The cynicism of Dick Morris

The longtime political consultant Dick Morris has a new book out, and—no, wait, don’t go away. Morris may not be a thoughtful pundit or an admirable man, but he sure makes an interesting case study.

The book is called Here Come the Black Helicopters!, and it is co-authored, as usual, by Morris’ wife Eileen McGann. It begins with an all-caps WARNING from the writers: “READING THIS BOOK AND ADOPTING THIS PREMISE MAY BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR REPUTATION AND LEAD TO CRITICISM AND RIDICULE FROM LIBERALS, GLOBALISTS, AND RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS.” They go on to explain that the term “black helicopter crowd” is “a derisive liberal buzz phrase used to categorize those who question the movement for global governance,” adding: “Of course, we don’t believe that there are actual black helicopters on the way to conquer the United States. But we do believe that the term ‘black helicopters’ is a useful metaphor for this attempt to erode our sovereignty by a network of United Nations treaties, codes, guidelines, and other resolutions.” …

Now Morris is adopting the rhetoric of the people he called paranoid and weird in the ’90s. The result comes off less as a cri de coeur than as a minstrel show, with Morris donning distorted features of the audience he imagines himself reaching. I’m sure the man has honestly changed his mind about various issues over the years, but he is also a notorious opportunist, and it’s hard not to read his book as an example of that opportunism in action.