Just another Reality-based bubble in the foam of the multiverse.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

What Do We Care What They Think?

The New York Pravda's Kate Phillips is clutching her pearls because some TheoCon weiner doesn't like the attitude of Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon or Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister.

Seems like they occasionally get pissed at the injustice and hypocrisy all around 'em and cuss.

Well damn. I guess that counts me and Dick Cheney both out of the power loop. Can't have language that scares the Preachers. Fuck, no.

Looks like they're still clutching their pearls, now. Pam Spaulding makes some good points, and so does Glenn Greenwald. I guess hateful talk is alright when it's coming from the Righteous. Or self-righteous, anyway.

I like Chicago Dyke's take on this:

...We here on the Tubes often refer to the members of the media as the Gang of 500, and don’t think they aren’t aware of the correctness of that label. Cushy, work for three hours a day “jobs” aren’t the only thing at stake. As Joke Line recently bragged, established mediawhores get to write campaign speeches, tell candidates what issues they should focus upon, make or break bills and careers. The short way to describe what they cling to so desperately: Power. Amanda and the blogosphere are trying to take that power away from them, one passionately argued, logically constructed, compassionate blog post at a time.

Candidates are often puppets to so many forces, it’s hard to know the real human being behind the public face. Edwards is currently trapped between the Scylla of his own populist image, and the Charybdis of those who determine if anyone in the population gets to see and hear that image. In a way, I don’t envy him. But in another way, I hope he can have his own Come to Jesus moment here. It’s not just about showing spine, or even doing what’s right and standing up for those who support and work for you.
The right choice for him is also common fucking sense.

For how much longer do you want to pay people who advance in power and career by bashing you? How much longer do you want to cower to unelected, cliquish Heathers who care nothing for the real people you say you want to represent and lead? This is one of those moments when doing what’s right is more than just scoring bonus points with your Savior. It’s about taking the first, bold step in destroying the structures that have held representative democracy hostage for far too long...


Well said indeed, lady.

I'll repeat my comment, here:

About a third of Americans support Bush. Now, the media more or less admits it. Perhaps this is all that has ever supported Bush, even during two Presidential elections.

They can not be pleased, no matter what a Democrat does. Unless that Democrat is a Lieberman DINOcrat, in which case they’ll pat him or her on the head until a Rethuglican can take his or her seat.

Only about a third of Americans cared about what a President and a consenting intern did in the ’90s.

Only about a third of Americans would be offended by Amanda or any of us using whatever language we want.

You would figure, after the bullshit of 2004, Edwards would know better.

At some point, our leaders would do well to forget the pearl-clutching mainstreamers, who represent nothing really other than their own sanctimonious interests.

Our leaders should lead. Or follow us. Or get out of the way.

Cd also cites this excellent post, which I will reproduce here, mostly because I like it, and I admire a guy who can write about this without cussing:

...While we all wait to see how the Edwards campaign will respond, it is worth remembering these three crucial points:

1. Attacks of this sort are not about cuss words (or military service or smoking or any other crap), but about right-wing thugs trying to control elections through fear.
2. When it happens, get your principal on TV right away to defend the electoral system from the thugs.
3. While on TV, be loyal as heck to those being attacked and everyone else associated with them.

Donahue, like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truuth before him, do not really care about the language of bloggers or the military records of veterans. What they care about is controlling the electoral system by appealing to our fears. They attack good people to intimidate and silence the debate--to keep us from standing up.

We will not allow it anymore.

The 2000 and 2004 Presidential election cycle was defiled by Republican thugs who ran roughshod over the system with impunity. This time, Americans will speak back.

For the Edwards campaign--and for Democratic campaigns attacked in this way--the time to speak back and defend our system from these thugs is now.


Damned right.

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