What is "American Bridge" and What is "American Crossroads"?
These two organizations specialize in following politicians from the opposing party, 24/7, in order to find anything that might harm their reputation. The American Bridge is a Democratic organization and the American Crossroads is Republican.
Why Does This Matter?
Both of these organizations have goals to make the other party look bad, to catch them flip-flopping on promises and policy stances. You can claim that each group is out of the good of the American people, putting all the truth out there so people can see, but is it really that shocking to hear a politician be inconsistent? I submit these organizations primarily add more wood to fire in our country that is already so strongly divided. Mass media performs the same function, with news channels and personality shows that insult and degrade the opposing party.
Why Would They Do This?
Money. Did you expect the answer to be any different? Mass media has the tendency to show clips that incite anger and give people a distorted view of the opposing political party. There is little money and there are little ratings to be had in presenting fair, balanced reporting that serves to create compromise and understanding. If they cause havoc, defensive groups like American Bridge and American Crossroads pop up, which only funnels more money from the American people into the mass media system. While I'm sure some employees of such organizations believe they are improving the political system of our country, I would say the results show otherwise. We are currently dysfunctional at best.
Follow the Money
In the 2008 Presidential election, McCain raised $368 million and spent $333 million. Obama raised $745 million and spent $730 million, over twice as much.
If you are interested in tracking political money for a particular candidate, you can always find reliable information here:
A lot of that money is spent on media and staff that perform duties like American Bridge or American Crossroads. In a recent NY Time article, American Bridge is said to have already raised $4 million for the 2012 Presidential election.
In America, We Get the Government We Deserve
A lot of people want to only point fingers at evil politicians and evil media, but none of these groups of people would do what they do if it didn't work. They win elections. People vote for them. Part of this is their fault, but the other part is ours. Even for those who do not vote must take credit for the government we have. It's a democracy and every citizen has the privilege and the power to vote. Observe the uprisings in the Middle-East. People must participate or governments will abuse their power and forget that they work for the citizens of that country. If the majority of Americans continue to remain silent, government will continue with its current habits.
If you would like to check up on the facts of political statements in order to make better judgments, check
The days of striving for objective reporting are long gone. Almost every news source has a bias.
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