View From The Porch: Wait, wait... Did he just call me "vituperative"?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Wait, wait... Did he just call me "vituperative"?

"The Obstructionists Aren't Going Anywhere. Maybe We Should."

It takes a potent mix of chutzpah combined with a breathtaking lack of self-awareness to accuse your opponents of "tantrum throwing" in the middle of that little screed.

37 comments:

Chas S. Clifton said...: If "redneck poison" spreads into "benighted pockets," does it drip out the bottom? And Michelle Bachman is a Southerner?

Help, I'm confooozed.; 11:18 AM, October 22, 2013
Lewis said...: Chas: You're confused because you're evil, silly! Once you become good, everything makes sense.; 11:37 AM, October 22, 2013
Flubnut said...: Funny. I'm born and raised in Illinois suburbs, educated at a liberal university, lived in a liberal city for a decade. I'm about as far from being a "southerner" as I am from "Hawaiian". And yet I still agree with the basic Tea Party mantra: government is too big, we're going broke, and no one seems to give a crap. Must be because I use my brain from time to time...; 11:42 AM, October 22, 2013
Tam said...: Racist!; 11:45 AM, October 22, 2013
Matt W said...: He's right about one thing: "On the other hand, with distance comes clarity, and viewing America’s political decay through the lens of the international world comes with its own problems—not least of which is that it brings the depressing truth about this country’s social and political dysfunction into frightening focus."

Although, I fear we disagree on what has caused the decay and what form the decay takes.; 11:53 AM, October 22, 2013
Paul said...: Decay is caused by Government replacing God, or trying.

With targeted break down of the family unit we have come to this pass.

Children are not taught respect by the TV's used as there baby sitters by distracted absent parents.

We are reaping what we have sown.; 12:03 PM, October 22, 2013
Boat Guy said...: Bless you Tam! For reading that whole "thing" so I don't have to do so...; 12:11 PM, October 22, 2013
Tango Juliet said...: I filed for divorce from the Blue State mentality long, long ago.

Let's make it official. Let's create two Americas. I'd welcome it and I believe it would be the best for all in the long run.; 12:44 PM, October 22, 2013
JohninMd.(too late?!??) said...: He's just mad, because unlike the touchie-feelie crowd at Salon(eewww), Tea Party folks can actually understand MATH.; 12:52 PM, October 22, 2013
Anonymous said...: "....pursued by traitorous Southerners..."

Preston Brooks, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Thompson.

Thump, thump, thump!

Gerry; 12:52 PM, October 22, 2013
Ruzhyo said...: Geez, you generally only see that level of self-indulgent circle-wanking in the op-ed section of a community college newspaper.; 1:17 PM, October 22, 2013
pdb said...: Bless his heart.; 1:27 PM, October 22, 2013
Anonymous said...: "Bless his heart."

Hmmm, it appears that pdb just won the Internet.

Shootin' Buddy; 2:27 PM, October 22, 2013
Anonymous said...: I read the article at the link, and what a fair dose of childish, almost hysterical screeching it was. Leftists still love them some name-calling, I see.

Keeping in mind that Leftists never, ever, bargain in good faith, it's a pretty good bet that the author's imagined secession, or divorce, would be reliably followed by an attempt to reconquer the hated Red states--for our own good, naturally. Picture the Blue states trying to bump along for five or so years with all of their client voters squeezed in to their territory, minus the Red energy producing and agricultural and mining areas.

Mike James; 2:54 PM, October 22, 2013
Ruzhyo said...: Googled the author, read a follow-up interview with him about the book. Dude is painfully ignorant of history, politics, and basic human nature beyond his own bubble. Reading it is like witnessing a mentally handicapped individual clumsily trying to abuse themselves in a public setting, in that it produces a really uncomfortable mixture of revulsion and pity.; 3:05 PM, October 22, 2013
mikee said...: "Bless his heart" is what my elderly, saintly mother says about people with whom she absolutely disagrees. Also used on people, frequently the same ones mentioned previously, she is sure face the fires of Hell eternally for their behavior or beliefs.

She was born in PA but half a century in NC has put an edge on her condemnation abilities.; 5:10 PM, October 22, 2013
Unknown said...: I went to Amazon.com and starting reading reviews of the guy's book. Per my usual procedure, I've begun with the one-star reviews. Some of those are actually well-written and informative.

This doesn't stop me from assessing Southern politicians as grandstanding demagogues, hyper-manipulative sociopaths, and sometimes just plain scum. On the other hand, I doubt very seriously that this is unique to the South.; 5:11 PM, October 22, 2013
Anonymous said...: Oh. The stupid. It burns with the fury of a thousand suns.; 6:20 PM, October 22, 2013
Anonymous said...: Jeremy, I think it is part of what happens to 99% of politicians after they've been in any elected office above JP for more than six years. Some turn sooner. Northern, Southern, East Coast, West Coast, they all go bad. Having a professional bureaucratic class helps speed the process at the national (and probably state) level. IMHO.

LittleRed1; 6:35 PM, October 22, 2013
Sigman said...: I forced myself (literally) to read the whole thing. When I was done, all I retained was "blah blah cousin humping ungrateful rednecks blah blah why can't you be happy your betters want to rule your lives (for your own good of course) blah blah we should take our toys and leave.; 6:52 PM, October 22, 2013
Sigman said...: And "bless your heart" is what southerners say about those who are very dense or just aint too bright.; 6:53 PM, October 22, 2013
Sigivald said...: Imperialist Wreckers!; 7:20 PM, October 22, 2013
Kristophr said...: Let them secede.

Then declare war on them.; 8:54 PM, October 22, 2013
RevolverRob said...: If that douchebag wants to leave, good riddance to bad rubbish. If he takes a bunch with them, fine by me.

Funny when they say, "Well leave or we will fight you for it." I always snicker and think, "You and what Army?...We've got all the guns."

-Rob; 9:04 PM, October 22, 2013
fast richard said...: Reading that and a couple more articles at Salon, I wonder if they know any of the same people I know. They seem to write about anybody who is not a Manhattan liberal as if we were an alien species. An article about the beards of Duck Dynasty comes across as though the writer were talking about a tribe of savages in some far off land.

It kind of reminds me of the first time I read the novel 1984. I took offense at the way the proles were dismissed as completely irrelevant, even though it was clear that everyone I had ever known would have been classified as such.; 9:59 PM, October 22, 2013
Anonymous said...: I made it through 10 paragraphs. Anybody manage to top that? Other than Tam, of course.

jf; 11:11 PM, October 22, 2013
Joseph said...: Secession worked so well last time...; 12:57 AM, October 23, 2013
KM said...: fast richard: Reading that and a couple more articles at Salon

You sir are a glutton for punishment.
I couldn't make it as far as jf.
I used to be able to read liberal, idiotic, self serving bullshit but my brain just taps out anymore.; 1:02 AM, October 23, 2013
Anonymous said...: If Chuck's opinion mattered to me in any way, I might be offended.
But unlike most Salon readers, I am not a professional at being put-out. The opinions of people who matter to me have some impact on me, but total strangers with an obvious agenda? Not so much.; 3:40 AM, October 23, 2013
fast richard said...: KM,

It took a couple of tries, but once I got going it was possible to read without my brain exploding. I don't think I'll become a regular reader of their nonsense.; 7:31 AM, October 23, 2013
pdb said...: Secession worked so well last time...

Well, this time, we've all got shoes.; 12:26 PM, October 23, 2013
Bram said...: This time the feeling is mutual.; 1:21 PM, October 23, 2013
John Richardson said...: I'm glad to see that my very own congressman, Mark Meadows, is considered the "architect of the shutdown" and a "clampdown clampett".

And here I just thought he was a guy I first met at a gun show who supported gun rights.; 1:54 PM, October 23, 2013
Don M said...: Secession by Amendment is legal. Good luck getting 3/4s of the states to agree.

Secession by law may be legal. If you could get 50%+ in the House and 60 votes in the Senate, you wouldn't need to secede.

Secession by revolution is illegal, until you win. In the meanwhile the nuclear armed US Fed Gove gets to hurt you a lot.; 2:02 PM, October 23, 2013
perlhaqr said...: Dude. He ripped on Waffle House. Now that was just uncalled for.; 11:14 PM, October 23, 2013
perlhaqr said...: Don: That formulation presumes that most of the nukes aren't currently being stored in the states that are seceding.; 11:15 PM, October 23, 2013
Anonymous said...: The word secession has too much baggage. I prefer to think of partition, like Czechoslovakia. They go their way and we go ours with no fighting. Probably need to allow for some sort of voluntary population exchange as there will be millions left behind enemy lines. A good place to start would be the red/blue county map from any recent election. State levels are too crude. Living where I do, I especially want to swap Las Vegas for a bunch of rural California.; 10:05 AM, October 24, 2013