This morning on the way to work Imus spoke to Chris Dodd about James Webb and some passages which Jim had written in a couple of his novels. The question is, will the MSM play this like they have played the Foley story nationally or the Allen stories locally? That is, will it make the front page of WaPo and the NYT and will they run with it through November 8th.
“Hindsight alone is not wisdom and second-guessing is not a strategy.”
John B. Dwyer
This morning on the way to work Imus spoke to Chris Dodd about James Webb and some passages which Jim had written in a couple of his novels.
The question is, will the MSM play this like they have played the Foley story nationally or the Allen stories locally? That is, will it make the front page of WaPo and the NYT and will they run with it through November 8th.
“Hindsight alone is not wisdom and second-guessing is not a strategy.”
John B. Dwyer
My advice to all Democrats
(#4712)Ignore this story except to remind people of this:
Where was George Allen when Jim Webb was fighting in Vietnam?
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
Bingo. nt
(#4715)xxx
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
You of all people-nt
(#4724)TTT
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Oh, Okay, You Want An Answer?
(#4732)The MSM will largely ignore this as it has nothing to do with anything other than the mounting desperation felt by GOP party pros and winger bloggers. That desperation guarantees things will get weird and ugly in the remaining days before the election, but that's to be expected. Hey. Did you hear Harold Ford went to a Playboy party?
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
it got weird and ugly, sometime ago
(#4738)hence the subject of the diary.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Yep, weird and ugly
(#4811)Ever since December of 2000, by my estimation - but: Timmy: just a reminder: of the two major political parties in this country: which one's has decided (and fairly overtly stated) that "negative campaigning" (i.e. emphasising cheap personal smears over policy) should be the party's main theme for the 2006 midterms?
The Dems of course, it's all about Bush-bashing <nt>
(#4815)xx
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
"Of course, it's all about Bush-bashing"
(#4832)OK then, jm: care to offer an alternative focus for an expression of dissatisfaction with the policies (or the politics) of the current Government (Congress or the White House)?
Last time I checked, George W. Bush was President of the United States, and the Republican Party was the Majority party in both House and Senate. And even a cursory reading of the news over the past couple of years would show that there has been more than a little cooperation between these two branches of government in implementing a whole raft of offcial policies which I, according to my own political views, find kinda sucky, and would dearly wish to be changed.
So, jax, who then would someone wanting to advocate for a change in sucky government policies "bash", then? The President and Congress who have enabled the policies to begin with? Or do you have some other strawman or scapegoat you think we should be raking over the coals instead?
Well you answered your previous question, well done-nt
(#4834)TTT
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
I'm glad you agree with me <nt>
(#4835)xxx
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
No I don't - don't pull a Timmy
(#4841)Answer MY question?
The Democrats' plan was, because if it was rolled out
(#4845)I missed it.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Dragging the goalposts, don't get a hernia
(#4851)question A: Who started going negative
Answer to A? Dems with Bush bashing.
Question B? Wha else should the Dems have done?
Answer B: If the wish the answer to question A to be Republicans, then the answer to B is something else.
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
quit whining
(#4880)when has poilitcs NOT been negative. This has been covered. Stop crying foul because the republicans are giving so much fodder.
whose whinning
(#4891)ask a question, get an answer. Politics is hardball, nothing new there. But when you flip a batter, don't cry foul when you get a fastball up and in.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
jackson is whining, and so are you
(#5247)you especially... MSM, MSM, you sound like a broken record.
Reading the thread will keep one from looking, um
(#5249)Dumb Stuzzy. I am specifically responding to a claim of initial negativity by JayC. But of course, you need not be bound by common definitions of words.
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
I read the thread
(#5260)"The Dems of course, it's all about Bush-bashing" sounds like whining to me and my comment is just another in the same sub thread.
Your answer to question A is wrong, politics has always been negative in America. Trying to pin it on any one party is, well, dumb.
Get your ears checked then <nt>
(#5261)xxx
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
Try Reading #4811
(#5264)To which the quoted comment was a response to. Citing December 2000 is code for "I'm going to whine because you righties wouldn't let us steal the election."
The universe may well have been created without a point--that doesn't imply that we can't give it one.
So when it comes to the 2000 election, Scott
(#5283)Can we take it that your avowed position on that contest (or, to be exact, the Presidential vote in Florida) is there were no problems, no irregularities, no trickery or chicanery, no issues with the ballots, no issues with the counting, no issues with the re-counting; no questions about the applicability of the various appeals - in other words, Bush's election in 2000 was a good, clean, mandate-enabling victory with no serious questions about it? And of course, the corollary: that anyone who might raise any questions about the 2000 vote is just "whining" ?
Oh, and thanks for "decoding" my comments: I guess otherwise it would hard for me to figure out what I meant!
[/snark]
and for the record
(#5259)you're the one crying foul here...jeez.
"negative"
(#4897)Not the same thing as "dirty." Or "personal."
Yes
(#4905)Because there was nothing dirty or personal about the endless caterwauling from Democratic office-holders and their apologists from the moment that Bush v. Gore came down.
Try selling that to someone who wasn't around then.
The universe may well have been created without a point--that doesn't imply that we can't give it one.
Words are Important!
(#4909)"Endless"? So it's still going on? Or are you confusing criticism with something else? And what Dem office-holders in particular were caterwauling? And what was the content of their caterwaul?
Were they, for example, questioning either the Supreme Court decision or the accuracy of the election results? How is that dirty? How is that personal?
Unless of course all criticism that you disagree with is by definition both dirty and personal.
Thanks in advance.
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
Speaking of trying to sell something
(#4912)As a starter, you'll need to find someone who doesn't actually understand the law that was involved in that case, and who knows a lot less about what actually happened on the ground in Florida.
Heh
(#4913)Oh, he'll find someone my friend, someone close by, within range, and easily accessible. To him.
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
Evasion Noted <nt>
(#4917)The universe may well have been created without a point--that doesn't imply that we can't give it one.
Your perceptions must be keen indeed
(#4925)I wasn't even aware there was anything to evade.
so...
(#4879)http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/010524.php
Let's say this once and for all, after a deep breath and for the record: In US politics, in off-year elections with unpopular incumbents it is always that way. Always. Hear it again, always that way.
what's your point again? If Bush and republicans in general were doing a better job it wouldn't matter.
you guya keep flinging and maybe something will stick to the wall.
I like this one.
(#4940)The act of disagreeing with an incumbent's position and pointing it out is automatically characterized as "going negative." Nice reframe.
"In the very long run, we are all dead." -- John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes
When it isn't countered with a better idea?
(#5257)What else would one call it?
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
Often no idea is better than a bad idea **
(#5273)n/t
Nope, you learn nothing <nt>
(#5275)xxx
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
Interesting
(#5276)What have you learned so far if anything, from the debacle in Iraq?
"Something I think most liberals don't understand is exactly how stupid many conservative leaders are." - Matt Yglesias
That would be the party of the Democrats
(#4819)nothing else to run on.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
High school
(#4719)What do I win?
Will crush dissent for food
Changing the subject so soon?
(#4722)If I remember correctly there is posting rule about that, Trickster seemed to mention it from time to time over at Tac when I focused on a certain issue included in his diary.
Notwithstanding the question remains, will this appear on the front page of the NYT or WaPo? Would it appear, if Webb was a Republican?
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
See 4721 -- its the same subject
(#4726)Webb saw things in Vietnam that entered his fiction.
What's your point?
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
What's your point?
(#4733)My point is a simple comment about the MSM nothing more.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
No.
(#4727)Q: will this appear on the front page of the NYT or WaPo?
A: No. Because it doesn't mean anything.
It appears that you got your "Talking point-o-matic" machine fixed.
Alas....earwax.
--- I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own.
Did I hear my name? (nt)
(#4946)Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so. - Bertrand Russell
Its a harry potter reference
(#5045)to a flavor of jelly bean.
--- I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own.
Related to 4712
(#4721)It appears that many of the "disgusting" scenes in Webb's fictional book(s) reflect or are derived from events he saw with his own eyes while serving his nation in Vietnam. At that same time Georeg Felix Allen was surfing or playing dude ranch cowboy.
You guys want to run with that? Go for it.
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
You've missed the point again
(#4729)not surprised.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
The real point of all this?
(#4735)Desperation.
Allen may well win. But it was supposed to be a blow out.
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
Ask any racer, any real racer
(#4741)It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning's winning.
Can you name that flick?
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
Its a team sport
(#4751)Webb's campaign has helped Democratic nation-wide momentum regardless of how the final vote ends up in two weeks in VA.
Webb also did you guys a favor by undermining Allen's Presidential credentials. A big favor.
Finally, a lame attack on Webb's novels may actually help Webb in these closing days especially since the source material for these "sick" passages came from Webb's personal observations while serving his nation.
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
Talladega Nights? n/t
(#4755)aieou sometimes y
"And now you run in search of the Jedi. They are all dead, save one. And one broken Jedi cannot stop the darkness that is to come." -Darth Sion
Nope, Fast and the Furious. But
(#4797)you do win a year's supply of Turtle Wax!
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
Just in time
(#4799)This may be the last weekend I can wash my car. We are starting to see some frost on the pumpkin around these parts.
"And now you run in search of the Jedi. They are all dead, save one. And one broken Jedi cannot stop the darkness that is to come." -Darth Sion
No
(#4899)Even if he wins Allen is dead for 2008. Not a small thing for him.
This place is my vacation.
Certainly not mine
(#4742)Imus rolled it out this morning. Would it appear on the front page(s) of the MSM if Webb was a Republican?
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Imus? And you say you are not desperate?
(#4746)~
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
Listen to him every morning
(#4749)switching back and forth with Bloomberg.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Oooohh! More counterfactuals!
(#4736)As I made clear in the other counterfactual thread about Dawkins, I'm an agnostic so here's my shot:
The questions are unanswerable as written. What do I win?
M Aurelius was probably right.
Is there a deity of false equivalence?
(#4764)How does one invoke him/her/it?
"In the very long run, we are all dead." -- John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes
So if Webb was a Republican
(#4768)the MSM would have run with it then.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Of Course Not
(#4779)There's a whole journo subset regarding reporting on novels written by politicians. The more salacious the material, the more likely the MSM will pick it up and take some notice. But it's rarely anything more than puff piece work, and hardly something relevant to an election.
And the idea that this is somehow similar or related to the Foley Scandal? That's just goofy.
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
The more salacious the material
(#4796)then you will have to explain why Ted Kennedy has not been on the front page then. See The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Let me get this straight
(#4829)You want us to buy a book and read it because something in it--whether a chapter, a page, a paragraph, a sentence or a single word we aren't given to know--supposedly supports some totally and completely obscure and mysterious point that you make in a one-line post. Did I get that right?
Well, thanks for pointing us to the Amazon page, anyway. That was thoughtful of you.
Not at all, although the book is a good read
(#4831)I figured a quick google would work, if you had any questions. But the comment was a simple retort to Harley's observation along with the opportunity to reemphasize my point about the MSM.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Except....
(#5053).....you made no point.
You simply offered an opinion. Not the same thing.
Opinion noted.
**********
Me: We! -- Ali
smoking gun in the book-nt
(#5057)TTT
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Did Scooter Libby
(#4783)or Mrs. Cheney crack the MSM in any significant way.
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
Yes
(#4794)At least in Webb's work, it's a human acting sexually with a child.
By. . .
(#4780). . .spending all of one's time obsessively comparing the current Administration to fascist governments of the past.
The universe may well have been created without a point--that doesn't imply that we can't give it one.
M Scott
(#4787)can we peruse your body of written work?
Have you written scenes you would never ever participate in, in real life? To compare Mark Foley's actual life with scenes in a Jim Webb novel is absurd. Also remember that John McCain gave the book a glowing review.
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
why would you want to peruse buffy fanfic?
(#5110)nt
I don't think so
(#4790)That's how one invokes the deity of straw-men.
And yet.....
(#4804)...there's post #4798.
"Unfortunately the universe doesn't agree with me. We'll see which one of us is still standing when this is over." -- Eliezer Yudkowsky
And 4803. . . <nt>
(#4813)The universe may well have been created without a point--that doesn't imply that we can't give it one.
Dude...
(#4798)...I spend more time breaking wind than I do comparing this Administration to various fascist regimes. First, why belabor the obvious? Second, it's depressing.
"In the very long run, we are all dead." -- John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes
That's noticeable...
(#4873)The K Codes explained HERE.
What do you mean?
(#5109)nt
What I said; breaking wind (his words) is generally noticed. NT
(#5127)The K Codes explained HERE.
From the GOP Library
(#4793)Teagan Goddard notes a DCCC memo regarding some topics Republican's like to write about. The most interesting one from a phycho point of view:
In 1988, Lynne Cheney wrote about a Republican vice president who dies of a heart attack while having sex with his mistress.
"And now you run in search of the Jedi. They are all dead, save one. And one broken Jedi cannot stop the darkness that is to come." -Darth Sion
Damn.....
(#4856)....your sig just gave me another idea. Anywhere I can vote for myself as king?
"Unfortunately the universe doesn't agree with me. We'll see which one of us is still standing when this is over." -- Eliezer Yudkowsky
Guerreroland maybe
(#4883)I have voted myself king of my personal castle. Unfortunately my wife uses her Queenly veto like a scalpel. And as far as her use of the royal filibuster goes well let's just say if my 'we need to hire someone to fertilize the lawn who isn't me' bill gets filibustered I may invoke the nuclear option.
"And now you run in search of the Jedi. They are all dead, save one. And one broken Jedi cannot stop the darkness that is to come." -Darth Sion
Um, didn't that actually happen?
(#4860)Was Rocky still VP at the time? Hmmm.
I'm trying to make the best out of a bad situation. I don't need to hear crap from a bunch of hippie freaks living in denial! Screw you guys, I'm going home!
Answer to your question
(#4833)No, they won't. What Foley did was an abuse of power and an abuse of the faith placed in him by his constituents. What Webb 'did' was in no way wrong, or even particularly unusual. Given the lack of wrongdoing and the lack of uniqueness, why would the media run with it at all?
I get that the subtext of your question is that the media overplayed the Foley matter - a point to which I'm not entirely unsympathetic - but you can't just pretend that Foley did nothing wrong or that Webb did anything wrong. One case says nothing about the other.
Let's talk, instead, about the amount of coverage the Lewinsky matter garnered compared to the Foley 'scandal.' That's at least apples to apples.
"There are sneakers that cost more than an iPod." -Steve Jobs
Who is pretending, I had no problem with Foley's exit. I don't
(#4844)think he was unfairly treated but on the balance of the story, way over done (and political in nature) along with psycho-babble tap dance on Allen.
Just one more question, how do you think this would be playing out if Webb was a Republican?
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
I'm going with 'just the same'
(#4854)I can't say definitively that the reason the GOP is getting heavier scandal coverage than the Dems is because the GOP has more scandals than the Dems, but that's sure the way it looks to me. Macaca was overplayed, but it was real. The 'n-word' stuff was overplayed, but it was real. I can't think of an instance where a manufactured Allen scandal got overplayed, or where an authentic Webb scandal got underplayed. Feel free to fill me in, if I've missed some.
"There are sneakers that cost more than an iPod." -Steve Jobs
Allen's Jewish heritage and the related psyco-babble
(#4878)followed by the responsibility of the Speaker with respect to the members of Congress.
Generally speaking, I find the MSM to be a target of opportunity given its overall performance since the 60s. And I pursue the opportunities whenever presented and Webb provided such an opportunity.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Allen's heritage
(#4882)That's an interesting point. I'm inclined to agree that there wasn't much substance to the story, but there certainly was interest, and I'd say the media pursues those in equal amounts. You've got to admit, that story was just freaky weird - that Allen didn't know he was Jewish until now? So I'll give you half-points for that one.
As for the Foley follow-up, which I'd agree should have generated a few less front-page stories, Hastert did go before the ethics committee, so according to the smoke-fire rule there may actually be some substance. A lot of Republicans seem to think so, anyway. And that's the real key to the Foley story - it was deemed important by both Dems and Republicans, so for a newspaper trying to maximize circulation it seems like a no-brainer - go with the story.
"There are sneakers that cost more than an iPod." -Steve Jobs
no, because it is completely irrelevant...
(#4842)oh yeah, it absolutely stinks of desperation.
Actually the post is motivated by the MSM
(#4847)nothing else.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
and I answered "no" to your original question
(#4875)The fact that this is being peddled by the right is desperation. I should have been clearer.
OT technical question for Timmy
(#4849)when you posted this diary, did you fill in any fields other than the title and the body of the article? Specifically, did you fill in the URL field? Because I had to edit this diary, I was getting weird redirects directly to YouTube, and I'm wondering if you did that accidentally or if the software automatically did something it wasn't supposed to.
I blame it all on the Internet
Given WetherMan's diary to get a screen on the diary
(#4874)I tried a couple of things (which didn't work) and then deleted them. I ended up using "image" which may very well be the problem.
Given your comment, I suspect the culprit was me and not the software.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
No, the image tags were fine
(#4992)it was the fact that the URL field was filled in with the link to youtube that caused the problem. No big deal, I just wanted to be sure that Drupal didn't have a bug in it.
I blame it all on the Internet
Oh, Okay
(#4862)I'll swap you the novel for unsealing Allen's divorce records. Deal or no deal!?
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
OT: Thank you for introducing....
(#4866)....yet another pop-culture meme, H.
"Unfortunately the universe doesn't agree with me. We'll see which one of us is still standing when this is over." -- Eliezer Yudkowsky
Heh
(#4867)I aim to please!
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
When embedding YouTube links, use the "Embed" textfield
(#4872)We'll eventually get all this into an FAQ
"A Haven of Sanity and Reasonable Manners in a General Atmosphere of Insult-Filled Invective"
Thanks for the fix-nt
(#4894)TTT
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
So far
(#4902)The GOP's heaviest personal-'n-dirty political artillery appears to have scored heavily--on Republicans. The shot mentioned here is new, but my initial suspicion is that it is going to wind up as another self-inflicted Republican injury, making Allen appear desperate and dirty and doing nothing to Webb.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Limbaugh/Fox thing winds up changing the national election from what would've been otherwise a mere rout into an overwhelming deluge. Fox's McCaskill ad has been widely described, and I certainly agree, as one of the most powerful political ads ever made, and Rush has assured that it has been played in its entirety dozens of times on national TV, and not as just another ad that people are halfway-tuning out, either. You can't buy that kind of coverage, you can only hand-deliver it to your political opponents with a pretty bow tied on it.
(GOP folks: I know you don't want to take advice from me, but it might be time to take Rush's keys away from him.)
Nah, Rush and his like Serve a Useful Purpose
(#4904)They spew usually helpful garbage into the mix, and GOP pros can both decry it and benefit from it at the same time. It's a very old trick. Ken Mehlman employs it on an almost hourly basis.
The question is whether or not it's helpful this time. But that won't stop them from taking full advantage of Rush et al when next they are needed.
“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco
Amusing Rush Article
(#5027)At the Toronto Star:
Now, I know this may offend those who suffer from this particular condition, and these individuals might not like it much when I suggest that a certain person with this diagnosis is exaggerating his symptoms, but I have to say, I think Rush Limbaugh is just pretending to be a [portion of the male anatomy].
While the right-wing radio host does exhibit most, if not all, of the common characteristics of this behaviour, it's so rare for all of them to coalesce at a single moment that one can only conclude Limbaugh's most recent performances are nothing short of fraudulent.
I'm no expert diagnostician, but nobody could be this big a one. Limbaugh must be acting.
* * *
My guess, in fact, is that Rush Limbaugh is a liberal plant. A Democratic plant. The Democrats, who appear to be on the verge of winning back both houses of Congress, don't want to leave anything to chance. What better way to turn things their way than for a prominent spokesperson for the right wing (nudge nudge, wink wink) to say something so astonishingly and despicably vile that it will make fair-minded Republicans vote Democrat, or at the very least, stay home.
er, or Steele's response
(#5075)““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Who recalls the Orwell quote sig kerfluffle
(#4914)The purpose of torture is torture or some such thing?
As I recall, our more Right leaning members had knotted kickers over the idea that attributing contents of fiction to the author personally just wasn't playing to Hoyle.
Anyone have a link?
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
Thomas Lanier Williams
(#5047)or was it Thomas Stearns Eliot,
"Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything."
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
pattern repeating itself
(#4962)trying to spin fiction into reality.
~At times like these I am reminded of the immortal words of Socrates when he said...."I drank what?"
Sorry but I just can't agree on this.
(#4999)I've read all of Webb's work and consider him a very good novelist. I read Lost Soldiers only recently and found the image created by the passage in question very disturbing and out of context, but so what? He wrote the book, not me, and it is a good book (although not his best).
Holding stuff like this against Webb means either that people who write fiction can't run for office, or that they should self-censor their writing in case they might decide in the future to throw their hats into the ring. Neither is acceptable to me.
I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems scary and weird. It'll happen to you.—Abraham Simpson
Just an even playing field
(#5048)as the diary pertains to the MSM.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Just pointless non-observations
(#5058)with no backup. Reading your earlier quote makes things much clearer.
I blame it all on the Internet
All depends on how you view the MSM
(#5066)in general and in this particular political cycle.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
From the official Webb response
(#5091)This issue (the novel attack) really is about Webb's service in Vietnam and Allen being a surfer guy and dude ranch cowboy.
The proper balance between defense and welfare are the tectonic plates that lie beneath our political discourse.
This issue, er the issue is the MSM coverage or the
(#5302)lack thereof.
““I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!”” –H
Sounds like they're learning.
(#5406)Couple of years ago, they used to run with any baseless smear the Repubs threw up.
"In the very long run, we are all dead." -- John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes