Fun and games at CPAC

[bago]

Coulter calls Edwards a faggot:
It turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I’m kind of at an impasse — I can’t really talk about Edwards.

Republicans hate girls kissing:
When society tolerates deviance ... it normalizes deviance ... lesbianism among young women has risen dramatically in the last 10 years alone. And that is certainly due to media and advertising, and certainly also because of the fact that we decide to tolerate it.

Malkin gets FACED!
Nation magazine writer Max Blumenthal queued up to get a book signed by Michelle Malkin. When he reached her, however, he didn't produce a book. He produced this photo (http://lawanddisorder.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/japanese%20internment.jpg) and asked her to sign it. According to Blumenthal, Malkin got so angry she left the table; video that can prove or disprove this telling should be posted on Monday.

[bago]

Now with video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByLqJD36F7E).

[MatthewF]

Ouch.

[SlyFrog]

Are you supposed to come away wanting to punch the smug self-righteous bastard who gave her the picture? Well, I guess the base can masturbate to it and feel better about itself, so it serves its purpose.

I'm hoping the guy has someone drop a fetus on his doorstep, since he appears to like that type of political activism.

[Midnight Son]

Are you supposed to come away wanting to punch the smug self-righteous bastard who gave her the picture? Well, I guess the base can masturbate to it and feel better about itself, so it serves its purpose.

I'm hoping the guy has someone drop a fetus on his doorstep, since he appears to like that type of political activism.

You know, there are opinions and there are historical facts. The facts were shoved in her stupid face.

[MatthewF]

She's an asian woman who wrote a book justifying racial profiling and internment of asians in WW2 as a means to get people to justify it for middle-eastern people today. An asian woman that's at the top of the social ladder, and probably has no idea what it's like to be treated like that. I think that's where this is coming from.

Tactless? Yes. But honestly, I think she got what she deserved. This is Michelle "Perpetually Tact-Challenged" Malkin we're talking about here.

[SlyFrog]

You know, there are opinions and there are historical facts. The facts were shoved in her stupid face.

Said another way, I don't like her viewpoints, so it's okay in this case.

[Brian Rucker]

Yeah, I think you have a point. People who find the idea of internment camps revolting, those citizens of a country which has abjectly apologised for the act, might be a little over the top in confronting a booster of the notion who thinks it's a good thing.

BTW, that entire video Blumenthal did is priceless. Hey, Lum - yes, this is what we think conservatives are. We're mistaken again, why?

[Midnight Son]

Concentration camps are now a just a "point of view?" This must come as news to many people......

[SlyFrog]

Concentration camps are now a just a "point of view?" This must come as news to many people......

And bloody sectioned fetuses are just a "point of view."

It is ridiculous that you would even try to defend this behavior using that logic.

[Aeon221]

And bloody sectioned fetuses are just a "point of view."

It is ridiculous that you would even try to defend this behavior using that logic.

What would you prefer him to defend it with? Gibberish?

Asuidhihqweq8-1q1y-92uu#$(&Q^#$()Qh12io3lhob! QED, it is ok to be over the top in slamming people who support concentration camps.

[SlyFrog]

What would you prefer him to defend it with? Gibberish?

Asuidhihqweq8-1q1y-92uu#$(&Q^#$()Qh12io3lhob!

He can not defend it, because it is indefensible. It is disgusting behavior. Trying to have her sign a picture clearly in no way attempted to discuss the legitimacy of camps or discredit her viewpoint. Did he really think she was not aware that the camp existed? How did asking her to sign it discuss the issue at all?

To call it a "fact" and therefore say it is okay is a joke. That fact was not in debate; whether it was justified, or whether it would be justifiable with changes in the system used is the viewpoint that is being debated. But of course, it is much easier to intentionally obfuscate, by pretending that the existance of the camps is somehow the big question here.

It was merely a low attempt at shock politics in the same way that Limbaugh and others use (though this was actually worse, again, more in line with the bloody fetus flinging). I hope to hear you all defending that in the future, since you think it is appropriate discourse.

[shift6]

BTW, that entire video Blumenthal did is priceless. Hey, Lum - yes, this is what we think conservatives are. We're mistaken again, why?
Because you cherry-pick the wingers and generalize it to the whole. When someone points this out about a winger on the left, the (probably true) apologism comes in that he doesn't represent the whole. Same thing here.

[SlyFrog]

BTW, that entire video Blumenthal did is priceless. Hey, Lum - yes, this is what we think conservatives are. We're mistaken again, why?

So is the video the view you would like Americans to have of the liberal movement?

[Hawkeye Fierce]

He can not defend it, because it is indefensible. It is disgusting behavior.
Dude, it was a dirty trick, sure, but come on. You are completely over-reacting.

The video is good. Next time someone (edit: like shift6 JUST DID!) says "you got just as many loonies on the left as we've got on the right!" I'll point to that video and say. "well, maybe, but we don't ask Michael Moore to give the keynote."

[Brian Rucker]

I don't buy that. You had Romney practically hugging Coulter as he did her intro and the room went wild for her. This is the big conservative shebang. And the video did show some conservatives with other points of view. Grover Norquist, for example - a fellow with his own problems but spot-on about this issue, complaining about Tancredo's attitude toward immigrants. Also the rattled Hispanic girl who seemed quite taken aback by the attitude of the rebel-flag wearing "non-racists".

[Midnight Son]

And bloody sectioned fetuses are just a "point of view."

It is ridiculous that you would even try to defend this behavior using that logic.

I'm so sorry you were offended by Blumenthal's actions. Please go back to calling anyone who disagrees with your platform "faggots," "terrorists," or "communists."

(They can dish it out but they sure can't take it.)

[SlyFrog]

Dude, it was a dirty trick, sure, but come on. You are completely over-reacting.

It is what I would expect from the extreme assholes of both sides of the political spectrum. What I am disgusted by is that people are happy to attack one side, but seem willing to defend the other.

Who here has actually defended Coulter calling someone a faggot, for example?

I'm so sorry you were offended by Blumenthal's actions. Please go back to calling anyone who disagrees with your platform "faggots," "terrorists," or "communists."

A complete nonsequitor plus a strawman. Nice.

Everyone on the right without exception calls people faggots, but your side is only reacting to terrible, terrible oppression, so everything you do is above board.

[Midnight Son]

You are completely overreacting, as has been said. Do you have the hots for Malkin or something?

[Nick Walter]

How is he over-reacting? It is sort of sad to see how quickly some QT3 posters will denounce any conservative antics while just winking and smiling (and maybe even gloating) when someone liberal does it.

Guess what people, two wrongs don't make a right.

[Hawkeye Fierce]

It is what I would expect from the extreme assholes of both sides of the political spectrum. What I am disgusted by is that people are happy to attack one side, but seem willing to defend the other.

Seriously, Sly, what are you going on about? You're trying to use this one incident as like the bellweather for all of liberal discourse or something. I don't get why it struck such a nerve.

How is he over-reacting?

As stated, I think it's a dick move as well, but comparing it to dropping dead babies on someone's doorstep is stretching it. Plus he's equating this with all of liberal thought, apparently, which is also stretching it. Thus, over-reaction.

[Midnight Son]

Sure, the left has to put up with insults from dumbasses like O'Reilly, Coulter, Limbaugh and the like and it's just "humor."
But when someone pulls a joke on right-wing nuts and lets them hang themselves with their own words thats "unfair."

Give me a fuckin' break, aight?

[SlyFrog]

Sure, the left has to put up with insults from dumbasses like O'Reilly, Coulter, Limbaugh and the like and it's just "humor."

No, it isn't. Those people are disgusting. As was this person. The difference here is you are choosing to defend the disgusting behavior selectively.

Seriously, Sly, what are you going on about? You're trying to use this one incident as like the bellweather for all of liberal discourse or something. I don't get why it struck such a nerve.

I really am not. I'm reacting to the defense of this one incident, and why some people seem to need to portray it as anything but petty and disgusting.

I'm not saying that it is the way that all liberals act. Other people in this forum are making accusations about how everyone of a particular persuasion acts based on the actions of a few individuals.

Nick Walter pretty much has it.

[Nick Walter]

Sure, the left has to put up with insults from dumbasses like O'Reilly, Coulter, Limbaugh and the like and it's just "humor."
But when someone pulls a joke on right-wing nuts and lets them hang themselves with their own words thats "unfair."

Give me a fuckin' break, aight?

No, that's not the case, nor is the inverse. If you want to be okay with the humor of this situation then you can't be complaining about OReilly, Coulter, Limbaugh, etc. If you want to condemn this situation, you must condemn Oreilly, Coulter, Limbaugh. Anything else is partisan hypocrisy.

[ElGuapo]

A couple of guys who attended this thing sat beside us at the Hawk and Dove afterwards. I think there is just a huge mentality of arrogance and ignorance that is being embraced by conservatives right now. Much like weenie PC hippy daisy liberal college professors are easy to hate, so are some of these "I'm in in your face un-PC dickwad" guys. When they found out they couldn't light their cigars in the bar (DC is now non smoking), they went on and on about liberals and how they are ruining everything and society and "it's a bar, you have to be able to smoke in bars" blah blah blah. Their conversation, which they kept trying to rope me in on, was about guns, how they are trying to "ban assault rifles again", terrorists, etc. It's like they were getting a feel for people around them to rile people up and start some kind of revolution against politeness, social responsibility, and tolerance. And these weren't "rednecks", these were in all appearances educated men. You know who they reminded me of? The frat boys in the RV from Borat, about 10 years from now.

I'm against being overly PC and ridiculously nanny-state as the next guy, but some of these guys are just grade-A morons.

[Midnight Son]

I can't stand those douchebags I named and I won't pretend otherwise.

[Brian Rucker]

We're talking about an Asian woman who sings the praises of internment camps. What on the liberal side, embraced by what seems to be the mainstream of their base, comes remotely close? You don't think it's alright to confront her, on her home turf and surrounded by admirers, on this issue? I don't have any use for the college kids that will shout down speakers they don't like, including when they do it to people like Malkin and Coulter, but this strikes me as being entirely fair game.

[Drastic]

Glenn Greenwald has an entertaining rant (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/03/02/cpac/index.html?source=rss) about the Coulterish face of "conservatives" these days. This is, of course, much, much less important than a leftie being rude.

[charmtrap]

I really am not. I'm reacting to the defense of this one incident, and why some people seem to need to portray it as anything but petty and disgusting.


Maybe I'm crazy...but didn't Malkin just write a whole book defending the internment of Japanese-Americans? And asking her to sign a picture of what she defends is the disgusting behavior?

Obviously, it was a little bit of political theater, but it was pretty on point, IMO.

[Nick Walter]

We're talking about an Asian woman who sings the praises of internment camps.


It's not okay to do bad things to people just because they are a bad person.


What on the liberal side, embraced by what seems to be the mainstream of their base, comes remotely close?


Irrelevant.


You don't think it's alright to confront her, on her home turf and surrounded by admirers, on this issue?


Depends what you mean by confront. Throwing down a racist picture and deliberately trying to cause a scene is juvenile, so no I don't think it's alright.


I don't have any use for the college kids that will shout down speakers they don't like, including when they do it to people like Malkin and Coulter, but this strikes me as being entirely fair game.

I guess our judgements differ then, I put this in the same league as the aforementioned college kids shouting down someone they don't like.

[Midnight Son]

Whatever right-wingers say or do is ok and whenever someone does the same to them it's evil. Got it!

[Bob Cherub]

Wow Midnight Son, did it take both of your brain cells to come to that conclusion after reading these posts?

Brilliant!

[Midnight Son]

Wow Midnight Son, did it take both of your brain cells to come to that conclusion after reading these posts?

Brilliant!

Thanks Bob! You're about the only right-winger I can stand!
(Psych!)

[Glenn]

We're talking about an Asian woman who sings the praises of internment camps.Don't try to portray her as some Uncle Tom. She's a Philipino woman who hates Japanese people, which is just a more specific form of racism, not self-loathing.

[Bob Cherub]

It's entertaining to watch this unfold every single time.

1) A hivemind posts something for the hivemind to enjoy.

2) Someone "outside" the hivemind injects some rational thought into the thread that disagrees with the original hivemind poster.

3) Even though this "outsider" agrees with 99% of the hivemind's other beliefs, the hivemind attacks the outsider.

4) The insult of ALL insults is then unleashed at the outsider. The hivemind calls the outsider a RIGHT-WINGER. (cue music). Or in the case of Brian Rucker, states that "I used to like you, but..."

5) Midnight Son posts something retarded.

6) Bob Cherub points out the hilarity of the hivemind.

7) The outsider sucks up to the hivemind (see jeff lackey).

8) Hivemind reaccepts outsider...with reservations.

9) Peace at last.

[Brian Rucker]

It's not okay to do bad things to people just because they are a bad person.

You're kidding me right? Malkin's entire premise is that it's okay to do bad things to people whether or not they're actually bad but because they might be.

Irrelevant.
Very relevant. I'm tired of people too lazy to sort through the facts tossing out equivalency as an excuse for people to act like idiots. There's nobody on the left, that would be invited to a mainstream political meeting, with the kind of attitudes of a Malkin or a Coulter or a Tancredo and his supporters. Break down what they are really saying, what they claim to want. It's not a pretty picture at all.

Depends what you mean by confront. Throwing down a racist picture and deliberately trying to cause a scene is juvenile, so no I don't think it's alright.
No, I don't think it's juvenile at all. Any more juvenile that it would be to walk into a booksigning for a Nazi apologist and asking him to sign a picture of a concentration camp. It's a goddamn good point. She not only sings the praises of WWII era internment but promotes it as a possible policy for dealing with other groups she doesn't like.

[Midnight Son]

10) Bob Cherub refers to himself in the 3rd person. Just like Jesse Jackson!

[Hawkeye Fierce]

It's not okay to do bad things to people just because they are a bad person.
Man, we better overhaul our criminal justice system, then. (I keed, I keed.)

I really don't get why we're expected to be outraged over this. It was a little bit of ambush-tactic political snarkery. That's all. I agree we shouldn't condemn dirty political tactics on the right and then applaud them on the left, but we should also have a sense of perspective. Minorly embarassing a pundit in public is a lot different from, say, a smear campaign or a targeted attack ad on TV.

Additionally, I think a lot of people feel (rightly or wrongly) that the right gets a somewhat higher "threshold" on this sort of stuff before people get in an uproar about it, where the left gets called on every little bit of business. Now, maybe that's not true, but I can't help but notice that Sly immediately bitched about the Malkin incident (before anyone else had mentioned it past the first post) while saying nothing about the other stuff that went on there.

[Nick Walter]

You're kidding me right? Malkin's entire premise is that it's okay to do bad things to people whether or not they're actually bad but because they might be.


Again, two wrongs don't make a right. This is a simple moral point that most of learned when we were 6. I'm not sure how it missed you.


Very relevant. I'm tired of people too lazy to sort through the facts tossing out equivalency as an excuse for people to act like idiots. There's nobody on the left, that would be invited to a mainstream political meeting, with the kind of attitudes of a Malkin or a Coulter or a Tancredo and his supporters. Break down what they are really saying, what they claim to want. It's not a pretty picture at all.


Irrelevant. If you want to use this as the foundation of an well-reasoned critical article aimed at the practices of the republican party, go for it. But it's irrelevant as a justification for juvenile assholery.


No, I don't think it's juvenile at all. Any more juvenile that it would be to walk into a booksigning for a Nazi apologist and asking him to sign a picture of a concentration camp.

It's juvenile to try and ambush her and make a scene.

[Midnight Son]

It's juvenile to try and ambush her and make a scene.

No, it's funny. I wouldn't expect you to understand that.


(How quickly they forget Borat!)

[Glenn]

Wow Midnight Son, did it take both of your brain cells to come to that conclusion after reading these posts?

Brilliant!
Thanks Bob! You're about the only right-winger I can stand!
(Psych!)It's like a modern day Lincoln-Douglas.

[jeffd]

shift6: here's the difference. We on the left don't invite our wingers as featured speakers at major events.

Because you cherry-pick the wingers and generalize it to the whole. When someone points this out about a winger on the left, the (probably true) apologism comes in that he doesn't represent the whole. Same thing here.

[wahoo]

"6: here's the difference. We on the left don't invite our wingers as featured speakers at major events. "


Yep. Cindy Sheehan has certainly been muzzled and downplayed by the left.

[jeffd]

Does anyone honest to god see any equivalency between Cindy Sheehan and Ann Coulter?

[Glenn]

They're both blonde women attending political rallies.

[Sebmolo]

FFS, how is giving someone a photo a 'disgusting' act?

[Glenn]

When it's tubgirl.

Wait, are all these questions rhetorical?

[Sebmolo]

When it's tubgirl.

Wait, are all these questions rhetorical?

How about when it's tubgirl and the photo recipient has written a book suggesting Armenian women should all be tied upside down and forcefed Ex-Lax and unripe apricots?

[Glenn]

I yield, both to your hypothetical scenario and your disturbingly intimate knowledge of tubgirl.

[shift6]

shift6: here's the difference. We on the left don't invite our wingers as featured speakers at major events.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton? (quoting you from the other thread heheh)

[jeffd]

Yeah they're about the closest equivalent. But honestly (and yeah I realize this sounds like making excuses) I think most liberals realize that Sharpton's a loon. I don't think he has nearly the following that Coulter does. Nor do I think he's as consistently vile in what he says.

[Jason McCullough]

Then again, as exasperating and race-baiting as he is, he hasn't certainly hasn't joked about murdering the entire New York Times.

[Brian Rucker]

Strikes me that Coulter is still in the "before" stage of Sharpton's political career when he was still a ridiculous characture of a civil rights leader and hopelessly crooked in his approach to the issue of race. He seems to have mellowed quite a bit over the years and has taken on an aura of semi-respectability. Coulter's still out there throwing bombs and tantrums like a crazy person.

[Aeon221]

He can not defend it, because it is indefensible. It is disgusting behavior. Trying to have her sign a picture clearly in no way attempted to discuss the legitimacy of camps or discredit her viewpoint. Did he really think she was not aware that the camp existed? How did asking her to sign it discuss the issue at all?

To call it a "fact" and therefore say it is okay is a joke. That fact was not in debate; whether it was justified, or whether it would be justifiable with changes in the system used is the viewpoint that is being debated. But of course, it is much easier to intentionally obfuscate, by pretending that the existance of the camps is somehow the big question here.

It was merely a low attempt at shock politics in the same way that Limbaugh and others use (though this was actually worse, again, more in line with the bloody fetus flinging). I hope to hear you all defending that in the future, since you think it is appropriate discourse.

No, your comment is still ridiculous. You just told him that logic was not what you use to defend something. I retorted that that left gibberish. Your response was a big pile of jibber jabber that ignored your previous comment of don't use logic to defend the crazy.

That is what it bloody well is for, or all those Greeks would never have have a use for it.

[SlyFrog]

No, your comment is still ridiculous. You just told him that logic was not what you use to defend something. I retorted that that left gibberish. Your response was a big pile of jibber jabber that ignored your previous comment of don't use logic to defend the crazy.

That is what it bloody well is for, or all those Greeks would never have have a use for it.

English?

[shift6]

Yeah they're about the closest equivalent. But honestly (and yeah I realize this sounds like making excuses) I think most liberals realize that Sharpton's a loon. I don't think he has nearly the following that Coulter does. Nor do I think he's as consistently vile in what he says.
That's fair, but now we're kind of backing off the original statements, aren't we? A couple people on QT3 (not you) have even said in the past that the left has no loons. Now we've moved to they do have loons, but not in the mainstream. Now we've moved to they are mainstream but they aren't invited to major events. Now we've moved to they show up at the events but everyone knows they are a little wacky and just politely chuckles and moves on. Now (post below yours) we've moved to they are wacky but at least they aren't as bad as XYZ.

Keep in mind I don't much care for either side and am definitely not a fan of the loons in either. But balance and all that, Danielsan.

[Ben]

I was expecting this to be a lot funnier, instead the dude ruined a potentially good bit by being an overbearing twit who was obviously just trying to make a scene.

[wahoo]

"I think most liberals realize that Sharpton's a loon. I don't think he has nearly the following that Coulter does."


Wasn't Sharpton next to Lamont during Ned's victory speech in the democratic primary? Let me know how many conservative politicans share the victory stage with Coulter?

[Glenn]

Wasn't Sharpton next to Lamont during Ned's victory speech in the democratic primary? Let me know how many conservative politicans share the victory stage with Coulter?Sharpton isn't the Democrat's Ann Coulter, he's the left-wing Trent Lott. He doesn't get to be both.

[Midnight Son]

Sharpton isn't the Democrat's Ann Coulter, he's the left-wing Trent Lott. He doesn't get to be both.

Actually, he's a left-wing Strom Thurmond! (In more ways than one!)

I win. QED.

[jeffd]

Well, I can't speak for other people on qt3. :D

Yeah, both sides have their loons. The difference is that the loons on the right these days have a lot more influence than they should.

That's fair, but now we're kind of backing off the original statements, aren't we? A couple people on QT3 (not you) have even said in the past that the left has no loons. Now we've moved to they do have loons, but not in the mainstream. Now we've moved to they are mainstream but they aren't invited to major events. Now we've moved to they show up at the events but everyone knows they are a little wacky and just politely chuckles and moves on. Now (post below yours) we've moved to they are wacky but at least they aren't as bad as XYZ.

Keep in mind I don't much care for either side and am definitely not a fan of the loons in either. But balance and all that, Danielsan.

[shift6]

Yeah, both sides have their loons. The difference is that the loons on the right these days have a lot more influence than they should.
I won't disagree with that in the least.

[Brian Rucker]

Part Two of Blumenthal's report. Not quite as good but amusing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/a-video-exclusive-cpac-_b_43003.html