How Right-Wing Talkers Mislead Their Audiences

As noon approached Wednesday, a fearful-sounding Vicki McKenna warned her WISN 1130-AM audience (her show originates in Madison) that the Wisconsin Senate Democrats who left the state had "hijacked the Republic."

She said national labor leaders were "laundering money" and funneling it to the absent Democratic 14 state senators Democrats. 

She also said Democrats would stuff ballot boxes in up coming recall elections.

And suggested that Senate Republican leaders raise the fines they'd already assessed against absent Democrats from $100 to $1,000-a-day.

In the Charlie Sheen-inspired vernacular of the day, there was no winning in her panicked tone, allegations and thinking.

Then we had Rush Limbaugh showing why he is the champion of misinformation and panic.

Around 12:45 p.m. today Limbaugh argued (sic) that the "Democrat" party had fueled "laziness and sloth" by funding unemployment compensation, how these "public trough" programs were "Democrat" plans to buy votes and keep people from reaching "their full potential."

And, if you cut off what he called these "entitlements" there would be "riots," which is what Democrats want.

When I turned of the radio, Limbaugh stated that we already having "mini-riots" in Wisconsin; more are on the way for Indiana and Ohio.

And there are large numbers of people who think these shows present news or accurate, valuable information.