It is a little difficult for me to believe. It is even harder for me to stomach. But it seems the Republicans have won or are winning the propaganda war in their fight against health care reform. What really upsets me is that the national media, not all, but specifically the cable news networks, have helped deliver the public opinion against the Obama administration’s attempts.
The cable news managers and other media jumping like trained dogs whenever a disruptive town hall is near will repeat that old journalistic saw: “If we piss off the right and the left, we must be doing something right.”
Well in this particular instance, you aren’t really pissing off the right.
The “Washington Post’s” E.J. Dionne, a liberal leaning columnist, reports a particularly telling encounter with a network TV stringer at a recent town hall. The freelancer tells Dionne quite frankly that if the meeting doesn’t “blow up,” then their piece doesn’t see the air.
So, if the Republican minority defeats health care reform or forces a “reform lite,” then the party can sit back and celebrate. Perhaps the GOP can then go forward with a bit more confidence and calmly plan a takeover of Congress during the midterms. Right?
Oh they will go forward. But calm doesn’t seem like the strategy.
One goes with what works. The screaming and anger and incoherence which makes people hate the thought of government health care while loving their Medicare, all of which has been accomplished through millions in Republican money and clever brainwashing will not stop.
And as long as the media — cable news especially — have what they believe to be a simple crowd pleaser such as screaming, angry, incoherent and often ignorant citizens riled up against a cause, that too will continue. Remember car chases covered by helicopters?
Where will it all end or will it end? Maybe it won’t. Perhaps it is just beginning or has been under way for some time. Think back to the previous administration and some of the techniques used today by those pulling strings behind the health care opposition.
One may see certain characteristics which were similar in style to those of a infamous autocratic leader. That leader’s psychological profile by an early U.S. intelligence agency reported:
“His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.”
The leader, of course, was Adolf Hitler. Yes, say the right-wingers, it always comes down to Hitler. Well, yes, or Joseph Goebbels. Remember the book burning, or Kristallnacht? Such incredible media manipulation by very inferior little men.
What one sees in all the screaming and hate, besides the ignorance and the failure of some the American education system, is people with gigantic chips on their shoulders. Some may have material wealth. Some may even claim spiritual wealth. But somewhere in that same American system that many of us so cherish, that is so cherishable, is left a gap.
It is a gap where humility is missing as is understanding. Sure, we help our neighbor when their house burns down. But if that neighbor looks a little differerent or has a little different lifestyle, well, sorry we have things to do this weekend. We can’t rebuild your house.
Wealth has made our nation great. But prosperity has also poisoned some with greed.
In the end, what do we have? We have ignorance, anger, a lack of humility and greed. We don’t want to pay taxes. We want a strong military that will nuke every little tinhorn country at the drop of a hat. We don’t want to pay taxes. We have compassion, unless it is for someone whom we think based on a whim doesn’t deserve it. We don’t want to pay taxes. We hate government, especially the federal government. But we want our military marching down the street looking sharp, shooting at any illegal coming across the border. We hate the government. We like our military pensions and VA pensions and benefits. We don’t want to pay taxes.
So perhaps I have strayed from my original thesis that the Republicans have developed a well-oiled propaganda machine that in some respects reflect those from Germany in the 1940s.
More important is to recognize that some of our quirks and characteristics are ripe for carrying that propaganda machine way beyond defeating “Obama Care.”
If that happens, can anyone say: Goebbels?
But while the storied law enforcement unit — more accurately the investigative arm of the Texas Department of Public Safety — might make for a good movie some wonder how well they will fare against banditos who don’t even pass their way?
Gov. Rick “No One Has Hair As Pretty As Mine” Perry has ordered a special task force of Texas Rangers to the Texas-Mexico border. The governor has also asked President Obama for more National Guard soldiers — funny thing since Perry seemed to be pushing for Texas secession awhile back at Tea Parties — to combat Mexican drug cartel violence. Then, there was that thing about Perry not accepting federal stimulus money for the state awhile back.