Profiting on Paranoia
WHERE DO THEY GET THESE RIDICULOUS STORIES??? It's a question often asked between those on the left lately. You know the stories I mean. Obama was born in Kenya, he's taking your guns away from you, he's killing granny, he's a socialist, etc. They are stories that seem to have little if any basis in reality but feed the paranoia of those on the far right. Generally liberals come to the conclusion that GOP leaders are soul-less losers who desire power so much they will say ANYTHING to get it back or that the people who believe these myths are "right-wing nut-jobs without a brain who also believe in alien abductions".
And that may in some cases be part of the story. But it's not the whole story! As P. T. Barnum allegedly once said, "there's a sucker born every minute" and he spent a lifetime profiting off of those "suckers", who were ready to believe anything he told them. Such is the state of the far right today. They have become the National Cash Cow for Scam Artists. And it's all perfectly legal.
You don't believe me? Take the issue of gun control. An issue that the Obama administration has repeatedly called a dead issue and one that even Democrats have mixed emotions about pursuing. Yet enough people on the far right believe strongly enough that Obama is going to take away their guns that firearms manufacturer Remington has a $300 million backlog in orders this year. Explain why Freedom Group Inc's profits on weapon sales have quadrupled for the first half of '09 over the same period last year? Whose founder, Stephen Feinberg, is a major Republican donor with close ties to Haliburton and Dick Cheny and whose employees actively lobby through the NRA. That is the same NRA that has become one of the worst disseminators of false information about Obama and his desire for gun control. Fear sells guns and memberships!
A quick perusal through World Net Daily's website offers even more extreme examples. World Net Daily (WND), whose "informative" articles can teach you everything you want to know about "birtherism" or that consuming soy can make you "Gay" is a virtual on-line bazaar of doomsday paraphanelia! WND 's SUPERSTORE offers it's readers discount prices on a variety of books and DVD's that promote the same fear-laden lies that are also promoted in it's articles. But keep in mind, when I say the price is discounted...you're still paying $17-$19 per DVD. Quite a bargain, don't you think?
For ONLY $29.95 you can sign up to send every elected member of Congress a "pink slip". Not bad for a mass produced flyer on pink paper sent in bulk to Congress. And while you're signing up, don't forget to order your "YOU LIE" bumper sticker and "HONK IF YOU PAY MY MORTGAGE" magnet. Only $5.95 each, (shipping & sales tax extra).
But the best from WND has to be the ad that runs each day across the top of their home page. Solutions From Science wants to save you from starvation when the world economy collapses! By purchasing their SURVIVAL SEED BANK, you will receive 22 different types of heirloom seeds (enough to plant an entire acre), sealed in foil for preservation (can last up to 20 years...longer if kept in the freezer) and ready to plant immediately after the apocalypse. They even come in a special "indestructible Survival Seed Bank" which can be buried to prevent "confiscation"! (I'm sure that the "indestructible Bank" only LOOKS LIKE a PVC pipe with a cap on either end.) But it can all be yours at a special price of ONLY $164 because you ordered from the WND site. (Seriously, they're charging EVERYONE else $297...and that includes FEMA personnel and members of the military.) Sound like a good deal? Well, the exact same foil-sealed heirloom seeds can be ordered from ABCeeds for less than half of the "discounted" price.
Even Political Action Committees are getting in on the take. The Republican Majority Campaign Action Committee (RMCPAC) run by Gary Kreep has generously offered to send a fax to EVERY member of Congress (yes, all 535 of them) demanding that they "REJECT giving Barack Obama these dictatorial powers over the entire internet in America" for the super low price of $119! Of course, you can go on-line and do the same thing for free at any number of political based web sites but how would Mr. Kreep make his mortgage payment then?
Glenn Beck warns about the collapse of the dollar and advocates buying gold for financial security. I'm sure that being the spokesperson for Goldline International (a company that specializes in selling gold) or that one of his few remaining sponsors for TV is Rosalind Capital (which also coincidentally specializes in selling gold) has nothing to do with his dire warnings.
Remember "Joe the Plumber" who made a name for himself by questioning Obama's tax proposals. He's back on the web asking you to vote on-line to eliminate the IRS and establish a flat tax. You can call or text your vote and Joe promises that your vote WILL count. But be warned, each "vote" will cost you $0.99. (And the ad never really explains how an on-line vote actually eliminates the IRS which is what the ad suggests.)
Sadly, there is a common theme to all of these great "opportunities". They all rely on you being very scared or very angry! So the groups that promote these sales all work hard at convincing you that you need to be afraid....very afraid! Or very angry! That's their business.
Unfortunately in their quest to make a buck they forget that the issues they deal in can disrupt serious conversations about some very serious issues that currently face our country. We become so argumentative over whether Health Care Reform will kill granny that we ignore whether there will be enough doctors to treat us in 10 years. We are so concerned with "concentration camps" that we forget to talk about Afghanistan. And that's the tragedy of this farce!
As Rush Limbaugh once said, "The only way to make millions is for half the nation to hate you!" And they laugh all the way to the bank. So the next time you wonder where some crazy idea from the Right comes from, follow the money!
One last thing, before you get too smug about the gullibility of the Right....know anyone who bought a set of coins with Barack Obama's picture painted on?
I was postulating that McCain is offering his 'Internet Freedom Act' that allows the corporations to interfere with and limit our internet access so that they can make more profits off of the internet and I assume reign in some of the political activity us common folk engage in online because he would like to be more hated... and reviled and regain some status in the republican party as it seems Rush and Beck have far more sway than he does today. I guess this might also help him make more money and status among his friends.
October 26, 2009 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice post. Politics and money always goes hand-in-hand.
October 26, 2009 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only reason that gun control is a dead issue is that so many democrats lost their jobs last the time a gun control bill was pushed through. Obama in his early career was a strong gun control advocate, answering with 'YES' to the question 'should all handguns be banned?' He supported such a bill in the state house. So it's not from a change in beliefs that democrats have backed off, but because they fear what will happen at the polls, and the NRA is working to make sure they keep that fear. If we get complacent they will be back with more laws. It is this issue that makes me permanently at odds with the democrat party. As long as they support the agenda of groups like VPC and Brady, there is no chance I will ever vote for a democrat.
October 26, 2009 5:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
How many Washington insiders return to their home states after getting hooked on the opiate of power and the whispers that provide them, inside, profit making escapades? Because I'm a cynic and have minimal respect for politicians, I don't waste my time tracking the post-political histories of these congenital whores, I post one example of a person that I have always detested and "have" tracked. Pick any ex-politician and track their careers. A majority of them follow the same career paths...
Linda Chavez:
Political Action Committees and non-profit foundations
Chavez is the chairman and founder of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank devoted to issues of race and ethnicity. The Center is the leading conservative organization fighting against race-based public policies, known as "affirmative action" in contracting, employment, higher education, and K-12. Under Linda Chavez's leadership, the Center for Equal Opportunity has released dozens of studies documenting the extent to which race is a factor in college admissions, at over 60 colleges and universities.[13]
Chavez is also the founder and Chairman of Stop Union Political Abuse (SUPA), a federally registered Political Action Committee, and "sits at the helm of a political empire," according to the Washington Post. In August 2007, the Washington Post reported that Chavez and her immediate family members, through political action committees they had created, including the Republican Issues Committee, the Latino Alliance, Stop Union Political Abuse, and the Pro-Life Campaign Committee, had raised $24.5 million from January 2003 to December 2006. $242,000 was donated to politicians. The Post also listed the salaries of her family members, who worked for the PACs. Chavez's family members earned a total of $261,237, each earning an average of approximately $10,000 per year for their part-time work with the PACs.
The Post also reported that over the past two years, the Federal Election Commission has fined three of the PACs for a total of $262,500 for failing to file timely reports and for not promptly disclosing all the money raised and spent. However, the FEC found no intentional wrongdoing.[14]
In addition to the income from the PACs, the Post reported that Chavez and her family had been paid as executives of four nonprofit foundations founded by Chavez and her family. Between 2003 and 2006, the four foundations, combined, raised about $350,000 per year.[14]
In January 2008, Chavez and her husband said that they were continuing some of their fundraising operations, though they were closing down one of their PACs.[15]
WTF!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Chavez#Affiliations
October 26, 2009 9:05 PM | Reply | Permalink