Some timely observations from the Family Research Council..."We can't tell you what to think,"said CBS Newsman Roger Mudd decades ago, "but we can tell you what to think about."
That's called setting the agenda. And it gives the Mainstream Media far too much power. But it only happens if you let them do it.
Senior political writer Susan Page tries to set the agenda in this morning's USA Today with her story: "Five issues redraw playing field for Election 2006." She lists the Iraq War, gas prices, immigration, prescription drugs, and corruption as the defining issues of the mid-term elections. None of the social issues made her list. To the elite MSM, social issues are mere "wedges." They are what is "wrong with Kansas" and a bunch of other states they regard as "flyover country." Social issues--like the defense of marriage, the sanctity of life, and broadcast decency--are really bridge issues. They bridge differences of race, sex, and religion to bring together Americans who care deeply about their families and the future of our country. If these issues are ignored, conservatives cannot rely on Halloween scare talk about liberal Democrats' plans to impeach George Bush.
Message to conservative leaders: Don't let the MSM tell you what to think about and talk about.
