The Big Lie

A new report from the Government Accountability Office reveals that the Bush administration has spent $1.6 billion in federal funds on the 'positive benefit' of their various pet projects and programs, with the bulk of the money (~$1 billion) directed towards efforts that would improve the image of the military in 'The Global War on Terror'. The Bushies awarded more than 340 contracts to PR, advertising and media firms from 2003 through the early 2005. Advertising and PR agencies were to broadcast positive messages about government policies and initiatives with some $15 million being spent on 'building connections' with media outlets . Individual contracts of up to $100,000 went to members of the press for 'promotion' work. O'Reilly? Limbaugh? Malkin? Miller?

“The insurgency is in it's last throes”, paying Iraqi' journalists to write 'favorable stories', the trumpeting of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman, promotion of the disastrous Social Security privatization plan, the promotion of the failing Prescription Drug program.....all parts of the efforts????

The biggest problem with Georgie's PR program - it's clandestine and would not have been revealed without the US House Democratic leadership demanding the report. The Bushie effort smacks of propaganda – because it is. It is clearly being undertaken to manipulate the American citizenry.

All this was inspired by the principle - which is quite true in itself - that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods......Mein Kampf (James Murphy translation, page 134):

To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the interest of an audience and must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium.

Propaganda must label events and people with distinctive phrases or slogans.

Posted on The Human Stain