Leftist Activist in Delaware: Chris Coons Harassed Me Due to My Political Activism
Tonight I spoke with Alan Muller, who runs a site at Green Delaware — and thinks Chris Coons should be defeated. Mr. Muller wrote a blog post about how he had been harassed by Chris Coons for his local political efforts — in actions that Muller terms evil in a small place:
This is about evil. It could be a lot worse. . . . But it’s evil enough in [its] own little way and the person currently causing our problems, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, wants to be a United States Senator and apparently has the support of many people who don’t know what he really is.
A key point I want to make is that Coons, a rich boy with a law degree and a Master’s in Ethics from Yale Divinity School, is actually a much nastier, more manipulative, more dangerous, more special-interest-serving person than his thuggish predecessor Tom Gordon.
Criticism from a far-left liberal
Sounds like a Republican with an axe to grind, huh? Not so much. On the phone, Mr. Muller told that he is “way over on the lefty liberal end of the political spectrum,” but would never vote for Chris Coons because, he says, Coons has “no respect for his constitutents.” Muller told me: “I am one of those people who thinks the world is safer with the Democrats in control of the Senate, but I could never support Coons, because he is personally malicious.” He said that Coons is “very bright and he knows how to jerk off the public while representing special interests.”
So what did Chris Coons do to Alan Muller? Well, Muller says that he was an activist who often spoke out at city council meetings — until his ownership of a historic property gave local authorities the chance to use the power of the government to harass him:
Few things are more destructive to the integrity of a place than using the courts to harass activists and poor people. . . . Green Delaware [Muller’s organization and web site] has often criticized New Castle County and things around it. This is easy to do. New Castle County has a long history of corruption and scumbaggery. We have often–but not any more!–testified at County Council meetings and suchlike. . . .
Muller got the attention of the local government authorities, including Chris Coons, with his outspoken activism. He testified at City Council meetings. He wrote action alerts. He wrote blog posts with titles like The unending disgrace that is Coons’ County and CHRIS COONS AT IT AGAIN….AFTER ALAN MULLER.
In short, he was a gadfly. Chris Coons may have regarded this gadfly as something of a pest.
And what do you know? Once local authorities had their chance to get their regulatory hooks into him, they did so with a vengeance.
Harassment as retaliation for political activism
Muller writes:
But we also did something stupid in the circumstances: Bought a historic house threatened with demolition. This opened us up to unending harassment. . . . [T]hey charge us ten or twelve times for the same “offense,” and we are convicted for each “offense.”
Muller believes the harassment was directly tied to his activism. In one post, Muller said: “When Muller spoke out at a County Council meeting about the inadequacy of the proposed County Comprehensive Plan, violation notices were posted on his door within days.”
What’s more, the “code enforcement” violations were extremely overbearing:
The county ordinance apparently allows bringing a separate charge every day. So the county could charge a person 365 times for having a cracked windowpane and then deliver these charges all at once, without prior notice, and demand a fine for each “violation.” A minimum fine of $100 is prescribed for each “violation” and “the court shall not suspend the sentence of any person …” Welcome to Delaware!
Abuse of code enforcement power has often been used to harass people. Since, obviously, every property has some technical code violation, anyone could be harassed. While the evil of Coons in abusing these laws is obvious, it is also obvious that the Delaware General Assembly has itself done a great evil by passing such laws for the County, and by failing to maintain the integrity of Delaware’s courts.
The documents support Muller’s contention. Muller links to a court document that contains numerous charges against him for unpermitted work to his roof. Each of the charges contains the same verbiage and makes the same accusations. But each charge is alleged to have occurred exactly one month apart. The first is on March 10, the next is on April 10, the third is on May 10, the next on June 10 — and so on, and so on, and so on.
I told him it looked like they were charging him every month for work that he had done once. He said it was worse than that — they were still coming after him even after he got everything fixed.
We never know when more charges will arrive in the mail. We never know when warrants will be issued for my arrest. I have a criminal “rap sheet” pages and pages long. This is the reward for being an activist in Delaware in these times.
One of the things that amazed me, in speaking to Muller, is that the local government actually proposed issuing pepper spray to its code enforcement officers during Coons’s reign. He told me he had written about it, and reader JD found the link for me:
Some time ago there was a movement before the County Council to give “code enforcement” officers pepper spray, etc, to fend off enraged citizens. We don’t know what happened to that, but it’s a fair indication of the real attitude of the County towards non-wealthy human residents.
But what indication does Muller have that Chris Coons is behind all this — the harassment of Muller for his activism, the movement to arm building inspectors with pepper spray, and such? Muller told me that, as a keen observer of local politics, he believes that “this sort of thing doesn’t happen without direction from the top.” As he said in one of his posts: “Coons, a wealthy person running for re-election, has made ‘code enforcement’ part of his campaign. He, more than the County Council, controls what the County legal office does.”
Interestingly, Muller notes that, since the election has been in full swing, “they haven’t done anything since the last time I wrote it up” on his blog. Muller suspects that Coons is embarrassed by what Muller is writing, and has given the order to lay off Muller lest it have negative consequences for his campaign.
Media blackout
However, Muller said, there has been no media coverage since the campaign started. I asked Muller if anyone has contacted him regarding his story. Local newspapers? National newspapers? Magazines? TV stations? Bloggers? The answer was no, at least not during this election. Nobody contacted him until I did. “There’s very little in the way of journalism happening in Delaware these days,” he told me. “Delaware is a political wasteland.” He said that maybe someone on the outside writing about his situation would cause the local media to focus on it more. “People of Delaware have been failed by the press by failing to cover Coons,” he told me. “Here is a county executive who has a degree in divinity and goes to the local ACLU meetings, so why would he be involved with this?” Muller complained. “Nobody seems to want to look into that.”
Views on this election
Muller — who, keep in mind, is a far-left environmentalist activist — said that he could not vote for Christine O’Donnell because of her views. He said: “That kind of right-wing nut orientation is not the type that resonates in Delaware. The Tea Party sent in organizers and money, who appealed to the type of people who would vote in the primary.” But he did not think O’Donnell could win. He said that her “wingnut Republican views are detached from reality,” as she would “intervene in people’s sex lives” and “would be in favor of shutting down environmental regulation” and such. “Her history and reputation is that of a marginal candidate.”
Mike Castle, he thought, would have won. “Mike Castle was looking at his 8th term.” Muller said he thought Castle might be able to win as an independent, as he is an “extremely well-estabilshed political figure,” but he didn’t see any evidence that Castle was interested in doing so.
“I’m not conducting a crusade here, because he’s going to win now,” Muller told me, referring to Coons, “because he doesn’t have a credible opponent.” Then Muller equivocated a bit. “I’ve met Coons and Mike Castle,” he said, “but I haven’t met Christine O’Donnell. I don’t know her personally and I don’t anyone should speak with confidence about what will happen.” He said that his views of her as a “wingnut” are based on the “views she represents,” but he suspects she is sincere in her beliefs . . . and who knows? She may have a chance to win.
If anything is clear, it’s that this far-left activist doesn’t want to see Chris Coons in the Senate. Because he has abused his power in local government to harass a citizen for his political activism.
And that should give Delaware voters pause.
Thanks to d. in c., who raised the issue in comments, and JD, who provided key links and did excellent research.
UPDATE: Thanks to “pragmatic” squishy RINO sell-out Ace for the link.
UPDATE x2: Thanks to Michelle Malkin, Treacher, and Mary Katharine Ham for the links.
The Freepers have mentioned a second instance of someone claiming that Coons retaliated against him for First Amendment activity. This court decision (.pdf) sets forth the complaints of Thomas Neuberger, who said that Coons and others retaliated against him for prosecuting lawsuits against the county, by releasing his private medical information. Will Delaware media investigate to see if his complaints have merit? Does Coons have a pattern of such activity? Time will tell.
Well, at least Mr. Coons hasn’t said any wacky things.
Wait a minute….
But yes, that’s different. I keep forgetting the flexible yardstick.
Eric Blair (9ed73e) — 9/19/2010 @ 10:40 pmAlan Muller does not makes a very convincing case against Chris Coons. He certainly made a decent case against code enforcement and he alleges that justice cannot be obtained in New Castle County Court but it seems he hasn’t been to court yet, once again making a weak case.
Chris Lynch (a25f81) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:04 pmBashing Coons – What’s up with that? Fair and balanced? No way! Heh.
daleyrocks (940075) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:12 pmChris Lynch,
I think he makes a pretty good case. You are always welcome to point out any specific shortcomings you think you see — or, failing that, you are welcome to make a blanket assertion and fail to back it up. Which way will you choose?
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:13 pmGoing after Coons now, are we?
SEXIST!
Walt Gilbert (92bcb1) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:21 pmCode enforcement is a very squishy part of the law in local government. If neighbors complain, that is one big source. It might be interesting to see if there is any paper trail like that.
Mike K (11fb04) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:33 pmIn my experience, I am a Realtor, it is almost always a neighbor who rats someone out over code violations. However, given the necessarily anonymous nature of that beast, it would be ripe for abuse were a person, or inspector, or politico, so inclined.
Gazzer (c062b1) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:46 pmThese are views detached from reality? Do we not already regulate sexual activity (pedophilia and rape are still illegal, no?). Shutting down environmental regulation is a bad thing? I guess all of Obama’s policies are attached to reality?
Honestly, this guy is a kook — it’s not Christine O’Donnell we have to worry about, but morons like this who vote the way they do and “bearded Marxists” like Chris Coons.
Richard Romano (5cff42) — 9/19/2010 @ 11:51 pmI did just a very brief perusal of the links to Mr. Mueller’s complaints, but I have a few quick reactions:
1. I find it funny that Chris Coons’ actions in harassing Mr. Mueller (via proxy, I guess) is compared to the “shredding of the Constitution” by the Bush Administration on the linked left-wing sites. I guess from our perspective it’s one of those deals where you have to hold your nose when dealing with your temporary allies, but you can’t take them seriously beyond this one issue.
2. I am big into history and am a member of most local historical associations, but having lived in New England I can readily attest that “historical preservation” very quickly becomes an excuse for wannabe totalitarians to deny any attempt of a citizen to exercise his or her property rights. You wouldn’t believe the hoops that one must jump through in order to modify any structure on the East Coast built before 1950.
3. As usual, Patterico, you are doing the work that the fat & content media won’t do. We’ll no doubt hear about every eccentricity of Christine O’Donnell between now and election day, but we won’t hear a damn word about the latent fascism of Chris Coons. Oh well.
JVW (eccfd6) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:01 amI meant to say this in the post: Mr. Muller seemed like a very nice man, not like a kook. He is very left wing and that no doubt makes him an automatic kook in the eyes of some. But he did not present on the phone like a lunatic, and I spoke with him for a good 30-40 minutes. But then I’m a RINO jackass, per Mark Levin and others, so maybe my opinion does not matter.
Thank you for the kind words, JVW, on doing this work. It took a while. I was both surprised and unsurprised that nobody else had contacted this guy.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:08 amWhat to see something funny? This is good, you’ll love it.
Rove Comes to Bat For Dems: Demands Witchcraft Explanation From O’Donnell
papertiger (e8f3ba) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:22 amPosted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, September 19, 2010, 8:16 PM
I think what ChrisLynch is driving at is that there isn’t much in the way of a direct link between Coons and this harassment in this particular post tself.
Well that’s not accurate and it’s not like the post didn’t have links that contained more information.
If Coons really made “code enforcement” one of his pledges and this kind of harassment was going on in “code enforcement,” at the least it’s an embarrassment to Coons and makes him look incompetent. Or negligent. Or complicit. Reading this link Patterico provided:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greendel/message/1365
It seems that the county government has been very friendly towards passing laws that will disproportionately hurt anyone outside of rich developments or large single lots. It is hard to believe that Coons wouldn’t be aware of and/or encouraging an environment where conflict between residents and bureaucrats was heightened.
Just doesn’t make sense that the county government is doing all this stuff, passing all these laws or ordinances or whatever they are, this guy getting harassed, who knows how many other questionable ‘enforcement actions’ going on, and Coons not knowing what was going on. He had to. At the least.
Judging from this information I wonder how far you’d have to dig to start finding the envelopes of money. Or maybe they don’t need maybe down there in Delaware they’ve voted themselves enough benefits off the magic money tree that graft isn’t so attractive.
But still this stinks. Sounds like they just filled out a stack of violation citations and waited for the particular date they chose (the 10th) to come each month to send them out. That is shady.
Lucchesi (e27f89) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:24 amChris Coons didn’t sign his name to the documents they harassed him with.
I asked Muller what the connection was to Coons and he told me. You can read the post and make up your own mind as to whether there is anything there that should cause local media to take a closer look.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:44 amFair warning: I’m turning on the SuperCache, and I’m working tomorrow. Will try to clear it when I can, but if a big link comes in I want to be prepared.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:59 amBy the way: I assume that this is not the first place this has been reported anywhere. The commenters of mine who alerted me to it had seen it elsewhere — where, I’m not sure. But I know I’m the first person to talk to him about it in the context of this campaign, and hopefully I shed some light on why some may consider the story important.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 1:12 amI’m just shocked you actually called the guy. And there’s a real guy named Mueller, a tie die t-shirt wearing dude who thinks Obama is doing a good job.
Good for you. – I’m not being sarcastic.
Really, you went the extra step to make it a story.
If not you who else would have?
papertiger (e8f3ba) — 9/20/2010 @ 1:40 amNice work Patterico and JD and others.
BT (74cbec) — 9/20/2010 @ 2:55 amCoons was just emulating his president, throwing Muller under the bus as a matter of principle.
As for Mr. Muller, one wonders exactly what he thinks O’Donnell will do to “intervene in people’s sex lives”.
Icy Texan (4067d9) — 9/20/2010 @ 3:32 amCoons sounds like a real doozy. A lot of those guys are like that. I bet that Chucky Shumer could be a real prick if you got on his wrong side too.
Terrye (7d99e4) — 9/20/2010 @ 3:42 amOne of the most interesting aspects of patterico as a blogger is that he is a prosecutor, therefore by definition a professional government actor. I doubt very many who comment here are or have ever been in that position — I was, for almost a generation — and those folks may not appreciate how easy it is to make enemies among those affected by government action.
I think this partly explains the previous post where, among other things, patterico strongly suggests giving up on the bearded Marxist angle on Coons. One of the reasons the opposite party opposition to Obama has floundered in getting a lot of traction on him — even among those who are willing to concede he might been born elsewhere and is a secret Muslim, astonishingly enough — is that independents have, or at least think they have, a feel for the difference between Hitler and Stalin, or a fascist versus a communist; i.e. that they are, to import Muppets reasoning, not the same, so that efforts to label him both sound craven.
It would be interesting to see if patterico or someone else, presumably closer to the ground, to come up with enough of these types of stories to suggest a pattern. I think that is what patterico is urging here: to find more of these types of complaints, assuming they are out there to be found.
This complainant though, stand alone, does not really strike me as particularly unusual or even sympathetic. I could trade anecdotes with patterico til the cows come home to roost on this type. If this represents a pattern, then sure, that could be interesting and useful.
But the thing is, the things this guy says more broadly identify the problem. Delaware is not really even a state except by definition: its more of a stretched-out medium-sized city with suburban communities. And everyone there is a lot closer to everyone else there than in typical urban environments of that size, so that this is a bit like a mayoralty race combined with a race for the House in a region that by virtue of the constitution cannot be re-districted. It very much sounds like COD has already built up a substantial negatives problem that only a personal or projected grudge against Coons can dislodge, and then only to stay away from the polls.
shooter (32dc25) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:24 amOn the Ace poll, having been a visitor there for coming on 4 years and a poster (til banned), my view is those folks want it hard and want it nasty, so they can confront it head on, and they are that way on everything. Its the charm of the site: nobody gets a pass, everyone is presumed feral, and all that does is start the conversation, not shut it down. Ace in particular did a great job on the attacks on GOP gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley, taking on the undertones of racism and putting the sex part in perspective.
shooter (32dc25) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:31 amLooks like coons has a teanut challenger!
imdw (0172f3) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:49 ampapertiger @ 11: That seems an unfair headline; Rove is actually giving good advice, and it was Fox that brought up the witchcraft thing, not him.
Jeez: I think I should send an email to Karl to get that coveted Dem liberal progressive Rove apologist role nailed down.
Not at all incidentally, Bill Maher said he intends to put up one of these tapes of COD on his show every week until she agrees to come back onto his show. I wonder what advice Rove would give to that; normally you would ask the candidate how bad it can get, but its pretty tough with a candidate already on tape insisting on alternative histories in past elections: even her self-reporting could be of little value.
shooter (32dc25) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:53 amShooter,
Acting?
Specifics please, before you make unethical accusations of an prosecutor – specifics would really be helpful
Otherwise, your comment has no standing, I wouldnt be implying that Patterico does naything without hard cold evidence
EPWJ (17f94c) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:54 amDittos to JVW. My place of business is now part of an “historic district” – certainly not a designation we tried to get. As a result, if we want to replace the drafty, crumbling windows in one house we own, we must install custom built wooden window frames costing several hundred dollars each. Vinyl (and energy efficient) isn’t historic. Our new roof shingles have to be approved by a committee. If we paint our front door, the color must be approved.
Of course, all of this leads to some properties being quite lovely and quaint, and a lot of others falling into disrepair and disgrace. I considered buying a home in this neighborhood when I first moved to town. From what I’ve seen I will NEVER buy in a historic district.
Gesundheit (aab7c6) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:15 amI’m struck by something, Coons is actually putting Mr. Mueller out of business, and probably in jail, but he persists with the idea thar O’Donnell is worse, talk about ‘reality based’
ian cormac (6709ab) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:41 amI thought this was a funny juxtaposition in my morning read. From here:
> He said that Coons is “very bright and he knows how to jerk off the public while representing special interests.”
And meanwhile from Da Tech guy via instapundit (I am still not sure if I can post links without being in the spam dungeon):
> Does the left actually understand how they look when they decide the Delaware election should turn on Witchcraft and masturbation as opposed to say….jobs and the economy?
And I think da tech guy nails it in his longer post. I think liberals have this parody imagination of what the right is like that is nothing like the reality. I mean take Andrew Sullivan’s craziness about Trig trutherism. Forget the impossibility of faking a thing like that, but boiled down to its essence, he believes that it is within the range of ordinary human behavior to be so horrified at the thought of your child being pregnant out of wedlock that she would actually hide her daughter’s pregnancy, and fake her own, including bribing doctors and the like, to hide it. And this belief was undaunted by the fact that later her daughter did become pregnant outside of the context of marriage and no one on the right batted an eye. I mean I suppose it is possible for someone to be that crazy, but generally you find those kinds on Branch Davidian type compounds in outfits that look creepily the same.
Certainly there is stereotyping on the subject. For instance, when I asked liberals what the relevance was of her daughter getting pregnant, they said, “well, she believes in abstinence education.” So I asked for proof of that, and the best they could come up with was her denouncing “explicit” sex ed, which I said could be reasonably interpreted as her objecting to condoms on bananas. No one has ever shown me where Palin came out for abstinence only sex ed, but they believe it anyway, because… well, why exactly?
By the way, Robert mccain might have his own racial issues, but he points out that Maher made a frankly racist statement:
> Isn’t Obama’s big problem is that he does everything half-assed? Maybe it’s because he’s only half black. You know? It’s that, if he was a, if this, if he was fully black, I’m telling you, he would be a better president.There’s a white man in him holding him back because everything is half-assed. The stimulus was half-assed, healthcare is half-assed, let’s talk about Afghanistan.
McCain has his own well publicized issues with race, but that doesn’t change what Maher said, any more than this changes what O’Donnell said about witchcraft (I mean video doesn’t actually lie—at most it takes people out of context). But it is nice to see another person who called the Tea Party racist prove to be a racist himself. And yeah, that will be going on my blog shortly.
Anyway, nice post, Patterico.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:47 amNice work Patterico, you magnificent RINO bastard!!!
Really well done. If her actual full throated supporters would stop yelling “Heretic!” every 5 minutes, they might be able to do the work to find information like this.
WillOTP (cbe55d) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:50 amGood job, Patterico, now you figure he can’t be the only one who Coons went after, it just goes to show
ian cormac (6709ab) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:52 am‘the mirroring’ effect, How people thought W was going after innocent people with the Patriot Act, yet the Dems actually do.
Gosh, this fellow “shooter”?
He was banned from Ace’s place, and of course the people who did that were all nasty and mean spirited.
“shooter,” of course, is all nice and clean. He would never, for example, make rude comments about someone’s job.
I wonder how many places “shooter” has been banned from, and under what circumstances.
I think we can all guess.
Eric Blair (9ed73e) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:54 amThis just shows how a dirty little bearded marxist statist, Hairy Reid’s pet Coons, will use the power of the State to enforce his will, even against people who would otherwise be his ostensible political allies.
JD (9c0e35) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:17 amFor all of Chicago’s faults, our building inspectors are property owners themselves — most also own rental properties. So are the Building Court judges. They will not mess you around except on safety issues. I know this from experience both as a landlord and defending homeowners and landlords.
True story. Inspector comes to inspect owner-occupied four-flat. Gives it largely a clean bill of health. Owner, having been raised in a mordida culture tries to sleep him a $100.00. The inspector says “Never do that”. Then he takes his thumbnail and scratches the stair banister. “Because if somebody thinks he can shake you down, this scratch is a violation”.
nk (db4a41) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:27 am“They will not mess you around except on safety issues. I know this from experience both as a landlord and defending homeowners and landlords.”
nk – I had a different experience as a commercial property owner but it began getting much better after 2000 or so.
daleyrocks (940075) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:43 amGreat write up! Good work.
devilish (920811) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:59 amThere are exceptions, daleyrocks. I mean bad inspectors.
I defended a housing case (two-flat) against either a crooked or insane inspector. Every building he inspected went to court.
If you know building court, the building department supervisors are really in charge, not the administrative judges. So we checked in with the supervisor and he said, “Oh, this guy? We let him go.” Case dismissed.
nk (db4a41) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:02 am–
Many of us who’ve ever been forced to join an “association” I’m sure immediately recognized the type of person Muller was describing in Coons.
–
From time to time in every community someone like Coons manages to get elected and then the suffering starts. (They’re a top dog type person who wants the job NOT for the community service aspect of it, but for the power of it— who plays favorites—who cleverly manipulates— who wants to impose his will and “values” on others less powerful— and thrills at using the courts to punish and harass).
–
A close friend is still getting over the financial and emotional repercussions of a wholly vindictive lawsuit initiated by the then head of a Home Owner’s association in an upscale neighborhood. And the power hungry HO guy? Why, he’s got a PHD in “Divinity” and uses that, and his title, as proof of his righteousness on all matters. Oh, did I mention he’s also a flaming lefty?
elissa (f8fbfe) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:04 am“Muller told me that, as a keen observer of local politics, he believes that “this sort of thing doesn’t happen without direction from the top.””
Well that’s enough to convince me!
imdw (017d51) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:22 amelissa
off topic, but i would like to see the homeowner associations abolished. frickin’ nazi a–holes.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:32 amSo imdw thinks this is an appropriate use of the power of the State. Either he is responsible for it, or he had no idea that the people that answer to him were out doing this. Not very comforting either way. But since imdw is a statist uber-alles, his tacit approval is not the least bit surprising.
JD (9c0e35) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:32 amJD, that isn’t true. People like imdw don’t mind the power of the State in the hands of people they approve of—people like themselves.
They need to remember what happened to Robespierre. But of course, they never learned any history.
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:40 amGreat piece Pat,
I too saw JD’s link at another site, and was planning to write something up on this. But you beat me to the punch, fair and square, and I applaud your great old-school fashion in actually, you know, contacting the guy.
I guess I’ll just be linking to it like everyone else 🙂
Seriously though, if I had any criticism it would be for the 3 paragraphs following the heading, “views on this election”. In view of all the internecine fighting over O’Donnell’s candidacy and primary victory, and whether you intended it to or not, it has an air of “I told you so!” about it. I know you are above this kind of thing, but others may not.
Now is the time for all of us to support O’Donnell, just as we would have supported Castle had he won. We need to keep the roles of ally and adversary clearly defined, and concentrate on defeating the Obami. This post is a great step in the right direction; the direction of keeping our fire directed downrange.
Best Wishes
Bob Reed (5f2db5) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:51 amEPWJ @ 24: It’s a term of art, which you would know if you were in the business. The colloquial meaning doesn’t apply; it means the same as appearing. You could also know if from any number of courtroom scenes on your teevee or at the movies, assuming a normal attention span.
Eric Blair @ 30: AoSHQ is the only one … so far. I’ve actually been banned from there at least four times, that I can recall, let back in on probation each time except the most recent one, which goes back to June or so. I think maybe one time I got all likkered up and wrote something that deserved it; the other times were all for pointing out uncomfortable truths. Example: The real Eric Blair was no conservative. That sort of thing.
shooter (32dc25) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:52 amWell it’s much with the Obamacare bill, if one of your employees choses to sign up, you get an 8,000
ian cormac (6709ab) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:01 amfine, ponder that for a moment, they penalize you
for cooperating with the system.
“Now is the time for all of us to support O’Donnell, just as we would have supported Castle had he won.”
Bob Reed – It’s supportive commenters such as you that make this site great.
daleyrocks (940075) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:04 am==But he did not think O’Donnell could win. He said that her “wingnut Republican views are detached from reality,” as she would “intervene in people’s sex lives” and “would be in favor of shutting down environmental regulation” and such. “Her history and reputation is that of a marginal candidate.==
The O’Donnell campaign will hate to hear this and will claim, truthfully, that this caricature of her is bunkum. Their natural instinct will be to ignore it because it’s so obviously bunkum. Well, don’t do that. USE it to your advantage, Christine! Campaigns pay big bucks for consultants to acquire this type of information and insight through focus groups and polls. Muller just gave it to you for free. And he is probably not alone in HATING your opponent.
elissa (f8fbfe) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:08 am–
Knowing what local Delaware constituents are hearing, and thinking, and talking about you is crucial. Then set out to find creative and honest ways to overcome, or at least provide balance to, negative pre-conceptions and misconceptions about you that may cost you votes. You can do this by changing your narrative (not spinning). This is how campaigns are won. Also exploit the heck out of your opponent’s weaknesses and it certainly appears he has plenty of them in addition to being an Obama ally.
–
You already won the primary, Ms. O’Donnell. Work hard between now and November. Coons must not be allowed in the US Senate. Good luck.
That’s why she was in Sussex cty, yesterday instead of with clueless Bob Schieffer
ian cormac (6709ab) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:13 am“So imdw thinks this is an appropriate use of the power of the State”
I’m just enjoying how credulous of this leftist activists’s explanation folks are. Do gadflys get harassed? Not problem believing that. Does coons direct it all? Well, the leftist activist says so!
“Either he is responsible for it, or he had no idea that the people that answer to him were out doing this.”
It also says in the story he stopped it, at least, according to the leftist activist, because of his blog.
imdw (043f60) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:14 am“There are exceptions, daleyrocks. I mean bad inspectors.”
nk – I agree. I think the incentives for the owner of a 200,000+ sq. ft. commercial property in the loop to go to court to fight a $100 shakedown are much different than those you are talking about and the inspectors know it.
daleyrocks (940075) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:19 amOh, c’mon, imdw. Your history speaks for itself. Everyone here knows it, and so do you. Patterico is a gentleman. But I know you: you won’t be able to help yourself, until you get tossed out again for being a jerk.
It’s who you are.
Sorry Patterico, but it is true.
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:43 amFunny, “shooter.” Your commentary about my nickname sounds…familiar.
I don’t think you are being entirely honest. Especially with the digs at Patterico’s job.
I think we have seen you before. Why not be decent?
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 9/20/2010 @ 9:45 amDoes Delaware not have a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute? A lawsuit brought by Muller against Coons and the county for using the courts to stomp on his right to speech could have the desired effect of bringing media attention to the situation (and setting a precedent that would discourage the county from acting so arbitrarily again) (AND, not insignificantly, getting Muller some money to compensate him for Coons’ petty vendetta).
Drew (aa5509) — 9/20/2010 @ 10:48 amhttp://www.nationalreview.com/corner/247121/senate-conservatives-fund-launches-ad-targeting-coons-stephen-spruiell
yarrrr (3b73ae) — 9/20/2010 @ 10:54 amEric Blair @ 50 – I didn’t take any dig whatsoever at Patterico’s job; I showed sympathy and empathy. Ask him yourself why he’s not taking offence — it’s because none was intended and none was taken.
This is probably way more detail than you want or need, but here’s one (of many, many) examples of what can happen that illustrates the point I was making and why I expect Patterico would agree:
About a million years ago (more like 25), I was assigned to prosecute two suspects who survived a shoot-out with police who arrived at the scene of an ongoing robbery of a savings-and-loan. One of the defendants had been left behind in the intended getaway vehicle, never entered the premises, and sat out the incident on the front passenger side floor, unarmed but near some loaded firearms on the rear seat. During the shoot-out, several civilians and one cop took bullets, but the only ones who died at the scene were suspects. The other suspect who survived the shoot-out then died before the case got to trial. So all we had left was the guy in the car, who was barely an adult, illiterate, and had a borderline retarded IQ.
One of the civilians who took a bullet was a shareholder in the S&L and active in politics, mostly as a backer, but apparently a big one. He and his wife got hold of me between the jury verdict (for complicity in the armed robbery, for agreeing to tend to the vehicle; the defense was a combination of no capacity and insanity and reduced intent, none of which worked), wanting me to explain what the prosecution would be seeking for sentence; they wanted the death penalty. I explained the decision was not mine, and not even really the D.A.’s due to guidelines for first-time offenders in the kids circumstances. Their concern was that doctors had not been able to get the bullet out of the victim and were warning them he might have big problems down the line and it could well shorten his life. I said I would raise all that with my boss and in the sentencing. The jury recommended the lower end of the applicable guideline and the judge went to the middle (citing, among other things, the bullet in the civilian’s body), and the kid ended up with a stretch that guaranteed he’d lose all his early adulthood but allowed for him to seek pârole release in his thirties.
A bit over a year after all that, the civilian victim died from sudden organ failure, and the (now) widow was apparently told (orally) by their family physician that the bullet may have played a part. She came to see me again to tell me all this, and to insist the kid be charged with murder and that we insist on the death penalty. I tried to explain all the problems with this request, in large part because I didn’t want her to get her hopes up (Among other problems, the doctor was unwilling to put his opinion in writing, or retract it; the coroner wouldn’t agree to give an opinion without exhuming the body, but widow refused to allow this for religious reasons; the bullet had turned out to be sort of friendly fire, from a police weapon; and the organ that failed wasn’t the one the bullet went anywhere near.).
When she didn’t get what she wanted, and apparently expected, she didn’t fool around: she used her dead husband’s accumulated clout and went right to the governor. What I got was a rocket ride memo from my direct boss, another from the D.A., and yet another, a very animated one from the governor’s office, complete with a handwritten memo from the governor, demanding my resignation. I related this story you see, in more detail with backup, which was fine with my bosses, but got me another rocket memo to a meet-and-interrogate with the governor’s executive staff and a demand to resign or be fired. (I never met with the governor on this, though we knew each other; I raised it once years later and he couldn’t remember anything about it — which could be true, but also could be explained by the difference between ordinary employed schmucks like I was and elected officials.)
Anyway, neither happened; but I was told later the governor’s office kept telling the widow I being investigated (which I was not and never was, except for the interrogation) for another year thereafter — until the governor left office.
I picked an extreme example, but something in this same nature happens pretty routinely to anyone who serves in public office.
So, as you see, I was not criticizing; rather, I was drawing on a reasonable expectation that Patterico has gone through the same sort of thing himself, such that the report to him from the fellow in Delaware who claims to have been done dirt by Coons may be open to interpretation (Indeed, that is the sense I see in Patterico quite reasonably pointing to the data and suggesting others might want to take a run at it.).
Which is why I added that it would be interesting to see if there were other complaints of this same character in order to get rid of the some of the self-interested noise that the fellow in Delaware appears very likely to have associated with his complaint — which, by the way, is also in that same data. I was not and am not saying anything in defense of Coons; I am expressing skepticism about the value of the complaint, analogous to how it’s turning out Coons wrote the bearded Marxist article as joke — and indeed, a joke among young Republicans, which is what he was at that time.
shooter (32dc25) — 9/20/2010 @ 11:00 amPam came armed with every leftist talking point and link spam out there. “Pam” does not likely have 2 brain cells to rub together, but is a good footsoldier for “her” masters. It is prolly a gender bending douchenozzle too. I only say that because there is one bugf#cknutz troll that one of its tells is that it links to that urbandictionary definition and rawstory. That is all.
JD (803412) — 9/20/2010 @ 11:26 amMark Levin would probably use this information about Coons if someone besides Pat dug it up, but because he’s increasingly interested in poking holes in people who don’t respect him as the only source of significant analysis, he will pretend it was never written.
Levin continues to use at least one segment of his program every day to obliquely blunt something Glenn Beck has said regardless of its accuracy and/or importance (and all without mentioning Beck’s name). Mark’s stepped up that nonsense a notch since the 8/28 event went off without a hitch.
L.N. Smithee (2e9876) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:44 pmIt’s funny that the post right before this one is a warning that we shouldn’t make this election about character, because Christine O’Donnell doesn’t have any. And then this post… makes an attack on Coons’ character?
I mean, it’s legitimate criticism, but it flies in the face of the previously advised strategy.
Leviticus (30ac20) — 9/20/2010 @ 12:49 pmI’d be a bit wary of taking Muller’s word too much on anything. Be sure to get definitive confirmation. He’s had his own issues with fellow Delaware leftists throughout the years:
http://colossus.mu.nu/archives/305916.php
And Patterico may remember me — I used to blog with him on “Oh, THAT Liberal Media” back years ago. I’m on the right myself, and certainly no Chris Coons backer.
Hube (ab9845) — 9/20/2010 @ 1:14 pmleviticus
i would say what patterico was talking about was private character v. abuse of power. yes, i suppose abuse of power relates to character, but the issue is more directly impactful on the question of whether to give this shaved marxist even more power.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 9/20/2010 @ 1:22 pmHow many of the character criticisms of O’Donnell have been made regarding her actions in a public capacity? One, at least – misuse of campaign funds. And lying to someone who asked her a campaign related question.
The point is, you don’t want to make this election about character issues of any sort; attacking Coons’ character gives you just enough rope to hang yourself, if your goal is the election of Christine O’Donnell.
Leviticus (30ac20) — 9/20/2010 @ 1:29 pmBTW, to add to my #56, I’m a lifelong Delawarean and one of the first to grace its local blogosphere.
Hube (ab9845) — 9/20/2010 @ 1:44 pmLeviticus…I see the catch 22 in this discussion, and your point. How would you recommend attacking a politician’s “character” when the “character” is the potential abuse of power vs. attacking a politician’s “character” when the “character” is their personal beliefs/actions that have developed their being?
BTW….LSU looked better this week; any team that scores on 7 straight possessions, even if 5 of them are FG’s, can’t be all bad….still need a little better QB play, but, defense must be real….
reff (b996d9) — 9/20/2010 @ 2:02 pmDo you think the complaints about O’Donnell will just bring more attention to the Bearded Marxist & his assorted rumors? It used to be the media could dump 100% on the conservative… but times have changed.
If you ask me, self-labeling oneself as a deep Marxist in college trumps an old confession of trying & rejecting witchcraft while in high school. Coons was proud & older, while O’Donnell was young & knew it was not a good thing.
Is it me, or are the liberals carrying the “judgmental” mantle on this one? As I recall, Independent voters don’t like that too much…
wizard61 (cc5410) — 9/20/2010 @ 2:22 pmreff: I think you have to either stick strictly to policy questions, and candidates’ expressed stances on them (or inferences about potential stances on them derived from stances on past policy questions), or open the door to discussions of character.
For my part, I don’t think discussions of character are necessarily wrong. In the Speech to the Electors at Bristol, for instance, Edmund Burke made it perfectly clear that the defining marks of a good representative tend to be marks of character – so such things are perfectly appropriate in my opinion, provided that they are honest. I can see why O’Donnell and her supporters might want to stay away from that discussion, as a strategic matter, but it’s very difficult in this day and age, and it’s not going to take any provocation for Coons’ to raise the matter on his own.
As to football: Miss. St. isn’t a bad team, either… we’ll see how they do at Florida in week 6.
Leviticus (30ac20) — 9/20/2010 @ 2:34 pmso far. I’ve actually been banned from there at least four times,
Which tells us pretty much all we need to know – it’s pretty farking difficult to get banned at Ace’s, given the wide leeway he gives any and all Troll – Comers. I mean, four times? That’s some serious Olympian Douchebaggery right there, pardner.
Dmac (d61c0d) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:11 pmthat reminds me of when Los Angeles got hooked up to where they could go through people’s state tax returns and look for unreported income and it was very arbitrary and fascist
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:45 pmwhy does it say this?
Comment moderation is enabled. Your comment may take some time to appear.
is that a new thing nobody tells me anything
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:46 pmFeets – I think it’s sort of like getting filtrated or something, but not as personally gratifying.
daleyrocks (940075) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:49 pmGee, I can’t see a thing. Can anyone else see that? The message you quoted must be aimed at you, personally, Happy. Hey, we been a tellin’ you you need to watch your mouf.
elissa (f8fbfe) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:51 pmListen, shooter (the name you are using now):
I would be really careful presuming to speak for Patterico. And the fact that he doesn’t toast you doesn’t mean he approves of you. Who knows? Not you.
Yep, we have read your bilge before.
But please: keep it up. You wear bannings like medals of misplaced honor. The sooner you get yourself tossed out, the better. And you will be the one doing it. No one else.
Again.
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 9/20/2010 @ 4:58 pmI am still waiting for the conclusion of Larry Sinclair case who was held in jail. He was picked up after a press conferance in D.C.June 2008. He had some negative things to say about Obama. He was never shown a warrant By the office of Beau Biden. Delaware press only mentioned it after his release about a week later. I still wonder why Obama picked Joe Biden DUH!!!!
Maybe Coons can look into it, I doubt if they want Christine O’Donnell to snoop around.
Dee Smith (a5a39d) — 9/20/2010 @ 5:06 pmTheir natural instinct will be to ignore it because it’s so obviously bunkum. Well, don’t do that. USE it to your advantage, Christine! Campaigns pay big bucks for consultants to acquire this type of information and insight through focus groups and polls. Muller just gave it to you for free. And he is probably not alone in HATING your opponent.
Your entire comment was spot on, elissa. If she doesn’t use all of this then she really is the fool and doesn’t deserve to win. We’ll see how smartly she plays it.
Hats off to Patterico for tenacity and for calling Mr. Muller and getting his side of the matter. Full-time day job and still able to put together a substantial and critical story, even without a journalism degree. This puts Delaware media to shame. (Unfortunately though, no book though…tsk-tsk.)
Dana (8ba2fb) — 9/20/2010 @ 5:36 pm“I’d be a bit wary of taking Muller’s word too much on anything. Be sure to get definitive confirmation. He’s had his own issues with fellow Delaware leftists throughout the years:”
Wary? Didn’t you read this:
“Muller told me that, as a keen observer of local politics, he believes that “this sort of thing doesn’t happen without direction from the top.””
I mean, come on! He’s a BEARDED MARXIST.
imdw (017d51) — 9/20/2010 @ 5:44 pmUnlike others, the goodwill from our host has not been reciprocated by iamadimwit.
JD (8ded14) — 9/20/2010 @ 6:52 pmIn regards to some questions you raised about my comment at #41 at POWIP, you make a ggod point Pat.
But,
I’m not suggesting you should have supressed any information, nor altered any content to conform to a desired “narrative”. Indeed, that is what many of us have criticized the MFM for over the years, but you are incorrect to assume it’s my position.
I was offering a critique of how it might be misconstrued by those who were operating under the impression that you’re critical of O’Donnell, or within the context of the furor that’s raged on the starbord side of the blogosphere since primary day last week.
As I said on your site, I thought you had written a fine article on “government gone wild” under a Coons administration. Recall that I especially complemented you on taking the extra measure to contact Muller directly.
My own opinion was that, especially in light of the infighting of late, it was outside the scope of the article’s subject, corrupt abuse of state power under a Coons administration, to “extend the legs” of the same criticisms that have been repeated by disgruntled Castle supporters even after she had won the nomination. I was also under the impression that pior to primary day you thought her candidacy to be less than viable. Which is why I said those 3 paragraphs had an, “I told you so”, kind of tone. And remember, in the same paragraph I went on to say that I knew that not to be the case, but merely cautioned that others may not…
Pat, I won’t presume to tell you what is good, or bad, journalism. Not only is it your site, and article, but I am a dilletante at best. In fact, if I recall, I complemeted your journalistic efforts. That said, I still think Muller’s views on the candidates is outside the scoope of the article, and would still contend that even if he had answered, “Yes, I will vote for Coons’ opponent”.
And no, of course I don’t think you put those words in his mouth in any fashion; I’m pretty sure you know right from wrong. I’m pretty sure your article would have been very credible even if it hadn’t examined Muller’s views on the election.
Things have been tense of late, I know. But I wasn’t criticizing you as much as offering a critique of what I thought to be an excellent article that offered useful infirmation on O’Donnell’s opponent instead of the fratricidal bickering that had dominated the web over the weekend. I said as much in my closing paragraph:
So if I misunderstood your opinion on O’Donnell’s electability before the primaries, I apologize for characterizing it incorrectly. But I believe that you have misunderstood my commentary to be adversarial and suggesting you resort to propagandizing.
Respectfully
Bob Reed (5f2db5) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:20 pmI guess my issue, Bob, is that you make a show of politeness and nonconfrontation here, but at Protein Wisdom — a site trying so hard to stay away from fratricidal commentary that its owner insinuated that Ace and I are taking “crazy party money” from the Republicans — you take a somewhat different tack.
Take, for example, your comment on my Hot Air post this weekend. At Hot Air, you took care to remind me of the “good man” shtick that Jeff Goldstein transmogrified from what it really was (a lesson to my daughter about not making politics personal) into what he wanted it to be (a declaration of support for Barack Obama’s policies). The sort of rewriting that he claims to denounce — but as his “Wow” post shows, he is perfectly capable of ignoring clear authorial intent when it serves his purposes.
I still run across people who say: “Patterico? He’s that guy who thinks Obama is a good man who is helping the country out, right?” I have Jeff “Ace and Patterico are taking payola” Goldstein to thank for that.
So in your comment at Hot Air, you say:
Yeah, you weren’t criticizing, which is why you ran back to Protein Wisdom and declared:
But you’re not criticizing.
Barack Obama is the type who calls people bitter clingers when he thinks they can’t hear him. Unfortunately for him, we could. He just didn’t think we could.
And I can hear you when you’re at Protein Wisdom, cavorting with the folks who are insinuating I’m on the take, saying I’m a prosecutor who doesn’t care about the law or justice, etc.
So forgive me if things seem a tad adversarial when you take ME to task for something an INTERVIEWEE said. I considered the question (and answer) relevant. No matter what he said, I would have reported it.
But thanks for telling me that people less charitable than you might take it as an “I told you so.”
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:41 pmPatterico, it is the equivalent of the “magic windshield.”. Just like people in cars talk smack behind a windshield, this joker thinks you can’t check out his other posts.
Not very smart.
Eric Blair (9ed73e) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:45 pm__________________________________
Mike Castle, he thought, would have won. “Mike Castle was looking at his 8th term.”
I don’t have great confidence in the perceptions of gadflys (aka oddballs at the local/grassroots level) like Alan Muller, who, after all, appears to be an ultra-liberal. Yet, ironically — like a broken clock that tells the correct time twice a day — he seems more savvy about Castle than what can be said about a lot of the conservatives in Delaware. Or certainly the ones who voted last week.
Assuming rightists in that state don’t live in a vacuum or some type of cocoon, why in the hell are so many of them oblivious to the super liberal nature of their home turf and incapable of adjusting their voting accordingly?! They’re like a chef stuck in a roomful of kids, having to plan a meal for them, and being unconcerned about loading up the dining table with a lot of vegetables, complicated haute cuisine and tons of wine and beer.
Naive or clueless people are pathetic, and that includes a good percentage of the rightwingers in Delaware.
Mark (3e3a7c) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:47 pmI found Mueller’s opinion on who he is going to vote for is within the scope of the blog post. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s interesting.
It really is the case that O’Donnell is not acceptable to people who could vote for a Republican sometimes. Maybe that’s good, maybe that’s bad, depending on your views. But regardless, it’s the truth that is hanging over this state election. If O’donnell can overcome that, and I sorely hope she can, that’s a real feat.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:55 pmOh:
I didn’t really talk much about it, but yes, I did and do think her candidacy to be less than viable. I thought she was going to win the primary, so it’s not like I thought she was going to lose and then was suddenly shown the error of my ways when she won.
But frankly, I did not think about it or talk about it much, being too busy at work to take much notice until a few days beforehand. My overwhelming concern quickly became, not her viability, but what appeared to be a slippery manner when confronted with tough questions. I based this on the radio interview she did, where she totally dissembled on the simple question of whether she won, lost, or drew 2 counties against Biden.
Since then, I have learned that she said on Bill O’Reilly that scientists have developed mice with fully-formed human brains. I can’t begin to convey how much that makes her sound like a dim bulb. You can spin it all you like — I know what study she’s basing it on — but it’s simply unthinkable that an intelligent grown woman would mix up a story that badly, and believe that mice could have fully-formed human brains. Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick.
If she overcomes all her personal deficiencies by riding this wave, that tells you it’s a BIG, BIG wave.
Which, maybe it will be.
Then we just get to hope she doesn’t do something over the next six years to embarrass us badly.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 7:59 pmEric Blair,
I don’t know. There are people who tell me he’s a good guy, and maybe I was too harsh just now. I don’t know.
All I know is that the Republicans who are secretly funding this blog told me to lash out at him a little. And you gotta do what you gotta do to bring home that sweet blogola.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:01 pmIt takes no “spin” to note that it was a gaffe.
Why would it embarass “us” ?
I think it would be far more embarrassing to be a Euro socialist lite redistributionist collectivist that likes to raise taxes, spend in excess, and otherwise act like a leftist.
JD (8ded14) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:04 pmWhat kind of gaffe is that? What was she trying to say?
Leviticus (30ac20) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:07 pmNo, they are questioning your judgement, not your integrity, And I’m kind of struck how Mueller having suffered serious injury at the hands of Coons,could be so dismissive. There is little truth in this election since last Tuesday, if not earlier. Rove who should have known better shouldn’t have been throwing so many stones. She’s running on a mostly libertarian platform as far asI can see; but that doesn’t really matter, then again
ian cormac (6709ab) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:08 pmhe probably did see Biden as an elder statesmen
Myself and others linked to studies with the use of human brain cells in mouse brains, and the bioethics discussions that arose from same. I have no clue, none, how to explain it, and she should have probably taken my tact, and let the experts talk about it, so as to not make a gaffe that a decade later will be used to try to show you incapable of being a viable Senate candidate when compared to a vengeful uber-leftist theocratic liberation theologist.
JD (8ded14) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:18 pmNo, they are questioning your judgement, not your integrity . . .
Someone who insinuates I am taking “crazy party money” from the Republican establishment is attacking my integrity. Without a shred of evidence, of course — just a claim that he bets it’s true.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:18 pmJD:
It’s like if someone tells you scientists are looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, and you go on TV and report that as “scientists have found extraterrestrial intelligence.”
Yeah, there was some report that you misconstrued very, very badly; you didn’t make it up out of whole cloth.
But if you have a fully-formed human brain, aren’t you going to have a REACTION to said story when you misunderstand it so badly, along the lines of: ARE YOU [EXPLETIVE DELETED]ING KIDDING ME?!
Anyone who can casually assert that scientists have developed mice with fully-formed human brains is dumb as a post. Period. Dumb as a freakin’ post.
Patterico (c218bd) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:22 pmNo, it is not as if … it is what it is. It was a gaffe. You can make it out to be something indicative of her lack of smarts, stupidity, what have you, but it is nothing more than a run of the mill gaffe made by someone talking about a complex scientific issue that they do not fully understand. Were gaffes proof of that, Barcky would never get within a mile of the White House, and Biden would be laughed at if he ran for Deputy Dogcatcher.
JD (8ded14) — 9/20/2010 @ 8:27 pmMuller recounts the corruption and abuse of power by Democrats in Delaware while at the same time believing Democrats are good for Congress. What’s wrong with this picture is that Muller doesn’t see what’s wrong with this picture.
RIChris (ed3b03) — 9/21/2010 @ 6:50 amPat,
My comment at HotAir regarding your piece on David Brooks’ latest editorial was meant to be good natured ribbing, like jokes in the locker room. I am impressed though, that you would make the connection between the cognomen I use at that site (my actual name had already been taken) and my actual name that I generally post under. I’ve never felt that noteworthy.
As for me alerting Jeff Goldstein to it? Well, considering his point of view, I thought it was something he might also enjoy and see some humor in.
I never said you, or anyone else, were involved in any payola scandals: I went out of my way to make it clear that I wasn’t saying that. In fact if the conversation turns to you at PW I generally stay out of it, instead of, as you characterize it, cavorting with folks who say bad things about you. For the record, I’ve never criticized your work as a public prosecuter.
And that’s because I respect your efforts and your opinions, although I don’t always agree with the latter; like from a post after the 2008 election, not relating your discussion with your daughter, when you said:
I happen to disagree with this entire notion, save for the part about making the country a better placem, since, perhaps in his mind transforming the US into a socialist society is making it better. But I digress…
But that’s one example of the source of my jocular comment at HotAir, and the reason I alerted Jeff Goldstein to your editorial there. So while I admit to enjoying a few yuks from time-to-time over how ridiculous I think it is to characterize Obama as a “good man”, which in fairness is at your expense, I don’t think I’ve acted in a duplicitous, or adversarial, manner and don’t feel like I’ve been critical of you overall. And especially not the other day when I was trying to tell you what a great piece of journalism you’d produced.
I apologize if you feel insulted or aggrieved by my comments at HotAir or PW, and if you think I was unduly critical of your piece on Coons. I’ve explained that my critique was meant to be constructive, and that overall I thought that I was being complimentary. But, I also reject the analogy that I am behaving like Obama during the “bitter, clinging” episode. I can assure you that my posted reply to your questions was contrite, forthcoming, and genuine.
I don’t join in discussions at PW to gossip about you Pat. Since you can “hear” me there, you no doubt know also that I haven’t even discussed your piece on Coons, nor our disagreement there; and I won’t. I dislike the ongoing fued between folks who should be natural allies, although I confess to not understanding the whole thing. And I probably shouldn’t have fueled the fire with my comment on your HotAir piece. You can be sure that it won’t happen again.
I’m not your adversary Pat. I’m just a guy who often lurks here, and occassionally comments.
Bob Reed (5f2db5) — 9/21/2010 @ 7:35 amBob,
OK, now I feel bad, because that seems sincere.
If it truly is then I have a suggestion. Don’t egg on a participant in a feud you claim to be saddened by.
I am frustrated by the feud as well, and I have taken steps to try to get us past it. It is not easy when the other fellow insinuates you are on the take. It is even harder when people on the sidelines are consistently nudging the other fellow and saying “Look what Frey said now!”
I don’t have time to fully rehash the “good man” thing except to say that it is commonly twisted into support for his policies, which it never was; I firmly believe in separation of the political from the personal, and that we can disagree on policy without demonizing one another; and that Obama has many many many flaws, ALL of which I knew about and discussed during the campaign, but whom I still believe to be doing what he thinks is right. Yes, he has engaged in thuggish tactics. Show me a politician who wins elections who has not. They’re rare if they exist at all.
All I have time for right now. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Patterico (a9452d) — 9/21/2010 @ 8:30 am“Human Brain Cells Are Grown In Mice” : Washington Post, December 13, 2005 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/12/AR2005121201388.html
That was the headline. The first paragraph of the story then stated :
“By injecting human embryonic stem cells into the brains of fetal mice inside the womb, scientists in California have created living mice with working human brain cells inside
their skulls.”
Now what O’Donnell said to O’Reilly . . . two years later . . . is admittedly an overstatement. Alan Colmes, along with many others, have lampooned O’Donnell for these comments; however Colmes did note that a Stanford researcher had asked for an ethics opinion concerning the development of mice with 100% human brain cells. http://www.alan.com/2010/09/16/odonnell-scientists-breeding-humans-with-animals-to-create-mice-with-human-brains/
So is O’Donnell an absolute wacko, figuratively running around setting traps for mice with human brains? Or were her comments in the ball park, and perhaps overstated for effect? Again, remember the O’Reilly comments were maybe two years after “mice with human brains” was in the news – maybe it is a memory “gaffe” – she remembered something about it and what came out of mouth was not exactly what had been reported.
But it doesn’t make her “dumb as a freatkin’ post.”
dahlonegadean (a64b4f) — 9/21/2010 @ 8:54 amChristine’s neighbor has evidence: She’s a Witch. – SHOCKING story at:
http://spnheadlines.blogspot.com/2010/09/gladys-kravitz-odonnell-is-witch.html
Peace! 🙂
Claire Voyant (7fc461) — 9/21/2010 @ 10:23 amSorry but his admission as “way over on the lefty liberal” spectrum.. Doesn’t matter what he says. Liberalism is a irrational and mental disorder and we can’t trust this guy. Coons is a semi-marxist, thug, and if Delewar votes him in they deserve everything they get.
Lee Tollend (2bbf9f) — 9/21/2010 @ 12:19 pmOK Pat, you have my word that henceforth I won’t engage in anything that may “stir the pot”.
And, for the record I also believe in disagreeing without being disagreeable, and appreciate your understanding.
My regards
Bob Reed (5f2db5) — 9/21/2010 @ 1:54 pm