Pay Attention To The Narrative, Folks

A look at Memeorandum right now presents a perfect window into how media narratives are formed. Ones that are harmful to the Right.

At top - divide and conquer by pitting Steele versus Limbaugh. Fan or not, the weekend demonizing of Rush set the stage for that.

Cantor versus Rush is just icing on the cake at number two. They want to pull the leadership away from the most conservative elements of their base.

Then scroll on down and see how Pelosi is giving in to the moderate Dems on things - even though she actually isn't. And there was no giving when it came to tossing Dingell for Waxman, or putting Reyes not Harmon on the Intel committee.

The libs are just a step or two away from the perfect narrative they want. GOP divided and extreme, Dems compromising and in control.

And Steele and Cantor invited it because they were just trying to be reasonable ... and nice.

You might not like Limbaugh, but at least he's smart enough to know there's a battle going on. And every time you walk across the lines with a white flag in your hand to talk, they smile, then shoot you in the back when you try to return to your camp.

Sometimes I'm as tired of hearing his name invoked as are some others. But Reagan never played their game, or apologized. And that is why and how Reagan won.

Comments

[mark l.]

I liken this to "good cop, bad cop".

I caught the same theory of division between the gop and limbaugh in 94, complete with Clinton and the media chasing after limbaugh in the same fashion as they are now.

It really doesn't matter if they are divided, but are simultaneosuly hitting the same guy.

[Jane]

Dan - I WISH that Steele and Cantor would read this post. I wish they would stop trying to be accomodating to liberals. I have. I used to be circumspect in all I said. NO MORE. I say it loud and and I say it with conviction...

[SpaceCat]

Until you guys wake up to the fact that this -- "The libs are just a step or two away from the perfect narrative they want. GOP divided and extreme, Dems compromising and in control." -- is reality and not just a better spin job, you will remain in the political wilderness. So keep fighting the "spin" while the rest of us live in reality and continue winning elections!

[Frank E Smith]

Well, what goes around comes around. Since the GOP perfected their own version of divide and conquer tactics during their last/latest time at the helm. Rovian tactics which effectively divided the country in ways and along partisan lines the likes of which we haven't seen since the good old Nixon years. I for one am not surprised that after 8+ long years in the political wilderness, the Dems are giving a little back to the GOP.

[templar knight]

Yeah, the Democrats really look like the party of genius. The economy is imploding, the deficits are monumental, they are protesting global warming in a snowstorm, and their policies are destroying the country.

Good luck in those 2010 Congressional elections, Dems. You are the best friend the Republican Party ever had. Lol.

[Jumbo]

Templar is a fool. Nothing but a fool. Temp: Your wisdom has shrunk since the last time you and I had words. You have gone from a reasonably intelligent person to a Limbaugh loving rightwing nut. All of the words you state:

Yeah, the Democrats really look like the party of genius. The economy is imploding, the deficits are monumental, they are protesting global warming in a snowstorm, and their policies are destroying the country.

Good luck in those 2010 Congressional elections, Dems. You are the best friend the Republican Party ever had. Lol.

have nothing to do with the last 8 years of TOTAL repub rule? Has nothing to do with the fact that the last 13-15 years was GOP congress? Has nothing to do with the laize faire attitude toward regulation, championed by the GOP? Has nothing to do with a corrupt GOP?

Temp: You have fallen a great deal away from sanity. Really. Please try and get some treatment quickly - I mean it. The Limabugh slime factor has - I'm afraid - found its way into your brain.

[mark l.]

"political wilderness"
like 94, 2000, 2002, 2004?

I'm skeptical about the 'ideas' message.

The democrats couldn't define themselves, until the gop brand stumbled, and then they had something to work with. The libs can obsess themselves silly over the gop, but their problem is that they are the only ones on the field. Everytime someone stumbles and breaks their leg, its going to be a dem.

Think of the crazy ass things harry and nancy said before their party regained control, in the eyes of the public.

"The War is lost?"
not a national stumble, because harry was not deemed a national leader.

[mark l.]

"have nothing to do with the last 8 years of TOTAL repub rule?"

so 9/11 was bill clinton's fault?
the market has fallen over 25% since jan 2, because george bush was winding up his term?

[mark l.]

march 03, dow is 7740.
tax cuts signed into law may 03.
jan 04, dow is 10,600. that's a 37% increase in about nine months.

another way of looking at it...

each 1000 pts on the dow is roughly a trillion dollars of 401k investments.
after tax cuts, there was a 3 trillion dollar increase in american retirement accounts.

obama's presidency?
roughly 2 trillion of 401ks wiped out. Are they coming back? not a chance with a massive tax hike in two years.

obama is going to repeal the tax cuts?

[Jumbo]

Yeah mark, that's it...You keep going, boy. Keep going. I guess insanity means you never have to say you are sorry? I mean really? You didn't get it? Bush had the last 8 years (with congress) and the last 13-15 the GOP ruled congress (remember Gingrich?). So do you get it now? I know the GOP has a big toolkit full of BS, lies, and thugery but what will you do when your own children look to you for answers? Are you going to blame everything on Clinton? You might be surprised to note that your own children understand history better than you. Lie to them mark. Go ahead and lie to your children mark. Then when your children learn the truth, they will know who to blame. Why do you want to piss on your childrens future mark? Do you want them to have a job, go to college, be happy? Oh I forgot. You love the GOP - you are not meant to be happy, as you are always a victim. Run with that mark. Break like the wind.....

[mark l.]

yawwwnn...

go back to lithium, your zyprexa ain't cuttin' it.

[Mark Turner]

"Bush had the last 8 years (with congress)"

Actually, no. The Democrats took over congress in 2006. BOTH parties have their hands in the current economic mess. For decades, there has been a combination of reckless government spending, reckless consumer spending, reckless lending by financial institutions (subprime lending, for example), and an entitlement culture (at individual, corporate and government levels) that have sown the seeds for what we are reaping now.

Obama is simply continuing the same patterns of reckless expenditure and entitlement mentality that helped cause our problems in the first place.

[Mark Turner]

"I know the GOP has a big toolkit full of BS, lies, and thugery (sic)"

The Democratic party is equally well equipped in this regard, if not more so. Just look at the first few weeks of the Obama administration.

Now, as to the original topic of this discussion...

The GOP would be horrendously stupid to alienate the conservative faction of its own party. However, the Obama victory was not a mandate for unbridled liberalism -- Obama is making that foolish mistake as did Carter (one-termer) and Clinton (GOP control of congress after 2 years).

[rrpjr]

Brilliant analysis, Mr. Riehl. It is so ridiculously simple to turn this game around, and yet conservatives just can't understand. Or rather, can't find the courage. Or the courage isn't there to be found.

The "nicer" they are, the more they get slaughtered. When will someone -- other than Rush that is -- get it.

[seekeronos]

"--- Has nothing to do with the laize (sp) faire attitude toward regulation, championed by the GOP? Has nothing to do with a corrupt GOP? ---"

What the GOP needs is a serious enema of ideas.

Laissez-faire works. Government should mind the roads and the national *defence*, and not how I choose to earn or spend my money, or with whom I keep associations with.

Marriage should be a civil contract sanctioned by the faith of believers, and not something that falls under governmental licence.

Guns (or ammo) should not be restricted in any way from being owned by law-abiding citizens who are of age.

The government should see to the minting of real metal-based (gold) money which cannot be inflated nor leveraged in obscene and societally detrimental ways.

And the people need to learn more and become more involved with their REPUBLICAN (not necessarily referring to the GOP) form of government that we, a federal republic, have constitutionally empowered.

We need to return to the old conservatism of saving money, fiscal responsibility, non-interventionism in foreign affairs, and promoting the superiority of Anglo-Celto-Saxon derived American culture as defined by its Judaeo-Christian heritage.

A pox on multiculturalism, and a double pox on the "political correctness" that has paralysed political discussion in this country, reducing us to so-called "cowards".