Patterico's Pontifications

9/13/2010

Mark Levin’s Elitist Attack on You

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:54 pm



“Bloggers have no checks and balances . . . [it’s] a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas.”Jonathan Klein, September 10, 2004, referring to bloggers.

“I look forward to reading his book one day, where he lays out with some coherence his philosophy on governance and politics. In the meantime, he appears to be just another loser with a keyboard . . .”Mark Levin, September 13, 2010, referring to me.

Mark Levin’s dismissal of me as a “jackass,” a “moron,” an “ass,” and an “idiot” doesn’t bother me much. He’s not the first person to call me childish names on the Internet, and he won’t be the last.

But calling a blogger who corrected him on numerous factual misstatements as a “loser with a keyboard” strikes me as very . . . Ruling Class.

And it’s not just an attack on me or PowerLine’s Paul Mirengoff. It’s an attack on any mere blogger who dares correct a Very Important Radio Host on the facts. And, in fact, his characterization of me as a “loser with a keyboard” because I haven’t Written a Book is, fundamentally, a dismissal of anyone who has the temerity to express their opinions on the Internet without having Written a Book.

It’s an attack, in short, on you.

Raise your hand if you have written a book. If your hand isn’t up, Mark Levin doesn’t need to hear from you. You’re just a “loser with a keyboard.”

Remember: my criticism of Levin had nothing whatsoever to do with his position on the Delaware Senate primary. I have my opinion about that, and others have theirs. Reasonable people can disagree about this election. But facts are not opinions — and Levin botched the facts badly in his post about Paul Mirengoff. And that was my beef with Levin.

I criticized Levin because he said that Paul Mirengoff supported Specter over Toomey, when Mirengoff actually supported Toomey over Specter. Because Levin said Lindsey Graham is Mirengoff’s “brand of Republican” when Mirengoff has said Graham is his least favorite Republican senator. Because he said Mirengoff supported “Harriet Meyers” (he means “Miers”) when Mirengoff ultimately opposed her.

I criticized Levin because he misrepresented Mirengoff’s post so badly it was as if he hadn’t bothered to read it — and Levin seemed to think he had the right to engage in such distortions because Levin is famous and Mirengoff is not (“I don’t know Paul Mirengoff and I suspect virtually none of you do”).

Where have we heard this sort of elitist and arrogant attitude before? Why, yes: in Big Media.

We have heard it from New York Times reporter James Risen, who said that his blogger critics were ““jerking off in their pajamas” and added: “Do you even know anything about me? Maybe you were still in school when I broke the NSA story, I don’t know. It was back when you were in kindergarten, I think.”

We have heard it from Helen Thomas, who said of bloggers: “[T]hey certainly don’t have our standards. They don’t have our ethics . . .”

We have heard it from Big Media columnists who decried the way that blogs “continue sprouting like crab grass throughout the electronic ether”; or called bloggers “hobby hacks, the Internet version of the sad loners who used to listen to police radios in their bachelor apartments and think they were involved in the world”; or declared that “blogs are largely the habitat of unemployed writers, enraged misanthropes, retired teachers, aging journalists and people who normally pass their time doodling or making obscene telephone calls.”

We’ve listened to the catcalls through the years — even as we point out error after error after error . . . resulting in correction after correction after correction.

And now we’re hearing the same arrogant attitude from Mark Levin, who thinks your opinion is worthless if you haven’t Written a Book. In his latest response to Mirengoff, he admits he was wrong about Toomey, defends his half-truth about Mirengoff’s support for Harriet Miers as a “full truth,” (Bill Clinton would be proud!) — and doesn’t even bother to address the utter misrepresentation about Mirengoff being a fan of Lindsey Graham.

He’s a Big-Time Radio Host, you see. He doesn’t have to respond to criticism.

And his original post? Still utterly uncorrected. Just like Big Media!

Levin likes to drape himself in the mantle of the Little Guy, but his behavior towards Mirengoff and myself is the behavior of a man who thinks he is above such petty matters as fairness and accuracy — and only the Anointed have the right to call him on it. He thinks he can say what he likes, ignore your corrections of his falsehoods, and generally turn up his nose at you because you aren’t as famous as he is.

If his radio show ever goes bust, I think he has a great future in Big Media. I hear they have some openings at the L.A. Times.

110 Responses to “Mark Levin’s Elitist Attack on You”

  1. Patterico, you have completely valid points about O’ Donnell and everyone knows about Mark Levin’s temper. Don’t make this your Waterloo.

    If you wish to make this your internet drama, well, all right. I’m not going anywhere.

    William (35f5a4)

  2. Mark Levin is famous?

    gwjd (032bef)

  3. Who cares about Mark Levin’s temper? He’s wrong, wrong, wrong, and it’s good that Patterico isn’t in awe of the guy.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (fb9e90)

  4. Man. When I used to watch and enjoy Levin’s appearances on Hannity and Colmes, many years ago, I never guessed that one day that guy would be calling me a “jackass” and a “moron.”

    Patterico (c218bd)

  5. A sad new step of fame.

    Regardless of who’s ultimately “right” about this (wow, that’s even a pun in this case), everyone sane knows that Levin’s the one being the jackass.

    William (35f5a4)

  6. Mark who?

    daleyrocks (940075)

  7. William:

    Waterloo?

    I’m being far kinder to Levin than he was to me.

    I just don’t happen to believe that I owe him some special deference because of his fame, or his radio show, or his books, or anything else.

    He screwed up the facts, numerous times — and when caught, acted defensive and arrogant. Just like so many folks in Big Media before him.

    He gets the same treatment from me that I have given to them.

    I will say that, of all the Big Media types I have skewered over the years, few have reacted as childishly as Levin did today. Only Michael Hiltzik comes to mind. At last Levin didn’t sock-puppet his opinions.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  8. I said it on the other other thread and I’ll say it again: anyone who names his dogs “Pepsi” and “Sprite” (and writes some stupid-ass Marley and Me rip-off about them) has no business calling anyone (else) a moron.

    Leviticus (30ac20)

  9. In one sense, someone who has Written a Book and who has a National Radio Show attacking a lone blooger is like the President of the United States attacking the House Minority Leader.

    T.O.T.U.S. (02f249)

  10. D’oh! #9 was me. I didn’t realize that the name I left for the sock puppet thread was retained.

    aunursa (02f249)

  11. The sock puppet name is still apt in this case.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (fb9e90)

  12. I’m thinkin’ Mark had a bad day and needed to ‘take it out’ on someone. Unfortunately for him, he happened to pick Paul Mirengoff and Patterico. Now he really has had a bad day!

    Sign me ‘just another nobody what ain’t rit no books noren been on that radidio thang’

    Bill M (07468d)

  13. It is really strange how mad this seems to be making Levin. I’m not very familiar with him. I think I listened to him once and was annoyed, as I get with Hannity, that he didn’t really understand what he was talking about. I don’t like it when people are ‘on my side’ but don’t represent well. It’s why I don’t have a blog, for example. I’m not going to pose as more than just some schmo, and Levin shouldn’t either. Maybe he usually knows what he’s talking about, and I’m getting a bad sample?

    Anyway, I wrote a critical comment to Paul years ago and he was classy in his response. I’ve seen critical comments here win respectful corrections. Discussing politics shouldn’t be about pretending you’re perfect. It shouldn’t be about screeching some nonsense about how elite you are compared to someone you don’t like. Levin may have a few million listeners, but he still needs to get a freaking life.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  14. If someone wanted to write a book, they should chronicle each of the internet wars of this site. That would make a good book, I think.

    There was Balko I. And then Balko II, in which Balko withdrew in defeat.

    There was Goldstein I, II, and III, which I suppose all ended in draws.

    Now, for Levin I. This is going to be good.

    What other ones am I forgetting?

    PorpoiseGuy (c11990)

  15. Socrates said, before the assembled Athenians, that he,

    …has simply been set upon the city by the god, as though upon a great and well-born horse who is rather sluggish because of his great size and needs to be awakened by some gadfly…the god seems to me to have set me upon the city as someone of this sort: I awaken and persuade and reproach each one of you, and I do not stop settling down everywhere upon you the whole day.

    If you have the facts on your side I don’t see why his appeal to ad hominem should matter. That is, if someone is open to persuasion, the taunts won’t matter. Levin isn’t open to persuasion, at least not on this point.

    Fritz (f114e7)

  16. It’s so amazing how difficult it is for the Levins of the media world to just say, Crap. I screwed up or I overreacted, or, just a simple My bad.

    I’ll tell you what has wrecked modern journalism like nothing else and that’s ego.

    Levin had a perfect opportunity to expand his readership by taking not even the high road but just the normal road of recognizing one’s made a mistake, owning it, and moving on. Had he done that, I, and I’m guessing many others, would have read it and thought, now there’s a guy with some integrity who rights a wrong. And voila, his readership would have grown.

    But instead, his ego demanded to be fed, he resorted to jr. high name calling and spite, and now here we are. Patterico sticks to the facts, refuses to stoop to the emotionalism of Levin, and Levin looks like a… like a… idiotic jackaass. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  17. This is not the time for this kind of crap. Everyone involved either needs to define the common goal or start learning to speak Democrat for a while longer.

    How come every time it gets close, conservatives begin viewing their own feet as targets.

    Huey (efe02b)

  18. What Dana said. Also I don’t understand why Rush boosts this Levin guy. I can’t stand listening to him and don’t see how he has an audience. Thanks for staying classy Patterico.

    BT (74cbec)

  19. Huey,

    Did you tell Mark Levin the same thing? I think he needs to hear it worse than I do.

    (Take that with a grain of salt. I am a jackass and a moron, after all.)

    Patterico (c218bd)

  20. Levin isn’t open to persuasion, at least not on this point.

    Actually, what I should have said, is that it doesn’t seem to me that Levin is open to persuasion, at least not on this point.

    Fritz (f114e7)

  21. Yes, I suppose you are being kinder to Levin than he is to you, and I understand how much refusing to correct errors gets under your skin.

    My point is that you’re the rising star in this instance. Levin’s audience is cranky conservatives that obsessively love their pets: I don’t think that’s a growing element of the population.

    Belief in the truth: that’s timeless.

    I just wanted to let you know that while I disagree with you on this issue, I understand what you’re doing and why.

    William (35f5a4)

  22. Was it the best tack, probably not, however, remind me again, who was it, who misjudged Obama, and who got him right, from the getgo. While Mike “Iceberg” Muprhy and the Frumster where issuing a truce, who was it which faction said hell no, ‘You Will Not Pass”

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  23. If I had good recording equipment I’d do a podcast where I read Levin’s post calling me a jackass. I do voices fairly well and have a good Levin imitation.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  24. Another question: If bloggers are nothing but wanna-bes in their p.j.s, why have the MSM/journos spent so much bandwidth attempting to discredit them? It would seem they wouldn’t be worth energy to even boot up their computers, let alone write rant after rant attempting to convince us of their worthlessness.

    Funny that.

    I had considered posting a response to Levin on FB but it reminded me about pearls, swine and wasting energy.

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  25. > Raise your hand if you have written a book.

    Any idiot can write a book. Especially in this age of e-books.

    I knew the warm fuzzy image that keeps popping up on different sites was just a come on.

    Btw, unrelated, but i bought atlas shrugged on barnes and noble as an ebook. Most of them cost only about $10. not this one. almost $20. supply and demand, eh?

    Aaron Worthing (f97997)

  26. This is not the time for this kind of crap. Everyone involved either needs to define the common goal or start learning to speak Democrat for a while longer.

    Of course it’s not the time, but the fact that Levin (who is unfortunately being held hostage by his ego) would deliberately ignore the *facts*, belittle one who points out said facts, and subsequently causes divisiveness just reveals that this time is about Levin himself and not about the critical elections in our very near future. This isn’t the time to shoot one’s own in the back.

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  27. Mark Levin’s dismissal of me as a “jackass,” a “moron,” an “ass,” and an “idiot” doesn’t bother me much.

    Sheesh.

    Levin is reacting like an overly emotional…liberal. IOW, if the guy has a fair amount of common sense, how in the hell could he get so indignant or resentful about your POV?!

    I recall feeling some delight back in 2008 as I observed the “progressives” in the Obama camp wrangling with the “progressives” in the Hillary Clinton camp. Such behavior seemed somehow quite appropriate for liberals, who tend to be flakes and fools in general. So when people outside that sphere of politics, and who therefore should know better, are guilty of similar behavior, that’s like watching the adults switching places with the bratty kids.

    Mark (411533)

  28. It’s like something out of Greek mythology. Because Levin would lambaste anyone else acting like…well, Levin did today.

    Patterico, I’m sorry that I can’t hear your Levin impression. Maybe you could have calling Pepsi and Sprite sweet names, make an MP3 out of it, and send it to people who donate particular sums of cash.

    You might be surprised how many folks would like to hear it.

    Eric Blair (58b0cf)

  29. Here’s a guy who’s read Levin’s book:

    http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/198279/i-liberty-and-tyranny-i-and-epistemic-closure/jim-manzi

    “I’m not expert on many topics the book addresses, so I flipped to its treatment of a subject that I’ve spent some time studying – global warming – in order to see how it treated a controversy in which I’m at least familiar with the various viewpoints and some of the technical detail.

    It was awful. It was so bad that it was like the proverbial clock that chimes 13 times – not only is it obviously wrong, but it is so wrong that it leads you to question every other piece of information it has ever provided.”

    imdw (25f418)

  30. Patterico, I don’t know if you saw this:

    http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/09/027220.php

    I like Dan Riehl a lot. But this article worries me. Like “The Great One” (Levin’s nickname, apparently, though it makes me think of Jackie Gleason), Riehl is pushing a meme about Castle…that, well, doesn’t fit the facts.

    Now, Castle may be someone you don’t want to vote for. But how is demonizing him different from what the Left has been doing?

    “Whom the Gods would destroy, they turn into their opponents.”

    Eric Blair (58b0cf)

  31. Virtually everything a liberal says in public life is a lie, and half what the RINO’s echo, Hence AGW is not real, there were WMD’s, Gitmo is not the black hole of calcutta, cap n trade is a scam, (re the first point)Any curtailment of political speech is wrong (McCain Feingold, DISCLOSE act, whatever sop=up version of the Fairness Doctrine they are cooking up

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  32. That’s why fewer and fewer people are bothering to read the mainstream media any more. That’s why so many of these clowns are losing their jobs. Their relationship with the truth is one of mutual disdain.

    1389AD (03aafc)

  33. I kind of like Levin, because I agree with a lot of his points, but he’s really gone over on this one.

    I understand his passion for electing conservatives and his devotion to the Tea Party folk.

    But, goodness gracious, O’Donnell? And calling out Patterico and Powerline?

    Of course, no one outside Delaware likes Castle, but is this the right fight to establish conservative purity?

    Ag80 (5c7ef4)

  34. Riehl works in a similar vain as Levin, Eric. He’s fun when he’s on your side, but he can be annoying slippery about where he gets his facts.

    William (35f5a4)

  35. A Leopard doesn’t change their spots, I’vereferenced Specter, Chaffee, Jeffords, et al,there are some like Hagel and Graham that turned out’unexpectedly’ bad. Brown voted for the FinReg bill and the previous stimulus, we know they won’twork, who knows what boondoggle he will spring for next. Castle seems to be exactly the same way,

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  36. iamadimwit – That was a good way to describe what we think of your “credibility”. Between your abject mendoucheity, and your serial sockpuppetry … how many different sockpuppets did you use, BTW?

    JD (8ded14)

  37. Eric Blair,
    Patterico, I’m sorry that I can’t hear your Levin impression.

    It’s hard to parody a parody. Click on the link and listen, if you dare. Good words, but what a gadawful irritating voice!

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (fb9e90)

  38. imdw:

    There is a lot of disagreement on the conservative side. We kind of like it. It keeps us on top of things.

    Why don’t you go back to Kos and find out what you’re supposed to say.

    Ag80 (5c7ef4)

  39. I found a microphone and figured out how to record onto the computer. I may do a short impression and e-mail the subscribers to see if they want to hear it. I will consider letting other donors hear it, but I will not be e-mailing all of them.

    Let me see if I can do something I’m happy with.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  40. Levin’s audience is cranky conservatives that obsessively love their pets: I don’t think that’s a growing element of the population.

    Comment by William

    On the one hand, hilarious. On the other, you’re hitting a little too close to where I live.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  41. By accident, my radio was set to the channel of the radio station that carries Levin locally as I was driving home this evening.

    I changed channels to NPR … that’s how much I think that Levin is a punk.

    So if he said this on his radio show, I missed it thankfully.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  42. –It’s so amazing how difficult it is…….. to just say, Crap. I screwed up–

    You know who else has very thin skin and has a really, really hard time saying this phrase?

    Barack Obama.

    Could we maybe just settle down a little and remember who the adversary of consequence is here?

    elissa (0865fe)

  43. Patrick, please do NOT go write a book. Just keep blogging, which we all know you’re good at. But if you do write a book, please use small words and lots of pictures, for the sake of us idiotic commenters. 🙂

    Andrew (eebbda)

  44. “There is a lot of disagreement on the conservative side. We kind of like it. It keeps us on top of things”

    Maybe you didn’t get that what Manzi was saying wasn’t just a “disagreement.”

    imdw (7de3b7)

  45. Notice how the leftists claim people like Manzi are almost unassailable when they agree with them? Kind of like how every once in a while they agree with the Pope, and try to wrap that around them.

    Not everyone agrees with Manzi. At all.

    http://www.heartland.org/full/27646/NROs_Manzi_Mischaracterizes_Global_Warming_Debate.html

    Enough of that BUNNIES moment, dimwit. You are clumsy in your attempt to distract, divert, and be otherwise dishonest.

    JD (8ded14)

  46. How many different names did you post under after having been banned previously, iamadimwit?

    JD (8ded14)

  47. “That’s why fewer and fewer people are bothering to read the mainstream media any more.”

    Occasionally you still get the guy that thinks these talk radio hucksters aren’t part of big media.

    imdw (2020d4)

  48. Who is Dan Levin?

    Regret (36c362)

  49. I’m with Patrick on this, and have pretty much lost any respect for Levin. Sad that he would be like any juvenile lefty, but there you have it. Pathetic.

    MikeHu (5e4ed3)

  50. Levin is not part of the MFM, dimwit.

    How many different names have you posted under?

    JD (8ded14)

  51. People who call others names are pitiful. They are flat out of ammunition. I worry more than a bit about the Delaware senate race. I don’t know how it will turn out. I understand the pragmatic side of the arguments, but I hate seeing people told they’re way off base for supporting a real and possibly very flawed conservative. I’m seeing people on both sides trying to silence dissenting voices.

    I’ve seen enough wins by people who I thought couldn’t win to hopefully not be cocky about who can win and who can’t. However, its the citizens of Delaware who will get to decide. They hear the arguments and they will vote the way they want to.

    Jeff M (0204be)

  52. “People who call others names are pitiful”

    Indeed.

    imdw (150cd7)

  53. i was going to check Levin’s book out of my library, but the other listeners in the area had already colored in every single page…

    Mark's Biggest Fan (fb8750)

  54. Well for what it’s worth, Mark Levin has also lost me as a listener.

    I’ve developed the habit in the last year of switching between him and John & Ken, particularly during those times when John just goes off the rails and starts soundling like a tin foil hat wearing grazy uncle in a bell tower with a rifle and an eight ball. From now on, when I need a break from John’s intensity/insanity, I guess I’ll just have to do with the radio off. Or more music. But I am done with Levin.

    Sean P (2e471f)

  55. I have finished recording my parody of Mark Levin. It’s about 2 1/2 minutes and about 3 MB. I will e-mail it to virtually any donor who requests it, although I retain veto power. (Example: if you’re a troll and you send me 1 cent right now, I will not e-mail it to you.) Also, I will be sending out to all subscribers, by e-mail, a specific invitation to have it e-mailed to them.

    Who said I would have no subscriber benefits?!?!

    It took me about an hour to put together, and — if I say so myself — it really sucks. Still, you’ve wasted 2 1/2 minutes of your life on lots of other stuff that really sucked. Why not take a chance on this?

    Patterico (c218bd)

  56. From now on, when I need a break from John’s intensity/insanity, I guess I’ll just have to do with the radio off. Or more music. But I am done with Levin.

    Comment by Sean P

    Podcasts, my friend, are the solution to your problem. There are so many awesome programs to listen to, and the technology to facilitate doing so is not expensive anymore.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  57. Okay so Castle is as liberal if not more than DeeDee, does that mean Newt and I are forgiven

    Also, Castle seems to me to be an easy target to switch parties

    However

    O’Donnell, Like Hoffman, has no chance of being elected and virtually no chance of acting as conservative as others have claimed in their behalf – see Scott Brown

    🙂

    EricPWJohnson (17f94c)

  58. ‘We have heard it from Helen Thomas, who said of bloggers: “[T]hey certainly don’t have our standards. They don’t have our ethics . . .”’

    I certainly hope that’s the case.

    Dave Surls (7d7188)

  59. I do not think it’s honest to say a democrat like Dee Dee Scozzafava, who dropped out and endorsed her democrat opponent in one of the most flagrant displays of bad faith in American political history, is the same situation we see here.

    In that case, a nomination process was hijacked by jackasses, and a more conservative candidate such as the excellent Hoffman, could have won.

    That’s why Newt Gingrich said EPWJ’s position on that race was dead wrong. Forgive him? The entire GOP agrees with Newt that it was wrong to support Scozzafava and she is an utterly unacceptable candidate.

    The former speaker added that conservatives who criticized his endorsement at the time “had the better of that argument.”

    Hoffman would have won without Scozzafava’s BS.

    And this isn’t about what line of ‘moderation’ is acceptable for the entire country. There is little doubt among the reasonable that the most conservative candidate who could win in NY 23 was Hoffman, and the most conservative candidate who can win in Delaware at large is Castle.

    EPWJ is incorrect on the facts and that’s why his comparison doesn’t work. That’s not to say Castle is the wrong vote. Just that his argument is relying on things that aren’t true.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  60. I certainly hope that’s the case.

    Comment by Dave Surls

    ZING!

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  61. I would rather have an audio of you playing your guitar and singing to your children, Patterico.

    I turned on the radio and listened to Mr. Levin, one time. Five minutes was all I could stand.

    nk (db4a41)

  62. Having — finally — read Levin’s attacks as well as what Powerline said, I’m amazed at Patterico’s restraint. Levin may have valid reasons for supporting O’Donnell, but his ad hominem attacks and because-I-said-so arguments show him in a poor light. If Levin and Patterico are the representative examples, then the standards in the LA DA’s office now must be higher than the DOJ when Levin was there.

    I like Patterico and Powerline’s high-road response to Levin. The mischievous part of me, though, would like to see what would happen if Levin were to take on another blogger who (seems to, anyway) disagree with him on O’Donnell v. Castle — Ace. It wouldn’t be pretty.

    RL in Glendale (2c5ebe)

  63. I said it on the other other thread and I’ll say it again: anyone who names his dogs “Pepsi” and “Sprite” (and writes some stupid-ass Marley and Me rip-off about them) has no business calling anyone (else) a moron.

    I listened to him for about five minutes on a road trip this summer, and resolved never to do it again. His delivery style was as obnoxious as Randi Rhodes’ on Air America. I’m not surprised he went off half-cocked in this case like he did.

    The mischievous part of me, though, would like to see what would happen if Levin were to take on another blogger who (seems to, anyway) disagree with him on O’Donnell v. Castle — Ace. It wouldn’t be pretty.

    Depends on how much Levin would choose to antagonize him, but I can’t see him demonstrating the same patience Patterico and Powerline have shown. Ace’s sock-puppet tolerance would make for some VERY entertaining threads on the subject by the commenters, though.

    Another Chris (2e9afa)

  64. We have heard it from Helen Thomas, who said of bloggers: “[T]hey certainly don’t have our standards. They don’t have our ethics . . .

    Thank God for that!!

    Your standards are so much higher, your ethics so much more honest —
    Jayson Blair
    Rathergate
    Jack Kelley
    Janet Cooke
    Kathryn Weymouth’s “dinners”
    Gerald Posner
    The Hajj/Reuters photographs
    Hassan Fattah and the New York Times’ Abu Ghraib photos
    “Waiting to Explode”

    ‘Nuff Said?

    IgotBupkis (9eeb86)

  65. By the way, I feel bad about what I said in 2005 about Ann Coulter.

    I continue to believe she had said some awful things.

    But since then I have met her. And that changes my opinion. It’s hard to explain how or why.

    And she has shown some real principles since then. Witness the fight with WorldNetDaily and the denunciation of Birthers.

    So yeah, I wish I hadn’t been so harsh on her then. But I understand why I was. She said some pretty outrageous stuff — and I said as much when I met her.

    Levin’s mostly right about her.

    There’s good aspects to Levin too. He just needs to get over himself.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  66. Anyway…

    I wouldn’t get too excited about Levin. His whole radio schtick is to pontificate until everyone listening has a splitting headache, and then spew abuse at anyone who doesn’t bow to his (hugely overstated) greatness, all the while keeping his finger close to the cutoff button, so no one can argue with him on equal terms.

    Yawn.

    Hard to take the guy too seriously.

    Dave Surls (7d7188)

  67. Patterico:

    So far as I can tell from his Wikipedia entry, Mark Levin has published three books. Actually two and a half, since one was the biography of one of his dogs.

    As anyone should be able to tell from my Wikipedia entry, I’ve published eighteen books. (Well, actually sixteen, as I was only co-author on four of them.) All were novels, not nonfiction; novels are much, much harder to write. None was about a household pet.

    Mathematically, I’m 6.4 times as authoritative as Mark Levin! I say we should all support Mike Castle, so there.

    Dafydd

    Dafydd the Unduly Literate (632d00)

  68. Yeah, Dafydd. But your favorite bloggers are the candy-ass RINOs at PowerLine. You jackass.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  69. “Mathematically, I’m 6.4 times as authoritative as Mark Levin!”

    Well, shoot Al Gore has published a dozen books, which makes him four times the man Levin is.

    My personal favorite…

    “The Spirit of Family” (with Tipper Gore)

    Al, Tip and a dozen or so masseuses…just one big happy (or at least spirited) family.

    Dave Surls (7d7188)

  70. Dustin,

    Sooo, I can put you down as a no?

    EPWJ the Reformed (17f94c)

  71. Well, I don’t have any book for Levin either way, but at least his work is financially viable. I seriously doubt he’s ever held a “bleg”, as you did this week.

    So there’s that.

    ms. docweasel (d70a6c)

  72. heh, well at least Levin’s work is financially viable, which would differentiate it from Patterico’s blog 😉

    ms. docweasel (d70a6c)

  73. If you really want to take Levin down, just look into the Dubai Ports Worlds debacle. His deliberate detachment from reality was breathtaking.

    Gerry (a3c9fd)

  74. Oh, and as for you, someone doesn’t have to agree with you to show “principles”. Your slander of Ann Coulter is neither forgotten nor forgiven.

    Gerry (a3c9fd)

  75. Klein was intentionally promoting a false report, designed to impugn the president. Risen was leaking
    every secret he could find, impairing the war on terror, including the Terrorist Surveilance Program, it’s apples and oranges, actually Brad
    worthy

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  76. Your slander of Ann Coulter is neither forgotten nor forgiven.

    Huh?

    Slander?

    Patterico (c218bd)

  77. Comment by Sean P — 9/13/2010 @ 9:56 pm

    We can say whatever we want about John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, but you have to admit that you stopped taking talk radio seriously the moment John made his “It’s in the contract” comment to the LATimes regarding “controversy.”

    Mark Levin is of the same vein.

    Brad S (9f6740)

  78. I meant Friedman, not you Brad, John and Ken from what I’ve heard of them, give me hives

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  79. ian cormac
    That Friedman dude needs to change his name, to stop the slander of the rest of us Brads.
    🙂

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (93c7ce)

  80. John & Ken are far superior to Mark Levin, even when John goes on one of his rants. J&K also do a lot of original, accurate reporting, such as on the Arizona illegal immigration law.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (93c7ce)

  81. Dustin,

    Sooo, I can put you down as a no?

    Comment by EPWJ the Reformed

    In all good humor,

    you don’t require forgiveness for supporting Scozzafava. But it isn’t correct that you and Next have the same POV… you have opposite POVs. You have a position that is unusual and that’s perfectly fine. But just about everyone else has decideded that Hoffman could have won easily but for dirty tricks, and that supporting Dede was a mistake. 20/20 hindsight, and a lesson going forward.

    That isn’t a lesson that applies in this case, though. There is no Hoffman for this Delaware Senate race, but it’s good to make the comparison and think about it.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  82. There has been both criticism and support for Ann Coulter on this site. She has a big mouth and is not afraid to let it lose.

    But she has not been slandered. Not here.

    nk (db4a41)

  83. Ms Docweasel, I can’t recall, but are the man who was banned for Ace for pretending to be several people (including your own girlfriend?)

    Anyway, I think part of the problem there and here is that your argument isn’t based on anything sensible… just blog bashing. Your argument seems to be that Levin is a bigger media player than Patterico’s little blog, so Patterico should mind his place. This is absurd… just consider if someone said you can’t criticize Patterico because your blog is unread and lame?

    Part of Patterico’s point is ‘look at how some big media types use elitism to defend from honest criticism’. Your reply ‘but he’s big media’ is bolstering Patterico’s point, not undercutting it.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  84. *loose*

    I’m going aphasic with these keyboards.

    nk (db4a41)

  85. Docweasel is a gadly and his site is not safe for work. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he likes the role of a jokester.

    nk (db4a41)

  86. Oh, I’m sorry for not mentioning that his site isn’t safe for work when I mentioned it. That’s true. It’s also not interesting, even from a humor POV. Basically just complaints about the various places that banned Docweasel, including places that I thought were nearly impossible to get banned from.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  87. I admit I’m now less likely to tune in to Mark “replaced the far better Larry Elder” Levin’s radio show or read his published material.

    Is that wrong?

    Mitch (890cbf)

  88. I liked Levin. His book on the law I thought was well thought-out. His radio show was bombastic, fun if you agreed with him, but devoid of deep factual insight. The Dubai Ports discussion made that very obvious.

    The sad thing now is that he appears to have adopted into his personal life the bombastic, rude, condescending persona he used on the radio to become famous and rich.

    I contrast that with Rush, who not only doesn’t attack people so personally on the radio, but also appears to be a much more circumspect person when not in his radio persona.

    It’s sad, because once you get into lying about other people to promote your view of conservatism, you reduce your audience to people who already agree with you, and if you ever make the mistake of disagreeing with them on anything, they will drop you like a hot potato.

    Of course, that presumes that if Levin ever truly believed something different than his conservative audience, that he would say so publicly. He still sounds like he’s playing footsie with the birthers, like he’s afraid to lose his audience over it.

    Charles (60406d)

  89. Charles, they can’t all be Rush. He’s a pretty special person. I don’t agree with him all the time, but he’s just a good guy, and a smart guy. He has made the decision to be happy in life, and is a joy to listen to most of the time.

    It’s hard to survive in media with Rush’s attitude, but once you arrive at a certain point, it’s so refreshing it actually creates its own success.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  90. Well I didn’t like the drum beat against Peninsular and Oriental, that was the company that sold out to DPW, but that was Ingraham, Malkin, Savage, and maybe Miller.

    Now Gaffney, seems to hold out hope here, and Matthews points out the Biden precedent of all things

    http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2010/09/13/matthews-admits-maybe-i-was-smart-not-run-office-year

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  91. You know, I had been thinking about buying Levin’s book “Liberty and Tyranny” but I never got around to it. Now maybe I’ll continue to not get around to it.

    Gesundheit (cfa313)

  92. Gesundheit, I just took his Men in Black off my Amazon wish list. It takes a lot for me to write someone off completely. I still read plenty of folks I don’t agree with. But we’ve got to keep the Republican party clean of crooks like Levin.

    What’s funny is that a lot of the people shouting RINO are the same people who say they aren’t Republicans (with disgust). Who are they to say that a Delaware Republican can’t be a statist jackass, anyway? There are plenty of actual Republicans who oppose Castle without acting like fools, and I’d rather listen to what they have to say.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  93. Yes because in my state, Crist and Greer (now in jail) don’t represent the grass roots,

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  94. Greer (now in jail)
    Who has (according to today’s news) apologized for some anti-Obama remarks he made last year. His excuse seems to be that he took his fellow Republicans a little too seriously at the time.
    don’t represent the grass roots
    Agreed. But my question is: does “oh, sorry, wrong credit card” Rubio really do so?

    kishnevi (c89e0a)

  95. Obama has written two books (or at least his name appears on the dust jackets of two books). So I guess we should all shut up about him, too – unless we’ve written a book?

    PS – what kind of book counts?

    Soylent Green (c5c03a)

  96. Agreed. But my question is: does “oh, sorry, wrong credit card” Rubio really do so?

    Comment by kishnevi

    Damn. I’d hate to have to meet your standards. We are building a coalition. These people will not be perfect. Rubio’s been in politics for a while, and that’s the scandal? It sure doesn’t undermine his claim to represent the Tea Party, IMO.

    We have to save our ammo for real defects. Compare how Rubio handles that issue with how O’Donnell handles any direct question, to see what I mean. Rubio’s excellent. He will let me down at some point, I am quite sure, but this is a coalition, not a contest.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  97. Compare how Rubio handles that issue

    Better than O’Donnell, although that’s not saying much.

    (for those not familiar)
    He was discovered to have charged a bunch of personal expenses to the GOP party credit card. He did pay the money back, but only after the matter went public. To be clear, he is far less implicated in the party corruption than Crist, or several other establishment Republicans. But he is really an establishment Republican–he was speaker of the state House of Reps in a state where the GOP has dominated the legislature for more than a decade now, before he was forced out by term limits (IIRC).

    I may yet vote for him–the first time I’ve ever actually voted for a Republican candidate*, if I do. But the credit card business suggests to me that he’s quite comfortable feeding at the public trough as any other politician (even if the public in this case was confined to GOP donors). I’d look to see someone running for office who doesn’t think feeding at the public trough is the norm.

    *I used to be a Democrat, and am now a libertarian, although not an LP member; and I live in such a heavily Democratic area that most of the time I really can afford to “throw away my vote” by voting for the LP candidate, if there is one (and supposedly there is one in the Senate race this year). And often enough there hasn’t been a GOP candidate–if my info is correct, there is no Republican challenger this year for my Congressperson, Debbie Wasserman-Schulz.

    kishnevi (c89e0a)

  98. I ought to add, as a point of general interest, that while I’ve seen Crist and Meek run ads here (the same one several time over in both cases, to be precise), a much repeated attack ad aimed at the Democratic candidate for governor (Alex Sink–she’s currently the state CFO and only Democrat other than Nelson now holding statewide office) and one ad touting Scott, the GOP governor candidate, I haven’t seen anything in the way of an ad for Rubio, although he’s made some appearances around here. Either he’s waiting to run ads, or feels he’s already known in the South Florida area (which is his home base) or thinks South Florida is too Democratic leaning to be worth the effort. Not being a member of the Rubio campaign, of course, I have no idea which one is the explanation.

    kishnevi (c89e0a)

  99. Rubio paid back the money when it was clear the problem existed, and the problem was isolated and petty. It’s not likely he’s a crook, given the years of power he’s held at the state level.

    As I said, comparing how he handles this to O’Donnell says a lot. He owned the mistake and fixed the problem… he didn’t build a tangled web of lies. If you’re searching for the candidate who will never run into such problems, I think that’s unrealistic. Better to search for those who will be open and honest and fix it. Just my opinion.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  100. The problem was not so isolated or petty(and not confined to him).

    And I do think it rather simple for an office holder to remember what’s his own money and what is someone else’s.

    But as I said, I am seriously thinking about voting for him. (And the more I think about it, the more I probably will vote for him.)

    kishnevi (c89e0a)

  101. I bought, and started reading, Levin’s book some months ago, thinking that I might review it on my blog.

    At the half-way point, I tired of waiting for any original thought, or even any unique or interesting restatement of an old thought. It’s not that I disagreed with what he was writing, for the most part, it’s that I thought it was all very obvious, almost trite. I set it aside, and it’s unlikely that I’ll pick it up again.

    I think I’ve only ever blogged about Levin or something he’s written once, in July 2007, when I disagreed with his dismissal of Hillary Clinton as a “trophy wife.” (I’m not a Hillary fan by any means, but I just don’t think that particular description reasonably fits her, regardless of whether one likes or dislikes her.) I was much amused by this comment from a Levin fan who writes very much like Levin speaks and writes:

    Hey genius, Did you work for Reagan? Do you have a professional relationship with Ed Meese? NO?

    Oh.

    Do you have 4 million fans? A best selling book? No?

    Oh.

    Those that can’t do, criticize. Do I see a big green monster?

    I’m not suggesting sock-puppetry: the commenter’s IP address was from Devon, PA. But Levin’s response to you, Patterico, certainly brought this comment back to mind.

    Beldar (488d24)

  102. Didn’t Harrington get the nod for FL 20th

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  103. Beldar, that sure sounds like a sock puppet to me, and I guess you thought so too or you wouldn’t remember the IP’s origin. Too funny.

    The problem was not so isolated or petty(and not confined to him).

    Well, I thought you were talking about Rubio, and I did think that his scandal is isolated and at the petty level. Are you suggesting otherwise? I’m satisfied with his ethics. That was a goof that he fixed, and over his career length and power a the state level, that this is all I’ve heard like this is a great sign of confidence.

    If this kind of trivial thing is enough to write someone off, I think that’s just giving the dirt diggers that serve actual corrupt politicians tremendous power to neutralize your vote. Seems to be working well.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  104. Dustin–he wasn’t the only state GOP official/politician to do it; nor was he the worst one.

    But I don’t think it was so trivial.
    Think of it this way: if you were a party official who was given a credit card for GOP-related expenses, would you
    1)have trouble telling it apart from your own credit cards
    2)remember not to use it for your own personal expenses
    3)if for some reason you did use for your own expenses, fail to make immediate arrangements to reimburse the GOP as quickly as possible
    Rubio did some combination of the above.

    Unless there was some private arrangement by which Greer okayed this–which I doubt, since Rubio would have nothing to lose to telling people about it now.

    However, that would not be the reason I would not vote for Rubio. The problem I have is the R that comes attached him for Republican. The only part of the Republican agenda I approve of is the fiscal/economic part. You already know I think very differently on stuff like immigration (although Rubio seems better than most of the GOP on that point, as far as I’m concerned), the war on drugs, etc.–that’s why I’m a libertarian. For my vantage point, implementing some of the GOP agenda would be as bad for individual liberty as anything Obama is trying to do.

    I probably won’t make up my mind on this until the morning of Election Day….

    kishnevi (67a8c5)

  105. kishnevi, it’s hard to follow what your point is. Like I said, if you’re not talking about Rubio, but some strange GOP-wide conspiracy, who cares? If you can’t make a choice in this race yet, who cares?

    I seems like such an obvious set of three distinct people. If you can’t figure out what your preference is until the morning of, that’s got absolutely nothing to do with Rubio. He’s a distinct option, for better or worse.

    Not trying to bash you. If you think using the wrong credit card in an isolated case (and you keep saying it’s not isolated while agreeing it’s isolated by Rubio… very hard to follow) and paying it back is a huge scandal, that’s your deal. You seem to be unable to decide if it’s a huge deal. Weird.

    Like I said, you’re just giving people power to cancel your vote, because little piddly crap like this can be shown for anyone, and the only real difference is media coverage.

    He owned the problem and fixed it and it’s well proven to be a little isolated thing. That’s why Rubio doesn’t need your vote. Everyone else has figured it out.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  106. Dustin–there were several Florida GOP politicos/officials who did what Rubio did, some worse than he did. But he’s the one who is running for Senate, not them. It’s GOP wide, but it’s not isolated.

    My real point is that what I’m looking for is a politician who doesn’t think taking and using, and sometimes abusing, the perks of power is the norm. I want a politician who is uncomfortable being a politician, is another way of putting it. That’s why this business of the credit cards is so important. It’s not “little piddly crap”. He owned it and fixed it? Fine. But a person of integrity would not have done it in the first place. So Rubio is nothing outstanding–he’s just another politician who happens to be a conservative.

    That being the case, do I want to vote for a Republican who will be in office for at least six years? You’re right–it’s nothing to do with Rubio. It has to do with the Republican Party. As I said, the only part of the Republican agenda I agree with is the economic/fiscal part. If it helps, think of me as being a Ron Paul supporter without the wackiness over the Fed and the gold standard.

    That’s why Rubio doesn’t need your vote
    Apparently so. Tonight’s news talked about a poll in which he leads Crist by either 10 or 11 percent (41-30-23, IIRC).

    kishnevi (c89e0a)

  107. “That being the case, do I want to vote for a Republican who will be in office for at least six years?”

    kishnevi – Why would you, since you admit you never have before? Why waste time debating it?

    daleyrocks (940075)

  108. Why would you, since you admit you never have before

    Because I don’t want Crist (I for Ego) to win.

    kishnevi (3a3033)

  109. Well … looks like Mark Levin’s advocacy of O’Donnell and Angle et al. didn’t do so well. Who is the idiot jackass now?

    Christoph (8ec277)


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