2008-06-28

The State of Conservatism in America

From the Department of it couldn't be said better:
It must be really scary to be a conservative. To be one, you must live in constant fear of terrorists nuking the United States, of gay people on the verge of convincing you that you really enjoy sodomy, of Spanish becoming the official language of the United States next week, of every African-American voting seven or eight times in the next election, of radical Islam suddenly becoming the latest hip thing among kids across the country, of perpetual lesbian orgies in girls bathrooms in high schools across America, of liberals forcing everyone to become a vegan, of Christians being rounded up into concentration camps, and of Democrats outlawing private property if they were to ever take power again.
Harsh? Not when you read this recent gem from conservative Hugh Hewitt:
By the way, I -- I'm still trying to find two tickets to the Ohio State-USC game. And none of the USC people will give up their tickets to me. I'd pay fair price. They -- they know Ohio State's gonna slaughter the Trojans. They know that they're gonna slaughter the Trojans, and therefore they do not want me there at the bloodbath, since it's probably the last football game we'll ever get to see before the United States gets blown up by the Islamists under Obama. I -- I would like to see Ohio State slaughter USC. This is what I'm living for right now. I'm keeping -- all the bad news, I just focus on the Ohio State upcoming slaughter of USC.
And what about this one from conservative Fox News commentator Brit Hume:
Barack Obama is a practicing Christian, married in a Christian church, whose children were also baptized in that church. His campaign has emphasized his faith in part to dispel what the campaign calls an online smear campaign which contends among other things that Obama was raised a Muslim. There is even a statement on his official campaign website reading, quote, "Obama has never been a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."

But Obama's half brother is not so sure. Malik Obama tells The Jerusalem Post that "if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background."

The article was also accompanied by an image of Malik Obama holding a photo of him and Barack Obama both in Muslim dress, reportedly taken when the two first met back in 1985.
Or maybe even this recent quote from radio personality Rush Limbaugh:
But let me see if I can get your question right. You want to know why the Republicans are willing to say, "Screw you," to 30 percent or more of their voters and yet Democrats will bend over, grab the ankles, and say, "Have your way with me," for 10 percent and 2 percent of the population? (ie blacks and homosexuals)
The tragedy of modern American conservatism is that it does actually have many positive things to offer, but is controlled by scaremongering Republican partisans who can't even get their facts straight.

5 comments:

BLBeamer said...

"...controlled by scaremongering Republican partisans who can't even get their facts straight."

There were very few facts - offered as facts - in any of those quotes. Which ones did they not get right? Hewitt's was obviously a jest. He must be a fervent Ohio State football fan and I don't believe for a moment he really believes Obama's election will lead to nuclear holocaust.

I never know what Limbaugh's talking about because I never listen to him.

But tell me: what facts not offered in jest or as hyperbole in those quotes were incorrect?

Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight) said...

The links are all there. If you want to refute them by fact checking then go ahead - I'll think you'll find they're accurate insofar as they were said by the people and were shown up to be quite wrong.

As for Hewitt's comments being hyperbole, you must remember that in order to qualify as hyperbole the person speaking them must not have a record of saying all sorts of stupid or inflammatory things.

Hewitt stated yesterday: "I think Sen. Obama’s election will greatly increase the likelihood of an attack on the United States. Because of the policies he advocates, a return to the 90s, the Clinton-style prosecute but do not pursue the terrorists before they’ve committed crimes is a recipe for disaster for the United States." (http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/27/hewitt-obamas-election-would-greatly-increase-the-likelihood-of-an-attack-on-the-united-states/)

If there's a guy running around saying that Obama = terrorism, and then makes a joke about it, is it hyperbole or is it true?

I encourage anyone who reads my posts to click the links I provide to find out the truth for themselves. It would certainly save time.

BLBeamer said...

Please Neil, I read the linked articles. You linked to Media Matters. Using your criteria, to qualify as being reliable, the source should have a record of being honest and at least as accurate as the person they are trying to expose. Media Matters has neither. Oliver Willis and David Brock? Puh-leeze! Sean Hannity has more reliability than either of them, and Hannity is a partisan hack.

Hewitt's obviously jesting. Based on the article, Hume may or may not be referring to an article that Media Matters says Jake Tapper may or may not be also referring to. That's their (and your) case that Republican partisans "can't get their facts straight"?

I didn't bother linking to the Limbaugh piece - in the interest of saving time. Limbaugh's not a journalist, anyway. He is a partisan entertainment figure. He's just as fervent as Media Matters, and possibly just as reliable.

Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight) said...

Two adages for you:

"Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day"

"A desire for balance can lead to imbalance because sometimes something is true".

BLBeamer said...

Thanks for those, I guess. I am disappointed you didn't tell me about the blind squirrel and his nut.

If you have the time and patience to wade through many tons of mud and excrement to find the occasional semi-precious stone, well then God bless you.

I don't have the time or inclination. Media Matters and other muckers of their ilk are not worth my time when so many other more reputable sources are available.