Aren’t We All?

Zach at MNPublius is a giddy as a little girl over Katherine Kersten’s exit from the Strib:

I’m sad to see Coleman go, but (sorry Nick) if it means Kersten gets the ax, I’d dump him everyday of the week and twice on Tuesday.

You hate dissent and disagreement that much?

Wow.

By the way, I hope the Strib plans on having at least one conservative voice in their paper. I just hope its not a race baiting lunatic like Kersten.

Let’s take a step back.

From 2000 through about 2007, John McCain was, for umpteen million Democrats, “the ONLY Republican I’d vote for” and “the ONLY rational Republican“. That comity lasted until he was a contender, when he became “just like Bush”, “extremist” and “ultra-right”. To Democrats, the only good Republicans are either irrelevant or indistinguishable from Democrats.

So I’ll make you this guarantee; in the (unlikely) event that the Strib hires another conservative columnist, no matter how acceptable local lefties would have found him or her Twin Cities lefties might find that conservative today, once that person got into print, he or she would become the dumbest, craziest, most “extremist” writer they could think of at the moment.

In other words; when they actually matter in terms of influencing policy, every Republican, no matter how cerebral (and remember, Kersten’s background is mostly academic; she’s no talk radio brawler) becomes a “race baiting lunatic”.
Next up – Brian Lambert’s piece.

25 thoughts on “Aren’t We All?

  1. I left a short comment over there. Nothing too horrible, really. It was removed in a matter of minutes. So yes, he really hates “dissent and disagreement that much”. Less than impressive. *shrug*

  2. “”That comity lasted until he was a contender, when he became “just like Bush”, “extremist” and “ultra-right”. “”

    As one to whom you refer, you don’t get to make this up and put words in our mouth. The ‘comity’ ended when McCain flip flopped on all that made him acceptable by running to the right to appease the base. And his choice of Palin was the nail in the coffin.

    Had he stuck to his guns, and chosen a non extremist as his VP, I may very well have supported his candidacy. But sometime around last year, when he needed to do something to resurrect his fledgling campaign, he turned his back on everything that made him the Maverick he was, and turned himself into just another Right Wing politco. That’s when he lost the “A Republican I would vote for” mantle.

  3. “Had he stuck to his guns, and chosen a non extremist ”

    Having read just about everything to come out of Palin’s office, and ALL of the legislation she signed, I can safely say without any fear of contradiction to those who have done the same (a vanishinngly small group that does not include you and every single one of your Thursday night drinking buddies) that she is anything but an extremist.

    But you know, facts are for losers.

  4. “she is anything but an extremist.”

    Foot, this is coming from a guy who once described Pawlenty as “ultra conservative”. He’s got some kind of syndrome that prevents him from placing people correctly within the political spectrum.

  5. Right Foot, I mean, Drill Baby Drill, w/o understanding the market reality that the drilling she advocated wasn’t economically feasible if oil was below $60/bbl, and was YEARS away.

    The fact that she opposed abortion in all forms, except where it threatens the life of the mother.

    The fact that she showed herself extraordinarily naive abuot the world, policy, etc..

    Frankly, the fact that she MADE McCain palatable to the far right, in and of itself a testimony to her ‘acceptability’ and alignment ot the right –

    No, none of those were/are extreme at all.

    Mitch – given how you have vented your spleen at Coleman for going on decades, you’re hardly the one to lecture any blogger, let alone Publius, about being glad that the drivel that came from Kersten no longer blights the pages of the Strib. She was an intellectual light-weight (unlike Palin – who is simply a factual lightweight) – her columns couldn’t hold water for 30 seconds under scrutiny. I didn’t much care for Coleman a lot of the time, he was mostly just whiny, but his columns certainly had more depth and decency than you gave him credit for and more than Kersten could ever find the class to muster (in my opinion obviously).

    My only comment to Zach is, outside of MAYBE George Will, there ARE no non-race baiting columnists on the right – who aren’t already part of the minority they (sometimes) don’t bait. It’s a part of the psyche of the right – they have a racially motivated base, and so, it gets played to, even by those who don’t particularly believe the race-baiting crap they trowel out.

    As for McCain, Flash couldn’t be more spot on. Even MITCH admitted Palin was a placate to the right, she brought in ‘the people she needed to’ meaning the base. Foot, I think you know this, and I think you know the evidence is stark and obvious that she was seen as FAR to the right of McCain – revisionist or blindered history won’t make it different.

    Her lack of policy positions to point to only points out (again) her paucity of real experience, and virtually completely unqualified position to be a heartbeat from the most powerful job/role in the world. If Obama is somehow vaporware (which is BS) – then Palin was vaporware-light – yet, because of her ultra-conservative pedigree, including unbridled sneering contempt for anything NOT conservative – a key factor in her acceptibility – she was on an experience level, acceptible to the the far right. In short, all complaints about Obama’s lack of experience were put to lie by the fact that you and yours didn’t give a rip about Palin’s vapid, baseless, factless positions, and McCain’s selection of her made HIM and his judgement beyond suspect – and he lost resoundingly in no small measuree due to her presence on the ticket – so says many many polls of moderate, blue-dog soccer mom suburbian types. Flash’s estimation of McCain rings true throughout every sector of the country except the deep south and places like Pennsyltucky, where ingrained racism still reigns over self-interest.

  6. My only comment to Zach is, outside of MAYBE George Will, there ARE no non-race baiting columnists on the right – who aren’t already part of the minority they (sometimes) don’t bait. It’s a part of the psyche of the right – they have a racially motivated base, and so, it gets played to, even by those who don’t particularly believe the race-baiting crap they trowel out.

    So it’s axiomatic that pretty much anyone who comments from a conservative perspective is a race-baiter? Good to know, Peev. I’d call you the Red Queen, but that would probably be racist, sexist and homophobic.

  7. Tell ya what, Peev. Go look at the blogs of any of the people who comment here. Then provide specific examples of where the bloggers have engaged in race-baiting. Be specific. Tell us when Brad Carlson did it. Give us the 411 on Night Writer. Call out Bike Bubba. Drop a dime on Badda. Give Yoss the yips. And by all means, look at my blog, too. Prove your point. Bring back specific examples of race baiting. Take all the time you need. And if you can’t prove it, might I suggest you (a) retract your calumny and/or (b) take your misspelled, fact-free screeds and place them someplace bereft of sunlight?

  8. Peevish, I don’t read your little diatribes, but before you spout off again, consider carefully:

    While you dirtbags spent all your time trying to tear her apart through imputed connection, apocriphal rumors and jabs at her supposed intelligence, she had an actual 2-year record record as governor.

    How many of her signed or vetoed bills, exective orders, proposed bills or governor’s messages di the left wing smearboaters point to while they were tearing her down asd an “extremist”?

    I can remember this many: 0

    Because – and this is important so read carefully and do make some effor to wrap your tiny little pseudo-intellectual brain around it: the way a person HAS ACTUALLY governed is a far far more important indicator of a politician’s deportment and game than is whether or not her husband was briefly a member of some kook third party or how well she lends herself to an SNL impersonation.

    And before you issue another white-paper-length substance-free commenturd, please find at least one example of any official gubernatorial function or act she has done that supports your Dem talking-point-beamed directly into your brain bullshit.

  9. Peev-

    Your arguments would be so much more interesting if they:

    – Were brief and to the point

    – Included an occasional fact rather than assertion after assertion ad nauseum

    – Didn’t confuse nouns and verbs

    “Even MITCH admitted Palin was a placate to the right,”

    The time for New Year’s resolutions is drawing near…

  10. OK, peev. I’ll help you out. Here’s a bill Palin signed into law during the last session:

    2008 Session Laws of Alaska Chapter 60 authorizes the AK Housing Finance Corporation to provide financial assistance to homeless individuals and those who are at risk of foreclosure – a power that body heretofore did not have.

    Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo. EXTREME!

    Oh wait…

  11. Notice how I used a citation in that last comment. The citation allows you to verify that my factual assertion is factual.

    Facts: arguments collapse without ’em!

  12. The facet that the lefties miss in their willingness to throw Nick Coleman under the bus to get at Katherine, is that Katherine’s column was a part time gig….she’s got a (secure) full time job with the CAE.

    Nicky? Not so much.

    Maybe we can look forward to many excellent first person reviews at MiniSoros Dependent from Nick on his observations and experiences from the back of the unemployment line.

    A suggested title…”My bank account is on fire!”

  13. Or, maybe Peevee can offer him a gig as co-blegger on his award winning bleg!

    In fact, that might be a match made in heaven…two swinging dicks that “know stuff” battle it out in cyberspace.

    What do you say dickhead er, Peevee?

  14. If Nick brushes up his mad Photoshop skillz, maybe Ken Avidor Weiner can haul him aboard the Dumpster!

  15. “her columns couldn’t hold water for 30 seconds under scrutiny”
    Peev, please take a lesson or two in grammar.

  16. Drill Baby Drill, w/o understanding the market reality that the drilling she advocated wasn’t economically feasible if oil was below $60/bbl, and was YEARS away.

    I know it’s hard for a lefty to think dynamically, but let’s try!

    Prior to the election, oil cost (PPB):
    a) more than $60
    b) less than $60

    If something will take years to accomplish, one should:
    a) get started ASAP, so the foundational work will be complete by the time the need arises
    b) do absolutely nothing, knowing that when the need does arise, you’ll still have years of work ahead of you.

    In the near future there is every reason to expect:
    a) oil prices will stabilize at $40 (PPB)
    b) oil prices will skyrocket again.

    Governor Palin was suggesting:
    a) domestic drilling restrictions should be loosened, so private industries could make the choice whether drilling was economically feasable.
    b) demanding that government mandate that the companies drill in all areas.

    I could go on & on just on this one short-sighted bit of blather, & it’s only 10% of the absolute lunacy you posted above.

    I think it was Bike Bubba who so aptly stated:
    THINKING, It’s why I’m not a liberal

  17. Wait…was Peev’s complaint about Palin and drilling for oil based on her not having the foresight to see $40bbl oil by the end of the year? Really? I generally only get thru the first few lines of his books before giving up and moving down to the next post.
    I think the complaints about Palin being extreme come from the lefts inability to comprehend how someone might have personal beliefs, but govern based on rule of law, constitution etc. In other words, they couldn’t separate their personal view point from their public obligation, therefore no one can.
    Also of course just being a Republican doesn’t mean your extreme. Disagreeing with them on anything does. Also means you’re stupid. And evil.

  18. BTW – Mitch, your baseless allegation that ANY rightwinger in print would be dubbed “the craziest” blah blah blah crapolla.

    Really? So, you mean like Ron Shara? Or Dennis Anderson? Maybe George Will, or David Brooks, or even Will Kristol – not ONCE has ANY of them, by people I know of, been referred to as the ‘wackiest, craziest’, that’s just more of your hypberbole, it’s easy for you to make such an allegation because you don’t have to worry about proving it – but that doesn’t mean it’s not still unproven, unwarranted, and uncivil. But hey, we’ve never worried about that before, have we?

  19. not ONCE has ANY of them, by people I know of,

    Wow. When you qualify a statement that narrowly, really, anything can be true, can’t it? And I mean that in general, not specifically you, Peev (given your penchant for conjuring up nobel-prize-winning experts on every conceivable subject among your neighbors).

    Will and Kristol are not running for public office. Brooks either, and it doesn’t matter, because he is hardly an orthodox conservative.

    Shara and Anderson are outdoor writers who really have nothing to do with politics (assuming you’re right about Shara, too. I used to produce Anderson’s outdoor show at KSTP, so I know he leans right).

    However, if they – or, for a better example, Brooks, who is what McCain used to be, every liberal’s favorite “conservative” – DID run for office, donuts will get you dollars that you’d be carping about both of their “extremism”.

  20. Peev you don’t ever actually support anything do you?? You just throw rhetorical hand grenades and run away giggling.

  21. Come on Peev, what`s your response to Mr. Shirts factual, well resoned, and logical response to your idiotic rantings about Palin? Typical Liberal- change the subject. And yah, why drill here for our own oil when we can import it from some terrorist- sponsoring regime?


  22. Really? So, you mean like Ron Shara? Or Dennis Anderson? Maybe George Will, or David Brooks, or even Will Kristol – not ONCE has ANY of them, by people I know of, been referred to as the ‘wackiest, craziest’, that’s just more of your hypberbole, it’s easy for you to make such an allegation because you don’t have to worry about proving it – but that doesn’t mean it’s not still unproven, unwarranted, and uncivil.

    The odd thing is that Brooks & Kristol are archetypical neocons. Peev has never had a problem calling neocons wacky and crazy. It’s almost as if peev was spouting off without having the vaguest idea what he was talking about.

  23. Oh, and Peev? The clock is still ticking on your outrageous statements about race-baiting. Assertions don’t cut it. Give us some examples.

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