The GOP Strategy: Operation Monkeyshit

The current debate over health care has nothing to do with health care, any more than the TARP debate was about the economy. This is about one thing and one thing only: the GOP's apoplexy over losing power, and their pathological desire to get it back. They despise Obama's popularity, they detest his intelligence, his compassion, even the smile on his face. This is 21st-century Clinton hatred with a side order of racial resentment. Thinking there was ever any chance at bi-partisanship was as reality-challenged as picking up a rattlesnake thinking you could tame it as a house pet.

The GOP's goal from the second the president took office was to bring him down. Their strategy: Operation Monkeyshit. Just like a monkey in the zoo will wildly fling his shit at tourists, the GOP started flinging their shit with the sole intention of diminishing the president's popularity, tarnishing his image, and hurting his brand, all to lay the groundwork for the 2010 midterms and 2012 presidential elections. Tea parties. "Mortgaging our children's future." "The TARP didn't work." "Death panels." "Killing grandma." Birthers. "He's going to take your guns and house terrorists in your neighborhood." "He's weakening the country." "He's going to give Bin Laden the keys to your city where he will take your job and sleep with your daughter."

Now it's the professional tailgaters in town halls holding Hitler signs, screaming about Fascism and Socialism -- as if they could either define those ideas, or spell them. It's Rove 101. Take your opponent's biggest strength and turn it into a weakness. John Kerry the veteran fabricated his injuries. Obama is Hitler.

Of course it's insane, but getting out the hicks provides the sound bites for the party's media flacks and congressional representatives to hit the talk shows and smugly fob off these contrivances as spontaneous expressions of national outrage, as opposed to insurance- and drug company-created street theater. As if a few hundred illiterate screamers in a nation of several hundred million constituted a popular uprising. People with legitimate concerns don't reach for Hitler signs and mob chants as if the increased volume gave them some sort of collective higher intelligence. These are not outraged citizens. These are the great unwashed with too much free time on their hands, and access to their children's crayons.

The GOP has no platform. They don't care about the economy, unemployment, jobs, the deficit, the wars, or their cost either in dollars or human life. Just witness their current leader -- Mr. Potato Head look-alike, Michael Steele -- and his reaction to a woman in a wheelchair talking about her medical horror story. His response was pure Republicanism: disdain in the face of human suffering.

All these people care about is regaining power by diminishing the president's image, and defeating his every initiative. And to accomplish that they will throw all the shit they have to. The health care debate is just the latest venue. But unless the president calls them out and takes them down in his speech to Congress, the shit-flinging will continue. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out too many times, historically, Democrats just don't know how to fight. They think this is a dinner party discussion, faculty mixer, or a robust exchange at a debating society, where your opponent is the "loyal opposition." This is not a debate. It's not a salon. It's a street fight.

Case in point: Dr. Ezekial Emanuel, recently replying to Palin's comment tying him in to "Obama's death panels" saying: "there's no basis for that claim either in any of my writings or the legislation. It has no grounds in reality. It's surreal and Orwellian, the idea that this legislation or my writings suggest that her son Trig shouldn't get health care."

His comment was eloquent. Passionate. And filled with the appropriate moral outrage. But "surreal," and "Orwellian" are lost on the people who need to get the message. All Democrats, up to and including the President, have got to begin using the right words: these are lies. They're not "gross exaggerations," "myths," "fantasies," "fabrications," or "hyperbole." They're lies. Lies so sinister that they've got the very people who might benefit from universal health care carrying signs and screaming what is essentially: "Don't help us! Don't give us choices! Let us suffer and die the way we were meant to - poor, destitute, and being denied coverage from our insurance companies!" (As a side note the town hall screamers, heed the sage advice of Dean Wormer: "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life.")

The glow of last November's victory faded before anyone could get too intoxicated over a Democratic mandate, or lost in the illusion that the GOP was going to roll over and die. Sure, they lost, but only because they were sunk by the weight of their own incompetence as the economy careened toward a meltdown and McCain took out his trusty revolver and repeatedly shot himself in the foot. He tried the flag-waving bullshit: "The state of our economy is strong." Didn't work. He tried the patriot game: "I'm suspending my campaign for the good of the country." Didn't work. He stunt-casted a GOP MILF and smirky, ambitious moron as his running mate. Worked for a second with a post-convention bump, then ran aground in the wake of her profound stupidity. Obama's victory was directly proportional to McCain's implosion. These people won't make the same mistake twice.

To the blue dogs in the Senate and the progressives in the House: Start working on intra-party bi-partisanship. Get united, and start kicking the GOP in the teeth. Get mean. Get ruthless. Twist their arms or break their kneecaps for the good of the country. They want to slit their wrists, hand them the knife. Beat them senseless with the best bill you can get. Do it in the memory of Ted Kennedy, but with the balls of Lyndon Johnson. What's the point of gaining power if you don't know how to wield it? Not every Republican great white hopeful is going to get busted with an Argentinian mistress. Get it together, now. Unless anyone's in the mood for President Romney. Or President Bachman.

Comments

[genia]

Why is this awsome blog hidden somewhere where it can't be found and seen?
I had to pull it up using my history.
What's wrong... not quite part of the agenda?

[Kateyras]

It's true. They are just nowhere near ruthless enough. It is sad that it has come to this, but it is true. The Republicans are absolutely without a shred of decency, so the Democrats need to step up to the plate and protect America against them. We voted them in, and we expect them to do the job. QUIT all the infighting - Pelosi, that means YOU. Somehow you got the idea that all the work of all the people to get democrats elected means you can piss it all away on the far left ideology. NO. Can't we have a vote or something and get a House Leader who knows how to lead? Geez.

[timberdoodle]

This is one of most precise and truthful articles on the entire mess of American society. When people can be incited into screaming and acting childish against their own best interests then the administration has to deal with them like they would a child.

The only thing that wasn't covered in this article is the strong probability much of the hate, bigotry and lies being espoused by the right wing fanatics is to incite someone on the fringe into violent behavior.

[vicyahoo]

Wow Ian, just how I've always felt about Democrats; WIMPS. No one could have put this better than you did. Democrats have to learn to be street fighters; they have to learn that Republicans are feel as if the Presidency is their bithright, and everytime they loose it, they pull out all the stops; they are thugs and Democrats must confront them as such. Thanks again Ian.

[sandpiper1]

Great article Ian....one of the best I've read todate. Please email it to the WH. The Democrats should have had a plan from day one to rebut the distortions, manipulations and outright lies of the Rethuglicans, they fell asleep at the wheel. One would think they would know the Rethuglicans' playbook by now based on their history and develop strategies to confront them.

[Schalaine]

I think the country saw the absolute crazies come out to play in August. I think Obama knew exactly what would happen. He gave them a month to throw their best at him. Their best includes socialized medicine, death panels, killing granny, etc. The absolute craziness of their arguments will resonate with 20% of the American public. The other 80% will listen to reason. And starting with the Address to Congress, the townhall in Minn. today and a televised interview tomorrow night, the voice of reason will resonate loudly and clearly. That voice of course is our President. He really appears to be the only adult in the room. That is really not a bad position to be in. Don't lose faith. Change has come to Washington.

[afgail]

If Obama abandons the public option he will be kissing off two generations of middle class Americans who got poorer while witnessing the most massive transfer of wealth to the top 5% of the population. The lament that we can't afford it is baloney. Just tax the richest Americans. They have done incredibly well and now it's time for them to give a little bit back.

[afgail]

If Obama can not deliver on the public option it will definitley be his Waterloo. On this I agree with the GOP.

[afgail]

To make progress in this country we have always been obliged to ignore the defenders of the status quo. This is the one overarching lesson Obama has failedto recognize. His search for bipartisanship is a fools errand. He took his eye off the prize.

[afgail]

Forget the Republicans. The wingnuts are the unwitting shock troops of the entrenched status quo. The real problem is the Blue Dog Democrats the senate. If Obama doesn't direct Rahm to beat them into submission then he can watch his presidency go glug-glug down the porceline bowl. It has always been the case that for this nation to make progress we are obliged to ignore the defenders of the status quo. It's no different for the public option.

[Kateyras]

You are just too hung up on this public option thing. Seriously, we can get a lot of reform without going there. Then in a year or so, we re-name the blasted thing, like we should have done already, call it Medicare II, for the terminally uninsured, and pass it then. Geez, you people are just not too good at this governing thing, are you? Have you ever studied the Civil Rights legislation? Read Rep Clyburn's article. It was done in several steps, and it worked. Skip the public option for now, go back for it later.

[ObamanextPresident]

Thank you Ian, that was perfect and powerful! I'm a new fan.

Bill Moyers said very much the same thing tonight in his closing remarks. If you missed it......

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2009/09/bill_moyers_on_obamas_moment.html

And this helps too.....

http://punditkitchen.com/2009/01/20/political-pictures-barack-obama-chill-out-got-this/

[sippewissett]

BRAVO. This article is right on the money on all counts! But if we don't get off our backsides, we will deserve the prediction section of it.

[worldview47]

so Ian, how come you are not afraid to write this article, but your other Professional media types are sitting around mouthing nonsense instead of having the balls to actually go find facts and report it?

[JoeCoffee]

I really appreciated this piece. Sometimes, I admit, I'm just dumbfounded by the behavior, the logic, the self-destr­uctiveness of this segment of our democracy that receives way too much media attention. The Monkeyshit Principle explains it as well as anything I've heard. Thanks for giving me back some of my sanity.

[monahb]

I agree with the comment that the President has reached out to the other side but the Republicans have proved they are about as intelligent as a school yard bully upset that he lost the game. Hopefully he will give up on them and do what he was elected to do. You can't bargain with anyone whose idea of a bargain is doing only what he or she wants.

Also I hope he reminds the blue dog democrats that the republicans will support one of their own and not a conservative democrat in the 2010 elections so they had better remember who they have to fight.

[heartsick]

Love this article. It is just what the doctor ordered for the Democrats. I hope they will take the pill of enlightenment. My problem with Democrats is they don't know how to play follow the leader. They all want to be leaders at the same time. They end up slitting the wrist of the Party in pursuit of their individual chance at stardom. For that reason, I can't stand half of them.

[zendem1]

Excellent work Ian. Only it won't be President Romney. It will be President Bush.

[monahb]

I agree. Great analysis.