Spot the Journalistic Fallacy
We’ve had a decade of living with the havoc wrought by a radicalized GOP and an utterly impotent Democratic Party, and the press still has serious problems reporting on the modern two-party system. See if you can spot the fallacious thinking embedded in the premise of this TPM front pager.
Hard-Right Base Gives GOP
Hell On ‘Obamacare’ And TaxesAfter spending President Obama’s first term emboldening the most ideologically intense elements of the conservative movement, elected Republicans are now finding themselves in a box on critical issues like health care and taxes with limited options to avert national crises.
“After spending President Obama’s first term
emboldeningbending over for the most ideologically intense elements of the conservative movement…”On second thought, maybe that did embolden them.
Oh, and then there’s the part about “limited options.” There are plenty of options, just not options that are palatable to wingnuts.
Okay, but not what I was looking for. It is hiding in plain sight.
the GOP IS the hard right base
That’s pretty close. The fallacious premise of the article is that “elected Republicans” WANT to avert a national crisis. I haven’t seen any evidence of that.
There’s also the false premise that there is a looming national crisis on taxes. The national tax crisis began in 2001 and will end this year, unless Democrats screw up and manage to extend the crisis again. Republicans really have nothing to do with tax options this year; it’s all in Democratic hands.
The health care crisis was partly addressed by the weak-ass Obamacare which is better than nothing but doesn’t really end the crisis. Options are in the hands of the Supreme Court now, not Republicans. After the Supreme Court decision there will be a mad rush for grandstanding and possibly even some legislation but nothing will get done.
It is just shitty journalism all the way around.