They Feed To Survive

I used to be an Altar Boy.

I resort to whipping out that little tidbit of information whenever I need to get myself out of a jam.  It’s usually good for a laugh, even if it never actually helps me.

I like to say it anyway.

As the product of Parochial schools in my early years and Jesuit instruction in high school, I am no stranger to religion.  I consider myself to be more spiritual than religious, so I am generally guided by basic principles of fairness.

Readers of my blog know that I don’t usually write about my religious beliefs, but today, I’m making an exception.

Now, If I were religious, I would feel a deep-seated need to ask the Lord to please:

MAKE REPUBLICANS STOP LYING!

Sorry, Lord, I did not mean to yell.

Please, oh please, oh pretty pretty please.

[Deep breath.]

Okay, so the folks at FOX News and their servile followers are very excited about what the President said in a video, released today, to kick off the 2010 campaign season.

Here’s the headline from FOX News:

Here’s what the president said.

“It will be up to each of you to make sure that the young people, African Americans, Latinos, and women, who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again. If you help us do that – if you help us make sure that first-time voters in 2008 make their voices heard again in November – then together we will deliver on the promise of change, hope, and prosperity for generations to come.”

Oh, snap, he just pulled out the race card!

No, he most certainly did not.  A cursory review of the 2008 election results shows that what the President said is accurate.  The demographics mentioned in his video were the results of that election.  No race card here.  This was merely a restatement of the actual, verifiable, and indisputable facts of the breakdown of the electorate in 2008.

Each of the demographic categories that President Obama mentioned that pertained to age, ethnicity, and sex all voted for him.  Hell, he could have read it right off the chart.

• 18-29 year olds (young people), 66% for Obama
• African Americans, 96% for Obama
• Latinos, 67% for Obama
• Women, 56% for Obama
• First-time voters, 69% Obama

Where is the story in this?  There is no story.  But that hasn’t stopped the spread of the false claim that goes something like this:

Obama says that he doesn’t need you – middle-aged white guy!

I’ve seen variations of this all over the Net.  More than a buzz, it’s like a feeding frenzy.   It’s as if conservatives need to feed on fresh FOX News meat to keep themselves on the edge.  They must keep their strength up in order to defeat the President.

They feed to survive.

One person tells the lie and the next person repeats it and before you know it, it becomes the gospel truth to about 40% of Americans.

Today, FOX News has successfully fed the conservative masses.

They are good at what they do.

Feed conservatives, and they will be hungry tomorrow.

Teach them how to think, and they will be progressives forever.

Tagged as: 2008 election results, 2010 campaign, conservative, feeding frenzy, FOX news, new york times, Obama, President Obama, progressive, ray colon, raycolon, republican lies, the race card, they feed to survive