As the MoveOn.org dust settles, it becomes more apparent that the "outrage" over the Bush = Nazi films is little more than a smokescreen.
We're all used to White House propaganda (such as McClellan's delightfully evasive briefings or Rumsfeld's hubris-ridden Pentagon appearances) and what it entails; half truths, distortions and the occasional whopper. We're all used to dissenters being smeared as traitors or unpatriotic by TownHall.com whack jobs. We're all used to Republicans stampeding over cowardly Democrats who allow the right wing to bully them into submission whilst they fervently wave the flag. Put simply, we're used to the right wing trying to form the terms of the debate whilst the left plays catch up and it's become worse than a joke.
We know that MoveOn.org attracted flak a couple of months ago, mainly because Moneybags Soros laudably decided to funnel a large amount of cash its way in order to campaign against and ultimately unseat Bush. So it makes sense that in order to try and negate some of the organisation's impact some of those dollars are going to have, MoveOn must be discredited in the minds of the people early on rather than play the fiddle and make the Bush camp dance to its tune.
So we have this canard about "Bush is a Nazi" and the right wing once again casts its crazy net as wide as possible, forcing liberals to state no, I don't think Bush is a Nazi blah blah blah and once again they say jump and we say how high. What very few people have done is stand up for the valid Nazism comparisons - ironically, for the most part, those of propaganda media control. Certainly, nobody is credibly suggesting that Bush is packing Jews into ovens, so why are people unable to filter out the bullshit?
The RNC indignance serves two purposes:
- Firstly, make it look like MoveOn.org readers are basing their views on thirty second snippets of "smear" videos instead of "facts" (especially facts espoused by the rightist talking heads); in short, make it look like MoveOn.org is just another radical leftist website with a commie/anti-Bush agenda and nothing more. Since MoveOn.org will probably be supporting the Democratic nominee over Bush, this extends to all Dems, not just MoveOn.org followers.
- Secondly, the RNC want to keep these kind of shock tactics to themselves. After all, many voters are more interested in catchy slogans ("Axis Of Evil", "Weapons Of Mass Destruction") and casual association (Saddam/bin Laden) than hard-boiled dialogue, and if the Dems hijack techniques normally associated with the RNC it might - heaven forbid! - leave THEM on the back foot for a change. By kicking up a stink about nothing, the Republicans are heading off MoveOn.org almost pre-emptively. A familiar tactic in the Bush adminstration...?
This doesn't mean that we should endorse ads like the Hitler/Bush entries (that's right -
entries) on MoveOn.org. They're not particularly intelligent or hard hitting for anyone who knows what we know about Bush. Besides, wouldn't we rather live in a country where people vote for something because they know what they're voting for instead of basing decisions on slogans?
Anyway, I'm done.