Fox undermining Republican chances of victory in general elections?

2015-05-19T05:00:34-04:00

http://ssrn.com/abstract=2604679

Written by Bruce Bartlett, of the Reagan and Bush-41 administrations, this research shows that Fox viewers are more uninformed and have more inaccurate understandings of events than those with no media exposure. It also suggests that Fox makes a Republican victory in a general election very unlikely.

James Fallows covers this research in an article in The Atlantic.

Thoughts?

How Fox News Changed American Media and Political Dynamics by Bruce Bartlett :: SSRN

The creation of Fox News in 1996 was an event of deep, yet unappreciated, political and historical importance. For the first time, there was a news source avail

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 19 at 2015 6:36 AM

2015-05-19T06:36:45-04:00

I don't know if Fox in particular will hurt the Republican chances. There are actually several different studies and surveys that show that regular Fox viewers are both more *mis*-informed and more confident in their assessment, just as in the one you reference. The thing is, we can't necessarily translate that to less engagement because Fox is also well-known for playing up the F.U.D. angle, which tends to increase voter engagement.

The bigger things counting against Republican chances are the fact that Presidential election years have much stronger Democratic turnout, the populace has seen the train-wreck caused by Republicans in control of both houses (and their steadfast refusal to actually *govern*, though evidence suggests that was intentional), and perhaps most importantly, Republican voters trend so much more older that a statistically notable amount more of them will have died since the last Presidential election.

The main thing in Republican's favor is that a two-term President is often replaced by the opposing party. I suppose you could also factor in the deliberate minority and poor voter disenfranchisement efforts that have been a Republican staple since before I was born, but it's tough to predict the impact there.

Response by SGT David T. made May 19 at 2015 6:43 AM

2015-05-19T06:43:31-04:00

I think it is more of a question of being misaligned. That party has some very serious divides in it which will hurt their chances more than anything else. It's not the Republican base that is the issue, its the independent voters that are most turned off to this misalignment.

Response by CAPT Douglas McDonald made May 19 at 2015 7:48 AM

2015-05-19T07:48:15-04:00

Follow the money...catering to your base pays salaries..msnbc does exactly the same thing..!!

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 19 at 2015 9:31 AM

2015-05-19T09:31:18-04:00

The only people undermining the republican chances in 2016 are, wait for it, the republican candidates themselves. Not that the "Queen of Benghazi" and her bitch Bill are doing any better with their credibility.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made May 19 at 2015 12:29 PM

2015-05-19T12:29:32-04:00

There is a fallacy or three to this in here somewhere...

https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/logical-fallacies-the-enemy-of-any-argument

Logical Fallacies: The Enemy of Any Argument | RallyPoint

We, as a military service, tend to be of the logical variety. We attempt to approach issues logically and methodically in order to find and administer the best solutions for the problems at hand. We are well trained in putting aside the majority of our emotions in order to successfully accomplish the mission in the most efficient, effective, and safe way possible. The problem with being logical all the time though, is it is not an infallible...

Response by CPT Jack Durish made May 19 at 2015 2:33 PM

2015-05-19T14:33:19-04:00

Sadly, the Republican Party is fully capable of tripping themselves up without any outside help. Their leadership appears totally out of touch with their base and support candidates rather than sitting back and allowing We the People of affiliate with the Republican Party to choose them (then get bent out of shape when We choose a conservative). I expect that this cycle of presidential politics will be a replay. There are plenty of candidates, some likely ones included, but the party leadership seems already set on supporting Jeb Bush, the most offensive among the conservative base. You have to wonder...