To update P.J. O’Rourke’s great line, written late last month before the elections, November 2nd wasn’t an election, it was a restraining order. And as Michael Gerson noted this week, in the aftermath, the Ruling Class left have been very sore losers indeed. This isn’t itself all that surprising. But what is curious, Gerson wrote, are the number of conspiracy theories they’ve been proffering lately.
Pejman Yousefzadeh adds, “Remember ‘Jane’s Law,’ which was formulated by Megan McArdle back when the Blogosphere was young?” In case you don’t, here’s a flashback:
Jane’s Law: The devotees of the party in power are smug and arrogant. The devotees of the party out of power are insane.
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After quoting from Gerson’s new article, Pejman responds:
The only reason that we are having this discussion, as Gerson notes, is that Obama supporters are so objectively convinced that their policy prescriptions are the right one, that they believe that advocacy on behalf of any alternative prescriptions are a form of economic treason. Dissent, you will remember, used to be the highest form of patriotism during the Bush Administration, but now, dissent is A Very Bad Thing, that will have one’s patriotism questioned by people whose blogs and columns get undeservedly high page views, and whose reputations are buttressed with undeserved praise.
So, Jane’s Law needs to be amended. The party in power, and its devotees are in the grips of paranoia. It’s nice that Gerson called shenanigans on their rhetoric, but a great many more media figures with powerful microphones need to step in and stage an intervention for Krugman, Yglesias, Benen, and others who propagate the conspiracy theories they appear to be so fond of.
Read the whole thing.™
Related: Perhaps science offers an explanation as to why so many leftwing elitists can’t sympathize with the emotions expressed by their fellow Americans on election day…
“The only reason that we are having this discussion, as Gerson notes, is that Obama supporters are so objectively convinced that their policy prescriptions are the right one, that they believe that advocacy on behalf of any alternative prescriptions are a form of economic treason”
nah.
50% of what they do is to create an alternative reality. Even they don’t believe the ideology designed for idiots. It’s just a strategy they use to dupe the gullible.
Pejman: “Dissent, you will remember, used to be the highest form of patriotism during the Bush Administration”
Progressives were not supporting the principle of dissent, they do not support the principle of free speech, and they often do not even support the principle of Democracy.
Put the word “our” or “my” into the statements, in order to capture the true meaning.
“Our dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”
“Our free speech is protected as a fundamental value.”
“Democracy allows us to gain power, but real advancement would come if we could be dictators for a year, to really get things done.”
I will express this from the progressive point of view: What is the purpose of giving those idiots in the opposition any forum for dissent? What value is there in giving free speech to the demented? Democracy is the opiate of the masses. It allows us to rule the simpletons by reminding them that “we won”, so we can do whatever we want, that is, the right things for us all.