PeterS wrote:
Snip>>>The ultimate source of Donald Trump’s wiretapping allegations – which he has presented without evidence – is one of the most prominent conservative broadcasters in the country. Yet compared with such colleagues as Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, few liberals have heard of him.
On Friday, Breitbart News reprinted and amplified allegations of an attempted “silent coup” by the Obama administration, which were reportedly the basis of Trump’s tweets about wiretapping on Saturday. But Breitbart acknowledged in its reporting that the case was first made on Thursday night.
Trump 'wiretap': White House wants investigation but Clapper denies the order
Levin stitched together material – including from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Guardian – on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court warrants sought during the election. In, the reports he cited were simply mentioning unconfirmed information from sources such as the rightwing tabloid site Heat Street. But Levin went on to claim that the Obama administration had used “police state” surveillance tactics against the Trump team.
Despite the slim basis for his claims, Levin has been on the attack in the first part of this week, writing open letters to reporters who have questioned his stories, and lambasting others on the air.
Levin – nicknamed “the Great One” by his friend Sean Hannity – is one of the most energetic and successful rightwing talk radio hosts. His syndicated three-hour program, which airs evenings on the east coast and at drive time on the west, gets more than 7 million listeners a week, according to Talkers magazine – putting him in the same ballpark as Beck.
He has also made serious efforts to grow beyond radio. He is editor-in-chief of the rightwing website and the host of its flagship TV program. Over time, his books have enjoyed increasing time on the New York Times’ bestseller list.
Levin’s audience is as unusual as it is loyal. The political scientist Dan Cassino, who researches conservative media, points out that in the last American National Election Study in 2013, “among all news outlets, including liberal shows, listeners to the Mark Levin program have the highest political knowledge of anyone, and it is the only show whose audience is 100% conservative”.
The intense conservatism of his audience may explain why Levin operates almost entirely within the rightwing bubble. His appeal to moderates is extremely limited, and Cassino says that his program is primarily about “helping people justify decisions they have already made”.
The relatively advanced political knowledge of his listeners may be because Levin’s show offers material, and an agenda, that goes beyond the high-octane bloviation of his competitors.
“He actually offers more of a legal and process basis for what he says. He offers the same simplistic narratives, but he really does detail work. He has legislative proposals. One of his books was about exactly what constitutional amendments he thinks we need and how we could change the amendment process.”
Someone has to think for you poor little fellers. He's doing a bang up job too--telling you guys exactly what you want--that way you know he telling you the truth correct!!!
b Snip>>>The ultimate source of Donald T... (
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