In using the "Blood Libel" metaphor,

[MineralMan]

Sarah Palin is attempting to identify herself, along with her fellow teabaggers, as today's Jews. She's trying to lay the groundwork to cast the teabaggers as a "persecuted minority," being persecuted by the rest of us with false claims about them. It's a blatant attempt to turn the tables, and shift the blame from the rabid mewlings of the teabaggers to those who are "spreading Blood Libels" about these ugly, evil, violent people.

I can't see the strategy succeeding with the general population, but I think it will stir up the teabaggers to greater and greater excesses of rhetoric, the purchase of more weapons to "protect themselves" from this "persecution," and even more paranoia about government.

I don't see this as a mistake on Palin's part. I think it's anything but that. I believe it was an intentional statement, addressed directly to those who have been ramping up their violent rhetoric, and encouraging them not to retreat but to increase their ugliness. I believe it will work, to that extent, at least.

Seeing themselves as a "persecuted minority" even more than they already do will not decrease the tension. It will only increase it.

This is not a good omen. Not a good omen at all.

See my signature line...

[bemildred]

1. Yep, the chosen people, the persecuted victims, that's the unstated meaning. nt

[JuniperLea]

2. It's that whistle that only Teahadists can hear...

And those who have trained themselves to hear it as well out of self-defense.

She's looking powerfully ridiculous right now, and the media isn't helping her at all. I find that interesting too... she was their darling.

I think the GOTP are simultaneously ramping up the angry rhetoric and distancing themselves from The Whore of Babble-on and her merry band of TeaBaggers. Where are the Koch brothers putting their money now?

[MineralMan]

3. Yes. I've seen the dog-whistle metaphor. I just wanted to spell

it out in simple terms, to make sure that it was clear. Thanks!

[femrap]

8. I wonder who came up

with this idea of 'blood libel' for her??? I would to be a fly on the wall of her little 'think tank.'

eta: I guess this is the dude who came up with it and it took palin a few days to find it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x183304

[MineralMan]

14. It's a new talking point for the teabaggers. You're going to hear it,

now, again and again. That kind of thing spreads like wildfire.

[femrap]

22. What is odd is that

I just read that Giffords is Jewish....I had assumed she was Catholic due to her Holiday trip to Rome.

[MineralMan]

25. That has nothing to do with it at all. It's not Giffords.

Giffords is irrelevant to what's actually being said here. The timing was thrown off by this young man, who acted from probably non-political motivations. That brought attention to the increasingly violent political rhetoric being ramped up by the far right. They're trying to figure out how to turn the accidental events to their benefit, but it's not in their script.

The Giffords shooting almost certainly has nothing to do with the far right's goals. In fact, the additional attention was probably unwanted at this time. What you're seeing in Palin's speech is an attempt to turn this around, and get out of a tight spot.

[JuniperLea]

27. This sort of reminds me of...

How the financial and housing markets began crashing before BushCo left office, instead of when Obama (or whomever) took office as was the plan. I think that's why they came up with McCain, and allowed Palin to run for VP. They were expendable.

[femrap]

37. I don't understand how you

say that Giffords is irrelevant. She is Democratic Congresswoman. If this sick pup, Jared, wasn't political, he could have killed a school teacher or some other person he doesn't know. He planned the assassination as he wrote along w/ 'Die Bitch.'

How you can say this attempted murder is NOT political is :wow:

I have no idea why you label this terrorism as 'an accidental event.'

Palin is on the spot and nothing is going to get her out of it....I hoped she has really pissed off AIPAC.

You sound like some armchair Rovian with ice water in the veins that likes to play analyst.

Have a good evening...buh bye. You've creeped me out.

Time for a good book.

[justiceischeap]

4. I wrote a post a couple of days ago stating that Palin has a cult following

Guidelines have been developed by the American Family Foundation (AFF) that the group suggests be used for making a provisional judgment as to whether a particular group might be a "political cult" rather than simply an ideological sect that uses flamboyantly extreme rhetoric and/or elicits a high level of voluntary commitment from its core members.

1. The group is preoccupied with making money and often elevates money-making duties above the group's ostensible ideological or religious goals. In a political cult, this would include excessive fund raising, especially by illegal means such as electoral campaign-finance fraud.


2. The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations). In a political context, this would apply to cult-of-personality dictators, as well as other political leaders who strive for a position of authority free from oversight.


3. The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group. In a political context, this could include criminal activities, including unprovoked violence against opponents.


4. The group has an us-versus-them mentality that causes hostility towards, and/or conflict with, political opponents and the wider society to an irrational degree that usually undermines the cult's ostensible goals. Although non-cults, including mainstream political parties, also frequently encourage us-versus-them thinking, in the political cult it is carried to an extreme in which the entire world outside the cult is regarded either as the enemy or as pawns to be manipulated in the fight against the enemy; in turn, critics of the cult and other opponents are demonized in a manner that brooks no questioning from the cult's cadre.


5. The group not only requires members to adhere to particular doctrines or a particular "line" (a feature of many non-cultic groups as well) but also strongly discourages or even bans any questioning or criticism of the behavior or instructions of the group's leadership, and often harshly punishes any members who persist in criticism even if such members are loyal to the "line."


6. The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. In the context of a political cult, this could be compared in some respects to Stalin's cult of personality or Nazism's Fuhrerprinzip.

I think her followers meet all 6 criteria. She is setting herself up as a martyr (or her handlers are) and using "blood libel" just helps position herself as a martyr to the cause. She's leading her followers on a dangerous path (and I don't think I'm being paranoid or tinfoily at all about this).

[MineralMan]

7. I think you're correct.

[kestrel91316]

12. BINGO (I sure seem to be saying that a lot lately)

[alsame]

5. It fits with her Dominionist belief, that Christians in

America are persecuted. I'm sure it was a deliberate dog whistle to that ilk.

[Raschel]

9. Yes, that she's a victim because she belong to God, not because of her hate speech.

[MineralMan]

19. Yup. Calling oneself or a group the "Chosen of God" is a

favorite tactic of many people. The Christian Identity movement has this all down to a science, and they are part and parcel to much of the militia movement. The think God is on their side, so they are right, because God is on their side. That circular argument is common among such people, and we're seeing it here as well.

[DCKit]

34. I've just learned today that her faith is with the Christian Identity cult...

if you though Dominionists were scary, this bunch gives THEM nightmares.

[alsame]

36. I just read their Wiki entry and you're

right. They are bat shit insane.

Non-Caucasians have no soul.

Jews have Satanic ancestry.

:scared:

[Democrats_win]

6. The essence of Tea Baggers is to use guns to get what you want.

They are sending such an evil message. The actual thing we should recall is when Yitzhak Rabin was assasinated by Israel's version of a Right Wing nut. We on the left should recall how the right wing in Israel actually benefitted from that. We should also recall how the Right Wing in America used the Paul Wellstone funeral to gain political advantage. They had no qualms about it even as George W. Bush was warmongering us into immoral wars.

[TroglodyteScholar]

10. ...it will stir up...even more paranoia about government."

And more assassination attempts. You forgot more assassination attempts.

[MineralMan]

11. One follows the other, like a dog following its master.

[grasswire]

13. keep in mind too ..

...that a lot of "end-timers" believe that post rapture life will be centered in Alaska -- that it will be the refuge for the survivors. Whole buncha spooky stuff goin' on there, exploitable.

[MineralMan]

15. End-timers, Christian Identity, Dominionists...all of them.

They're all of a type, really. And the Tea Party is just an expression of their paranoia.

[jwirr]

30. Agree completely. Do have a question: Are Mormons part of these

groups? And finally how do we counter them? Obviously we need to be aware that our speech will validate their paranoia. How do we handle this? Adding the Family we hear so much in DC - followers of this cult?

[MineralMan]

31. Actually, the Mormons are a force unto themselves.

They're not a part of the Christian Identity or Dominionist movement at all. In fact Mormons are anathema to both groups.

[Lucian]

16. I don't usually agree with you on, well, anything, but I agree with you on this.

[dynasaw]

17. Wait, wait, I am confused . . .

"Sarah Palin is attempting to identify herself, along with her fellow teabaggers, as today's Jews"????

But Giffords is the "real" Jew and she was the one who was a target of assassination. So sister Sarah is identifying herself with someone she once had her cross hairs aimed at?
Please someone help me untangle my brain. :crazy:

[MineralMan]

23. You don't understand how this Christian Identity stuff works.

Their belief is that today's Jews are not actually the chosen people. They believe that today's Jews are the result of some weird mating of Eve with the Serpent. It is the Caucasian people, you see, who are really the true Jews and the chosen people of God.

This is the very, very weird theology that marks the Christian Identity movement. That has spawned the Dominionists, who speak a little less insanely, while holding the same basic views. It's a militant, evangelistic sect or cult of Christianity that has been growing in numbers for decades. The real crazies in the movement don't have so much influence, but the concepts are being spread by people who speak with a more acceptable voice.

It's insidious, well-planned, and dangerous. Their numbers are small, but they have couched their weird concepts in ways that encourage the disillusioned and discontented people of this country to feel put-upon and persecuted. They've encouraged this entire tea party thing to influence people politically and to get them rouse up to arm themselves in preparation for the "holy war" they think is inevitable.

Very dangerous stuff.

[DCKit]

35. "Eve with the Serpent"....

If they bothered to read a bit, "Lilith with the Serpent" would be a far more exciting/interesting story. And they'd have that whole "she refused to submit to Adam" thing to play with, too.

[Jack Rabbit]

18. Well, of course teabaggers think of themselves as persecuted

They think they are persecuted because they are White, Christian fundamentalist and heterosexual.

They think they are persecuted because every now and then somebody acknowledges the legitimacy (imagine that!) of Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism.

They think they are persecuted because gay people want the right marry (for shame!) and serve in the armed forces (oh, my!).

They think they are persecuted because someone suggests their would be justice in providing reparations for the descendants of black people who were denied the right to collect wages on their labor or when someone suggests that Custer was a genocidal maniac among other genocidal maniacs.

[MineralMan]

24. The thing that has not been clear, generally, is that this entire

teabagger movement is scripted. Most of the people who have shown up at their "rallies" or to protest at some town hall are dupes. They're the worker bees who are being carefully goaded into doing the public actions. The true leaders of all of this are unseen and unknown for the most part. They're feeding the script to others who are feeding the script to the mass of tea partiers.

This business did not start recently, but dates back decades. It's just become visible in recent years.

[Jack Rabbit]

28. That is at least partly true

The word entire makes it questionable, but just in the way any other sweeping generalization is questionable.

The tea party began as groups of Ron Paul followers advocating the usual boilerplate libertarian proposals. I don't agree with all of it or even most of it, but I can live with it. These people wanted a civil discussion of their ideas. It was then hijacked by the Koch brothers with a star-studded cast of right wing demagogues (Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, etc.) to become what it is today. These people have less in common with Dr. Paul than with Joe McCarthy and the Birchers out of the early sixties. As for those who were bussed to town hall meetings in 2009 on Koch brothers' buses, I have no qualms about comparing them to Brown Shirts.

[ladjf]

26. The truth of the matter is that the super rich are persecuting everyone

by unfairly hoarding the wealth and they don't give one damn about what anyone's religious views.
Drag in as much money as possible, as fast as possible.

[prairierose]

20. I'm afraid that you could be correct...

this is one of the dog-whistle phrases that I did not know about until now.

[CC]

21. Hell the teabaggers were

already stirred up. How could anyone even think of mentioning Sarah's name on the same day they talk about the shooting. They don't even care about the victims if it can in anyway be linked to Sarah. Thing is around here no one had said who had the violent rhetoric yet the Palinista's were hard at it defending her and attacking anyone that mentioned the rhetoric at all. They are in professional victim mode, and they excel at it.


Reading above, I agree with the cult like following not only of Sarah but of Beck too. Limbaugh too except he needs that echo chamber more now then he used to.

[foxfeet]

29. It won't be long now until people start seeing Palin's face

in water stains, tree bark and French toast.

[Mrs. Overall]

32. I think amid Palin's stupidity/ignorance we forget her religious zealotry--

her Christian beliefs are fundamentalist/apocalyptic. The identification with the Jewish people fits into her world view.

[CJCRANE]

33. Beck mentioned his email correspondance

with Palin in which he said something like "if they get to Sarah, the Republic falls" and she replied "I hate war".

They're building this up into some kind of mythology that's all about them.

On edit: Not necessarily Palin herself but whoever writes her scripts.