Culture War Time Warp

The New York Times Magazine previews a piece from this week's issue about the strangely careening tactical path of the McCain campaign as it's bounced incoherently from message to message over the last several months.

One thing occurred to me: The Right's attacks on Obama over the last year have been like a tour of the Greatest Hits of the Culture War in roughly reverse chronological order. First there were the rumors of him being a secret radical Muslim, which is, of course, the most au courant culture-war wedge. Then, when that didn't work they went with the Hollywood celebrity angle, which has a long pedigree, but also figured prominently in 2004. After that they went with the "sex education"angle, which, in the 1980s and 1990s particularly was a hardy perennial (even in liberal New York where I grew up). Next they turned the clock back even further to the 1960s, in belaboring the Bill Ayers/Weather Underground connection, and now they're all the way back in the Cold War with accusations of socialism! I'm trying to predict what's next. Obama supports the free coinage of silver? Obama was soft on Spanish atrocities in Cuba? Obama is a secret Jacobin sympathizer?

If nothing else, I think this election is useful for high school history teachers who want to give their students a condensed, synthesized look at the right-wing attack politics.

Comments (24)

1. >>>I'm trying to predict what's next. Obama supports the free coinage of silver? Obama was soft on Spanish atrocities in Cuba? Obama is a secret Jacobin sympathizer? <<<

   In all of these personal attacks, the subtext is clear - Obama is something to be FEARED.

   Again, this is straight out the Lee Atwater playbook, Karl Rove's mentor. The theory is to divide and distract the electorate on terms favorable to a Republican election outcome.

   The problem, is this "only" works if the electorate is unaware that you are trying to divide and distract them.

   Posted by Metteyya at 10/22/2008 @ 4:29pm

2. Great points all. But you forgot about the welfare boogey-man. It's a sub-plot of the socialist conspiracy, but I think it merits a separate spot on the list because of Ronald Reagan's Cadillac-driving welfare queen. McCain has a problem, though. He jumbles up stimulus payments with the Obama tax plan. Thus he appears to refer to low-income and middle-class workers as deadbeats. Or something. He's in such a kerfuffle, it's hard to tell anymore what he means.

   Posted by sdchandler at 10/22/2008 @ 4:31pm

3. the right sounds stupider and less relevant with every stupid turd they cough up. how stupid do they think people are?

   socialism? by the time this economic mess has really played itself out PEOPLE WILL LOVE THE SOCIALISM!!!

   and HATE THE RIGHTWING HYPOCRITES WHO BROUGHT IT ABOUT AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THEIR STUPID, GREEDY, GLUTTONOUS, WICKEDNESS!.

   action - reaction. watch out righties. the reckoning is coming and you guys have some hella shitty karma to pay off you lying, treasonous, traitors...

   Posted by dexter666 at 10/22/2008 @ 4:38pm

4. I heard Obama's been spying for the British!

   Posted by habiba at 10/22/2008 @ 4:57pm

5. Posted by dexter666 at 10/22/2008 @ 4:38pm

   Yes but how bad will it have to get before it gets better?

   What kinda tragedies are we going to have to endure before we stop electing thieves and liars to public office?

   Posted by TexasFlood at 10/22/2008 @ 6:10pm

6. Actually, it's much more simple than that. Obama may not have been born in the US.

   So says a Democrat in Pennsylvania.

   Posted by State17 at 10/22/2008 @ 6:11pm

7. Posted by State17 at 10/22/2008 @ 6:11pm

   What does that even mean....

   John McCain wasn't born in the US.

   Posted by TexasFlood at 10/22/2008 @ 6:14pm

8. Posted by TexasFlood at 10/22/2008 @ 6:10pm | ignore this person | warn this person

   good question. we'll never have a perfect world, but i still believe we evolve in two step forward, one step backward fashion, lurching semiconciously onward over ther decades.

   call me a pollyanna but...

   sure, eventually the lessons learned by one generation will be lost on the next and the next, but hey...

   still gotta hope the moments of progress will move us forward one step further than the fools to whom we leave our legacy will jerk things backward...

   vanity vanity, all is vanity! life is but a sigh...

   hell...at least we live in interesting times!!!

   lol

   Posted by dexter666 at 10/22/2008 @ 6:30pm

9. good article it has been amazing watching the shrill despair of the reich wing it never was their country they just didnt know it.....the contrast even among the supporters is like wow did i just see that! michelle bachman calling for anti-american investigations colin powell rebuking her. the daily expose of hate from all corners of the REAL america racist billboard fake racist foodstamps. dark dehumanising republican fear ads. the only thing the reich wing has left i believe is cannibalism and they might throw that in. of course now that obama has left his church i am surprised that the republicans HAVENT accused him of being GODLESS.

   Posted by reality check at 10/22/2008 @ 7:39pm

10. Posted by reality check at 10/22/2008 @ 7:39pm

    They did accuse him of being godless. He's a Muslim right? Damn, I'm bored.....zzzzzzzzz

    Posted by ADHD at 10/22/2008 @ 8:20pm

11. Nation writers display an incessant desire to lie, but that is the way of marxists, so it's not all that surprising.

    Posted by lvliberty1 at 10/22/2008 @ 8:38pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    hmmm...then W must be the most marxist president since nixon!!!

    Posted by dexter666 at 10/22/2008 @ 9:51pm

12. dexter:

    Which flavor of socialism do you hope you'll get to live under? Hugo Chavez's, Mao's, Pol Pot's, 'ol East Germany's, or perhaps skip it all together and just leap to Communism? Maybe a mixture like Rocky Road and Pistachio?

    Posted by sntauri at 10/22/2008 @ 10:06pm

13. lvliberty-You claim to love liberty,but then follow that up with everyone who has views different from mine are lyers,Marxists,socialists,hate America

    Posted by i'm nobody at 10/23/2008 @ 12:35am

14. Lvliberty-You have never shown any connection to Ayers beyond that which conservative businesspeople also had, nor has anyone else despite the best efforts of the Clintons and the GOP to find such a connection..Through McCain surrogates Obama has been referred to as a muslim,the sex education thing was in the news,nor can you show that any of Obama's economic plans to be socialist.

    Posted by i'm nobody at 10/23/2008 @ 12:42am

15. In what way does coming on here and saying that everyone lies like Marxists constitute legitimate debate as you claimed you come on here to do?Sounds to me like you come on here to put people down.

    Posted by i'm nobody at 10/23/2008 @ 12:46am

16. Lvliberty-You have never shown any connection to Ayers beyond that which conservative businesspeople also had, nor has anyone else despite the best efforts of the Clintons and the GOP to find such a connection..Through McCain surrogates Obama has been referred to as a muslim,the sex education thing was in the news,nor can you show that any of Obama's economic plans to be socialist. Posted by i'm nobody at 10/23/2008 @ 12:42am | warn this person

    In what way does coming on here and saying that everyone lies like Marxists constitute legitimate debate as you claimed you come on here to do?Sounds to me like you come on here to put people down. Posted by i'm nobody at 10/23/2008 @ 12:46am

    Posted by crabwalk at 10/23/2008 @ 07:42am

17. dexter: Which flavor of socialism do you hope you'll get to live under? Hugo Chavez's, Mao's, Pol Pot's, 'ol East Germany's, or perhaps skip it all together and just leap to Communism? Maybe a mixture like Rocky Road and Pistachio? Posted by sntauri at 10/22/2008 @ 10:06pm

    I ain't the Beast From the Left, but let me poke at the straw...

    How about an improved version of the American Socialism we currently practice, minus the bailout for the greedy pigs in the financial sector? One improvement could be to have the Justice Dept do it's job and investigate loan fraud by those that borrowed and those that lent in fraudulent manners, as well as those that defraud Soc Sec, Medicare and welfare. And now it looks like the rating agencies should have had the Nanny state come home from the bar and get to work.

    "By Amit R. Paley Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, October 23, 2008; Page A01

    Executives at the country's leading credit-rating companies, whose optimistic assessments of risky investments helped fuel the financial meltdown, have privately acknowledged for more than a year that conflicts of interest contributed to the industry's failures, according to internal company documents released yesterday.

    In one of the confidential documents obtained by the committee, Raymond W. McDaniel, chief executive of ratings firm Moody's, said analysts and executives are "continually 'pitched' by bankers, issuers, investors . . . whose views can color credit judgment."

    "we 'drink the kool-aid,' " he wrote in a Oct. 21, 2007, memo to the board. "Unchecked, competition on this basis can place the entire financial system at risk."

    Posted by crabwalk at 10/23/2008 @ 07:49am

18. "Other credit-raters took a more whimsical tone in describing the risks of mortgage-backed securities. "Let's hope we are all wealthy and retired by the time this house of cards falters," a high-ranking official at Standard and Poor's wrote in December 2006.

    The sentence concludes with a smiley face."

    Posted by crabwalk at 10/23/2008 @ 07:53am

19. I ask the cons once more, what exactly are the powers granted to the president in the constitution that would allow him/her to set social policy and cultural attitudes of the country?

    Posted by crabwalk at 10/23/2008 @ 07:58am

20. Posted by sntauri at 10/22/2008 @ 10:06pm

    why did you leave out west Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, England, Current Vietnam, China?

    Let me phrase a similar question to you, which form of capitalism would you prefer, that of Saddams Iraq, that of Sudan, that of Russia, Congo, Zimbabwe', Liberia or even china circa 2008, a broad mix of communism, capitalism, socialism and corruption with only one less party than you get?

    See how it works when you pick the worst examples of systems run amok?

    Posted by crabwalk at 10/23/2008 @ 08:04am

21. And, as it relates to the Culture War, can any cons point out some examples of Christians being denied their right to practice their religion in their homes and churches? I have asked Liver several times to back up his claim that the "left" is attempting to crush his religion, but he has come up with squat. As a matter of fact, several years ago when X-mas fell on Sunday every church around me took the day off, by THEIR choice. One pastor said " Christmas is about family". err, I thought Christmas was about Jesus?

    Posted by crabwalk at 10/23/2008 @ 08:18am

22. Posted by sntauri at 10/22/2008 @ 10:06pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    western european style mixed economy. a vibrant, well regulated market, with realistic, sustainable economic growth rates (as opposed to the absurd expectation of 50's/60's style growth - an unnatural abberation which was the result of specific historical realities which have not existed since and have have nostalgized as the norm)...

    um...a healthcare system more in line with western europe (we spend more per person on healthcare and seem to get less bang for the buck, all propaganda aside, and i don't think putting the onus of healthcare on the backs of any size business is good for their competitiveness)...

    like i said, acceptance of a slower, steadier, more secure growth rate that encourages consumer responsibility and savings...um...perhaps some more funding of higher education, though i don't support funding every russian women's lit major. in terms of primary and secondary education i strongly believe we need to return to a back to the basics approach and not be afraid to fail and expel problem students.

    yup, pretty pol pot there...

    Posted by dexter666 at 10/23/2008 @ 08:39am

23. these threads have degenerated into answering the satanic reverend.

    b o r i n g.

    Posted by emile duBois at 10/23/2008 @ 10:08am

24. And what is sending a wave of existentialist PANIC through both the LVLIB types...but more importantly through the GOP strategists is...

    it ain't working.

    So what do they do NEXT time in 2012 or 2016?

    Posted by Maskdelta at 10/23/2008 @ 10:08am