Sometimes the media gods do us a big favor by giving us a clear example of how corporate media is occupied by Wall Street. In this case we are presented with two different covers of the same issue of Time Magazine that ran domestically and abroad. Reading between the lines it shows how scared the media elites are of pushing the idea of revolution at home. And just as the disconnection between the US State Department’s support for the Arab Spring overseas versus the various crackdowns against the Occupy movement throughout the US is not casual, no doubt the editors at Time are nervous about the idea of revolution in Egypt further inspiring the locals. This makes the alternate title, “Why anxiety is good for you,” that much more interesting. Surely their editorial choice reflects a great deal of anxiety.

H/T to CommonDreams.org for the heads-up.

The first rule for reading propaganda is to assume that whatever the propagandist says is the opposite of reality. So if Ronald Reagan pontificates that America is a beacon of freedom for the world, what he really means is that he is selling arms to Iran’s Mullahs and Saddam Hussein, and is training the future leaders of Al Qaida in Afghanistan. Likewise, when controversial Tea Partier Christine O’Donnell says in the above ad that she is not a witch, she is actually practicing black magic. Not to denigrate the honorable profession of witchcraft, but we have to deal with the phrase on her terms, which means the cartoony, TV babe version that completely misrepresents the arts, turning it into a tool of manipulation and control of the pettiest kind. What O’Donnell may not be aware of is the prime directive of the arts: what goes around comes around. Be careful of the kinds of spells you cast.

I don’t know O’Donnell, but judging from the various video clips that have surfaced from her past, she strikes me as a true believer that will dabble in just about anything, the kind of turncoat cultist that can easily switch from Krishna to Christianity. Don’t be alarmed if at some point she calls herself a Marxist. Unfortunately, it would be too simple to dismiss this campaign as the kind of conjuring practiced by shopping mall goths. There is too much big business at stake.

What inspires today’s blog screed is the slick salvage job the Republicans are making to shore up their million dollar electoral investment, one that will pay big time dividends to the uber-rich if the Republicans re-take control of the Senate (and can further delay climate change action). Is rehabilitating a religious fanatic as simple as donning some pearls and conservative black business suite while delivering an anti-corruption pitch layered with a bit of Holiday Inn lounge music? What about declaring with the best coached smile and earnestness money can buy that, “I’m nothing you heard, I’m you”? Here she deploys the Charlie Brown theory of cartoon psychology in which you draw something with as little detail as possible so as to make it easier for people to project their own fantasies.

I don’t know anyone in Delaware, so I honestly don’t know how on target O’Donnell is when she declares, “I am you.” If this is the case, maybe this is more the desperate cry of someone who will do and say anything to be popular. That is certainly the case with most Republican politics.

Sometimes marketing makes sense. Click here to see more of this brilliant antiwar campaign.

The Democrats have certainly gotten their act together in their effort to define themselves. Throughout this election the Republicans have failed to define their opponents as they so successfully did with Kerry and Gore. For that I appreciate how they are rediscovering their spine.

No doubt this is a finely crafted bit of propaganda. That in itself does not make it evil. Propaganda is just political persuasion. We all need it. This half hour infomercial is full of symbols and personal stories that reinforce a lot of classic (and perhaps deceptive) images of America: wheat fields, auto workers, multicultural civil society, etc. This is as white and mainstream a portrayal as you would get in the most banal Disney film on the Family Channel. Is this supposed to dupe me into accepting some kind of “friendly fascism“?

As an exercise, we could certainly deconstruct this ad and scribe a book about American myths. But that’s not my reason for writing. What I was feeling as I watched is a qualitative difference in energy that I find welcome, and revealing. I think the scare tactics of Bush and Co. worked under a certain context, that of 9/11. But it’s apparent people want solutions, not fear.

When Palin came on the scene and gave McCain his big bump, I was sure that once again the scared ex-burbans would control our fate, the same populous that bought into the commuter car myth and into the housing bubble, the same high-metabolism, petrochemical prefab reality lining America’s highway corridors, a disembodied reality that’s coming to an end (for visual proof, notice how almost all the people in the video are overweight– a bodily representation of living beyond our means). That was supposed to be Palin territory, and the Republican’s sure bet that people would vote for no change out of a fear of acknowledging that their lifestyle has come to end.

If there is one thing the Republicans have mastered is denial, a lack of self-criticism, and the rhetorical skill to mask their true agenda. This doesn’t mean the Democrats are the good guys riding in on the white horse to save our crumbling Western town and to stave off the raiding Indians. But I genuinely feel like the will and energy is now apparent to fix our problems, symbolized by how Obama rolls up his sleeves.

It has been shown that political ads, for the most part, shore up and reinforce the base to help reconfirm and solidify those who intend to support you. Very little of them actually change people’s decision, but it does work on a small percentage. The Democrats are now targeting these undecided ex-burbans, to whom I say, get off the fricken fence. The mythical undecided voter has become the symbol of American ineptitude. If there is a person out there who does not see at this point that the national superjetliner is crashing, we are truly doomed. And it’s not terrorists taking it down. It’s just out of gas, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Are we going to let hysterical alcoholic first class passengers take over the controls, or let skilled pilots glide the plane for a softer landing? Ultimately I don’t like this metaphor because it implies the solution is trusting the skilled technicians to solve our problems, when in fact what it takes is our collective wisdom and combined creativity. Can we rebuild the plane in midair? That would be interesting.

In Italy fascism is on the rise. So for now it feels good that maybe I can make a difference in my home country to help it choose a different path. For once I feel like I’m not voting for the anti-Republican, that is, casting a negative vote. I feel like as imperfect as the process is, this is a step forward towards reclaiming democracy.

I remember the feeling in NYC after the last election. I don’t want to see everyone walking around like zombies as they did four years ago when Bush with his so-called mandate and political capital strode back into washington in his stretch limo Hummer and blackhawk escort.

I implore you to your bit and change the energy. Vote. Please. The world is begging you to do it.

Interesting how Palin’s exaggerated flag lapel pin looks like a dollar sign.

Update: My signifier is bigger than yours!

Think Progress » Fox News: Palin Won VP Debate Because She Had A Bigger Flag Pin:

Steve Doocy then jumped in by pointing out the fact that although both Biden and Palin were wearing flag pins, Palin’s was “about three times the size of his.” “So I would say flag-pin wise, she is a hands-down winner,” said Doocy.

The above clip is just one of many samples in which Sarah Palin, a master manipulator of the first order, can turn ignorance into an attack. I call this the cartoon theory of politics. Scott Mccloud in Understanding Comics argued that cartoon characters with little detail (such as Peanuts) are attractive to younger kids because they allows kids to fill in the empty space with their own imagination. Less imaginative and older kids dig action comics that are filed with detail because they don’t need space to project a sense of play.

In our atmosphere of infantile politics driven by mass mediated imagery and high fructose sound bites, Palin is perhaps the best example of a caricature of the American political system. She is vague and folksy enough to mask her true beliefs and worldview to allow an uneducated, media saturated public to project their desires, wishes and hopes upon her, just as kids do with simply drawn comics. So in her cartoonish way, she can seem like an innocuous working class girl who hunts moose on the weekend, yet because she is a true political animal and opportunist, she readily serves the interests of her Republican mentors (if you don’t believe me, read Rolling Stone’s demythologization here). In her crafty way she (and her handlers) have figured out how to tap the general anxiety people have about East Coast media elites (as they should), to portray herself as a victim, when in fact she is the perfect (willing) tool of a nefarious fascist agenda. Genius is all I can say. Sleazy, but Genius.

PS

It may seem like I don’t respect Palin as a self-made person. I believe she willingly chooses her beliefs based on a desire to have power over others. We all know and have had relationships with these kinds of people. They are toxic. So though I call her a tool and instrument, I say this with the awareness that social climbers are very good at telling people what they need to hear, and often mirror back to them their desires for the sake of power. I don’t think Palin is a bimbo. A skilled emotional predator is a better description. Thus, I consider her a highly dangerous politician. Watch your back, my friends. Watch your back.

Al Franken penned this funny media literacy bit on campaign ads.