Eric Boehlert: Still Wearing the “Kick Me” Sign
Matt Welch vivisects Eric Boehlert in this excellent post at Reason. The subject: Boehlert’s whiny post about how Andrew Malcolm at the L.A. Times doesn’t show proper respect to the office of the president. I already took Boehlert’s post apart here — and noted here that it was cross-posted at a site called The Smirking Chimp. (Boehlert denies this, but I don’t believe him.) Welch adds considerable value to the pile-on by trolling through columns written by Bush-era L.A. Times columnists. Like my post, Welch’s entry focuses on Boehlert’s claim:
And I don’t even have to do a Google search to know for a fact that when President Bush was in office, there was nobody on staff at the Times, and certainly nobody writing off the opinion pages, who was allowed to so casually insult the office of the presidency on a regular basis.
This statement, which Welch compares to a “please kick me” sign that Boehlert has duct-taped to his own rumpus, is the subject of some merriment by Welch, who proceeds to list off some epithets used by former L.A. Times columnist Rosa Brooks about President Bush, including:
* “Bubble Boy”
* “homegrown authoritarian”
* “Torturer-in-Chief”
Plenty more at the link.
Welch’s piece inspired me to go trolling through the archives of another partisan columnist who was employed by the L.A. Times for a good while during Bush’s presidency: Robert Scheer. Scheer employed these lines to describe Bush and his policies:
Again, these are just a small handful. There are many, many more.
Why, Scheer even wanted Bush impeached. Has Andrew Malcolm called for Obama to be impeached?
Anyone else want to take up Boehlert’s invitation to put a boot in his ass?
I finally understand Mr. B. He isn’t just a doofus of a hypocritical hyperpartisan alphabetist.
He is a masochist. He likes the abuse.
Eric Blair (6720a6) — 6/14/2010 @ 7:21 amBut it is not casually insulting to the office of the presidency if I agree with it …
quasimodo (4af144) — 6/14/2010 @ 7:33 amLet me remind you of the rules when dealing with the likes of Boelhert and Scheer. When dealing with those who live in the dark world of nihilism and despair normal rules the rest of us live by do not apply. Their alternative universe is an empty place where joy and tolerance give way to hopelessness and bias.
Know your enemy and adjust your Rules of Engagement accordingly.
vet66 (9d1bb3) — 6/14/2010 @ 7:47 amSo…if Hypocrisy Boy didn’t cross post his bizarre article to “The Smirking Chimp” (again, the gist of it was that no one had ever shown GWB such disrespect as the LAT was showing BHO— which is why Mr. B wins the chutzpah award of the year)…well, surely he will post a note to “The Smirking Chimp” that his article should be taken down, since we should never show disrespect to POTUS.
Oh, I get it: that only applies to Presidents with whom you agree!
Hypocrite.
Eric Blair (297916) — 6/14/2010 @ 7:57 amHootenany and the bradblog droolers should be by in no time. Boehlert – here’s your sign. I cannot recall which comedian coined that joke, but it fits perfect. Stupid that pervasive should have to carry a sign, so everyone else can see them coming.
JD (43c16b) — 6/14/2010 @ 8:09 amThe Eric Boehlert template:
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C. O.R. (a18ddc) — 6/14/2010 @ 8:51 am(1) Say something to discredit the opposition.
(2) Make up “facts” to support (1).
Here’s EB’s explanation: The Smirking Chimp posted his rant without his permission.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C. O.R. (a18ddc) — 6/14/2010 @ 8:54 amBoehlert is a complete and utter hypocrite and tool, not to mention a buffoon.
Doug L (fbc5ee) — 6/14/2010 @ 8:55 amYou know, reading that article was hysterically funny. Boehlert doesn’t even address the crux of the argument: that the LAT went nuclear on GWB many times, which he claims never happened.
As for the “posting without permission,” I am looking forward to his posted complaint on the “The Smirking Chimp” underscoring his point that we should always show respect to the President of the United States.
By the way, I haven’t dug into this…but was Boehlert always…respectful…toward GWB when he was POTUS? I don’t know. It seems a worthwhile project for someone with hip boots and no sense of smell.
Eric Blair (e2121c) — 6/14/2010 @ 9:01 amSo Boehlert is slicing the hair by noting the difference between publishing and posting. While ignoring the fact the he just made sh*t up, again. Repeatedly.
JD (0d395c) — 6/14/2010 @ 9:17 amDid Boehlert previously give permission to Smirking Chimp to republish his work? Judging from his being registered on the site, I’d guess he did. At the very least, Boehlert has no qualms associating himself with a site that disrespects a (Republican) president.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C. O.R. (a18ddc) — 6/14/2010 @ 9:30 amBrother Bradley raises a great point. Eric Boehlert has had a blog at The Smirking Chimp for several years.
“If @patterico were any dumber, it would hurt. I didn’t “cross publish” my column at Smirking Chimp, idiot.” (Eric’s tweet).
Eric Boehlert is a liar. He doesn’t get to redefine what ‘publish’ means. He’s agreed to have his work on ‘The Smirking Chimp’. He has no problem whatsoever with Bush Derangement Syndrome slurring of Bush. He *has* Bush Derangement Syndrome.
But Obama is a democrat and so is Eric, and he wants to get the lie out there that Obama is treated far worse than Bush. It’s extreme dishonesty, because Erick knows Obama has received drastically favorable, even fawning coverage from the majority of the media.
Eric is just the tip of the propaganda spear. The nastiest stupid and least honest memes no one, even the hard left, is expected to believe. It’s just noise meant to hide the truth.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 6/14/2010 @ 9:40 amI bet MediaMatters gets more traffic than the LA Times op-ed columns. I wonder if they have ever been disrespectful of the President. Or if Boehlert himself was always respectful of President Bush. I mean, seriously, could he be less honest?
JD (0d395c) — 6/14/2010 @ 9:43 amI occasionally read the DRPK’s propaganda website. I used to read the KKK’s site when I was younger and had thicker skin (I’ve of mixed heritage).
For whatever reason, I enjoy seeing what f–ed up people say. It’s fascinating and it helps me understand people who want to lie to me, like Eric Boehlert. In fact, I often read Media Matters and the like for the same reason.
Eric will write an article where he says ‘President Clinton’ or ‘President Obama’ but only ‘Bush’, without the ‘President’. That kind of obnoxious tiny thing. He doesn’t go out of his way to insult Bush the way he does Patterico or O’Reilly or Fox News. Just a subtle thing.
However, if you have regularly read this guy for any length of time, you see that he’s a pure sophits. I remember him writing at length about how the media should constantly analyze Bush’s poll numbers. His idea was that the MSM was in the tank for Bush because they didn’t note how his polls were lower than Clintons at a similar point in his presidency (sixth year, I think). Or they didn’t compare them to Carters and Nixons.
What’s so amusing is that when he said this, I saw stories on Bush’s polls on front pages. What’s more amusing is that today, I see almost no such comparisons in those same papers about Obama’s lower polls than Dubya of the same period.
There are many other examples of this sophistry. The media needs to move drastically to the left. No matter how they have to argue both sides of all arguments, over time. One of Eric’s favorite shticks is to blame Fox News for violence. Now that we have seen so much violence from democrats, often on the same day a major democrat goads ‘Punch back twice as hard!’, it’s wrong to blame the goaders for violence.
I don’t think you’re going to find an example of Eric calling Bush a name. That’s someone else’s roll in his pathetic attempt at propaganda. However, if you simply expose his sophistry, he will be unable to resist exposing his pure hatred. That’s what happened here and with ACORN. He knows what he’s doing, but thinks there is some higher good that his lies serve.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 6/14/2010 @ 10:20 amOn comments from Hugh Hewitt, when my daughter was attending USC, I told her to avoid Sheer’s classes at all cost.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 6/14/2010 @ 10:23 amAnother interesting point about Boehlert’s Smirking Chimp friends: It lists his blog posts, including the inane one about the LA Times. I have screenshots, just in case EB or SC removes them.
If we are to believe Boehlert, that particular entry of his:
(1)Found on a blog with his name at Smirking Chimp,
(2)A Web site of which he is a member,
(3)Was posted there without his knowledge or consent.
The chimp is smirking at Boehlert’s evasive mendacity.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C. O.R. (a18ddc) — 6/14/2010 @ 10:33 amBut … but … but … but … The Smirking Chimp is just some website owned by some liberal indivdual. And … Buuuuuuuuuuussssssssssshhhhhhhhh. And, Kyoto.
JD (cc3aa7) — 6/14/2010 @ 10:40 am> Scheer employed these lines to describe Bush and his policies:
Yes, but all THOSE things are entirely accurate and TRUE, don’t you understand?!!?!?!?
:-9
Wun Lefti Dipsh** (79d71d) — 6/14/2010 @ 11:16 am> Boehlert is a complete and utter hypocrite and tool, not to mention a buffoon.
I agree with all but the “tool” description.
I mean, there’s a reason a tool exists.
The same cannot be said for the
Wun Lefti Dipsh** (79d71d) — 6/14/2010 @ 11:20 amBeaverBeeler.Oh, he is a tool by that definition too. He’s a hired gun who is willing to have zero credibility in order to keep constant pressure on journalists to shill for democrats.
“Why does the La Times Hate Obama?” is a cry to never condemn Dear Leader at all. And the venom used against the critical writer is much worse than the “Hate” complained about for a reason… they are making clear that you and I are below Democrat leadership. We aren’t worth as much, we can be insulted viciously, and we are not permitted to use even a tenth as much heat as may be used against us.
It’s the opposite of good sense.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 6/14/2010 @ 11:47 amOn comments from Hugh Hewitt, when my daughter was attending USC, I told her to avoid Scheer’s classes at all cost.
He isn’t called Robert “Romeo” Scheer for nothing!
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C. O.R. (a18ddc) — 6/14/2010 @ 12:22 pmBradley:
If you click the links in the post you’ll see I previously made the points about Boehlert’s blog and his The Smirking Chimp membership.
Now that he has done an entire post on it, I will do one of my own tonight.
He can disclaim posting at The Smirking Chimp about as much as I can disclaim posting at Big Journalism. They choose what posts of mine will be published there.
What a weasel.
Patterico (79941d) — 6/14/2010 @ 12:43 pmI am moderated at Media Matters and cannot debunk this directly.
Boehlert is a coward.
Patterico (79941d) — 6/14/2010 @ 1:22 pmPatterico – does that surprise you that he is a lying crapweasel?
JD (e21a29) — 6/14/2010 @ 1:30 pmYou know, I think that some people let their egos type on their computers, and then are embarrassed by the results.
I think that Mr. Boehlert is such a person. He looks foolish, and Patterico, no one will ever thank you for reminding them that they look foolish.
Boehlert knows he looks like a tool And a foolish one at that.
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 6/14/2010 @ 1:41 pmAlso, isn’t it innately humorous to be moderated by a website called “Media Matters”?
You should add a “BANNED BY HYPOCRITICAL WEASELS AT MEDIA MATTERS” banner to the top of your blog.
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 6/14/2010 @ 1:42 pmI know for a fact that when President Bush was in office, there was nobody on staff at the Times, and certainly nobody writing off the opinion pages, who was allowed to so casually insult the office of the presidency on a regular basis.
The insults weren’t casual, were they?
kansas (ed7ea9) — 6/14/2010 @ 5:51 pmGod that reminds me. The horrid Rosa Brooks now draws a paycheck from the taxpayers since she now works at the Pentagon right?
AJ Lynch (e54992) — 6/14/2010 @ 6:25 pmI created a blog at The Smirking Chimp. It didn’t last long, but I got screenshots.
Someone had to set that up. It doesn’t happen accidentally.
Patterico (c218bd) — 6/14/2010 @ 7:10 pmIt is a racist republican conspiracy to besmirch Boehlert’s name.
JD (4b684a) — 6/14/2010 @ 7:16 pm