Gingrich test flies brand new false equivalence.
Newt Gingrich brought up a brand new false equivalence on Meet The Press on Sunday that deserved the kind of journalistic inquiry David Gregory seems unable to muster.
Here's the link.
Gingrich compared the current popularity of Obama to that of the widespread popularity of GWB when he was just six weeks into his administration--concluding that the reason Obama is doing so well in the polls now is really meaningless, moot.
What Newt conveniently leaves out is context.
In March of 2001, American civilization was not collapsing.
This is March 2009.
GWB's handiwork is unraveling at the speed of light. Our economy has imploded, our unemployment rate is nearing double digits, we are trillions in debt, there is systemic and far-reaching corruption in almost all sectors of industry and government including energy, banking, real estate, insurance, transportation, health care, agriculture, aerospace and defense. A special shout out to the SEC, the NSA, the FDA, the EPA, the FCC and all the rest, without whom this unprecedented downward spiral would not be possible.
AND Obama spent the last two years being called un-American, unpatriotic, a terrorist, a Muslim extremist, black racist, anti-semite, a lightweight, giant question mark, plagiarist, an elitist, a communist, Nazi appeaser, that one, and a socialist imposing his power for the very purpose of destroying our country!
Given all that, according to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama's favorability rating is at an all-time high. (that's after 2 years and six weeks of full-throttled attack.)
Now Newt Gingrich may want you to believe Obama's approval ratings are just average.
But he's not being straight with you.
He's just a member of a very very desperate party.
Crashing and burning.
Here's the link.
Gingrich compared the current popularity of Obama to that of the widespread popularity of GWB when he was just six weeks into his administration--concluding that the reason Obama is doing so well in the polls now is really meaningless, moot.
What Newt conveniently leaves out is context.
In March of 2001, American civilization was not collapsing.
This is March 2009.
GWB's handiwork is unraveling at the speed of light. Our economy has imploded, our unemployment rate is nearing double digits, we are trillions in debt, there is systemic and far-reaching corruption in almost all sectors of industry and government including energy, banking, real estate, insurance, transportation, health care, agriculture, aerospace and defense. A special shout out to the SEC, the NSA, the FDA, the EPA, the FCC and all the rest, without whom this unprecedented downward spiral would not be possible.
AND Obama spent the last two years being called un-American, unpatriotic, a terrorist, a Muslim extremist, black racist, anti-semite, a lightweight, giant question mark, plagiarist, an elitist, a communist, Nazi appeaser, that one, and a socialist imposing his power for the very purpose of destroying our country!
Given all that, according to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama's favorability rating is at an all-time high. (that's after 2 years and six weeks of full-throttled attack.)
Now Newt Gingrich may want you to believe Obama's approval ratings are just average.
But he's not being straight with you.
He's just a member of a very very desperate party.
Crashing and burning.
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That is very good. Yes. compare the six/seven weeks.
Slap down Newt pretty well. And remember, I will repeat this till I die, w took six months out of the first eight for vacation.
March 8, 2009 10:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well I knew GWB was on vacation in Crawford the whole month of August 2001--out of touch with Rice, Clarke, Tenet and others; on vacation even after the infamous PDB warning that al-qaeda would unleash a massive attack inside the United States, on vacation even after the CIA had issued warnings that terrorists might fly commercial planes into our buildings and cities.
Guess laissez-faire was the operative ideology for more than just the economy.
March 9, 2009 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why does anyone even listen to a loser like Newt anyway???
March 8, 2009 11:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know why people listen to him.
I think political opportunists like Newt Gingrich are trying to occupy the more intellectual end of the conservative movement.
He's been trying to position the Republican message in a way that ties GWB with Obama, in the hopes of distancing Republicans from the last eight years of disastrous Bush policy.
For example, you'll hear Gingrich say "this country cannot withstand another day of "Bush/Obama" big government policy.
He'll try to slip that deeply flawed sentence right past you, hoping you buy it whole, in one gulp.
Both Newt and Karl Rove are savvy communicators and their success rests on the bet that you will not inspect their logic.
March 9, 2009 12:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
The more intellectual end of the conservative movement? Is that something like the pro-Busby Berkeley end of the Taliban movement?
March 9, 2009 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gingrich peddles false equivalency. In other news, water is rumored to be wet, and the forecast for tonight is: Dark.
March 9, 2009 2:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Researchers: Butter Buttery!
March 10, 2009 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
The repubs are running out of spokespeople and messages.
What's next?
March 9, 2009 9:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Evolution? That would be pretty useful given our current state.
It couldn't have happened a moment too soon for the democratic party, but perhaps the republicans are just a little slower on the uptake this year, with the whole stages of grief thing being what it is and the lack of national leadership.
Just as we need to be patient while Barack fixes the country, a little more patience while the right deprograms would be helpful as well.
March 9, 2009 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, patience. A few suggestions to maintain your sanity:
-try a corporate media-free diet
-go out for a brisk walk every day
-let a child teach you something, anything really
-download a screensaver that shows earth from the perspective of the moon
March 9, 2009 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Probably that insufferable 14 year old kid.
March 9, 2009 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yup!
March 9, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans, well, the smarter ones, are sophists. Gingrich, Limbaugh, etc. all attempt to cleverly deceive and mislead through twisting of language, false framing, false equivalencies, straw-man building, and distracting red-herrings.
Limbaugh is particularly adept, and seems to favor opening weak minds through a technique of feeding them a spoonful of truth (the sugar) followed by a bucket of lies (the poison).
March 9, 2009 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just a spoon full of sugar helps
The elephant go down
The elephant go down
Just a spoon full of sugar helps
The elephant go down
In the most disgusting way
March 9, 2009 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
“An orotundity, which I define as Nobelitis a pomposity in which one is treated as representative of more than oneself by someone conscious of representing more than himself.”
William G. Golding
March 9, 2009 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just thought I'd post a link to MSNBC's "Obama Causes Dow To Plummet" nonsense, as it demonstrates the rampant art of context-free news.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200903070004?f=h_top
In context, Media Matters points out that the Dow was on a downward trajectory months before the election, dropping 3,738 points from May 2, 2008, to November 3, 2008.
March 9, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink