Probing a Political Paradox: Why the Discredited Right Still Sets the Agenda and Dominates the Debate

It's a paradox: the political center has clearly shifted; what used to be considered "left wing" positions have now become part of the mainstream, and the views of the Right are now at odds with the majority of the American public -- and with reality.

Yet, despite this seismic shift -- grossly underreported by the media -- the Right remains as powerful as ever when it comes to setting the national agenda and dominating the national debate.

Think about it: on Iraq and the exercise of American power, on economic fairness, on corporate responsibility, on the environment and climate change, on the universal right to healthcare, the progressive policies and positions long championed by the left have moved from union halls and MoveOn emails to the sidewalks, backyards, and kitchen tables of Main Street, USA.

Nevertheless, the traditional media -- and most politicians -- continue to insist on looking at every issue through a right vs left frame, then assume the answer is found by splitting the difference.

I've spent much of the last year trying to pinpoint the reasons for this startling disconnect in my new book, Right is Wrong, which is being released today (April 29).

And I concluded that there are three main areas to look at, not only to help us understand how we got in the mess we're in, but also to help us get out: the media, the role of fear in our politics, and the failure of political leadership.

These three factors have combined to allow the lunatic fringe that has taken over the Right to hijack our country, our democracy, and our Constitution. So that 28 percent of the population that continues to support George W. Bush no matter how many bodies pile up in Iraq, how many jobs disappear overseas, how many For Sale signs go up on their block, or how high gas prices get, continues to dominate our politics.

Let's take them one by one, starting with the media which remains hopelessly addicted to the false belief that in order to be fair and balanced every story needs to be given the "on the one hand... and on the other" treatment. But not every story has two sides -- and the truth is often to be found not in the middle but solidly on one side or the other.

The earth is not flat. Global warming is a fact. Evolution is a fact -- sorry Mike Huckabee. And not even Republicans still believe in the unfettered, free market. Look how they rushed to Big Government to save their beloved Bear Sterns.

Nor are there two sides to the proposition that Iraq is our generation's greatest foreign policy disaster. It is. Period. Full stop. Yet the same media that enabled the administration to sell us the multi-trillion dollar war are -- nearly six years later -- still pushing the Right's line that "the surge is working." Green Zone bombardments be damned.

Indeed, we are in the sixth year of an unnecessary and immoral war that has cost tens of thousands of lives, globally discredited the United States and has left us all less safe than the day Shock and Awe began. But the media are still debating the war's "progress," and describing the state of Iraq as "a mixed bag" -- which is a little bit like going to the doctor and having him tell you that you have a brain tumor but your acne has cleared, and you considering the diagnosis "a mixed bag."

What is behind the media's lapdog devotion to the messages and framing of the Right? It's a combination of self-loathing and abject fear. The media wear their dread like a cheap aftershave. The broadcast networks and the cable news channels live in mortal fear of a dip in the ratings, and newspapers are constantly checking their pulse -- convinced by their deteriorating profits and market share that the end is near. So they continue to offer the views of the newly marooned Right more than equal time.

Fear -- specifically the right wing's masterful manipulation of it -- has also come to dominate our politics.

In 2004 we had the whole sordid "al Qaeda really wants John Kerry to win" routine. And it's only April, but John McCain has already told us that al Qaeda will increase its violent attacks to try and defeat him, and that Hamas wants Obama to win. This is not only laughable but downright loathsome -- and there should be zero tolerance for such distortions in American politics.

Besides, why wouldn't al Qaeda want McCain to win? He's running to give a third term to George Bush, whose disastrous policies have been the terrorists' best recruitment tool.

McCain's "more of the same" platform should disqualify him from being allowed to use sharp scissors, let alone be president of the United States. But the mainstream media still treat him with kid gloves and continue to take his foreign policy positions -- however confused -- seriously.

You can be sure the Right will play the fear card again in 2008 because that's all that's left in its deck. And that's why it's incredibly important that Democrats take back national security as an issue from the Republicans, and why Hillary Clinton's latest attempts to out-bellicose McCain are so destructive.

The dynamic between the dithering Democrats and the reality-be-damned Republican Right calls to mind that great line from Yeats: "The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity."

The third factor in the continuing power of the loony Right is the abject, across the board failure of our political leadership to adjust to the fact that the game of "right versus left" has been rendered obsolete by the emergence of a new and vital center. But political movements and political shifts do not fully succeed without bold political leadership -- and if we ever needed that kind of leadership, it is now.

Democratic leaders need to re-define the center of American politics. Right is no longer the opposite of left. It is the opposite of wrong. And what used to be the left needs to redefine itself as something more than just an opposition force -- but rather as an active, positive, mainstream current that includes independents, Republicans aghast at what has happened to their party, and many new voters who are tired of empty partisanship.

Over this past year, it has seemed that America is ready to define a new center and to turn a new page and close the book on this tragic chapter of our history. The nomination of John McCain, however, could obstruct this transition. McCain is the Trojan Horse the Right desperately needed to put a faux maverick, faux independent, faux straight-talker imprint on the same ruinous policies that have taken us down this dark road.

Though the era of the Right has exhausted its historic course, collapsing in moral, political and economic bankruptcy, the transformation and co-opting of McCain from a maverick into the Second Coming of George W. Bush shows the durability of the Right and the lingering danger it poses. There is nothing automatic about its disappearance from the stage. Not unless we, together, give it -- and McCain -- a mighty push into the wings and right out the stage door.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[robhar]

brilliant piece. reminds me of a statement by Howard K. Smith who, when asked by head of CBS to "balance" his commentary, replied, "I know the difference between right and wrong and it's not the midpoint between good and evil."

[whatsmyname]

ROBHAR ...TERRIFIC FLASHBACK...THANK YOU VERY VERY...........Aw sure do miss those Howard k Smith's of the news world......

[Bettysdad]

Wow! That's amazing.

I'll make it my first tattoo.

[Chemwiz]

Part 2

As you search the professional literature of the last several decades, looking for articles that have been published even attempting to explain the possible Darwinian step-by-step origin of any of these systems, you will encounter a thundering silence. Absolutely no one--not one scientist--has published any detailed proposal or explanation of the possible evolution of any such complex biochemical system. And when a science does not publish, it ought to perish.

Try reading some publications by a few well-known scientists with an objective point of view who aren’t getting federal grant money to support evolutionary theory. These people are geniuses who study the science of evolution objectively.

Dr. Michael Behe, biochemist, Lehigh University
Dr. Ralph Seelke, professor of bilogy, University of Wisconsin
Dr. Tom Woodward, science historian
Dr. Walter Bradley, professor of engineering, Baylor University
Dr. Jonathan Wells, developmental biologist

[BlackWidowPilot]

Riight. So this handful of dissidents invalidates the position of the rest of the world's scientific community, that Evolution is a scientific fact, that Global Cliamte Change is man-made, that all of the works of generations of paleontologists, biologists, chemists, climatologists, et al are just wrong.

Guff.

Evolution is a fact, like it or not. Global Climate Change is a nasty fact, like it or not, and must be addressed and very, very soon if our civilization and perhaps our very species are to survive.

*Creationism* on the other hand is a scam, just like No Child Left Behind, WMDs in Iraq, or the GOP being the "party of family values."

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Chemwiz]

That was an extremely ignorant post. But if you are positive about your "facts" then why is there more scientific data pointing against big bang and evolution?

Leave God completely out of this...I'm just talking about factual scientific data here. You will not be able to give me one ounce of scientific data that has been published in the last 50 years that has ANY factual and conclusive evidence of evolution, so why are you such a proponent of it? If you understood science, even on the most basic level, then you would understand what I'm talking about. It would be easier to believe that Santa Claus could visit every little good boy and girl's home in one evening and leave them presents neatly placed under there Christmas tree.

Wake up pal...you're being brainwashed by a culture/govt who goes to extremes to prevent you from knowing the truth.

Here is a question...who really cares about how man came to be and how he evolved anyway? Why does our goverment DEMAND that evolution be taught in schools? Why does our government fire teachers/professors who teach that there may be alternatives to evolution? Why is it such a big deal??? Think about it for a while and get back to me if you have any ideas.

[indypete]

Mr Erickson (or may I call you Leland... or, perhaps, Lee?) when I read the follow-ups to your contribution my first instinct was to jump in and give you a hand but what youve awakened are minds that are permanently closed. To Chemwiz, I would hazard a guess that the handle "BlackWidowPilot" implies a degree in engineering so you are probably in error in suggesting Mr Leland is ignorant of science. Aside from that remark, though, all I can say is, Lee, you woke 'em up, you deal with 'em... you're on your own!

[rimmer]

You must be joking. Michael Behe cannot conceive that certain complex systems could have evolved by natural selection so he decides they must've been created by intellgent design. That's a bit of a leap isn't it? "I don't think natural selection explains this so therefore it must be magic." He may be a gehius but he is NOT objective.

[Bettysdad]

Why is it that people that doubt evolution are absolute believers in "god" for which there is absolutely no evidence?

[moderationsmuse]

Why do you say there's no evidence? I see plenty of evidence.

[Chemwiz]

"The earth is not flat. Global warming is a fact. Evolution is a fact -- sorry Mike Huckabee." - Arianna Huffington

Well, we know that the earth is not flat, but the other two points are far from fact and weak in theory. The earth has not had any temperature increase since 1998 and the northeast just came out of some record cold temps and snow this winter. But we’ll leave that one for now.

As for evolution...well, that is quite interesting as to how you view it as fact when there has never been any science to remotely back it up? Darwin himself stated:

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down”.

--Charles Darwin, in The Origin of Species

Obviously, 150 years ago, Mr. Darwin did not have the technology and means to see and understand what we are capable of understanding today. My hope is that people will put politics and religion aside and look at this issue from a purely biochemical/mathematical point of view. Whether we appeared by the wand of a magic fairy, through God’s creation or even by alien’s dropping us from their spaceship, all are more plausible than the concept of evolution; speaking from a purely scientific standpoint.

[copernikus]

"The earth has not had any temperature increase since 1998..."

http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are just ignorant of the facts and not a liar.

"As for evolution...well, that is quite interesting as to how you view it as fact when there has never been any science to remotely back it up?"

That is nonsense - the fossil records being the most obvious

[Chemwiz]

HAhaha....you proved my point Copernikus!!! Yes, we have fossils of dinosaurs, birds, monkeys, people, dogs, rhinos, etc. etc. etc. BUT, have you been to a museum and seen fossils or remnants of a dog with wings? How about a cat with a beak? What about a monkey with fins? Ya know why....because the fossil record DOES NOT contain any transitional fossils whatsoever. Know why? Cuz there ain't none. That is one of the easiest arguments against evolution. Thank you for bringing it up....now lets get to some more scientific arguements.

[Chemwiz]

we can all pull up articles, charts, etc. supporting what we believe, but why do you think that the media and Al Gore no longer refer to this issue as "Global Warming"...suddenly, it is now called "Global Climate Change" ....odd huh?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/04/09/do0907.xml

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming020507.htm

[realpolitic]

Scientists study the snowtops melting across the globe and the polar ice caps losing mass. At the same time, fossilized hybrids of species have been found that are the ancestors of modern day species. So really you are arguing a negative. You are asking us to set aside the evidence on the basis of your word, sort of similar to how cult leaders operate.

[KarateKid]

Costco has the best price on this book, $13.59. Hey, in this era of tight money, every dollar counts.

[minnehot]

Proving your point:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/roughsketch/2008/04/obamas_pastor_reignites_race_c.html

[57basque]

This General Strike called for on 9-11-08, if we all get together, could bring about the changes for good all of US Dream of.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_michael__080427_a_call_to_action.htm

[konastephen]

ARIANNA IS WRONG

The arguments for and against overly powerful centralized government are quite clear and haven't changed for thousands of years. If there has been a shift to the left in America, I really don't see it myself, unless perhaps on a social level (thanks MTV). To the extent that there is a policy shift to the left in America, that shift is responsible for the injustice and suffering we witness daily. Large overbearing centrally-controlled governments and economies fail and produce injustice and suffering. But where power is limited and authority divided, and the age-old principle that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is taken seriously and accounted for, individuals thrive and so do economies.

Arianna is really a plutocrat. She would have us believe that putting the wealthy "lunatic fringe" of the Left in charge is the answer.

No thanks, Arianna. Give me liberty or give me death.

[GeoNorth]

No. Reason and logic should play a part in this country's government. Instead, it's the corporations that rule. The Corps. control the government through their compaign contributions. They control the media. The population of this country is simply a statistic. The individual, which this country was founded on, is not part of the equation anymore. People are scared. They are afraid of the government. They are afraid of the media. They are afraid of their neighbors. They are afraid to question anything. Religion has made people fearful of the truth. They would rather be told what to do and think than do it themselves. They are afraid of being considered unpatriotic, whatever the hell that means. They are afraid of terrorists, whoever the hell they are. MTV has not made anybody liberal, just wasteful. And I am sick and tired of morons like you who think that this country is based on left and right. It is neither. I am neither. I am for the truth. But cementheads like you spout platitudes like "Give me liberty or give me death". You have no idea what that means, do you.

[Bettysdad]

People criticizing the left conflate it with the former USSR, since it helps them prove their errors.

Try comparing lefty ideas with just about all of Western Europe and you'll get an accurate picture.
Those people are doing so much better than us.

Before you say something like "well they pay higher taxes" ask yourself why they aren't moving here to get away from it.

[indypete]

They stay there because they like to rough it!

[OnceProudAmerican]

"Large overbearing centrally-controlled governments and economies fail and produce injustice and suffering"
Yep, I could'nt agree more! This is fine example of our Country today. We all lost rights and freedoms after 911. Just ask the people of Iraq. They got a first hand taste of it.
If anyone needs proof that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely", look no further than the current Administration. Guess who said "I'm the decider and I will decide".

[BadgerBoy]

What you are forgetting is the MSM is all corporate owned, they have stockholders to think about, they have tax breaks that they wish to receive. The idea that media has ever been dominated by the liberal left is a fallacy at best. Meaning that politically the media has alway been a mix of different voices and is still today. However, if you look at it from the perspective of the right, they see anything that doesn't agree with their particular views, or talk about their particular issues and only those issues, as liberal. The whole debate has been twisted into political speak in the name of pushing a particular agenda. Where the MSM has failed is not in their political views, but in reporting and investigating stories. Rarely does the media give a broad perspective in their stories, rather they try to make it entertaining and hard hitting. Advertising dollars are at stake, viewers must be riveted to their seats, and in this modern day of celebrated violence and depravity, the MSM does all it call to push that agenda. While it is a convenient excuse to blame the media for one's own mistakes, it shows a great lack of character, honesty and integrity. Republicans are suffering because they no long follow the morals that they once stood for, and I for one and enjoy watching their downward spiral.

[wmholt]

The Right controls the corporations - plain and simple.

[indypete]

Back to front... the corporations control the right.

[wrabbitt]

Maybe we can get George W. Bush's wife to run for office! After all she's been getting screwed by "W" longer than we the people have. I am sure her experience as first lady will count towards the presidency, Doesn't she sit in every meeting with the president like Hillary did with Bill? And i am pretty sure she hasn't taken lobbyist bribes. and just because she hasn't been shot at in Bosnia by phantom snipers, or brought China to its knees,or single handedly brokered peace in Ireland. Don't mean her values have been compromised by a husband no on can trust. ! Does her reverend say bad things too?

[NoeR]

I'll try again! Prosecute these people who have put this country in peril. Prosecute all of them. There are mechanisms in the U. S. Constitution that provide for this. All we need is the cojones.

There is no paradox. There is only failure to correct.

[awcbuddy8]

What mechanisms are those? Bush hasn't done anything.

[ScooterLiddy]

He committed fraud on the American people, dunce.

[JonathanDS2U]

What kind of chumps do you take us for? Politics is great television, in fact it almost feels like we're watching something that's real, but this idea that we as a nation want to seriously unite and commit to a relationship with a leader, are you on the wrong page. Would one photograph of Dukakis looking stupid in an army tank have decided that year's presidential election if we were serious about a relationship with a leader? It's all supposed to be one endless flirtation, a TV show we watch but don't subjugate our lives for. We'll walk Obama around the block like a dog that's been indoors all day, but come election time, forget it, he's too serious about it all. And no matter how melodramatically straight-faced the right-wingers may be, they've been on to this game for years.

[wilburbudd]

It's that way , because the "right" never lets ANYONEelse get in a word edge-wise. And when someone DOES manage to slip in a syllable or two here or there, the neo-cons instantly begin shouting over, under and through everything you say, and poo-poo anything out of ahand, without thinking, so nobody gets to hear an opposing view.
They, the ignorant neo-christian right side of the blowhole, also love to simply change the subject, in mid-sentence, yelling in your face all the while, demanding attention to their blather about burning a damn flag over 2million homeless, one milllion starving, and half a million people dying everyday, from causes the "religeous right" started in the first place. They do this -- they HAVE to do this -- because they know once the people of this country find out truly what's going on, "the powers that be," as it were, WILL BE LYNCHED. Without trial. And they know it, as sure as God sits in his Heaven and all is right with the World.

[ChiMan1]

talk about ,so '20 MINUTES AGO"! move on

[Dajo]

The reality is that it only appears that the right is setting the agenda because the Main Media is right wing.
Truth is most Americans don't support the right wing agenda.

[awcbuddy8]

Wrong, wrong, wrong...wrong, wrong.

Americans want:
-God
-little government
-low taxes
-and to defeat the terrorists

It's really that simple.

[BlackWidowPilot]

Except that none of these points are in fact what the extremist Busheviks on the far right really want. What they demonstrably want on the basis of overwhelming empirical evidence is as follows:

- Social and political control exercised through heretical Dominionist dogma and televangelical fear mongering and xenophobia.

- no government oversight of the power elite and corporate interests

- no taxes on the power elite and corporations

- perpetual war with the "terrorists," with any convenietnt "they" or "them" to ensure endless distraction from their misrule and steady profits for the defense industries.

Red herrings again, "awcbuddy8."

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Bettysdad]

And you know this because you read someone's tattoo?

[realpolitic]

Awky, Americans can have all the God they want. Nothing is stopping you from going to church everyday, or twice a day, if you want.

The Bush warmongering efforts are creating more terrorists than we can ever kill. So many in the intelligence community have stated that this war against national entities is the wrong approach when terrorism is an ideology.

Low taxes do not mean giving the wealthy a break, then borrowing massively from China to support foreign meaningless wars.

I want effective government. The Bush administration is the most inept in history, so whatever we have to do to change how this government works is OK by me.

[NoeR]

I am part of the choir here and agree with what you say but believe you did not say enough. I am in favor of prosecuting all the evil-doers in this administration, Congress, and the Supreme Court. The reason there is a disconnect is heretofore there has been no repayment to society for the damage done to it by these individuals. In theory, if a person murders, that person goes through the legal system and is executed. None of these people even remotely consider that they might have to face the consequences of their actions. Dick Cheney, for instance, is going to retire in Dubai along with Halliburton and live luxuriously in filthy luchre for the rest of his life. There are mechanisms built into American law to put an end to the effects of this disconnect. It is up to Congress to start housecleaning. I will vote for and back any and all members of Congress who intend to do so. If this is not done massively and decisively, there will not be a house left. The right-wing termites will have destroyed it all.

[emmaco]

Love the name calling... "prosecuting all the evil-doers in this administration"....

What about all administrations? Your bias is clear, your logic is not.