Sandra Neish
Jack Manhattan
Harvey Wallbanger
Mad Men should be set in the halls of Congress. After all, no advertisers are better than those who pimp politics. Architects of campaigns come in the shape and guise of advisers, public relations gurus and, lest we forget, entertainment political commentators.
America is a commercial society. A single ad run during the Super Bowl costs an outlandish amount of money and could potentially influence millions. Next time your favorite prime-time television show comes on, look closely at the commercials. They try to convince you that you have a need for their product or service. Don’t forget to look at the program itself. Companies also pay to have their products placed within a show.
But how does this work for politicians and political campaigns? Easy, watch Fox News. Listen to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck on the radio. On second thought, don’t watch or listen for your own sanity. Trying to follow what they have to say can lead to fatal alcohol poisoning.
Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and others are the Mad Men of the Tea Party and the GOP. Recently, I read – I believe it was actually a comment on Facebook amazingly enough – a question these political Mad Men may want to ponder. If those affected by the Columbine shooting can point fingers at Marilyn Manson and goth rock and violence in movies and video games, what is going to happen when the militias form and guns raised and the extremists point to them as their sources of inspiration?
Will the public point the finger of blame at the advertisers selling war and blood? Will these advertising gurus get called on the carpet for their tone of hate?
Not all members of the GOP or the Tea Party are extremists or ready to hold a blood-soaked revolution. But there are those – especially – in the newly formed Tea Party who wish to subvert the movement for their own gain. Limbaugh and all of his ilk are especially eager to get their greedy paws on a whole new group of willing sheep to baa-baa after them.
The question remains: what happens when someone gets hurt? And don’t say it won’t happen. Violence is already on the agenda of the extremists. Those Senators who approved of the health care bill got death threats. A gas line was cut at member of Congress’ family. Racial slurs were shouted and an African American Senator was spit upon.
This is not indicative of the majority of the Tea Party movement, I’m sure. Granted, I enjoy slamming the Tea Baggers and the GOP, but I don’t believe that the fascists of the extreme right are the entirety of the movement. Just as I don’t believe that the suicide/homicide bombers and fascists of extreme Islam are indicative of the entirety of the Muslim faith.
The problem for the Tea Party and the GOP is how to differentiate themselves from these political carnival barkers. Do they understand that guilt by association will taint them when a set of these hard-core militia types does something like, say, blow up a building? Do they think that the good, solid, hard-working American people who embrace lower taxes and smaller government will keep giving them their loyalty when Limbaugh, et al are exposed for the charlatans and muckrakers they are?
I realize how easy it is for them to see the dollar signs the Tea Party movement is bringing them. More books to sell, more shows to host, more brains to wash. But when the Tea Party movement gets so subverted and perverted by those on the fringes, where will the fingers point?
To the advertisers, to those pushing fury and anger and evil and twisting and warping the intent of a movement, to those who sold the soul of the movement to the devil for a few pieces of silver.
