In my last post, I was lamenting the dyssynchrony between the MSM [Main Stream Media] and the blogs after watching the tit for tat baloney going on between McCain and Obama these last few weeks. In the terms of Drew Wesson’s The Political Brain, McCain has captured the narrative for the moment, dwelling in the sarcasm. But I defer to the more eloquent among us – Glen Greenwald [Salon] and Digby [Hulabaloo]:
… I think that’s just sort of a routine way that the Republicans have figured out to … dominate the narrative during these presidential summers. But the other thing is, is just how … McCain just hired this guy Steve Schmidt, who you’ve written about in the past, and so have I, and this really is his specialty. He’s the guy who really pushed the narrative on Kerry, about being … he was for it before he was against it flip-flopping. And he apparently created a lot of those themes that came out. So this kind of follows with that sort of thing, and a certain kind of, I don’t know, nasty sophomoric quality to the kind of criticisms that you’re seeing. This whole Britney Spears business, and … the presumptuousness meme, all this stuff, it’s very, it’s a very certain, it’s a very particular kind of pointed criticism that’s aimed at trivializing a candidate as much as criticizing them for their positions or trying to position them in the campaign. This trivialization is very important, and I think particularly important with Obama, because they feel that they … his campaign is based upon … aspirational kind of …
This is a verbatim transcript, so it doesn’t show off Digby’s writing prowess. But it does show of the clarity of her thinking. The key word is trivialization. Case in point: McCain is criticizing Obama for not vigorously supporting off-shore drilling. A couple of weeks ago, McCain admitted that it wouldn’t put a dent in our energy problem, but might be a "psychological" picker-upper. Now it’s a central point for his sarcasm. McCain mocked Obama’s not having traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq. When Obama went, McCain mocked his going. Now he’s making fun of Obama for being popular. I didn’t even get it about how Obama was playing the race card. But Digby nails the Republican strategy – trivialization with healthy doses of sarcasm and mockery.
I think Obama is doing the right thing, sort of – addressing the technique directly ["They are trying to scare you about me"] – but he doesn’t yet know how to turn this sarcasm into an advantage for himself. I think he is surprised by its taking hold. I am too, actually. Here’s what Digby says:
It’s really extraordinary this time, and I kind of thought that we managed to … avoid it at least to this degree. I didn’t think that it would gain this kind of traction this time. And in many ways, because we have two major things happening: there’s a … the war, obviously, which is still a major issue for people, but with the economy … being this turbulent – I honestly didn’t think people would put up with it. And, you know, the jury’s out, we don’t know if people will put up with it; it’s possible they’re going to reject all this stuff and just go, you’re out of your minds, we’ve got real problems, which may actually grow as we go into the fall, that they may demand a little more seriousness. But, I didn’t expect it to be this bad this time, but it’s seems to be that the language of modern politics is these little cultural references, it’s as if we’re … it’s all done in some kind of code, where we’re making these momentous decisions about huge global issues, and issues in our own lives when we’re talking about these economic issues that are confronting us. And we’re doing it in this weird kind of popular culture code that’s been developed. And not by the Democrats, this is really been a Republican project. And what it does is it dumbs down politics, trivializes it, and it allows them to sort of create these narratives that put the progressive and liberal candidates into these little stereotypes and archetypal boxes that really limit their ability to talk seriously about things. It’s very clever, because the archetype plays to their strengths … big tough guys…
This is Obama’s great challenge – this playground bully strategy. I pray he’s up to the task. These are dangerous waters…
Can’t wait ’till you’re back to 100%, sure it’ll be soon~
(I’m climbing, myself; roughly at 80 percent…)
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/iraqi-militants-becoming-citizens/article76144.html
oops.
THIS is the link I meant to offer:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Tape_Top_CIA_officer_confesses_order_0808.html
The Judith Miller link was an accident.