Cognitive Dissonance

Oddly, Hillary and, Yes, Newt Agree to Agree.

This article writes about things I thought about the other day. Whilst driving the Mini past the industrial skeleton of the construction laden route home, I was listening to Sean Hannity interview Newt. It was great to see Sean twist himself in knots over Gingrich turning centrist on his ass. As if this isn't a re-branding of himself from conservative nutbag to moderate bipartisan centrist, (all words that if he was a Democrat would mean flip flopper) just as Hillary is re-branding herself. Granted Hillary does not need re-branding except for the caricature that the Right Wing nutbag presscorps has painted of her as some hammer and sickle wielding communist baby killer.

However, listening to Sean Hannity twist himself into saying things like "I support you in everything you do (*bleating*), but why are you supporting Hillary at all?" Then keep repeating this sentence about a hundred times and later labeling it an exclusive interview. It was not the interview technique that shocked me (I am very familiar with Sean's lack of prowess in this avenue), but rather the fact that here is the Conservative Jeesus basically agreeing with the Liberal Satan he created amongst his own followers.

Hillary is by no means to the left what Newt is to the Right. The reason liberals may love Hillary is because she tried to get everyone healthcare and that no matter what you think or believe should not be a partisan issue. The point is Gingrich rewrote the conservative mission statement, he wrote the contract with america crap, he is the posterchild for conservativism (perhaps not of the social kind), but this guy is a conservative GOD to them. Whereas Hillary is just a woman in power who liberals all like, but by no means is she our FDR, or our LBJ, or anybody like that. Liberals all know that Clinton was not just "our guy." Clinton was a centrist who was all around a good president who restored fiscal sanity to this country, something Democrats were never able to do.

So when Sean goes on the radio with his flock of sheep telling them to support Newt even though he is cavorting with their sworn enemy Hillary, its cognitive dissonance in its purest form. Except of course if you go back about a month when you heard Sean Hannity asking the federal government (the same federal government he would rather keep out of your personal lives) to save Terri Schiavo.