Comments on: The ABR Philosophy http://ballistichelmet.org/dvanhorn/2006/12/06/the-abr-philosophy/ dvanhorn's bhlog Fri, 18 May 2012 04:42:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Adam http://ballistichelmet.org/dvanhorn/2006/12/06/the-abr-philosophy/#comment-2145 Tue, 06 Feb 2007 18:29:19 +0000 http://ballistichelmet.org/dvanhorn/2006/12/06/the-abr-philosophy/#comment-2145 The AB(X) philosophy has never reaped any rewards: Bush's "Anybody But Saddam" tactic didn't work, and the Dem's 2004 response of "Anybody But Bush" obviously didn't end up working out. We as a society have lost any sense of actual ideology, and instead use the media to intensify the focus on a few (not so key) issues. This leads to polarization, which leads to demonization of those on the other side from you, which leads to an AB(X) strategy. Until we regain the full-spectrum view that will allow us to interpret the actions of politicians in meaningful terms outside of the media's tale, we're stuck with the AB(X) phenomenon. Until Americans get off their asses and figure out how things really work, I can't think of a better way for a party to motivate their voting base than that very strategy. Which, as all political problems eventually do, leads to the two-party system. As long as there is a party that is in power and a party that is not (and no other viable choices), the party not in power will employ the AB(X) model. With 24-hour news cycles and the microscope fixed on Washington, there's plenty of mud to sling. Not only that, it's easier to paint a party's opponent as "not the guy" than to paint your party's candidate as "the guy": The latter involves actually saying something meaningful and being held to it. The AB(X) philosophy has never reaped any rewards: Bush’s “Anybody But Saddam” tactic didn’t work, and the Dem’s 2004 response of “Anybody But Bush” obviously didn’t end up working out. We as a society have lost any sense of actual ideology, and instead use the media to intensify the focus on a few (not so key) issues. This leads to polarization, which leads to demonization of those on the other side from you, which leads to an AB(X) strategy.

Until we regain the full-spectrum view that will allow us to interpret the actions of politicians in meaningful terms outside of the media’s tale, we’re stuck with the AB(X) phenomenon. Until Americans get off their asses and figure out how things really work, I can’t think of a better way for a party to motivate their voting base than that very strategy.

Which, as all political problems eventually do, leads to the two-party system. As long as there is a party that is in power and a party that is not (and no other viable choices), the party not in power will employ the AB(X) model. With 24-hour news cycles and the microscope fixed on Washington, there’s plenty of mud to sling. Not only that, it’s easier to paint a party’s opponent as “not the guy” than to paint your party’s candidate as “the guy”: The latter involves actually saying something meaningful and being held to it.

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