Incivility is Only Part of the Problem; Falsehood is Another Part
Obama touched on something last night that I've been mulling over for some time--and here's somebody hitting the point at Sully's digs.
You can't get a complete picture of what's going on if you only emphasize the incivility that's coming from the right. That's bad, but it's not like they are saying "@#$% Obama! He wants the government to play a slightly more significant economic role!" Much of what's coming out of the right these days is not only uncivil, but false. It's not like they're saying true things in a derisive tone or something.
And, of course, the stuff that is really troubling isn't the stuff that's just a little bit false...the stuff that misses the target by something like the normal political distance...it's the stuff that's stark, raving, bat$hit crazy that's really worrisome. When you've got nontrivial numbers of people apparently seriously contemplating the possibility that our civil, centrist President is the Antichrist...well, then you've got a real big problem...
Obama touched on something last night that I've been mulling over for some time--and here's somebody hitting the point at Sully's digs.
You can't get a complete picture of what's going on if you only emphasize the incivility that's coming from the right. That's bad, but it's not like they are saying "@#$% Obama! He wants the government to play a slightly more significant economic role!" Much of what's coming out of the right these days is not only uncivil, but false. It's not like they're saying true things in a derisive tone or something.
And, of course, the stuff that is really troubling isn't the stuff that's just a little bit false...the stuff that misses the target by something like the normal political distance...it's the stuff that's stark, raving, bat$hit crazy that's really worrisome. When you've got nontrivial numbers of people apparently seriously contemplating the possibility that our civil, centrist President is the Antichrist...well, then you've got a real big problem...
1 Comments:
WS,
Thanks for the link to Sullivan.
If you've not seen it, the point is also well made by Conor Friedersdorf and amplified by Fred Clark.
Best,
Jim
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