Neocons and their supporters have a way with “name calling”. Name calling is efficient. When you call someone a name, generally you are not required to give supporting information. The name called is generally sufficient.
An early name that I saw aimed at “liberal types” was “TREE HUGGER”. That is a simple two-word name that requires no explanation. I had never heard that name applied to people before but I understood a meaning instantly.
Back during the time when the Bush team was trying to make the Judicial Branch of America’s government more like the Legislative Branch(pre 2006 joined at the hip) the “TELL AMERICA” press had many columnists calling their readers(suspected liberals) names.
Central to many of the names called was the words “BIBLE THUMPER”. With “BIBLE THUMPER” as the core name, additional words could be linked thus making a very long name to call a liberal type. The longest “called name” that I saw required four hyphens for word linkage. That name was called in response to liberal types asking for discussion before seating a Bush team judge on the United States’ Supreme court. And no, this wasn’t Mr. Bush’s personal attorney.
Still, it is not too much of a surprise to “hear” name calling from columnists, who after all are allowed their OPINIONS in print. But eyebrows are likely to be raised when name calling is used in high levels of government.
When Scott McClellan, first publicized his book about his days in the White House, one of the President’s advisors responded to concerns voiced by Scott McClellan by directing attention to Scott McClellan. That is a classic way to rebut something that, for whatever reason, you are not ready to rebut. Name calling “fills the bill” here:
Instead, Rove told FOX News’ “Hannity & Colmes” it sounded more like “a liberal blogger.”
“It sounded more like a liberal blogger”. Was a Presidential advisor reduced to name-calling? Does sounding like a “liberal blogger” mean the content published by the blogger is suspect?
LIAR
Over the years, I have visited a number of neocon websites. And I have been called names. The name that I was called the most number of times is LIAR.
One neocon supporter called me LIAR, LIAR, LIAR. We were discussing the Bush team’s “pre-requisites” to the Iraq war. At that time a Niger-Iraq yellowcake connection was a “pre-requisite”.
Attempting to focus on what Joseph Wilson, Ex-Ambassador to Niger, found or did not find slipped into a focus on Joseph Wilson, his wife, Valerie Plame and the neocon – heavy pre-2006 American Congress.
That neocon did not want to talk about a Niger-Iraq yellowcake link. That neocon used name calling in defense of his position. And I discovered that name calling was a much used tool of the neocons.
America is fortunate to have survived twenty-four years of “leadership” by the neocons. And the neocons continue to prove they are more about RHETORIC than PERFORMANCE. Try as you might, you are not likely to find a neocon atta-boy during all those years of neocon “leadership”.
