The Politics Of Saying Something Stupid

Last week, Rudy (The Love Guru) Giuliani declared that "Obama doesn't love America", certainly not the way Rudy and everyone else in the room have learned to love America.  (Want to make a guess on the level of whiteness in that room?) 

It appears Rudy Giuliani is trying to walk back his comments and if this seems familiar, it's because it is. This has become a pattern not just with Giuliani but with a whole bunch of GOP types trying to preach to the thinking impaired crowd on the far, far right. 

• Senator Duh is speaking to a group called Free America/Right Track or FART. At this meeting, the senator says something like, "When Obama comes to take away your commemorative NASCAR plates featuring Dale Earnhardt, the terrorists will win." This gets members of FART all worked up with paroxysms of hate. Or maybe joy because there's nothing better than having something new to hate. 
• Senator Duh's statement to FART gets out to the mainstream media. People with more than two functioning brain cells come to the very sensible conclusion that what Senator Duh said is wrong, stupid, offensive, morally reprehensible, clueless out of touch and, quite possibly, mispronounced.
• Senator Duh stands by his statement and says it again, totally incredulous that there are people who can't see the very obvious truth of what he's saying. 
• Senator Duh's remarks takes over the 24 hour news cycle. Fox News defends Senator Duh's statement as being the cornerstone of the rage-fueled demographic of Fox News..er, we mean America. MSNBC is outraged Senator Duh is permitted to continue breathing oxygen. CNN looks sad and wonders if it's too late to get their dignity back. 
• Senator Duh attempts to explain his remarks and winds up deeper down the gopher hole of his stupidity even as his supporters twist themselves into pretzels to justify the senator's remarks. "We're not saying Obama is coming for our NASCAR stuff. We're just saying we need to be ready to stand firm and fight for our rights to keep our commemorative NASCAR plates featuring Dale Earnhardt out of Obama's liberal Muslim, Kenya-born hands!" 
• Fox News is incredulous that in Obama's America, Senator Duh can't speak his mind. Over on MSNBC, Chris Matthews continues to shout things to an empty room. CNN, realizing dignity is like virginity (once you've lost it, it ain't coming back), stumbles into the fray. 
• Senator Duh now says he didn't say what we think he said but rather he was actually making a point to get a whole other message across. The message apparently is, "I'm a douchebag." Except to the members of FART who hear, "I'm all that stands between your NASCAR memorabilia and the insidious evil of Obama."  

Here is where the narrative can split in three directions: 

• Senator Duh makes an apology while trying to make it not sound to the members of FART like an apology. 
• The fervor dies down but there's a stink on Senator Duh now and he becomes marginalized, the only people who listen to him now are the members of FART.
• The news backs off the stupid statement because Senator Duh says an even dumber thing. "Obama is a Martian who wants all the white women!" 

The Republican Party has veered so far to the right, leftovers are called rightovers. In the past, politicians would try to appeal to the broadest base of their constituents and tell them what they felt needed to said. 

Now all the effort goes towards appeasing the more radical elements of right wing ideologues. And in order to win elections, politicians have to talk to them and tell them what they want to hear. 

So you'll be hearing from someone like Senator Duh again and again. 

Everyone, be good to one another. And remember to protect your commemorative NASCAR plates featuring Dale Earnhardt from the overreaching grasp of Obama.

Who does not love you.  

Dave-El 

I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You