Is it time for an intervention? The media are driving wildly all over the political landscape despite their vast and growing political blind spot. That can’t be safe, right? I’d hate to be the one to take away their keys to the punditry, but someone’s going to get hurt if they keep driving this way. They really shouldn’t be steering this bus.
Republicans are playing the Ref
Most political hacks like me have spent a lot of time and print criticizing the modern press for being weak-kneed. I argue that because, you know, they’re corporate weasels and fucking cowards. But as much as I thought rampant both-siderism was craven, they’ve broken new ground. Since Biden was elected, the media moved from passive false equivalences (“Congress fails to agree”) to open political blindness. I guess it was inevitable?
Starting with Nixon, Republicans changed from working for broad popularity to wedge politics and threatening the press for every honest article about GOP actions. “Liberal media bias,” they screamed. Everyone could see they were trying to brush back honesty. They felt that playing the Ref was a winning strategy.
I have to tell you: it was time well spent. These days, the press is shockingly cowed, conceding the stupidest things if it saves them from those Republican bullies. Really, now can anyone be proud of another “Dems in disarray” headline? Or yet another article that starts by repeating the latest Republican lies?
Improving media servitude: manufacture a blind spot
The whole media mess has leveled up. Here’s today’s top headline in the Washington Post:
Emboldened Democrats brush aside talk of unity, escalate attacks on GOP.
Sept. 16th, 2021, Washington Post.
“Democrats brush aside talk of unity….” What, are the Post reporters hearing voices now? That’s never a good sign. In the real world, nobody outside of Sen. Joe Manchin is talking about unity. Especially not the Republicans. They’re calling Democrats, non-partisan actors, and even insufficiently Trumpian Republicans “traitors.” Hard to feel the unity. So, who else is gobbling about unity?
But the papers report on Democrats as if they’re the only actors in town. Even the part where the Dems “…Escalate attacks on the GOP” is about what Democrats are doing (they’re usually pointing to plain facts). If Democrats are lying, then there’s a story, but if they’re reporting what the papers won’t, that’s cowardice doubled. Anyway, to see this story in today’s polarized climate requires the reporters to ignore half the political landscape. That they discount Republican intransigence seems like a huge blind spot. It’s like the media can’t even see Republicans anymore.
Is there a Latin name for a political blind spot as big as an elephant? I wonder if there’s a pill that could help?
Republican sabotage
It’s not like the Republicans are hiding their intentions. And they’ve been really active. Their number one job hasn’t changed over the years: sabotaging everything the Democratic government attempts. They vote as a block against any federal or state aid that might relieve people’s suffering. They’ll give you scads of bad-faith arguments, but the reason is fundamental: they’re blocking a Democratic victory. (And if Democrats somehow succeed, they claim credit anyway.)
The Republican Party is willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if it’s literally over your dead body. Sure wish I had a say in that ethical calculation.
Republicans have the same motive for their COVID agenda. Trump and his captive GOP were happy to crow about their vaccines right up until Biden came in and fixed things. When Democrats rolled out vaccines by the millions, Republicans freaked out, turned on a dime, and went all anti-government and anti-vaccine, cognitive dissonance be damned.
How weird is it when the party that was running the federal government tells their people not to trust the stuff they did? Like always, the GOP trolled out their laughable bad-faith arguments, perfectly willing to create a national health crisis if it denied Biden a political win.
And the media played along, dutifully repeating the Republican talking points.
Civil War 2.0
I’ve skipped the best part: Republicans decided to appease the racist White Nationalist wing by restarting the Civil War. Look at all the Virginia battle flags and Gadsden flags in the MAGA insurrections. How many acts of domestic terrorism reference an upcoming race war? (Most.)
I have a quick aside for all the racists and bigots waiting for the Storm. The Republicans aren’t your friends. They’ll use you as shock troops and then discard you just like they do every day. They’re playing you.
Attack the system
When the GOP felt their power slipping, they ‘adapted’ by undermining the entire election process. Again, it’s all public work; no secrets here. The Republican story is the same for every election. Every contest they lose must have been corrupt and dishonest. Because they lost. Every win, of course, is unquestionable. In front of each new election, they sew their seeds of distrust and conspiracy, poisoning the political fabric ahead of them.
So yeah, election haters. And it‘s not only Trump’s big lie. Just look at the California recall. The leading Republican candidate (the braying wingnut, Larry Elder) swore — in writing — that he only lost the election because it was corrupt and rigged. And he was so sure of himself, he announced his loss and the election corruption two days before the election. Gotta be impressed. That’s someone who really gets a running start on his conspiracies.
But all is not lost. Many other Republicans pulled back from the brink. Most of the GOP is filled with ethical, honorable people who protested that democracy should be preserved and that free and fair elections were the American way. Right?
You know I’m messing with you. Not in today’s Republican Criminal Enterprise. Ex-President Sedition-Monkey was delighted to repeat the lie, and every other party Republican shut their mouths and nodded along. Profiles in courage.
The Republican insurrection scheduled for Saturday is postponed
Republicans don’t just support the last GOP insurrection; they’re promoting the next. (They puff themselves up, but “taking up arms against the federal government” is kinda the opposite of “Patriot.”)
This time, the MAGA crowd wants to honor the unsuccessful Jan. Sixth insurrection by staging another one. Swear to god. It’s set for this Saturday (Sept. 18th). The common expectation was that now-common Republican approach: treason flags, concealed guns, bear spray, helmets, body armor, spears, clubs, hockey sticks, jump-out squads in hidden locations, and eventual invasion. You know, good times.
Anticipating mob violence, Capitol Police started re-installing metal walls around the Capitol. Under Trump, his appointees deliberately weakened the Capitol defenses. Our new leaders — shocker! — don’t want Republican-sponsored insurrectionists to overrun the seat of Constitutional power again. Expect to see at least half the energy they showed at Black Lives Matter demonstrations. A lot, in other words.
If you’re unsure how the violence would have played this Saturday, look at what happened next. When word got out about the metal fencing and heavy policing, the mob realized they wouldn’t get to sack the Capitol again. They could protest and do everything their demonstration permits allowed, but the violent bits wouldn’t work. The expected crowd size immediately dropped from tens of thousands to a few hundred. Once “overrun the Capitol” was off the menu, everyone decided to stay home. Funny about that.
And the Post keyed on “Unity” instead. I thought the unclimbable metal fencing would make more of an impression. Maybe that’s another blind spot.
Republicans plan to overthrow the government
The GOP leaders have great hopes for the future. Sure, the 2020 insurrection failed, but only barely. All they needed were a couple more unethical election administrators to push it over the line. So that’s been their focus. On top of their Jim Crow restrictions, GOP legislatures began wiring their partisans deeply into each state’s election procedures. Honest brokers are for suckers. And, just in case that failed, those same state legislatures voted themselves the power to override election results they don’t like. They’ve been as successful at undermining the elections themselves as they are lowering peoples’ expectations.
The Republican Party is on target to overthrow the American government in 2022. They have the tools in place, and they’re building more. At worst, they may have to push back their insurrection to 2024, but that’s it. They’re on track to victory, and they know it.
And the Post led with another editorial opining about how Democrats are insufficiently subservient to the Republican Party. Yeah, the same party that wants Democrats removed, jailed, and maybe killed. That’s a blind spot so large, it’s hard to believe more people aren’t pointing and laughing.
It is kind of funny. If you think about it.
