The Feld-Blog

How many times has your intuition been wrong? How many times have you ‘known’ the outcome of an event, only to be surprised by a different result? My guess is that this has happened to all of us more than once. Conservative pundits don’t seem to care that instincts can be wrong. Yesterday, Bill O’Reilly, Newt Gingrich, and Tucker Carlson wailed and moaned, berating Congressman John Murtha for something he didn’t even say.

Instincts can be tricky, but we fix this through experimentation. No matter what we think will happen, if we try it, we will actually know. This is why Progressive politicians and progressive pundits place a premium on ‘data driven policy making.’ Congressman John Murtha quoted a Pew Poll that highlighted the sorry state of America’s status in foreign public opinion. Congressman Murtha understands that it is important to understand what other people are thinking and that it is better to conduct a scientific poll rather than just guess using anecdotal evidence.

But Fox News Correspondents Bill O’Reilly and Newt Gingrich, and Conservative Political Pundit, Tucker Carlson seem not to have enough journalistic integrity to figure out what is true and what is false before they fly off the handle, impugning the reputation of a venerated elected official and war veteran. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel falsely paraphrased John Murtha, without even directly quoting him. The Drudge Report (notorious for reporting conservative propaganda without a thought to its accuracy) picked up this inaccurate quote and published it on their front page. Then O’Reilly, Gingrich and Carlson read it and without even checking to see if it was true called Murtha a danger to America, called on Congress to censure him and said that he is in the thrall of people who…have hostility toward the United States.”

Wow. Those are some harsh words from Conservative pundits who aren’t even sure what they’re talking about is true. I checked the South Florida paper to see what they said before I wrote this. I checked the transcripts of O’Reilly, Gingrich and Carlson’s programs. And I noticed that the Sun-Sentinel will be printing a retraction today or tomorrow. And I think this is important. Progressives look at data, Conservatives seem go on pure instinct. These guys wanted to believe what the Sun-Sentinel printed so they didn’t bother to check up on it. I wanted to believe that these guys are just as ridiculous as they have been in the past, but before I wrote about it, I actually made sure it was true.

This is what Americans deserve. If you want responsible, effective governance vote for the people who will actually check their information. Vote for the Progressives who value ‘data driven public policy.’ Responsibility is a value. In my opinion Progressives seem to have it. Conservatives don’t. Promises are one thing, but look at what these guys actually do.