by Brett Stevens on January 16, 2013

Apparently, Barack Obama thought it was a good idea to surround himself with children during his conference on gun control. His supporters, thinking backward, reason that if he did it it must be defended and so point to his sensitivity and good intentions.

Those of us who see through this man, who is basically a hustler living off the delusions of white liberals, are more prone to point out what it actually is: manipulation.

When people are behaving logically, they talk about reasons and facts. Moreso the former than the latter, often, because as Nietzsche says, “There are no facts, only interpretations,” and thus no fact exists without spin.

When people are manipulating, they use emotional symbols and/or guilt and social coercion. “Everyone’s doing it,” is one of the oldest manipulations. So is “do it for the children,” a variation of which is what Obama is using.

I have a different proposal. Assuming that most people are well-intentioned, but distracted and misguided, let’s instead take the war in politics against manipulation itself. Demand that all debate be on the level.

People tell me this is political suicide. Probably not for conservatives; we never win popularity contests, either, which is why our greatest successes have been when society faces tangible and immediate problems, and the voters turn to us to fix it.

If our first words when attacking the enemy were against manipulation, demagoguery and other crowd-pleasing behaviors, we could seize the higher ground and force the other side to reveal how little substance lurks behind their words and images.

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