How to Beat the Right Wing

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 1:23 PM on January 31, 2007.

Here's a guest post from Cliff Schecter...

We don't have FoxNews. We don't have Rush Limbaugh (which at least means less progressive cash spent on buckets of honey-glazed wings and Schedule IV narcotics). But we have something almost as powerful, if recent events tell an accurate story. We have synergy. Coordination. Call it what you will.

On Monday, along with filmmaker Robert Greenwald and his fantastic team at Brave New Films, I launched a blog called The Real McCain (which features Robert's impressive short film "John McCain Vs. John McCain"). We decided, like many progressives, that we are tired of McCain talking like a "maverick" and voting like a Helms.

The response has been amazing. Almost immediately, we were mentioned on almost every medium-sized and high-traffic progressive blog. We were able to take our message to the always fantastic Young Turks on Air America. AlterNet prominently mentioned what we were doing.

We ended up getting our message out quite forcefully. There was an LA Times front-page story. A San Francisco Chronicle blog mention. And we already have two television stations working on stories. Hell, even Human Events wrote about us.

The result: In two days, Robert's video short has gotten over 110,000 views on YouTube, making it a top-rated, top-linked and top-viewed effort. Meanwhile, the blog has received over 60,000 visits.

So, for almost all of us forced to remember the political terrain of the 90s, how The Right disseminated false attacks on our politicians, causes and ideas, we now have a means to blow up a progressive message to the point where the MSM simply cannot ignore it. Don't get me wrong, we have a long way to go before we reach parity. But hey, it's a start.

The key is that we must coordinate, as progressive victories will take our working together. Yet, as in this case, the results will be glorious.

Well, at least if you're not John McCain.

Or some other right-wing hack masquerading as a "principled moderate."

Tagged as: mccain, greenwald, echo chamber, right wing, fox

Cliff Schecter is a veteran campaign strategist and political commentator whose monthly column is distributed by Knight Ridder.