No Other Conclusion

Tom Toles, the WaPo political cartoonist also writes a blog.

Here is his eminently correct and to the point essay on GOPher hypocrisy.

So why does it work, when it's so obviously a campaign of lies?

The elephant in the room, the presence of which no one wants to acknowledge, is the hoards of Americans who need everything laid out for them in as simple a manner as possible. The genius of the GOPhers, going back at least to George W. Bush and Cheney, is that they understand this and exploit it.

How do they accomplish this? By making everything seem as simple as black and white, good versus evil, right versus wrong, etc.. As George W. Bush told a journalist once, "I don't do nuance".

The sad irony is that the Democrats should be the party which appeals to the people, because it has traditionally been the party which has passed the most legislation which benefit people.

But the GOPhers have cooped that advantage by convincing the people that their country is going to the dogs because of those programs, thus appealing to another maxim in the general population that one should not spend more than one makes. Never mind that a sensible rule for individuals is not always a sensible rule for governments. That requires an understanding and acceptance of nuance; the missing ingredient in those who need it most.

Those who need life made simple buy into the GOPher strategy of repeating lies often enough that they become facts, the tried and true principle of advertising. The consequence is that the GOPhers have caused the people most in need to vote against their own interests.

That's genius.

Unfortunately, in my not at all humble opinion, I believe that there is something even darker going on, no pun originally intended. Many of these same people just can't abide a black man sitting in the White House. If one has that view, however subconsciously held, it doesn't take much to swing them against the party a black president represents.

We must constantly remind ourselves that Mitch McConnell, the GOPher leader in the Senate, openly and without nuance said that the main objective of the GOPhers is to insure that Barack Obama is a one term president. They remember that a sick economy made George H.W. Bush a one term president and they learned the lesson well.

So many people vote out of pure frustration and fear of personal financial disaster.

The Democrats simply have to come up with a message that gains back the trust of the frightened American people. How to do that and keep it simple too? I wish I knew.

Leanderthal