Monday, August 04, 2008

The value of mockery

Atrios and other don't understand why the Republican response to Obama's energy plan is to pass out tire gauges. I think the answer is obvious: they don't have a serious response to it because they know Obama is right. But they have to knock down Obama somehow so the fall back on the obvious tactic of mockery.

Most people won't pay attention to the details of the Obama proposals. But if the GOP can get all the reports on it to hilight the "inflate your tires" proposal then they can make it seem, to the casual viewer, that that is the sum-total of Obama's proposal. It sounds silly. It makes Obama sound silly. Especially when compared against the "serious" plan of the Republicans to drill for more oil.

Atrios asks how Obama's tire-inflation proposal is an hilarious gaffe. The answer is that it isn't. But if the GOP can laugh at it anyway as if it were a gaffe then more people will start to see it that way and no one will talk about the real meat of Obama's plan.

When you can argue on the facts, you argue on the facts. When you can't argue on the facts, you argue on the emotion. Why are the Republicans mocking Obama? Because they can't do anything else.

The Republicans are clowns. But you can't just laugh them off. It may be crap. But crap works.

2 Comments:

Blogger Andy Henderson said...

I thought your post was spot on, although it looks like in this instance "Crap explodes in your face" may be a bit more appropriate: http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1829354,00.html?cnn=yes

2:32 PM  
Blogger Chris Andersen said...

That's where reverse mockery helps. If the Democrats came back with an ad portraying the GOP and McCain as a bunch of clowns making jokes and throwing pies it would get the point across: the Republicans aren't interested in making serious policy proposals. They just want to distract people with tire guages and cream pies.

4:16 PM  

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