Have you noticed that whenever there’s some military activity somewhere in the world, around the time of a US election, a wingnut goes on national teevee and tells us that it’s the beginning of World War III?
For example: Russia invades Georgia. Cue BillO’s hysterical headline, "DRIFTING TOWARD WORLD WAR III" (TP has audio).
In addition to the sheer absurdity of this bed-wetting hyperbole, BillO must’ve forgotten that he’d already declared the start of World War III — when Israel invaded Lebanon two years ago.
That conflict, which lasted about a month, also inspired Newt Gingrich to go on Fox and announce that WWIII had begun. And then he went on "Meet The Press" and did it again. And then he did it again at a GOP fundraiser.
Then there was Glenn Beck, not about to miss the biggest story since Hitler invaded Poland, who said of Israel/Lebanon,
BECK: Hey, everybody. Hurry up; we’ve got World War III to fight. Yes, it is the end of days. Isn’t it?
No.
Naturally, Sean Hannity was right there with ‘em during the conflict, though he skipped World War III and went right to V.
We are loaded up today, as the Middle East on the brink of World War V, here.
But before you laugh, Hannity was apparently on top of his fake wingnut World Wars, because James Woosley had marked the beginning of World War IV — in 2003.
And last year, when the wingers were itching for war with Iran — the Decider got in the act.
"We’ve got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I’ve told people that, if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."
It’s obvious what’s going on here. Wingnuts wanna scare people, because they think fear makes people vote Republican.
Having failed to protect us on 9/11, after failing to achieve victory in Afghanistan and Iraq after nearly seven years, and after presiding over yet another foreign policy debacle in Eastern Europe — it remains to be seen whether this tactic will work again.
Sure as hell won’t stop them from trying, though.
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Warpervs
I have been trying to get people to watch this video it really lays out the war mongering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJUCU1UH2w
Fear may not specifically make people vote for Republics. However, when fear issues dominate, people tend to not look at what Republics really do in office. That a big help to Republics.
I’ve opted to dub this “World War 3.5.0″
We have to allow for upgrades and plug-ins (like Iran and Syria).
That’s true, though I do think it’s clear that they think fear works for them electorally.
C’mon, you guys didn’t really have any doubt what the October surprise would be, did you? The only way they feel they can win is to actually start another military action. The tragedy would be if the American people fell for the “Republics are innately militarily superior to Democrats” meme…again. Then again, if the majority of the people are really that dumb or naive, and we are unable to convince them otherwise, that will be all parties fault and we will deserve what we get.
Wingnuts wanna scare people, because they think fear makes people vote Republican.
Might work better if they’d all get on the same page, and do the *math*.
Maybe the trouble is that their historical strength lies in counting the number of zero’s….
This is also due to a total lack, on the part of dems, to control the message.
Speaking of Lebanon, Syria and Lebanon have established diplomatic relations. What a disappointment.
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/
The Democrats need to openly mock this stuff more.
The only way to save this country is a democratic, and participative socialist system. There is actually and literally no way to stop these wars without end, to help low-wage workers (slaves), poor immigrants, and poor americans get better under this capitalist system.
We cannot cure a cancer with a bandaid. This country needs socialism, i don’t how but i see no other solution to get out of this hell. Hugo Chavez said it clearly:
“We either throw away capitalism into hell. Or else capitalism will throw us all into the Lake of Sulfur.” -Hugo Chavez Frias
.
If they’re right and fear does work for them electorily, then they’re in like Flynn and there will be no saving the world. I’ve been looking at a globe, and the only thing that stands between Georgia and Iran is Armenia, and/or Azerbaijan. Then there’s the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, our armada seems to be heading for the Suez Canal area. I’m not feeling very good about the chances that we will not end up engaging with Russia in Iran. It’s just a matter of who blinks first.
To mock their stuff is to fight the battle on their turf. The issues need to be defined by the dems not the repubs and the battle fought on our turf
Don’t you start now.
I don’t think Georgia works for them. Too remote for American voters, who are so war fatigued most of them don’t even follow events in the two wars we’ve got already.
The trump in the Republican fear deck is terrorism, if they can somehow convince voters they are in imminent danger right in their very own homes that could be a game changer.
I actually think that’s not the case. If the wingnuts are going all over cable news scream “WWIII, WWIII” you’ve got to have a response, and it can’t be defensive.
I think Gates just peed on their pack of matches.
What’d he say?
Something to the effect of “no US troops necessary in Georgia”. The Times link disappeared for the moment.
BT, you suffer the error that people stricken by fear are tapping into rational part of the brain. Fearmongering is directed to that part of the brain that has no involvement with the rational function. The part of the brain the neocons are targeting serves the role of taking decisions, in this case, based on fear. They’re exploiting a mechanism that people depend on to survive. I’m thinking of António Damásio’s theories about the the inextricable role of emotions in the brain’s cognitive areas.
What’s my error?
Sounds real good to me, but you’re going to have to call it something else.
Democracy for Working Stiffs. Eh…Have to work on it.
(from larger Times piece)
Mr. Gates ruled out the use of American military force in connection with the conflict, but said that relations between the United States and Russia may have suffered long-lasting damage as a result of Russia’s actions.
“I don’t see any prospect for the use of military force by the United States in this situation,” Mr. Gates said at a Pentagon briefing. “Clear enough?”
I must say I agree with the US’s measured approach to this crisis… News from Russia… http://www.enewsreference.com/newspaper/russi.htm and Georgia http://www.enewsreference.com/newspaper/georg.htm
Seems an apporpriate time to post War Pigs
OT but interesting if true.
U.S. nixed Israel’s request for bunker-busters
TEL AVIV — The United States rejected a recent Israeli request for advanced detection systems as well as bunker-busters capable of locating and destroying Iranian nuclear weapons sites.
Maybe because there aren’t any troops left to send there?
Never fear, reality has not been shown to hamstring neocon rhetoric to date.
Damn another opportunity for war shot to hell!
The ever-amusing Bill Bennett wants us to gear up Georgia with our latest tank-busting toys.
erm,
see the last sentence.
there’s always a cruise missle or two, even if you can’t find troops
McCain may be one of a few non-President Americans ever credited with helping start a war: the slaughter of the South Ossetians by the imperial Republic of Georgia military forces. See web sites such as http://www.russiatoday.com to find out what has been going on in South Ossetia and the Republic of Georgia. American military forces and mercenaries from Israel have been training Georgian troops. And John McCain has been egging on President Saakashvili of the Republic of Georgia to enter South Ossetia and start slaughtering the people who lived there. The American corporate media has been compliciant with the lying war criminals Bush, Cheney, Rice and McCain in this Georgian genocide.
Where are Slim Pickens and George C. Scott when ya need ‘em….
This bit implies that rationality will prevail in their decision taking.
A couple threads back, someone linked to a youtube video from a Fox broadcast of an interview with a 12-yr-old girl from San Francisco who was visiting family when the invasion started. Worth viewing and noting.
World Targets in Megadeaths
I think there’s only so many times you can cry wolf, don’t you?
Purity Of Essence.
Slim Pickens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueuauKKjPZI
Your objections seems to hinge on the assumption that voters are or will be in a state of induced fear at the time they make their decision.
I believe the point BT was making is that with repetition, the “fear card” becomes less effective, that people might react with a “(yawn) ho-hum, there they go again.” Think of it in terms of the boy who cried wolf scenario.
You’d think so, but thinking takes a back seat to emotions in decision taking. How many times has it been pointed out that each new lie never seems to make a difference in people’s attitudes.
There’s the whole backdrop of governmental power to weigh, and the effects that has on the legitimacy of gov’t actions.
I see you beat me by six minutes with your concise response.
Christy upstairs with another smackdown to BushCo
I think there’s some truth to that, but look — they tried the fear/terror card in 2006 and lost. They’re trying to pump up fear over this Russia thing, and I don’t think it’ll work. They’ve gone to the well one too many times, IMHO.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-wwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooooo,
ya made my day.
The boy crying wolf analogy doesn’t really apply here. What would be comparable on this level of abstraction is the boy crying wolf; then the boy crying bear; then the boy crying typhoon; and like that.
Most Americans don’t believe they have a horse in the Georgia race.
Well, I’d agree if it were any other country but Russia involved. Russia makes a good villain. Though not as good as Islamaofascistterrorists.
I think the neocons are quite out of their league wrt the Caucasus crisis. I believe the facts will prevail and it could mean their undoing of the forthcoming general election.
Even if he elevates the supposed threat with each repetition, when no real danger emerges, people tend to turn away quicker the next time.
’cept for John McCain
Nah. Low-information voters will always constitute an overwhelming majority of the electorate. This isn’t Europe, for goodness sake. Our ancestors fought and died for our right to be proud and ignorant.
McCain seems a bit slow on the uptake.
s/b reply to ratfood
’cept for John McCain
It’s not easy to make a case against that.
they have already started on that. In that AEI panel discussion on CSPAN that dmac (see comment 30) linked to yesterday one of the neocons was vociferously declaring it a terrorist attack…actually he started out saying that the Russians use terrorism tactics and I guess it sounded so good he morphed it to that the whole thing was a terrorist attack.
McCain seems permanently rooted in the 1950s. He’d reconvene HUAC if he could.
Yeah, it’s simply too remote to resonate. Nothing would make the voters circle the wagons like an attack here at home. I’d like to think even the Republicans are above purposely allowing (or facilitating) one but there always remains that nagging doubt…
Here’s the good news in otherwise discouraging situation. Gates made it clear that the US is not going to involve itself in more military adventurism. This is the old Bush-I junta at work. They put Gates in there to prevent exactly what the Neocons want to do: kill us all.
The other piece of good news–though it doesn’t seem like good news now–is that the American people have been exposed to the limits of American power in a way that can’t be written off as ‘defeatism’. It is going to be impossible for the rethugs to do a ’stab-in-the-back’ routine dance over Georgia, since they are the ones who stabbed Georgia in the back by promising something they can’t deliver. It is good for Americans to get exposed to the limits of our power. The sooner the better. It will remind them why we have rules: sometimes we are on the short end of the stick, and need them for our own protection.
that was not always the case. /s
In reality it was never the case. Even wars of necessity have at their root motives linked to consolidation of power and profit.
Poland and U.S. come to agreement on terms of missile shield.
Pretty obvious that the timing is intended as a poke in the eye of Russia. Wouldn’t want to do anything to cool off the current conflict when we can fan the flames instead.
Poland has a long history of stirring up shit despite its shifting borders.
True of the U.S. Our side offered concessions the Poles had sought.
As Lawrence Welk was wont to declare:
Great snark, Plunger. Thanks.
Poland has a long history of being invaded and dismembered by the Russians, and being occupied by the Red Army within the last twenty years. I’d be interested in what your examples of “stirring shit up” would be.
Hear, hear!
Silvan Tomkins had a lot to say about this.
Not to vast numbers of the American public, alas.
Didn’t work in ‘06.
While Obama walks a fine line, he should punch harder and not be all that concerned with the truth especially when the truth is probably as bad as we think it is. Obama should accuse Bush of encouraging Georgia to invade the disputed territory. The humanitarian relief might create conflict between us and the Russians. Obama should sharply criticize the dangerous Bush policy. But he won’t. The Dems fear backlash from the patriots. It’s time we started to define patriotism in progressive terms.