All posts tagged "Outrage"

The argument over Arizona's harsh new immigration law has already sparked outrage from activists on both sides of the issue, and Monday's comments from an Iowa Republican congressional candidate will only add fuel to the fire.

This post by Digby chronicling the psychology of the Republican faux outrage machine is a must-read, and I try not to say that lightly. It's a tactic they use routinely at this point---maybe not quite daily, but at this point, more than weekly. At any point in time, your average wingnut has to juggle a shocking number of pretend offenses, from being pretend shocked that Pelosi criticized the CIA to fake outraged that Notre Dame routinely invited a President to speak at its graduation without checking with Alan Keyes first. In fact, I'd say that on top of what Digby is saying, another function of the hissy fit is base control. By pumping conservative followers with one pretend scandal after another, and occupying all of their minimal brain space with it, you effectively prevent them from actually thinking about real issues that matter. Which is critical, because actual thought is fatal to conservatism, especially the way that it's practiced now.