The Republican right wing are great corruptors of the truth. Their talking points have already been published. They are all over the airwaves, the blogosphere, the websites, and newspapers with a consistent message. It is imperative that bloggers, liberal or otherwise, do not allow their false talking points to metastasize into the public’s psyche. Each mis-statement, lie, or truth twisting must be addressed immediately with documented facts.
Irv Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, was indicted yesterday on five counts in the investigation concerning the illegal outing of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA agent. The counts include obstruction of justice, lying to the FBI, and perjury.
The reason for the outing of the CIA agent was twofold. The first was a misleading attempt to discredit Joe Wilson, Ms. Plame’s husband for his statements against the Iraq war and his subsequent New York Times Article stating that his trip to Niger found no evidence of Iraq’s purchase of uranium. This would remove a major justification for any preemptive war with Iraq. The second reason for the outing seemed to be punitive. It would ensure that critics understand that any measures would be used against dissention. Judging from the behavior of the press, and most mainstream organizations, this “communist/Stalinist” behavior was successful as everyone feared confronting the Bush administration significantly on any issue whether it be the Iraq war, the Patriot Act, irresponsible tax cuts and more.
Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, and many other Right Wing hacks have been using the following talking points. It is imperative that they be refuted continuously. Unfortunately if falsehoods are repeated without being countered by truths, most Americans tend to accept it as true fact.
- RNC Talking Point: Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is creating the “criminalization of politics”.
- Truth: This investigation and indictment has nothing to do with politics. It is about the illegal outing of CIA agents, and subsequently the lying to FBI agents, perjury, and obstruction of justice.
- RNC Talking Point: There was no indictment on outing of CIA agent so there was no original crime.
- Truth: The reason perjury and obstruction of justice is such a major crime is that one cannot find the underlying crime if the investigation is stymied by said crimes.
- RNC Talking Point: Senate commission confirmed that Joe Wilson’s article was a lie or never accepted.
- Truth: This is an utterly false statement. Read here for more background.
- RNC Talking Point: Valerie Plame sent her husband Joe Wilson to Niger to research the uranium claim which opened her to scrutiny.
- Truth: The statement is patently misleading and is simply used to change the conversation. Read here for more background.
- RNC Talking Point: Valerie Wilson was not really a covert agent/spy and many already new what she did.
- Truth: The FBI up until yesterday could not find anyone who knew what she did prior to Novak’s column. Read here for more background.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Greg Jones
Great job P.T. You are absolutely correct. The radical right are masters of talking points. At times it seems that they are more concerned with 'winning for their movement' then they are concerned with what's truly best for America and for the world. And what is sad is the number of Conservative followers who not only eat these talking points up as 'the truth' but they go around repeating them. Walk up to any Conservative and I guarantee you you'll hear at least 3 or 4 talking points straight from talk radio or Hannity. It's actually funny. The Cons are like a group of lost sheep being led by their radical talking point leaders. What's even funnier is to watch as the 'real' truth slowly but surely unfolds, which not only contradicts their rediculous talking points, but shows the followers what a wicked and misleading path they have been following, thus the decline of the administration's ratings...thus the decline of the power of false talking points.
2 - demabloggery
If they go after fitzpatrick or fitzgerald or whatever his name is it will be like doing after Edward Murrow.
3 - Baronius
Squash away. Most of those talking points are really weak. But I believe that last one is valid. You're not covert based on your neighbours' knowledge. Covert status is something that has to be granted and removed. Plame's covert status was dropped after the Ames case, under the belief that her identity may have been compromised. Maybe her dinner buddies didn't know what she did, but my friends don't know what I do, because it's boring and they don't want to listen.
A Chicago pol once told me that politicians never get caught for what they did; they get caught destroying evidence of that they did. It looks like what Libby did wasn't a crime, but he committed crimes covering it up.
4 - troll
very interesting
One needs the magic decoder to reveal the comments - truely a thread in which black is white
5 - alienboy
Fixed now troll, thank you.
6 - troll
ignore the administration's talking points -
the best tactic for liberals - if they had an agenda - would be to generate their own points rather than:
*Each misstatement, lie, or truth twisting must be addressed immediately with documented facts.*
witness the never ending arguments here on BC between AG and Roger - Bennett - and anyone else who gets suckered in
it makes little difference what argument or documentation one produces - belief is belief - and consistency in the service of the closed mind of a true believer is numbing - not only is resistance futile but rebuttal as well
and when people generally are true believers and are baffled by an overload of bullshit from the get go who are you going to convince - ?
take your doomed crusade to ‘get the facts straight’ off my bridge
troll
7 - Dave Nalle
Troll, they do have their own talking points. Just read the versions of the 'truth' at the links PT posted. Those are the leftist versions of what happened, and are not any more inherently valid than the republican versions.
Dave
8 - Eric Berlin
The difference is that the "rightists" have had a ruthlessly efficient communications structure in place for years, from print to radio to pundits and politicians singing in unison to the morning's talking points.
While it's unfortunate, the only way to confront this effort is to combat it head on. And troll's right in saying that not only must the left refute the right's positions, they must offer an agenda of their own.
9 - troll
Eric - my point: liberals can't refute the right's positions because facts don't have much power over beliefs - it could render the right 'irrelevant' in the light of a liberal agenda if it were to come up with one
liberals have to make some serious proposals
for example - Dave's big government gas tax that would lead the market to alternative energy could serve as a cornerstone for a liberal agenda...which I guess has to be a plan in which government action enables humanism and the profit motive to co-exist
the repubs tried to grab this ground with their 'compassionate conservatism' - but their hollow compassion gave way to passionate greed
troll
10 - Eric Berlin
Troll -- I agree, but at the same time it's proven in American politics that unanswered attacks stick.
I think energy policy, biotechnology, and independence from foreign oil can easily be the cornerstone of a campaign from either party. It ties into the economy and national security, two main items for almost every national election!
11 - Dave Nalle
>>The difference is that the "rightists" have had a ruthlessly efficient communications structure in place for years, from print to radio to pundits and politicians singing in unison to the morning's talking points.<<
All I know is that despite every effort I've been unable to find any single source for GOP talking points or get anyone to email them to me. Yet, with minimum effort I've got three different left wing groups and two libertarian groups emailing me almost daily with talking points.
>>While it's unfortunate, the only way to confront this effort is to combat it head on. And troll's right in saying that not only must the left refute the right's positions, they must offer an agenda of their own.<<
And as demonstrated by this post, if they're going to try to refute right wing points, they need to do it by proving them wrong or breaking other issues that work to their benefit, not just by trying to spin the same facts a different way. That's transparently weak.
The problem is that the american left as represented by the Democratic party has nothing to offer that's original or different enough to form a unique and attractive agenda. Only the environmental extreme element of the green party has an agenda that's marketable, and it's not comprehensive enough to support a full political campaign.
Dave
12 - Eric Berlin
As the minority party, the Democrats simply have to offer a competent, palatable alternative. And they have the next 12 months to do that.
And as demonstrated by this post, if they're going to try to refute right wing points, they need to do it by proving them wrong or breaking other issues that work to their benefit, not just by trying to spin the same facts a different way. That's transparently weak.
If facts are getting spun in a manner not to your liking, wouldn't you try to "spin" them back in a manner you see as both truthful and beneficial to your side? Your argument, in my view, does not hold.
13 - RogerMDillon
Thanks for the mention, troll. I'll refer back to this comment when you and Nalle are going in circles about Iraq.
Also, please point me to any argument or documentation that AG has used to change your mind on a subject, so I can learn by example from the transformation.
take your faux-openmindedness of my bridge
t.i.t. (troll in training)
14 - Cunning Linguist
Since when do you [edited] left [edited] give a shit about the CIA or anyone it employs. Get ready for round 3. Bush is going to pick an ultra conservative nominee for the supreme court and is based is ready to support. We have had enough "progressive" bullshit. Any of you [edited] have a problem with it that's too damn bad!
You don't want a conservative court justice? Just try and stop us. Any of your commie Dem buddies up on the hill try and filibuster and you can bet your red ass we will go nuclear on you. Time for you [edited] and the party that actually won the election get some work done.
Get ready for war [edited]!
15 - Anthony Grande
[edited]
I would like to add "baby killing" to that list Cunning Linguist.
You know what the funning thing about C.L.'s statement????
It isn't an insult to you left wing commies. [edited]
16 - troll
Roger - don't mistake me for an open minded troll or one that would discourage your skirmishing with AG
CL - I look forward to the nuclear destruction of the filibustor...it will make things interesting when the Green Party gains the majority
troll
17 - patricia white
uhhhh.....Sorry Cunning, but Freedom of Speech includes us low-life liberal democrats too. You will just have to bear up!
18 - PoliticalTruths
Simply view the difference between progressive comments and Right Wing comments. One is thoughtful, the other has no ability to make educated points and so must resort to name calling and accusations. Note I stated Right Wingers and not conservatives. While I disagree with most conservatives, I accept that they have some points that have given me pause and caused me to modify what I think to be helpful modifications to solutions to major problems in our country.
That said, Right Wingers must ask a simple question before going into their diatribe; who is really trying to restrict our rights and who is requesting more government control over our lives? Take the blinders off...
19 - Anthony Grande
Political Truth, go through the entire Blogcritics site and find out who is doing the name calling.
Who is taking away rights and getting into our personal rights???
The Liberals. Roe v. Wade states that a state DOESN'T HAVE THE CHOICE to decide for itself to if abortion is o.k. Liberal judges have decided that a doctor DOESN'T HAVE THE CHOICE to decide for himself/herself to perform an abortion or not.
The Conservatives are not getting into personal lives. We say that a woman cannot kill a baby. It is not personal because the baby is also involved. Me killing my Nazi neighbor is not personal because my Nazi neighbor is also invovled.
The Conservatives are not getting into personal lives. We say that a man cannot smoke marijuana because it is not personal he is hurting and endangering everyone around him.
20 - Joanie
I will step in quickly and briefly to say that Cunning Linguist and Anthony Grande have one more chance to clean it up. Personal attacks are NOT allowed. Either play nice or your comments will be edited to meet BC comment policy guidelines.
21 - Winston Jen
What are you talking about, Anthony? Doctors don't have to perform abortions if they don't want to (then again, with all the pro-life abortion clinic bombers, many are too scared to).
If you hate the 'harm' that marijuana causes, why are you so lenient on second-hand smoke? Oh yeah, your tobacco buddies send a lot of money your way.
If you don't want a woman to 'kill' a baby, then I say that you must donate a lung so that people don't die because there aren't enough lungs for transplanting. Fair?
22 - troll
what personal attacks - I see no personal attacks from AG or CL here
troll
23 - Winston Jen
CL's attacks weren't really personal... he swept pretty much every liberal with the same brush.
24 - RogerMDillon
Cunning the Sane and Sensible,
You have to be kidding with the nuclear option. Do you not remember the group of 14? The Dems gave in to one conservative, but will be granted a filibuster if they chosse to have one.
Also, you don't take into account Bush might be a tad annoyed about the undermining by his base and might use this opportunity to push back to say who is in charge.
25 - Anthony the Sane and Sensible
Roger,
I got a secret to tell you (don't tell anyone else). I am MARK THE SANE AND SENSIBLE.
Shhhhhhhhhhh!!! No one is supposed to know.
I am also post as Practical Joe.
Shhhhhhhhhhh!!! I know you are going to tell.
I also post as, believe it or not, Winston Jen and Troll.
Shhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Fine, I will say it: Me and you are the only ones here. I made up EVERYONE!!!
SAY IT ALL YOU WANT!!! YOU WILL ONLY BE TALKING TO YOURSELF!!!