Sadly, it seems to be getting worse, not better or at least around here and among the politik.
I was reading last night a piece from the NY Times
A Tricky Balance for Oil-State Politicians and what caught my eye was all these politicians who have basked in the money of big oil having to walk a thin line between their outrage over the gulf spill and sucking up to the teet that feeds their reelection campaigns. The slime one must wade through when you rely on little more than inane hyperbole faux indignant rage.
As the title implies, "that tricky balance" they must walk NOW because the situation has been greatly changed and they have to rationalize or make excuses for prior stances. Same thing happens with partisan politik types, as all the charges of Marxist, racist, bigot, socialist in chief, as well as entire personal positions. I'll give a few recent examples.
Right: Keep big government out of my life, just let businesses and markets deal with things and it will be fine. What, giant oil spill ruining the gulf, where is Obama, why isn't the government doing more, why doesn't he care. What do you mean the President is here, do you realize how much he is wasting in plane fuel and all those people who had to lose a days pay because Obama wants a photo-op. Vomit
Left: Big government can do big things, what, the largest man made disaster in our nations history expected to last at least a decade, what do you expect the President to do, plug it himself, he gave a speech last night nearly 60 days after millions of gallons of crude started gushing into the gulf and said he would form a committee, then asked us to pray so what more do you want? Pulease, save the prayer for church, just act like a Commander in command.
Right: anti-war protesters are unpatriotic, un-American, they hate the troops, they're showing Bush as Hitler and that is extreme, code pink should be put in prison. The Tea Party on the other hand is patriotic, take our country back.
Left: anti-war protest are the highest form patriotism, if you love the troops you would bring them home, time to end this fascist dictatorship. However, the Tea Party protesters are racist, bigots, and hate mongers, each and every one of them, always have been and Obama as Hitler is a extreme, etc...
Right, left, right, left, right, left... It is almost funny if it weren't so sad watching people box themselves into these absolute positions only to then be absolutely clueless when they end up arguing, or more like rationalizing the total opposite position when the shoes is on the other foot and not even realize they are doing it.
One of the reasons I say political philosophy is dead in America because people no longer take a Conservative or Liberal
approach, they take a Left-Right absolute position and then are forced to rationalize positions, even when it is completely contrary to the philosophy. Sorry, but boxes are for suckers.
Even worse, I can expect this sort of thing from Bob at the water cooler at work, but when our news media does the same thing I have to wonder if they aren't just watching the watercooler on cam.