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Response to Bill Bishop
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/22/what_happens_to_political_mino/
Too bad about the egging of that Republican's car in a liberal stronghold like Austin.. But as Colbert said, "The truth has a well-known liberal bias."
My friend had a "Nobody But Bush" sign in his car and someone almost ran him off the road, clearly deliberately. He's got kids, and he removed the sign. This was in a majority Democratic state.
The Republicans deliberately poisoned the water of discourse in this country, and now complain that they're getting sick.
Remember Norquist? "Bipartisanship is date-rape" "The Democrats should be like castrated farm animals" etc.
Rove is to blame for that egging. We would be fools to ever trust these clowns again, or even be nice, except maybe on a case-by-case basis.
But probably not.
I think a careful examination of the record would reveal a general tolerance of Republicans by Democrats far exceeding the opposite.
Many of us were OK with the "Somebody's Rich Uncle" Republicans and the loudmouth blowhards in years past that were full of bluster but sometimes made some good points.
But no more. THEY declared war on US, and I think the record will bear that out.
Norquist was not alone. It has been my harsh personal experience that -- not all -- but the majority of Republicans subscribe to an atavistic "convert or be executed" mentality that displays a breathtaking disregard for the norms of political discourse in a Democracy.
Egged the car? Many of us have endured thinly veiled threats and LOST JOBS since these bastards drove us off the cliff. I've been nose-to-nose with these people so many times I don't care to count.
THEIR LACK OF REASON DEFINES THEM.
If anything, I firmly believe Democrats are TOO WIMPY in dealing with these jerks. Tom Daschle's hand-wringing makes me furious TO THIS DAY.
It is ALL personal. Spare me the "equal time" speech.
That's the same mentality the lets the media present, on the one hand, the lies of the Republicans, and, on the other hand, the truth, and call it "Objectivity."
Now that they're losing, they want to talk bipartisanship.
"An intelligent victor will present his demands to the vanquished in installments."
-- Gen. Patton
"It is inhuman to bless when you are being cursed."
--Nietzsche
Comments (3)
I guess I should add that I assiduously avoid political discussions as a rule. I am generally a polite and friendly person and I don't have a chip on my shoulder.
If it never comes up, my associations with people I know are Republican are generally good. We crack jokes, talk about the weather, or work, or family or whatever.
But it has been my experience that once politics comes up, I'm a "marked man." Not always, but those bad experiences will stay with you.
July 23, 2008 7:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
It might be useful to separate Republican officeholders from the Republicans one sees walking down the street.
I agree with you that the Republican party, as a political institution, has become a completely pernicious thing.
But extending that attitude to the soccer moms and so on who happen to vote Republican . . . is not a step I'm willing to take.
And I'm a little distressed by the number of people who seem to be angered by Bill Bishop's point, which is a pretty benign sociological point.
I guess this is the core of what I want to say: the MSM have given the ideal of objectivity a bad name, because when USA Today says "objectivity" they really mean "pandering to the center of gravity in the audience, wherever that center of gravity happens to be." That's not objectivity.
But that doesn't mean that the ideal of objectivity itself is valueless, or that all arguments which ask us to look beyond partisanship for a moment are deceptive hand-wringing.
July 23, 2008 8:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Aw, man...Two comments to my own post, but I'm pretty sure that was Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
And add a "whenever possible" before "present"
As you were.
July 23, 2008 8:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
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