How To Interpret Political Speech and other forms of Gibberish
There has always been a divide between the world as it is—and the world of political campaigns. A political campaign more closely resembles a religious war. You have all of the necessary doctrines and creeds, transmitted through code words and symbols intended to communicate directly to the elect, just like Elvis’s jumpsuit. The doctrines are fashioned from the personal fears and prejudices of the flock. Find out what those are, and you've found the first secret in politics. Offer up answers to these important questions, and you have the necessary creeds, which is the second secret. Put these two things together and you have the makings of a successful political campaign.
For many on the left, the question of why the economy is bad is frequently answered by invoking evil cartels of wealthy white men, maybe some shadowy oil baron polluting the environment and offing hapless minorities, while George W. Bush scuba dives beneath the levees in New Orleans, dynamite in tow, looking to take down a bunch of black folk while singing a Johnny Reb tune, a Confederate flag tucked neatly into his wet suit, eager to return America to its all-white, glory days. That’s one vision.
From the right, you have President Barack Hussein Obama, obviously named after Saddam Hussein, planning the destruction of America by some combination of Black Liberation theology, Sharia Law and Marxist ideology, aided and abetted by a democratic congress, Nancy Pelosi and the real power behind the throne, Satan! That’s another vision.
I freely admit that both scenarios are far more entertaining than the truth. They are, however, the product of the blind and the idiot acting in cahoots with one another, which unfortunately includes a good deal of the public and most of the media. So, what is the truth?
For many on the left, the question of why the economy is bad is frequently answered by invoking evil cartels of wealthy white men, maybe some shadowy oil baron polluting the environment and offing hapless minorities, while George W. Bush scuba dives beneath the levees in New Orleans, dynamite in tow, looking to take down a bunch of black folk while singing a Johnny Reb tune, a Confederate flag tucked neatly into his wet suit, eager to return America to its all-white, glory days. That’s one vision.
From the right, you have President Barack Hussein Obama, obviously named after Saddam Hussein, planning the destruction of America by some combination of Black Liberation theology, Sharia Law and Marxist ideology, aided and abetted by a democratic congress, Nancy Pelosi and the real power behind the throne, Satan! That’s another vision.
I freely admit that both scenarios are far more entertaining than the truth. They are, however, the product of the blind and the idiot acting in cahoots with one another, which unfortunately includes a good deal of the public and most of the media. So, what is the truth?
Try talking to the average person about aggregate demand and you’ll see their eyes roll back in their heads and drool begin its decent down the side of their chin. So, you need to think fast before you lose your audience! Try this, suggest that the Republicans wish to unleash hordes of robots in Michigan and Chicago. Top it off with an “Amen, help me Jesus.” and you’ll have a rally of faithful supporters, eager to stave off the armies of robots (Republicans) at their doorstep! Throw in a bit of voter fraud by registering the dead and you can win high office anywhere in the good ole U.S.A.! It’s a hell of a lot simpler than telling the truth.
I recently saw a video from 2007 of then Senator Obama speaking at a black church in Chicago. He affects a semi-ghetto, southern patois, speaking in a black cadence that sounds about as authentic as the Blues Brothers. The only thing lacking is black face, a pair of tap shoes and some watermelon and fried chicken, but, in every other respect his Al Jolson impersonation is complete. He begins by giving thanks to his pastor “The Honorable Elijah Mohammed”…I mean “The Great, Reverend Jeremiah Wright,” and proceeds to tell his audience how the government came through after 9/11 for New York with the big bucks, and again after Hurricane Andrew for Florida, but, for New Orleans, after hurricane Katrina, there would be no such generosity. Why? Because New Orleans has too many black folk, and America (pause for effect) apparently doesn't like black people. America, in this instance, secretly means “White people!”
Senator Obama was referring to the Stafford act, which requires local government to put up 10% of the disaster relief funds from its own resources in order to receive the other 90% from Washington. The federal government waived this requirement for New York and Florida, but, apparently, was unwilling to do so for New Orleans.
Senator Obama, speaking in cryptic terms, suggests that in the case of black folk, they were expected to take the bullet, crafting his imagery from the iconography of gangsta rap. I’m not sure this is much different than a 19th century minstrel show, one where the audience doesn’t seem to recognize that the guy speaking is talking in the modern, colloquial version of Uncle Remus. It’s the kind of populist racism that goes largely unnoticed in its time. Why? Because, if everyone is racist in exactly the same way, then no one is racist.
I recently saw a video from 2007 of then Senator Obama speaking at a black church in Chicago. He affects a semi-ghetto, southern patois, speaking in a black cadence that sounds about as authentic as the Blues Brothers. The only thing lacking is black face, a pair of tap shoes and some watermelon and fried chicken, but, in every other respect his Al Jolson impersonation is complete. He begins by giving thanks to his pastor “The Honorable Elijah Mohammed”…I mean “The Great, Reverend Jeremiah Wright,” and proceeds to tell his audience how the government came through after 9/11 for New York with the big bucks, and again after Hurricane Andrew for Florida, but, for New Orleans, after hurricane Katrina, there would be no such generosity. Why? Because New Orleans has too many black folk, and America (pause for effect) apparently doesn't like black people. America, in this instance, secretly means “White people!”
Senator Obama was referring to the Stafford act, which requires local government to put up 10% of the disaster relief funds from its own resources in order to receive the other 90% from Washington. The federal government waived this requirement for New York and Florida, but, apparently, was unwilling to do so for New Orleans.
Senator Obama, speaking in cryptic terms, suggests that in the case of black folk, they were expected to take the bullet, crafting his imagery from the iconography of gangsta rap. I’m not sure this is much different than a 19th century minstrel show, one where the audience doesn’t seem to recognize that the guy speaking is talking in the modern, colloquial version of Uncle Remus. It’s the kind of populist racism that goes largely unnoticed in its time. Why? Because, if everyone is racist in exactly the same way, then no one is racist.
When we peel away the layers of overheated rhetoric we find that the truth bears almost no resemblance to the political speech, it seldom ever does. Which leaves the question; did the government really withhold the extra funds from New Orleans? Of course not—but his audience didn't know that and that was enough. In fact, Senator Obama was one of the few senators to vote against waiving the Stafford act—which meant that the people of New Orleans wouldn't get the extra money from the federal government. Why? Maybe he thought a little hardship would be a good way to galvanize his voting base, or maybe it would serve the purposes of a race-baiting politician.
According to his defenders he had supported an earlier version of the bill that would release the much-needed federal funds, but not without linking the money to a proposed timetable for our withdrawal from Iraq. This is supposed to show that he was acting in good faith, when what it really shows is that he actively voted to withhold aid for weeks in the pursuit of loftier goals, essentially saying "Here's the water, food and shelter....but, not till we get what we want."! The peace-at-all-costs crowd see this as his commitment to ending the war, instead of playing a misguided game of poker he couldn't possibly hope to win. That's the problem with naïve ideologues, and make no mistake, that's what President Obama is. He was willing to risk the lives of others in the pursuit of some potential future good. This is especially meaningful when you consider that it wouldn't have ended the war now, only at some later date as yet to be determined, while the people of New Orleans were left waiting for relief in the present. That is the deadly reality of political power. Politicians can use their constituents as pawns in the service of soaring agendas, meaning that if some eggs must be broken in order to make "The Great Omelet," then so be it! That, however, was clearly omitted from his rousing Amos & Andy meets Malcolm X religious convocation.
So, if robot hordes in Chicago doesn't cut it, the “BIG LIE” will suffice. But, the lie must contain at least some hint of truth, so that the audience can be prompted to see the logic and then infer the worst. The speaker points the way, and the audiences' imagination does the rest. You just have to have the will and the complete lack of character to say and do whatever needs to be done in order to get elected. After all, if you’re not elected how will the people be saved? It also helps to have a Messiah complex, reinforced by a willing media, whose self-image was probably shaped by having watched “To Kill a Mockingbird” with their parents back in the Sixties—imagining themselves as Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, forming the foundation of their carefully constructed, Hollywood induced racial ideology.
The real problem was the inefficiency of government at both the state and federal level, as the result of inexperienced politicians with no background in disaster relief, being charged with overseeing the various disaster relief agencies. To acknowledge this, however, only serves to undermine the idea of government as savior. It also reinforces the notion that only in the case of government, or maybe some small family business, can a person expect to be given power without having any “real” qualifications beyond familial relations or political nepotism. Similar accusations were made in Florida after Hurricane Andrew—although they didn't involve President George Bush, Sr. snorkeling along Biscayne Bay, attempting to blast Miami's notoriously conservative Cuban community back to Cuba!
According to his defenders he had supported an earlier version of the bill that would release the much-needed federal funds, but not without linking the money to a proposed timetable for our withdrawal from Iraq. This is supposed to show that he was acting in good faith, when what it really shows is that he actively voted to withhold aid for weeks in the pursuit of loftier goals, essentially saying "Here's the water, food and shelter....but, not till we get what we want."! The peace-at-all-costs crowd see this as his commitment to ending the war, instead of playing a misguided game of poker he couldn't possibly hope to win. That's the problem with naïve ideologues, and make no mistake, that's what President Obama is. He was willing to risk the lives of others in the pursuit of some potential future good. This is especially meaningful when you consider that it wouldn't have ended the war now, only at some later date as yet to be determined, while the people of New Orleans were left waiting for relief in the present. That is the deadly reality of political power. Politicians can use their constituents as pawns in the service of soaring agendas, meaning that if some eggs must be broken in order to make "The Great Omelet," then so be it! That, however, was clearly omitted from his rousing Amos & Andy meets Malcolm X religious convocation.
So, if robot hordes in Chicago doesn't cut it, the “BIG LIE” will suffice. But, the lie must contain at least some hint of truth, so that the audience can be prompted to see the logic and then infer the worst. The speaker points the way, and the audiences' imagination does the rest. You just have to have the will and the complete lack of character to say and do whatever needs to be done in order to get elected. After all, if you’re not elected how will the people be saved? It also helps to have a Messiah complex, reinforced by a willing media, whose self-image was probably shaped by having watched “To Kill a Mockingbird” with their parents back in the Sixties—imagining themselves as Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, forming the foundation of their carefully constructed, Hollywood induced racial ideology.
The real problem was the inefficiency of government at both the state and federal level, as the result of inexperienced politicians with no background in disaster relief, being charged with overseeing the various disaster relief agencies. To acknowledge this, however, only serves to undermine the idea of government as savior. It also reinforces the notion that only in the case of government, or maybe some small family business, can a person expect to be given power without having any “real” qualifications beyond familial relations or political nepotism. Similar accusations were made in Florida after Hurricane Andrew—although they didn't involve President George Bush, Sr. snorkeling along Biscayne Bay, attempting to blast Miami's notoriously conservative Cuban community back to Cuba!
Are conservatives any better? I once remember back in the Reagan years watching Christian television, specifically, TBN (The Trinity Broadcasting Network) they were talking about how the Russians had weather machines created by Nicola Tesla, hidden in caves on some uncharted island, and how they were clearly looking to wreak havoc on America, Jesus’ favorite place to hang. According to them, this seemed like a good reason to radically increase our military’s budget. Amazingly, even Congress hadn't thought of this one—but they were more than happy to have such dedicated theologians acting as their proxies. This is the kind of stuff that really compels people to vote--and history shows that Ronald Reagan got a second term. Thankfully, Walter Mondale, the commie operative, never got close to the White House. The fact that he’d been there only four years earlier as the Vice President under Jimmy Carter was beside the point. You can never be too careful when it comes to evil scientists and deadly weather machines.
That’s why the prospective candidate must always be resourceful and ready to improvise on the spot. So, if your candidate loses a debate, blame it on global warming, racism, altitude sickness, “The dog ate my homework,” or, better still, “A racist dog suffering from altitude sickness ate my homework because of global warming!” That's the kind of ingenuity that made America great.
Mark Magula
That’s why the prospective candidate must always be resourceful and ready to improvise on the spot. So, if your candidate loses a debate, blame it on global warming, racism, altitude sickness, “The dog ate my homework,” or, better still, “A racist dog suffering from altitude sickness ate my homework because of global warming!” That's the kind of ingenuity that made America great.
Mark Magula
|
|
|