Patterico's Pontifications

Mr. Sullivan’s right about screwball southern populism not being conservative but the name he’s looking for is Huckabee I think.

happyfeet (b919e7) — 11/24/2009 @ 10:09 pm

This was a pretty disgusting case. A lot of jerks really instantly leapt on this to attack the right. Their bigotry was instant.

What’s amazing about the TEA protests is how so much passion has come alongside classy, respectful demonstration. Without exception, the violence, the nazi crap, the slurs have come from people outside the movement. This is just another example.

Hasan, now there’s a murderer who was motivated by democrat talking points, particularly the antiwar language. There’s no debate over that. He swore up and down about it. Yet I don’t see many people… or really any people blaming Sullivan or LGF or KOS for that. It would have been disgusting to do that. As disgusting as a Sullivan internet dating ad, or Sullivan’s behavior towards those he disagrees with.

If you don’t agree with Sullivan, you might as well have killed people. What a sweetie.

Dustin (cf255c) — 11/24/2009 @ 10:19 pm

It’s kind of scary that conservatives are focusing on these worthless lib propagandists when we have these Sparkmans being unleashed into our communities next year and we are supposed to let them into our houses. It’s likely that these census workers are the most psychotic and dangerous people in America.

j curtis (5126e4) — 11/24/2009 @ 10:28 pm

Good damn point, J curtis.

The census is going to be a tremendous disaster. I have whined about this before, but I shall whine aagainnnn. This is one of those tasks taht shouldn’t have been politicized. Obama’s not bringing it up right now, but he’s clearly planning to use statistical modeling to increase the count in areas that are ‘unfortunate’. That ACORN’s sorta been kicked out doesn’t mean that the riff raff isn’t running this thing.

I don’t want my family to answer their door to these people, or answer ridiculous questions that the government has no right to know about, or to let some loser GPS in the coordinates to my home.

The Census Bureau has threatened serious consequences for not cooperating, but there’s a lot of exaggeration out there. Don’t lie on your census form, the penalty for that is pretty stiff. But I plan to tell them how many people are in my home, and refuse to answer any other questions. I will happily pay the $200 fine.

Here’s where state elections start to matter quite a bit. There are 35 governor election in 2010. They are all important. Red state, blue state. We need to contain this census disaster’s implications on the House of Representatives.

Dustin (cf255c) — 11/24/2009 @ 10:39 pm

Don’t hold your breath, Patterico. Excitable Andi has teh Narrative to service, and petty little facts don’t matter.

I’m still waiting for him to have an interview with BHO to discuss gay marriage. Since BHO is still against it. And we know how Andi feels about that.

Eric Blair (bc43a4) — 11/24/2009 @ 11:38 pm

Eric, Sully’s unhealthily obsessive fawning over Obama kind of reminds me of this:

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi301072665/

Yeah, Obama’s the black guy, so sue me. And gay marriage is the home run.

Sean P (4fde41) — 11/25/2009 @ 12:19 am

Power Glutes has truly become the Andy Kaufman of political commentary. He has descended into championing ideas that he knows are not true, for no other reason than to garner attention for himself. In other words, he has become the supreme narcissist comedian of his day.

Quite an accomplishment when you think of all the competition — Olbermann, chief among them — that he has for that title.

Icy Texan (0ec2fc) — 11/25/2009 @ 12:24 am

“A lot of jerks really instantly leapt on this to attack the right. Their bigotry was instant.”

You mean they do the same thing right-wingers do?

Awww.

Ya know, if you can’t take it, don’t dish it out…

JEA (b29a48) — 11/25/2009 @ 4:00 am

“If you can’t take it”

I cannot abide it

“don’t dish it out”

If you can point to any example where I did, then I will eat my own head.

I do not do what you, JEA, just did. What Sullivan does, what Sharpton does, etc. I do not attribute sins to entire causes I disagree with. That’s lazy and stupid. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh were blamed for this so-called murder. Those specific people who did that are guilty of a serious offense against decency. They didn’t like someone’s opinions, so they took a tragedy and tried to exploit it.

Similarly, many repeatedly try to equivocate when there is no defense. There is no defense for this. Sullivan has to own it and apologize… there’s no other honorable reaction. He lost the argument. So along comes another troll to say ‘Oh, the right does this’. Doesn’t matter if that’s true; it’s what some say about everything.

Dustin (cf255c) — 11/25/2009 @ 4:07 am

There you have it folks, JEA lays it all out, the reason why such demagogic crap has flowed like a river from lefty opinion makers since year 2000.

The left doesn’t give a damn about the truth. They will do or say anything to achieve or cling to power, since for them winning is everything. They excuse this vile behavior with the belief that the same tactics are the only way the American right has ever achieved power. They find it incomprehensible that the right might have a point or that ordinary Americans could ever genuinely agree with the right.

Brad (9d40d9) — 11/25/2009 @ 4:22 am

Sullivan was very cautious on the Sparkman story, repeatedly noting that we must wait for all the facts to come in. He has been even more cautious on the Palin pregnancy scandal, pointing out that he is only asking questions regarding whether the delusional fantacist Chistianist snowbilly faked Trig’s birth to cover up an incestuous father/daughter relationship.

Northeast Elizabeth (234472) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:21 am

I have Sullivan in my death pool. Looking to blow my load on that pick.

HeavenSent (01a566) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:35 am

To quote Mr. T .. I pity the fool

Neo (7830e6) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:40 am

We know what the new spin is going to be: “sure, this one wasn’t anti-government violence, but still those Beck listening rednecks are dangerous.” That’s how it always is. No matter how many hoaxes there are, no matter how many lies are told, their core beliefs are unshakable. See, e.g., the issue with global warming and the recent Climategate revelations. Their beliefs are unfalsifiable.

But let’s ignore all that chatter and spare a moment’s thought for a family that is devastated to learn that this man decided life no longer was worth it. sad.

A.W. (e7d72e) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:45 am

It was a Government Coverup, I tell ya! I’m sure that those investigators are evil Rethuglicans!!!leventy!!11!!

Andi (42282a) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:45 am

P: do you realize you’re not even playing the same game? ‘Facts’ don’t matter, all that matters is whether a story can be presented in a way that disparages the other side. This storyline was perfect, it fit preconceptions (based on the fact that anti-government southern bigots have indeed lynched people in the pat) and it tarred by association anybody tangentially connected to anti-government southern bigots. A home run.

And while you’re wondering if there’s going to be an apology, the other side is looking for the next opportunity to slam conservatives.

steve sturm (369bc6) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:54 am

This reenforces my belief to never believe a blogger who doesn’t let you leave comments.

Neo (7830e6) — 11/25/2009 @ 5:57 am

Let’s say the census worker had been whacked by some anti-government rednecks. Does that mean those of us who value liberty and oppose statism–and who feel no urge to kill census workers–should pull in our horns? That’s what the State-shtuppers would like. If some 18th Century Americans, fired up by Paine’s COMMON SENSE or the Cato Letters–pro-liberty writings that make Limbaugh or Beck seem like the voices of mioderation–had strung up an official of the Crown, would that have invalidated the cause of American independence? I can just see the Tories telling Jefferson, Adams, et al, “See what all your wild talk about liberty has led to? Pray desist and quietyly roll over so the Crown can bugger you, lest other poor officials be slain.”

Bilwick (bd15da) — 11/25/2009 @ 6:12 am

Does that mean those of us who value liberty and oppose statism–and who feel no urge to kill census workers–should pull in our horns?

Should? No. Does? Yes. How many conservatives hesitate to speak out against affirmative action because they don’t want to get called racist? Or against illegal immigration because they’re afraid of being labeled anti-Hispanic? Or against same-sex marriage because they don’t want to get lumped in with the murderers of Matthew Shepard?

steve sturm (369bc6) — 11/25/2009 @ 6:31 am

And yes, the same mindset keeps people from taking action against the Major Hasans for fear of being deemed insufficiently attentive to diversity.

steve sturm (369bc6) — 11/25/2009 @ 6:52 am

Dennis the Peasant had a hilarious post pointing out that the most popular feature of Sullivan’s blog (as revealed by the man himself), the “View from my Window” series, is something that Sullivan has no creative input on whatsoever.

Another Chris (2d8013) — 11/25/2009 @ 7:14 am

Is there anybody “out there” who is as disgusted as I am with THE APOLOGY. Do and say as you wish and when an action is shown to be dishonest or outrageous in one way or another, all is made better by the apology. Sheesh.

SmartyMarty (c5b515) — 11/25/2009 @ 7:34 am

I pressed the link to Mr. “Loads'” blog and I noticed in his comment about the Malin Award nominee (an award he seems to give to anyone who voices the strongest resistance to Obama), he states “There is nothing conservative about Southern populism.” Did anyone say there was?

Actually, in the broader, European sense of conservative (which I guess Sully, if he is still calling himself a conservative, subscribes to), there is. Southern populism was a resistance to the changes wrought by industrialization (especially the railroads) and capitalism; not to mention the rise of former slaves and the children of former slaves from the bottom rung of society.

Bilwick (bd15da) — 11/25/2009 @ 9:39 am

Let’s repeat: Andrew Sullivan Is The Ted Rall Of Bad Prose.

Mitch (890cbf) — 11/25/2009 @ 11:27 am

Sullivan now writes:

[A]lthough I clearly suspected foul play and believed it wasn’t suicide, I drew no firm conclusions about the actual perpetrators of this act.

Of course, he also wrote that “no suicide” is “the one thing we know for certain now in the case of the Kentucky lynching.”

When it comes to lack of credibility, Sullivan and Greenwald are in a class by themselves.

b (df882e) — 11/25/2009 @ 1:23 pm

He drew no firm conclusions?

Send the body to Glenn Beck…Is it possible that the time has come for the FCC to consider exactly what constitutes screaming fire over the publicly owned airwaves? And what if Mr. Sparkman’s murderer(s) is never found? How many other lunatics will be emboldened to make their own anti-government statement as the voices of Beck, Limbaugh and Dobbs echo in their ears?

Nobody ever intended our public airwaves to be turned over to irresponsible voices. Maybe the time has come for the FCC to worry a bit less about wardrobe malfunctions and a whole lot more about those who would use our airwaves to make a name for themselves at the expense of the public they are suppose to serve–particularly when the expense comes in the form of blood.

Oh, but who could forget:

“why would a murderer(s) take such pains to so blatantly convey anger, fear, and vitriol towards a Census employee? Perhaps because some on the right have created an impression that Census employees are terrifying.

Earlier this summer, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) waged a high-profile, wildly-dishonest campaign against the Census. “

He actually called for the government to take someone off the air for their responsibility in a murder. He blamed the TEA parties, their leadership, and good people who are remarkably non-violent in spite of being violently attacked. He disagrees with them, so he exploits tragedy to slur them.

Of course, Sullivan also used his government connection to get out of a drug conviction. I guess I can’t act surprised that he lies a lot, too.

Dustin (cf255c) — 11/25/2009 @ 1:40 pm

Exactly, Dustin. Sullivan’s claim that he “drew no firm conclusions” is as disingenuous as it is unsurprising.

b (df882e) — 11/25/2009 @ 1:59 pm

11/24/2009

Andrew Sullivan on Bill Sparkman, the Guy (Not Really) Murdered by Conservatives

27 Responses to “Andrew Sullivan on Bill Sparkman, the Guy (Not Really) Murdered by Conservatives”

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