The Left’s Political Propaganda Machine: Anything Goes!

The Left’s Political Propaganda Machine: Anything Goes!
By William R. Mann
Aug 13, 2004

“The function of propaganda is not the scientific education of the individual…”

“All propaganda must be made to appeal to the masses, and its intellectual level should therefore be in accordance with the most limited intelligence of those being addressed…

“Thus, the greater the mass it is intended to reach, the lower its purely intellectual level…the more emotional in its appeal to the masses, the more successful it will be…

“Its task is not to make an objective study of the truth and, in so far as it favors the other side, present it to the masses in all honesty; its task is to present only that aspect of the truth that favors our side…

“The broad masses of a nation are… only made up of grown-up children constantly wavering between one idea and another…

“The great majority of a nation is… ruled by sentiment and emotion rather than by sober reasoning…

“The function of propaganda is not to provide an interesting diversion for blasé young gentlemen, but to win over the masses…constant repetition thousands of times over will succeed in imprinting an idea on the memory of a crowd.” Adolf Hitler - Mein Kampf [1]

I read, considered and then assembled these excerpts from one of my old Western Civilization teaching texts. I keep wondering if it is actually possible that a modern American Political Party could be consciously and openly embracing tactics used by that evil enemy of the 20^th Century. It was only 60 years ago that Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, spilled their blood and sacrificed their youth to defeat Hitler in World War II. Yet sadly, we have forgotten the lessons of history regarding propaganda. I have concluded that this is the real dilemma facing American politics.

Do Americans really want a totalitarian form of manipulation controlling and shaping America’s debates at this time, or at any time in the future? I think that most of us would shout out a resounding “No!“ Yet here we are, running headlong down the path to where groupthink, cheap shots, mass media political slogans, the blind hatred of George W. Bush, and the desire by American Leftists to win at any cost have taken over the debate and turned it into a propaganda exercise. We’re not talking about hard hitting, substantive, political speeches, happy rallies, and visions for the future any more. We are witnessing the “transmogrification” of American debate into European-style, mass party rallies replete with revolutionary slogans. We are seeing the Union in danger of becoming permanently divided into “blue” or “red.” The continuing disintegration of the traditional Democrat Party, and its transformation into a European-style Socialist Party threatens the long-term viability of the American Republic and our democratic traditions.

We’ve come a long way in television and media since the 1950s. I was a schoolboy in 1956. I am not old enough to remember the issues contested by Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. But, I do remember the “I like Ike” buttons, and the animated TV spots chanting, “I like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike.” Ike, in case you don’t [or won’t] remember, was re-elected in a landslide.

Flash forward to 1960 to the much-ballyhooed Nixon-Kennedy debates. No one paid much attention the content. Most objective historians and debaters will concede that the perspiring Nixon clearly possessed a stronger command of the issues. However, the more youthful looking, tanned, and charismatic John Kennedy won the debate. Kennedy also won a hotly contested and disputed election. [Richard Nixon graciously decided not to pursue an election fraud challenge in Illinois, and John Kennedy assumed the Presidency without scandal. Contrast this to Al Gore‘s actions in 2000.]

In the 1964 Presidential Election, things turned nasty. Lyndon Johnson unleashed a virtual torrent of half-truths and lies about his opponent Senator Barry Goldwater. Johnson’s operatives’ goal: depict Barry Goldwater as a nuclear madman. The infamous nuclear bomb commercial [recall: the image of a young girl picking petals off of a daisy transforms into a countdown to a nuclear detonation] was the most famous of these commercials. This image, totally out of bounds, defamatory, and vicious in its implications, scared the American Public silly. There is little doubt that Barry Goldwater was going to lose the election even before this commercial was released. It was purely Democrat icing on the cake. To what end? Goldwater was a little known, though outspoken Senator from Arizona. Lyndon Johnson was arguably one of the most powerful and masterful politicians in American history. Goldwater’s powerful message and ideas were the real target, ridiculed and smeared as those of a crazy man at every turn. President Johnson would not even agree to debate Senator Goldwater. Goldwater and the GOP were embarrassed politically in 1964. Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide. The biggest legacy of 1964: Presidential politics and elections in America have grown into an increasingly bitter political weed patch.

Future historians will possibly note the downhill slide of traditional American coalition politics beginning in 1964. Congressional cooperation between Republicans and Democrats is reputedly at an all time low. The Democrats, in political minority since the historic Congressional elections of 1994, have refused to adopt a traditionally constructive role of the Minority Party. Instead, they have engaged in obstruction, destruction of cooperation, and have turned the political forum into a permanent campaign for the Presidency. This is characteristic of European parliamentary politics, but it is a relatively new to the American political landscape. Even if President Bush were to win convincingly in 2004, nothing will change. The Democrat Left has one dedicated aim: to transform America into a model of European-style Socialism. Because Socialism has always been anathema in American politics, they hide it behind the label of Liberal Democrat. Proof? Representative Bernie Sanders [“Independent“ from Vermont, who consistently sounds like and votes with the Democrats] will admit in political discourse that he is, in fact, a Socialist.

Today, the Democrat Left’s use of propaganda has become essential to their survival. The GOP has somewhat successfully co-opted the market on political innovation [if there is such a thing] over the past two decades. The Democrats, bereft of a new vision that will sell, are still trotting out FDR’s New Deal”, John Kennedy’s “New Frontier”, and Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society.” There is nothing wrong with this. But, the modern Democrats regard any ideas contrary to their own as “a retreat by reactionary Republicans who are trying to turn back the clock. ” Surely we are all familiar with their themes. Republicans want to: destroy Social Security, destroy Medicare, take away the safety net from less fortunate Americans, starve little school children, force Women to back-alleys for their Abortions, and last but not least, provide tax breaks for the wealthy. They relentlessly and repeatedly claim that George Bush stole the 2000 Election, despite proven, verified facts to the contrary. Over and over and over we hear it. This blatant propaganda is omni present: TV talk show Talking Points, Candidate Speeches, DNC Commercials, “527” Commercials, Organized Labor Commercials, Former Democrat Presidents ranting, Hollywood Actors babbling, Left-Wing Rock Artists crooning for Kerry, Billionaire Leftists opening their deep pockets, Network Anchormen and Reporters analyzing the news instead of reporting it. It is on the Television, on the Radio, in the Public Square, in the Left Wing owned Newspapers, and the Internet. The same message drones on monotonously in endless repetition. The vicious political attacks over the past three years have been unceasing. Pay back for the Clinton years… give me a break.. get real… get a life. The Democrats create scandals that don’t exist and promote divisions in America, all the while blaming the GOP. The Democrats embrace the Left-Lunatic fringe while trying to appeal to middle-of-the-road Traditional America. Any response to this agenda by the Right in America, whether visceral or reasoned, is characterized as hate speech, homophobic behavior, anti-feminist, anti-minority, narrow minded, mean spirited, and ignorantly fundamentalist. This is their vision of dialogue and discussion… This is free speech a la Socialism.

Is this what we have come to? Is this how we shall elect our President? Shall we allow George Soros and “Move-On.org” to dictate what America shall become? Shall we give in to the mind-numbing mantras and the endless socialist drivel in the “527” ads? Did we elect The Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, [and all those other budding political scientists and philosophers posing as rock stars] to abuse their adoring audiences with messages of how we shall live and vote? Shall the counter-cultural voices of Hollywood Actors define the moral worthiness of the candidates? Shall we seriously listen to and consider the views of Al Franken, Terry McAuliffe, and James Carville when they ridicule and throw invectives at any opposition that is not appropriately “progressive” [a code word for “Socialist]. I say no way, no how.

Let’s stand up and call this Leftist movement for what it is… secular, revolutionary Socialism pure and simple. These guys want to transform society. They want a secular and socialist America, where they are the “Nomenklatura” and the “Apparatchiks” and the rest of us are their servants obediently swallowing our daily Soma tablet. The next time you hear their message, realize that you are listening to propaganda not debate; you are hearing the description of collectivist, mass-party platform points not a democratic message. We will fight back and resist as always. We will hold out until the truth prevails… as it ultimately will.

[1] Wesley D. Camp, Roots of Western Civilization, pp.227-228, McGraw-Hill, 1983.

I wanted to say what you just said..............but I have talked so much today,
I figured someone else would come up with it........and you did! Thanks.

I believe we, meaning conservatives, have more grace and etiquette about ourselves than the foul mouthed DU crowd, ie, kerry supporters, or dems.

Watch how they fume and scream and froth and lie, and scheme and practice their speeches they give on talk shows.

They rant and rave and make up all kinds of lies, they call right, wrong, and wrong, right!

I believe they are deceived by the Devil, himself!

This is why we are more effective. WE TELL THE TRUTH!!!
Dems LIE !!!!!

So that's what I think is the difference!

Please read "And Not a Shot was Fired".....it's an eye opener.
How about a teaser?
"AND NOT A SHOT IS FIRED!" TRANSITION TO SOCIALISM
The English title assigned to the document is : "And Not A Shot Is Fired." The original Czech title, translated to English is: "How Parliament Can Play a Revolutionary Part In The Transition To Socialism, And The Role Of The Popular Masses." Certainly not something you would pick out at the local bookstore for an evening’s casual reading.
The author of the document was Jan Kozak, a Czech. At the time he wrote the document he was a member of the Secretariat of the Czech Communist Party.
Snip...To quote from the Introduction to the U.S. version of the book:
"How does the technique work? It may, for instance, be applied to some easily discoverable public concern. To answer the need, a piece of "enabling legislation" is suggested, carrying no authority, expressed or implied. It sets up an "agency." The agency, once established, follows normal agency behavior. The need becomes more precisely defined. A modicum of authority is requested. Pressures are organized, artificial and real, from "above" and from "below." The requested authority is voted, and pressures wane. In due course, further authority is suggested, and new coalitions of pressure appear. All in good time an Authority is there, self-contained; a new instrument of power has arisen, sufficient unto itself. This instrument may be local, regional or nationwide. Its key word is Authority. In the beginning, this word is seldom employed.
"By such parliamentary means a democratic and representative government can be made authoritative, legally, and piece by piece. The form remains, an empty shell. Its philosophy and its content are gone. The person, the individual, who one year is free and independent, is next year just a little more restricted. Then a little more, and a little more. Suddenly, overnight, he no longer is a person. He is a cog, being moved inexorably by the monolithic machinery of the State.

"And not a shot is fired!"

Snip...To quote again from the Introduction: "Parliament" (the legislature) is slowly maneuvered "into a direct instrument for the victory of the socialist revolution", and the technique is precisely illustrated. (P.15)
"First, the legislative power, at all governmental levels,-- local, state and national- is manipulated as pressure ‘from above’; then the people’s power is manipulated as ‘pressure from below’. Concurrently, a ‘wide popularization of the demands and slogans of the policy of the Communists’ is promoted, serving ‘as a means of revolutionary education of the popular masses.’ (P. 19) Gradually, and by cooperative legislative action, business, industry, agriculture, finance, the professions, and even living conditions come under the domination of The State. (P. 20) (Emphasis in the original.)
"Thus, by ‘a democratic and constitutional course’, the legislature is reconstituted ‘into an instrument of the transformation of the whole state and its machinery...[and the] revolutionary transformation of capitalist society into a socialist one...[proceeds] absolutely legally." (P. 33)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.