Why Aren't We As Stupid And Fearful?

Amanda Marcotte (a great blogger from Austin) has a few ideas about something that I've been wondering about for a while. From where I've been sitting, Americans in the latter half of the Clinton administration through the Bush years have been extremely easy to manipulate, mostly through fear. I always assumed that it was because people in general are pretty stupid. So now I'm wondering whether there are more smart people that I thought, or if the smart people are just more engaged.

Here's a clip from Amanda's post:

...one of the most interesting and underrated things that Obama did was quietly but decisively demonstrate that you don’t have to fit the badly-dressed fishing and chewing stereotype to be a Real Man. And in doing so, I think he woke up the right wing and mainstream media to something that should have been obvious, which is that the redneck set and their worshippers don’t actually have a lock on secure masculinity. It’s really kind of silly, because the right wing noise machine and their mainstream enablers knew for a fact that the way to stir up the troops was to provoke those insecurities---imply that someone was out to rob them of their manhood or provoke insecurities about being ignorant and provincial by calling liberals “elitist"---but despite this, I guess they must have honestly not realized that said insecurities were easily provoked because the people who have them are, duh, insecure.

But America is getting more urban, more diverse, and we’re even getting exposed to more things, and it’s changing the equation. As each generation comes up, fewer of them feel left out of the sexual revolution. (I went to a condom couture show on campus a few weeks ago, and even the College Republicans had entered a dress. Made of condoms. This should make their elders realize they’re losing the war rapidly.) And frankly, there’s a lot more models for how to be a Real Man nowadays, despite mainstream media’s brave attempts to shame men who shower and dress nice by calling them “metrosexuals”. Geeks aren’t excluded from the manhood club, not when the most famous business owners in the country aren’t car manufacturers so much as the guys who brought you your computers and iPods and video game systems. Intelligent, urbane men are a constant right wing target for masculinity shaming, but let’s face it, said men have a couple aces in the pocket, namely they aren’t little babies that are scared of dealing with women as equals and they win the sexual prowess contest without even breaking a sweat, and good luck defining masculinity without that.

I don't think that she's completely answered the question (for instance, she doesn't address the whole "there's a terrorist under your bed" thing). This country has made a pretty significant shift in attitude in a remarkably short time (although sometimes hard to tell, living in Texas). But it's nice to see I am not the only one wondering about this.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

I've been trying to hold off on the conservative bashing as much as I can. It seems a little gratuitous at this point. But then I see something like this from RedState (no link):

4. DNC Chair and Obama lose two council seats in their backyard
The media will ignore it, but they shouldn't.

Democrats lost two seats on the Alexandria, Virginia city council.

Boy, how long has it been since I've been able to report good news on an election night for Republicans? With results from 26 out of 26 precincts, and absentees included, Republican Frank Fannon and GOP-endorsed independent Alicia Hughes appear to have won seats on the Alexandria City Council. The Democrats will still control a majority of four out of six seats, but this is a couple rippes of red in a deep blue community in a purple state - the best news for local Republicans in a long time.

But the implications are bigger. Barack Obama won this county 72-27. Senater Mark Warner is from Alexandria. Democratic National Committee Chair Tim Kaine is the Governor of Virginia.

Barack Obama lost today. The Democratic National Committee lost today.

That's right, Alexandria city council. A massive loss for the Democratic National Committee (and the President). I guess the tide is turning. Palin '12! Whatever gets you through the night...

What Digby Said

Read this:

Kilmeade's belief that nobody should be allowed to have an opinion backed up with experience or knowledge tracks perfectly with the conservative movement, on a variety of subjects. We shouldn't listen to scientists on climate change, or health professionals on health care, or weapons inspectors on Iraq. The plural of data is not anecdote.

BTW - the plural of data is...data.

Jeez...

I'm going to have to have the willpower to not turn this blog into "RedState Morning Briefing stupidity of the day". Today's bulletin is priceless:

4. A Majority Party (and President) with a Minority Mindset
Barely two weeks into his first term in office, President Obama is sucking for air and grasping at straws to pull even the semblance of a single victory of any kind out of the rubble that is fast becoming his presidency.

"the rubble that is fast becoming his presidency"

Let's review (and see if we can find "even the semblance of a single victory"):

• Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
  
• Executive Order to close Guantanamo Prison
  
• SCHIP expansion
  

This, while working the hill for the economic recovery plan.  Well, it has been 17 whole days.  What a disaster...

RedState of Disarray

I was lucky enough to sign up for the "Red State Morning Briefing", which is sent out to email subscribers and "media outlets" (which is sweet, I'd hate for "media outlets" to miss out on all the stupid).

Here's a selection of the breaking news so far...

They were off to a great start the day after America sang "na na na na hey hey..goodbye" to King George:

1. Goodbye President Bush
We get the bumper sticker cliches. But serious reflection on George Bush's Presidency has been missing.
...
History will also doubtlessly cast a more favorable eye on the many places in the world where President Bush and his team strengthened America's alliances and brought desperately needed freedom and relief.

(cough)...New Orleans...(cough)
Right, got that out of the way, on to Bipartisanship:

2. Let's Hope Obama Fails
The pleasant face and smooth rhetoric hide in the case of Barack Obama a morally depraved and crooked man.
...
A man who has gotten to his position of power by climbing the greasiest and dirtiest ladder in all of politics.
You see, what happens when the trains run on time is that people are quicker to forget the moral failures of their elected officials, and their government at large.

Hey buddy - America, Love It or Leave It!
Oh, and if you go to the Hitler allusion on day 1, what's in the clip for the rest of the EIGHT YEARS??

7. The Non-Partisan Congressional Budget Office Says Stimulus Won't Work
Obama just hired the CBO head to be his budget director. Before leaving the CBO, the new budget director's office said Obama's stimulus won't work

Yeah... about that CBO report... it doesn't exist.

Two days after the inauguration they're still on about the crushing CBO report:

3. Congressional Budget Office Slams Stimulus Plan
Republicans and others concerned about throwing good money after bad should oppose this package.
There is no policy justification for a stimulus package that centers on spending. The CBO is clear that it's simply not possible to pay out the spending at a fast enough rate.

On the 26th of January, it was "we're all gonna DIE!!!1! Monday:

2. Barack Obama Is Already Signaling His Weakness to Terrorists
Changing Bush policies designed to keep us safe will only get us killed.
3. Muslim Leaders Expect Obama to Take Eye Off Terror
It's already beginning and it will end up killing us.

Does this mean I shouldn't buy that "HOPE > FEAR" t-shirt?

Plenty more where that came from. Believe me when I tell you that RedState's well of stupid is deep.