A republic, if we can keep it

Andrew Sullivan is hosting a lively discussion about the Fox News/rightwing propaganda machine on his blog at The Atlantic.One reader, a foreigner, wrote this:

"I agree with what you say about the Big Lie, but you never seem to hold Americans themselves accountable for believing these lies. While people do behave in a sheeplike manner (gay left, language police, group-think evident in any comments section), I don't think they can be absolved or excused for refusing to inform themselves.

While the consequences can be dire, they are still insistent on believing the lies they're told and in no way attempting to refute them with contradictory information. We tend to believe what we want to believe, and a great many people who've been led to believe Obama is a radical spender and socialist-in-hiding wanted to believe it in the first place."

"Fault Fox, yes. Fault cynical conservative think tankers, yes. But also fault the people who only listen to Fox News. They are not innocent bystanders in their own deception."

Sully commented: "Agreed on this last point wholeheartedly. It's a republic, if we can keep it. If we prefer lies to the truth, we won't keep it for ever."

Agreed. Enough said.