Thursday, May 18, 2006
Joe Klein has written a book that posits that political consultants have corrupted the American political process. Over at Slate Markos Moulitsas and Stuart Stevens are discussing it. Today Stevens says something that I find utterly breathtaking:
"Those of us who passionately support President Bush-- and I know this may come as a shock-- are drawn to the man for reasons that have nothing to do with consultants or focus-grouped campaign messages. We perceive in him a fundamental set of core values and a humanity that we find powerful and refreshing."
Words fail me. Who could buy this? How could anyone believe that George W. Bush is anything more than an empty vessel? Core values? The man is devoid of any sort of core at all. All anyone should have to do to determine this would be to look at the way his administration has run the country for the last six years. I don't necessarily accept the Kleihypothesisis (he seems to think that this is something new, for examplewhichch is plainlridiculousus), but for someone to even say that they "perceive in [Bush] a fundamental set of core values" establishes pretty conclusively that image manipulation is a core value for the people who are in charge of the country.
What is particularly frustrating is that they are so naked about it. As far as they are concerned saying it makes it so-- and it works! When they are really in a jam they are not above trying a distraction, of course, but mostly they just tell us the sky is pudding, and expect that people will believe that means it is raining chocolate. The latest outrage-- the fact that the NSA is essentially spying on everyone in the country-- is damaging enough that they pulled out the film of the plane crashing into the Pentagonon to shift the terms of the debate. I'd like to think that Americans are too savvy to fall for that, but the last six years have been an education for me. People get the governments they deserve, and we've earned every bit of this one.
"Those of us who passionately support President Bush-- and I know this may come as a shock-- are drawn to the man for reasons that have nothing to do with consultants or focus-grouped campaign messages. We perceive in him a fundamental set of core values and a humanity that we find powerful and refreshing."
Words fail me. Who could buy this? How could anyone believe that George W. Bush is anything more than an empty vessel? Core values? The man is devoid of any sort of core at all. All anyone should have to do to determine this would be to look at the way his administration has run the country for the last six years. I don't necessarily accept the Kleihypothesisis (he seems to think that this is something new, for examplewhichch is plainlridiculousus), but for someone to even say that they "perceive in [Bush] a fundamental set of core values" establishes pretty conclusively that image manipulation is a core value for the people who are in charge of the country.
What is particularly frustrating is that they are so naked about it. As far as they are concerned saying it makes it so-- and it works! When they are really in a jam they are not above trying a distraction, of course, but mostly they just tell us the sky is pudding, and expect that people will believe that means it is raining chocolate. The latest outrage-- the fact that the NSA is essentially spying on everyone in the country-- is damaging enough that they pulled out the film of the plane crashing into the Pentagonon to shift the terms of the debate. I'd like to think that Americans are too savvy to fall for that, but the last six years have been an education for me. People get the governments they deserve, and we've earned every bit of this one.
// posted by Bill @ 10:19 AM 
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