Not that it should be a big surprise to anyone:
Pew judged the levels of knowledgeability (correct answers) among those surveyed and found that those who scored the highest were regular watchers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report. They tied with regular readers of major newspapers in the top spot — with 54% of them getting 2 out of 3 questions correct. Watchers of the Lehrer News Hour on PBS followed just behind.
Virtually bringing up the rear were regular watchers of Fox News. Only 1 in 3 could answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly.
[]
Men scored higher than women, and older Americans did better than younger, on average. Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Republicans in the least aware group.
Well Red State has to find its writers somewhere.
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zed?
fitz
And then there are those of us who read multiple news sites AND various blogs and are not wholly dependent on the corporate owned media to decide what is news and what is fluff/crap. Even if we may read or watch some of the fluff/crap, we can still tell the difference.
I wonder how FDL viewers rate? :)
This report doesn’t exactly say this, but I’m going to guess that the better-informed are drawn to Colbert and the Daily Shows because they do read multiple sources.
And Dakine has it right.
but there were more Republicans in the least aware group.
“MY BASE”
-Roger Aisles
What about education level I bet were smarter too!
dakine01 @
3
I agree!
(Although some days it’s hard to get out of our pajamas.) *g*
P.S. I’m a Republican but I haven’t been able to bring myself to vote for anything my party has presented to me in a loooong time, and have been angry with them since Reagan was elected. Greatest president my butt.
P.P.s. I adore Stephen Colbert.
I think think this just means that intelligent, well-informed, reality based people are more likey to watch Stewart/Colbert.
Attaturk @ 6
I’m a Republican and I can tell you that I am NOT his base.
(Pls pardon OT… EPU’d)
——————————
Feeling adventuresome? Interested in who else is in the FDL community, and where they are? Maybe get in touch with them via anonymous message?
Hope to see you on our unofficial FirePup map.
——————————
OBTW, too many map pins (imho, this is debatable) say “Independent.” I’ve a mind to delete them all. Watch the legend beneath the map.
——————————
sunny @ 10
That’s what I tried to say; you said it better.
I mostly just read blogs and online papers, so I don’t know squat.
i get my news here at the lake. i wonder how i would have done.
I would totally flunk *all* the Anna Nicole Smith questions.
I read The Next Hurrah so I know… alot.
TeddySanFran @
8
Actually, I can’t sit around in the pj’s. That was one of those things my dad harped on and he would get r-e-a-l aggravated if he saw me watching Saturday morning cartoons and I was still in my pj’s after about 10AM. So I do the three s thing, THEN sit around and act like a DFH while I catch up on life itsownself.
So we are dumbing down. If one toils in the public schools, this sadly comes as no surprise.
The slides of the Virinia Tech shootings at MSNBC are intense. What the hell is with these squads and the way they are carrying out these injured students. I would hate to see the way they carry people out if they didn’t like you.
Where the hell are the Amubulance cots? The way they are carrying these injured people out could do far more damage.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18138369/
Oh Jane, that is one of the funniest things I have read in awhile!
You have to be well informed in order to “get” the jokes.
What I love about those two shows is that it completely smashes the big-media lie that one must pander to ignorance and the reptilian brain stem in order to make money.
opie_jeanne @ 9
Welcome, opie_jeanne~!
“Virtually bringing up the rear were regular watchers of Fox News.”
An apt description of people assuming the Fox (News) position.
And the AP wonders why Dems don’t want to talk wth FOX about a debate. DUH! Because Fox lies.
AP – Dems and Fox
All the Dems have done is stop serving themselves up on a platter for the GOP Channel to slice and dice them. There is no risk, no downside at all.
So where is the test posted? Can we take it? I promise not to use google.
I get absolutely all of my news at firedoglake. I would love to play firedoglake trivia some Saturday night. We could all think up some really good questions. I’d love for someone to find one Libby trivia question that EW couldn’t answer!
I read the print version of the Los Angeles Times cover to cover most days. I read several news sites online, I read FDL and Daily Kos. I have to do these things or I’d never hear anything except Republican spin: I live in Orange County, California.
opie_jeanne @
9
If they don’t represent your views anymore;
why stay a Republican?
i tried answering the questions myself.
got worried for a bit when i didn’t know who the heck Beyonce Knowles or Peyton Manning were. then i read the answers.
Woodhall Hollow @ 21
Said it before and will probably say it again after this, but it is really distressing to know that two of the best “news” shows are on Comedy Central and the other is hosted by a recovering sportscaster.
Eli @ 16
who? [wait wait, don’t tell me *s*]
Do they have a sub-category for the three people who watch The Half-hour News hour?
And, BTW, is it just me, or are the tooobz extra-cluttered today?
opie_jeanne @ 9
If I may ask, why do you consider yourself a Republican if you don’t vote Republican?
Woodhall Hollow @ 21
What I like best about Colbert, although it is happening less nowadays, is when he has a Reichwinger guest who doesn’t get it. Last week, the Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention was Stephen’s guest. I’m not sure he got it — “it” being the terribly deft parody that Stephen brings to bear.
Rob Zuber @ 4
Son of Jor-El, kneel before FDL!
TeddySanFran @ 22
*waves* Hi Teddy.
In case you want you very own
custom You’re On Notice! board:
http://www.shipbrook.com/onnotice/
pwrlght @ 28
My kids ask me the same thing. I haven’t entirely given up hope yet.
The O’Reilly Factor did well… and so did Rush Limbaugh.
i don’t understand that.
Redshift @ 33
…and disagree with pretty much the whole of what they’ve been doing for the last 27 years…I mean, come on! Time to stop tuning in to that channel, the programming ain’t going to change now.
Opie Jeanne continues to think she is Republican because she lives in Orange County. She probably also thinks it is illegal to be non-Republican, so to think one is something else is scary. Anyway Opie Jeanne, call yourself whatever you want, as long as you don’t vote for the criminals I’m okay with it.
If you want to get really high watch Colberts roast of Bush at White House Correspondents dinner. This was the most raw and honest roasting of all time.
Thank you Stephen Colbert
http://video.google.com/videop…..0187133140
selise @ 29
You must have gotten a different quiz than I did…
selise @ 29
Those weere the 2 that dinged me. Not even interested enuf to google them.
Wow. 99% of people got one question right. Only 92% got five questions right. Wouldn’t it suck if you only got one question right – and it was the “Who is Beyonce Knowles”?
It would be even worse if you got none of them right. It’s amazing they could find people to poll that wouldn’t get one question correct. There must be more people than I realize that don’t pay any attention to news or pop culture.
I have a question.
If the Bushies dont turn over the subpoenaed docs as Conyers reports, is there a consequence?
Or can you ignore a subpoena from Congress?
opie_jeanne @ 38
Well here’s hoping you can wrest controll of your party from the nutjobs. Welcome to FDL.
I know all of the answers but one. But I listen to a lot of political radio and read a lot of newspapers.
selise @
29
That was fun. I got a 77%, because I didn’t know about Congress and the minimum wage, and somehow I skipped the question about the minimum wage amount.
I got all the political questions right, but they never asked me about any celebrities. I know who Beyonce and Peyton Manning are, though.
Someone is going to catch hell for sending students out after the early 7a.m shootings.
landofthefree @ 45
They forgot to ask what color is an orange or who is buried in Grant’s tomb.
As always, Glenn gets it right and this IS on topic. He writes about the contrast in journalism between newly feted Charlie Savage who greatly deserves the Pulitzer he was awarded today v. Politico reporting on the cost of John Edwards’ hair cuts.
‘nuf said.
I wonder how embarrassing a poll would be that checked how high people scored on the Authoratarian Personality test (assuming there is one) and which sources they got their news from? Any bets that Fox News watchers would score in the high 80’s?
kathleen @ 42
You can still say THANKS: http://ThankYouStephenColbert.org/wordpress/
kathleen @ 51
Sadly, it sounded like they didn’t have a plan for exactly that time of day.
I want to write ‘Yay! One for the guys!’, but I know way better than to do that here. ;)
What a great story, lol.
I got every answer correct..but my poll didn’t ask me about bouncy know it alls….
kathleen @ 20
I agree, but they may have thought they had to get them quickly out of the line of fire.
snowbird42 @ 46
Yup. It’s called “contempt of Congress,” and you win a new wardrobe…all orange, all onesies.
Redshift @ 33
I should have qualified that a bit. There have been primary candidates that I liked, and there are some state candidates that I like. I have considered switching parties, and have come to the conclusion that I still like to have some say in the primaries, and as I said before, I hold out hope that the Neocons will be discredited and the party will stop catering to the Evangelicals.
I’m 57. It’s probably in the blood.
Teddy: Your results are same as mine, exactly. BTW, the question about minimum wage amount only “appeared” if one got the previous question correctly, which I didn’t. Confused me for a minute, when I checked answers.
gbear @ 57
Yeah, I was gonna tiptoe around that one too, gbear…
How about “Huzzah for the old!!”
Is this poll any surprise? bush has worked his butt off to get the UNINFORMED VOTE!
Virginia gun laws
Anti-trafficking
Is there a one-handgun-per-month limit on gun sales? Yes
Assault weapons
Are there limitations on assault weapons and magazines? No
Attorney general regulations
Can the attorney general regulate guns? No.
Background check At state level
Do state police perform a background check in addition to federal NICS check? Yes
Ballistic fingerprinting
Must handguns be ballistic fingerprinted prior to sale? No
Concealed weapons limits
May police limit carrying concealed handguns? No
Child access prevention
Are gun owners held accountable for leaving guns accessible to kids? Yes
Child-safety locks
Must locking devices be sold with guns? No
Gun manufacturer accountability
Do cities have authority to hold gun makers legally liable? No
Gun show checks
Are background checks required at gun shows? No
Juvenile possession
Are minors restricted from possessing guns? Partial
Juvenile sale
Is it illegal to sell guns to kids? Partial
License or permit to purchase
Is a license/permit required to buy handguns? No
Local gun laws – preemption
May cities enact laws stronger than the state’s? No
Record keeping
May police maintain gun sale records? Partial
Registration
Are all guns registered with law enforcement? No
Safety standards
Are there consumer safety standards on guns? No
Safety training
Is safety training required for handgun buyers? No
Saturday Night Specials
Are there limitations on ‘junk’ handguns? No
School zones
Is it illegal for concealed weapons permit holders to carry guns into schools? Yes
Secondary sales
Are background checks required on “private” gun sales? No
Waiting period
Is there a waiting period on gun sales? No
Source: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence • Print this
Be nice to opie_Jeanne! A lot of people identify themselves with a particular party in principle, but they take a hard look at the candidates and the current platform of the party and refuse to pull the lever simply because of the D or R behind the name. I think that’s a fine thing to do.
CD @ 62
See, I would have gotten the undisplayed question right, even though I got the earlier one wrong (not to give away too much to those who haven’t yet had the pleasure, but if you’ve taken the test you’ll know what I mean — Max Baucus, whodathunkit?)
How do we the lefty blog readers compare to the righties is what I would like to know?
things come undone @ 64
And Lieberman! Dan Gerstein still brags about his appeal to “the low-information voter” which is quite a nice way of putting it.
opie_jeanne @ 61
So you’re officially a Republican, as in registered as one. Do you still think of yourself as one politically? Do you think of today’s Republicans as Republicans?
TeddySanFran @ 49
This is how I did: Thank you for taking our News IQ quiz. You correctly answered 9 of the 9 possible questions along with approximately 4% of the public. You did better than 96% of the general public.
You are allowed to be impressed! *g*
things come undone @ 68
Hey things come undone ! !! How are you?
things come undone @ 68
Well, we’re cuter and smarter and better in bed! Oh, you meant specifically on this survey….
TeddySanFran @ 49
Heh. I got the same score, for the same reason.
OK. I am impressed.
landofthefree @ 66
I’ll give her this: she’s one up on my mother, who on an issue-by-issue basis is not that much less liberal than I am, and yet insists on voting straight-ticket GOP and sending Bush campaign contributions because she’s always been Republican and she’s proud to be Republican even though her political opinions are about as far from the Republicans as Madagascar is from Fairbanks.
Mom, you ignorant slut.
SnarKassandra @ 75
Oi, I got all of them too.
poor bush the history books will record that when the fear of 9/11 ran out the only people who stuck by him were the least informed voters and um…John McCain!
Eli @ 77
Well read minds!
TeddySanFran @ 49
It says you don’t get asked the amount of the minumim wage cut if you get the passage question wrong.
The minimum wage amount question was the only question I got wrong, and I had previously read the bill! Oops. :)
Eli @ 77
Eli I really like your blog. How do you do the thing where people can change your theme? Cool photos!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep the masses stupid, supply them with lots of games and poor paying jobs with no beni’s. An occassional war here and there and, hey, that about does it.
opie jeanne @ 61
Hope you enjoy this site. Remember there’s nurture as well as nature.
Having been a Wall St. economist for 30 years, I certainly know both sides of those issues, but I just could never get my arms around how mean-spirited Rs seem. It has to do with how they frame issues, and that started long before necons came along. (Talking about things like demonizing welfare queens, rather than asking how to stop enabling poor people, so as to lift them out of poverty.)
Now I’m really mad at R economic policy because they took good ideas & perverted them, so they’ll never be tried again in my lifetime.
AZ Matt @ 71
there are more questions (see the pdf link on the left, near the top)
From ABC News:
LINK
Aravosis catches ABC getting a little hyperbolic about Blacksburg.
SnarKassandra @ 81
Thanks! The theme switching is a Wordpress plugin called, well, Theme Switcher. The tricky part is actually creating the alternate themes to switch to.
The servers must not like me. They claim they are unable to connect to the database. I don’t believe them.
I think we crashed the polling site.
I’m Fine SnarkKassandra hey here’s an idea maybe you with your schools help could conduct the same poll of your fellow students! That and a Psyche test for the Authoratarian personality. The probable link between Fox News watchers and the need for Authority is way to funny do the uninformed feel insecure and powerless is that why they cling to Authority or is it something Deeper/Funnier! God I wish I took more Psyche Classes!
Anti-war mom arrested outside of Pelosi’s office 31 minutes ago (not Cindy Sheehan)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/…..otest.html
eCAHNomics @ 83
Do you suppose that was actually their plan?
Morris Sheppard @ 88
I got the same thing. Therefore, I’m unilaterally declaring myself All-Being Master of Time, Space, and News Quizzes.
Morris Sheppard @ 88
Same problem here. I wanna show off my knowledge! I wanna Clark Bar! Waahhhh!!!
Morris Sheppard @ 88
Oh no, they’re using Haloscan.
selise @ 29
I can’t get the questions to open. :(
Eureka Springs @ 89
And I took it personally.
TeddySanFran @ 73
You forgot Braver, Stronger and a lot more fun at parties!
OT but on news: given the Va Tech news today, I’m thinking there may be no Countdown tonight.
Attaturk @
6
Which reminds me of Shrub’s base: The Haves and Have Mores
theExile @ 41
Wow. Nice welcome. Hope that’s a joke.
If not, you’ll just have to take my word that I know the difference between a peach and a skunk.
The last place I lived was up by San Francisco… which is a very odd place. The suburbs and East Bay are so conservative (the KoolAid drinking type) I felt like I was suffocating; OC is gentle by comparison.
We have actually had a few decent Republicans in this state, and a few stinker Democrats.
Right now I’m so very glad Pombo is gone, and so glad Loretta Sanchez was elected (she sent me a Christmas card this year. Me. A Republican. If she can love me, I’m sure you can too.)
If you want a laugh I’ll tell you some funny stories about her opponent.
I got 9 out of 9, and I was drunk. And that was after a HuffPo troll had called me a nitwit. He did not resurface to state his score.
Hi Eli!
I’d like to email you personally to ask about some photography related stuff in regards to documenting my work, etc. How come I can’t get my pictures to look anything as snappy as yours? It doesn’t seem fair. I use a light meter and all.
ccmask @
26
Sounds like an assignment for TeddySanFran!
Who the hell in their right mind would want to be the Bush administrations “war czar”? Someone like the lilly white assed warmonger Bill Kristol.
Micheal Chertoff?
kathleen @ 91
Well, I’m impressed. That story is just so chock-unfull of helpful information about exactly what the nature of the offense might have been that it numbs my brain trying to imagine why an editor would have thought it was worth printing at all. The one thing I got out of it was that Pelosi might have had exactly squat to do with the arrest.
landofthefree @ 66
Thenk yew. :-D
That is exactly what I try to do.
Goodwin Knight kissed me when I was a baby; I have no choice but to be a Republican. Heh.
Morris Sheppard @
97
You’d think Pew would be ready for high volume traffic in prep for Colbert to announce the poll results, which will be about a light year before FAUX announces them.
Pew proves once again the Right’s meme that The Left is humorless…. uh, maybe not.
Eli @ 92
Interestin Q; never thought about it that way. But no, I don’t think they did it on purpose. Think they saw the window of opportunity open & wanted to shove as much stuff through as possible in as short a time as possible. Like the Iraq war, they had devised the rhetoric to sell the product, but not much else. And unlike the Iraq war, they’ve been unable to sell most of their ideas outside the already converted.
OT, sorry I just need too. “The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They?Ĵre our students and our teachers and our parents and our friends. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight.
But every time we?Ĵve measured our capacity to meet a challenge we look up and we?Ĵre reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars. Jeb Bartlet (Martian Sheen) on West Wing”
I just need too.
EvilDrPuma @ 76
Aw, is that all you’ll give me? ;-)
Mmm…FireDogLake trivia. That could be a demanding game. Can we google?
kathleen @ 105
The whole deal is kind of odd. It sounds like Bush is looking for someone to be, like, Commander-in-Chief, or something. Isn’t there a mention in the Constitution about that job, or was I imagining it?
opie_jeanne @ 27
Also welcome to the ‘Lake, o_j. Haven’t seen you around before, but that doesn’t mean much; so I’m not sure “welcome” is the right salutation…
My younger daughter and hubby moved down from SFO and now live behind the “Orange Curtain” too (Costa Mesa near the 405). Unlike yourself, they’re lifelong Democrats… but if you’re a FirePup I’m sure you’d get along fine.
Kathleen at 104
The War Czar position is an end-around by Cheney to control Gates, who is acting ‘too independently.’
Nobody in the Military will take the job – it’s a stooge’s position.
Shorter: What do you mean we have to GOVERN? What the h*ll is that? That would require us to actually do something, rather than just tell everyone else what they should do, then second-guess them when it doesn’t work as it dies in our fantasies.
Morris Sheppard @ 113
It’s called a scape-goat.
opie_jeanne @ 101
A Republican. If she can love me, I’m sure you can too.)
If you want a laugh I’ll tell you some funny stories about her opponent.
Please tell opie_jeanne
How much MSM time spent on Anna Nicole Smith? Check it out
How much time on the Lancet reports (how many Iraqi’s have been killed since the invasion) on the MSM? link
coverage about the Lancet report on the MSM was never measured, probably because there wasn’t any coverage
Morris Sheppard @ 103
Feel free! There’s a “Contact Eli” link at the top of my sidebar.
I’ll probably recommend that you need something Photoshoppy to bump up contrast and saturation and stuff.
opi_Jeanne,
I was a Republican from 1967, when I got out of the U.S. Army, until 1982, when I left because Falwell and his GodSquad swooped in and ruined the place quicker than a thousand meth freaks would ruin a dentist’s client list. I then wandered for eight years until I became a Green. That ended this morning, when I walked into the Division of elections office (downstairs from my physical therapist, so no big deal) and registered as a Democrat – for the first time in my life.
kathleen @ 91
All right! :0)
Link for the amount of time spent on the MSM covering Anna Nicole Smith’s death
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..arassment/
kathleen @
105
Are they still looking for somebody? I assumed they gave up after all those four star generals said no. I mean who would want a job that nobody else wanted. More importantly who would want a war czar to be responsible for the Iraq war that wasn’t even bush’s second or third choice. I mean that would be even more irresponsible than having bush lead the war! Arrgh! the thought of thinking of who could be stupid enough to want the job after none else wanted it. And who would be acceptable to bush! Arrgh! Paul Wolfowitz…I hear he might be looking for work? Must check mail see if my passport has arrived yet!
dakine01 @ 99
There’s always the repeat of Thursday’s Daily Show and Colbert :-)
For the well informed, of course.
Ed*ard Teller @ 120
I am going to register as a dem or a green as soon as I turn 18. And I get to vote a few days later.
kathleen @ 105
They found someone: http://video.google.com/videop…..7901840957
dakine01 @ 115
This is the FIRST time in my life I’ve seen anything like this on a national level. Prior R admins tried to govern. Not sure if there’s an example pre-WWII of something so non-functional & so political as W.
Don’t worry. Bush will not accept the blame for setting up a scapegoat.
things come undone @ 123
Mmm… Czarliva…
SnarKassandra @ 124
Welcome to the Lake, where well informed people gather to learn from one another.
eCAHNomics @ 25
Go to Andrew Sullivan’s blog
Scroll down to Limbaugh vs NPR
The link to the report & the Pew quiz is there.
I scored 96 percentile, not to brag.
White House may find countless e-mails AP – 52 minutes ago WASHINGTON – The White House should be able to recover an undetermined number of e-mails — perhaps millions of messages
SnarKassandra @ 133
The WH used Lotus Notes into the 00s? I thought that disappeared early in the 90s.
SnarKassandra @
126
My daughter, who turned 21 last month, registered as a Democrat. My son registers in six weeks – and for the draft too (!!! – yikes!!!). He’s thinking Green, but I told him the Green Party is irrelevant unless they can sign up another 25 million people.
eCAHNomics @ 83
It didn’t start with the NeoCons, you’re right about that. It seems that they’ve gotten even angrier and meaner, though.
I started jumping off the bandwagon when Nixon was in the WH, even though I voted for him… and then there was the insanity of Watergate, but I really despised Agnew early on, despised him for the anti-intellectualism. I liked Ford, I liked Mondale (and realized a bit too late that Humphrey was a good man), I just couldn’t get my head around Carter even though I thought he was a decent man; when Reagan was nominated I thought I was disgusted.
W, though, he takes the cake: how can my parents (ok, Dad’s 88 now, I’ll cut him a little slack) not see that there is no there there, how could they not see it 6 years ago, and how did they not notice Cheney? Cheney runnning as Veep should have scared the pants off of everyone.
I am astonished that after 6 years that no one can see that the emperor W is stark staring stupid and nekkid as well.
eCAHNomics @ 128
That’s because Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, and even Ray-guns knew and understood that government has a valid and strong role to play in all areas. These guys I think are trying to go back to Hoover/Coolidge/Harding and even Grant (Grant for the corruption although harding also gave a run at it). BushCo has such total contemept for even the thought of government, they can’t begin to comprehend GOOD government. That’s why appointing hacks like Micahel Brown were no biggie D, as it was all political in their eyes.
Ed*ard Teller @ 132
Cool! I have a few more years.
yellowdogD @ 131
It’s the same link. Didn’t work for me from Sully’s site, either. I still think it’s personal.
RevDeb @ 131
I actually cast my first vote two weeks before turning 18. In a Dem primary in 1970. You could/can(?) vote at seventeen in primary if you were/are 18 before the general election. Kentucky and Georgia were the only states that allowed 18 year old vote at that time.
Juan Cole on The News Hour…fyi
Veritas78 @ 102
Yay!
I hate the Huff trolls. It’s partly why I’m here.
SnarKassandra @
133
Fitz asked for all the WH emails I wonder if he can reopen his investigation now and oversee the WH email recovery efforts before karl gets to them!
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/….._0416.html
Let’s not forget the crimes of Wolfowitz. He really likes trying to walk quietly out the back door after he commits crimes against humanity.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/…..microcosm/
dakine01 @ 3
dakine01: Although I have seen your name before on many posts, I only now realize that the “01″ in your name is a proud note that you are in the top 1% of the intelligent and informed people in the nation. Outstanding!
dakine01 @ 137
I am a Novem 1 birthday so it isn’t an issue. But that’s cool.
opie_jeanne @ 141
The comments section at HuffPo is
all butworthless. It is impossible to have a conversation. I don’t know what they can do to fix it, either. A shame, actually.Snarkassandra at 133
Perino is doing a conflation here – she wants the readers to think that the ‘recoverable’ e-mails she is referring to are *all* the missing e-mails that have been referred to in the news accounts lately.
She’s only talking about the Official White House e-mail system – the one that hasn’t actually had any ‘recovery’ issues all along, just a sloppy upgrade that made it ‘appear’ that millions of e-mails were missing.
Her announcement doesn’t cover the missing e-mails from the RNC systems.
theExile @ 41
opie_jeanne @ 111
Sorry if I came off wrong. What I mean is this: you may call yourself a Republican, but you seem to know what you stand for and who does or does not represent the same. That’s praiseworthy. My mother doesn’t know who represents her interests; she just like a robot. It may come as no surprise that she also watches Faux News. And that’s not praiseworthy. I hate that she puts me in the position of feeling like I must speak ill of her, but her political consciousness is shameful and pathetic, and yours is better.
LS @ 141
Wow !!
Secretary of State Rice may face subpoena threat Wednesday
Does our nation seem safer and saner than it did seven years ago?
opie_jeanne @ 141
I used to spend way more time at HuffPo and left for pretty much the same reason. Still check for some of the news and blog posts but that’s it. Of course, I also got a bit PO’d when I tried to make a couple of comments on R. Cohen’s post over the weekend that I assume were banned for my being sarcastic in my response to him. Alittle snarky, but just welcomes him to the DFH crowd he had so despised.
The E&P referenced article has a good choice of framing in its sentence:
Notice the use “escalation” and not “surge”.
Looks like Tommy Thompson is making a bid for the old George Allen for President donor base.
-GSD
One result from the Pew poll shows the depth of trouble our democracy is in: only 69% could name the Vice-President of the United States. There are other similar numbers reflecting the poitical ignorance rampant in this country.
That is why we get sold leaders like advertisers sell soap. Just think if the Pew poll asked more difficult questions or questions of policy. Remember not too long ago when Pew found that 70% of Americans thought Iraq was responsible for 9/11?
It is no wonder we get find 30% still supporting this president and our political leadership is so shallow?.
Any wonder why American Idol is popular?
opie_jeanne @ 136
Don’t forget Cheney & Rummy got their starts under Ford. Will never forgive the man for that. Also for pardoning Nixon. That act prevented the losing side from having to fully icorporate the magnitude of their defeat. Thus they were able to rise again. I do not believe in moving on for the sake of it. Adjustments take the time they take, and no less. Of course, no sense in wallowing forever either. But Nixon was placed in limbo by Ford, whereas he should ave been placed in hell.
Rocket Scientist @ 145
but not a rocket scientist :}(
Oklahoma kiddo @ 150
Hayl no!
Oklahoma kiddo @ 153
Batshit Nation.
-GSD
SnarKassandra @ 146
Then make sure you register and vote in the primary when you are 17 as I have to believe it is legal in Texas as it was in KY.
Pending email surge…
Subpoena surge…
They’re meeellllttttiinnnnggg……
The survey covers Beyonce Knowles, eh?
A very good vid (I’d nominate it for art direction/set design/choreography/wardrobe categories, in whatever awards that get awarded for vids, at least) It’s even a pretty good song; google/youtube vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtIHBRsy1lI
beyonce and shakira -
“beautiful liar”
——
It is spring, after all, despite the tragic news.
SnarKassandra @ 150
Well, the administration has already shown what they think of subpoenas.
(I titled my own post “A Subpoena Is A Wish Your Heart Makes”…)
they couldn’t come up with;
Deadeye,
The Shooter,
Darth,
Dick,
Or “Go F*ck yourself’?
Amazing.
Opie Jean,
Another long time Republican from California, Pete McCloskey, former congressman and Republican presidential candidate just jumped over to the Democratic Party.
It’s OK, the water is fine.
-GSD
Oklahoma kiddo @ 152
no. but it does seem saner (not safer) than 4 or 5 years ago…
eCAHNomics @ 157
I agree about the pardon, FWIW. That action opened the door to all the other pardons from Iran/Contra on. Republics in power have been conditioned to believe they don’t have to take any responsibility for their actions.
Speaking of crappy media: a Pulitzer for Sebastian Mallaby? Oy veh.
Personally, I think you guys wuz robbed: Jane, Christy, Marcy a
nd the crew broke new ground for trial reporting, bringing a depth of knowledge
unmatched by the munchkins in the MSM.
selise @ 168
Don’t you mean 4 or 5 months ago?
pwrlght @ 118
Please tell opie_jeanne
The guy who ran against Sanchez is named Tan Nguyen, and he ran as a Republican because there is a large Vietnamese community in this district, and they tend to be registered Republicans. Two years ago he ran for a seat in San Diego, as a Democrat, so party affiliation is not a big item for him. At the primary election my husband came home and told me that Nguyen’s sister was campaigning right outside the door of the polls; she was asked to move. Then there was the threatening letter he sent out to registered voters with Latino surnames. Really good article here:
http://www.ocweekly.com/news/n…..ome/26855/
The county Republican party couldn’t separate themselves fast enough from this guy, but they hadn’t given him any support.
The day of the election there were radio reports of more of the same, family members standing too close to the door of polling places all over OC.
FYI, PW is upstairs
selise @ 165
Huh? How?
SnarKassandra @ 159
In an odd way. maybe yes. I think the completely over the top egregious crap that the Bush maladministration has ladled out over the past six years, along with this disastrous war, may have woken a few prople up. Notice the amazing rise in self identificateion as D’s. Up 15 % over the last 5 years. When things get so obviously bad that they can not be ignored, no matter who’s on American Idol, some do tend to be roused from their slumber.
In a sense, that can be considered as a return to sanity. Perhaps when the economic chickens come home to roost another portion of the populace will return to sanity, as well. Sadly, it will be a painful realization for far too many.
eCAHNomics @ 170
if you mean since 11/7, the answer would be “yes, that too.”
I agree that the poll finds Fox News viewers at the bottom of the heap, but it does find slightly different info for the Limbaugh listeners and O’Reilly viewers.
It finds that of O’Reilly’s regular viewers, 51% of them score in the high knowledge category. Of Limbaugh’s regular listeners, 50% are in the high knowledge category.
SnarKassandra @ 133
Too easy. Where’s the other shoe?
The other shoe is the thousands that they WON’T be able to recover!!–including all of Rove’s
pwrlght @
47
Well here’s hoping you can wrest controll of your party from the nutjobs. Welcome to FDL.
Today one of my students was wearing a T-shirt that said “Take it back-CCR” I asked her…”CCR? Creedence Clearwater Revival?”
“No, she said…it’s from a group that want to take the California College Republicans back from this other group that has taken control”
I tried to inquire about what the internal issues were at the Convention that led to this split…she pled ignorance and said “I just likee the shirt”!
I don’t know if this is the typical state of debate in the Republican Party nowadays or not. “I voted for X because I liked the shirt”????
SnarKassandra @ 173
at that time most people in the usa thought that iraq had wmd, was a threat to the usa and had something to do with 9/11. and that bush was a good president who didn’t lie to us.
not signs of sanity.
Ed*ard Teller @ 121
My husband is talking about changing his registration to Democratic. Falwell and Newt made me so mad I’m surprised that I didn’t switch back then.
opie_jeanne @ 9
Congressman Ron Paul is definitely a Republican. I can’t quickly think of any other politician who calls himself/herself a Republican that actually follows the principles to which the party has long dedicated itself. Surely there are many more. However, most Republican politicians of today seem to be lacking in honor, integrity, and responsibility.
I was registered as a Republican for more than 45 years, although I often voted for Democrats starting when Reagan was nominated. Before the 2000 election, I changed my registration within a week after Bush was nominated. It was obvious that there was something terribly wrong with any group that could select Bush as their “leader”. I suspect that it will be at least a decade before the Republican party can restore its lost prestige.
What I’d like to see is Pew duplicating this poll in other countries, and then rank general public affairs knowledge worldwide.
That would be very interesting.
EvilDrPuma @ 150
No worries, I got what you were saying. Written communication sometimes makes understanding each other difficult. We usually need facial expressions and tone of voice until we know someone pretty well.
I have had to cut my parents a lot of slack because they are in that same boat; Dad did have a stroke and Mom was finally diagnosed with dementia, but Dad “helped” her vote in the last election before she died. Republicans are really big on absentee ballots.
GSD @ 166
McCloskey? Really?
Heh. I can hear the party now, saying he was never a real Republican, just like they call my type a Country Club Republican (as if I could afford something like that).
kathleen @ 119
I recently referred to the Anna Nicole Smith stuff as Weapons of Mass Distraction, and thought I was soooo clever…. until I googled it and found out someone else used that phrase several years ago. Duh.
Morris Sheppard @ 88
they won’t connect me either.
opie_jeanne @
187
I kinda felt the same way about “Czar Search”…
eCAHNomics @ 157
I was so young (and busy with college, a husband and a baby) back then that I didn’t even notice Cheney and Rumsfeld. Nixon’s pardon didn’t drive me crazy, but I didn’t hate Nixon at that point. Still have very mixed feelings about him, and in some ways he looks damned good when compared to W. Maybe that’s sad, but I’m not sure.
dakine01 @ 168
Wait, who was pardoned in Iran/Contra? I was so furious most of the time during Reagan that I have no memory of that. Off to google…
Ok, never mind, I do remember those five pardons and their timing. Damn.
However, I am not quite ready to blame Ford for what Bush sr did.
opie_jeanne @
191
Eliott Abrams, Caspar Weinberger, and iirc, John Poindexter among others.
I heard another report on the Pew study today on NPR’s All Things Considered The most disturbing thing that I heard from this report, IIRC, was that young people were the least informed, and there was something in the last 30 seconds about that they just don’t like news. You have to listen to the segment to get the info I paraphrased above. It may be in the data link, but that source was unavailable (temporarily, one hopes).
This makes sense of why the “News” on the MSM is leaning more towards entertainment. Look at Keith Olberman’s Countdown: about half the show is entertainment, and many of us consider his show to be better than many of the rest. Note that his show doesn’t even have “News” in the name of the show! How can we make the news more interesting to young adults, without pandering to mere entertainment?
On the other hand, CNN’s Situation Room, in its lengthy coverage of the massacre at VT, had a segment featuring Amie Steele, editor in chief, Collegiate Times at VT. She reminded me of Marcy Wheeler: not just young and attractive, but composed, intelligent, articulate, choosing her words carefully, and showing that she had obviously absorbed the values of good journalism. For example, rather than just spewing out the latest rumors, her staff was sifting the reports, and trying to discern fact from exaggeration. I got the impression that this collegiate newspaper staff was trying to put into practice the values and skills they had learned in the classroom, with serious intent.
Bob in HI
Ed*ard Teller @ 121
Welcome, Ed*ard Teller
ET, you (gasp!)did it?!? Seriously? I’ll be glad to have your vote counted (maybe) with mine in national elections.
Rocket Scientist @ 182
Did you think half the country had lost its collective mind? My dad was so in love with W and couldn’t understand that I wasn’t. Dad is just now finally starting to get it, but he’ll probably still vote the party line come the next election. He’s 88 now but he’s probably got another 7 healthy years left. He said he really liked Kerry’s running mate back in 2004, but I doubt that he’d actually vote for him.
Server busted.
I don’t watch TV, but I read the LA Times, the Economist, and a million different national and international news sites to make my comparisons. I also read the National Enquirer, the Star, the Globe, People and Us. I teach college-age American Idol wanna-bes, and it helps me keep my ‘finger on the pulse of the culture’. I know who all these ridiculous people are, without having to listen to their music, or watch their movies or TV shows.
dakine01,
Yeah, I saw it as soon as I looked.
Ed*ard!!! Welcome! We’re not perfect, but we beat the alternative by a country mile.
opie_jeanne – you sound like a very intelligent and thoughtful person. How would you articulate what Republican values are to you – the values that made you become one?
SnarKassandra @
133
So is this going to be like the docudumps? Those “millions of messages” will really be about 5000 messages repeated several hundred times?
Alicia @ 201
You give me far too much credit. My awakening started by osmosis, little niggling crap (like Agnew) and continued until I actually felt wrenched by the realization that A Lot of Things Were Not Good.
The original values that I associated with my party, perhaps wrongly, were basic decency, conservation (remember Teddy Roosevelt and the National Parks?), being careful with taxpayers’ money and trying not to take too much of it.
When I was a kid, it seemed that everyone I respected was a Republican, and most of the Democrats I knew seemed a bit… slap-dash?… about things like money, not saving enough, owing too much, having more than two kids (don’t laugh, I have three), not planning ahead. Funny, the kids from some of those families were the most fun to play with.
Compassion wasn’t a real big item on the Republican agenda, even back then, but I didn’t notice it so much back then, believing personal responsibilty was more important. I have been bothered more and more by this lack of compassion because it affects everything else.
I guess I’m still growing, politically.
I notice that your final quote doesn’t agree with E&P’s final paragraph.
Your’s:
E&P’s:
Jane,
I think there may be a mistake. I read the link from Editor and Publisher says “Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more DEMOCRATS in the least aware group”.
Seems wrong but that’s what it says. Please check.
The original article you posted this excerpt off said:
Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Democrats in the least aware group. Not republicans. Hmm, a little slip there perhaps? Not that I didn’t wich your version was right, but what’s with the fiddling?
Errrr, I found a flaw in their quiz:
They didn’t ask what the minimum wage rate was
… and they dinged me for it.
The only one I missed was when they asked if both the House and Senate passed it … I said only the House
One wrong and I do watch TDS and Colbert; and I can’t stand Faux .. not because of the conservative bent, but because they do the same stories over and over, and over, and over, and …
EvilDrPuma @
76
(delurking for a moment)
EvilDrPuma: I have to thank you for these words. I nearly split open with laughter. I really needed that.
Hello to all, and thank you FDL!
(back to Lurkville)
john in sacramento @ 207
You don’t get a chance to answer the second question if you get the first one wrong…
Uh Jane,
I hate to break it to you, but the E&P article, as well as the original source, both say that Democrats outnumbered Republicans 31-26 in the lowest knowledge category.
Now, I don’t necessarily believe the results based on my life experience, especially here in Texas with a bunch of dumb-as-rocks Republemmings, but that is actually what the poll results stated, which is not what your post said. Sorry…
Agree with Mike. I clicked through to the link, and in the final paragraph, it says that Democrats were in the majority in the “least-aware” group. Did it say otherwise when you copied it, Jane? If so, I wonder why it changed.
Here is another depressing thing. From the results:
Well-informed audiences come from cable (Daily Show/Colbert Report, O’Reilly Factor), the internet (especially major newspaper websites), broadcast TV (NewsHour with Jim Lehrer) and radio (NPR, Rush Limbaugh’s program)
Rush Limbaugh?
I was just about to bring up that switch at the end but I see other people brought it up.
opie_jeanne @ 203
I just want to say that Opie_Jeanne sounds a lot like myself, as far as how it felt growing up Republican. My dad was a small businessman, worked SUPER hard–every day of his life. I’d bring him Pepsis as he worked in his office. When he said the democrats were raking him over the coals with taxes (he was audited year after year by the IRS, and never failed an audit), I had no reason to disbelieve him.
George Bush’s call to identify gays as the enemy of our families and marriage was shocking beyond belief to me. It was the final straw. After a decade of trying to justify republicans based on the values Opie_Jeanne listed, I walked away from it. I learned something about partisanship–you can wake up surrounded by evil people, trying to justify something that’s long dead. I’ll avoid a label for the rest of my days, just so I’m free to disagree or agree on particular issues as I see fit in individual discussions. I’ve watched loved ones defend crazy stuff they don’t even believe, for their party.
That doesn’t mean I won’t vote the Dem party line for a while, though, until the GOP is properly cleansed. Then, I’ll revisit.
eCAHNomics @ 83
Yes, my dad demonized welfare moms. Upon growing up, it was something for me to see what real people really are up against, and to think about what NOT taking care of our country’s children really implies about our values. Tough love, my butt. Mean is mean.
My dad had softened shortly before his death, because he had his own awful downfall. One of my last memories of him is of him shuffling down the walkway in the snow with a bag of groceries for a welfare mother in a tough neighborhood. He had congestive heart failure, and it was so hard to walk. He was making his way to his Ford Festiva (”zippy! I love my little car!”)–he had always driven Caddies and Lincolns. He had lost it all. But in his final year of life, he got a great deal of comfort from serving the poor (poor himself) for St. Vincent de Paul.
Even so, as a rich man, he loved to give to charities, and a favorite memory was going shopping for him for toys for tots each Christmas season. He’d buy a load of stuff for kids we didn’t know. I loved it. I was so proud of him. But there was that “welfare queen” demonization thing. There really were Republicans who bought that “compassionate conservatism” line of crap. My dad, for one. He sure was a mix of wonderful and horribly judgmental. So, how do we reach them? One downfall at a time? It’d be nice to reach their hearts while they still have their money and power.
At the end of John Dean’s Conservatives Without Conscience, the appendix gives a list of Conservative vs. Liberal beliefs, developed in teh 1950’s. Liberals and Conservatives have flipped on a number of really critical beliefs. I’m inclined to think that EvilDrPuma @ 40 is right.
The above is from the linked article. While your quote shows Republican. Either they changed their article or you did??
From http://people-press.org/report…..portID=319
So E&P correctly reported the survey results.
FDL quotes the article as:
Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Republicans in the least aware group.
But the article as I read it yesterday and today it says:
Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Democrats in the least aware group.
What gives? I would think since Democrats are the majority of the viewers of the smarter shows it should read as FDL quoted it.
FDL quotes the article as:
Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Republicans in the least aware group.
But the article as I read it yesterday and today it says:
Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Democrats in the least aware group.
What gives? I would think since Democrats are the majority of the viewers of the smarter shows it should read as FDL quoted it.
http://www.editorandpublisher……1003571876