Bush, Franco, Baghdad Bob

[alvarezadams]

I'm only old enough to have caught the last few years of Franco's regime. However, the Spanish side of my family and an intense historical curiosity have lead me to delve deeply into Franco's regime... having had to go through at least a few years of school under the watchful eyes of Christ and the two thieves (Franco and Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera; their images flanked the cross in every classroom).

I won't get into the similarities of singing "Cara al Sol" every morning with the "pledge of allegience". That's a fit subject for a thread of its own.

What I have discovered over the years is the strength and weakness of propaganda and spin. The strength of spin resides in ignorance, the weakness in just how easy it is to puncture with a modicum of information.

To whit: "Bush says Israel defeated Hezbollah" (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060814/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_13)

Vs.

"Olmert acknowledges war's 'deficiencies'" http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060814/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_1094

and

"Hezbollah claims win as Lebanese return"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060814/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_1101

Of course, following Olmert's approval ratings also helps - at the onset of the war he was immensely popular, now he's "around" 50%.

Franco's "public image" in Spain from the Civil War to his death is an amazing study - and very actual when one compares it to Bush's since his "election". Franco started off on a "crusade" defending a wide range of "values", changed those "values" to suit his fascist allies as the civil war progressed, made a show of his pro-Axis stance as long as the Axis looked to win, maintained the goal of "autarky" as he was shunned by the world (blaming his isolation on Jews, freemasons and communists), and then embraced Ike like the only floating wood on the ocean. In the end he eschewed virtually every "value" that he had fought for by embracing technocrats and internationalism - and then claimed credit for steering Spain into the 20th century.

Utter bullshit from the begining to the end... but anyone with a modicum of awareness can see the parallels with Bush today.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Bush admin was behind Israel's incursion into Lebanon (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2006/08/14/heres_one_we_bombed_earlier.html, http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1844021,00.html ). Rice's whitewash intervention and the misadmin's clear support of Israel and attacks on Hizbulah (ignoring the plight of the Lebanese) are as clear as water. The hand of neoconservatism is patently clear. And, just as in Iraq and Afghanistan (and Vietnam), their wrongheaded approach - painted in terms of a "greater threat" that justifies any number of excesses ranging from illegal wars to torture - has lead to failure.

From a shakey and unsavoury status quo where the Sunnis were kowtowed by a variety of regimes that were more or less subservient to Western interests and the Shiites were contained in Iran, Bush's admin has been so successful as to make Hezbollah a pan-Muslim hero figure, Iran into the winner of the Iraqi war and Al Qaeda into the most successful franchise since McDonald's.

And these people have the unmitigated GALL as to claim victory in the teeth of disaster after disaster, to claim that their opponents are "weak on national security", that opposition is virtually tantamount to treason.

We complain of McCarthy as in Spain many complained of Franco. But when one gets down to it, which is worse?

The famous quote from a Soviet journalist comes to mind:

"I have the greatest admiration for your propaganda. Propaganda in the West is carried out by experts who have had the best training in the world -- in the field of advertizing -- and have mastered the techniques with exceptional proficiency ... Yours are subtle and persuasive; ours are crude and obvious ... I think that the fundamental difference between our worlds, with respect to propaganda, is quite simple. You tend to believe yours ... and we tend to disbelieve ours."
Soviet correspondent based five years in the U.S."

MOST Spaniards didn't believe Franco's propaganda. Those that did voted for Aznar. Those that didn't and their progeny marched by the million against the war, only be told by rightwing Americans that they were "surrendering".

I fear very much for my country of birth. I am lucky inasmuch as I can claim another nationality when I care to, something I will not do as long as there is still some hope in the country that once gave hope to the world. As it stands now, however, if the US looks like any other place or time in history it is Weimar.

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Sorry about the rant.

[alvarezadams]

1. Betting on no response

[uppityperson]

2. You lose. Good writing.

Interesting bit of pulling different dictators and propaganda techniques together. I will come back and read this again later, let it mull around for a bit since it needs, for me, not just a one off comment.

[guernica531]

3. Ah My Brother

I too lived a few years in Spain under the Franco regime as a child. Feels the same way now here in the U.S. I guess only those who truly experienced a Fascist Regime can see what this great nation is becoming.

[newyawker99]

4. Hi guernica531!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: