Brown Sludge

SmackBack - Bozell’s Free Market Project

December 23rd, 2005

I love L. Brent Bozell.

I’ve been reading him for years and years.

I admire and respect the work he’s done at the Media Research Center and Parents Television Council.

So… I approached his “Free Market Project” website’s piece “The Media’s Top 10 Economic Myths Of 2005” with an open mind – expecting to enjoy it as much as I usually enjoy things with Brent Bozell’s fingerprint’s on it.

Most of the “Top 10” were complete no-brainers.

France is better than the USA.
Global warming is killing us all.
Taxes are the answer to all social problems.

You know the drill… same old drek the MSM has been beating to death for years now. No surprises there.

But then I got closer to the top… and there I saw a terrible thing.

I saw L. Brent Bozell – a conservative “rock star” – throwing his body in front of Big Oil and the Big Box Ethic – scandalously protecting two of the most ill behaved and greedy entities in existence today. Aiding and abetting in an absolutely knee-jerk reaction to “the free market”.

I’d like to take a minute to explain something to Mr. Bozell, with all due respect.

The Beating Heart of the Conservative Base in this country are us middle class suburbanites. We are the Small Local Independent Business people. We are not wealthy big business people. You may think the Beating Heart of the Conservative Base are the wealthy and corporations - but you couldn’t be more wrong.

We hold America and American ideal’s and American values in high esteem. We care about what happens to America and our children and our churches. We care about what they’re taught, and what they’re exposed to.

In column after column your Parents Television Council and your Media Research Center does not hesitate to savage any network or producer or actor that you perceive is selling garbage on our airwaves or to our children. You’re incensed by the idea that someone with an unhealthy agenda is allowed to pedal pollution.

The idea that a Fox TV show running in the prime-time “family” hour and containing graphic nudity and violence would be allowed to hide behind a “free market” mentality would never be entertained by you.

But apparently the idea that a huge Big Box corporation whose first order of business is to destroy our communities and degrade our economy and drive a stake through the Beating Heart of the Conservative Base doesn’t bother you quite as much.

We could argue for hours about the effect TV has on our children, but you couldn’t begin to argue that when energy prices soar unchecked it’s us hard working middle class conservative slobs that get hit the hardest.

You’re so glib and cavalier :

Tell the Truth: Although individuals have been getting hit with higher heating bills this winter, retail sales were far more robust than expected. Shoppers haven’t given up on Christmas despite media claims. The National Retail Federation announced that the weekend after Thanksgiving, consumers spent almost 22 percent more than they did the same time last year. And as far as the economy goes, media worries about energy prices bidding up inflation were misguided. As several economists have pointed out, one sector’s rising prices do not produce overall inflation. In fact, rising prices for a particular good can keep prices of other things down, because people have less money to spend on those other items and therefore can’t inflate other prices.

Breaking it down :

“Although individuals have been getting hit with higher heating bills this winter…”

Out of one side of your mouth you admit we’re taking a beating.

“retail sales were far more robust than expected…”

And out of the other side - But Hey! Big Oil and the Big Boxes are getting theirs so it’s all good!

“In fact, rising prices for a particular good can keep prices of other things down, because people have less money to spend on those other items and therefore can’t inflate other prices…”

Incredible… truly incredible… what your saying is… that it’s good for us to have it broken off in us - because then we’ve got less money to spend on other crap - and therefore can’t drive inflation figures up!

Mr. Bozell - you need to get wired in on some very simple and direct facts.

The people who comprise the Beating Heart of the Conservative Base are being hurt every day by out of control Big Oil and Big Energy. Congress has been calling for investigations of both of them for a couple of years now because economist after economist has proclaimed that there is no true basis for the yearly doubling and tripling of their prices. “Supply and Demand” has nothing to do with it anymore and politicians in response to pressure from their constituents are wanting to know if all that smoke doesn’t mean a fire somewhere.

The people who comprise the Beating Heart of the Conservative Base are also being hurt every day by the continual outsourcing of their jobs and their manufacturing base to countries and economies that absolutely do not have America’s best interests at heart.

The people who comprise the Beating Heart of the Conservative Base are being hurt every day as each and every one of the local independent business operators in their communities are being driven into bankruptcy and foreclosure by the predatory business tactics practiced by Big Box stores and other multinational chain conglomerates.

And as I and other have pointed out - these institutions are no friend of the Right.

It’s certainly no secret that your a G-d fearing man Mr. Bozell - and that you devote a good deal of time and money to PAC’s and institutions that seek to inject a little of Him back into our culture - and I’m genuinely curious as to how you’d justify the behaviors of some of these soulless corporations with that religious agenda. But that’s a topic for another day I suppose.

Soon… there will be a reckoning.

2006 brings a congressional election.

2008 brings a critical presidential election.

The left - which is almost ideologically bereft - will not waist a single moment pointing to the blood on conservatives hands and to their cozy relationship with the Brown Sludge Monsters.

At the moment - the left’s ship is adrift - rudderless - leaderless (Dean is the punch-line to a joke that the Democratic Base has long tired of and will soon issue a Cease & Desist order to).

This will not always be so.

Soon… they will give Scream-Boy the boot - and - although historically they’re batting average isn’t that great - perhaps they’ll put someone in the position of leadership who isn’t a blathering bomb-chucker with poor aim.

Perhaps… just perhaps… they’ll fill their leadership vacuum with some eagle-eyed sharp-shooter who understands that these issues are the lifeblood that pumps through the Beating Heart of the Conservative Base - and well aware that all of his other ideological ammo is spent - will load up this bullet and aim straight for that Beating Heart.

Where will the Conservative leadership be?

Apparently - too busy throwing themselves in front of the very people that are doing so much damage to their constituency.

Entry Filed under: The Right Has It Wrong, SmackBack