Frank believes that the economic conservatives convince the masses to vote against their economic interests by creating an angry and permanent cult of victimization that diverts attention from the elites and pins all of the country's problems on the eponymous liberal bogeyman. Even as the GOP continues to consolidate and hoard its economic and political power, the Washington-based leadership and strategists of the GOP mask its lack of progress in the culture war -- even as it accomplishes its goals of tax cuts and deregulation -- by convincing the masses to rise up against their true oppressors, Sean Penn, Harvard and the New York Times editorial page.
Absolutely. It's perfect, because the conservatives know that they *can't* really win the culture war. Despite the liberal panic of recent months, America is divided (IMO) between passionate liberals, passionate conservatives, and the vast majority who wish that both ends of the spectrum would just shut the heck up and leave them to their bowling, NFL, and the occasional dirty movie or bachelor(ette) party stripper. The conservatives stoke the fire up every once in a while, and people reluctantly realize that they *ought* to care, or at least make a good show of caring, about whether Janet Jackson shows off her nipples on national television. People get upset, give time and money to the Republicans, another Republican gets elected, but nothing really changes ont he "moral" front, because fundamental change is too much against basic American principles for most people to support, and the few people who really do favour thorwing out the Bill of Rights in order to banish porn don't actually get the benefit of all that Republican money. That's busy helping deregulate an industry, eliminate environmental protections, or undermine labor rights.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-12-21 10:30 pm (UTC)Have you heard the toen creeping into pundit discourse about the GOP and its troubles. I mean, duh. . .
no subject
Date: 2004-12-22 12:35 am (UTC)Frank believes that the economic conservatives convince the masses to vote against their economic interests by creating an angry and permanent cult of victimization that diverts attention from the elites and pins all of the country's problems on the eponymous liberal bogeyman. Even as the GOP continues to consolidate and hoard its economic and political power, the Washington-based leadership and strategists of the GOP mask its lack of progress in the culture war -- even as it accomplishes its goals of tax cuts and deregulation -- by convincing the masses to rise up against their true oppressors, Sean Penn, Harvard and the New York Times editorial page.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-22 03:59 am (UTC)