How to Control the Media 101; or, Political Violence and the 2008 Election

As Solon recently pointed out, political violence is becoming an issue with respect to this election. Both Senator McCain and Governor Palin have been giving speeches amid shouts of "kill him!" and "he's a terrorist!" Has anyone seen a clip where either of these political figures reprimanded this kind of talk from their peanut galleries? No? Neither has Harrogate. But John McCain is an honorable man.....

Look. It is upon us now, whether we like it or not. See the desperation of the GOP, horrified at what seems like a very good chance that Barack Obama will win. Rhetorically, their last refuge is to blow racial dog whistles and to hope that somehow, by screaming 'William Ayers,' 'Jeremiah Wright,' and 'ACORN,' Americans will come to the conclusion that Barack Obama is a terrorist.

It is that ugly. We know that. But here's what's uglier, what really worries Harrogate the most. This is a blog first and foremost about Rhetoric. And so it needs to be pointed out, on this Blog, the obvious Truth that by screaming over and over again "Why isn't the Media covering the Ayers connection? Why isn't McCain running Ads calling Obama a terroirst enabler? Why is there a coverup for Obama's nefarious otherness?" By screaming these things, they create a story. Goddammit. Just turn it to any Cable News network, choose your M&M. You'll see that the Talking Heads are all Talking About Obama "palling around with terrorists." Some are criticizing the meme, some are pushing it, others are just reporting it. But ALL are replicating the meme. And that, dear chums, is all that the GOP ever needed.

So that's how the GOP drives the National Conversation. And as Readers know, Harrogate has long ascribed to the Argument that Controlling the Conversation Means Controlling the Kingdom. But in the end Solon is Also right that the Media's power at times gets taken away by the People themselves. Witness the Terri Shiavo fiasco, no matter how hard the Media tried to convince us that Shiavo's tragic situation belonged in the political discourse, people refused to bite. It was a good moment for our country. And now, it is going to be up to the Voters whether to buy this current garbage or not.

What a stain on the soul of this country if the GOP's beneath the floor tactics work. This is a gut check for the United States. A chance to prove that we will not be held hostage by Rhetorics of Fear and Loathing. That we are a people capable of being serious and capable of prizing thoughtfulness & pragmatism as values in solving large problems. Sigh. But it is also our chance to prove that we are the most infamously, banally unserious population imaginable.

But more on political violence. Little memes of violence are seeping in everywhere now from the Right, all of it connected to the Idea that to prevent Obama from winning, bloodshed is viable. Witness Townhall's Head Reporter, Amanda Carpenter. Pretty, charming, giggly, and always telegenic on Bill O'Reilly's show. Now see this blog post in which she blithely suggests:

There needs to be a backlash against these people. Those angry men at McCain's rallies need to start storming the Capitol

All hail "those angry men"!!!! All hail the idea of "storming the Capitol"!!!!! This is what we have come to. It is all these greenbloods have left.

And then today, we have a former (and indubitably, future) Assy McGee Award® winner, Ann Althouse, derisively blogging the following Headline:

McCain/Palin supporters are an angry mob. That's the virulent meme this week.

So the idea that Obama pals around with terrorists is not a "virulent meme." God, no!!!

But, the idea that charging Obama with terrorist ties is Real Hate Speech--That is a virulent meme.

The first sentence of Althouse's post tells you everything ye need to know:

To my eye, it looks as though the MSM is anxious to squelch any enthusiasm.

Hear that, Readers? To the extent that Some Media Outlets are worrying about the growing potentiality for political violence playing a role in our elections, said Media Outlets are really just Fuddie-Duddies wanting to "squelch any enthusiasm."

Just good clean Enthusiasm. That's what it is, when people are screaming "Kill him!"

Damn. Harrogate hopes that this is all a Tale Told by an Idiot, Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing. He really, really hopes so.

The Transcript of Bush's September 24th Bailout Pitch

Wednesday night George W. Bush made his bailout pitch on a prime time, 15 minute address to the nation. Rhetorically it was necessary to try it, as every public opinion poll seems to be reflecting this sensibility: "Fuck no you can't have 700 Billion Dollars!!" The real problem now of course is that the GOP has "bailed out" on George W. Bush. Pelosi and others Dems have said that they will not let a Bailout Bill be branded as Bush+Congressioanl Democrats. If we are going to do this, it will have to get at least 100 Republican Congressmen to sign on.

And so part of the fascination is that for the second time ever (the first time being Bush's attempt at an Immigration Bill), we have the poster child for partisan polarization, George W. Bush, basically putting himself at the mercy of the Democrats, asking them to help him get something done at cross purposes with GOP sensibility.

Oh well. But enough parsing what is being parsed to death already. Here is the full transcript of the speech Bush gave.

Somewhere the ghost of Herman Melville laughed when W. said this:

Under normal circumstances, I would have followed this course. But these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There has been a widespread loss of confidence, and major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down.

Take that, free market ideologues!!!!! Perhaps now some of ye will be intellectualy honest enough to follow (GASP!) the President's lead, and admit that ye are ideologues who put every marble in the world into a doctrine that depends wholly on the good faith and CONFIDENCE of the people in the society.

That's right, Andrew Sullivan. Your smug little dismissal of Naomi Klein was the last straw for Harrogate, as far as you are concerned.

Sully, while Harrogate will be happy if your blog generates some votes for Obama, that is really where anything other than truly ill will ends. One of the most distasteful aspects of this whole election. for Harrogate, has been getting acquainted with the thought processes of a Randian zealot who is mad at the Republicans for not liking gay people and for neocon adventurism. In truth, ye do not see that all is interconnected. That the forces that allowed the corporate lockdown (which you want to roll around with naked) are interwed with the forces that encourage homophobia at home and push for imperialism abroad (which you denounce).

Ahhh!!! Human frailty. Such is betrayal of our Rhinestone Desires. Suffice it to say, on the level of public policy and social thought, and not to mention on the level of ART, it is people like you, Sully, who have been most exposed this week. Verily, ye forfeit your claim to three-dimensional human staus when your response to a problem like this is to quote Adam Smith.

For God's sake, Sully!!!! Be like (Gasp!!!!) George W. Bush and grow a third dimension into your thinking.