Arianna appeared on "Anderson Cooper 360" Wednesday night to discuss the rash of political candidates -- Democrats as well as tea party favorites -- who have severed communication with much of the mainstream press in favor of a friendlier audience at Fox News or elsewhere.
"This is an unprecedented election year, when we have so many candidates who have bubbled up to be the parties' nominees who are not really ready for prime time," Arianna told host Anderson Cooper, pointing to Nevada tea party Senate candidate Sharron Angle. "In those cases, it actually makes sense for them to avoid all the land mines, and any question can lead to an answer that becomes a land mine. So the more they're not present, the more they're just simply not the incumbent, the more likely they are to win."
WATCH:
If you can get people to believe the Earth is 6000 years old, all life but 2 of each was killed in an impossible, evidence-free world-wide flood and talking snakes, you can get people to believe Obama is a Muslim, Saddam was behind 9/11 and Republicans spend less per administration than Democrats. The credulous populace willingly gives their manufactured consent even when it's against their interests. In 2010, that's perfectly clear.
Why, if this is a representative government, is only the top 2 or 3 percent represented? Better yet why do the poor and middle class vote against their own best interests so often?
next question
The degradation of education and exceptionalism when it comes to being educated and smart was epitomized by George W. Bush. Bush attended Yale (in an affirmative-action slot reserved for children of alumnus that many of the Ivy's have) and Harvard but never aspired to much more than a 'C'. It takes a strange kind of energy to attend two of the most prestigious schools and not learn much.
Bush's 8 year Administration was disastrous for the American people - electing people like Sharron Angle or Christine O'Donnell would be disastrous as well.
Occasionally, a doctor leaves a blank on the application, or forgets to include the CV, or proof of insurance or license. If everything else looks promising, I request the missing information – once.
If this applicant refuses to provide the missing information, I don’t spend months begging for it so I can make an informed decision. The applicant’s original failure to provide the routine information hinted carelessness. Refusal to honor my request confirms one or more of the following: the applicant is not interested in the position, the applicant has something to hide, the applicant is not qualified.
No one expects me to grant this applicant an interview; much less trot out on my own to search for the information he refused to provide. No matter how many of this friends and relatives vouch for him, his actions outweigh their biased confirmations of his character.
We, the people, are the employer. John Roberts is this incompetent applicant. His application should be denied the same as that of any other incompetent, disrespectful applicant.
I'm glad Alex at least threw in the disclaimer that this type of media strategy doesn't work so well for presidential candidates, but it bothers me how calmly everyone seemed to accept this strategy (apparently anything that gains votes is acceptable?)...... Our country is headed down the dumpers, if we don't demand that candidates speak, be challenged and tested.
It's not his fault the right won't play ball, much less show him some common decency!
Mike
The tea baggers, I have often contended, are not a grass root movement of any consequence. If they were, they would be addressing the root cause of what is the source of many issues in our nation. It is how special interests attempt to sway the public policy toward their own narrow agenda. This is what needs to be remedied and all else will follow the reformed course after this issue is dealt with.
"The report cited more than a dozen tea party activists with racist ties, but the authors said they would release more names each week on their website."
How do you argue or have a debate with o'donnel, or some of the other nut jobs. By never getting to anything remotely important (housing crisis, unemployment crisis, environmental disaster - hey remember the oilspill?) the real issues become victims of the "out-of-sight - out-of-mind" strategy.
I'm sure if we focused on those issues the republicans would be 100% s.o.l..
Fortunately for us I think the plan backfired. They turned the crazy dial just a little to high. Even formerly staunch republicans will be voting democrat just to stay away from former witches.
Because of this, the dems are going to get ahold of what they need, a second term. They better turn out to be the progressives we all thought we voted for.