# "Gotcha ya!" video from the conservative noise machine seeks to make NPR look bad **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 8, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960 "2011-03-08T19:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/181 "2011-03-10T06:25:59Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Not even close to true. There are lots of people who are anti black. they are in the Repub party. They are Tea Baggers. they would be rare in the Dems. They are rare among conservatives too. A couple of racist signs at a Tea Bagger rally does not mean Tea Baggers on the whole are racist. Every group, especially grass roots groups, has its share of crackpots and outliers. The meme that the Tea Party and Republicans in the main are racists is bullshit. Approximately 80 million people voted conservative in the last presidential election and the number would have been higher had Bush not been so unpopular. The people you can point to who are Tea Party or Republican racists does not equal one one-millionth of one percent. When I say that conservatives are not racist it’s those 80 million plus who I’m talking about. A few racist campaign signs doesn’t make all conservatives racist any more than a belief in God makes you a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. > [@gonzomax](#): > > If you think Brietbart and his pawn are the same as 60 minutes, you are a lot dumber than I thought. In no way are they equivalent. 60 minutes has done a lot of breaking stories over its long and storied history. They have been the mainstay of reporting They have busted important stories for decades. If you honestly thing they are equal to the OKeefe /Brietbart crap, you are a totally lost soul . Good grief! When I mentioned 60 Minutes, I was talking about the very common practice of airing snippits of interviews. Everyone does it. ABC does it, CBS does it, 20/20 does it and even Oprah and Dr. Phil do it. Breitbart has absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/182 "2011-03-10T06:33:51Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > The people you can point to who are Tea Party or Republican racists does not equal one one-millionth of one percent. When I say that conservatives are not racist it’s those 80 million plus who I’m talking about. You’re a liar and you suck at math. Or do you really think there are fewer than .8 racists in that 80 million people? Hell, let’s just round up: you honestly think there’s less than 1 racist in that 80 million people? BWAHAHAHAHA You’re ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/183 "2011-03-10T06:41:48Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > In fact, the message of the right has for years been that the left is evil and they are trying to destroy America. I just listened to Henry Cain tell a roomful of Republicans that Obama is trying to destroy America (LVRJ reporter Laura Myers reported it on her Twitter feed seconds after it happened). > > In fact, the exact opposite of what you say is what is actually true. No it isn’t. I myself think liberals are trying to destroy America. In fact, I think to a large degree they already have. All you have to do is look at the societal ills that plague this country today which were virtually non-existent sixty years ago to see the damage that liberalism has wrought within this country. Still, that doesn’t mean I think liberals are evil. And it doesn’t mean I think they have malicious intent. I merely think they are misguided, wrongheaded, willful, unrealistic, indifferent to consequence, irresponsible and immature. But none of that equals “evil”. It always kills me when liberals get into such high dudgeon over being accused of hating America. I think it’s a fair charge, albeit a tad hyperbolic. It’s like you’re saying _“We don’t hate America; we just want to change everything about it!”_ I don’t know about you, but just about every time I want to change something, it’s because I don’t like it the way it is. So why is a person wrong if they accuse me of not liking it? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/184 "2011-03-10T06:45:53Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No it isn’t. I myself think liberals are trying to destroy America. In fact, I think to a large degree they already have. All you have to do is look at the societal ills that plague this country today which were virtually non-existent sixty years ago to see the damage that liberalism has wrought within this country. > > Still, that doesn’t mean I think liberals are evil. And it doesn’t mean I think they have malicious intent. I merely think they are misguided, wrongheaded, willful, unrealistic, indifferent to consequence, irresponsible and immature. But none of that equals “evil”. > > It always kills me when liberals get into such high dudgeon over being accused of hating America. I think it’s a fair charge, albeit a tad hyperbolic. It’s like you’re saying _“We don’t hate America; we just want to change everything about it!”_ I don’t know about you, but just about every time I want to change something, it’s because I don’t like it the way it is. So why is a person wrong if they accuse me of not liking it? OMG you’re an idiot. Utterly in denial, and stupid to boot. You contradict yourself from one sentence to the next, and are unable to see it. I’m just gonna view you as unintentional comedy from here on out. Seriously, reading one of your posts is like watching someone put a banana peel on the ground, slip on it, and not know what happened to them. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/185 "2011-03-10T06:47:13Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > You’re a liar and you suck at math. > > Or do you really think there are fewer than .8 racists in that 80 million people? Hell, let’s just round up: you honestly think there’s less than 1 racist in that 80 million people? > > BWAHAHAHAHA > > You’re ridiculous. I think you’re getting just a tad cranked up, there, **Bo**. 😃 Would it make you any happier if I said a few hundred out of 80 million? How about a few thousand out of 80 million? Then would you accept my point? I thought not. So you’re splitting hairs over things that would make no difference to you in the first place. So what possible difference does all your silly crowing make? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/186 "2011-03-10T06:48:14Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > OMG you’re an idiot. Utterly in denial… You’ve said that before. Several times. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/187 "2011-03-10T07:01:30Z")
Who is Henry Cain? Were you referring to Herman Cain? If that’s the case, I’m not sure why Alan Keyes and Herman Cain are considered representative of either Conservatives or Republicans. Does that mean Al Sharpton is representative of liberals and the Democratic Party? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/188 "2011-03-10T07:06:11Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > …Approximately 80 million people voted conservative in the last presidential election… Checking several sources, the figure I get is 58 million people voted for McCain. You have more authoritative sources? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/189 "2011-03-10T07:07:36Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I think you’re getting just a tad cranked up, there, **Bo**. 😃 > > Would it make you any happier if I said a few hundred out of 80 million? How about a few thousand out of 80 million? Then would you accept my point? > > I thought not. > > So you’re splitting hairs over things that would make no difference to you in the first place. So what possible difference does all your silly crowing make? You thought wrong again! Yeah, at least then you wouldn’t be exaggerating to the point of complete buffoonery. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/190 "2011-03-10T07:14:08Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Checking several sources, the figure I get is 58 million people voted for McCain. You have more authoritative sources? According to [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008) the number is close to 60 million. I may have been thinking of Bush’s election numbers. My bad. Still, and as I’m sure you’re aware, the point still stands - a few crackpots or racists does not a party make. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/191 "2011-03-10T07:17:53Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Who is Henry Cain? > > Were you referring to Herman Cain? > > If that’s the case, I’m not sure why Alan Keyes and Herman Cain are considered representative of either Conservatives or Republicans. > > Does that mean Al Sharpton is representative of liberals and the Democratic Party? Yeah, thanks; Herman Cain. He’s representative because other Republicans choose him to speak before them and cheer wildly when he calls liberals evil people who are deliberately trying to destroy the country, as he did last week (and has many times on his radio show, apparently). How is he _not_ representing their views? Has Al Sharpton been speaking to Democratic Party groups to wild cheers? No? Then I guess that might be because his views don’t exactly coincide with the views of the party enough for them to want to hear him say what he thinks. The last time that I know of that [Al Sharpton spoke to the Democratic Party was at the 2004 convention](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21903-2004Jul28.html). I don’t particularly like the man, but why don’t you point out all the things that are objectionable about the speech he gave there? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/192 "2011-03-10T07:27:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Yeah, thanks; Herman Cain. He’s representative because other Republicans choose him to speak before them and cheer wildly when he calls liberals evil people who are deliberately trying to destroy the country, as he did last week (and has many times on his radio show, apparently). How is he _not_ representing their views? > > Has Al Sharpton been speaking to Democratic Party groups to wild cheers? No? Then I guess that might be because his views don’t exactly coincide with the views of the party enough for them to want to hear him say what he thinks. > > The last time that I know of that [Al Sharpton spoke to the Democratic Party was at the 2004 convention](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21903-2004Jul28.html). I don’t particularly like the man, but why don’t you point out all the things that are objectionable about the speech he gave there? Al Sharpton has said lots of really unflattering things in front of cheering crowds of Democrats, particularly those in New York. You may recall his attacking the “diamond merchants” of Crown Heights and his declaration “tell the Jews to pin back their yarmulkas and come talk to me” as well as his references to the “White interlopers” during the fight over Freddy’s. If you want to go into discussions he’s said about Republicans or white conservatives his comments are even worse. Frankly I’m willing to bet far more Democrats, particularly black Democrats know who Al Sharpton is then Republicans who know who Herman Cain is. My point BTW is not that Al Sharpton is all that representative of the Democratic party, but that he’s a fringe candidate as are both Keyes and Cain. ---
**Author:** ![AlienVessels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@AlienVessels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlienVessels)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/193 "2011-03-10T07:27:38Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Can you say “delusional”? Can you say “paranoid”? > > Yeah, I thought that you could. > > :rolleyes: > > It is my belief that racism exists within the Democrat party and the ranks of liberals themselves in percentages approximating those in conservative ranks. If conservatives as a whole were anywhere near as cut, dried and obstinate as your side would have us believe, the civil rights movement would never have gotten off the ground to begin with. > > The truth of the matter is that most conservatives disdain racism as well. > > Liberals have a very hard time trying to gain popular acceptance of their views because by and large they don’t make sense and they run counter to human nature. So instead of arguing the pros and cons of their ideas, liberals have chosen simply to demonize their opponents and seek to gain support and votes that way. > > The trouble with you and a lot of other people on this board is that you’ve swallowed those lies hook, line and sinker. There are racists on both sides. But I believe that the GOP has more of them. When the GOP convention looks like other than a sea of white, with sypathetic camera operators straining to get shots of people of color, I’ll buy it. As long as your presidential hopefuls keep firing up the hate speech implying that Obama wasn’t born in the US and has Muslim and Kenyan “hidden” sympathies, methinks thou dost protest too much. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/194 "2011-03-10T14:06:12Z")
> [@AlienVessels](#): > > YOU raised the issue, I replied to your comment: > > > [@Bricker](#): > > > > No, it’s a perfect analogy. You lot want to be able to paint ACORN as blameless, the victim of a few bad apple execs, and simultaneously hold BP Oil, Halliburton, Blackwater, etc., liable as companies for the bad acts of their employees. > > ACORN got the death penalty for being accused of a crime. I’m pointing out that your analogy fails because although “our side” would like these entities to be held equally liable, it doesn’t happen in the real world to corporations. Who said it did? You admit yourself the exact truth of what I said: that you lot WANT TO BE ABLE TO PAINT ACORN as blamless and hold these other corporations liable. I didn’t say you were able to. ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/195 "2011-03-10T14:09:39Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I’ve heard Alan Keyes say repeatedly on the radio that, “I believe liberals are evil people.” Glenn, Rush Limbaugh… ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/196 "2011-03-10T14:09:56Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > You’ll note that the language in the articles I cited talks about things Blackwater did as a company, not things that employees did without the knowledge of the BoD. . Listen carefully. The whole point here is the one you just glossed over: why is it “things Blackwater did as a company?” But it’s things “a few ACORN execs did, not ACORN itself!” See the deal? When it’s a company you hate, the company did it. When it’s a company with worthwhile goals (in your mind) then they can obviously do no wrong, and it was their evil or misguided employees. ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/197 "2011-03-10T14:14:21Z")
So…a company that has raped and murdered people is somehow comparable—in Bricker’s mind, that is-- with a charity that helped poor people register for the vote, and was in fact maligned by the very sort of person who supports the first company? I love how Bricker’s mind works. James O’Keefe is a lying, editing dissembler. So is Breitbart. There’s just not a lot of wiggle room there. So look at Bricker wiggle. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/198 "2011-03-10T14:23:57Z")
> [@margin](#): > > So…a company that has raped and murdered people is somehow comparable—in Bricker’s mind, that is-- with a charity that helped poor people register for the vote, and was in fact maligned by the very sort of person who supports the first company? I love how Bricker’s mind works. > > James O’Keefe is a lying, editing dissembler. So is Breitbart. There’s just not a lot of wiggle room there. So look at Bricker wiggle. You bilious twit: the issue is not whether one firm is Puppy Stomping, Inc. and the other is Happy Smiles and Hugs, Inc. The question is: when are acts of the employees imputable to the company and when are they not? This hasn’t anything to do with whether one company exists for what you see as just and virtuous ends. ETA: But it DOES mean, obviously, when the company serves a “good” cause, you’re much more willing to make excuses for them than when they serve an “evil” cause… which is my point precisely. You’re moved by your feeling that helping poor people register to vote is such a good thing that they deserve the benefit of the doubt. ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/199 "2011-03-10T14:26:50Z")
“For what you see as just ends.” You disagree that enfranchising poor people is a good thing? You think that raping and murdering people is no big deal? And more insults. If you had anything but technicalities, you wouldn’t use insults. Must be getting frustrated with having to defend lying scumbags like O’Keefe----and murderous vipers like Blackwater. Poor Bricker. Why don’t back the few decent Republicans out there, like the ones in Wyoming who defeated both anti-choice legislation and argued that gays deserved to have their rights defended just like everyone else. Instead, you always back scumbags—and insult people who dare to point this out. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960/200 "2011-03-10T15:53:07Z")
> [@margin](#): > > “For what you see as just ends.” > > You disagree that enfranchising poor people is a good thing? Actually, I feel that the whole factory operation that ACORN engaged in WAS a bad thing; I think the franchise works best when people care enough about voting to register on their own. But that’s completely irrelevant to this discussion, which again for your addled mind is: when is a company liable for the acts of its employees? Does the answer to that question truly depend on whether we approve of the company’s goals? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gotcha-ya-video-from-the-conservative-noise-machine-seeks-to-make-npr-look-bad/573960.md?page=11)