the talking dog

His Holiness Pope John Paul II, in his annual "Day of Peace" address, joined other historical figures in calling for a "new world order". (The United Nations army promptly began painting crosses on the black helicopters in deference...)

The Pontiff's call for peace is just one of those regular features we see every year. Vatican efforts to persuade the unmalleable George W. Bush to reconsider his warmongering last year got as warm a reception as its prior calls for him to show clemency to condemned prisoners when he was governor of Texas (number of prisoners shown executive clemency and not executed during Bush's tenure: zero). To be fair, in addition to being an infuriating feature of the President to we of the liberal elite, it also happens to be his principal strength: no one will deny that he is not the least bit wishy-washy about what it is he wants to do. Waffling on issues does not seem to be a concern.

Bush is, in short, the personification of everything that is wrong with the United States, and hence, why he is so damned popular. There is no doubt that as he stomps on all those in his way, as he is absolutely correct in all things, so anything he or the nation does because of him, is per se correct and just and good. The fact is, we value confidence more than intelligence, certainty more than thoughtfulness. Just because some n'er do well like the Pope has moral questions about our actions-- well, who cares? (Or, to paraphrase Stalin, how many divisions does he command?)

Americans generally are so awed by a "strong, confident leader" (think how instantly popular former Mayor and Il Duce Rudolph Giuliani was because of the aftermath of September 11th; prior to that, he was a divisive figure largely credited for coddling a police force with a tendency to shoot unarmed Black men) that we forget to ask just where we are being led. As I am being wheeled into surgery, I certainly want my doctor brimming with confidence about the operation (which may explain Howard Dean's popularity... the confidence and certainty he projects). But in a democracy, that's a lousy model-- something we have, by and large, yet to figure out (I think, anyway, even as, ironically, or not so ironically, our national legislative leaders are, by trade, a surgeon and an exterminator).

My new year's resolution for this blog will be to try to appeal to people who disagree with me, rather than just the choir, however hard that may be, trying to pick up the ball from the great blogger Steven Chapman, who suggests that
blogs concerned with politics and ideas generally need to start preaching to the unconverted as well as the converted, and that means sustained argument, not just little snippets of pisstakery designed purely to provoke knowing snickers amongst one's political fellow-travellers.

Resolved: your talking dog will try to live up to this standard of "sustained argument". (Yeah-- I'll also do the thing with blogs and dog breeds...)

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Comments

OK, bud, then let's get it on. ;) What shall we discuss first?

Posted by Andrew at January 1, 2004 12:59 PM

Fair warning Seth, I'm probably swiping the Bush personification bit. Very well thought-out.

Posted by Elayne Riggs at January 2, 2004 10:58 PM

It seems to me that blogs concerned with politics and ideas generally need to start preaching to the unconverted as well as the converted

Of course that's the problem isn't it? Preaching to the unconverted -- sounds a bit condescending, on a proselytizing mission, so, let's ummm, instead of blogging, (which is no sure way to reach out to people), instead go door to door, pamphlet in hand (like, you know, young Mormon Missionaries or Jehovah's Witnesses) to convert those who need it.

But who knows, sustained argument or discourse can't hurt. Takes more brainpower than snippets -- altho I've seen some pretty good snippets.

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