Pushing memes

You didn't get to get past the title to know where today's letter from Peter VanDyke of Norman was going. Indeed, it hits on just about every standard anti-Obama meme that the right wing media have been pushing. Let's go through them one by one:

If I were intent on “fundamentally transforming our nation,” what would I do?

First off, what's with the quotes? In general, quotes mean that you are repeating something another person said verbatim. Of course, plenty of people misuse quotes, but one would imagine that editors of a major newspaper wouldn't be one of them. Then again, the Oklahoman isn't really a major newspaper, so what should we expect? (Rimshot!)

A search on Google shows that "fundamentally transforming our nation" is a huge meme among, well, letter-writers to right wing media outlets. (E.g. this letter from a reader in Nanticoke, PA. Note how much the letters section of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader resembles the Oklahoman's-- our state's biggest paper and "best" (see what I did there?) source of news essentially resemble's Pennsylvania's equivalent of Muskogee. Congratulations, editors!)

In any case, here's the deal: Back before the 2008 election, Obama did say: "fundamentally transforming the United States of America." This is not quite the same thing as "fundamentally transforming our nation"-- a good editor (Ha!) would have said "'fundamentally transform' our nation" to show where the exact quote is. And of course, in context, the quote is really talking about stopping greed on Wall Street, creating jobs, and political divisions. Things that just about every candidate talks about. Somehow, this harmless comment has morphed into a nefarious comment by our black, Muslim, socialist, atheist President. Oh, the power of the right wing media!

ANYHOW...

Mr VanDyke's thought experiment begins:

I would pit one race against another. I would put those who don’t have against those who do.

Already we are two for two on memes already!

Regarding the first, it is almost comical that the right-- a group that has engaged for decades in a policy of drumming up support among poor, southern whites, by stoking racial fears-- has managed to convince its voters (dupes like Mr VanDyke) that it is somehow Obama who is pitting races against each other. Seriously: unless publicly acknowledging that racism does still exist in this country is "pitting one race against another" (see-- I'm repeating what he said verbatim, hence the quotes), it's hard to imagine what Mr VanDyke is talking about.

And as for the haves and not haves-- I'm pretty sure someone else started that war, and it wasn't Obama. Anyhow...

I would foster envy...

It's amazing that the right wing media machine has managed to turn the topic of income inequality into one where it's poor people being "envious" of the hyper-rich. And, of course, that's the point of the Oklahoman running a letter which repeats this: it is incumbent of the plutocracy that they convince their much-poorer followers that wealth and jobs come solely from hard work, and that anyone who questions that is just "envious" of them.

... and promise to fix whatever ills are perceived to be the cause.

What does this even mean? To fix the ills of the cause of envy? We can guess what he's talking about, but it's so poorly written that it's hard to be sure.

I would take from those who have and give to those who don’t.

Ah. OK. So here it is stated more plainly-- again parroting standard right-wing, Ayn Randian-memes: paying for things like better schools, infrastructure, and the social safety net is just an example of giving to the undeserving poor ("just work harder!!!!") at the expense of the hard-working rich.

I would create chaos and cynicism by disregarding the laws that I took an oath to enforce and by ignoring the Constitution that I swore to uphold.

We've talked about this already. Only someone who has chosen to live in a right wing media bubble would believe this.

I would demonize those with whom I disagree (rather than engage in a dialogue of ideas).

Hahahahaha! Yes, it's Obama who is demonizing the other side.

I would deny responsibility for the adverse consequences of events I caused and/or lie about what I did or did not do and why I did it or didn't do it.

This is just coded language for bogus non-scandals like Benghazi (just typing that makes me want to vomit).

I would foster a sycophant press so that they would ignore real stories and pander to the puerile interests of the uninformed.

Pot, meet kettle: DUDE, YOU ARE SO UNINFORMED IT IS PATHETIC. One of THE classic lines of right-wing thralls is that the press is just hyper liberal and out to get conservatives. News flash to Mr VanDyke: You are an idiot.

I would collapse the health care system and educational institutions, bankrupt the nation and encourage illegal entry into the country, to the disadvantage of those seeking legal entry, the burdened middle class and those seeking entry-level jobs.

Hahaha! Again, if Mr VanDyke wants to see uninformed, he just has to look in the mirror. Obamacare has been a success. And the collapse of "educational institutions" is referring to.... what, exactly? Bankrupt nation? Nope. And what's this about "encouraging" brown people to sneak in illegally "to the disadvantage of those seeking legal entry"? What does that even mean?!? Like, when someone is trying to get a Green Card is the INS like "sorry, I was going to accept this but I just heard that a bunch of Mexican just crossed the border, so now I won't"??? This letter keeps getting dumber and dimer.

To wit: are illegal immigrants really a huge problem for "the burdened middle class"? If so, how? Aside from the fact that, you know, they're brown and speak Spanish and you're just a white well-to-do racist xenophobe. Similarly, does this guy REALLY imagine that there are a shortage of "entry-level jobs"? That's code for "minimum wage" and "manual labor"-- jobs that are plentiful around the country. People aren't complaining that there's a lack of jobs taking orders at McDonalds and cleaning dishes at Applebes. To purport that this is a major threat of "illegal" brown people is to betray the fact that you're a clueless idiot.

In short, I would do what Barack Obama is doing. God help us!

No, no. May your god help you get a clue. Mr VanDyke is a willfully ignorant, slightly racist dupe and should be ashamed that he's as stupid as he is.

Worse, though, is the Oklahoman. This sort of letter-- a fact-free rant that just parrots the standard right-wing plutocracy-approved memes-- is exactly what a propaganda piece would run. For years, the Oklahoman has played up the myth that Obama is a "divider" (playing on the truly Orwellian line from George Bush that he wanted to be a "uniter") and their letters section just serves as a tool to push this media meme to the witless thralls who read this "paper". Er, paper. God help us, indeed.