Further to the PMO orchestrated "faux outrage" of Liberals towards Monte Solberg's irreverand pokes on his blog, at Paul "I Have The Dithers" Martin, the National Post is scornful;
Generating reports that they were "aghast" over Mr. Solberg's posting, the Liberals launched what appeared to be a concerted campaign to misrepresent his comments -- falsely suggesting, among other things, that he'd mocked the work of Dr. King. "It's actually quite despicable on his part because he trivializes the civil rights movement," Montreal MP Marlene Jennings huffed sanctimoniously to The Canadian Press. "He trivializes Martin Luther King Jr.'s contribution to the whole notion of tolerance, of peaceful resistance, of peaceful civil disobedience and, literally, the pain and the suffering that many blacks and whites underwent in order to remove segregationist legislation."Even the Prime Minister's Office got into the act. "Mr. Solberg's blog drips with Conservative party disrespect and disdain for the Charter, the Supreme Court, basic human rights and, astonishingly, the legacy of Martin Luther King," Martin spokesperson Scott Reid said. And the Liberals were joined by the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations, which called on Mr. Solberg to apologize to the black community and specifically to Dr. King's family.
If ever one wondered why politicians typically stick to their staid talking points, this episode provides the answer. Mr. Solberg could have played it safe on his Web site, following other public figures' lead by only posting recycled press releases. Instead, he made an effort to actually engage the public by presenting his opinions in a creative way - - and immediately had his words yanked out of context by intellectually dishonest partisans bent on painting him as a racist.
Perhaps it's just a tactic. Yet, it's hardly an isolated case, nor is "yanking words out of context" confined to the political operative. One finds the most absurd "recreative interpretation" being utilized by columnists, journalists, and pundits - and while not limited to the "left" side of the political spectrum, they certainly seem to have embraced the practice.
I used to think the viewpoint of the left could be explained by differing background, upbringing, experiences, psychology. I'm beginning to think it's just poor reading comprehension.
The response is definitely designed to deflect, twist, then go on the offensive. This way it does not appear as if there's anything wrong. It's actually an old tactic. The conservatives have two options, relaunch and intensify, or deflect with even new or worse issues. Personally, I would relaunch and intensify, and bring in some new issues to keep them scrambling.