Last night I got thrown into the latest round of spitballs between Jon Stewart and Fox News on the O’Reilly Factor. I first appeared on Fox News in 1999, on Neil Cavuto’s Show, and continued to make countless hundreds of appearances through the years on all the shows. Currently, I’m a regular on the Fox Business Network.

This whole time I’m asked: Why do you go on Fox News?

It’s a question I’ve been asked a thousand times. My answer may surprise you, and will hopefully spark a healthy debate.

First, I have to admit I have been ambivalent at times, when so many of my liberal friends badger me about going on. Liberal bloggers have beaten me up for it, saying I give them cover for the fair and balanced thing, etc. Trust me, it’s no picnic getting crazy hate mail from the right for being liberal, and hate mail from the left for not boycotting the right.

How did this predicament happen to me, anyway?

I helped pioneer progressive radio by actually landing a gig at WLS in Chicago in 1997 when more people had been to the moon than had been liberals on talk radio. One day I had a caller who said we need more Nancy Skinner’s on the radio. My guest in studio got their number, and Air America Radio was born. The caller was Shelly Drobny and his wife Anita who founded Air America, long before its misadventures.

Although I had signed a letter of intent to be a host upon launch, I had made another fateful decision: to throw my hat in the ring for the U.S. Senate primary in Illinois. I had been debating the big political topics (Impeachment, Iraq, Global Warming, NAFTA, Budgets) for eight years now on a 50,000 blow torch in Chicago, so crazier things have happened. The pollsters said there was a guy in the race who was pretty good, but had no chance of winning because his name sounded Middle Eastern. Yes, of course, I found myself running against Barack Obama, and I lost to POTUS – big time!

No worries. I liked him a lot during our race, and went on to cheerlead for him on the national cable channels during the race, and throughout his presidency, I’ve been a very strong voice for the economic policies that he was forced to implement upon taking over 1600 Trainwreck Ave. in DC.

Which brings me to my point. What have I learned moving in and out of conservative and liberal media venues. (I have also been on MSNBC through the years – filling in for Bill Press on Buchanan & Press and Ron Kuby on Curtis & Kuby and CNBC guest hosting, etc.)

Beliefs determine reality. Worldviews determine beliefs. There is actually a quantum physics term for this called memes. These belief genes are mostly inherited, but can be transmitted from person to person like a virus.

So, if someone has, say, a conservative worldview, with all that implies, then when they are confronted by someone with a progressive worldview, with all that implies, then the conservative says “you are out of touch with reality” because you are out of touch (with their reality), based on their beliefs and memes. And vice versa.

This is why I’m often asked if I think conservatives believe in what they are spouting. I think they do, because your beliefs form your reality. Are there objective facts? Yes, of course, but people glom onto the facts that support their beliefs. Do I think there is an overarching objective set of facts that support my worldview? Of course, that’s why I’m a liberal. But I know many fine conservative friends of mine who would say “of course, that’s why I’m conservative.”

The key difference is that I think I’ve seen through the glass darkly a bit here. If you have any chance of changing worldviews, then you have to actually converse with those who have a different worldview than you do. Don’t get me wrong, I love MSNBC and watch it religiously and love to be on the network. But am I really changing anyone’s mind there? Aren’t we the ya ya sisterhood amen club there? You may ask the same question about Fox. Are you really changing any minds over there? That is a debatable question, but I think I have. I think that people are only open to different ideas, or memes if you will, when they don’t despise the messenger out of the gate. That’s why I don’t do nasty. Look how well all the potshots and attitudes do for Sarah Palin. She is definitely not a meme-changer. She does reinforce existing worldviews; that’s why her crowd loves her. She tells them they are right. You don’t have to listen to those nasty liberals and their lies, or eat green vegetables, just chalk up the ticket fee darlin’.

Most of my e-mails are off the charts so creepy that they are quite fun. But occasionally I get a jewel. My favorite was from a self-described “white evangelical Christian, ex-military who works in the nuclear weapons industry.” He said that he probably was not my typical fan profile, but that I had persuaded him to change his mind on climate change, the need to address it and the opportunities therein. That feels really good to hear. And even last night, I got this:

Nancy,

I tend to be a conservative, but I must applaud your performance on the Factor tonight.

Not that you won or lost a debate with O’Reilly, that was not at issue – but that your “world view” was (I thought) spot on.

Bravo!

We need to return to disagreements w/o extreme disagreeableness.

Now, I’m still a conservative – but also fan of yours.

Is that an oxy-something or other? A conservative Nancy Skinner fan?

Sincerely,

Eddie Herron

No, Eddie, it’s not an oxymoron. It’s called one meme at a time.