Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Downdate
No news so far about the recall-tossing attempt. (For that matter, I haven't even heard anything about IAC's situation. Another Judicial Council strategy suddenly occurs to me: Just sit on the case long enough for Moghtader to finish the session, and dismiss it as moot) Former Judicial Council Chair Mike Davis has interesting commentary in the comments thread below. I disagree with him, but I believe that reflects differences in our concepts of right and wrong, and I imagine Mike's view is closer to the mainstream.
As I noted before, CalSERVE bought the recall election when they pushed it, and The Daily Cal's revelation of that fact has established the narrative that the recall was a CalSERVE creation. This means that any fallout from the recall would fall solidly in their lap.
Well, now the recall has blown up in their face, since the basis has been "shown" to be a lie. I say "shown" because, even though few people have actually seen the video and it doesn't exactly exonerate Moghtader, the narrative has again been set. I haven't heard much from CalSERVE, so if they're trying to establish a counternarrative, they aren't having much luck doing so publicly.
The parallel narrative that Moghtader is really to blame for the recall, since he sat on the tape, doesn't really free CalSERVE from anything, it only makes folks feel less bad about voting to recall Moghtader. It may still work as a distraction, allowing the troops to line up on the same sides without really investigating their own affiliations, but I'm not sure how effective this approach is.
If you've got any ASUC folks on your friends list, as I do, then your Facebook feed has been swamped by the news that campaigns have kicked into gear. Are you going to (Senate Candidate)'s campaign kickoff party? I've never actually been to one of these. Can a person enjoy nonstop parties for a week if she wants to pretend she cares about different folks' campaigns?
I mention campaign parties because the real manipulative power comes from having absolute control of the message. When no one's around to call you on your bullshit, you can tell the people around you any fact, blame any problem on any opponent, or otherwise construct a worldview in a less-informed audience that has no choice but to believe you. It's how different people can argue with dramatically different stories as if they're completely obvious and common knowledge. The Summer of 2006 and its echoes throughout the following semester had this property, and it was always amusing to see someone shout the truth in one forum or another when you know they're full of shit because they weren't there and you were. But that confidence can only be built in the echo chambers of friends who don't call each other on their bullshit, seeking only the comfort of reaffirmation.
So strike a blow for truth: when someone of your own party says something untrue or completely unsupported, say so! Even if you get kicked out of the campaign party, there's probably another one a block away.
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