Roviating Obama

Man arrested for sexually
assaulting 9 year-old girl
claims it was her fault.

In my blog of September 18, 2005, I suggested we add a new word to our language:

roviate v. to smear, slime, malign, denigrate, and attempt to destroy an opponent through the use of innuendo, rumor, slander, outright lies and any other despicable means available.

I added that roviation works more effectively when done in collaboration with the major media.

Karl Rove did not invent roviation, but he perfected it, and managed to get it incorporated into the general tactics of the Republican party. Rove (aka turdblossom) has not been as visible lately as he once was, and I doubt that he is now single-handedly responsible for the roviation of Obama, but this is precisely the technique (or strategy if you prefer) that has been employed by Republicans against President Obama from the very beginning.

Obama, it was claimed, was anti-American because of his association with the Reverend Wright who, in one of his sermons said “god damn America.” Wright did in fact say this, but in a context in which he was criticizing America for killing innocent civilians in an unnecessary war. Of course it didn’t matter to Republicans whether there was any truth to the matter or not. Then Obama was a terrorist, or at least he was associated with a man who had been a domestic terrorist (when Obama was six years old). When these claims eventually died down a bit, it was claimed that Obama had not really been born in the United States and hence could not legitimately be President. This claim, demonstrably absurd, is still making the rounds in some places. Also, from the beginning, the rumor that Obama is a Muslim, or a “secret Muslim,” also demonstrably false, but effective among some of the more dimwitted. And, as he is in favor of choice, he is obviously a “baby killer.” As none of these claims are taken seriously by most people with a brain larger than a sparrow, we are now beginning to hear that his health care plan is really just a plan to kill old people, and, perhaps, as Sarah Palin put it, handicapped children as well. There are also claims that Obama wants to take away medicare benefits and take away veterans care. We also have to hear repeatedly the ridiculous argument that Obama is a socialist (perhaps even a communist!). He is trying to convert our wonderful capitalistic country into a socialist nightmare.

The most recent outrageous claim is that Obama’s plan is really targeting Republicans who will be discriminated against when it come to health care. And all along, with no evidence whatsoever, it is claimed that Obama wants to take away our guns. Of course in some circles he is known as the anti-Christ as well. Then there is the insistence by Cheney and others that Obama doesn’t know what he is doing and is making our nation less safe from terrorism. This is part of the more general claim that he is too inexperienced to be President, weak on national security, and a patsy when it comes to foreign affairs. And of course the worse thing of all, he’s a (run for your lives) liberal! While this amounts to a series of nothing but lies, innuendoes, rumors, false claims, outrageous accusations, and preposterous arguments, all jumbled together with no logic or reasoning behind them, Republicans continue to broadcast them non-stop. They have accepted roviation as a legitimate part of the political process, along with shouting down speakers at town meetings, showing up with guns, and even interrupting the legitimate counting of votes. This is not at all acceptable, but, then, crime never is.

These scurrilous rumors and claims are not being made simply by the lunatic fringe, but in some cases are being supported by presumably respectable Republican politicians like Grassley, McCain, Hatch, and others. This is a classic case of roviating at its best (worst). Rove, with his plan to establish a one party (Republican) nation, managed to convert what was a legitimate political party into little more than a sleazy criminal conspiracy that is now beginning to unravel in a most unpleasant way. It could be unraveled a lot faster if Democrats were not so spineless and would follow the law and constitution to investigate and prosecute the obvious war criminals in our midst.

There is little doubt that roviation is the order of the day for Republicans, but there is also at the moment a kind of viciousness that did not occur in their previous attempts to destroy their opponents. Unfortunately, there is now a racial element that did not exist even when the Swift Boaters went after Kerry. Obama is subjected to racial insults, threats of assassination, and even prayers for his death. There are some in our society that simply will never accept a Black President and a Black First Lady. I am still amazed Obama managed to get elected at all, and I don’t believe most people understand, even now, the true implications of his election, a threatening change that violated the most basic belief of most white people everywhere, the centuries old, basic, emotional, and strongly held belief in white superiority. As most of the hardcore white supremecists are doubtless Republicans to begin with, I don’t know that this adds measurably to the actual numbers opposed to Obama, but it certainly creates an important element of outright hatred that is frightening and terribly disruptive to the orderly conduct of our national affairs.

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TILT:
Macademia nuts are toxic to dogs, bringing about an inability to stand that lasts for about 48 hours.