Freudian Projection

Last week I was attacked by a “reader” in response to my article about socialism. This person brought up Rush Limbaugh’s claim that lower taxes for the rich resulted in higher revenues. I told him that wasn’t what I was talking about. I was saying that our government should be focused on all Americans’ interests, not just the interests of the well-off. This person then claimed that I was dishonest and that I had “moved the goalposts” (perhaps he hadn’t actually read my article). In psychology they call this reaction projection:

In psychology, psychological projection (or projection bias) is a defense mechanism in which one attributes one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts or/and emotions to others. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted subconscious impulses/desires without letting the conscious mind recognize them. (Wikipedia)

This is exactly what this person did. He attacked me for “moving the goalposts” as he “moved the goalposts” by misrepresenting my argument. I was thinking about this reaction at work and realized that almost all Republicans suffer from this disconnection. Let us explore a few examples in recent news stories.

John McCain claims that Barack Obama is a “class warrior.” That he will be responsible for unethical “redistribution of wealth” once he becomes president. But in reality, the biggest redistribution of wealth has occurred during the last four years.

The top 10 percent of households saw their net worth rise by 6.1 percent to an average of $3.11 million while the bottom 25 percent suffer a decline from a net worth in which their assets equaled their liabilities in 2001 to owing $1,400 more than their total assets in 2004 … [Although] those on the top 10 percent of the income distribution have been seeing income gains of only about 1 percent a year … those in the top .1 percent of the income distribution saw a gain of 87 percent, and those in the top .01 percent registered a gain of 497 percent. (Ehrenreich/Associated Press)

The Republicans have shoveled money directly to the super-rich! Sounds like wealth redistribution to me …

ACORN’s voter registration drive for low-income groups is being attacked by Republicans. They say that fake voter registration forms are responsible for compromising democracy by throwing the election. Last week the owner of the Young Political Majors, a firm contracted to register voters for the GOP, was arrested for registration fraud.

Jacoby’s arrest by state investigators and the Ontario Police Department late Saturday came after dozens of voters said they were duped into registering as Republicans by people employed by YPM. The voters said YPM workers tricked them by saying they were signing a petition to toughen penalties against child molesters. (Los Angeles Times)

Earlier this year, Colorado college student received notices that they could not vote if their parents filed them as “dependents” on their taxes, traced to Republicans. And Republicans have even bragged about denying recently foreclosed-upon Americans the vote because their registration becomes invalid.

Fiscal responsibility is what seems to be the entire theme of John McCain’s campaign. He talks about exposing corruption, stopping earmarks and spending freezes, and how Obama will spend us into oblivion. But his choice of Sarah “Bridge to Nowhere” Palin (and the matter of the $150,000 dropped on threads) and his support of the big bank bailout and the $720 million-a-day war he thinks should never end should make his case difficult to make. He should try pointing at his own party, who have been notorious for corruption and scandal in recent years.

So let’s get real. No more defense mechanisms and delusions. Don’t try to trick us then call us the scoundrels. Be honest with voters so they can make informed decisions.