There is a series of articles on the Salon web site which introduce the book “Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth.” The columns, written by the “Big Lies” author Joe Conason, so far are excellent, and I would suggest you read them.

The full text of the articles are part of Salon’s “premium” content, but can be accessed by clicking on the “day pass” link. You’ll have to look at an ad or click on it, and then (if your cookies are turned on), you’ll be able to read any of their stuff for free–fairly painless, and in my opinion, less so that having to fill out a form every time like the Washington Post makes you do…

The articles can be found in the following links, for part one, part two, and part three. Amazon.com sells the book here, or you can get it at amazon.co.jp.

My own comments on a bit of the subject matter: there’s a lot to agree with here. What Conason touches on in part is the full-out cultural and linguistic assault by conservatives over the past many years. I have commented before on things like Newt Gingrich’s attack on language; there is a very real conservative drive to co-opt the American identity and to culturally outlaw liberalism. While the current calls for such action remain at the extreme pundit level, it is worrying. Ann Coulter making a case that liberals are traitors is, of course, laughable–but a lot of people read the tripe and take it in as their own. Whenever the opportunity arises, liberalism is under attack. When the “American Taliban” was caught, he was labeled as a liberal. Conservatives made big hay out of the rumor that some terror suspects were registered Democrats. Even many liberals buy into the assault, calling themselves “progressives” to avoid the “L-word,” as coined by Bush Sr.

Sometimes it is frustrating, and on more than one occasion, I have found myself wishing that liberals were just as good as conservatives at being jingoistic, condescending b*stards, caring little about fact or evidence, and being always ready to make nasty attacks on the opposition. Don’t you sometimes wish that Democrats could muster an all-out smear campaign making full use of Bush’s cocaine use and his dodging of the issue, his AWOL draft-dodging, his many criminal acts, just as then right-wingers went en masse against Clinton (and still do)?

It can be hard and painful to see the public officials you want in office take the higher road, while not only does the other side smear and stab, but when much of America accepts and believes it. It’s even harder when you see these sneering self-righteous hypocrites then claim that they are taking the high road and the Democrats are doing the smearing.