STRATEGIC HYPOCRISY OR DESTRUCTIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

The left takes the high road while the right takes the prize

Hey, let’s all scream about conservative hypocrisy. Backing a pedophile for Senate. Or how ‘bout a trillion dollar tax gift to billionaire and corporate donors after decades of anti-debt fever (during Dem presidencies). We’re all gassing on about right-wing hypocrisy and lefty hypocrisy. And so we’re all peeved about being exactly what we are – humans.

The best of us try to maintain a moral semblance of objectivity. That’s a damn good mission but sometimes a stupid one. Obviously Jesus isn’t put off by the blatant hypocrisy of his evangelical fan base.

Evangelicals would vote for a gay Muslim Tea Partier over a pious evangelical liberal Democrat. For Jesus Christ’s sake – they voted for Trump. HYPOCRISY!!! To what end? Total victory, that’s what end. Jeff Sessions and an xtreme right judiciary that will rule for a generation or more. And Mike Pence, probably the next POTUS who will bang that Protestant work ethic to the max to make us a theocracy for Jesus and Santa. Call it strategic hypocrisy. Call it the White House, both houses of Congress and two-thirds of the State Houses.

And the takeaway for the left: Al Franken must resign.

Call me a hypocrite but Franken was a major asset. To not balance his asinine gropings with the rest of his career as an activist and Senator no less asinine. Strategically it’s tragic. And so much in character for the left. Keep at it, Dems; do all the moral-high-ground signifiers and you can play bingo while the GOP leaves us with a further-right Supreme Court, a vaporized safety net, more environmental devastation, an the end of legal abortion.

I don’t see more than a handful of Dems with a mission higher than re-election. How many have the commitment, the creativity and spine to compare with Franken? What higher purpose is served by forcing him out? Is that a boon for women?

Dems slump around being factual, civilized, not pushy. And we’re losing. Not because nice is bad. The Dems are clueless about creative strategizing, about language and framing. For decades bland and timid about progressivism, allowing the GOP to weaponize the word, liberal. As a politician Al Franken was finally coming out of his self-imposed shadow. Imagine how he could orchestrate an ongoing campaign to decode GOP lies about economics, health care, racism exceptionalist geopolitics leading to devastating wars. It would be cutting, smart and funny. And he’s not a hater.

John Stewart was able to trip up right wingers in interviews with sharp humor, knowledge base and sincere lack of personal animosity. Without the usual combat dynamic, his guest would hang himself by relaxing and being himself. Muhammad Ali used humor to get his opponents mad before a fight. He knew that in the ring they’d focus on vengeance instead of the win. They wore themselves out swinging to hurt while Ali watched, waited and hit to win.

What if Obama had nightly broadcasts using his wit to decode the “death panels” silliness. We’d have universal health care. Dems let that vaudeville dumb the bill down. Why did John Stewart have to get health care for 911 first responders? Dems were shameful in their passivity. Why hasn’t there been a creative national campaign to decode the tax bill? Now the Dems rise up – against Franken.

If the left doesn’t get off its righteousness opioid and start getting strategic and politically tough, this nation is toast.

— Polar Levine, News Goo Dissection, December 8, 2017