Over on his blog, Whatever, John Scalzi does an interesting analysis of just what Obama is doing with FOX News. I’m heartened by the idea that he’s playing the GOP in their own game of unfitness-by-association-with-a-label and winning, especially when it doesn’t actually appear that that’s what he’s doing.
You would think that the bloviations of such methane-rich mineral deposits like Rush Limbaugh would long since have caused people who might have basked in the eerie swamp-glow of Republican ascendancy to hide themselves from public view, but instead they are forming ranks. If Scalzi’s take is correct, they are simply moving into their own corner, isolating themselves, and making it easy to identify them. Those with any brains have begun to distance themselves, and the more FOX bleats about Obama This and Obama That the less sane they all look.
Still, the hard core of the GOP is still driven by ideologues who have a hard time understanding that not only are there other viewpoints but that some of them might make sense. Since that ideology is but a short space away from a belief that whether any other viewpoint makes sense or not it doesn’t matter because Jesus is coming back “real soon now,” they are utterly hamstrung. For years some of them have surely known that they needed to get rid of that wing of the party, but they couldn’t do it without sacrificing seats in Congress. Now they’ll be forced to not only rid themselves of that, but also disavow their cheerleading section. It will be a long road to recovery, but once they admit they are no longer in control of their own lives, that a higher power must be appealed to, that they have to turn this around one step at a time, we should then stop picking on them.
In the meantime, may I suggest no quarter. But let us not get ugly about it. Let’s take a page from our president and gut them with style.
Mark,
Apparently you and Obama would like to write conservatives off as stupid and delusional, due to disagreement with their views, perpsectives, and the religious beliefs held by some.
Apparently, while the founding fathers used to participate in discourse and debate, Obama has now reduced the process of leading the nation to "gutting with style."
The emperor really does have no clothes.
Obama's tendency to marginalize the views of roughly half of the poplulation is a far cry from leadership, inspiration, or hope. It is hardly inclusive. He is no great uniter.
At least George Bush didn't demean the Presidency by whining about MTV, BET, or NPR.
By the way, why do you give a rip if someone wants to pray to a higher being for comfort in coping with the stressors of their daily life? Is it any more "normal" to take antidepressants or to utilize the services of mental health professionals?
Maybe after Obama shuts down Fox he can ax the Catholic Channel and the tele-evangelists. That would be gutting with style too, I guess. Just a bunch of dumb Jesus lovers clinging to their guns. They are all too stupid to enjoy First Amendment protection, I guess.
I don't know if this fact really ties into this argument, but it's interesting to note that in 2006, the average age of a viewer of Bill O'Reilly was 71. That's rather amazing. It also means that if these are essentially the same people who will be sticking with O'Reilly, they will average even older by the next presidential election, though they won't average 77, because presumably many of them will be dying of old age. http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/cenk/38971/
I am aware, too, that FOX is much bigger than O'Reilly, though he is one of their flagship personalities.
Sarah: You mean the George W Bush who was busy calling reporters "Major League Assholes", (http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/bushcuss.asp), you mean Bush who would not allow ANY questions that were not screened during the build up to the Iraq war, you mean W who would not answer questions to reporters who were not friendly to his views?
As for this ignorant remark, "Maybe after Obama shuts down Fox he can ax the Catholic Channel and the tele-evangelists. That would be gutting with style too, I guess. Just a bunch of dumb Jesus lovers clinging to their guns. They are all too stupid to enjoy First Amendment protection, I guess."
1. When/how much money do you want to bet? I will happily wager that Obama will NEVER shut down fox news within ANY time frame you want, so now go on and backtrack and say how that is not what you meant.
2. First Amendment? Who said you CAN'T say what you're saying? Just cause you can't understand why your beliefs are being ridiculed is no reason to think that the "first amendment" is under assault, quite the opposite.
"Apparently, while the founding fathers used to participate in discourse and debate, Obama has now reduced the process of leading the nation to “gutting with style.”"
If you think that their has EVER been a presidency that did not involve polemics, mudslinging and muckraking you don't know squat about your own history. Funny, the only people who ever bring up the forefathers are people who have never read their letters and can only hurl quotes out of context that they do not understand, basically, the cartoon version of the forefathers.
Sarah,
The conservative movement, particularly as exemplified by so-called Neocons, marginalized Liberals a long time ago and whenever someone raised a point they disagreed with they fought back by labeling the speaker a Liberal—and it worked, because Neocons established the definition. Obama is giving them back what they've been dishing out.
I actually don't think most conservatives are stupid—stupid is the wrong word—but those who are in control of the GOP rely on the support of people who seem to think Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck speak the gospel, which is a good indication of at least a willful suspension of critical judgment if not downright loss of intellectual ability.
As to why I care about people praying to a higher power…I don't, if that's all there is to it. But when laws are advocated based on 2000 year old writings and my rights and privileges are threatened because someone believes we're all going to go up in a blaze of glory when a figment of their imagination returns, then I very much give a shit.
Bush did marginalize the media. For nearly six years he got very little negative coverage, because he had bullied reporters, ignored others, and generally lied his ass off to the rest, and only gave significant interviews to the chosen. For nearly the first four years, if you'll recall, he didn't even give press conferences—period. He and his administration were very much anti-media. If the media had had more spine, we might not be in the mess we're in today, which I blame them for, not Bush.
But tit for tat always hurts when it comes in the other direction.
But for the record, how "stupid" do people have to be when the GOP has stood for—
—the wholesale transfer of wealth from the general public to a smaller sliver of the wealthy—
—the total nonrecognition of global warming—
—the "benefit" of allowing jobs to bleed out of the country—
—a nearly blind adherence to economic policies based on Ayn Rand's ideas—
—a persistent refusal to look at the facts underlying the need for health care reform—
—an almost criminal neglect of infrastructure across the country—
—the notion that someone like Sarah Palin could possibly represent a viable option for the presidency…
It goes on and on. The double standards over ethics and morality as exemplified by the list of GOP politicians caught in sex scandals (and yes I know Dems have also been guilty of this, but it has been the Republicans who have made such a monumental issue out of Family Values) and the financial "arrangements" with lobbyists have only shown that the only thing this party as it currently exists cares about is making sure all privileges flow to them and their immediate constituency, who are people who honestly don't need their help.
Come on, Sarah, you can't honestly tell me you think these people aren't bozos of the worst sort.
Or maybe you can. Hmm.
Mark:
I agree with your list of symptoms of the right wing of the Republican party. You list largely overlaps with this list: http://dangerousintersection.org/2009/10/05/the-m…