tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087565.post111221347992393473..comments2023-10-24T07:06:36.815-07:00Comments on Small Precautions: SOTU as bullshitNilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04220861634503974376noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087565.post-1112280824110330772005-03-31T06:53:00.000-08:002005-03-31T06:53:00.000-08:00PP. Please take a moment to go to the News Snipet...PP. Please take a moment to go to the News Snipet to take immediate action on an issue that threatens America's children. Your activism is appreciated! <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://newssnipet.blogspot.com/2005/03/immediate-call-to-action.html" REL="nofollow">News Snipet 'Blog: IMMEDIATE CALL TO ACTION!</A>Jack Mercerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795237301625999594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087565.post-1112279454163720502005-03-31T06:30:00.000-08:002005-03-31T06:30:00.000-08:00Nils,While there's a lot of truth here, seems to m...Nils,<BR/><BR/>While there's a lot of truth here, seems to me there's also a failure to recognize the degree to which Republican intellectuals, after and in reaction to the 60s, came to believe that "ideas matter" and to use patriotic mythology in the service of the pursuit of hegemony. The Bush whitehouse is a mix of the public relations personal-image-mongering that you and Frankfurt describe with a Straussian version of political education -- mobilizing and reinforcing a version of patriotic mythology that is usable as a support for Republican hegemony. To a degree, they do care about what narrative of the founding fathers and American history is dominant, because they recognize such as a political resource (or obstacle). Of course, they're not willing to actually debate American history, to actually engage other points of view, to risk the authentic political education of the audience. But that doesn't mean they have nothing in mind other than personal-image-mongering.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com