National
Review has an article today by Lee Habeeb (h/t Hugh
Hewitt).The article is about
story-telling and boils the problems of the Republican Party down to an issue
of “messaging.”
This post is titled “Starting to Get It” because Mr. Habeeb
points out that Republicans are (gasp!)
unpopular. In our culture, they are cast
as “the bad guys.”
I’m sure many who read Mr.Habeeb’s article will simply frame
it as another Republican rant.But the
idea that our culture sees Republicans as “the bad guys” is the salient point.
The Democratic Party pushes The Themes over and over, and
reassures its adherents, “You have high ideals, but dislike of Republicans is
what makes you popular.”
Story-telling might be good messaging.Being consistent and repetitive is what engenders
power.
All this is by way of introduction to an MRC
study that is out today.It analyzes
the slant of the evening newscasts for ABC, CBS and NBC in covering the partial
shutdown of the American government.The
three networks had 124 stories covering the shutdown, from October 1 through
October 15.Here is the significant
finding:
Of the 124 full stories and brief items about the shutdown
or the pending debt ceiling deadline, 41 blamed Republicans or conservatives
for the impasse, 17 blamed both sides, and none specifically blamed Democrats.
The article has a chart and some anecdotal information, but
the conclusion is about polling data.Each of the three networks conducted polling of the American public and
found that Americans blame Republicans for the problems of our government.
ABC, CBS, and NBC let Americans know this is what is "right and natural."
I am looking at you differently these days.Yes, I still consider you a friend, but I don’t
understand what you are doing.
Here is a concern: You are attracted to organizations that
teach you I am a racist.The “accepted
truth” is that because I am a Republican, I want to hurt people with dark skin
tone.
Let me put that in perspective.Perhaps you have a gay son or daughter, and attend
a church that teaches that your child is therefore a sinner.You are taught one thing, yet you know another.
Why do you support an organization teaching principles you
know are false?
Another concern is the toleration of government pressure against
people of differing ideology.Why are you
comfortable with the use of the IRS for political reprisal?To me, that seems insensitive and obtuse.
Lastly, because I am a Republican, I suffer dehumanization.Without a second thought, our culture thinks
of Republicans as “mean-spirited, risky extremists.” And lately, the rhetoric
has been ratcheted up.We are now characterized
as terrorists, arsonists, murderers and worse.
Again, I see your quiet acceptance and wonder, “What is the
attraction for you?”
AP Photo by Brennan
Linsley at Boulder Municipal Airport, 9/14/2013
The Democratic Party cultivates the notion that it is always
“trying to do the right thing.”The
photo above is of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, along with U.S. Senators
Mark Udall (on the left) and Michael Bennet (on the right).The left shoulder of Representative Jared
Polis and the chin of Representative Ed Perlmutter are also shown in the photo.
This is a picture of Colorado politicians expressing concern
for victims of our recent floods.Please
note that they are all members of the Democratic Party.
America’s cultural understanding that the Democratic Party
is always trying to do the right thing is a huge advantage in the world of
politics.It vests moral
authority in the Democratic Party, and works to shield affiliates of the
Democratic Party from scrutiny.
Here’s a recent example:
The
Atlantic Wire covers the story, showing that Time Magazine displays its content differently, depending on
whether it is for American consumption or world consumption.Should we be concerned about the motives of Time?Not when Americans believe:
Time Magazine is always trying to do the
right thing.
School
administrators are always trying to do the right thing.
Consider the recent recall of a couple of
Democratic Party state senators in Colorado. Some think the recall was based on a “betrayal
in leadership.”However, the
legislators involved do not see it that way.They believe their Democratic Party ideology is more important than
representing the views of their constituents.Angela Giron and John Morse are confident in knowing:
They are
always trying to do the right thing.
American culture affords the Democratic Party wide latitude
because the Democratic Party is accomplished at delivering this narrative.Our media, the entertainment industry,
government agencies and those politicians supporting the Democratic Party
relish the power.Jesse Jackson, Jr.,
Anthony Wiener, John Edwards, and even Melowese
Richardson know their personal problems don’t matter, because:
William
Dean Singleton, Publisher of The
Denver Post, at the American Society of News Editors Convention in
Washington, DC (April 3, 2012).Photo by
Carolyn Kaster
The Denver Post
published an editorial on Saturday (9/6/2013) expressing outrage over the
recall elections being held in Colorado this week.The headline was “Recall
elections are an unhealthy trend.”The
complaint is that Democratic Party lawmakers being recalled “did not engage in
malfeasance, commit crimes or ethical violations.”
The Denver Post knows
what Colorado voters should do: “We hope they’ll see the greater good in
rejecting the recall as a tool to solve policy disagreements.”
A year ago, The Denver
Post had an opinion on another recall election.In Wisconsin, Republican
Governor Scott Walker was being recalled for enacting a law that ended
collective bargaining rights for most state workers in Wisconsin.
Here The Denver Post
placed a different characterization on the election.The headline was “A
ray of hope in Wisconsin recall election.”The election suggested “a willingness of the public to stand by
candidates who make hard choices.”
In 2012, The Denver
Post saw recall elections as “a ray of hope” but in 2013 they became “an
unhealthy trend.”
Why the change of heart?What might cause the editorial
board of The Denver Post to see one
recall election as “good” and another recall election as “bad?”
UPDATE 9/11/2013:
Despite the lecture from The Denver Post, voters recalled both Democratic Party politicians yesterday. This is despite the Democratic Party having a 5:1 spending advantage in the election. Dave Kopel explains the outcome.
John
McWhorter has an intriguing article in The
Wall Street Journal today.It is
coming to us on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a
Dream” speech.
Mr. McWhorter is a professor at Columbia University and
writes a column for Time
magazine.He is a linguist.
If you are not sure what that’s all about, please check out
his TED
lecture from earlier this year.Or even
better, see yesterday’s post on Miley Cyrus at the New
Republic.John McWhorter can change
the way you think.
His article in The Wall Street Journal discusses
how we should honor Dr. King’s dream.As
background, he shows how “The Dream” has been co-opted by our culture to place
Americans with dark skin tone in a position of eternal indignation; where they think
of themselves as “underdogs with a bone to pick.”
In contrast, we will not see that point of view reflected in
today’s speeches.Instead, we will see classic
objectification and further evidence of African Americans being held in the
Democratic Party’s Droit du Seigneur.
Congressman Mike Coffman is up for re-election in 2014. He represents our 6th Congressional District here in Colorado.
Mike is a veteran, and has served in both the Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. He is distinguished by having resigned his position as State Treasurer of Colorado to serve a tour of duty in Iraq from 2005 to 2006.
He was elected as Colorado's Secretary of State in 2006, and then elected to the House of Representatives in 2008.
The 6th CD in Colorado is "competitive," and Andrew Romanoff is the Democratic Party candidate. The advertising supporting Mr. Romanoff will not be engaged in enhancing his image. Rather, it will work to denigrate Congressman Coffman, portraying him as a bad person. In marketing parlance, these are "negative ads."
This post will chronicle the advertising that is done against Mike Coffman during the 2014 campaign. Let's get started!
June 2013 - This is an ad released on Spanish-language radio stations. It is sponsored by the House Majority PAC and tells us about Rep. Coffman's sinister intent. The Spanish-speaking announcer says Congressman Coffman intends to deport 800,000 young people who just want to achieve the American dream:
August 2013 - This ad, sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters, characterizes Rep. Coffman as a person who is unreasonable, keeps his head in the sand, and holds extreme views:
August 2013 - A second ad from the League of Conservation Voters criticizes Rep. Coffman for holding extremist views, being in the pocket of "Big Oil" and denying climate science:
(Male VO): Hello, Congressman Coffman here, just in from Washington.
(Female VO): Uh. Hi. Aren’t you supposed to be doing something about that shut down?
(Male VO): I’m here to talk about what I’m doing these days. First, I’m working hard to take away your new health care benefits.
(Female VO): What? Congressman Coffman !?!
(Male VO): That’s right. We’ll put the insurance companies back in charge of your health care.
(Female VO): You’ve got to be kidding me.
(Male VO): Oh we’re dead serious -- so serious that we shut down the government over it.
(Female VO): Congressman Coffman -- that’s just irresponsible. And, well… reckless. Oh, and what happens to your health care?
(Male VO): Oh, don’t worry about me. Voted myself taxpayer-funded healthcare for life! So I’m taken care of, but thanks for your concern.
(Door slams shut). (Female VO): Paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, www.dccc.org. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.
June 2014 - The VoteVets Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization chartered to focus on nonpartisan education and advocacy on behalf of veterans and their families. While billing itself as non-partisan, VoteVets.org is the largest progressive organization of veterans in America.
It has released this ad which characterizes Representative Coffman as being insensitive to veterans.
While the ad says that Mike Coffman "voted against troop pay," it fails to note that the vote came on the National Defense Authorization Act, which covers diverse social issues such as Marriage and Civil Rights as well as the overall budget for national defense.
Characterizing Mike Coffman as being anti-military is a stretch, but the Democratic Party shows how it is done.
September 2014 - CounterPAC tells us Mike Coffman takes political contributions from unknown sources, that might include Russian oil billionaires, Too-Big-to-Jail Wall Street Bankers and a Chinese Casino Owner!
October 2014 - Erica Payne and the Agenda Project use the outbreak of Ebola to demonize Republicans. The ad flashes a picture of Mike Coffman (at 44 seconds from the beginning) and warns us that Republicans are killers.
October 2014 - The Andrew Romanoff campaign continues the "War on Women" narrative against Congressman Coffman.
November 2014 - Mike Coffman wins re-election 52% to 43% over challenger Andrew Romanoff.
