NBC's Mitchell Rants

NBC's Mitchell Rants: Romney Using 'Dog Whistle' Language Against Obama


On her 1 p.m. et hour show on MSNBC on Tuesday, host and NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell decried Mitt Romney labeling President Obama's big-government philosophy "foreign" to American capitalism: "...he is still using the term 'foreign' and I'm telling you, this is happening every day, it is a dog whistle."[Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd attempted to talk Mitchell down: "...to take him [Romney] at face value – it's about trying to paint the President as out of touch, that he doesn't have the experience....out of touch about the American economy, that he doesn't understand how capitalism works." Mitchell refused to accept that explanation: "Out of touch is out of touch....Foreign is suggesting somebody who grew up in Indonesia....I'm telling you....words matter."

Todd suggested: "I think people hear what they want to hear on this." The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza agreed and added: "I'm not in Mitt Romney's head. I can't say why he is using the word 'foreign.'"

However, Cillizza did suggest it may be a pattern of the Romney campaign: "I would say look, we had last week John Sununu, a prime, a very prominent surrogate, former New Hampshire governor, of Mitt Romney, saying he doesn't understand what it's like to be an American. Now, John Sununu later recanted because I think they understood that was kind of a bridge too far. But the context of those things-" Mitchell interjected: "Context matters."

what is this 'dog whistle' meme

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by EmptyTimCup

what is this 'dog whistle' meme

There is a guy, Steve Wilson, music producer, guitar player, who has a new album out called Grace for Drowning and his premise is that we are all drowning in some fashion or other is this day and age because of the deluge of information and over load of just stuff.

While I get Mitchel's defense of her chosen candidate, it's kind of amusing for her, or anyone else, to get worked up over ONE word actually cutting through the shear volume of words and implications and general campaigning and, in essence, give weight to this what is otherwise is just one more word with about as much meaning, one way or the other, as any of the billions of other words.

And, of course, she is doing this context of making her own implication; that Mitt's Lemmings are dogs who will react to his whistle, this whistle. She's actually kinda funny. Without meaning to be.

The Liberal Dog Whistle Meme


The new code word used by liberals to explain how sub-human and irrational conservatives are is “dog whistle“. A “dog whistle” is a word or phrase used in a speech or column which has a special meaning to a particular subgroup of the population. The metaphor is of an actual dog whistle which can be heard by dogs, but not by humans. So a number of columnists (also here and here) suggested that the term “blood libel” used by Sarah Palin was a “dog whistle” to Evangelical Christians, signalling them to . . . I don’t know . . . anti-semitacally froth at the mouth? Different commentators reach different conclusions.

The term, allegedly originated in Australian politics and is used, almost exclusively to describe conservative, rather than liberal politics. It is a slander in and of itself. It reveals an enormous amount about the broken nature of our culture and our politics.

First, it says that people who hold conservative positions aren’t really human. They are dogs. There is a meaning to the metaphors used by any group. A dog whistle is used to signal to dogs. The literal meaning of the metaphor is that humans can’t hear it.

[cwo_ghwebb]

After she made a total fool out of herself with her interview with Sununu, she's still trying to influence public opinion?

There are only 3 folks on this board that still think she's credible.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by cwo_ghwebb

There are only 3 folks on this board that still think she's credible.

I think she is credible. What I mean by that is that there are a lot of people who think like she does and can sit there offended by one word and the machinations and intent behind it and how terrible it is and, in the same sentence, do the exact same thing or worse. In that sense, she is very credible and, absent people like her and Mathews, you would have to say there are people who think like that but, no one would believe it. With them, there it is, right there. Self explanatory.