Sunday, September 27, 2009

This May Be a Sign of the Apocalypse

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My friends, today, I'm going to do something that will shock you. It will amaze you. It will plumb astound you.

I am going to say some nice things about some Republicans.

I know sometimes it seems as if I have it in for the GOP. But see, my schtick here at The Pilot is making fun of people who need making fun of. And you have to admit that the modern GOP offers a target-rich environment for that sort of thing, playing host as it does to a motley collection of birthers, teabaggers, secessionists, death-panel nuts, Sarah Palin cultists, and thugs like Hollerin' Joe Wilson.

The party that once hailed William F. Buckley and George Will as its leading intellectual lights and that now bestows that honor on the virulently anti-intellectual Joe the Plumber is just begging to be mocked. The party that hails a hate-filled drug addict like Rush Limbaugh as its de facto leader...

Oh. Right. Nice things about Republicans. Sorry, got a little carried away there.

It's come to my attention recently that there are actually some voices of reason and sanity crying out in the wilderness, asking for a reasoned debate as opposed to hysterical ranting about made-up bogeymen.
There are indeed some Republicans for whom espousing conservative principles doesn't involve shrieking "socialism," "Marxism" or "fascism" about everything of which one disapproves in such a way that it's crystal-clear that one hasn't the vaguest idea what any of those terms means.
Take, for example Joe Scarborough, former Republican congressman from Florida and the host of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC.
Now, I'm not going to say I agree with Scarborough on everything. But he's been one of the few Republican pundits who seem willing to take on those who place themselves out on the lunatic fringe of Republican discourse. And by "lunatic fringe," of course, I mean Glenn Beck.
Speaking of Beck's claim that President Obama is a racist who hates white people, Scarborough said, "I'm talking to you, Mitt Romney, and I'm talking to anybody who wants to be president in 2012. ... When you preach this kind of hatred, and say that an African American president hates all white people, you are playing with fire. And bad things can happen. And if they do happen, not only is Glenn Beck responsible, but conservatives who don't call him out are responsible."
Scarborough said that he's starting a "conservative honor roll" to reward GOP politicians who denounce racism and craziness. Let's hope it's not a short list.
Then there's Charles Johnson, founder and Webmaster of the right-wing blog Little Green Footballs, or LGF for short.
LGF was the blog that first expressed skepticism about documents referenced in a "60 Minutes" report that raised questions about George Dubbya Bush's truncated service in the Texas Air National Guard. Revelations that the documents were insufficiently verified led to the resignation of veteran CBS anchor Dan Rather, a scalp that any conservative might envy collecting.
Johnson and commenters on the blog have frequently sneered at the "loony liberal left." But after the last election, even Johnson became alarmed at what he saw as the growing racism of the Right, especially the approval some right-wing bloggers were expressing towards European white supremacist organizations.
When Rush Limbaugh used an incident where a white student was beaten on a school bus by some black kids to claim that this was an example of "Obama's America" and to call for buses to be resegregated, Johnson called the segment a "vile rant" and wondered, "Where was Michael Steele? What the hell is wrong with the Right?"
Excellent question, Chuck.
All mockery aside, I would like to see a strong, sane, intellectually honest Republican Party. I think any party, including the Democrats, is made stronger by having principled opposition. And I know there are thoughtful conservatives out there. I know this because I know some of them.
Unfortunately, none of those people seem to be in charge of the party. I'd like to see that change. Oh, it would mean I'd have to find someone else to make fun of, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice for my country.

7 comments:

Dory said...

JD,
Agreeing with you so much is scary.

BUT! at least I'm not alone in my thoughts.

Have you ever thought how confusing it is for most people to understand what the difference betweena Democrat, Republican, Neo-conservative, moderate, liberal, etc, et?

What if we simplify and just--with careful diagnosis-- put a label on each politician--including some demented talk show hosts who like to pass themselves off as politcal pundants?

Two categories is all that is necessary:

Sociopath OR NOT Sociopath

Think I'm kidding? LOL.....Google: Sociopath profile

I nominate Dicky Cheney as #ONE Sociopath

Dory said...

JD,
Knowing there are others out there who mirror my thoughts is comforting.

But what about all the confusion in defining who, what is a Democrat, Republican, neo-con, moderate, liberal, would be political pundants, etc, etc. . . .

I propose YES and NO labels.....

Sociopath OR NON sociapath.

I nominate Dicky Cheney as # ONE Sociapath. LOL

Google: Sociopath profile.

No further explanation is needed

Dory said...

JD, and others,

This sleep-deprived editor so
apologizes for the double posting. I noticed the note at the top of the blog AFTER I posted the second time. Duh. Mea Culpa.

Throw in the grammar mishaps, too.
g'nite.

David Terrenoire said...

Smart, thoughtful, honest Republicans. My family is chock full of them. (And a few who follow Limbaugh and Beck, unfortunately.)

I would love to see the sensible ones take back their party. That Joe Scarborough is among the sane shows just how far off the rails the GOP's gone.

Jesus, the world turned upside down.

JD Rhoades said...

Not a problem, Dory. Just because Jonah Goldberg calls me a liberal fascist doesn't make me a grammar Nazi.

Dory said...

J.D.

Grammar nazi...LOL

Ya' know there are times when I have to show genuine contrition, and humbleness just so no one thinks I'm a sociopath!

And I do listen to Rush Limpdude, and Glenn Peckerhead. Got to once or twice a month as a reminder of the garbage they spew.

They work for Clear Channel.
It is owned by a consortium of neo-cons. Mitt Romney is one of the owners.

Fielding J. hurst said...

I haven't heard much lately about Joe's Conservative Honor Roll.