Just my luck, I used "the paranoid style in American politics" a couple of days ago, and now I really need it for this Santorum phantasmagorium.

More discussion here.

Comments

[Account Deleted]

As noted in Metafilter one can go to the youtube link and give it a big thumbs down.

[Ed Cone]

I dunno...thumbs down for the scare-granny messaging, for sure, but in a campaign where Cain seemed to have the weirdest ad award locked up, strong work...

[Account Deleted]

True, but he's not just scaring granny. He's playing into the deep seeded fears across a broad spectrum of evangelical end times theology. I was raised on it and can recognize it from a mile away.

[polifrog]

I find it interesting that when analyzing the results of liberal utopianism "free stuff" we are never allowed to contemplate the dystopian societies that naturally flow from the commensurate loss in liberty "free stuff" wrings from a society.

"Nothing to see here. Move along."

[Account Deleted]

When getting your poli-sci degree from Carolina frog did you not learn that most of what you refer to as liberal utopianism is in fact authoritarianism?

[David Wharton]

I've seen worse.

[polifrog]

Jeff, my comments here are as much directed to those I converse with as those who follow along or happen by.

In that vein I often choose terminology that does not require specialized education, resting instead on personal experience.

Furthermore, liberal utopianism is often sold as "the right to...": to choose, to education, to health care, to free stuff in general, none of which sound very authoritarian despite the fact that each require others to give up or acquiesce real rights, such as the right to their life or the right to private and real property, to government.

Best to focus on what we all feel in our gut -- there is no free lunch ... free stuff isn't free ... there is no free in liberty.

[Ed Cone]

DW, the daisy ad is cited in Metafilter comments as an influence on this strange piece of work.

One might argue that fear of nuclear war, however manipulated, was at least a more coherent meme than the Santorumaniacial vision, but one hesitates to parse another's paranoia.

[bubba]

"Furthermore, liberal utopianism is often sold as "the right to...": to choose, to education, to health care, to free stuff in general, none of which sound very authoritarian despite the fact that each require others to give up or acquiesce real rights, such as the right to their life or the right to private and real property, to government."

Arguments begin tomorrow on "rights" our current government has reserved for itself at the expense of the individual.

[David Wharton]

EC, guess I didn't scroll down far enough on Metafilter. I kind of like the creepy feel of the Santorum ad; it sets up a weird dissonance with his sweater vest!

Tone aside, Santorum's message (life sucks under Obama) is considerably less paranoid that LBJ's (GOLDWATER IS GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!!!!!). But you're right that LBJ's messaging was more focused.

[Bill Yaner]

"Republican candidates for president have adopted the bombastic, apocalyptic rhetoric of talk radio, insisting that we will "lose America" if they aren't elected."

-- Kevin Baker, "The Outsourced Party", NY Sunday Times, March 25, 2012