I feel bad for the conservatives that I know. They are (in general, there are exceptions, of course) inflicted with a terrible disease. I call it apathy. Often times, they call it the “if-it-ain’t-broke, don’t fix it” way. Like that mantra is a life choice, or a biological pre-disposition that characterizes your mental space, or perhaps a path that one chooses and cannot return.

But, I want to properly name that dragon. Apathy is too abstract. There is not enough research and fact checking going on within the conservative circles. There is not enough independent verification. And, it is apathetic on the part of the conservatives. At least the conservatives that I know.

There used to be a time when the population could have a great deal of faith in what was being given to us by the Media, our leaders, and public figures. The Ethos that a person had just for being on Television or on the radio was great enough to allow us to believe it as a credible source. No more! As special interest money has understood the value of that implied legitimacy, they have appropriated that as a medium for distributing deceitful messages disguised as truth. And, the partisan news sources that use the medium to influence the opinions of apathetic Americans has nearly reached epic proportions.

Jon Stewart attempted to make that very point in his appearance on Crossfire, and in his book I presume (It is on my reading list–I haven’t got there, yet.). He appeared on the show for an opportunity to promote his book, and because he was a comedian (and Jon Stewart), he was by himself. His intentions for appearing on Crossfire were clear seconds after the opening statements. He attacked the hosts for providing biased information disguised as non-partisan debate. He went on to appeal to their sense of moral responsibility as journalists–that it is their ethical obligation to shift the values of their show to be more consistent with the truth than with their particular partisan politics–OR, (he gave them another option) correctly identify your show as theatre and not news.

This is just one example of the former credibility–the Ethos–that has evaporated from American politics. The closer the politics aligns itself with politics, the more that ethos is going to evaporate. When politics is related to the bottom-line of a corporation, deceptive practices will be used. Ever met a used car salesman?

My point is that the people (and news sources) vying for the conservative support are manipulating the conservatives. And, everyone that I know in that conservative boat still have a blanket faith in the credibility of the person and/or news source. It’s like Captain Ahab telling the crew that we are not looking for the white whale, and thinking, “Well, he’s the Captain–he must be telling the truth.”