Conservative talk radio -- dumb and dumber

In the debate over why conservative talk radio outdraws liberal talk radio, I've found the answer and it's incredibly simple.
Conservative talk radio is very simplistic and dumbed down. Dumb and dumber. It's easier to instill fear in your listeners by saying things shouldn't change or they should revert back using old prejudices than to promote intelligent solutions.
They don't call liberals progressives for nothing. Conservatives aren't.
Conservative radio is a mental comfort zone. It's easier for people to lay back and not move forward in their thinking. That, of course, is the weakness of conservatives as a whole.
Look at the debate over immigration and how talk show host have used the logic of prejudice to make their point.
Look at the whole recent "Redacted" controversy manufactured by Bill O'Reilly, who isn't a true conservative talk show host, but more like a sideshow clown. O'Reilly did a cheerleading act to get his audiences to hate "Redacted" before it was released and before even he saw it. Don't bother suggesting your audience judge for themselves. Just tell them it's bad. Easy way out. No work on their part. Dumb and dumber.
Liberal radio, on the other hand, isn't dumbed down. Actually, if there's one thing liberals probably do too much of on the radio is they intellectualize. You don't see a lot of conservative show hosts do that. Their audiences would turn them off in a millisecond.
Conservatives follow the old axiom Keep It Simple, Stupid. Keep 'em entertained. Conservatives wisely keep their ideas in basic terms even a child could understand. Most liberal talk show hosts don't. Conservative ideas generally don't challenge. They rely on existing ideas and prejudices. That's why it's so easy to listen to conservative talk radio. It doesn't take any brainpower.
Most of all, conservatives want to dictate everyone's values. Don't criticize the president. Fund the war and shut up. Marriage is reserved for heterosexuals only. And the most outlandish of all: I got mine, so the hell with everyone else. All too simple answers to complex questions. Conservatives have no compassion, no soul and no values -- unless it benefits them.
Liberals, however, will ultimately triumph in the end. Conservatives may apply the brakes, but liberals supply the propellers. You can't move forward without them.

Ad for "Redacted" airs on O'Reilly show

So as long as it's for money, it's ok, right, Bill? Obviously, Fox News's ethics are in their wallet.

"Redacted" -- the rhetoric and the reality

Director Brian DePalma got somewhat of an early Christmas present thanks to Bill O'Reilly's venting over DePalma's new film, "Redacted," which O'Reilly criticized without seeing. He said it was unAmerican and would endanger the troops.
Well, we have seen it and O'Reilly, as usual, is wrong.
O'Reilly's overreaction has certainly boosted the visibility of the film. "Redacted" may not do what DePalma hopes -- end the war -- but it delivers a powerful message about the war's effect on its soldiers.
"Redacted" is actually a combination of several stories merged into one film. It's the account of Angel Salazar (played well by Izzy Diaz), who spends a lot of time taking video of his fellow soldiers. Patrick Carroll as Reno Flake and Daniel Stewart Sherman as B.B. Rush also figure heavily into the story and both do a great job.
The big question, though, is is O'Reilly's criticism valid? Does it do an injustice to the troops?
Well, if you are one of those who believes anything that makes the troops look less than perfect is an injustice to them, well, needless to say you won't like it. But despite the less than rosy picture it paints, "Redacted" basically allows that war is hell and soldiers are human, even despite the ugly events depicted in the film.
Do these events and the film itself cast a shadow on the troops? We say no.
We all know war is hell. War movies are hell. "Redacted" isn't the first movie to show the ugly side of war. It won't be the last. It does, however, reveal the injustice of American occupation in a land where we are not always welcome.
But this isn't the fault of the troops, who are there to do a job. It's the fault of our government, who never should have gotten us there in the first place.
"Redacted" is a film that makes a good point, but it certainly isn't enough to make it the be-all, end-all at getting us out of Iraq. That will take the enlightenment of the politicians in Washington, D.C. -- either this administration (unlikely) or the next one.

The "Redacted" official movie site

Still no O'Reilly vs. Cuban

O'Reilly has yet to make a move to accept Mark Cuban's challenge to debate him, according to Newshounds.
No surprise here. O'Reilly is a big talker, but not much of a doer. And he likes to be in control.
We'll keep an eye on this.

Cuban challenges O'Reilly to a debate on Olbermann show

Bill O'Reilly likes to challenge people. You think he'll take a challenge when one is issued to him?
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and the force behind the upcoming film, "Redacted," which is critical of the Iraq war, has challenged O'Reilly to debate him on it (a film O'Reilly has admitted he hasn't seen!) on "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," reports Crooks and Liars.com.
I doubt that O'Reilly will do it. It would give credibility to his rival, Olbermann, probably the only man he hates more than Al Franken. And he'd have to think on his feet without pre-written remarks.
C'mon, Bill, how about it?

I'm adding a link to Mark Cuban's blog that includes his full remarks on Bill O'Reilly's campaign against the movie (the subject of a post earlier this week), plus his personal review of "Redacted."

Bill certainly know how to win friends and influence people

O'Reilly apparently has been on a big kick lately (you need a scorecard to keep track of all his rants) against Brian DePalma's upcoming film, "Redacted," all about the Iraq War.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, the money man behind the film, has called Bill O', "my new best friend" for all the publicity he's brought to the film. As reported by Bradblog, here's what Cuban had to say:

After first replying that O'Reilly's attacks didn't much matter, and that they had very little effect either way, I followed up to ask specifically about Brian DePalma's upcoming film, 'Redacted,' which Cuban's network, HDNet is releasing shortly.

"When it comes to a specific project like 'Redacted,'" Cuban responded, "which is a small movie, it's grown bigger and bigger by the day. So I'm very grateful to him."

"Bill O'Reilly is my new best friend," he added, to laughter from the crowd which was made up of bloggers and industry-related folks of all political stripes.

Oh, that Bill. Doncha love him? :)