Flaylo
Handsome Devil
Jonathan Weiler: The GOP's Na-na-na-na-na Political Strategy
Sounds like Repugs to me, projection.
"Psychological projection" -- a psychological defense mechanism whereby one "projects" one's own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, feelings, and so on onto someone else.
Projection has become the Republican Party's signature mode of attack. On a host of issues, including the "war on women," Medicare, "class warfare" and more, the GOP's response to Democratic has been to say, in the words of Talking Points Memo's Benjy Sarlin, "I know you are, but what am I?"
Time and again, Republicans have adopted policies that -- while appealing to their evermore extreme and authoritarian base -- are very unpopular with Americans more broadly. Their response to this political conundrum has been, time again, both to lie about their own proposals and to accuse Democrats of that which Republicans themselves are guilty.
Take Medicare. The Affordable Care Act includes a projected half a trillion dollars in savings through a variety of mechanisms, including changes in reimbursement rates to hospitals and by reducing over-payments to private Medicare advantage plans. Those changes do not reduce benefits to Medicare-eligible individuals. But that hasn't stopped Republicans, including Mitt Romney, from repeatedly attacking President Obama for gutting Medicare. Meanwhile, the Republican Party, including Romney, have wholeheartedly embraced the Paul Ryan budget which will "reform" Medicare by shifting more and more of the burden of rising health care costs onto seniors while undermining the long-term fiscal stability of the prog. cover the rising cost of health care. So how do Republicans deal with this obvious political liability? By accusing Democrats of that which Republicans are guilty, of course.
Sounds like Repugs to me, projection.