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Cherrypitter.com
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By woodtang , Section New Scoop Sites []
Posted on Tue May 18, 2004 at 12:00:00 PM PST
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Cherrypitter.com is a bipartisan political community powered by Scoop. We provide the best cherry pits to fuel your political discussion. A cherry pit is a political tidbit left behind by an unexpected source. It is a fact, opinion, or statement that belies someone's supposed political bias.
Typically, politicians, pundits, journalists, and bloggers stick to the party line and provide the best "cherries" that support their cause. A cherry pit is a tough nut they have to deal with; it is point they are forced to concede or a fact they can't deny. We collect the best ones here and open them up for discussion.
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| The political climate in the United States has become highly polarized since the 2000 election. A wide ideological gulf separates liberals and conservatives, and civil debate over controversial issues, domestic programs, foreign policy, etc, has become nearly impossible.
In an age of unparalleled communication capabilities created by mass media and the Internet, Americans have access to more political information than ever before. A report published by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press in 2004 shows that Americans are increasingly turning to the Internet as a source of political information. According to Cass Sunstein in Republic.com, as the most active Internet users search for news and analysis in this fragmented political landscape, they often look for information that supports their existing ideological biases. At the same time, they rarely seek opinions that run counter to their beliefs. Instead they use favorable survey results, sound bytes from the most outspoken politicians, and seemingly irrefutable arguments from their favorite pundits as ammunition in their daily water cooler political discussions. There is an endless supply of these political "cherries" or political treats that are sure to please the partisan masses. But such cherries are easily refuted by opponents because they come from clearly biased sources. Liberals can count on Michael Moore for juicy tidbits to support their cause; conservatives know Rush Limbaugh will always supply a fiery right-wing response. But both sources lose their punch because they come from the usual suspects of political debate.
The best ammunition for political debate is not the cherries but the cherry pits, or the tough nuts left behind by the pundits as they serve up more pleasing fare. A cherry pit is a begrudging admission by a conservative that a Democrat just made a good point on the Senate floor; it is an unexpected concession from a liberal that Republican tax policy makes sense. Cherry pits are defections from the party line and challenges to leadership by the rank and file. In short, a cherry pit is a cherry from a previously unshakeable opposing partisan source.
Cherrypitter.com aggregates these cherry pits from both ends of the American political spectrum. It is a source of this powerful political ammunition, attracting a user community of both liberals and conservatives looking to gain an edge in their daily debates. By itself, this content would merely continue partisan debate and fragmentation by providing more effective talking points for each side. But Cherrypitter.com aims to foster democratic discussion by establishing a community constituted by people of all political persuasions.
People will be attracted to the site by the enticing partisan content, but will be forced to interact with other users with opposing views. The cherry pits provide the hook, but the community will provide the reason to stay and, hopefully, find common ground to address some of our toughest political questions. |
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