Over The Top
The Invester’s Business Daily, a magazine that has increasingly focused on politics rather than the stock market, has what can only be described as a screed out accusing President Obama of being “dangerously close” to totalitarianism. The charge echoes themes heard regularly on talk radio — that President Obama is not just wrong on policy, but is so dangerous as to require consideration of extreme solutions.
What is striking about this is not only that it is grossly hyperbolic and hysterical, but also how it highlights the bipartisan nature of the phenomenon. Almost exactly the same charges were regularly leveled against President Bush just a few years ago. And the exact same people who are outraged today were applauding then. Conversely, the same people who are applauding today were complaining then.
As the contortions of commentators like Paul Krugman illustrate, “civility” is only demanded of the other guys. Krugman’s fretting over incivility in the aftermath of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords evaporated as soon as Krugman found it convenient to attack the character and motives of every person who ever disagreed with him about anything. The same behavior is common throughout civil society — media, entertainment, blogosphere.
Increasingly, our broader political debate is beginning to look exactly the same as a comment thread on a blog post — all hate, all the time. What does this mean for the upcoming election, not to mention the broader capacity of our society to respond to the huge economic, environmental, and cultural challenges that we face? The flat truth seems to be that we are paralyzed, separated into implacably warring camps where the only response for dissent or disagreement is to condemn rather than debate.
And we can expect it will only get worse, because there is no one in sight who has any incentive to make it better.
Share This
False Equivalence? I don’t recall Krugman being a vicious liberal attack dog so much.
Well I think our govt has in fact come not just close to totalitarianism, we are there as a matter of law, if not yet in practice. This started in earnest under Bush but has continued under Obama, highlighted with the powers authorized to the president under the recent defense act. Essentially an end run around habeus corpus has been put into law. We have made legal to the govt many of the practices that as a child I grew up with associating with the Soviet union. Wiretapping, spying on citizens, and being able to legally detain anyone you want under false accusations with citizens having no recourse. Oh yea, and torture. That was added to the US playbook in the 21st century. What keeps us from having to live like Soviet citizens of the Cold War? As far as I can tell, nothing more than the forbearance of the people in charge. But as soon as we actually elect a power mad sociopath, which is only a matter of time, I’m sure the massive failure of our leaders and our voters to protect or civil rights will be made painfully clear.
Oh and the big irony of this is that when The Investors Business Daily uses the term totalitarianism, it is hyperbole. Because when they use it they are referring to Obama’s threats to raise taxes and generally cost the .01% more money. That is their version of a dictator. It is sad that the financial rights of the uber wealthy have some fierce watchdogs while our rights are left unguarded, unlocked, and vulnerable to the wolves of politics.
Well, I’ve take it as a given that most political discourse these days is tainted by partisanship. This continues to “bleed over” into other areas. For example here a publican that probably has a more Republican readership but is suppose to be providing info that can be used in investments.
As an example, even the Daily Show was bemused to find that the person who called the Tea Party “terrorists” is now head of a “civility project” while still supporting calling people she disagrees with “terrorist”.
I saw that episode, brilliant.
Here is the link I forgot….
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-january-12-2012/civil-disservice
“The flat truth seems to be that we are”…
…stupid and incapable of telling the difference between what is of real value and what is fleeting bs… also (apparently) incapable of telling the difference between George Bush and Barack Obama.
One is black is all.
What I really love about this post is that, when boiled down (and the author’s smug “I’m above it all” removed) it says precisely this:
Bush = Obama.
This isn’t quite the talking point that the GOP has been pushing this week (Obama = Nixon) but is testament to the author’s original thought and ‘take’ on this important issue.
Hart, maybe you need to work harder at getting on the all-things-are-equal bandwagon. I hear it’s a great stress reducer.
You’re undoubtedly right, Zephyr, but when I look at getting on the bandwagon versus not getting on the bandwagon, they both seem exactly the same thing to me, and not getting up out of my comfy chair seems easier.