The Battle Hymn of the New Liberal Media: A Good Business Plan

The Battle Hymn of the New Liberal Media: A Good Business Plan

It took several years and many millions for both conservative talk radio and Fox News to build enough of an audience to be self-sustaining and then profitable. Conservative investments in these media have now both yielded profits and also pushed American public opinion to the right with dizzying speed.

After all, the core of the conservative agenda is to transfer control of our government and our commons to big corporations; reduce taxes on the rich while squeezing the middle class; and strip labor of its power to organize while enhancing organized corporate power by supporting trade associations, Chambers of Commerce, political alliances, and monopolistic mergers. These are the mantras of conservative talk radio and Fox.

Trillions are at stake in this transformation of America from its founding ideal of government of, by, and for We, The People, into a neo-feudal state ruled by corporate-CEOs-turned-politicians and operated on the ancient but corrupt principle of crony capitalism and rule-by-the-rich.

Progressive business people and labor unions are learning from the success of conservative media that with a good business plan and a little patience it's possible to both advance your side's social/political goals and to reach customers and potential members. Working together with progressive talent, liberal activists, and progressive, democracy-oriented companies and unions, America's "new liberal media" just may succeed in the battle to wrest American back from the clutching fingers of the extremist conservatives who've held sway these past two decades.

We've watched them destroy our economy three times in the past forty years (the Nixon inflation, Reagan/Bush recession, and the new Bush debt crisis), drive our foreign policy into a series of questionable wars, and openly attack both our environment and our civil liberties. Like cold water on a sleeping face, conservative excesses are finally awakening Americans to the recollection that our nation's values have been fundamentally progressive since our Founding, that Al Gore got a half-million more votes than George W. Bush in the last presidential election, and that progressives/liberals are just as enthusiastic about rooting for their "team" as are conservatives. The larger half of America is finally finding its voice.

Thom Hartmann (thom at thomhartmann.com) is the award-winning, best-selling author of over a dozen books, and the host of a syndicated daily talk show that runs opposite Rush Limbaugh in cities from coast to coast.