"Limbaugh Era"

A Variety article fingering Rush Limbaugh for the tone of the current writer's strike actually contains a deep, deep cut on the man (and against other fighting demagogues of every color):

The fallout from this in politics is the tendency to dismiss anything contrary to one’s ideology as being tainted at the source. On the right, the familiar cry is the “liberal media.” The left has countered by deriding the “corporate media” — a charge that quickly crept into the writers’ rants.

Of course, those who refuse to entertain competing viewpoints can hermetically seal themselves in bubbles more easily than ever. Unfortunately, the air inside those cocoons soon becomes pretty noxious, which is fine if you’re spoiling for a fight instead of fishing for solutions.

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch talk radio. So the Savage/Hannity/Coulter wannabees are running out of air. Sounds right to me. Of course, none of these people will admit that their behavior mimics the above paragraph. This article is just another example of "leftist" ideology. Pshaw.

I couldn't think of any left-winger names to add to the above paragraph because they don't have the same influence. The liberal influence in America is real (of course) and influential (hence the name), but far more spread out. Conservatives point to some example of bias here or there in the network news or some Hollywood actor's rants as evidence of a sinister conspiracy. Still - name a single commentator with Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity's influence.