Roger Ailes didn't so much as take a page from Lee Atwater's book as Andy Kaufman's.
It's the most hilarious show in town: the rhetorical gymnastics executed by the Right, taking every hard-fought victory for the United States after decades of reputation-destroying policy failures and outrageously unhinged attitude and twisting, hammering, chopping and screwing them into the feel-bad fabrications about that "evil other" Barack Obama.
Bin Laden's been gone, Qaddafi's ka-dead, and the Arab Spring's been sprung; the unjustly motivated war in Iraq slated to be over; the American people are aroused and assembling. And yet the corporate media is taking the same sought-for outcomes which have wildly eluded the Right and reconstituting them into their kooky contrivances, constructing their alternate realities at odds with what is actually happening in the streets and in the people's houses that line them.
And the comedy continues. Yes, despite real foreign policy victories resulting from direct US intervention or the genius of "leading from behind," achieving goals with uncharacteristically minimal muss and fuss (events that Fox News would have celebrated with a Sousaesque mixture of drenched pants and Old Glory pyrotechnics) the message they transmit is, let's say, somewhat less than positive. They blame Obama for his inability to fix the economy while actively preventing him from doing so. Ba-DUM-bum!
And as the joke is becoming ever more clear and the laughs are starting to come faster and louder, those chosen by the Right to shepherd the next chapter of their Assault On America are reacting to their audience's restlessness and slipping in puddles of their own flowing flop-sweat: Rick Santorum dedicating his life to dragging the country back to a time when people wore big buckles on their hats; Herman Cain giving CEO's even a worse name than they already have; Mitt stuffing his suit with whatever fluff he happens to be standing in at the time; Rick Perry about to go full birther; Michelle Bachmann unable to hide her love of wild-eyed fundamentalism; the now painfully obvious abortion fetish and the glorification of Ayn Rand's malignant, narcissistic sociopathy which permeates all dyed-in-the-wool GOPers; and -- of course -- the relentlessly reflexive kneecapping from the FOX folks and related fiends. It's sedition as vaudeville.
The scale of Right Wing sociopolitical sabotage necessitates a Nuremberg-scale trial for all the corporate agents and treasonous capitalisto-fascist architects of our democracy's current and most pressing misery. From the blatant Republican policy doublespeak emanating from think-tank sponsored word doctors to the outright obstruction and lies expectorated by Republican congressional representatives and senators, the very concept of governance can only be considered once the culprits are removed. Driven to real madness by unadulterated greed they have embraced an ideology, the success of which hinges upon the very ruin of this nation.
But the real joke is that these guys just plain suck at making people laugh except by accident. And the irony is that all these greed-saturated corporate brainiacs should know that you can make as much money -- more, even! WOW! -- by raising people's consciousnesses and expanding their intellects, by inspiring hope and creativity and extolling the virtues of humility and mercy and thrift and cooperation, rather than constantly using obsolete, dumb ass bully tactics to make their money.
But no. It's easier to batter the audience than lift 'em up. It is to laugh.
Follow Steven Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheStevenWeber
"because Democrats see it as some insidious act on the part of Republicans to undermine their voter base"
"unlikely", You tell me, how would you view it if you were on the Democrats side?
In one years time, the Supreme Court declared "unlimited contributions" in support of "issues" (even to the extent that an "issue" implies support for a specific Candidate) to be Constitutional. Multiple States have launched an assault on "Collective Bargaining" (thereby undermining Unions) and multiple States have launched an assault on voter registration, early voting, and imposed "requirements" that previously were non-existent, to "allow" individuals to vote.
Do you think that this confluence of changes, all of which will disproportionately effect traditional Democratic Voting blocks, are simply "coincidence"?
They've also deemed these groups unable to obtain $5 photo IDs.
Oversimplification.
I'd suggest you do a bit more research. The $5 cost is hardly the issue. Dig a little deeper and you will find that their is a litany of forms and documents required to obtain the "I D" (none of which, btw, would be considered "acceptable proof" at the voting poll on voting day); many of the States which now require the ID be issued by a Government office have also reduced the number of offices and/or the hours those offices operate; and many of those States are not providing clear guidance to those who do not have ID's on how to obtain them.
Ah yes, the "voter fraud" claim. You do realize that there have been multiple attempts, by both the right and the left, to prove these claims of "voter fraud", and that they have never amounted to even 1% of the total vote in any election, for exactly the reason you cited " all this technology", which makes it nearly impossible to commit "voter fraud". Most "proven" cases have been people who accidentally voted at the wrong polling station, or who mistakenly violated some other minor rule (failure to register a new address or some other trivial matter) which the new proposals will have no effect on. The "deceased and duplicate" votes are miniscule at best, if they exist at all.
Are you seriously going to suggest that this would warrant making changes that may effect over 5 Million voters?
"We putter around until our 90's, voting Republican with our photo ID's or whatever else is required."
Good for you, and you genes! Seriously, it must be wonderful to know you come from good genetic stock.
The other thing about Reagen is that he also began the HUGE stimulus plan known as the U.S. Military. Reagen grew the Military at an unprecedented rate, while he simultaneously cut the tax-rate (and subsequently revenue). How did he accomplish this? Check out what happened to the DEBT during his administration. After his massive build-up of the Military (which helped lower the unemployment rate during his term) Bush was basically "set-up for failure" by virtue of the fall of the USSR, which precipitated the "draw-down" of the Military, which nearly brought us to double-digit unemployment in spite of his best efforts to demonstrate the need for keeping a large Military.
A call for serious, large scale, in depth investigations, IS NOT a call for PROSECUTION in and of itself. An investigation is called for when their is EVIDENCE that crimes have been committed, but their is insufficient knowledge of WHO actually engaged in CRIMINAL ACTS. Only AFTER investigating, can "names" be presented, and "crimes" be charged, based upon the "evidence" acquired through the INVESTIGATION.
Are you actually suggesting that you do not believe that "no laws were broken"?
Are you actually suggesting that the economy simply collapsed of its own weight? That all the money that transferred from Pension Funds, Private Individuals and Communities, and went into the hands of the BANKS was just the result of the "natural order of commerce"?
Seriously?
I'm not saying no laws were broken. I'm saying PROVE which laws were broken, and by whom. Charges duly issued and signed by an officer of the court - districty attorney, etc. - and presented to the judge. That's where the rubber meets the road, as it's been said. The article by Steven Weber did not do that. That's why I responded.
To be clear, Mr. Weber believes that we will only have good government when the Republican Senators and Republican House majority elected in 2010, together with right of center public media figures who make statements of which Mr. Weber does not approve ("the culprits") are removed, some of which will presumably be executed for these "crimes?" Correct?
I just want to be clear that what is being advocated here is the criminalization of opposing parties and political speech, no?
To be clear, those who are engaged in the OWS movement, your fellow citizens, are being brutalized by Police officers who are being provided "cover" by the Bankers being protested against. Those actions (of the Police) are being "cheered" by many of the "right wing" politicians and their supporters, and THEY (elected officials, which Mr. Weber is not) are calling for mass arrests and detentions for CITIZENS who are simply exercising their Constitutional RIGHTS!
Are we clear now?
Your paranoid fear of Socialism notwithstanding, do you think it is such a threat that we should cease our alliance with all the Socialist Democracies (many of whom are fairing far better than us during this current World Wide economic crisis)?
Should we station our Military on our Northern Border to keep out the Socialist Canadian hordes?
Should we "cut ties" with the U.K.? Germany? Belgium? France?
Perhaps you can ponder this at your next "wine tasting".
Big government, left or right wing, is bad government. They should all be arrested for violating our rights.
Just so you know where to start:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-25/obama-wrote-5-fewer-rules-than-bush-while-costing-business.html
A fair question to ask is; at what point does our willingness to allow them to take certain actions imply consent? We've been "watching" them engage in actions that have been detrimental to the Nation for DECADES. Where would YOU start in determining WHO should be arrested?
It would be funny if it were funny. But they even have "moderates" complain the real enemy are women on welfare and Immigrants. They took ALL our money, homes, freedoms...obviously. Genius's I tell ya, genius's!
You definitely come across as a wild-eyed guy who doesn't want anyone to disagree with you. Socialism has yet to match capitalism, even with all its warts and flaws. And it won't. It's a totally messed up concept, in my opinion. I get the whole "there should never be poor people" thing, but I don't think that warrants a total "everyone has to be equally miserable" approach.
Nothing more and nothing less.
My point was that many people, commentors, report on and analyze these current GOP presidential candidates as if what they are doingand saying is happening in a vacuum; without GOP voters as part of the equation. When commentors here and on TV and radio do that (only acknowledge one side of the equation) their analysis is basically worthless.
Pretending that GOP voters will be repelled by the awful things GOP pols say and do is setting up a fantasy scenario that does nobody any good.
Did you "vote for" them to disenfranchise legal voters? Did you "vote for" them to strip Collective Bargaining rights? Did you "vote for" them to pass multiple, redundant laws against abortion? Did you "vote for" them to reduce the number of Teachers, Firefighters, Law Enforcement personnel?
How many "voters" elected these representatives on the basis that they PROMISED to make "JOBS" their number 1 priority? How many of them are fulfilling that PROMISE?
Sitting at home watching the debates and the follow on interviews, come on, they really can’t believe that a majority of Americans would fall for all the nonsense.
They are just trying to cheer us up during hard times.
"Galaxy Quest."
A hilarious "Star Trek" satire of an alien race called "Thermians," who come to our planet in search of someone to save them from a terrorist bent on annihilating their species.
These "Thermians," are technologically advanced, but with no concept of fiction. All they know of the Earth, is from TV broadcasts. They think "Gilligan's Island" is a real drama involving "those poor people," and that Tim Allen's old "Galaxy Quest" TV character, Star Ship Captain, Jason Nesmith, can save them.
Those "Thermians" kind of remind me of the Tea Party. They've only been exposed to TV broadcasts, that give them a highly distorted conception of reality. They believe, because of those broadcast's distortions, that a parade of truly bad comedic actors portraying themselves as actual leaders reading from a really bad script, will somehow save them from "the terrorist."
I especially love the device from the movie called an "Appearance Generator." A device designed to make one appear human.
Of course, after really botching things up, Tim Allen and his fake star ship crew finally manage to fix things in spite of their incompetence. But that's Hollywood.
In cold reality, ignorance based on propaganda and false information, always, ALWAYS, comes to no good end.
Let's hope most voters in our beleaguered nation, recognize TV and radio fiction for what it is, and cast aside those engaging in using "Appearance Generators."
Please teach us great enlightened one.
Do I have to explain it's about the people who come to blogs like this one, spouting false "history," and contorted "facts," supplied to them by those who wish to see those very people stripped of benefits like Social Security and Medicare? The folks who are allowing that ONE source of info, to convince them to be aiders and abettors their in own economic destruction?
The folks who go to a Republican debate, and applaud death and unemployment? Who boo and hiss at an active soldier in Iraq, because he is gay?
You didn't get that, my "great enlightened one?"
Socrates was considered to be "the wisest man of his time" because he "knew what he didn't know".
Sometimes the "simplest" of acts is actually the most difficult to engage in. Your modesty is unwarranted. ;-)
The Century of the Self
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyPzGUsYyKM
Nearly 4 hours long, but worth the time. If you don't want to watch it all in one chunk, youtube has it broken in to segments as well.