I have purposely avoided the whole Pelosi-plane phony scandal precisely because it was just that. The big blogs and sites worked hard getting the facts out there, yet still the House Republicans kept at it, even when they had to know it was all a lie. One Democratic member managed, in less than five minutes, to do what many Democrats around the country have been wanting to do for years - put a serious rhetorical smack-down upon Republican nonsense, including refusing, even within the decorum of the House of Representatives, to allow even one instance of reframing or baiting. It was a beautiful thing to behold, and the aides sitting in the background are clearly enjoying it; just watch them smile and snicker as they watch a master rhetorician tear the "Republic" Party in the House and its pet phony scandal apart.
One question that was answered by this entire affair was who, exactly constitutes the base of the Republican Party, who benefits from this whole ado. As the story was disproven almost immediately, yet such "proof" was ignored; as even Tony Snow - God alone knows I find it difficult to say anything nice about this guy - has called the whole thing "silly" and stuck to the facts rather than the "facts" for a change (did his head come close to exploding, one wonders?) - the question, I shall ask again, is; Who benefits from all this?
Certainly not the Repulicans, who look more and more like fools and knaves. There is no public constituency who benefits from this nonsense, either, especially as the whole thing was discredited in no time whatsoever. A clue, I think, comes from this - talk radio and the Washington Times (owned by the Moonies, who also own and manage Insight magazine, that tried and failed miserably to smear Barack Obama) hyped these stories, planting the filthy little lie in the ears of various people, thus starting this particular ball of dung rolling down hill. So, we now understand who is the real base of the Republic Party - Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, FoxNews, the whole right-wing noise-and-lie machine. This is who the Repubican members of the House were trying to please. It was for their benefit the story was kept alive, like a strange but very dangerous and ugly bug in a jar. The only ones who win are those whose ratings depend upon keeping up the noise, even when those whom they nominally support, the Republic Party members of the House of Representatives are demonstrably hurt, and given such a concise and public smackdown.
Virtual Tin Cup
