Charles answers former CU President Elizabeth Hoffman in David Harsanyi’s Denver Post column today. I suspect these duels between the academicians, politicians, MSMers and bloggers are still in their first phase. They are going to increase and perhaps get even more bloody as blogs continue to grow in stature and economic power.
Meanwhile, another example of Charles-bashing today can be found on the fire-breathing Salon…Yes, they are still there… under the “highly-sophisticated” blog title World O’Crap. The wannabe Mencken who blogs under that moniker attacks Little Green Footballs for linking a story from The Independent about a possible 100,000 trained terrorists now in Britain. Never mind that The Independent is one of England’s leading liberal-left publications… someone who names his blog World O’Crap could be ignorant of such niceties… or that the article raises significant issues for Britain and for the West: the importance is to bash Charles. Yet this man knows Charles from Adam. He assumes Charles is conservative on all subjects because he is militant on the WoT. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is the kind of childish partyline thinking that makes bloggers like this blind to new ideas and has turned Salon, an Internet pioneer, into an old fashioned publication scarcely worth reading.
I think the problem is as the Democrat party becomes a monolith, they just assume the Republicans are. As a Republican, I don’t consider myself a social conservative, but I surely don’t consider joining the Democrat party.
Let’s just say I don’t want to get blowed up.
The long-repressed voices of opposition in a free society, now ringing loud and clear through talk radio, cable TV and — of course — the blogosphere, will force the left to rethink its arguments or go extinct:
Bloggers are “cracking, popping, drilling and peeling their victims open”
The writers at Salon are just as lazy as CU President Elizabeth Hoffman.
The aptly named “World O’Crap” responds to a Wizbang comment about the lack of intelligent discussion in the left-blogs by producing a textbook example of the kind of empty snark that exemplifies the left. Is this meant to be a parody? It’s hard to tell with these people.
Setting aside the relative quality of the left and right bloggers, it is really interesting to examine the quality of the commenters on the different sites.
Compare what the LGF, Polipundit, and Redstate commenters put out to what you see on Atrios, Kos, and Democratic Underground.
Or have a look at the thinking of the “liberal” commenters at Volokh.
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2005_08_07-2005_08_13.shtml#1123387410
I don’t mean to denigrate my neocon friends, honestly, but how could you ever have been comfortable in a party where such nakedly bigoted, racist, misogynistic people hold sway?
Roger, the “Salon” blog you link to isn’t Salon the magazine, but one of hundred subscriber-run blogs hosted on Salon’s Radio Weblog:
http://blogs.salon.com/
Did you really think a publicly traded media company gave up its Salon.com domain name to republish under “World of Crap”?
WJA,
If Salon provides the portal don’t they deserve recognition?
We’re scared, but scared in a strange way, of monsters we can’t understand and are forbidden to name. We need somebody to hate, somebody to respond to, somebody palpable who embodies our fear. We need a whipping boy. Who better than a gentle liberal former band member web guy who speaks the forbidden words? We know he’ll never blow us up. It’s a safe hatred.
There really does seem to be a complete lack of civility among the Left these days. I guess you call folks Nazis enough, you start to believe it. And who would be polite to folks they consider Nazis?
Who was it that said the Left considers Republicans evil and the Right considers Democrats stupid? It’s a lot easier to be tolerant of the dumb than it is of the vile.
“Who was it that said the Left considers Republicans evil and the Right considers Democrats stupid? It’s a lot easier to be tolerant of the dumb than it is of the vile.”
That was the great Charles Krauthammer:
I am at Salon blogs, too, and these blogs have nothing to do with Salon the magazine, which I hardly read anymore.
The World O’Crap blogger is a she, btw.
I think the most unsettling aspect to this tug of war is the dehumanizing effect. Democrats talk about Republicans as if they believe they eat their young.
Shocking as it may be to any passing liberal: Conservatives are people, just like you. Only smarter.
Actually, we conservatives aren’t even smarter. We merely have a better understanding of our limits. One of the characteristic ways that liberals get into trouble is by overestimating their own intelligence–and thinking that simple intelligence can handle more than it in fact can handle.
flenser:
When we were at peace, the PC/far left were a small and not terribly noticable part of the Democratic party. As they have been proven wrong time after time, they have had increasing trouble tacking close to reality. PC thought demands that the opposition be a “fascist oppresssor”, even better if they are a white male opppressor (though that is not necessary; they are flexible enough to include black females like Condi among the oppressors.) All data must fit the pre-concieved model or be discounted/denied. The ideal situation is to not percieve data that doesn’t fit. It is easier to demonize Charles Johnson if you don’t actually read what he writes. The upshot is that they have to either amend and repudiate their own world view, or increasingly distort reality so that they can find a way to support what they “know” to be true.
Roger;
Hoffman was in a terrible spot. Having a fraud and a intellectual midget spouting anti-american hate speech and claiming that the dead of 9-11 had it coming as one of your tenured proffs and the fact that he had been writing this vomit for years is almost impossible to defend. What can she do? Change the subject and blame the blogs. Only this doesn’t work well because the blogs have the truth on their side and she has “The dog ate my homework.” Charles simply wrote the facts. granted, I am sure Hoffman would have prefered that this intellectual embarreasment had stayed behind the snow covered hills of CU but there is nothing false about what LGF posted. And the outrage of the public was proper. LGF did not take a complex situation and misrepresent it. Churchhill’s screed was junior high level agit-prop and doesn’t need an elite filter to explain the reality behind his words.
The only place that her song and dance routine will fly is in the MSM and academia. Just as corrupt, incompetent governments would use the pogroms to let the populace direct their rage at the government’s mistakes at a innocent target, Hoffman knows she can yell “it’s the blogs fault” and get a sympathetic and uncritical response from certain quarters.
Kevin Peters
Shrinkwrapped
I don’t buy the argument that the D’s have been taken over by the extremist far left. From what I can see, the typical party activist is not motivated by ideology much, if at all.
I’d be happier if they did have an ideology – at least then we could debate its pros and cons. Instead the Democratic party, seemingly from top to bottom, is running on emotions. Primarily hate and resentment.
There are precedents for a people losing their collective minds, as in 1930′s Germany. Usually it is in response to some type of economic or military collapse.
The one thing that jumps out at you about left/liberals is that they are very angry people. In fact a large number of them are consumed by hate, as is evident by looking through the comment threads on their blogs. We cannot simply write those people off as unrepresentative either. The head of the DNC brags of how much he hates Republicans.
The real origins of all that hate continues to be a mystery. We can only hope it burns itself out over time, because living with it long term is not a viable option.
The Independent used to have a chat room.
I spent about 3 years in the Independent’s former chat room, learned a lot.
Crystallized a lot of things I believe, and honed some of my arguments/defense of my stances.
Sometimes it was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Let me tell you, when you have to explain that The Star Spangled Banner is not a war song (to the English {who know our history better than we do, as we’ve been told ad nauseum} no less) and defend why the vision of some certain “archaic” 18th century documents are still needed in this world, amongst defending all other American ills, perceived, slight, or true, it clears out most cobwebs.
I keep saying mutated monarchy – unelected 1 (king) unelected many – communism – they haven’t changed. 1000 years and they haven’t changed.
Thanks to all who’ve posted.
There’s been many a time when I’ve simply scrolled through comments on righty blogs and marvelled at the intellect. I’ve wanted – badly – to do the same with a lefty blog, but simply haven’t found one (sigh).
Steven,
Your keen observation is the prime reason I seldom post (and should probably sit down, now)…
Observe what age the lefties are. Are they mostly idealistic young? No. I believe some/a lot of them are looking for “street cred” and protest cos it’s the thing to do.
I’m going to generalize and stereotype. Who are the angry? who are driving this? what age are they?
Dare I write Boomers? Especially boomers over a certain age?
They had the world in their hands, put their ideology into practice, control most of academia, NGOs, the bureaucracy and surprise, it doesn’t work. The last 40 years has on the whole, proved them wrong, wrong, wrong.
And they’re angry that we don’t recognize how smart and sophisticated they really are. And they can’t understand why their vision failed. How America can still go on and go on w/o them. They’re getting ready to head off into the sunset where their jeans are still tight and they have no responsibilities.
America is trying to somewhat return to the boomers’ childhood, the generations coming after never went thru it the 1st time, but the boomers have run so far from their childhood, they can’t understand why people want to live that way.
They’re starting to be held to their parents’ standards by those younger than them and they still don’t like it.
Speaking about leftist hateÖ
I have been at a dinner party this weekend and had a misfortune to share a table with a most revolting member of America and Bush hating species. The woman (for I cannot call her a lady) kept introducing anti-American themes over gentle objections of the rest of guests (most of them anti-Bush liberals themselves, but with manners), and finally announced proudly that she is taking her 7-year old daughter to a ìMillion People Marchî to throw stones at the White House. It is going to be educational experience for the child. You see, the poor little girl does not understand why President Bush wants to kill Iraqi children and steal their oil, but after the stone-throwing rally things are to become clear.
I have never met anybody that openly hating and proud of it. This is saying a lot: I live in San Francisco.
BTW, the event is to take place around 20th of September and is organized by the usual suspects, ANSWER and Co. I personally doubt that they will get more than 20 thousand, even with free busing from campuses, but if you hear MSM reporting about 1 million strong protesters, you will know where the number came from. San Francisco is to be graced by half that number, so I think that 500 may actually turn up.
Hmm, I just Googled “Million People March” and “White House”. Got zip. I think you got punked.
Rob C.
Go a little farther and you find that the ANSWER comsymps do indeed have a mass protest planned for DC, SF and LA. The woman Katherine spoke too belongs to the “math is hard” (overwhelming majority) portion of the ANSWER adherents. For her, mass = million, and as Katherine notes 500 in SF will be trumpeted in the press with adjectives better suited to a number containing six digits rather than three.
This is just the ANSWER idiots ‘back to school’ shenanigan for ’05. Richard M. is propably oiling the ash staff of his placard holder right now, as he muses over the appropriate form of counter protest in LA.
Let’s at least be a bit accurate here. World of Crap is a blog hosted on Salon with hundreds of other blogs. It is not written by Salon. Just like blogs on MSN Spaces are not affiliated with Bill Gates.
Also, Word O’Crap is a woman, not a man. And she’s damned funny. If you read her carefully, as I am sure you all have, you’ll find she is perceptive and fair. Certainly a lot fairer that Lord Charles.
Richardphx,
So it’s “unfair” to post the actual words of radical Islamicists in their complete context?
If you believe that, I don’t think I’ll bother with your recommendation re WOC.
Bostonian, don’t inquiring minds want to know? Go check out her blog, and at least make up your own mind. Ther might be more (or less) to this kerfuffle than meets the eye. Buyt never let other people do your thinking for you. I read CJ’s post and WoC’s. To do otherwise is lazy, intellectually and otherwise.
Here, let me help make it easier. This is what she has to say about Roger Simon’s post:
It really pays to see issues from multiple sides. And to be nice, also. Let’s be nice. WoC may be bitingly sardonic, but she’s always compassionate and nice. Learn from her.
Richardphx,
Thank you for telling me how WoC characterizes LGF. Thus you save me the bother of reading WoC.
I read LGF, and her characterization of it misses the point sadly.
Richardphx,
I’m generally the critic around here of LGF, but I have to say you are way off the mark here. Below is the complete text as written by Charles Johnson in the relevent post.
Britain has a problem?a huge problem that has been growing for decades, while British authorities worshipped at the altars of unrestricted immigration and willfully blind multiculturalism: Intelligence chiefs warn Blair of home-grown ?insurgency?.
Nothing about a possible 100,000 trained terrorists now in England.
I believe that Martini Republic is the site that tried to get an Iraqi blogger killed, by suggesting he was an American agent. Try cleaning up your act before throwing stones. The fact that you regard this kind of garbage is worth linking to speaks poorly of you.
BTW, I took a look at your site. Too bad the “World O’Crap” moniker is already taken by sombody else.
What’s your problem with my site, flenser, are or you just being petty? I am an outspoken anti-communisty and my site is dedicated to criticizing the Chinese Communist Party and exposing its crimes against humanity. If that bothers you, what can I do? Take care. It’s been a learning experience.
I went to Richards blog, and found some blatently dishonest posts there. I posted a civil comment pointing out his error.
His response was to make a correction.
Just kidding. No, his response was to delete my comment and ban me from commenting on the site. Dishonesty, plus the suppressrion of facts you do not agree with. Another scummy leftist.
OK, Charles is interesting and culls some good stuff from others and brings them to our attention. But he is an out and out Zionist. By that I mean all Israel all the time. If it doesn’t relate to Israel he doesn’t print it. If it isn’t pro Israel ditto. Israel is never wrong to Charles. These days anybody who likes Israel is considered a Nazi by the Left (don’t ask me to elaborate on that one). I don’t think it’s far out of line to call Johnson a Conservative from what he publishes. If it’s the source that bothers you, well Salon bothers me too and I mistrust everything eminating from the joint. I always know that the stuff I read at Johnson’s site is biased too and when I’m motivated I check it out; I’ve only checked him a few times and he’s been correct. BUT the UN sponsored 1947 ethnic cleansing of Arabs in Palestine was wrong then and it’s still wrong. Wrong. Get it? The conflicts there are two sided and then some.