The only explanation is the "Mission Accomplished" one -- the image is more important to the Rove crowd than anything else. That, plus the calculation that hijacking CSPAN creates media circus that can be spun any way they wish.
From these experiences we can reverse-engineer exactly what they are thinking in Rove headquarters -- the clear belief is (1)they have absolute control of the consequences, regardless how supine the lies are getting the Dems objections are weak and spineless, and (2)they don't care about the opinion of those who actually listen and discover the vast extent of the lying. This means (3) they are actually providing cover for those who wish to create other outrageous actions, and need an excuse, and (4) they figure they have the election in the bag anyway, and everything is all about appearance, even if completely phony.
The same was true with shows depicting excessive force by police -- this provides cover for cops who are trained to use excessive force. They see it nightly on TV, lending legitimacy.
Next step will be two other Congressional actions: First will be overturning Senate rules regarding filibusters, giving the majority party absolute control, a la Hitler after the Reichstag fire consolidating the gov't and the judiciary. Second, there will be other similarly-phony efforts to depict "showdowns" between Repubs and Dems that last an entire news cycle, for the purpose of getting scripted speeches directly to the American people, by the most professional propagandists in the Republican party.
If you listen to these guys, they're Ann Coulter-like in their ability to lie with a straight face. Amazing. |
