Cheney: Obama Lied!

[DeistPaladin]

*Eagerly raises her hand*
So how do we, as a nation, overcome the very serious problems facing our country when one side refuses, and actively denies reality? How can our two party government possibly function given these conditions? Furthermore, there's the problem of the side which denies actual, factual based reality, not recognizing their own denial and blames the other side for lying or being misleading. How do we get them to see how crazy it all is? Where do we go from here?

Well this is a serious problem and one that has ironically been created by the Information Age. If you are one who wants to believe conspiracy theories or accounts of alternate reality, you'll probably frequent websites that will spoon feed you the propaganda to confirm what you already believe. Fox Noise and right wing hate talk radio, along with conspiracy nuts like Glenn Beck and Alex Jones, are other sources of alternate reality media that perpetuate the problem.

A great example of the effect of the alternate reality bubble is the stunned reaction to the 2012 election by the right wing and on Fox. "But... but... we nailed him on Benghazi". They believed their own propaganda and so they didn't see the defeat coming. When you live in a fantasy world, you can't cope with or anticipate reality. Unfortunately, you really can't reason with people like this either. People like A Theist are totally brainwashed. They are gone. Luckily, they're dying off as they age.

Worse still, the Democrats have become the center-right party, having chased the Republicans to the right as the latter have moved to crazy town. There really is very little representation for progressives in this country and we often have to hold our noses and vote conserva-dem.

But all is not lost. Long term prospects for progressives will look increasingly better as all the cranky-old-white-men die off and are replaced by a new generation of voters. Demographics are already looking grim for the GOP. They need to move to the center but they can't and they know it. The minute any of them budge slightly to the center, they'll be primaried by the crazy wing.

In my opinion, our immediate goal should be to expose and debunk the "both-sides-do-it" meme. That's the big lie that makes all the little lies possible. It's the lie that's repeated by pseudo-centrists in the mainstream media and on Sunday talk shows (even John Stewart dipped into that well in his "Rally to Restore Sanity"). It's purpose is to give cover to conservatives whenever they get caught being corrupt, crazy, stupid, bigoted, abusive, incompetent or criminal. It's a tactic that's executed in one of three ways:

1. "Hippie Punching": Create imaginary liberals who are "just as bad"
2. False Equivalence: Hype up or exaggerate liberal infractions (i.e. sure Glenn Beck is crazy but look how angry Keith Olbermann is)
3. Diffused Responsibility: When Republicans abuse the filibuster, report it as "Democrats and Republicans are unable to reach across the aisle" and then cry salty tears over "the lack of bipartisanship on both sides".

The Glenn Becks, Rush Limbaughs and Michelle Malkins of the world are not what we should be concerned about. They are pigs and pigs will go "oink". Of course they say offensive and crazy things. And of course their brainwashed followers will eat it all up and not listen to reason. They are lost.

What gives them cover is the "both-sides-do-it" lie. But for that, they could be marginalized and take their rightful place screaming on the street corner as they sell pencils.

It's the David Gregories, the David Brooks', and Tom Brokaws that are the problem. These pseudo-centrists run cover for and help legitimize the pig-people like Newt, Rush, et al. They need to be confronted with one simple message:

Both
Sides
Don't.