Independents and Heroes

Posted on 04/18/2009 at 10:46 am by Bob Cesca

Sam Stein posted an interesting summation of independent and moderate reaction to the tea parties. In short, it’s not speaking to them.

In a broader sense, after eight dark years of division and pain, Americans are craving heroes. Crazy loud noises, doomsday scenarios and silly words like “porkulus,” on the other hand, just won’t resonate outside of the fringe 25 percent who have a predilection for that crap in the first place. FOX News, for instance, is experiencing a surge in ratings — but it’s not about new faces, it’s the same old faces. They’re just louder and more pissed off right now, and it would be a mistake to judge the far-right’s overall political success based upon the FNC ratings.

If the far-right knew what was good for them, they’d take a more moderate tone about the president while still pushing for their values. Self-contradictory outrage can’t possibly compete in a nation seeking inspiration.

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  • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/enlarge/greater-flamingo_image.html veralynn

    Bob saidIf the far-right knew what was good for them, they’d take a more moderate tone about the president while still pushing for their valuesSay, Bob, they like instant gratification and right now this feels good. There was also another article, may have been the same one, not sure.In it, they said the party is almost past the breaking point of being able to come back from this rhetoric for the mid terms next year.It will be an awful long walk for them. But nothing would surprise me if they did have some success. They way this country likes our instant gratification, they may be in luck.

  • http://www.xkcd.com/ Silly Ratfaced Git

    We voted for change. We were a majority. This majority included many independents as PPP regularly reminds us. This majority had hope for a brighter future brought about by intelligent change.Compare and contrast the psychological outlook of the people that voted for Obama with that of the people that voted to ‘stay the course.’ Even with an economic collapse in progress they wanted to continue the policies that led to the collapse. When they lost the election, they became doom sayers predicting death and destruction to all that refuse to adhere to their ideology.So we have on one side a large number of people with hope and enthusiasm that the future will be better than the present and on the other side we have ideologues shouting “The End is Nigh!” and praying for the rapture and the End Times.It is not a all surprising to me that this is a very polarized situation.

  • heydude

    Can someone please please please study how much of the FNC ratings are viewers like me – rubberneckers looking at a wreck?

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Ashby

    Waving signs showing Obama sucking the jewels of the saudis or with a mustache portraying him as hitler does absolutely nothing to support their cause and everything to harm it.If they came out and protested just real issues like taxes (even if they are wrong) then they might have had some traction with their message. But since rationals continue to let themselves be overwhelmed by the crazy they will all sink together.

  • D. C.

    But J. M., equating Obama with Hitler was exactly what these rallies were all about, at least far as the majority of attendees were concerned. They can couch their hatred in terms of taxes (no matter how wrong they are) or spending, but it really was all about how much they hate him. Just read the blog posts from conservatives when they’re called on it and their immediate response is “Bush was equated with Hitler at such-in-such rally!” To a lot of them, this rally is pay back for those who refused to worship Bush as God’s anointed leader. To others, it’s their frustration in their belief that the White House belongs to the GOP by divine fiat. To still others, it’s because he’s *gasp!* black.PPP can rant all about the three independents he met at a rally. The main thrust was a daylong whinefest of republicans. It should have been called a sour grapes party.

  • http://www.xkcd.com/ Silly Ratfaced Git

    What kind of cheese goes best with sour grapes whine? Stilton? Wensleydale? Venesualian Beaver Cheese?

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Ashby

    DC – Yes I know that the tea partys were simply obama-bash-fests. I was just highlighting why its a useless message.

  • Theghostsong

    Git: Limberger.

  • D. C.

    Rancid, moldy muenster.