On Wickedness (Part Four: One Last Vent)

"The world is so much more dangerous and wicked even than it was barely four years ago when we talked, that I marvel and tremble at the rapidity of this deterioration."

—Adlai Stevenson, 1956

Just so we're absolutely, several more data points to demonstrate that the conservatives are running a presidential campaign that is, objectively, wicked; and that we should make no mistake about it.

• Building the cornerstone of the campaign not merely on lies [1], but lies bought and paid for by corporate donors in what appears to be a direct quid pro quo [2]. [UPDATE: Think I'm exaggerating? See here. [3]]

• A flood of obviously racially charged FNB [4] language and imagery from right-wing leaders [5], the Republican National Committee [6], and the Republican nominee's campaign itself [7]

• John Birch Society-level "global tax" conspiracy theories, signed by the chairman of the Republican Party himself [8], that not only inflate the cost for a proposed piece of legislation by a factor of 8.45 million [9]. (And don't forget Lee Atwater's helpful admission [10] that fear-mongering about taxes is an excellent way to signal disdain for the kind of people—hint, hint—who freeload off them.)

• A cunningly successful [11] campaign to inoculate all conservatives against against the "racism" charge by braying that the real racists are the people who say blacks might just have it rougher in America. [12]

But here's a thought—one to anchor my further reflections. It comes from one of our brilliant commenters [13]:

I worked for Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder back in the day and he faced an equally difficult task in becoming the nation's first elected black governor. The hardest point to get across to a campaign and its supporters is that any kind of baiting -- race baiting in particular -- doesn't work if you don't take the bait.

So Democrats have to fight off our instinct to find and illuminate every Republican instance of racial code words.

With exceptions, he's right. That's why I dumped all this in one final cri du coeur posts. Around the corner in our "wickedness" series: why that pleasurable feeling we get pointing out such perfidies plays, not to progressives' political strengths, but our most abiding political weaknesses.

Why? Here's a hint: Henry Fonda. More soon.