Playing, Or Being Played?

By Cernig

Via Rising Hegemon, from whom I've stolen my post title, comes a fascinating and deeply disturbing tale of conservative manipulation of the Democratic nomination race, switching sides and feeding smears against both Clinton and Obama to keep the Dem circular firing squad going.

Wayne Barrat of the Village Voice dots his i's and crosses all the t's as he systematically and comprehensively documents how the Republican noise machine is trying to ensure it's chosen McSame faces a fatally weakened Dem oponent come November. They started with attacks on Clinton, switched to Obama when he showed signs of growing too strong, and are now ready to pitch in and undermine whichever candidate shows any signs whatsoever of winning a plurality of popular support.

Since few Democratic voters—theoretically—should be affected by anything this cabal has to say, its impact on the nominating process has been, at best, indirect. But the right's talkers have helped to shape the way the election is covered. And even if they've only affected the margins, it's precisely those margins—in states like Missouri, or in district delegate fights, or in the narrowing popular-vote contest—that matter. Perhaps the more important point for Democrats is why these drum beaters have been so universally on the same beat.

In every case, these rightwing mouthpieces have ignored their own previous overt race-baiting to accuse the Clintons of being closet racists, have ignored their own open misogyny to accuse Obamites of sexism and generally muddied the waters every way they could.

Limbaugh, Novak, Kristol, Bennet, York, Hannity, George Will - all have their gamesmanship exposed by this must-read column. They're all on the same page of the GOP playbook. It's the page headed "Divide and Conquer".

Read it, then think again about what Libby wrote the other day.