>>http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/us/pat-robertson-facebook-remark/index.html?hpt=hp_t5
>
>I have wondered for quite a while, why are such idiots so influential? Why do newspapers even quote him, for example? I mean, there must be lots of people talking nonsense, or even their own doubtful interpretation of religion, so why do people like Pat Robertson get all the press?

Ever hear of the disc jockey Howard Stern? When he was on FM radio...and they finally figured out he was the #1 disk jockey...they decided to figure out why. Couple of things they learned. First was the reason most of the people that liked him listened to him. Most common answer - to see what he says next. Then they discovered that almost 1/2 of his listeners actually didn't even like the guy. So why where they listening to him? Most common answer - to see what he says next. Perhaps it is the same thing here.