KOCH'S POLITICAL MAGIC

I listened to #Steve Kornacki’s show Up this morning on MSNBC. Except for some foolishness about some quiz show nonsense, it was an informative show. #Michael Steele, ex chair of the #Republican National Committee was one of his guests, who explained how he thought that full disclosure laws would turn the Citizens United Decisions in to “the right thing”. This statement demonstrates clearly that he does not understand why true Americans see that decision as the worst decision the United States Supreme Court has ever made—ever is a long time!

Ex-chairman +Steele is a “rare bird” among Republicans in today’s political world—he is usually rational; however, the fact that the decision is helping a small group of people to corrupt our democracy has blinded him to the obvious facts. A billionaire does not care who knows what. The decision destroyed the founding premise of democracy, which is one-man one-vote. Koch brothers can and are buying votes. Ask yourself; does advertizing work? Of course it does. It works because it is based on the ignorance of the American people.

I know we treat the word ‘ignorance” as a pejorative term but it is not; it means uninformed. I marvel at the information people lack about the world in which they live especially the political environment. I live in #North Carolina. We have a setting
+Senator Kay Hagan. She was seven or eight polling points about every contender for her seat in the up coming election. Recently, a man named Thom Tillis, stepped forward out of the pack to put his name in the ring. He was the legislative leader that changed things in North Carolina. What he did was published in articles in news papers and on TV news programs. However, if you go downtown Raleigh and ask at random who Thom Tillis is, they will not know. If you show them a picture of Tillis, president Obama, and Governor Pat McCrory, they cannot pick him out. Obviously, the height of foolishness would be to ask the “man on the street” the specifics of the laws Tillis supported and expect an answer.

Select out the people who are interviewed by talking to only those who listen to the news. We have a radical right wing news commentator Larry Stogner, who supports everything the legislature did; he edits out the bad stuff and biases the stuff he agrees with, so a regular listener is presented with a distorted view of the world; did I mention that Citizen’s United Decision money pays his salary.

Then magic of advertisements take hold. All media stations have political ads paid for by Americans for Prosperity; supported by Karl Rove’s big money donors, the Koch brothers. The ads are sandwiched—ad nausea—in between game shows, soap operas, sports events, and movie scenes. People know nothing about politics, the thing that governs how they live every day but know a lot about the fanciful world of entertainment; but they also know about what is in the ads.

There is not one ‘truth told” in a Thom Tillis ad—not one. They do not tell you that taxes have increased on 90% of the people but decreased on industry. They do not mention state utilities are controlled by the utility company employees, nor do they tell you that the rates for water have  gone up 17% for electricity and 17% for water on home owners, but rates have fallen for industries. They do not tell you that a corporation has taking over the States Department of Commerce and the Art Pope, the man who bought the governor’s officer for McCrory, is the state budget directory. The point is that if the people knew about the long disgusting list of harmful and shameful things Thom Tillis has caused to happen in North Carolina he would not have anyone but die hard political affiliates supporting him—maybe at most in the range of 10%.

Now back to the actual polling data: in a matter of a few short weeks of Karl Roves lies, Kay Hagan’s polling position has fallen 15 points. Let me repeat, the only thing that has changed is the insertion of Koch advertisements under the patriotic sounding name Americans for Prosperity. Every time you turn on the TV, there is another expensive ad to see. Kay Hagan has not changed. She is working hard for the people of the state. Larry Stogner is still editing the news; and our taxes are still elevated; our rivers are polluted and our roads are full of potholes; and are teachers are the worst paid in the country. Ask the people on the streets of Raleigh what they think about coal ash contaminating our rivers? What do you think they will say? I can tell you; they will answer the question with a question; “What is coal ash? When did that happen?” 

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