Us, Robot

[lwcon]

I've had a number of discussions with fellow progressives in the last week and found it deeply depressing.

The Mighty Wurlitzer that propagates talking points is playing as loud as ever, and liberals seem no more sophisticated than conservatives at recognizing that they're being programmed and played.

Do you think that Democratic wins in 2008 make this not a problem? If "yes," go watch the telly. They're waiting for you.

On cue, everyone's spouting the same crap, like the ingenious "Team of Rivals" that was such a winner for Lincoln, and how we're therefore supposed to love the idea of a Bob Gates or a Colin Powell being allowed anywhere near the levers of power.

On cue, the talking point about Bill Clinton's foundation posing worrisome complications for Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State was on everyone's lips, as if that were the definitive topic about whether HRC is a good choice for the job.

The number of robotic narratives that pervade the zeitgeist is overwhelmingly huge, and the hits just keep on coming.

Our progressive discourse is a shambles, built on cheapjack pre-fab framing -- courtesy of our friends in the MSM -- that can't possibly support a reality-based community. We. Are. So. Fucked.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. I agree for the most part.

There is of course no organized left. Aside from a brief regeneration in the 60's, the left in this country ended its role as an organized political force in the cauldron of WWII.

What we have instead is a disorganized progressive movement that exists politically as a faction within one of the duopolistic establishment political parties. We get to support the less-right party every four years and hope to get some scraps of progressive policy tossed our way as compensation for our support. Perhaps this time we will get some sort of universal health care.

I retain hope that circumstances may move Obama's mostly center-right administration in directions it never expected to go.

[lwcon]

2. I agree, back at you

"I retain hope that circumstances may move Obama's mostly center-right administration in directions in never expected to go."

My concern here isn't so much whether the left is organized but whether it's intellectually scrupulous. And if you really listen to the conversation out there, and notice how many bullshit memes are taken as gospel, the prognosis isn't so good.

So, all we can do is hope that the new administration does the right thing, because there isn't enough consistently intelligent discourse out there to help influence very much, at least not in reliably sound ways.

[datasuspect]

3. it is all coordinated, premeditated, venal marketing

they know exactly what they are doing, they know exactly how to play us, they know most of the adults in this country have the cognitive and critical thinking skills of 8th graders and they are all laughing their way to the bank.

[lwcon]

4. Of course, they know what they're doing

The problem is that not enough of us know what they're doing, even if we fancy that we're properly cynical about the media.