Yes, I know you were referring to both fringes, and I'm sure reasonable sources on both sides are working hard to keep things untwisted. Didn't mean to suggest otherwise.

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But given how fast information goes, I'm concerned about the sticking power of salacious rumor and circumstancial junk. I still think perception from the average outlets is not a rational basis on which to judge leadership. Maybe before it was. I've been thinking about this a lot because I've spent some time last week and this week, trying to keep facts straight and debunking junk from both the right and the left. A lot of what I found out debunked made it into the television outlets, not to mention the papers. Not to mention people waving around circumstatial junk as "facts." My question is--how many people have the luxury of time and the interest to navigate through this junk?
On this, Alcyone, I agree with you completely. It's kinda scary.

There seem to be a lot of people who believe that Gov. Palin wants creationism taught in schools (she doesn't), that she's a religious nut (she's not), that she tried to ban books from the Wasilla library (she didn't) -- there's a list going around the internet purporting to be all the books Palin wanted to ban; one hint that it's bogus is that some of the books on the list weren't even published at the time. Same with the "Obama is a Muslim" meme. This stuff is easily debunked, but it's showing up everywhere, even in formerly respectable news sources. The issues are worth looking into, but I'd like my news to be, you know, factual. :rolleyes:

But some people (both sides) grab on to the factoids that support their prejudices and ignore the rest. That's bad for democracy.

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Reasonable voices exist on both sides--even a member of the leftist Kos, the root of all internet evil for right wingers (responsible for the pregnancy smear), comes down on mysogyny and classism in the blog.

I actually think I'm way more reasonable than them and more interested in civil discourse, but hey, that's bias for you.
No, I agree you're much more reasonable and more interested in civil discourse than the Kwazy Kos Kids... but sadly, that ain't saying much. Still, it's good to know the occasional voice of sanity is heard there.

PJ

"You told me you weren't like other men," she said, shaking her head at him when the storm of laughter had passed.
He grinned at her - a goofy, Clark Kent kind of a grin. "I have a gift for understatement."
"You can say that again," she told him.
"I have a...."
"Oh, shut up."

--Stardust, Caroline K