trailmonkee
trailmonkee's JournalThe flatterers: Sweet-talking the American people
Thoughts worth sharing:
http://blog.oup.com/2012/09/soft-demagogue-political-rhetoric/
If there is one thing on which Mitt Romney and Barack Obama agree, it is this: We, the American people, are
wonderful.
“We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven
ones.” We have always been determined to “build a better life” for ourselves and our children. (Romney) “We honor
the strivers, the dreamers, the risk-takers, the entrepreneurs who have always been the driving force behind our free
enterprise system.” (Obama) We have the ultimate can-do spirit, “that unique blend of optimism, humility and the
utter confidence that the when the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American.” (Romney)
Sometimes we go through hard times, but these never daunt us, and our leaders are quick to credit us with
overcoming whatever adversity comes our way. “You did it because you’re an American and you don’t quit.”
(Romney) “We don’t turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up.” (Obama) Americans “haven’t ever
thought about giving up.” (Romney)
There’s nothing new about this kind of political appeal, of course. And on the face of it, the rhetoric seems pretty
innocuous. We should ask, though, about whether the language might have consequences for what happens after the
election.
The framers of the Constitution feared the influence of demagogues in political systems that rest upon popular
consent. James Madison expressed contempt for politicians (such as Patrick Henry in Madison’s home state of
Virginia) who engaged in what he saw as rabble-rousing, appealing to the passions of the common people. As political
scientist Jeffrey K. Tulis explains, the Constitution was designed to thwart the influence of demagogues. The system for
selecting the president, for example, filtered the preferences of the public to neutralize the appeal of a popular leader.
Our image of demagogues has been shaped by politicians like Huey Long. They tend to be crude, polarizing figures
whose rhetoric takes a divisive form; they single out “villains” or unpopular social groups who supposedly prey upon
the people. James W. Ceaser, another political scientist, refers to these political figures as “hard” demagogues. They
pander to popular fears and anxieties.
But Ceaser identifies a second type of demagogue, the “soft” variety. This one seduces the masses via flattery, extolling
their virtues and their wisdom, conducting politics, as it were, by Barry White soundtrack. The soft demagogue plays
on a different set of emotions than do the Huey Longs. Where the anger that undergirds hard demagoguery alarms
many, the soft variety comforts and lulls the audience.
Even as political leaders court us, they hedge a bit by throwing in what might be termed “ritual disclaimers.” These
are the promises of candor. For the Republicans, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie insisted that “we have become
paralyzed by our desire to be loved,” so that politicians “do what is easy and say ‘yes,’ rather than to say no when ‘no’
is what’s required.” He added, “Our problems are big and the solutions will not be painless. We all must share in the
sacrifice. Any leader that tells us differently is simply not telling the truth.” And the president reminded his audience,
“You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth.” But the disclaimers turn
out to be empty. Christie failed to identify a single sacrifice the Republicans would impose; Obama spoke only in vague
terms about cutting spending or raising taxes.
It isn’t difficult to understand why the soft demagogues cannot reconcile the messages. Flattery and pain don’t mix
well. After all, if we the people have been as dedicated and selfless as our leaders tell us we are, then we cannot
possibly be responsible for the mess we’re in. And if we have been so virtuous, surely we should not be asked to pay
(through reduced benefits, higher taxes, or both) to clean up the situation.
The rhetoric will come back to haunt the winner, Democrat or Republican. Flattery works as a political tool, but a
public that has been told only of its goodness will not understand why it should be penalized for its virtue. When the
American people wake up the morning after the great political seduction, they will have a nasty hangover.
http://blog.oup.com/2012/09/soft-demagogue-political-rhetoric/
Rockets destroy NATO helicopter, kill 3 Afghans hours after Bagram handover
Source: nbc news
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Four rockets hit Afghanistan's Bagram airfield, destroying a helicopter belonging to the NATO-led forces and killing three Afghan personnel inside, a spokesman for the coalition said Tuesday.
The attack, which took place at around 10 p.m. local time on Monday (1:30 p.m. ET Monday), came on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Security across the capital, Kabul, was intensified.
Two personnel belonging to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), who were also in the helicopter, were wounded, the spokesman said.
The helicopter, which was on a ramp in the airfield when the rockets hit, was destroyed by the ensuing fire, an ISAF official told NBC News.
The Taliban, in a text message to Reuters, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had fired rockets at the helicopter, which was on a ramp in the airfield.
Read more: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/11/13797782-rockets-destroy-nato-helicopter-kill-3-afghans-hours-after-bagram-handover?lite
Remember all the great Punk Iconography during the Reagan Era?
Thats the only positive thing I can think of about Romney... he is the perfect model of detached creepiness to help inspire a whole new generation of cut and paste artists.
This last one just looks like it would have been a great show 
No negative impacts from repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,' study reveals
Source: abc news
Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET: The repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2011 has not had a negative impact on force readiness, recruitment or retention, contrary to predictions that it would, according to a new study published Monday.
The policy, implemented in 1993 while then President Bill Clinton was pushing for openness in the military, was repealed on Sept. 20 last year. Before its enactment and the repeal, service members had said having openly gay troops would harm the military
But the study by the Palm Center, which conducts research on sexual minorities in the military, determined those concerns were unfounded. The research by nine scholars, some professors at military academies, began six months after the policy (known as DADT) ended and wrapped up near the one-year mark.
The scholars said they interviewed opponents and advocates of the repeal, as well as active duty service members who are gay, and conducted on-site field observations of four military. They also reached out to 553 of the nearly 1,200 generals and admirals who signed a 2009 letter saying the repeal would undermine the military and eventually got interviews with 13 officers.
“Our conclusion, based on all of the evidence available to us, is that DADT repeal has had no overall negative impact on military readiness or its component dimensions, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment or morale,” according to the study. “Although we identified a few downsides that followed from the policy change, we identified upsides as well, and in no case did negative consequences outweigh benefits. If anything, DADT repeal appears to have enhanced the military’s ability to pursue its mission.”
Read more: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/10/13782623-no-negative-impacts-from-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-study-reveals?lite
Poll: Americans Pick President Obama Over Mitt Romney for Dinner Date
Source: abc news
The American public may be divided on "Obamacare," but when faced with choosing a candidate to care for them if illness struck, President Obama is their man. By a 13 point margin - 49-36 percent - registered voters polled by ABC News chose the president over Mitt Romney to nurse them back to health.
When asked who they thought "would make a more loyal friend," the results were about the same. By a 50-36 percent count, respondents said Obama was more likely to stick with them through trying times.
As for suppertime, still more ugly numbers for Romney. Fifty-two percent of registered voters polled by ABC News said they'd rather have Obama visit their homes for dinner. Just 33 percent said they'd prefer Romney at the table.
But it's not a total wipeout for the Republican. On what ABC News poll chief Gary Langer calls the most instructive question
Read more: http://www.bayoubuzz.com/component/k2/item/83095-poll-americans-pick-president-obama-over-mitt-romney-for-dinner-date
Romney Calls Obama's Post-Convention Gain A ‘Sugar High'
Source: New York Times
President Barack Obama raised more money in August than Mitt Romney did, outpacing him for the first time since the spring and adding to a sense in both parties that Obama is entering the post-convention sprint to Election Day in a slightly stronger position.
Romney's campaign rushed out a memo Monday stating that any post-convention polling lift for Obama was “a sugar high” that would not last the next few weeks, let alone to Election Day.
The first post-convention poll by a major news organization, from CNN and ORC International, showed Obama with a slight gain, 52 percent to 46 percent, over Romney, within the poll's margin of sampling error.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Romney-Calls-Obama-s-Post-Convention-Gain-A-3854769.php#ixzz2680mn3N7
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Romney-Calls-Obama-s-Post-Convention-Gain-A-3854769.php
Can they possibly be bigger babies?
Lawmaker abandons effort to censor NFLer
Source: Hearst Seattle Media
Maryland state legislator Emmett Burns has backpedaled from his attempt to censor Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadeja, after the NFL player spoke out publicly in favor same-sex marriage.
Del. Emmett Burns set off a firestorm last week when he asked in a letter to Ravens’ owner Steve Biscotti that Biscotti “take the necessary action . . . to inhibit such expressions from your employee.”
On Monday, however, Burns was singing a different tune. “Upon reflection he has his 1st Amendment rights and I have my 1st Amendment rights,” he said. “Each one of us has the right to speak our opinions. The football player and I have a right to speak our minds.”
Read more: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2012/09/10/lawmaker-abandons-effort-to-censor-nfler/
Romney Campaign Plagiarized Obama’s Donation Website
Source: New York Magazine
The Mitt Romney campaign has had chronic problems with spelling this year, but its latest workaround isn't much better: Buzzfeed reports that Romney's Victory Wallet donation website just copied and pasted the text from Barack Obama's Quick Donate, changing only the identifying details. "When you're logged in to your BarackObama.com account with a saved credit card, just click the Quick Donate button. We'll charge your saved credit card and you're done in seconds," said one. "When you're logged in to your MyMitt account with a saved credit card, just click the Contribute button. We'll charge your saved credit card and you're done in seconds," said the other. It's since been corrected and blamed on some poor kid.
The Romney campaign confirmed to Buzzfeed that this wasn't just some dummy text inserted by whatever company built the websites. "This was a junior staff confusion that has been updated and resolved," said digital direct Zac Moffat.
Now the Romney site says, for instance, "Just text the amount you want to donate — i.e., "10"or $10 — and in seconds, you're done." The Obama one, on the other hand, says, "If you text us '10', we'll charge your saved credit card $10. It's never been easier to donate." But look, no typos! Just good old-fashioned Amercian ingenuity.
Read more: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/09/romney-plagiarized-obama-donation-website.html
screen Captures from Mashable:
Romney Website Seems to Borrow Text From Obama’s Page
http://mashable.com/2012/09/10/romney-obama-text/from mashhable:
Until Monday afternoon, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had at least one thing very much in common: the text on their online donation pages.
Here’s an example of the copy on each page as it stood early Monday:
Obama: “When you’re logged in to your BarackObama.com account with a saved credit card, just click the Quick Donate button. We’ll charge your saved credit card and you’re done in seconds.”
Romney: “When you’re logged in to your MyMitt account with a saved credit card, just click the Contribute button. We’ll charge your saved credit card and you’re done in seconds.”
Obama’s donations page predates Romney’s page, which is about about six months newer.
Romney digital director Zac Moffatt told BuzzFeed, which first spotted the apparent text swindle, that the copy on Romney’s site was “a junior staff confusion that has been updated and resolved.”
Indeed, Romney’s one-click donations page, known as the Victory Wallet, is now updated with new text.
According to BuzzFeed, the two campaigns had no shared vendor — if they did, that may have explained the very similar language.
College in Colorado won't be investigated for Obama course
Source: AP
DENVER -- A conservative group that took issue with a Colorado college offering credit for campaigning for President Barack Obama isn't happy with the response from state officials.
Americans For Prosperity called for a state investigation after Adams State University offered an independent-study credit for working on the Obama campaign. The school withdrew the course because no students signed up. School officials said students could have gotten credit for working for Republican Mitt Romney, too.
The Department of Higher Education said in a letter that the department would investigate if the course were limited to supporters of a particular party. A spokesman for AFP called the response unacceptable and said the group would take up the matter with Adams State administrators.
Read more: http://www.coloradodaily.com/latest-stories/ci_21507651/college-colorado-wont-be-investigated-obama-course?source=most_viewed#axzz267pNIEGi
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