The Paranoia of the Left
Anybody care to weigh in on who has more conspiracy theories, the Right or the Left? Certainly, they abound on the fringes of both parties; maybe it's just Fahrenheit 9/11's influence that makes the conspiracy theorists of the Left appear more numerous and whackier.
Today's LA Times has a good piece (here) on the Lefties who refuse to accept Kerry's defeat, exemplified by this quote from a Dem lawyer in Ohio:
"I can't for the life of me understand why Kerry isn't fighting harder for this. Maybe it's some secret Skull and Bones tradition, where you're not supposed to show up the other guy," Arnebeck said, referring to the Yale secret society of which Bush and Kerry were both members.
Skull and Bones? Could it be Kerry just did the math?
The main fire in the conspiracy nuts engine is the exit polling that showed Kerry ahead. They imagine that the Bush Administration and Republican lackeys managed to turn back the will of the people that was so accurately reflected in those pristine exit polls. How can it be that they don't question the polls themselves -- polls that were staffed primarily by women who primarily polled women in primarily urban districts?
Controversy feeds on propaganda. The best definition of propaganda I've ever heard is the old Soviet Pravda sports article that said, "Soviets Second, US Next to Last." The fact was there were only two competitors, and the US won. Propaganda only looks good for a little while.
So the conspiracy nuts in Ohio find this:
Another controversy, which surfaced last year and is a continuing target of outrage, involved the chief executive of Ohio-based Diebold Inc., a major player in the electronic touch-screen voting industry. In an August 2003 invitation to a Bush fundraising event, he wrote that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president."
And they don't bother themselves with this:
The official, Walden O'Dell, later described himself to the Cleveland Plain Dealer as "a real novice on the political side," and he amended company policy to prohibit himself and other top officials from making or raising political contributions or engaging in any other political activity other than voting.
The depressing thing is that we'll still be hearing all about this from Jesse Jackson and other nuts in 2008.
Today's LA Times has a good piece (here) on the Lefties who refuse to accept Kerry's defeat, exemplified by this quote from a Dem lawyer in Ohio:
"I can't for the life of me understand why Kerry isn't fighting harder for this. Maybe it's some secret Skull and Bones tradition, where you're not supposed to show up the other guy," Arnebeck said, referring to the Yale secret society of which Bush and Kerry were both members.
Skull and Bones? Could it be Kerry just did the math?
The main fire in the conspiracy nuts engine is the exit polling that showed Kerry ahead. They imagine that the Bush Administration and Republican lackeys managed to turn back the will of the people that was so accurately reflected in those pristine exit polls. How can it be that they don't question the polls themselves -- polls that were staffed primarily by women who primarily polled women in primarily urban districts?
Controversy feeds on propaganda. The best definition of propaganda I've ever heard is the old Soviet Pravda sports article that said, "Soviets Second, US Next to Last." The fact was there were only two competitors, and the US won. Propaganda only looks good for a little while.
So the conspiracy nuts in Ohio find this:
Another controversy, which surfaced last year and is a continuing target of outrage, involved the chief executive of Ohio-based Diebold Inc., a major player in the electronic touch-screen voting industry. In an August 2003 invitation to a Bush fundraising event, he wrote that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president."
And they don't bother themselves with this:
The official, Walden O'Dell, later described himself to the Cleveland Plain Dealer as "a real novice on the political side," and he amended company policy to prohibit himself and other top officials from making or raising political contributions or engaging in any other political activity other than voting.
The depressing thing is that we'll still be hearing all about this from Jesse Jackson and other nuts in 2008.
posted by Laer at 8:27 AM
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