This article claims that though conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck make th most noise, they don’t really have the most influence. David Brooks maintains that in the past these blow-hards have not actually been able to sway voters, making their illusion of power a “media mythology”.
I’m not quite sure what to believe. The media spotlight is definitely a strong platform (Obama certainly thinks so), but it doesn’t necessarily translate to action and voting power. We may never know exactly how much influence a prevalent media presence has on people’s opinions and actions, but I feel safer not underestimating it. Given the saturating media attention of conservative angst and the intensity of the coverage, I sure hope that David Brooks is right.
2 years ago