Comments on: On The Right’s Reaction To Obama

By: Donklephant » Blog Archive » Pittsburgh Gunman Feared Obama Gun Ban

Donklephant » Blog Archive » Pittsburgh Gunman Feared Obama Gun Ban — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:23:57 +0000

[...] now this is an isolated case, but following up on my post from yesterday, the right should try their best to back away from the more feverish, “revolution” [...]

By: Justin Gardner

Justin Gardner — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:47:34 +0000

Rich, seriously, how disingenuous.

First, you called Blow a liar for expressing concern, while not acknowledging that he talked about “some” of them, not all of them. And you completely miss the point that Blow is talking about IRRESPONSIBLE conservatives. That’s why he calls out the “leaders” specifically and avoids painting with the broad brush.

Also, you were responding to people taking exception to your characterizations of Beck, no? Whether or not it was tongue in cheek is besides the point. And the fact that you had to do that in the first place puts the lie to the whole premise of your post, that Blow is a paranoid loon.

Also, the “context” argument? First off, I didn’t take you out of context, but second, people can go over to your site and discern the context for themselves. By the way, claiming I’m taking you out of context is a lazy, catch-all defense.

So yes, you can claim we’re being paranoid. But that’s how we feel right now when we hear mainstream media types and AN ELECTED OFFICIAL using revolution rhetoric.

By: Jim S

Jim S — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:34:40 +0000

Moran’s column was just as full of holes as Justin said it was. Read the NY Times piece. Then read Moran. The NYT piece did not call either Norris or Bachmann conservative leaders, it just noted who they are and what they say. Yet somehow the piece on the oxymoronically entitled American Thinker attacks the writer for supposedly falsely claiming that they are leaders in the conservative movement. But Justin is supposedly misrepresenting Moran. Somehow Rick Moran fails to notice his own complete misrepresentation of what Charles Blow wrote. But given what the American Thinker is like, I’m not surprised that anyone who could choose to vote for such a vile piece of work would have problems with facts.

By: Simon

Simon — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:56:55 +0000

Justin, I didn’t say that there are real, concrete examples of erosions of liberty already performed by the administration, I said that “Obama provides ample reason to be suspicious of real, concrete erosions of liberty” in the future. The main reasons I had in mind are his interventionist views on the role of government, his stated commitments on healthcare and environmental regulation, and his proposals on imposing national service. And, of course, let’s not even get into his saddling of the nation with a crippling level of debt in less than six months, money that taxpayers will have to repay, which will in turn impose obligations on their liberty. In myriad ways, Obama comes across as believing that government is the solution to any number of problems. His first instinct always appears to be that the government – and, by the way, the federal government – should take more control. Having a President with his view of government in society, combined with a Congress that believes even more strongly in it, is profoundly dangerous to liberty in this country in ways that were never credible with a Republican President (even a relatively Larsonite one like Bush).

Given that the left instantly hits the Bush comparison button in any argument, I will file away and remind you of your observation that “Bush is done. Weâ€™re talking about now.” For example, I imagine your first instinct reading my complaint above that Obama has saddled the nation with lots of debt is to say “well so did Bush” – an option you have conveniently taken off the table for yourself.

By: Mike A.

Mike A. — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:53:18 +0000

I can honestly say I never heard that a draft during the Bush admin was imminent. In fact, I heard the opposite -if Bush were to impose a draft he would endanger the right in subsequent elections. Therefore there was no way a draft would occur.

As I have stated before, we are more and more becoming a country divided. The anger and hatred coming from the right so early in Obama’s term is frightening.

By: Justin Gardner

Justin Gardner — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:30:15 +0000

Simon, Bush is done. We’re talking about now. And, as stated, I don’t remember this revolution talk from liberal politicians or talkers.

Also, what are your examples of concrete erosions of liberty?

By: Rick Moran

Rick Moran — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:29:26 +0000

This isn’t the first time that you’ve deliberately misrepresented what I’ve written on this site.

My “apology” to the Beck fans was tongue in cheek (“Sorry for referring to Beckites as having the IQ of a coffee table”). You also didn’t mention that I skewered them for thinking the imbecile Beck was anyone worthy of listening to.

Your inability to discern irony plus your failure to give context to my remarks on Beck is par of the course.

By: JMG

JMG — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:27:27 +0000

I’m curios, then, how you interpret the record firearm sales

By: Simon

Simon — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:14:00 +0000

I respond that nothing I’m seeing from the right in terms of paranoia, overreaction and so forth to Obama’s Presidency is any worse than what we saw from the left during Bush’s tenure. And in many ways it’s not as bad, because Obama provides ample reason to be suspicious of real, concrete erosions of liberty; that some on the right have developed an overreactive paranoia that exaggerates the threat Obama poses to liberty, an exaggeration compares favorably to the paranoid make-stuff-up hysteria of the left’s reaction to Bush.

How many times were we told in the last eight years by the left that a draft was imminent? At least if the right was to level charges of desiring conscription at Obama, they can point to a proposal he actually supports to ground it in.