A few days ago, David Brooks penned in the NYTs, "What we are seeing is a diverse but stable Republican coalition gradually eclipsing a diverse and stable Democratic coalition. Social issues are important, but they don't come close to telling the whole story. Some of the liberal reaction reminds me of a phrase I came across recently: The rage of the drowning man."
"Diverse and stable?" I say we test that theory right now!
The Wall Street, small business, defense industry, and the "never met a tax I liked" wing of the GOP party struck a Faustian bargain with the born again Evangelicals in order to win this election, and without the strong participation of the "moral values" voters they were dead in the water. Now they are trying through their paid hacks to erase this perception, but we should not let this gift go unopened.
As a sharp poster pointed out in another kos diary, one which covers Brad Carson's reflections of why his party is unable to connect with "Jesusland", the Republicans want to have their cake and eat it too. I couldn't agree more because, if as they profess, they are railing against modern society and the negative effects that liberal Hollywood is having on their children, then their 'corporate lap-dog Michael Powell' should certainly be charged with putting at least an end to the most egregious culprit of all: the porn industry.
From the transcript of Frontline's "American Porn":
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/porn/
BILL ASHER: We distribute those movies on video, VHS, DVD. We have Internet sites, television channels. Our international business is growing. We're in 30-some countries with all the different products.
NARRATOR: The new technology allowed pornography to break through into the mainstream and into association with some of the biggest brand names in American business. This is the main control room at DirecTV, the satellite distribution service. This is how pornography is channeled into millions of American homes.
BILL ASHER: So we know what's called a "buy rate," which is that for every million homes you're in, in any given month, we'll know how many times someone bought a movie. Generally, our buy rates are between were between 10 to 20 percent.
INTERVIEWER: And how many million homes were you in?
BILL ASHER: We're in 40 million cumulatively .
NARRATOR: That's four million homes every month paying to view a Vivid video. That's good for Vivid Video, and it's good for General Motors, which owns DirecTV.
BILL ASHER: About every six months we've been able to get another large, well-known distributor to offer our content to their consumers. And with each one, I think that there is a little more credibility within the industry. The other distributors are able to stop, take a look, and say, "All right. That company did it. They were able to make money at it. Obviously, it turned out to be a good deal for them. There was no huge protest in the streets- you know, no fire and brimstone." So the next person feels a little more comfortable, and then the next.
NARRATOR: AT&T is the biggest American company that has accommodated itself to the pornography boom. The Hot Network - explicit porn - shows on the cable network AT&T Broadband.
BILL ASHER: Cable companies and satellite companies take approximately 80 percent to 80-plus percent of the adult dollar that gets spent by the consumer.
NARRATOR: For AT&T, porn distribution is great business, but you might not know it from reading the company's annual report. There is no mention of adult material, nor how much it contributes to the company's bottom line. But it's no secret to Wall Street.
DENNIS McALPINE, Wall Street Analyst: If you look at how much money is coming in from adult- remember, there's virtually no cost to AT&T for carrying it. And if he's generating $10 million, $20 million dollars a month, that's virtually all found money going into the bottom line. So it can be a significant amount, $20 million times 12 months. That's a lot of bread.
NARRATOR: Pornography's new acceptability in corporate America has made it an amenity in many of the nation's hotel chains.
It's high time we pit the bible thumpin' snake handlers on General Motors, AT&T, the hotel industry and, yes, even their beloved Rupert Murdoch. If these so called "moral" people really want to turn back time, they will appreciate a good bear baiting spectacle. I know I want front seats!