Fox Viewers Deprogrammed, Book Bans Hit 20-Year Record

The David Pakman Show - April 6, 2022

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Fox News Viewers Deprogrammed by 30 Days of CNN

A new study found that Fox News viewers become better at detecting lies in the media after watching only thirty days of CNN. The study included 763 participants with 40% of them getting paid to watch seven hours a week of CNN at the times they’d normally be watching Fox. The participants were paid $15 an hour to watch the programming. The results found that after only three days, the people being studied started to have more moderate perspectives on topics like the COVID-19 pandemic and voting by mail. This is incredibly useful information since people have often wondered what the best way is to deprogram those stuck in conservative echo-chambers. Sadly, it’s not all that scalable to start paying people to watch CNN instead of Fox News but it’s valuable nonetheless to know that it doesn’t take much exposure to start changing people’s views about the issues.

Fox Smurf Reporter: Will Biden Denounce Something That Isn't Even Happening?

In the context of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, right-wingers have been trying to make an issue out of sex education being taught to young children, despite the fact that it’s not actually happening in the United States. Case in point, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Jen Psaki, “does the White House support that kind of instruction before kindergarten?” referring to sex ed. The press secretary fired back, “do you have examples of schools in Florida that are teaching kindergarteners about sex education?” Psaki was right to respond in this way and of course, Doocy offered up no examples. Since this isn’t actually something happening in the country, it’s a bogus question for a reporter to be asking. There’s no justification for the White House to take a stance on something that isn’t actually a problem and of course the point of this question by Doocy is to do political grandstanding.

From yesterday’s show:

Matt Gaetz Votes Against Capping Insulin Price, Suggests Losing Weight

The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would add price controls to insulin. All but 12 Republicans voted against the bill to set price caps to the diabetes medication that has skyrocketed 500% in recent years. Congressman Matt Gaetz was among the many who voted against the legislation and he gave a disturbing reason as to why. Gaetz said about this, “arbitrary price controls are no substitute for individual weight control. Since 2000, the number of diabetes cases in the U.S. has nearly doubled. The demand for insulin has increased and the requisite price increase has followed suit. In other words, the price of insulin increases as waistlines increase.” Gaetz essentially is making the argument that people with diabetes deserve to be price gouged by pharmaceutical companies because it’s their fault. Of course, this ignores the fact that the condition is not always connected to obesity, but even when it is, people should not have to be punished for having it and struggle to afford the life-saving medication.

From yesterday’s show:

Bad for Biden: People Wrongly Think Unemployment is High

Unemployment in the United States is at a super low 3.6% but President Biden is not reaping the benefits of the strong jobs numbers because many people don’t seem to be aware of it. Republicans have been winning the messaging war about the economy under Biden and typically they focus on metrics like inflation and gas prices, which have been high. But they ignore other indicators like the stock market and jobs numbers which are currently doing quite well. In some cases, right wingers outright lie about the unemployment rate. Congresswoman Lisa McClain said at a recent Trump rally, “unemployment — forty year high, labor shortage, we can’t find goods at the store.” Even thought the economic reality is that the US is basically at full employment, that’s not going to translate to votes for Democrats in the midterms if the left can’t win the messaging war over what the true numbers are.

More on the show:

--Despite the right wing claiming they are for free speech and against cancel culture, book ban efforts are at a more than 20 year high thanks to these very same right wingers

--At least 3 Republicans, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowksi, and Mitt Romney, will vote for the confirmation of Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

--Former Trump administration official Matt Mowers, who is now running for a House seat in New Hampshire, voted in multiple states in the 2016 election

--Donald Trump admits that he didn't win the 2020 election, with the usual caveats, in a recent interview

--Donald Trump bemoans that Saudi Arabia has been treated poorly by the United States in a deranged interview with Real America's Voice

--David's recent freckle biopsy cost $2,324

--Voicemail caller identifies the use of a classic stalling technique during David's recent interview with Trumpist Congressional candidate Darlene Swaffar

--On the Bonus Show: White House launches plan for long COVID, Amazon worker chat bans words like "union," Biden administration extends pause on student loan payments, and much more...

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