Joe Conason: Mindless—but Always Talking Loud

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/mindless_--_but_always_talking_loud_20111113/

Mindless—but Always Talking Loud

Posted on Nov 13, 2011
By Joe Conason


At a time when nations that tax, spend, regulate and invest more consistently outstrip the United States in many measures of progress, leading Republicans speak only of smashing government and ending vital programs. In this constantly escalating rhetorical game, it became inevitable that one of them would eventually expose the emptiness of this vainglorious display. And it was unsurprising that the ultimate faker would turn to be Rick Perry.

The dim demagogue could scarcely contain himself during the CNBC debate last Wednesday night as he turned to Ron Paul, his fellow Texan whose sincere hatred of government verges on anarchism, saying: “I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education and the—what’s the third one there? Let’s see.”

With the world watching, he literally didn’t know what he was talking about. And from there it only got worse.

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The facts are simple enough even for the average tea party voter to understand: The countries that tax more, spend more and regulate more than the United States are mostly doing better than we are, whether measured by educational attainment, social and economic mobility, income equality, employment growth or infrastructure quality. They use market incentives and private sector partnerships more intelligently than we do, too—because they know that a strong, competent government fosters enterprise without allowing corporate domination. And despite their current crisis in the eurozone, they will emerge from the recession with those strengths intact.

But then again, European conservative parties would never nominate the likes of Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann or Ron Paul for public office at any level. No doubt they find the GOP debates bleakly amusing in these dark times. It’s the only attitude that makes watching tolerable.

They avoid the topic, change the subject, resort to ad hominem attacks and quote "truths" that can live only in the alternate universe they live in.

Romney will change his position a fool 180 Degrees, while claiming absolute consistency, sometimes in the very same paragraph.
Bachmann will attempt to sound rational and logical. If not that, then she speaks with absolute certainty, probably in hopes of hiding the fact that she is data-free and 100% USDA Choice batshit crazy.