So, this happened, either today or yesterday;
Jack “Ass” Kingston, former Republican congressman and current lobbyist, is one of the more disgusting TV yakkers. And on CNN’s New Day this morning, he reminded us why.
Alisyn Camerota introduced this segment on the student gun control effort by asking him about a tweet Kingston made.
…
“I would say to you very plainly that organized groups that are out there like George Soros are always ready to take the charge and it’s kind of like instant rally, instant protest and –”
via Crooks and Liars.
Now, this is total bullshit of course. But I want to direct your attention to the reference to George Soros, the billionaire who, according to Fox and the Republicans, is heading up a conspiracy designed to deliver America into the hands of the left. While it’s true that Soros is on our side on most issues, there is precious little evidence that he is engaged in any kind of concerted campaign to take over the United States government. But that doesn’t matter. He is a convenient whipping boy and he gets the base riled up. It works, so Kingston doesn’t even care if he is called out by his interviewer, because he has given the folks who Republicans count on the red meat they want. You know, the stuff they like to hear that keeps them distracted from the fact that the people they vote for are systematically impoverishing them. Demonizing named people works, even when there is no factual basis for the demonization.
There is something for the Democrats to learn here, though they never will.
There are a number of right wing billionaires who have truly dedicated themselves to destroying what used to be the American way of life. They have real names too. We can start with the Koch Brothers, who own a good chunk of the state legislatures in this country, besides a good deal of Congress, and then give a nod to Pete Peterson, who has dedicated his life to destroying Social Security. Let’s not forget the Mercers, the money behind Steve Bannon. When was the last time you heard a Democrat take aim at any of these people? It has probably happened, sometime and somewhere. To the extent Democrats go on the attack, they may refer to nameless “billionaires”, but they rarely if ever name names. In the case of the Koch Brothers, the Mercers, Peterson, et al, the Democrats would have the facts on their side. They’d be doing the country a favor by throwing a little sunlight on the relentless campaign of these people to turn this country into an oligarchy. But, were they to do that, they’d risk winning the election in November, and that’s a chance they don’t want to take.
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