The ongoing “ready, shoot, aim” approach to government efficiency brings daily consequences of hobbled and/or eliminated school programs, veteran services, medical care, voter rights, environmental protections, and so on. The latest headline: “Michigan libraries prepare for impact as Trump moves to eliminate federal library agency.”
Abraham Lincoln famously described our particular form of government as “of the people, by the people, for the people.” So it seems to me that if we slash and cut and terminate all of the people parts, there will be no constitutional republic left. And a real danger of it perishing from the earth.
So the obvious question is… if a federal agency is going to be shutdown, what’s the point of complying with their rules?
Yes, sure, I know there’s a lot more to it than that, but it makes for a good cartoon. And I could have just gone with just that. But I think there is a deeper issue, and it disturbs me more that the capricious behavior of Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump Administration actively dismantling the department: They seem to care more about their ideological victories than they do about the actual students. Much more. If, in fact, they are thinking about students at all.
The situation with the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through Michigan isn’t the most topical issue I could have picked this week. It’s more of an ongoing issue that (I hope) most Michiganders are familiar with.
The point I’m attempting to make, however, is extremely topical. And that topic is: propaganda works. And now I shall go further into the weeds to provide an example, the 1950 Democratic primary race between incumbent Claude Pepper and challenger George Smathers:
Part of American political lore is the Smathers “redneck speech,” which Smathers reportedly delivered to a poorly educated audience. The alleged comments were recorded in a small magazine, picked up in Time and elsewhere and etched into the public’s memories. Time, during the campaign, claimed that Smathers said this:
“Are you aware that Claude Pepper is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law, he has a brother who is a known homo sapiens, and he has a sister who was once a thespian in wicked New York. Worst of all, it is an established fact that Mr. Pepper, before his marriage, habitually practiced celibacy.”
Smathers was also able to successfully label Pepper as a communist, “Red Pepper.” Smathers easily won the election.
I remember reading about this incident when I was in high school and thinking, “Dang, people in 1950 sure were easily fooled — that would never happen today.” And maybe in the 1980s it wouldn’t. But the misdirection, lies, and bullying nicknames work better than ever today.
Any Bob’s Burgers fans out there? If you’re not familiar (and you should be), it’s an animated TV sitcom that’s been around for over a dozen years. It’s about a family that operates a small restaurant in a beach town somewhere in America. The patriarch, Bob, is a good guy. He’s not particularly smart or successful, but he loves his wife, loves his three kids, and does his best.
There are times, however, that — between his family, friends, customers, arch-nemesis and fellow restaurateur Jimmy Pesto, among others — life becomes overwhelming. When he reaches a certain point, Bob typically lets out an exasperated, “ohmygod.”
It’s very quick and, more often than not, under his breath. Because he truly tries to be a decent person, it’s typically meant for his ears only, and he certainly doesn’t intend any impiety. Bob is simply indicating that he has reached his limit. The show then generally cuts to the next scene.
Auchtoon!
