The Era of New Civility Remains Over

Newsbusters spots Richard Dreyfuss comparing the president of Citizens United to Pol Pot:

Last week at CPAC I ran into liberal Hollywood icon Richard Dreyfuss. The rumor around CPAC was that Dreyfuss had seen that shining city on the hill and was “turning conservative.” I wondered if I would see him because I have enjoyed some of his movies.

The opportunity arose when we both finished interviews on radio row. I approached Dreyfuss, put out my hand, and said “Hi, I am David Bossie, President of Citizens United.” Dreyfuss’ eyes lit up like he just saw Jaws and he said, “You’re going to have a hard time getting into heaven if you believe in that sort of stuff.” I was taken aback and asked, “Why?” Dreyfuss then went on a diatribe equating the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision to the Khmer Rouge. He compared me to Pol Pot “stacking skulls” back at my office. He actually used his hands to seemingly act out the stacking of skulls. I replied by saying, “I thought you would have been supportive of my First Amendment Supreme Court case because you are in the business of supporting the First Amendment.” He did not have a clear response and looked like a frustrated, institution-bound Dr. Leo Marvin from his Oscar-worthy performance in What About Bob?

For someone who was at CPAC to promote a civics and civility campaign, calling me one of the worst mass murderers in history strikes me as awfully hypocritical. But this is not the first time Dreyfuss has used extreme and offensive language to make a political point. He once compared former Vice President Dick Cheney to Adolf Hitler and agreed with comments that wished Cheney dead (though later apologized).

Comedian Chris Rock gives a seminar on political correctness; insults half of Hollywood’s domestic audience along the way:

“I actually like it, in the sense that—you got kids?” asked Rock. “Kids always act up the most before they go to sleep. And when I see the Tea Party and all this stuff, it actually feels like racism’s almost over. Because this is the last—this is the act up before the sleep. They’re going crazy. They’re insane. You want to get rid of them—and the next thing you know, they’re f—-ing knocked out. And that’s what’s going on in the country right now.”

This quote from far left talk radio host Mike Milloy makes him sound like he’s ready to bash some heads himself on behalf of Rock:

Remember, these right wing scum – these are neo-Nazis! If I ever come across Andrew Breitbart, uh, there will be um, nastiness occur! Let me just put it that way – I hate these people!

The right wing needs to be crushed in the United States like a cockroach, the right-wing needs to be ground into the dirt! I’m telling you, they are destroying the country!

James Taranto “Assault and Moonbattery,” the left’s reaction to Lara Logan’s assault in Egypt:

The French newspaper Le Monde is perhaps less fastidious about its comments than NPR. A French-speaking friend reports that “some of the commentators are justifying the attack the way they justified the 9/11 attack.” Here is one comment from Le Monde’s site, as translated by Google:

Well, if it is in the picture, in terms …, it must also be a little, uh .. how to say … American?, to dare to walk dressed in a way that the Egyptians must be considered particularly challenging in normal times, then … What is interesting is that the Yanks with the idea that others may be different is foreign to them.

One other very weird, though much more mildly offensive, comment comes from Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post: “This sort of story has a pernicious staying power: Not a faceless statistic, but a known, blonde [sic], white woman.” What in the world does the color of Logan’s hair and skin have to do with anything?

Two weeks ago, when Hosni Mubarak still ruled his country at least titularly, Logan was detained by Egyptian police and expelled from the country. As BusinessInsider.com reports, that prompted HBO’s lefty unfunnyman Bill Maher to make the following joke: “New rule: now that Hosni Mubarak has released Lara Logan, he must put her intrepid hotness on a plane immediately. In exchange, we will send Elisabeth Hasselbeck.”

Hasselbeck is the token conservative on “The View,” a daytime chat show. BI.com reports that she responded to Maher’s jape with “an angry rant” on the Feb. 7 episode of the program:

“Notice how the audience laughs,” said Barbara Walters, indicating that Maher’s comment was a joke.

[Hasselbeck said, referring in the second person to Maher:] “You can hide anything in the cloak of a joke. It is unfair. It is chauvinistic what you said, and you’ll probably run this again, and I find it disturbing–but also amusing–that I happen to be on your mind.”

“It is wrong to do to any person, any woman, who just happens to disagree with you. You obviously missed the call of civility from our President Barack Obama, and you were on the other line with ignorance and hate.”

Walters said: “I’m not sure it’s about women–well, it is to women–but I think it’s your politics.”

Perhaps without meaning to, Walters gets to the heart of the matter. As with the deranged hatred of Sarah Palin–whom PoliticsDaily’s Suzi Parker manages to blame in part for the attack on Logan!–left-wing politics too often serves as an excuse for, and a spur to, the expression of misogynistic attitudes.