THE GENIUS OF THE FAR RIGHT VS THE NAIVITY OF THE LEFT
For over a year or whenever the teabaggers began, there has been a stunning demonstration on how to demagogue your enemy while labeling him the demagogue.
From the beginning they used the techniques of both the Fascists of Italy (and I hate to say this it’s so trite now) the Nazis to say that the left, the Democrats, and President Obama are fascists and Nazis. In the decade before either Mussolini or Hitler came to power, they had their followers and thugs confronting, badgering and frightening their opposition by rude and coarse confrontations. This gave a sense of greater strength than they actually had. The result was that the civil forces in the society became afraid of the judgments of the right and their influence upon the electorate. Loudly opposing Communists and lumping labor and liberalism with the communist movement lead to a general sense of foreboding. This foreboding began to be picked up by the people at large, especially when the economies began to falter. This ultimately led to the appointments of Mussolini and of Hitler as heads of government without protest while each only had 5% of the electorate (that’s only five percent). All opposition seemed stifled by the success of the right wing propaganda.
For what has been happening in our country recently, I fault the left and the Democratic Party at least 80%. Why? Despite repeated demonstrations by the right lasting for 2 decades, the Democrats refuse to use the simplest, known propaganda tools to make their message effective. One can use some universal principles of persuasion without becoming the enemy. Why the Democratic party does not have a liberal Frank Lutz on the payroll is beyond me. However, I would not be surprised if they do but don’t use him/her. Some issues need reframing into more simple and repeatable terms. There needs to be a little work on talking point i.e., having some and using them. And simplest of all, Repetition. That’s right, repetition. Even when Democrats succeed at something or make a great point, they say it once (usually in a dry, convoluted, non-emotion appealing way) assuming, I guess, that it should carry on face value. The only thing the Democrats seem to repeat in this arena is the failure to accommodate event the simple principles.
I will not donate to the Democratic party anymore unless I see them investing in getting the messages out effectively. As long as they let the right continue to define the issues in their hateful ways, responding only and not learning to define the dialogue I think they are hopeless. Power seekers without enough will to power.