Latest / Palafox Media Network / Political Matrix News: Exposing Clickbait News of the Day
Transcript
- Scott Miller: Hey folks, welcome to the Political Matrix News. I'm Scott Miller and this is my partner of 30 years, Greg Sink. We've been neck deep in the sludge that is political consulting, know, since before the turn of the ⁓ That's right. ⁓ right. Greg Fink: Oh yeah, Millennium. That's a good way to think about it. I got grain, you don't. Scott Miller: I got a pretty good chuck of gray all over. But yeah, I mean, it kind of gives you a little of a different take on watching the ⁓ news, you know, because, you ⁓ know, Greg and I have in these back rooms constructing narratives and talking points so that ⁓ could try to push forward their campaigns or raise a little bit money. Greg Fink: It does. Scott Miller: And that all happens with the correct narrative. And unfortunately, what you see in the media is entirely constructed as a narrative, regardless ⁓ ⁓ know, they're not really so much there for solving problems. I should say the only problem they're there to solve ⁓ is empty bank account. Greg Fink: And basically it's a messaging of a clickbait. I mean, it's really sad that this entire political climate has turned into a political clickbait. And I mean, it's just so, I mean, the whole idea of issues and what's important to the family and the kitchen table issues and so on and so forth that we watched in the media play out throughout the 50s and 60s and 70s and even on this fireside chat radio shows that FDR had. I mean, those were all really brilliant ideas of Communicating a message of a hope and growth and everything else to the community through media and now it's all about clickbait It's all about you know got yourself and got you know and got you here and got you there and they don't even care about the truth the truth has no weight in it whatsoever and no plan of whatsoever and so whenever you had that issue going out, I mean and You know our behind-the-scenes look at it is it's very curious. Yeah, it's not you know curious us but curious how people think of it so, you know, rudimentarily, it's probably not a word, I think I messed that word up. Anyway, ⁓ so elementary ⁓ they're looking at it very ⁓ in ways that they don't really understand the whole concepts and the step-to-step basis on where they're at in the media. you know, like said, they're trying to read a cash register for clickbait and trying to get ratings and views and that's it. They don't care about accuracy. Scott Miller: Thank Yeah. Well, there's no money in accuracy. If the problem gets solved, well, I mean, it's back to this whole, what do they call it? This planned obsolescence. Greg Fink: Well there is though. Scott Miller: that they invented back with the light bulb. You when they invented the light bulb, they sold like gangbusters. They were setting up these worldwide production facilities. It was great. And then they noticed that the sales had been going up, up, started kind of leveling off and then kind of started going down. Everyone wanted light bulbs. What the hell was the deal? The deal was light bulbs weren't breaking. So. Greg Fink: Why were they breaking though? Scott Miller: They wouldn't break. One of the original light bulbs is still burning to this day in a firehouse in Michigan because they never turned it off. Greg Fink: That's pretty good. Scott Miller: Right? And so, but the problem that they had was, was that if they didn't have people needing to repurchase things to have, you know, for, you know, just for replacements, for broken things, then they wouldn't have the money to do further development and refine light bulbs they've got. I mean, you honestly think we'd have the, even thin ⁓ walled incandescent lights that we have today, ⁓ if ones that they were actually using. Greg Fink: Right. LEDs Scott Miller: You know, if the ones you were actually using weren't breaking, I mean, why would you replace it if you didn't have to? So they invented that. So that's the beginning of a long multi-century trip of people just worrying about what is good for the people, but what's good for their bottom line. That's it. It been part of our culture for more than century. Greg Fink: Exactly. And one thing that I think we had some special election primaries here in Florida yesterday. I think that that actually comes to grips with what you're talking about is worrying about the bottom line. And the Republicans are not doing that. As far as turnout goes, it looks like we had a red county in Florida get turned blue again for another special election. And this is not the first time this has happened in Florida. It's happening a little bit more so. And it's not because it's overwhelmingly liberal or progressive or Democrat County. It's because the Republicans are just not getting the messaging out. They are not getting bottom line for elections. And as you and I both know, is to get people out and they are not fulfilling that at all as far as ⁓ turnout and the complacency is there. The of the voter turnout is there in the Republican side. ⁓ And they want to make sure Trump does, you know, can actually have a successful second term here. Scott Miller: Mm. Greg Fink: It cannot be hijacked like his first term was by multiple impeachments given to him by a Democrat Congress. We cannot have that repeat method happen again. ⁓ so far, I think I saw a stat yesterday ⁓ that the Democrats in special elections since Trump's been elected have flipped 20 red ⁓ districts, ⁓ election Well, let me finish. ⁓ Scott Miller: Okay, okay, okay, but look people people go ahead and finish Greg Fink: And they're saying the Republicans have not flipped any and that's not really, that's really a horrible, like you said, it's a clickbait comment for the media. But one thing it does say is Republicans, it's not that they can't win, it's just that they've got to start being more active and finding a way to not let this happen, period. Scott Miller: Well, I mean, first of all, I want to make sure that everyone understands they're not talking about federal seats. They're deliberately vague about this to make it sound like Congress is at risk. And this is a great example of what we're talking about, the clickbait journalism that we're talking about, because they're not telling you that these are state house seats. or, yeah. And, know, and we've had, we've had incumbents Greg Fink: No. Exactly. Mm-hmm. I've clickbait. Exactly. Or local seats or local county seats. Scott Miller: in strong districts who were strong in their district, in special elections. They don't think that they got to do anything. They're just going to win, no problem. And they get them by handed to them because they don't go and do the work ⁓ a combination of the candidate not doing the work ⁓ the voters just thinking, well, this is a Republican district we got. Greg Fink: Right. Exactly. so, but like you said, the media is not reporting out. They're trying to say that this is a litmus test here or barometer for the federal elections coming up in the midterms. sure, anything can be a barometer. The reality is it's not. Okay, the reality here is that majority of the federal races, if you're a federal incumbent, you have a very good chance of being reelected unless you're really screwing up a lot in your district. And then to go on top of that. Scott Miller: Thank Greg Fink: for an incumbent to lose to the opposite party of his district extremely rare, extremely rare for the to lose and the party to flip on the whole district. Now, it might flip in one county or a few precincts, but it's not gonna, know, the average congressional district is what, like 10 or 15 different counties? I know in Florida, at least it is. Now, in other states, it's different. Scott Miller: Mm-hmm. ⁓ Well, I mean, well, yes, I was gonna say depends on the state. There could be a bunch of counties in it or in condition or the case of Miami-Dade, there could be a county in it. ⁓ Greg Fink: Right. Exactly, one or two. Exactly. so, but with that being said, I mean, it's hard enough to be an incumbent in a primary and actually is being done this year. I think incumbents have proven to be weak in primaries so far this year compared to other election cycles. However, in order to have an incumbent lose in a general election ⁓ and party to go ahead and just flip totally, find red blue or blue to red. That is extremely rare to happen. Scott Miller: Yeah. I mean, how ⁓ I interpret it? mean, you know, it's ⁓ special elections, you can't tell anything about a special election. ⁓ anyone votes in special elections. So, so everything that you do is consequential. ⁓ ⁓ mean, ⁓ all of your voters, all of the people that you're trying to really, ⁓ a very, very small universe ⁓ you have to convince them to please get out of your car and go in and cast your vote. Greg Fink: No you can't. Exactly. Yeah. Scott Miller: because if you don't, you get results like this. Greg Fink: I mean, every special election turnout in Florida is right around like I think maybe 12 or 15 percent, maybe, and that's the high end. Now, yeah, I would like to brag about a special election that you and I were a part of in 2006, which had a 34 percent turnout, which is actually one of the highest turnouts for a special election in Eskandia County, I think, history at the time. And it's actually it wasn't really a regular special election. It was actually in July. And so it was not even Scott Miller: Yeah, something like that. Thanks Greg Fink: in normal cycle of a special election. So it was very bizarre with that. But we had extremely high turnout. And it was a countywide special election on a referendum. That was actually the other issue. It was an issue campaign, an issue-based campaign. And so,