We often find ourselves arguing over the things right-wingers say. That is a distraction. We should instead learn to focus on what they do. One form of this is the STF Rule, when right-wingers accuse it usually means that is what they are themselves doing. Say vs. do.
It happens over and over and over. They throw a bunch of smoke in the air and we chase it instead of keeping our eye on what is really going on. It’s like the Peanuts cartoon, where every year Charlie Brown runs up to kick the football, and just before he gets there Lucy snatches the ball away and he flies in the air and lands on his head.
In a recent NY Times piece, So Who Are the Activists? the authors applied actual data (reality, or the doing) to test the right-wing accusatory phrase “judicial activists” (the words).
Category Archives: The STF Rule
Republicans Accuse Dems Of Being “Far Left”
From the Republican Party website, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman Statement On The Partisan Attack On Karl Rove:
“It’s disappointing that once again, so many Democrat leaders are taking their political cues from the far-left, Moveon wing of the party. The bottom line is Karl Rove was discouraging a reporter from writing a false story based on a false premise and the Democrats are engaging in blatant partisan political attacks.” -RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman
What’s the STF Rule? When Republicans accuse it usually means they’re doing whatever it is they are accusing others of. Here they are accusing the other party of being in the hands of political extremists.
And, by the way, this is Dean’s counterpart saying stuff like this about the opposition. Where is the outrage?
Finally, look at the rest of the stuff on the page – attacks on Joe Wilson!
Rove Security Clearance & Access
John at AMERICAblog makes a very good point. Why is Karl Rove in the White House today? We have a guy here accused of one of the most serious acts of treason in our country’s history, and they won’t revoke his security clearance and remove him from the White House while the charges are looked into? Huh? This guy has access to everything, and is accused of divulging secrets! And he hangs with people who have been indicted for revealing national security secrets to other countries!
Remember the STF Rule: when Republicans accuse it usually means it is something THEY are doing. Rove recently accused Democrats of treason.
More On Rove
White House Chief of Staff comments on Karl Rove saying that the “motive” of liberals is they want American troops to die. Here
Andy Card just said this on CNN:
“Karl Rove’s speech was a speech that I think reflected some of the rhetoric that a lot of people feel.”
Karl Rove and Andrew Card are not Republican Party officials, they are government officials. When they speak, they speak for the President and the government of the United States. This is the government of the United States telling people that liberals want American troops to die.
Remember the STF Rule: When right-wingers make accusations, you need to look at whether it is just a cover for something THEY are really doing. Here they are accusing Democrats of wanting to kill American troops. But who sent those troops to Iraq?
Like A Novel
Wouldn’t it be interesting if it turned out that one of the major players in convincing America to tie its military up in Iraq, was at the same time providing North Korea with technology to improve its missiles? (Not to mention providing NK with submarines.)
Wouldn’t it be interesting if it turned out that one of the major players in convincing America to take sides in the Middle East conflict turned out to be an espionage front for that side? (See also here.)
Remember the STF rule. When Republicans accuse…
(See more accusations here, here, here, here, here, here, here,
here …)
Accusers
The STF Rule, when they accuse, it usually means…
From Crooks and Liars, through Shakespeare’s Sister, who got it from Left Edge North.
Accusing Others
The STF Rule: when right-wingers accuse others, it usually means they are doing it themselves. Here we have a right-wing blog accusing “liberals” of not “supporting the troops.” And the evidence? One comment at Democratic Underground, something from Scaife’s NewsMax, and media reporting on torture and humiliation of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo, or otherwise criticizing Bush’s policies and conduct of the war.
Well, no, the “liberal” position is that supporting the troops means not prosecuting only those at the bottom for doing what they are told or encouraged or at the very least were not stopped from doing. The “liberal” position is holding the chain of command and the policies from the top responsible as well. AND the liberal position demands that Bush change his offensive policies of torture and humiliation and “rendition” that are enraging the entire Muslim and non-Muslim world! Criticizing Bush’s policies and conduct of the war is not criticism of “the troops.” By ignoring the responsibility of the chain of command this right-wing blog – and the right-wing line it follows – lays all responsibility for what is going on squarely on the troops. In other words, the right-wing blog – and conservatives generally – are blaming the troops.
(And, if you want to feel really bad about where Bush has taken the country and the military, read the comments.)
Of Course
Digby found something that makes me say “of course.”
Preface: what’s the STF Rule? When The Party is accusing you should look to see if it’s what they’re doing. And they’re accusing Newsweek of causing riots. Well guess what? The Washington Times recently printed a cartoon showing a US soldier patting a dog on the head, and on the dog was written “Pakistan.” Which is what caused the riots. Oh, go read at Hullabaloo.
But that’s not all. What ELSE has the Right been accusing others of?
And, of course, guess what. Tongsun Park. Are you old enough to remember that name? Brought to you by the Moonies. Yes, the Washington Times, major right-wing funding, vowed-to-destroy-Christianity Moonies…
Our Rule
Remember the Seeing the Forest rule: when you see a Republican accusing others of something, it means they are probably doing that thing. So we have a Republican reporter, (the same one mentioned in an earlier post) saying,
“the press corps, which, of course, deserves to be gone around because they’re not telling the truth about Social Security reform. They continue to work off of the talking points provided them from the opposition.”
Got that? He’s accusing “the press corps” of using Liberal talking points. So a little research uncovers … wanna guess? Oh yes! Talon News “reporter” lifts from GOP documents.
Remember Our Rule
Remember the Seeing the Forest Rule: When Republicans make accusations, you’ll find that it is really THEM doing whatever they are accusing others of, and are using the accusation as a cover for their activities. It is a very effective tactic. When Bush accuses Kerry of flip-flopping, it is BECAUSE Bush’s record consists of flip after flop. When he attacks Kerry’s war record …
So Bush has been running around accusing Kerry of planning to spend a lot of money. Now there is this story, $3 Trillion Price Tag Left Out As Bush Details His Agenda:
“The expansive agenda President Bush laid out at the Republican National Convention was missing a price tag, but administration figures show the total is likely to be well in excess of $3 trillion over a decade.
A staple of Bush’s stump speech is his claim that his Democratic challenger, John F. Kerry, has proposed $2 trillion in long-term spending, a figure the Massachusetts senator’s campaign calls exaggerated. But the cost of the new tax breaks and spending outlined by Bush at the GOP convention far eclipses that of the Kerry plan. “
So remember the rule.