On Friday, Rachel proposed a new term to describe her favorite political meme of the Obama presidency. She proposes calling the way Republicans have rejected their own ideas "the great flabbergasting."
Viewer @BrassBand suggests another new term, this one to describe what happens when President Obama negotiates from the middle:
I saw a segment called "The Great Flabbergasting." I actually had a similar idea to attach a "semantic tag" to what we're seeing from the conservatives:
'Right Flight'
If it sounds like something familiar...that's because it's meant to. It goes something like this:
In an attempt to compromise, Obama *moves* to the middle. By being there, the right wing *moves* to get away from him - but always and only further to the right.
"Right flight," welcome to the lexicon.
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The Amygdala Strain: Right-Wing Teabaggery as Psychological Pandemic
With the ascendency of a barefaced buffoon to the apex of right-wing politics some began to suspect that conservatism was not just a political disposition. And as George W. Bush’s corporate-Jesus coalition evolved into a throng that could call Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and now Rick Perry its own, Republicanism completed its transition from political ideology into psychological disorder ...
Article:
http://beeryblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/the-amygdala-strain-right-wing-teabaggery-as-psychological-pandemic/
[GOOGLE] beeryblog amygdala
What would Republican Jesus do? He would certainly no live into the Socialistic tendencies of the early Christian church. He would certainly not cut military spending. We can't even get a Democrat to live up to campaign promises to pull troups out of loser engagments. If Dems can't live into their policies, why should we expect GOP to do the same?
Wow! This is a comment that boggles the mind!
First, through what kind of ESP do you know what Jesus would do as a Democrat or Republican? Since in his words, "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." it would be reasonable that he would do the same thing he did with the Romans and the Jewish government which was nothing. He didn't make demands, he didn't suggest rebellion, he didn't move toward political leadership. His priority was the heart, mind and soul of mankind. The question is meaningless.
Second, he also stated that we should not stand and shout our prayers on the corners of the city "as the Pharisees and Sadducees." That makes me very wary of those in politics that flaunt their "religion" as their asset in any political office. If you know a tree by it's fruits, those professing their "religious fervor" are sadly lacking in what we are told in the Bible. The main force of that message is that we are not to oppress the poor, we are supposed to feed those who are hungry, clothe the naked, provide for the poor, and protect the fatherless. Where that comes in evidence in the "religious right" or the GOP seems vastly missing - which also makes me very uncomfortable as to which religious right they belong. The focus of the GOP right now is to force others to their mindset, deprive people of work, protect the rich, let the aged, hungry, naked and fatherless fend for themselves and in fact add to their anguish.
As to campaign promises from any candidate - when you stand in front of people you want to vote for you, you first, don't have all the information to know what you can or will do in office. In our complex world connections, what we (or a candidate) can do once they have that seat simply is not feasible. Yes, we are moving out of the wars, and yes, slower than some of us would like - but at the same time, with our employment markets in the state they are in, what would dumping several hundred thousand military men into that same market, the results would be a disaster. We cannot give our military men the honor, medical care and jobs they deserve and have earned at the expense of their lives and health now. As one of them stated, he felt more accepted and valuable in Afghanistan than he does here in America. It is a sad commentary that this great country cannot provide for those who have given their all for our beliefs.
It is good to have good intentions, it is good to look for peace and it is good to expect our politicians to live up to what they offer, but to accept maybe a bit less than they can really do. I do believe that Mr. Obama stated honestly what he would like to do when he was running for office. I also believe when he came into office, he found that there were some things he simply could not do in reality. Cutting him a break would be a good idea, considering that he is fighting a GOP party that is working as hard as they can to force him to fail - simply because he is our first black President and they cannot stand that idea.
Hopefully, the GOP will fail in its intent.
In addition to Great Flabbergasting, we should also add, "Goalposting" which is a verb meaning once your opponent agrees to everything you want, you demand more, or engage in changing your goals via "goalposting".
I believe that “goalposting” works really well because it doesn’t impart any racial component to the discussion. "Goalposting" would be more palatable to many who recognize what the right is doing for what it is: moving the goal post when it’s clear the other side will score imminently, thus preventing the goal being met.
My two cents: Right Flight is better. Easier to say and more catchy.
Messaging is SO important.
As we have learned it doesn't matter if you're telling the truth if you don't tell it the best way possible.
Nice new word. It should be used.. Read this blog and you will see a new term for those who do care about your fellow American....
How about "Reich wingnut psychosis" - it's a mental condition wherein those that have it exhibit an inability to deal with "reality"!
Perfect branding. I really like this.
OMG!
Right Flight, it's like Obama has some contagious decease. What's a president to do? He has no friends.
Maybe Michelle should throw him a pizza party and invite all his enimies, get the newest xBox games, have big bowls of candy and drinks for all. After such a festive party time, his bullies will have a harder time picking on him and they'll all become "friends." He'll be the new popular guy!
This is what I did for my 12 year old when he was going into jr. high... and it worked. Might makes right...right?
Right Flight? All they are doing is showing you who they really are.
Republican reality is a cargo cult. (google that and shudder) Rick Parry personally reminds me of Stalin, same greasy strutting...same dark heart. Bachman is Imelda Marcos without the shoes. The gulag is the Republican jobs program. The second any Republican says, "The American People Want...." immediately picture the future Republicans are creating for you.
A future with no human rights, no clean water, air or food and no vote. On a planet with a dead ocean, where the weather is out to kill you.
Culture wars are important, don't dawdle with this one. Republicans have pasted their Icon of Prosperity together, assembled around it and now wait for the cargo to be delivered. No damn President is going to screw it up.
Cargo cult! Brilliant! And they will sit and starve us all, never understanding that the cargo is never coming...
It is ridiculous. It is only because we progressives are too lazy to get off the couch and counterbalance. Where were the MoveOn demonstrations in 2010 to counter the Tea Party? Where was the push to consolidate and expand our tremendous moral high ground to push the message of how deregulation and obscene influence of big money in politics had brought America to the brink of financial ruin?
No. We had more important things top do. It was, Phew! "Glad we elected Superman to take care of all this for us. " We patted ourselves on the back and congratulated ourselves in 2008 for a job well done. The political operatives closed up shop, and the Organizing For America network of activists was basically allowed to die on the vine.
You know the statue of Justice holding the scales. On one side was the lunatic right- the Goldwatter- Reagan nuts who simply will not stop until they see FDRs policies annihilated. We collectively decided to step off the other side of the scales.
Then we blame our Superman for not holding being able to bring disparate parties together while simultaneously keeping his thumb on one side of the scales because we couldn't be bothered to advocate progressive positions.
Grow up. This isn't comic book stuff.
Yes, JMesserly. Amen.
Hear, here @JMesserly..Very well said..! May I quote you?
JMesserly, I agree with you.
I volunteered to attend an OFA meeting to be "trained" to volunteer. I spent $28. for parking and $10 on Mass Pike tolls to go to this meeting in Cambridge, MA. I sat with 50 others all wanting to jump in and DO SOMETHING.
The meeting was a joke run by all young intellectual arses with no leadership skills. There were 7 speakers with varying specialties and they were more interested in laughing with each other and their inside jokes. (it was like college days and these were the "cool" kids)
I still don't know what they were trying to accomplish? We split into groups and were told to do skits, each playing a "role" taking turns. The purpose was to make a point, within points, which had NO point! I left a little more than half way through...with about 35 others. That's why it died... they had no direction, no common sense. We need a plan....and we need strong leadership to implement the plan.
I think when the repukes come back in September, we call for a massive nation wide protest...TAKE TO THE STREETS all across America...before we give them another chance to say NO to Obama. We have to make them know, they are a minority, not the majority.
I suppose if the Obama Administration hadn't told the left to shush, they'd be louder. They're discouraging progressives from fighting back.
When unions have actually taken to the streets, the Obama Administration is silent.
Obama takes the position that he's above partisanship, above left/right politics. He wants to be seen as a centrist "above the fray." The fray being when progressives fight back against conservatives. He's not in that fight, he's "above it."
And here we have the flip side of the Great Flabbergasting. He puts forward Republican ideas and people wonder why progressives aren't behind him. Sure, it's weird that Republicans abandon their own ideas when Obama agrees with them. But it's not weird for progressives to continue being progressive even though Obama really isn't.
JMesserly......... You are sooooo right... I have been saying that for a year now. We do a lot of talking about jobs and these nutbag tea baggers yet we do nothing.. If that idiot Glen Beck can get all his wingnuts together I think we could get logical people together and yell our heads off at the injustice of republicans that want to take all out rights away from us.. Just ask the people in Wisconsin... And Ohio . and N.J. Come on people... Lets do something before it's to late....
Jackie- thank you, and of course you may but I think it is one of those collective thoughts shared by many occaisional activists. I don't see any reason to attribute the ideas to me in particular.
Many of us had a tremendous feeling of optimism that we were seeing the first glimmers of a new sort of collaborative / social networking form of democracy being born.
It was a missed opportunity, but I think it inevitable that this sort of swarming of progressives can be sustained beyond isolated episodes like the 2008 presidential campaign or the Arab Spring.
Just a wild thought but maybe in the meantime the frequency of swarm events could be accelerated by personalities on MSNBC using lightning rod type stories, to seed a swarm on some social network like Google+, twitter or Facebook. It becomes a swarm of activists focused on some plan of action for a specific goal like say a campaign finance reform proposed bill. The swarm just relentlessly pummels legislators, collaborates on investigating details on all facets of opponents/ lobbyists- basically as a super staff combined with advocacy. I suppose it could be done. Worth a try. How about it Rachel & Co? I'm not suggesting MSNBC do partisan activities- I know their primary deal is informing their audience and competing for high ratings. From the MSNBC angle, it is a vehicle for high ratings/ viewer retention/ involvement. The involvement of MSNBC personnel maybe ends with the creation of the lightning rod story seed. If a swarm happens, doesn't happen at whatever URL MSNBC mentions, that is up to the viewers. It could offer the feeling that there is a feedback loop with the Television hall of mirrors, offering the occaisional recognition that their contribution mattered/ was being heard. It was something the OFA site and the freshly minted OFA "community organizer" elites consistently denied their participants. Maybe they were just too young/ too busy to pick that up in their leadership camp crash courses.
Let us say that a customer (we'll call them The Republican Congress) brings an item to be sold to "Pawn Stars" (we'll call them President Obama). Now, the customer is asked what he wants for said item, and the customer say's he wants $5,000. "Pawn Stars" makes an offer of $2,000. The customer moves down to $4,000, and in turn, "Pawn Stars" moves up to $3,000. The customer decides this is not enough and suddenly ups his price for the item to $6,000. Of course, no deal is done and the customer goes on his way, leaving "Pawn Stars" without a deal they thought they almost had. That is what the Republican Congress has been dealing with President Obama.
RightFrightFlight - because it is fear that drives them farther and farther. Let's hope they fall off the flat earth!
The latest astounding flabbergasting, or right flight. is the disagreement with Obama about extending the payroll tax reduction put in last Dec when the Bush tax cuts were extended. After all this chanting of 'no tax hikes, no way, no how,' the GOP is yammering about this extension and totally in opposition to it.
Strangely enough, this time they want to call it more deficit spending, unlike in Dec when extending the tax cuts were incentative for the 'job creators' to step in and save the economy.
Conservatives are truly strange and amazing creatures.
I too like "right flight" which sounds suspiciously similar to "white fright"
I'm sure it was actually a play on "white flight," but in that process they move away and DON'T expect to pull "others" closer to them!
Wholey Frog! Flabbergasting is wrong for America.
i like the branding of the great flabbergasting, tho a little understated and maybe less cynical than either i am or the Repubs are, take your pick.
i was thinking the great flabbergasting is deserved something more Orwellian, but i don't know that any of the extant examples of Newspeak covers it fully. it seems to be an example of blackwhite --
-- but that covers a lot of area and not necessarily retreating from one's own position and policy ideas.
i was reminded of malreport, malquote, --
-- but while Repubs do that a lot, that's not it either.
it's a lot like the 'we've always been at war with Eastasia/Eurasia!' phenomenon which, thanks to blackwhite, can be switched mid-speech without any cognitive dissonance, but something new would have to be coined.
(quotes from the Newspeak Dictionary)
I was thinking something along these lines the other day. Right Flight pretty much sums it up. Matter of fact, I'm surprised they even want to be President now that Obama has been President. The office of the Presidency has been deminished.
Now its the minority job. I believe its one of the "riders" of Right Flight.
Just look around the country. Any job a minority gets the majority no longer wants. And then the pay for that job goes down drastically. Could explain how income has stayed flat over the last 30 years. Pretty much right after the civil rights movement pay has stayed stagnant.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Tea Party tries to pass a bill to cut Obama's pay in half.
Great Flabbergasting and Right Flight, or Obama's-got-cooties Syndrome.
Putting all smoke screen issues in the forefront simply refocuses the public from the real problem if inempt people in Congress. Why has no one published the amount of money borrowed over the years from Social Security? Let's demand that Congress stay home and do teleconferencing, no more health care, no long term retirement plans, no expense funds. Publish how much and who is contributing to all the people in Congress. It's all a scam. Tax payers are subsidizing the rich who don't care about American workers. The philosophy that government exists to make business bigger and then business will pass on the wealth -- has never worked. It just makes the wealthy more wealthy.
The whole thing is illogical and impotent.
The further to the right the Dems move, the more people they leave behind. And that's the problem. It's hard to get excited about your political party when they're planning to steal your Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Disability because they don't want to tax people who are so rich they don't know what to do with all their money.
I remember how much I liked President Clinton. At the time, I knew much less than I know now. But even then, when he "reformed" welfare, I realized that it was a great betrayal because no good could from it. Same with changing the FCC rules. Even though I didn't have the computer skills I now have and even though I had little time in my single parent working life for researching the history of the FCC, I could envision a time when the media was completely owned by corporations.
The Dems have moved so far to the right, already, that they've become moderate Republicans. If you only have two viable political parties and they are actually 2 wings of the same party, a party that represents only a small percentage of the population, what do you do?