expect layoffs.
Losing Control of the Narrative | hogewash
August 19th, 2012 @ 4:15 pm

[…] truth has wound up taking center stage in spite of significant campaigns to confuse the public. As Stacy McCain writes, the truth has been going […]
Christy Waters
August 19th, 2012 @ 4:16 pm

I love the woman’s economic porn shirt in the picture.
Bob Belvedere
August 19th, 2012 @ 5:42 pm

…During the final 10 weeks of this campaign, journalists will find themselves forced to choose between their political loyalty to the liberal cause, and their professional obligation to the truth.

In the best of circumstances, we can only hope that those few on the Left in the media, who still possess a modicum of integrity and deep-down still believe that there are absolute truths, will find their consciences sufficiently troubled and be stirred enough to shout ‘Enough! Our Cause isn’t worth sinking so low’. But they will be very, very few in number [perhaps, say, Jake Tapper] and will have a very hard time being heard above the din of dastardly deceptions being broadcast by their comrades.

As for the rest, they see their only obligation as playing a
part in the collective effort to bring about the Leftist End of Heaven On Earth.
Video: Mark Halperin Admits the Press Does Obama’s Bidding | The Lonely Conservative
August 19th, 2012 @ 6:48 pm

[…] it.Update: Speaking of the media doing Obama’s bidding, be sure to read the latest from The Other McCain.google_ad_client = "ca-pub-1395656889568144"; /* 300×250, created 8/11/08 */ google_ad_slot = […]
Instapundit » Blog Archive » STACY MCCAIN: When The Truth Goes Viral. “Iowahawk’s observation — “Paul Ryan represents Oba…
August 19th, 2012 @ 6:56 pm

[…] MCCAIN: When The Truth Goes Viral. “Iowahawk’s observation — “Paul Ryan represents Obama’s most horrifying nightmare: […]
Dobby
August 19th, 2012 @ 7:14 pm

The government is spending over $114,000 a second with over $41,000.00 of it borrowed. It’s going to end badly.
Teeing it up: A Round at the LINKs (BK Family Food game edition) | SENTRY JOURNAL
August 19th, 2012 @ 7:16 pm

[…] THE OTHER McCAIN:When the Truth Goes Viral […]
Nomadic100
August 19th, 2012 @ 7:21 pm

I’m almost 70 years old. I marched against the Viet Nam War in the 60’s. I considered myself part of the “new left” but now understand the failed ideology of that time – and I am repentant. My parents objected to my positions but they didn’t understand those positions then – but they would approve of my present positions, even if they did not understand the evolution.

Obama is the most dangerous politician in my lifetime!! Previously, I believed it was LBJ, but I was young and naive then.
golphin
August 19th, 2012 @ 7:22 pm

Mr. McCain,
How about starting an ad campaign aginst each anchor. Not the “media”, but George, Matt, Brian, etc. put their faces on a billboard and either something low-key like” Can you trust him? How do you know?” or get to the point ” You Lie”. Time we went on offense, dontchathink?
Brad Bettin
August 19th, 2012 @ 7:23 pm

While that would be wonderful to see, I don’t suggest we hold our breath waiting for it.

The media will assume the position for Obama because that’s what they do …. in their world, the Democrat never deserves to lose. Period.

The key for us is to bury them – beat them so badly that it doesn’t matter how much water the media carries for Obama & company.
The MSM: Don’t You Want Somebody To Love? « The Camp Of The Saints
August 19th, 2012 @ 7:35 pm

[…] McCain has an excellent post up today on the subtle distortions of the Truth and hidden lies the MSM includes in it’s […]
werewife
August 19th, 2012 @ 8:00 pm

From your keyboard to G-d’s eyes, Mr. Bettin.
I suggest to everyone here who’s in the habit of praying, to pray as hard as you ever have in the 78 days left…
Wombat_socho
August 19th, 2012 @ 8:01 pm

You mean MORE layoffs. I can’t wait to see the NYT stagger off to the tar pits, and all its clones across the fruited plain as well. Yeah, Minneapolis (Red) Star Tribune, I’m lookin’ at you.
"T"
August 19th, 2012 @ 8:01 pm

“once they see for themselves the yawning chasm between the media’s misrepresentations and the actual truth, the media constructed illusion rapidly collapses,” and in this world of 24/7 cyber news, that chasm is almost instantly apparent. This is precisely what the media personalities fail to understand; they falsify under the illusion that it’s still 1976 and we all get our information from newspapers and the 6:00 PM nightly news.
lordsomber
August 19th, 2012 @ 8:28 pm

I see him in the photo!
BREITBART IS THERE
Gaius
August 19th, 2012 @ 9:45 pm

Linked

http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2012/08/19/truth-goes-viral/
Steve Baker
August 19th, 2012 @ 10:22 pm

RE: “(journalists) professional obligation to the truth.”

You lost me there! What are you talking about?
Zvi
August 19th, 2012 @ 11:42 pm

Unfortunately, Rasmussen national polling has actually worsened since Paul Ryan was put on the ticket. Hopefully, it turns around as we head into the convention next week.
Math « poplicola
August 20th, 2012 @ 12:18 am

[…] http://theothermccain.com/2012/08/19/when-the-truth-goes-viral/#disqus_thread […]
K-Bob
August 20th, 2012 @ 3:00 am

I think the latest NewsWeak cover is proof that someone has realized, too late I’m sure, that maybe marrying one party and one ideology is bad for the bottom line.
Real_American212
August 20th, 2012 @ 6:30 am

> Obama’s policies are actually a threat to the Medicare benefits of current retirees

Obama’s policies are a threat to Socialism?
Taxpayer1234
August 20th, 2012 @ 8:56 am

LOVE. THIS. POST.
Taxpayer1234
August 20th, 2012 @ 8:56 am

LOVE. THIS. POST.
Fear This | marfdrat
August 20th, 2012 @ 9:47 am

[…] ThisBy marfdrat on August 20, 2012 // From The Other McCain, via […]
willis
August 20th, 2012 @ 10:12 am

” During the final 10 weeks of this campaign, journalists will find themselves forced to choose between their political loyalty to the liberal cause, and their professional obligation to the truth.”
Their professional obligation to the truth? Really?
CitizenEgg
August 20th, 2012 @ 10:13 am

How did we miss this meme? To Divide by Zero is an internet slang term describing an action that leads to epic failure. http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/divide-by-zero … That explains Obama
DarkHelmet
August 20th, 2012 @ 10:26 am

Here’s the math:
??? ‘Ø9?’12 ? Ø
onlyabill
August 20th, 2012 @ 10:53 am

Sadly, they were always that (“Hacks, shills, and sycophants”) but the consumer had no where else to go to learn this. Today we have a number of alternate sources of news and information. Their iron grip on what is “truth” and what is even worth reporting is gone.
BEHOLD THE POWER OF MATH « American Glob
August 20th, 2012 @ 11:46 pm

[…] Strange things start to happen when the truth goes viral. […]
Ear Plugs for Everyone Tuesday | Palin4America
August 21st, 2012 @ 1:07 am

[…] a2 + b2 = c2 […]
FMJRA 2.0: Stone Cold Crazy : The Other McCain
August 26th, 2012 @ 1:54 pm

[…] 2.0: Stone Cold CrazyPosted on | August 26, 2012 | No Comments– compiled by Wombat-sochoWhen the Truth Goes ViralHogewashThe (Perhaps Slightly Less) Lonely ConservativeInstapunditSentry JournalThe Camp of the […]