Politics
I've just caught 5-10 minutes of MSNBC's Chris Matthews Show tying the Tea Party to terrorism and condemning any and all energy on the right as (very) potentially terror-inducing. There is a panel of about 5 folks, all of whom absolutely agree with one another without a single conservative, moderate or dissenting voice.
Highlights: the media is right-wing, opposition to Obama is racist, 70% of Republicans who feel their rights are being eroded are "sick," the Tea Party should be viewed from the perspective of Timothy McVeigh, Palin will be responsible for the next Hinckley, right-wingers don't want guns to hunt but to fend off the government (this was supposed to be so self-evidently ridiculous as to need no commentary) and MSNBC's Rachael Maddows show will be devoting an entire show to the McVeigh/Tea Party/Right-Wing-Terrorism theme later this week.
That's less than 10 minutes.
I honestly wonder if the vast majority of Americans do not clearly recognize these hatchet jobs as liberal hysteria and desperation on the part of the media in anticipation of a looming public disavowal awaiting Democrats in November. Matthews was noticeably distraught by rising GOP fortunes. I'm not bemoaning his, or MSNBC's, discretion to air opinion commentary - but is this sort of frenzied discourse, and are Maddows, Olbermann and Matthews, truly the summit of liberal thought?
Sounds like the buildup to a riechstag fire scenario to me. I am curious about the courage of the main line right if this were to happen. I imagine we would have Glenn Beck telling people to turn neighbors who have hunting rifles or something of the sort.
Too bad (for the Left) that no one watches MSNBC.
Interesting times and strange politics:
I think one problem is really that we have a two party system in the United States. You have Republicans and you have Democrats, other parties exist but more or less in theory on paper or in blog posts.
Tea partiers are probably largely folks who vote republican, but a lot of these are sick of holding their nose and doing so. blah, blah, blah the usual...
In any case I probably find more in common with Chris Matthews in terms of temperament, but have recently befriended a radical tea partier who does lend some credence to what Matthews says(while simultaneously feeding off of Mr. Pauletes observations) but is largely in it for American Exceptionalism/Nationalism. Talking with him makes for some radical conversations and frankly probably too much disruption at Toledo Law during finals time.
His name is Kyle Bristow. The things folks have said about him makes anything Chris Matthews said sound tame. If you really want to step it up, read this from the Southern Law Poverty Center. https://splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2007/winter/black-hats-on-campus?page=0,0
Kyle Bristow has appeared on Fox News with O'Reilly and is also part of a class on Nationalism at Dartmouth:
https://www.dartmouth.edu/~socy/pdfs/49.7_Nationalism10W.pdf
In addition to contacts with Nick Griffin, Kyle has contacts with Gabor Vona of Jobbik. https://www.jobbik.com/jobbik-announcements/3168.html
Here is what the is what the Brittish Communist Party has to say about Nick Griffin and Kyle: https://www.cpgb.org.uk/article.php?article_id=1003888
Redwald is onto something. The media establishment, and the liberal establishment of which they are a part, has lost its monoply, and they are angry about it, and lashing out irrationally.
If I had spend 30 years climbing a particular greassy pole to get to the top of the news business, and then someone had reshufled the deck, making that pole rather less imprtant, I would be angry too. Like any other business, they don't like creatve destruction.
If Justin's report of that panel is accurate, or even 80%, MSNBC is doing hate talk. Period.
Maddows should be ashamed of herself, the others are beyond shame.
And of course these pathetic bullies/"narrative makers" (Maddows included) aren't the summit of liberal thought. But those who do dwell at the liberal summits (TNR, certain academics, etc.) need to DISOWN this vile and dangerous "discourse."
Other than hardcore leftist ideologues, who watches MSNBC?
This sort of stuff is why MSNBC cannot keep viewers. There is nothing new about this sort of thing. All that is new is that there are now so many alternatives for viewers. Actually, years back, I can remember watching Greta Susternen doing much the same thing. I remember laughing then about the contortions of those climbing the "greasy pole" when she switched to Fox.
Is this really now such a novelty? I used to wonder how anyone watching nasty news commentary on Reagan and his supporters could possibly take it seriously. I think very few did outside of the entertainment industry.
I have no idea if you will receive this, but here goes... Regarding the Lincoln/Halter election last night and the innuendo from you and Keith about the "shut out" of Garland County, Blanche's cronies, politics as usual.
Garland County announced in March that they would only have two voting places open for run-offs. At that time voters, candidates, etc. could have issued a complaint, but no one did.
For everyone's information, in the primary, Garland County voted as follows: Halter - 5,425, Lincoln -4,951, Morrison - 1,882. Last night in the run-off: Halter - 3,620 and Lincoln - 3,666. Apparently Lincoln'g supporters made the effort.
I enjoy watching MSNBC, but this is a non-issue and should not be promoted. I don't expect that from your network.
Thank you.