Back in January, Politico's Jonathan Martin "broke the story" that President Obama and Democratic activist groups are trying to "drive a wedge" between Rush Limbaugh and Republicans in the House and Senate. Since then, the rhetoric between Limbaugh and Democrats - and between Limbaugh and some Republicans - has heated up. Now the right-wing press are all over this "conspiracy theory." Conspiracy theories can be fun at times, but if the acts and actors are public and the reasons are obvious, is it a "conspiracy?" And does this mean, as some claim, that Obama is breaking his pledge of bipartisanship?
Note: I had planned (and promised) to write today about energy and localized economies, to conclude this week's Morning Feature series on change. That will be tomorrow's Non-Cynical Saturday feature. I apologize for any inconvenience.
And since it's Friday, your intrepid Kossologist looked up at the stars while walking Woofie the Younger this morning. Warning: Your Kossascope may bear some resemblance to Woofie the Younger's "leavings."
A "Conspiracy" Against the GOP?
Back in January, Politico's Jonathan Martin "broke" the story that the White House was working with Democratic activist groups to play Rush Limbaugh against House and Senate Republicans:
President Obama and a key outside ally are stepping up efforts to ensure passage of the massive economic stimulus package, reaching out to Congress with both carrots and sticks.
While the president and his top aides are using all the trappings of the office, courting members through phone calls, cocktail parties, West Wing sit-downs and even a politically mixed Super Bowl party, liberal groups are dispensing with the niceties and seeking to drive a wedge between Republicans and one of the right’s most influential leaders.
Politico has learned that tomorrow Americans United for Change, a liberal group, will begin airing radio ads in three states Obama won — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada — with a tough question aimed at the GOP senators there: Will you side with Obama or Rush Limbaugh?
Asking elected Republicans whether they agree with Limbaugh's "I hope Obama fails" message. What nerve!
When asked, Republicans like Minority Whip Eric Cantor and RNC Chairman Michael Steele first distanced themselves from Limbaugh, then apologized and renounced their remarks. This, some right-wingers breathlessly announce, proves there's a "conspiracy," demonizing Limbaugh to "change the subject" from Obama's "failure in office."
Conspiracy Theory 101
The basic rule of conspiracy theories is simple: if something bad is or seems to be happening, a shadowy cabal of people are working behind the scenes to make it happen to serve their own ends. Setting aside the facts for the moment, the key phrases are "shadowy cabal" and "behind the scenes." If public people and/or groups are doing something right out in the open, for reasons that are obvious to anyone, it's not a conspiracy. It's just people publicly cooperating toward a common purpose.
But that's cold comfort to conservatives, who are used to having to hide their agenda. Secrecy and lies are almost a sine qua non of conservative politics, as it's hard to win elections on a platform of: "Vote for us and we'll make sure the rich get richer while you get left in the dust."
The Politics of Projection.
So Republicans fall back on their standby of projection: accusing Democrats of doing what Republicans have done and would do. This works in three ways.
First is the accusation itself, which if picked up in the press - and it usually is - means the Democrats must deny and disprove it or risk being convicted on the theory of "where there's smoke, there's fire." That is particularly effective if you're alleging a conspiracy, because of course if you can't find evidence to prove the conspiracy, it means the evidence has all been hidden.
The second is a bit more subtle. If Republicans accuse Democrats of "conspiring" to hide their true agenda, then Republicans must think that's a bad thing, and thus we should infer that Republicans would never do it themselves. We've seen this used time and again. If you want to dismantle the Constitution in favor of a "unitary executive," accuse the Democrats of not respecting the Constitution. If you're in the habit of committing election fraud, accuse the Democrats of election fraud. If you own or have intimidated most of the media, claim there's a "liberal media bias." And if you've spent the past eight years politicizing the Department of Justice, claim any investigation of that is ... politically motivated.
The third function of projection is still more subtle. If the accused denies the charge and (truthfully!) turns it around on you, you have a built-in defense: "It's just tit for tat." That feeds into a narrative of cynicism - "all politicians are alike" - and that in turn supports the conservative mantra enunciated by Ronald Reagan: "Government is not the solution to the problem; government is the problem."
Well yeah, the way Republicans do it, that's true.
Building toward bipartisanship.
President Obama campaigned on a promise of seeking bipartisan solutions to our nation's problems. Is playing Limbaugh against Republicans in the House and Senate a breach of that promise?
No, it's not. Rush Limbaugh is entirely about the kind of politics that Barack Obama campaigned against. He said so in his CPAC speech, where he invoked the metaphor of the Super Bowl to defend his "I hope Obama fails" comment:
Now, about my still-to-me mysteriously controversial comment that I hope President Obama fails. I was watching the Super Bowl. And as you know, I love the Pittsburgh Steelers. [Cheers and Applause] So they have this miraculous scoring drive that puts them up by four, 15 seconds left. Kurt Warner on the field for the Cardinals. And I sure as heck want you to know I hope he failed. I did not want the Cardinals to win. I wanted Warner to make the biggest fool of himself possible. I wanted a sack, I wanted anything. I wanted the Steelers to win. I wanted to win. I wanted the Cardinals to fail. This notion that I want the President to fail, folks, this shows you a sign of the problem we've got.
Politics as partisan sport. To Limbaugh it's not about whether the nation wins or loses, but whether "his team" wins or loses. Despite the press and some Republicans having said Limbaugh is a "party leader," the fact is that he's a "party leader" in the same way he's a Pittsburgh Steeler. He's not. He doesn't call the plays, nor execute them out on the field. He's a Steelers' fan.
And he's is a Republican fan. He's a fan with a gold-plated microphone and that may make him the leader of a fan club, but that's not the same as being being on the team. He neither holds nor has run for office. He may advocate for policies - in the same way a fan may yell for the coach to call a play - but he doesn't make policy, and he likes it that way. He can't be held accountable by the voters. And given Clear Channel's near monopolistic grip on the radio market, he can't be held accountable by listeners either.
But governing a country is not mere sport. Real lives are affected by what government does. And running government as a mere partisan sport is exactly what President Obama pledged to end. So playing Limbaugh against Republican elected officials is not violating that pledge. It's building toward the very bipartisanship Obama promised and sincerely hopes he can deliver. He's asking them whether they want to treat their duties as if they were nothing more than partisan sport, or whether they want to help him govern a nation in a time of crisis.
Making that challenge publicly - as Obama has - is not a "conspiracy." It's a call for better government, and one Republicans ignore at their peril. Limbaugh is a fan with a microphone, but they aren't. They made promises to and and will be held accountable by the voters. The voters are losing their homes and their jobs.
And their patience.
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Pisces - Xerxes spelled backwards is Sex Rex. If your love life has been Spartan, try that for a pick-up line.
Aries - When someone says there's a crack in your moon, they're not talking astrology. Just the first syllable of it.
Taurus - Your dog doesn't want you to share his chew toys. Neither does your dentist.
Gemini - Spring is coming. It's just coming somewhere else first.
Cancer - Actually, that does make you look smarter. Whatever it is.
Leo - Finally, a victory worth celebrating. Now if we can just figure out what the game was.
Virgo - The "Do Not Disturb" sign won't work. We're just that disturbing.
Libra - Dust off those old CDs and remember how miserable you were in high school. Today will seem better by comparison.
Scorpio - Country music isn't based on your life. But your ex did leave for Nashville in your truck. With your dog.
Sagittarius - It happens to everyone else, but with you it's much funnier. To everyone else.
Capricorn - No, they're not whispering against you. They're speaking in their normal voices.
Aquarius - This is the ideal weekend to do something else instead.
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Happy Friday!