Perhaps inspired by his reasonable performance during the Sasha Cohen interview, Matt Gaetz (R-FL(!)) is extending his neuro-typical brand: he has decided that as a member of Congress, he should no longer appear on InfoWars. I know, this isn’t a high bar. No, most modern conservatives don’t clear it. https://twitter.com/existentialfish/status/1019635631805423617
Sure. Conservative politicians in safe seats are still safe. Conservative commentators deep in the crazy-bubble are still safe. The Gun Owners of America operation won’t experience mass resignations, nor will the Virginia gun group. Ref: Epistemic closure.
Or the viewer doesn’t appreciate the degree of off-camera disorientation involved, or the power of mentalist manipulations. See Derren Brown.
Or… these conservatives are grifters/spokesmen/showmen and have stopped caring about what they are saying years ago. Joe Walsh and Trent Lott fall in that category.
Joe Walsh and Trent Lott are former politicians. Matt Gaetz was a current politician, so he was more on guard. Palin? Well she never was particularly bright, but I suspect her remaining base will stay loyal. Epistemic closure.
The gun enthusiasts are more striking, as they pose as experts on television and to their membership. Grifter/spokesman/showman.
The proper terminology is difficult, not least of all because of the continuous 180 degree ideological pivots executed, as Trumpists keep up with the President’s mood swings.
One way of thinking is that reactionaries have taken over the GOP, and those believing in gradual change have been absorbed into the Democratic Party. After all, the Democratic Party would be center-right in any other democratic country in the world. [1] But reactionary sounds shrill. I sometimes use the term modern conservative, to contrast with the conservatives of the 1950s-1970s, who believed in gradual change.
But it’s been increasingly clear over the past 2 years, that the principles that conservatives claimed to have over the past generation or so -eg free trade, anti-totaltarianism- aren’t especially important to them. And they aren’t even pretending that tax cuts will trickle down any longer, not to any persuasive degree. Centrists and liberals have been boxing shadows for the past 30 years or so.
Currently, I apply the term conservative, but understand it as an social grouping glued together more by tribalism than ideology. It is what they like to call themselves, so there’s that.
[1] Definition: Freedom Index: 1-2 out 7, Democracy in Crisis | Freedom House
Legalities aside, I believe that Sacha’s victims deserve compensation. I’m thinking along the lines of a year’s supply of Turtle Wax and maybe a fruit basket. Time is money, you know.
Again my point is not legalistic (over legalism, perhaps the most salient feature of modern US society). It’s simply speculating if oral statements were made which were basically somebody misrepresenting themselves. I guess probably.
Not sure about that at all in general. In many or most cases Cohen has misrepresented himself to make ordinary people look stupid and bigoted. With regard to certain well known (if typically kinda has-been) politicians he has punked and being discussed just now, OK not. So sometimes up, sometime down. I don’t see any clear up/down about the conservative sting videos. What makes each of those stingers (it’s not just one) ‘punching down’ against a large organization like Planned Parenthood? Except it’s individual staffers there looking bad…but seems pretty muddled to me and altogether the punching up/down point not a very strong one IMO.
Her reaction to being duped by Cohen was pretty classy. But not all politicians reacted badly to finding out about the ruse. I haven’t been able to find anything about Bernie Sanders’ reaction, probably because there wasn’t really anything for him to complain about – unlike the Republican morons, he came off looking just fine.
Second episode came out yesterday and I enjoyed all of it.
Laughed out loud when he showed an upskirt of male genitalia to the politician from Georgia and asked him, “Do you recognize this man?” Also enjoyed him asking Dick Cheney of all the wars he started, which was his favorite?
On the one hand, I think there’s a decent case that the resigning guy is deeply mentally ill, with a particularly pernicious set of delusions about Muslims.
On the other hand, wanna know who I don’t want writing laws?
