It’s getting harder and harder to not feel like a conspiracy nut these days.
Ever since Hillary Clinton first started spouting about the “vast right-wing conspiracy” that was out to destroy her and her husband, the Left has been obsessed with telling us all about these secret cabals that are running the conservative movement. And of late, there have been several revelations in support of political conspiracy theories.
However they’re not happening on the Right, but on the Left.
First up, it was revealed a few weeks ago that four old buddies from the first Bill Clinton administration get together on a conference call most every day to kick matters around and catch up with each other. The four guys who can’t let go of the glory days? ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and Democratic strategists James Carville and Paul Begala.
So here’s President Obama’s right-hand man (Emanuel) in daily contact with three guys who can get the administration’s message out on the airwaves with considerable ease — one of whom, Stephanopoulos, has his own Sunday morning talking heads show. With those kinds of resources, it was no wonder that the Obama administration so quickly got the “tie Rush Limbaugh around the Republicans’ necks” movement going so quickly — especially considering Limbaugh’s history of mocking and deriding those gentlemen.
And now we have news about something even bigger. Liberal blogger (and child prodigy) Ezra Klein set up a virtual meeting space called JournoList two years ago, and it’s become tremendously popular — among the select elite only. Set up for journalists and liberals (but I repeat myself) to talk among themselves, it has become the spawning ground for countless stories, messages, agendas, and movements — all done quietly, privately, secretly, behind the scenes.
Of course, the members of JournoList who were willing to discuss the matter were dismissive of such concerns. It’s just a place where members can relax, kick off their shoes, let their hair down, and socialize with their peers without undue public scrutiny.
Through JournoList, members positions refined, opinions shaped, talking points crafted, messages aligned, and, occasionally, organized movements begin.
Precisely the kinds of things that those who command the greatest public trust should not be doing in secret — unless, of course, they’re trying to conspire. Unless their whole goal is to put together a covert plan for crafting an agenda and unifying a message to push on the public without folks realizing that they are the target of an organized campaign.
In that case, then JournoList is just what the doctor ordered — at least, until it’s exposed.
In light of the conference call and JournoList, one is left with the impression that the “vast right-wing conspiracy” is either woefully inadequate at keeping up with the vast left-wing conspiracy — or far better at keeping proof of its existence secret.
