There’s a reason liberals love playing the victim card in its various forms. It’s a powerful tool for radicals to have at the top of their Alinsky Tactics Toolbox. When politicians can mislead people into believing they’re being subjugated by the opposing side, their followers will do pretty much anything for their radical caretakers.
For decades, this is a tool that most in the GOP have chosen to not employ. It’s like force lightning in the Star Wars universe. Aficionados can debate whether it’s canon that only dark side force users can shoot lightening bolts from their hands, but either way it’s generally accepted that they shouldn’t just as it’s been assumed for a while that the victim card should be left to liberals.
President Trump has reversed this completely. He doesn’t just play the victim card from time to time. It’s become his go-to tactic. He plays it first and he plays it often. He’s become so adept at painting himself as the victim of “fake news” that anything printed about him will be challenged by the White House and supporters will usually just nod their heads. Let’s look at him portraying himself as the victim (and by extension allowing his minions and supporters to play the card as well) since returning from his overseas trip:
The Fake News Media works hard at disparaging & demeaning my use of social media because they don't want America to hear the real story!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2017
Does anyone notice how the Montana Congressional race was such a big deal to Dems & Fake News until the Republican won? V was poorly covered
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017
….it is very possible that those sources don't exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017
It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017
As regular readers are well aware, I’m sort of a mainstream media skeptic hipster; I’ve been very much opposed to the lies of the media since before it was cool. However, I also recognize that there’s a difference between improper spin or loose facts used by mainstream media and the current narrative from the White House that pretty much anything you hear on the news about Trump and his administration is fake. It’s not all fake and saying so is a contradiction.
Trump-friendly Breitbart recently reported that there are at least three White House leak sources who are about to be fired and could face legal action. This doesn’t seem to jibe with the notion that many leaks coming from the White House are “fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media,” but that’s the point. It doesn’t have to jibe. It only has to yield very muddy waters. If you combine the two narratives – leakers are getting caught and many leaks are fabrications by the media – the result is that Republicans are empowered to pick and choose what news should be addressed and what can be dismissed. Today, the leaning is towards the latter. This is by design.
I’m not condemning Trump for this. When there’s already so much controversy surrounding his decisions, connections, and liberal policies, the best line of defense is to muddy the waters. Give people a reason to suspend disbelief in his plan for America. It’s painful to watch, but it’s also potentially brilliant. Then again, what other move could he be making at this point?
My biggest problem isn’t that the White House is playing the victim card. It’s that the GOP is not only allowing it but embracing it. What happened to the high road? When did the conservative philosophy get traded in for this new brand of liberal-lite? This isn’t the GOP we once knew. It’s just another reason I’ve put my efforts into building the small-government Federalist Party.
via Soshable http://ift.tt/2ryo97a
No comments:
Post a Comment