As I Listened to Paul Ryan (R-WI) speak this morning, I was struck by his choice of words. Repeatedly, he used the word “regime” when describing the Obama Administration. There was, of course, the by now obligatory reference to “Socialism”, “European-style Cradle-to-the-Grave Social Welfare State”. Wow. That was a mouthful.
Of course, word association is nothing new in politics, but what seems new is the vitriol and misleading quality of the words being chosen by politicians, especially those on the right, these days. In just the last year, we’ve seen such shining samples as “Death-Panels”, “Government Takeover”, “Socialist State”, “Marxist President”, “Regime”, “Socialized Medicine” and my personal favorite, “IRS Agents will being to multiply”. I could go on and on with this list. But the point is, all of these words are associated with very negative things. That is by design. Their use is scripted by people like Frank Luntz, who instruct the Republican Party on how words and images can create the types of reactions you desire from citizens. If you want to stir up fear about President Obama and his “agenda”, call him a Marxist and describe everything he does as Socialism. If he wipes his ass with white toilet paper like the rest of us, describe it using words like “co-op-purchased, socialist-made toilet paper” and you’ll have your image of Fidel Castro wiping his ass in the White House.
All is fair is love and war, and, essentially, politics. I’m no Democrat, but I’m also no Republican. I am pretty much a Centrist Independent who thinks a little bit of both Conservatism and Progressivism is probably a perfect mix. From my perspective, this is exactly how President Obama has been leading…from the Center. Unfortunately, the Right believes that the Center is far too Left, and needs to be dragged against its will back to the crazy, emotionally driven ideology of the far-Right. Even the Tea Party is trying to usurp the Center, by claiming that they are the vast majority of Americans who are against this Obama policy or that one. Word to the wise: only eighteen percent of Americans identify themselves with the Tea Party. Last time I checked, you needed to be well above fifty percent to be considered a vast majority. Shut up. You don’t speak for me. But thank you for trying to usurp my freedom.
Did you see what I just did there? Did you catch the word the “usurp” twice? When you read it, what did you picture? Nothing good, I imagine. Probably some guys in Red Coats with muskets aimed at your head, or something like that.
I’m not above using the Rights’ methods against them. It’s easy, considering how emotionally unstable they are. Oops, did it again. “Emotionally unstable”.
Why would I do that? Because I get tired of people like Mitch McConnell telling America that the Center wants the government to stop regulating Wall Street, to stop trying to fix health care in America, and especially to stop trying to help the Middle Class improve their condition. According to people like McConnell, the Center wants what the Republican Party and Tea Party wants, which is utter and total nonsense. So I have decided to fight back, to speak for myself, and the first place to start is with Frank Luntz and the Republican Party.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to let a bunch of mind-control freaks speak for me, and that’s exactly what Frank and the Republicans are.
Hey…did I just do it again? But how else could you describe someone who believes that you can control the emotions of Americans by repeating certain words and phrases? Have you read Luntz’s manifestos? He has more than one, and they all say that if you use this word or that word, you’ll control the response of the American people! Mind Control. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a plan to inject mind control drugs into your morning Corn Flakes, brought to you by the wonderful corn growers of Monsanto, America’s Mad-scientist Monopoly on genetically mutated seeds.
And why would I want to identify with a group of people who are actually fighting against Wall Street and Bank regulatory reform, and lying about it? Why would I want to identify with people who think they are royalty? Would you want to hang around the Royal Republican Party who claims to be for the middle class while their every action is aimed toward helping a select class of wealthy people? I don’t know about anyone else, but I got over the idea of having royalty rule us long before I was even born. I don’t want King George back, I certainly don’t want the Prince of AIG gambling the bank’s money away, and then riding into our villages demanding that we pay a tax to bail him out. I also don’t want the Duchess of Wasilla telling me that I really want the wealthy to keep more of “their” money, especially when they already pay themselves far more than they are worth, at the expense of their subject’s livelihoods.
500:1. That’s the ratio of dollars paid to royalty in America for every dollar paid to a peasant. You’d have to be mental to think that Capitalism was designed to produce that. We don’t live in a Capitalistic country. We live in a plutocracy, and our ruling class see themselves as royalty. In the last five years, I’ve seen my businesses’ income lose over fifty percent, all the while America’s royalty continue to increase their piles of gold. I take the risks, and they reap the rewards, and when they screw up, I bail them out. They control the prices of stocks on the “free” market, while I sweat to earn a profit. No more. I’m calling them what they are: Radical Far-Right Royalty, kind of like Saudi Arabia.
We see what happens in a radical Far-Right Regime. The money stays with the royal family, while the rest of the nation lives in oppression and poverty, a breeding ground for religious terrorists. That’s the Right in America. Radical religious extremists who want a return to an America enslaved by Monarchy. And they are using you to get there.
So let’s review. So far, we’ve repeated the words “Royal Republican Party”, “Radical Far-Right Regime”, Royalty”, “Radical religious extremists”, “The Duchess of Wasilla”, and “plutocracy”. Maybe those words are stretching the truth, but in today’s America, who the fuck cares? There is no “news” outlet who will fact-check me or call me on my rhetoric. I’m safe in the knowledge that whatever I say will get more attention than whether it’s true or not, and that’s the name of the game in American politics. If you can paint your opponents as maybe not the worst thing, but something “like” the worst thing using a word or two, you are the master of the conversation, and the debate goes where you want it to go.
Word of warning to the Duke of Luntz and the Royal Republican Party: You’re pretty good, but I don’t need to spend millions on polling to discover what paints you as a monarchist and a radical far-right religious extremist. I just need to say the words and repeat them. Because, you see, that which is repeated often enough is true.
Right?
POLITICAL PARTY POOPER 