It does appear that the followers of Cruz et al are drunk on their delusions, stumbling incoherently in right wing echo chambers where the comforting sounds of their cries of anger are repeated back to them carrying assurances that they are indeed absolutely right in their thinking and therefore need not fear the losing of their faith. These people read the same WSJ article by Henninger I did and came to the conclusion he got it all wrong - Cruz et al are savvy 'social mediates' leveraging that forum to great effect etc etc so go their claims.
Okay, yes, a more savvy approach to modern messaging forums and outlets was indeed part of Henninger's point - but the larger point was that the problem goes much deeper than that and begins with the central irreducible reality: the media is biased to the left, that is never going to change, and Obama has shown how to with ruthless thoroughness exploit that advantage to withering effect. That's the point. I have no doubt Cruz et al expanded greatly their 'social media' following through their asinine antics - but to what useful end? And within what meaningful demographic? People who wouldn't vote liberal to save their lives and who throw around moronic insults like 'surrender caucus' when pragmatic people like Ayotte insist on playing the smart game, the game that may win conservatives back the White House? How on earth does that amount to a significant challenge to the Obama way? It wins you nothing other than slaps on the back from people already strongly inclined to like you.
The people mouthing these inanities are not idiots I'm assuming - so I have to believe they're either charlatans, peddlers of ideological snake oil - or they are indeed trapped in the echo chamber, hearing only what they want to hear - because the point surely isn't how many Twitter followers Cruz has but rather given the daunting advantage of media bias that is never going away and in fact will be buoyed by changing demographics, and given that Obama has put in place the means and agents and network needed to thoroughly exploit that advantage, how if you're a conservative do you win national elections, how do you win elections where broad appeal matters and is indeed the deciding factor? If you think the answer is cheering on demagogues like Cruz who are so easily, easily portrayed as extremists by biased media and Obama's narrative twisting machine, then, sorry, you're mired in a delusion that sacrifices common sense on the altar of ideological vanity - in essence, you're no better than the besotted fools who gave us Obama in the first place.
Okay, yes, a more savvy approach to modern messaging forums and outlets was indeed part of Henninger's point - but the larger point was that the problem goes much deeper than that and begins with the central irreducible reality: the media is biased to the left, that is never going to change, and Obama has shown how to with ruthless thoroughness exploit that advantage to withering effect. That's the point. I have no doubt Cruz et al expanded greatly their 'social media' following through their asinine antics - but to what useful end? And within what meaningful demographic? People who wouldn't vote liberal to save their lives and who throw around moronic insults like 'surrender caucus' when pragmatic people like Ayotte insist on playing the smart game, the game that may win conservatives back the White House? How on earth does that amount to a significant challenge to the Obama way? It wins you nothing other than slaps on the back from people already strongly inclined to like you.
The people mouthing these inanities are not idiots I'm assuming - so I have to believe they're either charlatans, peddlers of ideological snake oil - or they are indeed trapped in the echo chamber, hearing only what they want to hear - because the point surely isn't how many Twitter followers Cruz has but rather given the daunting advantage of media bias that is never going away and in fact will be buoyed by changing demographics, and given that Obama has put in place the means and agents and network needed to thoroughly exploit that advantage, how if you're a conservative do you win national elections, how do you win elections where broad appeal matters and is indeed the deciding factor? If you think the answer is cheering on demagogues like Cruz who are so easily, easily portrayed as extremists by biased media and Obama's narrative twisting machine, then, sorry, you're mired in a delusion that sacrifices common sense on the altar of ideological vanity - in essence, you're no better than the besotted fools who gave us Obama in the first place.
