Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize are not the only residents of Fantasy Island. That far-off land of make believe is also the shipping address for many Republicans and the vast majority of the modern conservative movement. The ongoing Republican convention is the sort of evidence that would get Fred Thompson’s D.A. on Law & Order to nod knowingly and drawl “go to trial”.
Conservatives have spent a lot of time and money constructing their Fantasy Island. Some of it was planned, but much of it grew organically. From the think tanks propped up by rich lunatics and big business, the demagogic talk shows that blast out twenty-four hours of nonsense, to the television news shows and channels that regurgitate the propaganda and even the right wing blogs that were too pathetic to grow their own communities and instead had to be the product of GOP consultants, the conservative movement has a well oil machine that has sold the nation on ill-conceived wars, tax policy, and the like.
The problem the movement ran into is when it selected then re-elected a leader into the Fantasy that actually believed it. For all their faults, Ronald Reagan knew the religious right was simply his ticket to fortune, and George H.W. Bush recognized the economics as voodoo. On the other hand, George W. Bush actually believes this crap. And so do their followers and hangers-on. Why do you think they remain so loyal to the least popular president of the last two decades? Why, when every other American saw the Iraq War as a mess and the response to Katrina as a disaster and the idea that we should privatize social security in the same class as madness, do these people persist in holding on? Why do they wrap themselves in the death cult of Bush and conservatism? Because they surround themselves with media that tells them that’s the way to think.
Objective reality never comes into play. Rush tells them it’s a liberal plot of the drive-by media. Fox assures them that they are in the mainstream of public opinion no matter how fringe their beliefs. The Heritage Foundation and AEI show them cooked up numbers with “research” backing their assertions. It couldn’t be phony, it says so right here in the editorial section of the Wall Street Journal!
The convention unfolding is the product of that bubble. A convention where the keynote speakers on night one were a failed president, a b-list actor who couldn’t muster a single primary win because he thought he could campaign from a golf cart, and a senator who got drummed out of his own party and formed his own dishonest party to retain his seat. These speakers spoke in a poorly lit and laid out arena they could not fill. And when they spoke, they threw out red meat to the crowd that gained much applause – but out in the actual world it just looks like the fringe pandering to the fringe. They don’t care, because Hannity will praise it, and Newsmax will legitimize it. They can’t ever be wrong as far as the bubble is concerned.
The bubble leads to picks like Harriet Miers and Sarah Palin, both insults to American women by a movement that thinks shared genitalia is all that is needed to get women on board. They couldn’t possibly think folks like Sarah Palin are grossly unqualified and out of the mainstream. Why? Because even though he railed against just such a profile a few weeks ago, the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol thinks she is magnificent too. The man was Dan Quayle’s chief of staff, how could he possibly not be a good judge of vice presidential character!?
The enemy of the bubble is always reality. It is not a spin machine on the left that can counterbalance the bubble, just cold hard facts. In 2006 bubble pundits like Hugh Hewitt assured their followers that Republicans were on the verge of painting the entire map red. As late as election day the flock was assured that there was no way Nancy Pelosi could ascend to Speaker of the House. It was insisted that polls were skewed and not to be trusted. Reality, in other words, had a liberal bias. And even after the Democrats took the House and Senate, conservatives used the bubble to convince themselves that their losses were not due to their unpopular president and his policies that had led to the deaths of thousands and global instability. Nope. It was earmarks. As if.
Last week the bubble worked with its regular ally, the mainstream media (who is easily distracted by the shiniest thing and the loudest noise), tried to keep banging the drum for numerous falsehoods about the Democrats. They each dropped like flies as Michelle Obama spoke and was not a militant, the Clinton’s spoke and called for unity with Obama, and Obama went on the attack and gave specifics while still giving the sort of speech John McCain could not give half of on his best day.
No militant Obamas. No Democratic disunity. No aloof Obama. No weakling Obama. Now, like any rational being did they accommodate this information into their understanding of the world? No, like zombies they shut it out and proceeded to put on this freakshow in Minnesota which will go on for two more days and then on the road with McCain and whoever his running mate might be.
I’m under no illusions that the bubble might pop with a McCain loss in November. The bubble is resilient! It wraps the right up like a cocoon of ignorance (many of the bubble residents resemble the cast of Cocoon) and allows no enlightenment inside. At this point, they couldn’t live without it.
I would say I pity them, but I’m not sure what positive purpose any of it serves. Good riddance.
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Good points OW. I’d only add something digby frequently points out. When Republicans lose, as they’ve been doing since 2006 and surely will this November on the Congressional level, simply watch out for Bill Kristol columns telling us that a Republican who loses is a Republican who FAILED CONSERVATISM, even as the Federal government under Bush is more massive than ever (even if you take out military spending), more intrusive than ever, and more incompetent than ever (Katrina being the prime example).
Hell, I think Reagan actually believed in things like a smaller, less intrusive Federal government. Bush? He loves spending our tax dollars wastefully. Especially when he can unduly burden the middle and lower class.
Beautiful Oliver . . . .Just wanted to say that before the angry repugs
starting posting.
If a true conservative Republican who died in the 70s came back–they’d never recognize the party and probably drop dead all over again.
True conservatives believed in separation of church and state.
They believed what people did with their bodies was no ones business.
They wanted small government and generally did not want to intrude into
the political machinations of other sovereign nations.
Who the hell are this bunch?
Certainly one of the posts you’ve ever written. Well said, well done.
When Republicans lose, as they’ve been doing since 2006…
Even small businesses know to wait a few years before pulling out the “Since [date here]“. You’re talking year before last!
Just wanted to say that before the angry repugs
starting posting.
That’s a very funny statement to make. Dang those angry repugs.
Too long to be properly Fisked, at least by me.
The hallelujah choir above is a perfect example of whose wearing the bubble though.
As usual with OW, lots of unfounded statements, and lots of statements you could accurately just switch out “democrat” for republican
At this time in history, the generic democrats should be 15 points ahead in a poll agaisnt a generic repbublican. They are not. The democrat controlled congress has a lower approval rating that even Bush. The Iraqi war is cleaning up nicely, thank you. Oil is looking to go under 3 digits a barrel.
I liked the essay, as it had a thesis and tried to present an idea. The problem is it is poorly sourced, and really not specific to republicans, and that blows the who thing.
Just a single graph demonstrates what I mean
From the think tanks propped up by rich lunatics and big business, the demagogic talk shows that blast out twenty-four hours of nonsense, to the television news shows and channels that regurgitate the propaganda and even the right wing blogs that were too pathetic to grow their
Rich lunatic=soros
Big business= pick a few, but trial lawyers come to mind
Demagogic talk show=Keith Olbermann, Maher, Bernie Ward (well now up the river for child porn..)
TV news: CNN, CNBC,NBC etc, even Media Matters admits that
So, nice essay, to bad it uses made-up “facts”, like much of the leftist myth these days.
“The Iraqi war is cleaning up nicely, thank you. Oil is looking to go under 3 digits a barrel.”
Oh I get it, this is a joke post. Good one, Duh.
“At this time in history, the generic democrats should be 15 points ahead in a poll agaisnt a generic repbublican. ”
Good to see that you admit that “Repbublicans” have done a poor enough job to deserve to be 15 points behind.
EL…
Given the performance of Bush in the past 8 years, and the loss of Congress by the Republicans two years ago, how far ahead in the polls do you think Obama should be right now?
No Joke, just referenced fact.
Crude futures for October delivery were down $2.23 to $107.48 a barrel.
On Tuesday, oil prices fell $5.75 a barrel to settle $109.71, which was the lowest closing price for oil in nearly 5 months, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/03/markets/oil/
We just handed ANBAR province back to Iraq.
PD were you dropped on your head as a child?
Like I said, who’s really living in a bubble?
What was the crude oil price at the beginning of the Bush regime? What was the crude oil price at the beginning of Bush’s 2nd term?
Give it up “Dr” Pee.
Oh well then a million or so people did not die in vain huh
Given the performance of Bush in the past 8 years, and the loss of Congress by the Republicans two years ago, how far ahead in the polls do you think Obama should be right now?
Far enough ahead to win. A win is a win.
GW Bush lost the popular election in 2000, but he still got to be president and trash our country. How important can the margin of victory be?
O-Dub: Great post. This is what blogging should be.
Hi Repack…
EL seemed to suggest that Obama should be ahead by 15 points. Curious that he is not.
I suggested no such thing. Dr. P did.
Yes EL, hence the “seemed to suggest.” When one says that a party “deserves to be ahead” by such and such…well, if you that is really true then it would be reflected in the polls, would it not? Otherwise, how do we define what a party “deserves.” Just like Gore “deserved” to win and Kerry “deserved” to win, eh?
I think the current polls reflect pretty much exactly what Obama and the Republicans “deserve,” which is to say, a close race.
Kerry didn’t deserve to win. I mean, he should have, because he was running against Bush, but he didn’t. Like Kinnock in 1992, if you can’t beat that, you need a slap.
Gore, on the other hand, did win.
Gore, on the other hand, did win.
…except for the winning part.
EL seemed to suggest that Obama should be ahead by 15 points
How far do YOU think he should be ahead, and why?
Oliver, this may be the best thing I’ve ever seen you write.
That’s one terrific article. Thanks.
Repack…
I think a poll is good for exactly one thing: measuring how random people will respond to questions in a poll. The results of a poll are, by my definition, precisely as they should be.
” Crude futures for October delivery were down $2.23 to $107.48 a barrel.
Crude prices are indeed down –Down from 121.00 per barrel in August but still a skosh up from $28.66 per barrel in January 2001.
“We just handed ANBAR province back to Iraq.”
As for the rousing triumph over Iraq, excuse me, Anbar- well, U.S. troops are still in Iraq and still in harm’s way. By the way, the newest timetable proposal says nothing about a total withdrawal, nor has it been ratified.
Not exactly a smackdown scenario but if you want to break out the USA#1 foam finger and crank up the Dueling Banjos, have at it. We’ll just keep laughing at you.
Obama’s up by 9.
The results of a poll are, by my definition, precisely as they should be.
I see. Then STFU about it.
Why the hostility, Duros?
What is it exactly that Conservatives conserve?
I must have missed something — Dr Pedro is now the aptly named ‘duh’? OW has some o’ the lamest trolls.
Why the hostility, Duros?
None whatsoever. Why do you ask?
Let’s be honest. Obama being black isn’t exactly an easy card to play when so many in America as both Hillary and McCain will ’secretly’ admit are not ready for a black man to be President..hint, hint, wink, wink….
and add that Obama’s single parent was only 18 when she “had” him. And that he has “no pedigree” unlike McCain’s list of Admirals as forebears and an ultra rich trophy wife supplying him with unlimited houses and cash. Now McCain’s running mate only has great legs, photogenic looks, and three houses…but is pretty much as “safe” and “middle America” as could be.
So Why is it that Republicans are way behind?
Karl Rove??? He’s reported to be upset as the Repugs Lost the Hispanic vote which like the black vote is going 90 percent Obama (except for Little Havana_)
Now Listening to Huckabee accuse the “Elite Media” of picking on Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…… as being
“tackier than a custom change at a Madonna concert….”
cute, (personally I think he woulda been an awesome Repug. candidate…) But Repugs couldn’t bear him…..preferring the “mean” Elite Republican media ignoring stuff
like this typical Republican comment:
“Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father”.
-John McCain, 1998
costume change…N close the italics!!
Brilliant stuff. The 2008 equivalent of the Dirty Fucking Hippies of 1968 are the men and women running the Republican Party.