Um. I Thought Those Regressive Right Wingers Thought Nixon Got Screwed and Was Such a Great Leader?
Just when you think the Republicans have reached the lowest possible depths of confusing, contradictory, if not blatantly hypocritical talking points, they find a way to dig just a little deeper in that hole. And starting late last week, they managed to set a brand new depth level.
But before I discuss the actual confusing, contradictory, if not blatantly hypocritical talking point, let me set the baseline. Now the name of this game is called American Partisan Politics. The main players are the Republican and the Democratic Parties. And one of the main differences between the two, as a purely tactical matter, is that the Republicans pathologically and repeatedly and sometimes verbatim accuse the Dems of,"Playing politics." Sometimes, however, they do it in a slightly more subtle way. And that is how they have been dealing with the Rush Limbaugh as Leader of the GOP ploy. They are not using that (to my mind just so stupid) verbatim charge, but they are, or were, sniping and whining about how and why the White House was paying so much attention to a,"Private Citizen." And let's face it. That is as obviously an idiotic bit of spin as the playing politics charge, as who does not know that Limbaugh happens to be the record holder for making obscene amounts of money by being, on the one hand, a professional,water carrier for the GOP, and as well, arch critic of the Dems?
But starting late last week, there is a new spin on this. Not only regarding the specific "Get Limbaugh," campaign, but rather based on the fact that the Obama White House is actually playing the game of politics, as if, um, well, that was what they as politicians are entitled to do, the Republicans are accusing Obama of being like Nixon.
Excuse me?
First I saw the vid of one chuckle head on O'Reilly, where they were talking about some great conspiracy, evoking the Nixon Dirty Tricksters. And it turns out, Limbaugh himself may have got the ball rolling. And most recently Michael Steele is using the same talking point. But here is where reality should kick-in and this delusional and dishonest comparison falls apart. And I will resort to one of my favorite techniques, and that is the artificial quote.
"Um. Ya. The Obama White House's treatment of it's critics, by criticizing them back, either directly or sarcastically, is the same as Richard Nixon's felonious, paranoid, reputation killing, and office breaking into, and psychiatrist's office breaking into, and campaign headquarters bugging, and lying about it to Federal Investigators, and Congress, generally trying to cover it up, and also, destroying evidence of such felonies and cover ups, as long as you ignore that the Obama White House's treatment of it's critics, so far, has only been to criticizing them back, either directly or sarcastically. It is only the Nixon White House that we know engaged in felonious, paranoid, reputation killing, and office breaking into, and psychiatrist's office breaking into, and campaign headquarters bugging, and lying about it to Federal Investigators, and Congress, generally trying to cover it up, and also, the destroying evidence of such felonies and cover ups."
Again, I know that an oft enough repeated lie, or line of bullshit can get so much traction or play that the lack of even borderline trustworthiness can be effectively overcome, sometimes. But the Republicans tactic of argument, where the attempt to cast things that are not similar at all, as similar things is particularly galling to me. I guess that is because I am particularly galled by blatant bullshit and lies. And if I might contradict myself, even if I can be momentarily surprised by the audacity of the Republican bullshit, when I am faced with the newest talking point, I know I should never be surprised how audacious they will get. It is like that scene in some movie I saw long ago, when the wife catches the husband right in the act with another woman, and the man says,"What are you going to believe? Me or your eyes?"
Ya. They are that audacious, and that full of bullshit.
But before I discuss the actual confusing, contradictory, if not blatantly hypocritical talking point, let me set the baseline. Now the name of this game is called American Partisan Politics. The main players are the Republican and the Democratic Parties. And one of the main differences between the two, as a purely tactical matter, is that the Republicans pathologically and repeatedly and sometimes verbatim accuse the Dems of,"Playing politics." Sometimes, however, they do it in a slightly more subtle way. And that is how they have been dealing with the Rush Limbaugh as Leader of the GOP ploy. They are not using that (to my mind just so stupid) verbatim charge, but they are, or were, sniping and whining about how and why the White House was paying so much attention to a,"Private Citizen." And let's face it. That is as obviously an idiotic bit of spin as the playing politics charge, as who does not know that Limbaugh happens to be the record holder for making obscene amounts of money by being, on the one hand, a professional,water carrier for the GOP, and as well, arch critic of the Dems?
But starting late last week, there is a new spin on this. Not only regarding the specific "Get Limbaugh," campaign, but rather based on the fact that the Obama White House is actually playing the game of politics, as if, um, well, that was what they as politicians are entitled to do, the Republicans are accusing Obama of being like Nixon.
Excuse me?
First I saw the vid of one chuckle head on O'Reilly, where they were talking about some great conspiracy, evoking the Nixon Dirty Tricksters. And it turns out, Limbaugh himself may have got the ball rolling. And most recently Michael Steele is using the same talking point. But here is where reality should kick-in and this delusional and dishonest comparison falls apart. And I will resort to one of my favorite techniques, and that is the artificial quote.
"Um. Ya. The Obama White House's treatment of it's critics, by criticizing them back, either directly or sarcastically, is the same as Richard Nixon's felonious, paranoid, reputation killing, and office breaking into, and psychiatrist's office breaking into, and campaign headquarters bugging, and lying about it to Federal Investigators, and Congress, generally trying to cover it up, and also, destroying evidence of such felonies and cover ups, as long as you ignore that the Obama White House's treatment of it's critics, so far, has only been to criticizing them back, either directly or sarcastically. It is only the Nixon White House that we know engaged in felonious, paranoid, reputation killing, and office breaking into, and psychiatrist's office breaking into, and campaign headquarters bugging, and lying about it to Federal Investigators, and Congress, generally trying to cover it up, and also, the destroying evidence of such felonies and cover ups."
Again, I know that an oft enough repeated lie, or line of bullshit can get so much traction or play that the lack of even borderline trustworthiness can be effectively overcome, sometimes. But the Republicans tactic of argument, where the attempt to cast things that are not similar at all, as similar things is particularly galling to me. I guess that is because I am particularly galled by blatant bullshit and lies. And if I might contradict myself, even if I can be momentarily surprised by the audacity of the Republican bullshit, when I am faced with the newest talking point, I know I should never be surprised how audacious they will get. It is like that scene in some movie I saw long ago, when the wife catches the husband right in the act with another woman, and the man says,"What are you going to believe? Me or your eyes?"
Ya. They are that audacious, and that full of bullshit.
posted by Abstentus at 4:23 PM
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