A Closer Look Here, There and Everywhere
by Trish PurcellDid you watch the Republican Convention? It was truly astonishing. Listening to the speakers and seeing the reactions of the audience, you could not help but notice the amazing case of collective amnesia. It was as if no one knew that Republicans were in control of both the executive and legislative branches of government from 2000 through 2006. Or that even since then they control enough Senate seats to keep the Democrats from getting 60 votes when needed.. Conversely, they showed a firm though false belief that with the current congressional majority the Democrats could have done whatever they wanted and simply chose not to.
This collective amnesia was particularly apparent as Republican speakers talked about how they would take on the establishment, bring change, and fix the economy - statements met with wild cheering from the crowd. I couldn’t help but wonder… Who do they think they are they going to take on…aren’t they the establishment? What are they going to change… the things they did in the last eight years? How will they fix the economy…aren't the housing crunch and financial crisis results of their policies and legislation?
Equally noticeable is the collective denial of reality. It seems impossible that this convention audience is unaware of what their party has done for the last 8 years. And how could they be ignorant of the proven and oft stated falseness of most of the speakers' assertions about Obama’s plan for taxes, for oil subsidies/giveaways, and for increasing the size of government? Could it be because they surround themselves with media that never allow objective reality to impose itself on their consciousness? Huffington Post’s Oliver Willis put it well,
“Rush tells them it's a liberal plot of the drive-by media. Fox assures them that they are in the mainstream of public opinion no matter how fringe their beliefs. The Heritage Foundation and (American Enterprise Institute) AEI show them cooked up numbers with "research" backing their assertions.”And finally the most disturbing collectiveness is the obvious and blatant collective enthusiasm for mean spirited and belittling remarks. Watching the reactions of the audience, they seemed more energized and enthusiastic in response to this vitriol than at any other time during the speeches. In addition to the discomfort caused by this discovery, it is also confusing to find this trait so unanimously displayed by a group of self proclaimed Christians. It is difficult to understand how such uncharitable and unkind behavior fits into their claimed support of family values. A most unattractive and unappealing aspect of the Republican image.
So, with all this obvious historical amnesia, denial of reality, and meanness of spirit, what are we to make of the claims that country comes first, that the interests of the American people are important, and that they are best suited to lead our country out of its present turmoil? In my world actions speak louder than words and past actions of Republicans in power incline me to question future actions if they are in power. Added to that concern is their glaring blindness to their own past actions and the consequences we, as individuals and as a country, are suffering. For all their high sounding words, you cannot correct your mistakes until you own them.
Ignoring the truth and covering it with platitudes will not put our country back on track.
I couldn't have said it better Trish. If there is one thing many Republicans seem to enjoy more than bashing their opponents in order to avoid issues, it might just be being lied to.
At the RNC, Romney lied like a sieve, Huckabee proved that his concern about the suffering of the poor was disingenuous at the least, and a lie at worst, Giuliani was Giuliani, a lie by default, and the new darling of the GOP, Sarah Palin, all the while giving a wonderful speech, lied so well that the lies became as attractive as her surface self. It only took a LOT of lies and much personal bashing to fire up the choir.
Now the Republicans don’t even want Palin interviewed or questioned by the press. They believe she is ready to take over the presidency if needed, but not to answer questions about herself and her record. And they tell us Americans don't care! Too funny! What isn’t funny is how their base has no problem with this fallacious logic. Of course we know that logic and critical thinking is not among their strong points.
Stephen, one of the interesting things about the “no interviews” stance for Palin is that media just shrugged it off.
Campbell Brown’s questions to McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds were legitimate and not an attack. When McCain’s response was to cancel his Larry King appearance, it looked like maybe McCain had one of his temper tantrums. It was not a very bright move when you stop and think about it. The next move, refusing to allow any interviews of Palin should have resulted in media saying, “OK, no interviews, no publicity.” That is the equivalent of a death sentence for a candidate during an election campaign.
So why did McCain and company get a free ride on this from the “liberal” media? ‘Cause they aren’t liberal, stupid! Let’s go through this one more time.,
I rest my case.
Amen!