Wingnuts' little helpers
by digby
Over the years we have often discussed the idea of rightwing projection or co-optation of certain memes for the opposite purpose. It's very effective --- it confuses the opposition and twists conventional wisdom to whatever purpose works for them.
Here's a good example from just the other day, via Right Wing Watch:
This, again, brings us back around to the larger subject of this Occupy Wall Street, this astroturf movement that's been funded from [George] Soros down and from every other angle, taking a bunch of over-educated, over-indulged white youth and attempting to force change ... So we shouldn't be surprised that this group, this Occupy Wall Street movement, which has been endorsed by the Messiah himself, President Barack Obama, that they are now trying to infiltrate the schools and corrupt the minds of children.
I think the Occupy Wall Street movement, the larger movement, is anathema to the idea of American Exceptionalism. In fact, I would go so far as to say that many of those involved in this movement hate America as it was originally formed and founded as a free market country rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethic.
They take the term "astroturf" which correctly defines many of the Tea party events, and apply it to Occupy, throwing in Soros in place of the Koch Brothers. The meme is out there, he's just converted it to his own use. The infiltration of the schools tracks nicely with the myriad court cases insisting on teaching creationism and reintroducing prayer in schools. Then we go into straight up, old fashioned Godless Commie bashing, which apparently never goes out of style.
After observing this phenomenon for many years, I've come to believe that it's actually a thought process not a well thought out propaganda technique. They have a finely tuned sense of the zeitgeist, which they just naturally apply to their own philosophy. They fit the world around them into their own worldview rather than confronting the dissonance. It's the only way they can make sense of things.
I suppose we all do this to some extent, but the hardcore right is the only one to make a profit at it. Their well fed preachers and talk show hosts are human Prozac, reassuring their flocks that "everything's fine, everything's fine, don't worry, you're not crazy, they are."
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