Shock Jock Tactics Are Leading GOP to Oblivion
There is an old trick that black people, and many other disenfranchised people, use. It's a combination of Jujitsu/non violence, where one person uses the other person's rage against them. And that is probably what helped the Democrats win the health care reform debate.
This tactic was used during the Civil Rights era. Civil Rights activists knew they were going into a dangerous environment where riled up white people were going to throw everything, but the kitchen sink, at them. They knew they could not beat Segregationists in a head on confrontation, so they turned the tables on their opponents.
There is an old trick that black people, and many other disenfranchised people, use. It's a combination of Jujitsu/non violence, where one person uses the other person's rage against them. And that is probably what helped the Democrats win the health care reform debate.
This tactic was used during the Civil Rights era. Civil Rights activists knew they were going into a dangerous environment where riled up white people were going to throw everything, but the kitchen sink, at them. They knew they could not beat Segregationists in a head on confrontation, so they turned the tables on their opponents.
The Civil Rights movement cast themselves as saint-like, non-violent protesters, who sat silently while they were clubbed, hosed, spat on and bitten by dogs. The Pro Segregation protesters came across looking like bullies, who were beating up on a bunch of defenseless students.
Those were the images beamed around the world. Angry, foaming at the mouth, white people haranguing defenseless black people. This was nothing new, Bayard Rustin, who was the architect of many of the Civil Rights movements tactics, had studied the writing of Mohandas Ghandi, who used the same techniques against the British in the fight for Indian independence. This was the reason why Rosa Parks, a saintly seamstress, was cast as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Police officers were not about to use their nightsticks on an middle-aged church lady.
The same thing happened during the Health Care debate. Somewhere along the lines, the Tea Party was cast as the party of angry, old white people, who yell at special needs people, spit on venerable congressmen and shout racial and sexual slurs. No one wants to be associated with that -- not even the Republican party. What people will remember from the Health Care debates is the threats, the slurs and the shouted insults. They will not remember the GOP offering any concrete alternative solutions. (Maybe, because they didn't offer any.)
David Frum, a Republican pundit, has said the Republican party needs to get away from what he calls "talk radio" tactics, fear, anger, hate and hyperbole. People like Rush Limbaugh makes their money by saying outrageous statements, so they can drive up their ratings and charge more in advertising. Frum said, "I’ve been on a soapbox for months now about the harm that our overheated talk is doing to us. Yes it mobilizes supporters – but by mobilizing them with hysterical accusations and pseudo-information, overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead. "
More often than not Conservative shock jocks don't believe in what they are saying, and half the time they don't bother to check if their statements are accurate. For example, Limbaugh said he would move to Costa Rica if health care reform passed. But Costa Rica has a nationalized health care system!
You can't govern like this. Letting shock jocks lead your party with exaggerated speaking points gets you nowhere. All it means is, you have a bunch of angry, ill-informed people repeating the same falsehoods, spitting and making you look bad.
Those were the images beamed around the world. Angry, foaming at the mouth, white people haranguing defenseless black people. This was nothing new, Bayard Rustin, who was the architect of many of the Civil Rights movements tactics, had studied the writing of Mohandas Ghandi, who used the same techniques against the British in the fight for Indian independence. This was the reason why Rosa Parks, a saintly seamstress, was cast as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Police officers were not about to use their nightsticks on an middle-aged church lady.
The same thing happened during the Health Care debate. Somewhere along the lines, the Tea Party was cast as the party of angry, old white people, who yell at special needs people, spit on venerable congressmen and shout racial and sexual slurs. No one wants to be associated with that -- not even the Republican party. What people will remember from the Health Care debates is the threats, the slurs and the shouted insults. They will not remember the GOP offering any concrete alternative solutions. (Maybe, because they didn't offer any.)
David Frum, a Republican pundit, has said the Republican party needs to get away from what he calls "talk radio" tactics, fear, anger, hate and hyperbole. People like Rush Limbaugh makes their money by saying outrageous statements, so they can drive up their ratings and charge more in advertising. Frum said, "I’ve been on a soapbox for months now about the harm that our overheated talk is doing to us. Yes it mobilizes supporters – but by mobilizing them with hysterical accusations and pseudo-information, overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead. "
More often than not Conservative shock jocks don't believe in what they are saying, and half the time they don't bother to check if their statements are accurate. For example, Limbaugh said he would move to Costa Rica if health care reform passed. But Costa Rica has a nationalized health care system!
You can't govern like this. Letting shock jocks lead your party with exaggerated speaking points gets you nowhere. All it means is, you have a bunch of angry, ill-informed people repeating the same falsehoods, spitting and making you look bad.
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