Direct Marketing

Given a long enough timeline any coalition of power mongers will eventually fragment into warring factions. There are some who say that is already happening with the Christian Right and Bush, but I won't hold me breath. What I do know is that it has already happened on the left. The left side of politics is a testament to how easy it is divide and conquer; without Bush [a.k.a a common enemy] the Left seems hopelessly fragmented, attacking a variety of issues without trying to distill an explicit charter of the principles and beliefs that they stand for—the net result a sense of chaos and discombobulated hooliganism to the uninitiated. Is it any wonder then, that we couldn't convince a burning man to jump in the river? The inherent "goodness" of the ideas and ideologies are assumed to have their own potency and power of communication when in fact they don't. Some times a little explanation and simplified communication can go a long way to making your point of view understood and avoiding the confrontational situations that arise from misunderstandings.

That said, I just finished reading an excellent article from Slate on the new Republican Kingmaker, who we all assume to be Karl Rove. His name is James Dobson and while his name may be news to you, it's known world over (115 countries to be exact) and to his 7 million listeners in America. The man leads one of the most powerful evangelical movements in the country and was personally called by the White House to thank him for his support in this election. You don't get that level of attention through abstruse arguments and meandering positions. You get it by being direct and hitting the nail on the head, repeatedly.

You can read the article on Dobson here.


There's been a lot said in the past week about the role that gay marriage played in the re-election of Bush. Personally, I think it's scapegoat-ism but it does broach an interesting subject. In the time of segregation the notion that blacks and whites were equal was anathema to a large part of the country but the government went ahead with forced de-segregation in the South among other places. Now, however, I've heard a lot of talk about how the gay activists should have waited because "you can't make everyone agree with you," or "it was too much too soon," or "they played into the hands of Karl Rove and in the end they lose more than they can ever gain." Of the three I'm partial to the third if I have to choose, I think it kind of back fired because activists and the moral left seem to be more concerned with the principle than the implementation. It's a tough one to call though. There's a decent article in the Village Voice here.


Happy Friday.