That ever-fickle poseur vote

I once knew a guy, a poli-sci major, with whom I had numerous political arguments. This was because I was a firebrand liberal and he was a cocky, Republican-leaning libertarian. Our clashes peaked around the dawn of the Iraq War, with all the fun that implies.

Sometimes, though, he'd ask me what "we" could do as liberals to have "our" message resonate again. (I found that approach cynical even before he suggested with a straight face that Alan Colmes should be the national voice of the Democratic Party due to his forcefulness.) Our next encounter would see him right back at the Republican table. It was all so strange.

But I've come to see in the years since that quite a few people do this — all right-wingers masquerading as liberals, apparently, because I can't think of an opposite example who isn't Stephen Colbert. And he's kidding.

Take Rob Taub. Please. He's as bad at this game as anyone. Let us count the ways:

1) He's blogging for Fox News. I mean, come on.

2) Taub, a Democrat, takes every opportunity to remind us of his Democratic leanings and that he, as a Democrat, and other Democrats just like him are jumping ship on Obama. And we should take notice, because he's a Democrat! Because that is what Democrats do when talking to other Democrats! Constantly say they're Democrats!

3) His stated disappointment with Obama is that the president hasn't done enough to fulfill his promises, and thus the logical solution is to elect Mitt Romney. Sure, OK. I'll take "Things no actual liberal ever says" for $800, Alex.

4) He blames Obama's failings on his desire to balance his family and political lives, because all successful Democrats love government and hate families, right? Yeah. That's what made JFK special, and why no one remembers his family.

5) Divisive. Class warfare. Deficit. Bloated. Reform. George Soros. I bet Taub wanted to mention ACORN or Solyndra so bad, but that would be too obvious.

6) His only two pieces for Fox News include this one and another one titled, "I'm a Democrat and may vote for Romney." In that one, he says he's disgusted with Obama because "I’m unhappy with out of control spending and incompetent bureaucrats who seem to have no concern or regard about how they spend my hard-earned money." In other words, it's actually worse. 

First rule of propaganda: it's got to be believable.

Second rule of propaganda: Don't get Rob Taub to write it.

Third rule of propaganda: if you need propaganda, you are losing.