Demonize Boehner
Rob Long ·
Jan 4, 2011 at 1:25pm
This is how it begins. In order to push back against the Republican House, the first thing the MSM needs is a target.
It's Boehner. The great Jim Treacher points to this in the Daily Caller. From last night's Letterman:
Jokes they never made about Nancy Pelosi, who was lionized and praised right up until the moment the voters tossed her out. Nobody on Letterman ever made fun of her mental health. Or her Botox.
The next three months or so are going to be All About Boehner -- his weeping, his background, his out of step politics. But it starts with contempt.
But we knew that, didn't we?
- Comment (32)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (4)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Re: Demonize Boehner
As much as he can, Boehner should stay out of sight. The stage should be left for the most part to Obama -- until the Republican presidential candidates go fully public.In the wake of 1994, Newt was too much in the news. If Boehner plays up the issues and plays down personalities, the demonization campaign will fall flat.
Aug '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
It's ironic that the same people that grew up on Marlo Thomas' "Free To Be You And Me" (a project of the Ms. Foundation) are going so hard on Boehner's alleged propensity for weeping.
It's Alright To Cry, from Free To Be You And Me
Re: Demonize Boehner
I agree totally. The Republicans in Congress should be talking to the American people. That's their audience. Let Obama fight to get into the conversation.
Nov '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
No, the Letterman strategy is much worse than to demonize. He aims here to "idiot-ize," as was done to Bush, Reagan, Ford. Snickering, derision, condescension. At least a demon gets some respect.
May '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
I think both Paul & Rob have it right and also believe this to be the Boehner game plan.
I am curious about one thing however - does anyone really still pay attention/put credence in what the MSM says or thinks? I have lived outside the states long enough so that I no longer have a feel for this - but the growth of alternate media (like this and recent elections seem to indicate that MSM is steadily becoming irrelevant.
Dec '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Spot-on. I actually hope that Sarah Palin continues her media blitzkrieg for the next year or two...and doesn't decide to run for president...because she could be a lightning-rod that the media will focus on while those elected to office can do the job Americans want/need them to do.
As I came of voting age, one of the most obvious reasons to think liberalism silly was the way the media tried so hard to make Gore and Kerry look "cool." Both men were hopelessly/painfully un-cool, but the way comedians and pundits and journalists talked as if they were so far above the rest of us that the only reason we didn't see how great they were was because we're stupid (made so by liberals running public schools)...the way they tried to pass these dopes off as cool, hip, and brilliant came off as desperate and pathetic. I like that for the most part conservative/republicans don't go this route.
Let them make fun of Boehner. He ought to be busy steam-rolling Obama's agenda.
Aug '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
We need to create "The Alinsky Defense Kit" and make it available to all potential victims.
And then , a right wing "journolist" might be an asset to be a force multiplier.
Either that or find some willing participants that are national news outlets.
Well, maybe not..............we could chip in and do a massive ad buy on the OWN channel.
just kidding folks, the numbers are showing the progress. Fox is killing em on the neilsens. WSJ is whupping NYT.
Let's make sure that Boehner knows that there will be very few good interviews, best angle photos, complete quotes, and much photoshopping, cropping, and vicious editing headed his way.
Let those tears be badges of honor.
Edited on Jan 4, 2011 at 2:18pmRe: Demonize Boehner
Good point. It's an attempt to make him seem weird and strange and off-the-map.
May '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Nancy Pelosi has been widely mocked on late night television. When David Letterman ran the "The Top Ten Signs There's Trouble In The Democratic Party," number two was "Nancy Pelosi found in hotel room drunk and naked with Charlie Sheen."On another occasion, he uttered this one-liner: "Yeah, the Democratic Convention is in Denver, and security is tight out there, it is very tight, it's tighter than Nancy Pelosi's face." And on the late night shows in general, Nancy Pelosi botox jokes are extremely common.
Don't get me wrong, David Letterman is definitely more antagonistic to conservatives than liberals. But this particular comparison doesn't seem right.
Oct '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Rob Long
Good point. It's an attempt to make him seem weird and strange and off-the-map. · Jan 4 at 2:13pm
It's the same old liberal Democrat media playbook going back to the 1950s: portray leading Republicans as idiotic, evil, or insane while Democrats are, by contrast, always intellectual, compassionate, and level-headed. Within this paradigm, the Republican must always be the inhuman Other. What is even more dispiriting is that so many voters fall for this same song-and-dance routine every time, decade after decade. As Friedrich Schiller once observed, "Against stupidity, the gods themselves labor in vain."
Edited on Jan 4, 2011 at 3:52pmRe: Demonize Boehner
Conor Friedersdorf: Nancy Pelosi has been widely mocked on late night television. When David Letterman ran the "The Top Ten Signs There's Trouble In The Democratic Party," number two was "Nancy Pelosi found in hotel room drunk and naked with Charlie Sheen."On another occasion, he uttered this one-liner: "Yeah, the Democratic Convention is in Denver, and security is tight out there, it is very tight, it's tighter than Nancy Pelosi's face." And on the late night shows in general, Nancy Pelosi botox jokes are extremely common.
Don't get me wrong, David Letterman is definitely more antagonistic to conservatives than liberals. But this particular comparison doesn't seem right. · Jan 4 at 2:48pm
But Nancy had a nice honeymoon, didn't she? At least for, say, one year? Which is about 12 months more than Boehner has had. It's really hard to say there isn't a double standard at work here.
May '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
I think Bush was prone to idiotize himself, without resort to outside ridicule. Reagan and Ford were different.
Edited on Jan 4, 2011 at 3:14pmDec '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Steve MacDonald: I think both Paul & Rob have it right and also believe this to be the Boehner game plan.
I am curious about one thing however - does anyone really still pay attention/put credence in what the MSM says or thinks? I have lived outside the states long enough so that I no longer have a feel for this - but the growth of alternate media (like this and recent elections seem to indicate that MSM is steadily becoming irrelevant. · Jan 4 at 2:05pm
It's the Chinese water torture approach. Drip, drip, drip, until the "jokes" in the media are reduced to "Hey, that crazy Boehner, am I right?" (h/t, the Ricochet podcast)
They want to saturate the culture with it and make criticizing him part of the bien pensant as it was with all of their betes noires: Reagan, Bork, Clarence Thomas, Newt, Tripp, Bush, Cheney, Rush...
I am always astounded at how I can just say these names an picture the unbridled hate that liberals feel at such people. It's sputtering and the reasons can't be articulated, but they have that hate nonetheless.
Dec '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
I just showed this blog-post to a liberal friend who knows as close to nothing about politics as is possible...and he goes "Ya, that Boehner guy really is nuts. It's dangerous that he's so powerful."
To which I responded: "Quick - what state is he a representative from? What is one significant piece of legislation that he spear-headed? What does the Speaker of the House even do?"
All I got was a "Ya, but did you see him cry on 60 Minutes?"
Now my buddy is in his mid-20's, but I'm certain that he speaks for the majority of Americans. We live in a culture of sound-bites and public relations. Wish it were different, but images like JB blubbering like an emotional dad at his daughter's wedding are going to be hard to live down.
Sep '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Dave is just teasing Brian.
Dave knows Brian is a big liberal, and cant say anything because Brian is stuck with this gig as a news anchor. Dave thought it was hilarious, but it seemed like everyone else was uncomfortable.
Dec '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
I wonder if your friend did or if he saw it on Jon Stewart or somewhere else. I don't know your buddy, but I'm thinking that he isn't a regular 60 minutes viewer.
Obama said (that is, read) the word "corpseman" twice and people still think he's smart.
Sep '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
AmishDude
Steve MacDonald: I think both Paul & Rob have it right and also believe this to be the Boehner game plan.
It's the Chinese water torture approach. Drip, drip, drip, until the "jokes" in the media are reduced to "Hey, that crazy Boehner, am I right?" (h/t, the Ricochet podcast)
They want to saturate the culture with it and make criticizing him part of the bien pensant as it was with all of their betes noires: Reagan, Bork, Clarence Thomas, Newt, Tripp, Bush, Cheney, Rush...
I am always astounded at how I can just say these names an picture the unbridled hate that liberals feel at such people. It's sputtering and the reasons can't be articulated, but they have that hate nonetheless. · Jan 4 at 3:34pm
Well said. They are using pure propaganda techniques, and they appeal to baser emotions of ignorant people. They want to short circuit debate and shut off all credibility of their rational adversaries.
May '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Rob Long
Good point. It's an attempt to make him seem weird and strange and off-the-map. · Jan 4 at 2:13pm
...considering the source, I can't say I'm real concerned.
As Prof. Rahe said in the first comment, Boehner should be all issues, all the time. Constant, methodical character assassination by the media is nothing new, and considering his history with Gingrich I doubt Congressman Boehner is surprised by it!
May '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
Here are a bunch of Nancy Pelosi jokes used by late night comedians as soon as it was announced that she was Speaker of the House. So no, she didn't have much of a honeymoon at all.
Look, I have this constant suspicion that conservatives think they're more put upon in popular culture than is in fact the case. I test it out sometimes by doing quick Google searches whenever anyone makes assertions rooted in stereotypes about the left and right. And more often than you'd believe, it turns out that the particular example cited is wrong. Like when a contributor here at Ricochet said that the New York Times didn't cover the East Anglia climate science email until months later. Or in this thread, the idea that Pelosi had a long honeymoon.
To me, knowing the media, these assertions often seem implausible. Which doesn't mean the media doesn't skew liberal. It just means that some liberal bias doesn't mean the right can extrapolate wildly without being wrong.
Extreme example here.
Jul '10
Re: Demonize Boehner
I checked those jokes out. They were pretty mild, the worst suggesting only that Nancy might be a tad vain. Comparing those to saying, as Letterman did, that Boehner has a serious emotional problem is to confirm that you are a toadying lickspittle of the left. Just kidding! (No, I'm not). Ha ha, really.