Reading Erick Erickson’s latest non-subscription post carefully, it’s hard not to see the right-wing pundit camp getting a little desperate, trying to persuade the base to not pay any attention to the big show happening in Washington this week, all while Cheney buries the hatchet right between Trump’s eyes. Erickson’s particular schtick is to appear reasonable, right-wing, and reassuring.
So he says …
- Don’t use “groomers” for school teachers, but … Follow LibsofTikTok and you’ll see how many young teachers really are trying to groom and indoctrinate kids.
- Yes, January 6th was a terrible thing. People believed lies and did some terrible things and threatened other terrible things, like hanging VP Pence. BUT … his own base is angry at him. He claims Georgia proves this – with no mention of Herschel Walker. I’ll talk about Pennsylvania later. Implication: they, meaning his readers, must be good for doing better than Trump, who can’t move on from his loss. Because he knows the base is moving on?
- In fact, the poor quality of Trump’s advisors is sinking him. Don’t mention Trump picks his advisors.
- But … “only people in the press and Democrats truly do care passionately and obsessively about January 6th.” An undercount, and a handwave – he wants his audience to believe there was never any danger. None! And thus the Republicans are absolved of any sin. Nevermind the irrational decisions coming out of the Republican-controlled SCOTUS of late, of obsessive gerrymandering that’s left the Republicans in charge of 26 of the 50 State legislatures, meaning a disputed Presidential election thrown to the House would be decided in favor of the Republican candidate. Sure, maybe the military steps in, as he claims – and that leaves US, the leading light of democracy, as just another banana republic, the military playing a reluctant political role. We’re down the path of instability … but it’s the Democrats who are hysterical! Really! Because they’re, ah, obsessive! Oh, let’s not talk about guns here, they must be irrelevant as well. Should I be mailing Erickson a flak jacket?
- A vague claim that Democratic state AGs are refusing to defend lawfully passed acts. What are they? Was it really lawful, or are they blatantly un-constitutional? But it’s those bad old Democrats and liberals, not obeying the law. Surely those conservatives who rushed the Capitol were law-abiding, eh?
- Yes, it’s sad that “… a man showed up to kill Justice Bret Kavanaugh and most of the major press ignored or buried it.” Except, sadderr to say, that sentence is wrong. He showed up, realized his meds weren’t working, walked away from Kavanaugh’s home and his own weapons, and called for help. The cops came and arrested him without a fuss. How is this an assassination attempt? “A mentally ill man showed up at Justice Bret Kavanaugh’s residence, realized he, the man, was ill, called for help, which was rendered, and nothing happened.” What, you want that splashed across the headlines? I’d be more impressed if he condemned the demonstrations in front of Kavanaugh’s home, which I think is beyond the pale.
- Along with this is a complaint about “pregnancy centers,” an unfortunate visual no matter how you parse it, being vandalized. I’d sure like to know if right wing press carries reports on Planned Parenthood attacks and protests, or bombings of Islamic community centers, which happened right here in MN – bombing, investigation, arrest, trial, and imprisonment. I’d sure hope the perpetrators of all these get arrested and jailed.
- Climate change is a hoax or something! Frack! Drill, baby, drill – but don’t mention Biden releasing supplies from the strategic oil reserves, because that’d let the bad guys off the hook. No fair being balanced and fair, or some such slop like that. Biden’s responsible for all of this – not, say, reduced demand due to the pandemic, some plants shutting down for repairs & maintenance, and, uh, what’s that other thing? OH YEAH – P U T I N ‘ S WAR. With Putin backed by so many Republicans, too! Must be fun! But it’s all about Erickson’s conviction that he knows more about climate science than those goofy scientists, because, oh, look another hand wave.
- That hand wave is inflation! It’ll be just like Wiemar because it’s just gotta be! Soon we’ll be using wheelbarrows to cart our money to the gas stations to buy that gas!! Yeah?
The sad part is that, yeah, the Democrats do have problems. But just reading Erickson’s responsibility-ducking, keep the audience happy screed reminds me that the Republicans are still doing worse than the liberals, neither side is paying a lot of attention to the liberal democracy model of politics, anything any extremist on either side is thrust aside in the name of racism or God, depending on the make of extremist.
Oh, and that Pennsylvania mention? It’s so good of you to remember:
In Pennsylvania, Trump voters are increasingly angry that Trump endorsed the fringe GOP candidate who is now the GOP gubernatorial nominee when a long-time, loyal Trump congressman was preferable. But that guy, Congressman Barletta, was unwilling to bitterly cling to the stolen election fantasy and chose to campaign about Pennsylvania’s future, not Trump’s past.
I think the rope just broke. Oz was selected as the nominee by the GOP, aka Trump voters. They’re also angry? Now, maybe the McCormick voters are mad, but that’d be at Oz and, perhaps, Barnette, for taking away the votes that might have let the possibly more-electable McCormick win. I actually am not sure if he is more electable.
But I think Erickson’s analysis of the PA GOP is wish fulfillment to distract his audience.
It’s always fun to read carefully.
