Right Develops Blame Narrative (Democrats are the cause of our economic collapse)

[Pale Blue Dot]

Look for more of this in the coming days and weeks. From the Seeing the Forest blog:

The right is orchestrating a campaign to blame Democrats for the economic collapse. In cases like this it is often a matter of being the first out there with a story. For example, Progressives and Democrats could have been explaining the economic collapse on the cost of the war, or the huge borrowing that resulted from the tax cuts. But now the right is out there with a story, and the ability to get that story to the public. So we'll see which narrative takes over.

Here's the story. A major bank failed yesterday, and a Bush appointee in the government put out a statement directly blaming Democratic Senator Schumer. So the narrative the right is pumping out is that "the government" says Schumer is at fault for the bank failure. (What Schumer did was say that the bank appears to be insolvent because it was. Republicans say this "caused" a run on the bank. The fact is the bank was closed because it was insolvent, not because people were taking their money out. But facts don't matter.) I suspect you'll be hearing a lot more of this from Limbaugh Monday.

Check out the following links:

http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/268386.php

http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/jul/11/breaking-bank-collapses-feds-cite-sen-chu/

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/07/11/chuck-schumer-bank-killer/

http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/07/12/13-billion-in-losses-brought-to-you-by-chuck-schumer.php

http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/2008/07/12/schumered/

[charlyvi]

1. Good luck with that, Righties.

Though I think much of the public is uninformed, they're not that uninformed. People aren't buying this free market fundamentalism crap like they used to. And social conservatives are thinking a bit more about pocketbook issues. I think this will work wonderfully with the hard, hard core Righties--but their ranks are being thinned daily.

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. I mostly agree with you. I have a larger concern, however.

And that's that our notoriously fearful Democratic leaders are going to be scared to raise red flags about our economy the way that Schumer did. I think they will prefer to act surprised when the collapse comes.

[charlyvi]

3. I'm not so sure.

Economic issues are Democratic bread and butter--the public overwhelmingly trusts Dems over Repubs on the economy. In other words, they're on pretty safe ground, so I'm not sure they'll have a problem speaking out.

[Pale Blue Dot]

5. I hope you're right. nt

[charlyvi]

7. Side note.

I reread my post, and the thought occurred to me that it's really sad that most Dems in Congress--not all of them--speak out on safe issues only. That really sucks.

[spin]

12. I've heard a rumor that the collapse will come in September...

It was a few months ago and I discounted it.

Now I'm beginning to wonder.

[jwirr]

14. I think the red flags happen every time we go to the grocery store or

fill the gas tank. All our leaders have to do is sympathize with us and we will understand what they are saying.

[KelleyKramer]

4. I thought it was Bill Clintons crotch that did it

Isnt that what the righties always blame their screwups on?

[ThoughtCriminal]

6. We wouldn't have this hangover if you had let us keep drinking

Seems to be the GOP theme this year.

[charlyvi]

8. LOL.....

The best cure for a hangover is a drink=the best cure for the economy is more tax cuts.

[FreakinDJ]

9. Lots of Luck - you Rush LimpDick clones

All across the country people are pissed off at what the Right Wing Greed Machine is doing to the country

They are talking about it every where

then again there are the 30% that still think Saddam was responsible for 911 and had weapons of mass destruction.

But even those fools are being called out as Un-American now

[World Citizen]

10. thats the thing about economics...

it is so complex that average Joe has no chance of comprehending it. Its like some mystical science where cause and effect are inflicted with hundreds of variables. So what they do is reduce it down to A + B =C so that Joe feels really smart because he gets it.

Its an interesting tactic and a difficult one to combat if you are committed to being honest about it.

[ColbertWatcher]

11. This has been predicted for a while now.

I can't recall where I'd seen it, but this is the way it's expected to go:

1. The GOP deny reality

2. liberals and people in the reality-based community supply evidence of reality

3. GOP continue denial

4. a Democratic office-holder takes over from a GOP

5. GOP now repeats what the reality-based community has been saying, but blaming it on the newly-elected Democratic official

Rinse, repeat, profit, etc.

[SOS]

13. Americans are disgusted with Wall Street and Washington

Now who's been running these crooked operations for the past eight years?

Hammering Democrats on the economy worked in 1980.
It's not gonna work this time. Sorry Red State.com.

[YankmeCrankme]

15. I don't know how successful that will be, but I have received an email

trying to correlate the increase in the price of gas with the Dems. Basically, it tried to show that the dramatic increase in the price of gas and oil began with the take over of the Dems in Congress. I'm sure they will do the same with the economy.

We'll see if it works.

[ThoughtCriminal]

17. If was the "Top 10 Reasons"...

I've already had fun with that one here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x155286

The author actually tried to blame Phil Gramms's Enron Loophole on the Democrats. Hilarious.

[DailyGrind51]

16. Progressives have to respond with the truth that deregulation of

the lending industry brought about the collapse. "Deregulation" is much easier for the NASCAR crowd to grasp than some involved explanation that causes their eyes to glaze over.