Welcome to your Thursday open thread. It’s looks like we got a real snowstorm, folks! Did any of you experience the thundersnow? So, besides the weather, is anything else on your mind?
In case you missed it, here’s Christine O’Donnell on Good Morning America discussing Obama’s State of the Union address. I have no idea why they are asking her opinion.
My favorite part is when she accuses Obama of stealing from Tea Party candidates, including herself. Delusions of grandeur much, Christine?
“I think that probably, if I were 21 in this society, I would identify myself as a bisexual.”
Let us never speak of this again.
That bogus abortion/slavery analogy is one that I used to find compelling and reassuring. It was a frequently invoked analogy in the evangelical community. We found it inspiring, but not because we knew much of anything about the actual abolitionists, slave or free. And not because we knew anything much at all, for that matter, about abortion. The inspiration didn’t come from any perceived historical accuracy or from the logic of an argument from analogy.
What was inspiring was being told that we were on the right side of the great moral struggle of our time. That claim didn’t have to be accurate or true or logical. It wasn’t meant to appeal to accuracy or truth or logic. It’s an emotional appeal. It’s the thrill that comes from being told that you are part of a great epic struggle — that even without ever really doing much of anything you will be looked back upon by future generations as a hero.
Just assent to the proposition, cast your reliably partisan votes, attend the occasional photo-op vigil and learn to frown disapprovingly at the designated people. Do these things and you can regard yourself as being Harriet Tubman’s equal in virtue, courage and commitment.
The function of the abortion/slavery analogy, in other words, is fantasy role-playing. It’s a game of make-believe, of dress-up and pretend.
Others have noticed how often conservatives compare themselves to important times and figures in history. I’ve been highly amused by the Sussex Co. GOP leadership fight simply because the stakes are so small compared to the rhetoric of the people involved. Same mindset?