It’s been a crazy week.
No, I know – it’s a crazy week for everyone. It always is. Among the urban, urbane, working-guy’n-gal set, every week is set to puree, these days. If people aren’t constantly complaining about being too busy and too swamped, other people wonder if you’re abusing Xanax or something. But suffice to say it’s been worse that most; most of it “not good”, none of it catastrophic. One of those “not red-letter” weeks, let’s just say, the kind that make me look forward to biking-to-work season, which opens (come hell or high water) next week for me.
But Mr. Dilettante notes something that I, and a lot of local bloggers, missed covering this past week; Senator Coleman announced his candidacy on Wednesday.
Local center-right bloggers were muted in their coverage:
I wasn’t especially worried about missing the event, since I figured that other bloggers would be there and would write about the event in detail. The ever-reliable Michael Brodkorb was there of course and there’s substantial coverage of the event over at MDE, as you’d suspect. But as yesterday spread into today, I started to notice something. Many of the other prominent center-right voices in the Minnesota blogosphere hadn’t written anything about the event, either. Nothing from Powerline. Mitch Berg was otherwise occupied. AAA hadn’t weighed in. No barking from the Freedom Dogs. Not a peep at Anti-Strib. Bupkis at TvM. And most notably, nothing at True North.
I’d chalk it up to a couple of things:
- Most of us center-right bloggers – not having a Soros-like sugardaddy – have to work day jobs. Coleman’s announcement came amid a very busy work day; perfect timing for the dead-tree and broadcast media news cycle, bad for a guy who’s gotta get to meetings and deliver stuff. I sent my regrets to Coleman’s press people, who – I have to say it – have done a great job at reaching out to center-right bloggers this past year. Kudos to them.
- Some center-right bloggers – the ones farther to the right on the continuum – are upset at some of Norm’s votes. Norm is not a pure movement conservative; he is a consummate pragmatist, as befits someone who ran a highly liberal city for eight years as a conservative DFLer against a hostile majority, and had to win election against not just Paul Wellstone, but his memory borne into eternal hagiography by the swooniest mob since the Beatles played Shea Stadium. Norm is not the perfect conservative; he is, however, good enough on all issues, and leads the pack on a number of issues, most notably shining a light on the cockroach den on the East River, the UN. But for Senator Coleman, “Oil For Food” would be just another Texaco marketing promotion. He’s generally right on the war, mostly right on spending, generally on the ball on judges; against that, I’ll forgive ANWR and his few other not-quite-conservative miscues.
So while I was remiss in not covering the Senator’s announcement, let me make it perfectly clear; I am fired up for Norm, and I’m going to do everything in my meager power to keep Norm in the Senate.
Mr. D:
As bloggers we’re all independent actors — despite what some people would have you believe, there’s no “ScaifeNet” or “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” afoot. We all make independent, idiosyncratic judgments concerning what we write about. And there have been some interesting local stories in the last few days, including the controversy at Forest Lake High School and the light bulb bill that Rep. Bachmann introduced, among other things. In all of that, Norm seems to have gotten lost. I’m not sure what it means, but the apparent lack of interest in Coleman’s event must mean something. And it would seem to be a good idea for Norm’s campaign people to see if they can ascertain the larger meaning.
Well, there’s no larger meaning at Shot In The Dark. D’s right, of course; this week was a mad blender of breaking news, and – events aside – while Norm’s announcement is important, it was hardly “news”; I don’t think anyone woke up Tuesday morning wondering if the Senator was going to bow out of the race.
But let nobody misinterpret my silence; this blog and the voter behind it supports Norm Coleman. I support him against the DFL’s nominee (I’m rooting for Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer!), and would do so against anyone the DFL could or would conceivably put in the race. While I differ from Norm on a few things – and tell him so, and tell you, via this blog, as well – Minnesota has had no better Senator in the two decades I’ve spent in this state; if Minnesota Republicans screw that up because of the odd ANWR vote, we’ll all be the poorer – literally and figuratively – for it.
Go, Norm!
“center-right bloggers” Now that continues to be one of your favorite myths you try to push. Here’s the Deal, Reasonable people would probably presume that the Over-ride 6 are Center Right. So any blog that not only chastised them, but actively promoted and worked to see their endorsements pulled could not, in good conscience, call themselves Center-Right, but Right Wing or even Far Right. But Center-Right, sheesh, ya can’t fool me.
Flash
Coming from a guy who calls his blog “centrisity,” you’ll have to pardon me if I don’t roll my eyes so far into the back of my head I can see my spine while reading your comment, Flash.
I’m not a campaign insider, and am not on a regular mailing list, so I didn’t know about the announcement. Maybe my blogeagues are more plugged in than I am.
That said, you’re right, it’s not huge news that he’s running for his Senate seat again. The absence of wall-to-wall coverage at TvM should not be interpreted as the TvM equivalent of the Klingon Discommendation Ceremony.
We (well, I) tend to blog about whatever got stuck in our Interesting Stuff Filter at any given time, and an announcement about something we’ve already known for a long time tends to pass right on through.
Pingback: Truth v. The Machine » Archives » Repurposed material
Yoss, Centrisity is a word I made up, and I have defined it very specifically;
Being right, even tho you lean Left.
I’ve never hid my leanings but have shown that I do side with the Right on many issues. War, 2nd Amemend, public funding of private school, environment, and a few others. I could easily defend my Moderacy cred, but have always made clear my Left lean.
But to have a hog pile on the override 6, the definitive definition of ‘Center Right’, while at the same breath trying to ID yourself as Center Right, is a bit disingenuous.
Why the pin drop silence on Norm, because he has flopped himself back into moderacy land, and most of the Right Bloggers don’t care for that, if they did, they would be Center Right, and have posted on it.
I don’t expect you folks to agree, or even understand, you have a meme to push, its part of the game!
Flash
Norm is not the perfect conservative
Normie is a conservative? Who knew?
I don’t expect you folks to agree, or even understand, you have a meme to push, its part of the game!
Oh, yeah, right, I’m pushing memes all day long, I am. Hey, Mitch? Did you see that meme I was pushing last week about China’s Olympic squat toilets? Man, I pushed the HELL out of that meme. If I weren’t a card-carrying member of ScaifeNet, I don’t what I would have written about.
Heh.
Flash, I ask this with all due respect; do you even know what ‘pushing a meme’ means?
To me, a meme is a thought or an idea that one would like to see become part of the mainstream thought process. In this case, you participate in the Center Right meme, by claiming some sort of middle ground, when the actions of many show that is specifically not the case. But as it is with the Meme Pushers, if you repeat something long enough, people will begin to accept it as fact, even if there is no real basis of truth to it.
Take the Gore invented the Internet ‘meme’ Anyone who is actually privy to the situation knows that Al Gore NEVER claimed to have invented the Internet. He merely insinuated that he took initiatives that assisted in seeing the Internet come to fruition. But his comments were twisted like the old telephone game until something not even resembling the truth became part of the national mind site. You folks are very good at that, the Left is very poor at it.
Now, to be clear, a meme is not, by definition, a false or misleading concept. It is an Idea or thought, which in some cases can be false or misleading, like the Center Right Meme, but not always.
Now, at Shot in the Onion, I have know idea what definition is used here, but I present you the definition that is accepted by most others.
Class is over.
Flash
And the morphing of Flash into Peev continues. . .
Thanks for the nod, Mitch.
Just so we’re clear, I’m not casting any aspersions about any blogger for not covering the event. As I noted, I wasn’t there either. My concern is that Norm will need help getting his message out and the while I have my concerns about Norm’s stances on some issues, he’s certainly far superior to Mr. Franken. My main purpose in noting the absence of coverage was to prod the candidate to think a little bit about the role bloggers could potentially play in the upcoming campaign. And it seemed to me that he missed a bet.
And since you and several other bloggers have written about Norm today, he’ll get some attention. When you run as small an operation as I do, you have to leverage things a bit. I’m hoping my little provocation on True North might do some good; based on the available evidence, it has.
Best,
Mr. D
p.s. to Flash: hope you saw the pictures of Scaife meeting with Hillary Clinton this week.
But as it is with the Meme Pushers, if you repeat something long enough, people will begin to accept it as fact, even if there is no real basis of truth to it.
You mean like “Bush lied about WMD in Iraq”?
To me, a meme is a thought or an idea that one would like to see become part of the mainstream thought process.
Well, in a sense you’re not too far off. It’s something that’s considered conventional wisdom by at least one group within a larger group.
In this case, you participate in the Center Right meme, by claiming some sort of middle ground, when the actions of many show that is specifically not the case.
Which is logically void and irrelevant. “Center Right” is an informal grouping, a general area – NOT a set of rules that need to be rigorously followed to avoid losing some sort of certification from above (or, worse, from the enemy).
But as it is with the Meme Pushers, if you repeat something long enough, people will begin to accept it as fact, even if there is no real basis of truth to it.
Or, alternately, if there is enough truth in it for it to be useful.
Take the Gore invented the Internet ‘meme’
Which is irrelevant, and who cares.
You folks are very good at that, the Left is very poor at it.
Well, no. A majority of lefties probably still believe that the “President dodged Vietnam by going into the ANG”, or “the war is about oil”, or “WMDs were the only stated reason to go to war”, or “the war is lost” (remember that?) or, among the Twin Cities nut-roots, “The Strib is conservative”, or that “the Burkett Memos were legit”…and on, and on. Face it, Flash, your side excels at memes – including the big meta-meme, “we’re no good at it!”.
It is an Idea or thought, which in some cases can be false or misleading, like the Center Right Meme
Actually, Flash, you are meme-ing right now yourself, feeding into the left’s notion that there’s no such thing as a center-right. It’s not something that’s falsifiable; it’s a very general thing; I’m to the “left” of Pat Buchanan, ergo I’m center-right. There’s no objective definition, so there’s really no way you can say it’s “false or misleading”. It’s not a concept that imposes order or cohesion, merely suggests some boundaries.
I know, I know – you’re a DFLer and an EM member, so you need to make sure everyone’s in a tidy, identifiable group with entry and exit standards; it’s part of your makeup! Unfortunately, reality doesn’t reflect your little template, and rejects your attempt to impose your framework (and its attendant meme) like a fratboy puking up lighter fluid!
Now, at Shot in the Onion, I have know idea what definition is used here
Indeed.
Class is over.
And, like “classes” in too many public schools these days, the “students” are milling about, confused, because what they’ve been taught makes no damn sense at all.
🙂
OK Mitch, I’m one of those “ANWR vote conservatives”.
I was at the very last Scott County Republican Convention (we went to Senate District conventions in 2004). Norm was campaigning there. He said “I’m against drilling in ANWR because I favor biodiesel”. Norm became BDN to me (Bio Diesel Norm). It was and is an idiot and dangerous position on so many levels.
As oil is the basis for the American economy his insistence on biodiesel/ethanol/biofuels/etc poses very serious economic questions and consequences. It should absolutely be a no brainer to allow ANWR drilling, Gulf of Mexico drilling and Coastal Shelf drilling. A no brainer. Period.
So, his “No ANWR” vote is, again, a decision that has deep and far reaching economic repercussions.
Flash,
Here’s a video of Mitch giving a speech, emceeing some event. I’d like to know if you would characterize it as “far right wing” or at least “not moderate”.
Ryan,
Have I taught you nothing?
It should absolutely be a no brainer to allow ANWR drilling, Gulf of Mexico drilling and Coastal Shelf drilling. A no brainer. Period.
I agree, and I’ve told the Senator as much.
So – is it worth having a Senator Franken over?
Meme’s work the other way, too. A group can get collective amnesia.
In the 1990’s we attacked a small nation that had never expressed the slightest hostility towards the United States. This was done without a UN mandate. Us troops still occupy the area, almost a decade later.
The initial attack began under a Democratic president with the support of the majority of his party.