"The process [of mass-media deception] has to be conscious, or it would not be carried out with sufficient precision, but it also has to be unconscious, or it would bring with it a feeling of falsity and hence of guilt.... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies - all this is indispensably necessary.": George Orwell
...in the book 1984
achel Maddow, on her MSNBC show the other day, did a stunning read out of the hypocrisy of Republican politicians in DC. To a man, these Republicans have knocked and opposed the president, voted against him and his stimulus package, and then grabbed the money and took it home and garnered the honors as heroes. Maddow didn't go so far as to dredge up the R word as the driving factor, but it was present as a malevolent spirit on Ghost Hunters.
Not only is RACISM the main issue driving Republican Politician's Bad Behavior but they feel free to be Quite Blatant About It, because they see that the public, that is, their conservative white constituency, likes what they are doing! Not giving Obama a break is how they will get re-elected. Their constituency admires their unreasonable racist attitude! Admires it a lot! Sees it as a GOOD THING. Joe Wilson received a very large amount of money in his campaign war chest the morning after his stupid outburst. Obviously, his constituents, and even his non-constituency from around the States were delighted with his disgraceful behavior. He had openly insulted Obama! Translation: He had put the "uppity Niggra" in his place.
Republicans have seen that if they can just keep on bad mouthing this administration--- as the liberals did to Bush/Cheney, (doesn't matter that Bush really was as bad as liberals said he was; worse, probably) they know that eventually the larger public will finally begin to see Obama as truly bad and unworthy of re-election.
That's a winning strategy! And they are not feigning their distaste for Obama! He actually makes their Racist stomachs turn.
But, you might cry out, not only is this perversity, but what they're doing is not good for the country!
Yeah.
Yawn.
Big effin' deal!
As we saw during the Bush/Cheney 2004 elections, Republican voters could not and would not listen to reason. Instead, they showed that they are justly famous for voting against their own best interest. In fact, they flaunted it. When confronted with this little glitch in reason and logic, their usual response was and still is, "I am not a one issue voter."
In reality, that is not true. They are one issue voters. Progressives can't imagine it, because the one issue is Racism. Much as the conservatives want to deny it, they secretly stick with it.
The authoritarian Conservative voters love their politicians for their Bad Boy-ness.
That is why the Tea Baggers appeared to be stupid, low-information voters. They embrace their stupid and low-information selves. They don't want to be smart and they don't want to be well informed.
That's what liberals do!
Libs are smart and well informed.
That isn't what these voters want.
What the Republicans want is this: they wanna HATE OBAMA because it makes them feel good. And they want their pols to act out their hatred.
What Progressives forget to their peril, is that Authoritarians are impervious to reason or logic, they prefer to march in lockstep, they worship Bad Boys, clinically known as dominators; they are always either looking for somebody to look down on, or up to; and those who strive to be just and equitable, to search for wisdom--- are seen as nice guys; therefore, to be despised.♦
- Half a truth is often a great lie: Benjamin Franklin
- "The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly...it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.": Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister
- Like the effect of advertising upon the customer, the methods of political propaganda tend to increase the feeling of insignificance of the individual voter: Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst and social philosopher, 1900-1980