Even C students of history ought to find some of the behavior from today’s Washington reminiscent of an earlier era; the bad old days of the Red Scare, the House Un-American Activities Committee, witch hunts, black lists, show trials, and the trampling of civil liberties and the rule of law.
It isn’t far from McCarthyism to Trumpism, both intent on undermining America in the name of Americanism. Consider the recent behavior of Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee. Parroting the conspiracy theories being promoted by right-wing agitators from Fox News and Breitbart, the members argue, without evidence, that the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible criminal cooperation by the Trump campaign is tainted by partisanship.
Presumably this propaganda campaign is not tainted by partisanship, yet its obvious goal is to get Mueller fired and the investigation shut down before it hits pay dirt. if possible. If not, to sow doubts about the veracity of any conclusions it comes to. There’s a parallel attempt to change the subject by means of a type of fallacious argument that dates back at least to ancient Roman treatises on the art of rhetoric.
It goes by the name “tu quoque,” that is, “you’re another.” Or as we would say, “Who are you to talk?” It is essentially a kind of schoolyard retort, not legitimate, logical reasoning. You’re a liar.” No, you’re a bigger liar.”
Thus, Candidate Trump, Don Jr, Jared and Ivanka, Flynn, Manafort, Page, Papadapoulos, and a cast of thousands don’t deserve to be investigated for cooperating with the Russians to defeat Hillary Clinton, because Hillary, Podesta, James Comey, Robert Mueller are guilty of a vast conspiracy aimed at undermining Trump’s electoral victory.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R-VA.) says the FBI email investigation into Hillary was corrupted by political bias. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) says Mueller has displayed “shocking anti-Trump bias.” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) says the FBI has pro-Clinton bias and has allowed secret “spying on Americans associated with the Trump campaign.” Rep. Matt Goetz (R-Fl) says the FBI paid for the famous dossier on Trump’s allegedly conspiratorial activities. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) says FBI Director Christopher Wray should be “cited for contempt of Congress” for the FBI conclusion that Russia interfered with the election.
It should be noted that these McCarthyite Congressmen are all singing off the same song sheet and offer no more evidence than Tail-gunner Joe did when he waved a piece of paper aloft and claimed it contained the names of 206 card-carrying communists on the State Department payroll.
They are sending up a smokescreen, trying to “bias” or “taint,” to use their favorite words, the Trump jury pool, that is, the American electorate, by spreading misinformation, innuendo, and cuckoo conspiracy theories. Trump and Russia aren’t the issue, they claim, but Hillary’s email server, uranium deals, the Clinton Foundation, Benghazi, and maybe Whitewater and Teapot Dome.
It’s political sleight of hand. Don’t look at my left hand picking your pocket (or subverting democracy), watch my right hand pulling a conspiracy out of my hat. And if they succeed in puling the wool over our eyes, we know how this story ends.
It begins with the legitimizing autocracy, the smearing of the opposition, the demand for orthodoxy, the creation of the enemies’ list, the branding of unwelcome facts as fake news, the embrace of the cult of personality with its mandatory, unquestioning salute of the leader.
It ends with The Thought Police, the rewriting of History, the memory hole, Newspeak, Doublethink, unpersons, Room 101, the Two Minute Hate, and the three slogans of Big Brother, “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”