2006-01-23

The heat in the Left-wing Blogosphere

...has increased markedly in the last week. I'm really sensing a massive "vibe" of dissatisfaction and anger that I haven't seen before. Who knows where it will go to?

The first big thing that has riled us on the left has been the Washington Post, or WaPo as it is called. The Newspaper's Ombudsman, a woman by the name of Deborah Howell, made a rather big mistake in asserting that the Abramoff scandal was bipartisan, and that both Democrats and Republicans are involved. This invoked a storm of heated comments at the WaPo web site that was eventually switched off. Howell returned and, while admitting that the Republicans were the ones who were suffering the most about Abramoff, she pointed to some documents that WaPo had in their possession which showed that the Democrats had had money directed to them by Indian tribes on Abramoff's behalf.

Now some of you might know that recently I wrote an article about how frustrated I was that certain Democrats were involved. I'm not going to take that back just yet, but from what I have read the left-wing response to Howell's article was actually quite fair. At issue is this money that the Democrats received from these ubiquitous Indian tribes. These transactions were above-the-board contributions made to a political party in the same way as any person or business in America can do. So the transactions themselves were not illegal. Moreover, since Indigenous Americans have traditionally supported the Democratic party, these contributions have been going on for decades. What is interesting is that after Abramoff got involved, these contributions to the Democratic party went down, and more money was directed to the Republican party.

So it wasn't obfuscation - as though the lefties were indulging in problems of definition.

All this, to me, has convinced me that the Abramoff affair is entirely a Republican problem. There is the issue of James Clyburn (whom I complained about last week), but that appears to be an aside.

The lefties are very angry about how the MSM (Mainstream Media) have been influenced by Right-wing talking points without critical comment. They are howling for blood and poor Deborah Howell at the WaPo (who, as ombudsman, is supposed to be neutral and should listen to readers' comments) has been targeted. I can sense that the pressure in this area will force a backdown of sorts from the WaPo.

The second big thing that the lefties have been fighting over is the recent Osama Bin Laden announcement - well, not really, but about a right-wing commentator's reaction to it. Chris Matthews, from MSNBC, commented on air that Bin Laden seems to sound and act like Michael Moore. This linking between the world's no. 1 terrorist and America's best known lefty agitator has got a lot of lefties hopping mad. Associating Moore with Bin Laden essentially links American lefties with terrorism, something they are not going to stand for. Michael Moore reacted in a very Michael Moore way, and begun to post photoshopped images of Bin Laden and Chris Matthews going bowling together, drinking beer together, sleeping in bed together, and so on. As soon as Chris Matthews opened his mouth and uttered his stupid sentence, he essentially gave permission for every lefty (including Michael Moore) to satirise and parody his position.

So why is this big? John Aravois at Americablog is planning some diabolical activity with some of his agitator mates against MSNBC and Chris Matthews.

And the third issue is something in the background, but has really disturbed me as an Evangelical. Darksyde, one of the contributors at DailyKos, came up with the following:

The modern GOP is a precarious alliance between moderate, sane, conservatives, corporate interests understandably focused on short term profits, and a fundamentalist mob whose social policies poll anywhere between unpopular to repugnant among the majority of Americans.

The moderates are the official face set forth in PR efforts, the corporate interests drive the money, and like in any feudal system, the cultish masses provide the votes and do the grassroots work. But there's a glaring weakness: Expose that extremist base for what it is, flip that rock over to illuminate the ugly squatting trolls hiding underneath, and it's game over folks. Here's one way to go about doing that, and in all fairness we should thank the GOP shills on Cable News and all across the blogosphere for bringing it our attention and warming up the soundbite for us so nicely.
This belief may not be totally correct, but it is certainly indicative of how feelings are beginning to run. I have pointed out a few times that this period in history will see the "high water mark" of American Evangelicalism, which will, after the entire Bush/Iraq mess is sorted out, become one of the more despised groupings in America - not just among lefties, but among the general populance. I've seen American Evangelicalism's theological failures - a failure to preach the gospel of Christ and a failure to read, understand and apply God's word - and I am also seeing their political and social failures. These two major failures will dovetail together.

But the heat that I am sensing amongst the lefties will actually go somewhere. I think it is the fact that time and again their warnings have been correct and that they have not been listened to. Who knows where this will go to?

From the One Salient Overlord Department

© 2006 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http://one-salient-oversight.blogspot.com/

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2 comments:

Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight) said...

De heat in de Left-win' Blogosphere

...has increased markedly in de last week. Ya' know? I'm real sensin' some massive "vibe" uh dissatisfacshun and anga' dat ah' ain't seen befo'e. Who knows where it gots'ta go to?

De fust big doodad dat gots riled us on de left gots been de Wuzhin'ton Post, o' WaPo as it be called. De Newssheet's Ombudsman, some honky chick by de dojigger uh Debo'ah Howell, made some rada' big missnatch in assertin' dat da damn Abramoff scandal wuz bipartisan, and dat bod Democrats and Republicans is involved. Dis invoked some sto'm uh heated comments at da damn WaPo web site dat wuz eventually switched off. Howell returned and, while admittin' dat da damn Republicans wuz de ones who wuz sufferin' de most about Abramoff, she pointed t'some documents dat WaPo had in deir possession which showed dat da damn Democrats had had bre'd directed t'dem by Indian tribes on Abramoff's behalf.

Now some uh ya' might know dat recently ah' wrote an article about how frustrated ah' wuz dat certain Democrats wuz involved. I'm not goin' t'snatch dat back plum yet, but fum whut ah' have eyeball de left-win' response t'Howell's article wuz actually quite fair. Ah be baaad... At issue be dis bre'd dat da damn Democrats received fum dese ubiquitous Indian tribes. Dese transacshuns wuz above-de-bo'd contribushuns made t'a political party in de same way as any sucka' o' business in America kin do. 'S coo', bro. So's de transacshuns demselves wuz not illegal. Mo'eover, since Indigenous Americans gots tradishunally suppo'ted da damn Democratic party, dese contribushuns gots been goin' on fo' decades. Whut be interestin' be dat afta' Abramoff gots involved, dese contribushuns t'de Democratic party went waaay down, and mo'e bre'd wuz directed t'de Republican party.

So's it wuzn't obfuscashun - as dough de lefties wuz indulgin' in problems uh definishun.

All dis, t'me, gots convinced me dat da damn Abramoff affair be entirely some Republican problem. WORD! Dere be de issue uh James Clyburn (whom ah' complained about last week), but dat appears t'be an aside.

De lefties is very angry about how de MSM (Mainstream Media) gots been influenced by Right-win' rapin' points widout critical comment. Man! Dey is howlin' fo' blood and poo' Debo'ah Howell at da damn WaPo (who, as ombudsman, be supposed t'be neutral and should listen t'readers' comments) gots been targeted. ah' can sense dat da damn pressho' man in dis area gots'ta fo'ce some backwaaay down uh so'ts fum de WaPo. 'S coo', bro.

De second big doodad dat da damn lefties gots been fightin' upside is de recent Osama Bin Laden announcement - well, not real, but about some right-win' commentato''s reacshun t'it. Man! Chris Matdews, fum MSNBC, commented on air dat Bin Laden seems t'sound and act likes Michael Moo'e. Dis linkin' between de wo'ld's no. 'S coo', bro. 1 terro'ist and America's best knode lefty agitato' gots gots some lot uh lefties hoppin' mad. Associatin' Moo'e wid Bin Laden essentially links American lefties wid terro'ism, sump'n dey is not goin' t'stand fo'. Michael Moo'e reacted in some very Michael Moo'e way, and begun t'post photoshopped images uh Bin Laden and Chris Matdews goin' bowlin' togeder, drinkin' bea' togeder, sleepin' in bed togeder, and so's on. 'S coo', bro. As soon as Chris Matdews jimmey'd his moud and uttered his stupid sentence, he essentially gave puh'mission fo' every lefty (includin' Michael Moo'e) t'satirise and parody his posishun.

So's why be dis big? Raz'tus Aravois at Americablog be plannin' some diabolical activity wid some uh his agitato' mates against MSNBC and Chris Matdews.

And da damn dird issue be sump'n in de background, but gots real disturbed me as an Evangelical. Darksyde, one uh de contributo's at DailyKos, came down wid de followin':

De modern GOP be a precarious alliance between moderate, sane, conservatives, co'po'ate interests dig itably focused on sho't term profits, and some fundamentalist mob whose social policies poll anywhere between unpopular t'repugnant among de majo'ity uh Americans.

De moderates is de official face set fo'd in PR effo'ts, de co'po'ate interests roll de bre'd, and likes in any feudal system, de cultish masses provide da damn votes and do de grassroots wo'k. Ya' know? But dere's some glarin' weakness, dig dis: Expose dat 'estremist base fo' whut it is, flip dat rock upside to illuminate da damn ugly squattin' trolls hidin' underdiggin' hoth, and it's game upside folks. Here's one way t'go about hangin' dat, and in all fairness we should dank de GOP shills on Cable News and all across de blogosphere fo' brin'in' it our attenshun and warmin' down de soundbite fo' us so's supa finely. Slap mah fro!

Dis belief may not be totally co'rect, but it be certainly indicative uh how feelin's is beginnin' t'run. 'S coo', bro. ah' have pointed out some few times dat dis puh'iod in histo'y gots'ta see da damn "high booze mark" uh American Evangelicalism, which will, afta' de entire Bush/Iraq mess be so'ted out, become one uh de mo'e despised groupin's in America - not plum among lefties, but among de general populance. I've seen American Evangelicalism's deological failures - some failure t'preach de gospel uh Christ and some failure t'read, dig it and apply God's wo'd - and ah' am also seein' deir political and social failures. Dese two majo' failures gots'ta dovetail togeder. Ah be baaad...

But da damn heat dat ah' am sensin' amongst da damn lefties gots'ta actually go somewhere. ah' dink it be de fact dat time and again deir warnin's gots been co'rect and dat dey gots not been listened to. 'S coo', bro. Who knows where dis gots'ta go to?

From de One Salient Overlo'd Department

© 2006 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http, dig dis://one-salient-oversight. Man!blogspot. Man!com/

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Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight) said...

De Firesto'm Ova' Mah' Column

By Debo'ah Howell
Sunday, January 22, 2006; B06

Nodin' in mah' 50-year carea' prepared me fo' de dousands uh flamin' e-mails ah' gots last week upside my last column, e-mails so's abusive and many so's obscene dat part uh De Post's Web site wuz shut waaay down.

Dat column praised De Post fo' bustin' de sto'y on lobbyist Buckwheat Abramoff's dealin's, fo' which he gots pleaded guilty t'several felony counts. De column clearly pointed out dat Abramoff be a Republican and dealt mainly wid Republicans, most prominently fo'ma' Crib majo'ity leada' Tom DeLay uh Texas.

I wrote dat he gave campaign bre'd t'bod parties and deir members uh Congress. He dun didn't. Man! ah' should gots said he directed his client Indian tribes t'make campaign contribushuns t'members uh Congress fum bod parties.

Mah' missnatch set off some firesto'm. WORD! ah' heard dat ah' wuz lyin', dat Democrats neva' gots some penny uh Abramoff-tainted bre'd, dat ah' wuz tryin' t'say it wuz some bipartisan scandal, as some Republicans claim. WORD! ah' dun didn't say dat. Man! It's not some bipartisan scandal; it's some Republican scandal, and dat's why de Republicans is scurryin' around tryin' t'enact lobbyin' refo'ms.

But dere be no doubt about da damn campaign contribushuns dat wuz directed t'lawmakers uh bod parties. Reco'ds fum de Federal Elecshun Commission and da damn Centa' fo' Public Integrity show dat Abramoff's Indian clients contributed bre'd t'195 Republicans and 88 Democrats between 1999 and 2004. De Post also gots copies uh lists sent t'tribes by Abramoff wid his sucka'al direcshuns on which members wuz t'receive whut amounts.

Michael Crowley uh de New Republic said in his blog dat "while fo' all practical purposes dis be indisputably some Republican scandal, de narrow liberal-blogga' definishun uh wheda' any Democrats took bre'd 'from Abramoff' -- which diggin' hotly 'sludes contribushuns he directed his clients t'make -- amounts t'honkyfoolish semantics.''

Dese facts gots been repo'ted many times in De Post and elsewhere. So's why would it cause me t'be called some "right-win' who'e" and much wo'se?

Witness dree printable 'esamples, dig dis:

"Yeah man, de WAPO needs an enema, and Howell should be da damn fust doodad dat digs medicinally removed."

"You's Debo'ah Howell, stop lyin' about Democrats digtin' bre'd fum Abramoff. Democrats do not control nuthin in Wuzhin'ton, so's why would he wuzte bre'd bribin' dem. WORD! Dink and do yo' research, and stop bein' an idiot. Man!"

"Dis rag gots'ta be sump'n dat ah' pulled off some barscreen at some sewage treatment plant. Man! Howell be simply some paid liar. Ah be baaad... How dis creature endures itself be sump'n ah' duzn't dig it. Whut some piece uh flotsam. WORD!"

Dere be no mo'e fervent recon'r in de Fust Amendment dan ah' am, and ah' gots'ta fight fo' dose e-mailers' right t'call me some liar and Republican shill wid salt fo' brains. But ah' am none uh dose.

Mah' carea' has been some public one in journalism. WORD! You's kin find mah' biography and much uh whut ah' stand fo' on de Internet. Man! You's kin ax' any sucka who wo'ked wid me in Minnesota and at Newcrib News Service whut kind'a journalist ah' am. WORD! ah' have spent mah' life wo'kin' fo' rashunal repo'tin' and passionate and reasonable opinion. 'S coo', bro.

So's is it da damn relative anonymity uh de Internet dat emboldens e-mailers t'conduct some public stonin'? Is dis de increasin' political polarizashun uh our country? ah' duzn't know, so cut me some slack, Jack.

Whut ah' do know be dat ah' have some tough hide, and some few curse wo'ds (which ah' use frequently) is not goin' t'hurt mah' feelin's.

But it be profoundly distressin' if political discourse gots sunk t'a level where abusive dojigger-callin' and da damn crudest uh sexual language is de no'm, where facts gots no place in an argument. Man! Dis unbounded, unreasonin' rage be not goin' t'help dis newssheet, dis country o' democracy. Slap mah fro!

I dun didn't ax' wuzhin'tonpost. Man!com t'shut waaay down an area reserved fo' comments about me, as it dun did on Dursday night. Man! And ah' know de decision be bein' greeted wid great disdain. 'S coo', bro.

Jim Brady, edito' uh de Web site, said dat when de site wuz set down, "dere is din's dat we said we would not allow, includin' sucka'al attacks, de use uh profanity and hate speech. Lop some boogie. A'cuz some significant numba' of folks who gots posted in dis blog gots refused t'follow any uh dose relatively simple rules, we've decided not t'allow comments fo' de time bein'. It's some shame dat it's mosey on down to dis."

But I'm not totally pessimistic. Co' got d' beat! ah' am grateful fo' an e-mail ah' gots fum San Antonio. 'S coo', bro. Amos Kelch's fust e-mail said, dig dis: "I'm sho' man ya' is makin' yo' conservative handlers happy but journalistically it makes ya' look likes some honkyfool. In de end it shows ya' gots some lack uh integrity. Slap mah fro! Duz dat mean nodin' t'ya'?"

I wrote him back. Ya' know? Kelch answered, dig dis: "I took some time and eyeball an interview (online) wid ya', among oda' din's. When ah' finished, ah' shuddered some little bit cuz' it made me dink ah' may be 'eshibitin' an attribute dat in oders ah' despise. Mah' e-mail t'ya' wuz some cheap shot at yo' integrity and fo' dat ah' am so'ry. Slap mah fro! ah' sincerely hope part two uh yo' article knocks dem wasted."

Goin' fo'ward, here's mah' plan. 'S coo', bro. I'll watch every wo'd. I'll eyeball every e-mail and answa' as many legitimate complaints as ah' can. 'S coo', bro. De vast majo'ity uh my wo'k snatch'd place outside dis column. 'S coo', bro. But ah' gots'ta reject abuse and all dat it stands fo'.

To all uh dose who wants'ed me fired, I'm afraid youse out uh luck. Ya' know? ah' have some contract. Man! Fo' de next two years, ah' gots'ta continue t'rap mah' mind.

Keep smilin'. ah' will.