Calling All Wingnuts

I went to an academic conference billed as “After the Bush Doctrine:  National Security Strategy for a New Administration” at the Miller Center For Government Affairs at the University of Virginia.  Attendees included David Brooks, David Broder, Bill Kristol, Robert Kagan, and Fareed Zakaria, amongst others.

The schedule was tight so it was difficult for me to ask the attendees the questions that came up as they discussed the papers they had prepared for the event.  I was fortunate enough to get an impromptu couple of minutes with Brooks (audio only, check back here on Monday for it) and video interviews with Robert Kagan and David Broder.

I’ve posted the David Broder interview at the Huffington Post.

I’ll post more about the Kagan interview sometime next week - I’ve got to transcribe it first.

And I’ve got a lot to say about the conference itself.  That will probably have to wait until next week as well, unfortunately.  I want to get as broad a range of opinions as I can first.

Finally, I’ll be putting together a highlight real of what went down; soem of it was pretty intense and pretty fun.

Klein writes the following in an article titled, “Beware the Bloggers’ Bile“.

A reasonable reader might ask, Why are the left-wing bloggers attacking you? Aren’t you pretty tough on the Bush Administration? Didn’t you write a few months ago that George W. Bush would be remembered as one of the worst Presidents in history? And why on earth does any of this matter?

…

the smart stuff is being drowned out by a fierce, bullying, often witless tone of intolerance that has overtaken the left-wing sector of the blogosphere. Anyone who doesn’t move in lockstep with the most extreme voices is savaged and ridiculed—especially people like me who often agree with the liberal position but sometimes disagree and are therefore considered traitorously unreliable. Some of this is understandable: the left-liberals in the blogosphere are merely aping the odious, disdainful—and politically successful—tone that right-wing radio talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh pioneered.

Because the magazines seldom see fit to print letters to the editor that constitute substantive criticism, I thought I’d reprint mine here:

Mr. Klein:

I hope this is something you have heard before, but if it isn’t, I hope it is something you and your colleagues will take a moment to ponder on.

The comparison between the left’s strident criticism of the press and the right’s outright hatred of the same falls short in one key respect.

I feel safe in venturing that 95% of the time, when you are criticized by the left, the criticism arose from a perceived mistake that you made.  The criticism may be vicious, but after decades of living with a maddeningly unaccountable press, one should not be surprised when the internet, which has provided an immediate mechanism of feedback, is used intemperately.  But that is really not that much different from the intemperate and exasperated boss that calls any of us to the carpet when we screw up.  So enough with the whining already.

We on the left simply set high standards for you and expect our nation’s opinion leaders to get it right all of the time.  You are, after all, the elite.

Now…  On the right, you have a bunch of propagandists that criticize you for doing your job.  Whether it’s reporting about secret wiretap programs, extraordinary rendition, Iraq war plans, “black” prisons scattered across the world, Abu Grahb, Haditha or mistreatment of detainees, when the right scolds, it is because you did your job.  Bill Bennett (and several of his cohorts) wants some of your colleagues imprisoned.

So I ask you:  why get upset about bloggers that set high standards for you when the landscape for truly odious criticism is target-rich?  There are any number of examples of right-wing talk radio hosts and pundits that hate you for doing your jobs well.  Why not criticize them instead of railing against those of us that wish you’d do your job better and aren’t afraid to let you know?

OK, so I was trolling around the nethersphere.  I had heard James Dobson had a radio show and I often thought of looking it up so that I may call in and chat a bit, but I never remembered to do it until now.

Well, when I went to look up his radio show, I ran into a bit of difficulty.  None of my normal resources were able to point me to an audio stream or a call-in number for the show.  Undeterred, I figured I’d just check out his website.

There, I found a page for his radio show, buit it doesn’t look as if his is a call-in show.  No matter…  This site is as much a watchdog site as it is anything else, so I decided to take a listen to one of his archived shows.

It shouldn’t have come as any surprise, but they (the Christain Right) are still up to their old tricks.  In Dobson’s world, America has been abandoned by God (and turned to the Democrats) because of… 

well, just listen…

To be fair, the message was a bit (but only a bit) more expansive than what I’ve presented here.  In many ways, the whole message was orders of magnitide more offensive (they are still saying that God visited AIDS upon homosexual men as some sort of “payback”.  So much for a loving, merciful God.  And sheesh…  I wonder what all children that got AIDS from blood transfusions did to merit such treatment…)

I left the part about God not destroying a city in this mix because it really does show the “Christain” Right’s capacity for disconnect from reality.  Has this guy never heard of New Orleans?

I called Drudge tonight…  It was my first time calling him and served as a kind of warm-up.  I’ve got lots of things I’d like to ask him…

Anyway, tonight was the night of the debates, so we talked about them - and agreed with each other.  Hillary showed a presence I hadn’t seen before…  it scared me, because she scares me.  Not only would we be looking at Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton-Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton (at least 32 consecutive years with a Bush or a Clinton in the White House), but more importantly, she’s a corporate tool that’s more interested in making kissy-face with conservatives than she is in guiding this country where it needs to go. 

The thing that probably pissed me off more than anything else is her casual dismissal of war critics both before and for years after she made her pro-war vote.  Even today, she refuses to say it was a mistake.  That kind of obstinance is exactly what we see on a day-in, day-out basis from the current occupant of the White House. 

Now, I know that’s a low blow.  I probably shouldn’t have gone there.  But nonetheless, the facts speak for themselves.

One more thing about Hillary…  When’s the last time you heard her give a full-throated defense of American values and launch a suitably aggressive attack on those that have diminished habeas?  countenanced torture? started an unnecessary war based on lies?  governed criminally???

I’m remionded of the old maxim:  “For evil to triumph, all that is required is for good men to stand by silently.”

At best, Hillary is a good person standing by silently.  But I’m not so sure she’s just not a bad person.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…  Colmes’ radio show is head and shoulders above his tv show (even though we completely disagree about this).  Try to catch it between 10 and 1 EST M-F.  You can listen in hear for free:

http://www.foxnews.com/radio/index.html

Anyway, on the TV show H&C talked about Chavez and the Venezuelan protests.  Actually, they had one anti-Chavez guest on and both Hannity and Colmes agreed with her rabid Chavez criticism…  Fair and balanced my ass…

Afterward, I sent the following email to a bunch of friends:

I’m not as knowledgeable or broadly educated as many [of you], but something I know without the slightest iota of doubt is that history repeats itself.  Hostilities between countries don”t happen overnight…  generally, you see tangential media reports slowly build into something resembling a drumbeat.  Later, politicians trip all over themselves to denounce the dangerous tyrant (because every conflict must be personified - it’s hard to sell a war without a villain).  Finally, something approaching consensus is arrived at and “something must be done”.

Well, imagine this.

NBC, a federally licensed broadcaster, day in and day out dedicates a substantial portion of their airtime to undiluted criticism of the President and his party.  Over time, the rhetoric becomes increasingly strident.  Eventually, they advocate a coup…

How long do you suppose they’d be allowed to keep their license?

Keep an eye on what’s going on in Venezuela…  Chavez is a little nutty for a world leader, but if you look at the protest pictures coming out of that country, most of the “protesters” are lily white.  He’s a leader that’s decided to redistribute the wealth that had been consolidated by the European-blooded coastal elites and provide an education and health care to his country’s brown and poor.  At every step he’s been opposed and frustrated by the legacy power-class…  The difficulty of his task - of overcoming the will of the pre-existing wealth holders - well, it may be insurmountable.  But I, for one, like that he’s trying.

BTW:  I’m reading a book right now that many of you probably read years ago:  Confessions of an Economic Hit Man…  if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.

OK - it looks like it won’t embed in this WordPress setup.

Instead, go here:  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5232188211140247175&hl=en 

A lot to improve on, but off the top of my head…

1) Never tell them what you’re doing.  Just do it.

2)  If possible, have someone else do the videotaping; work in teams of at least two.  If you piss one of them off and one of their lackeys “accidentally” bumps in to you, knocks the recording device out of your hands and steps on the tape…  well, in this kind of conservative environment, you’ll find it difficult to find a witness that will tell the truth for you.  I learned that at the George Allen event…  Even with everything on film, George Allen’s wife felt confident enough to go on national tv and lie through her teeth…

3)  Go for broke.  If you have the choice of asking them a question like, say, “Have you ever used the word n*****?” and “Given the fact that a new report came out questioning the efficacy of abstinence only education, do you think the gov’t should continue to spend $200 million dollars a year on it?” - well, choose the first question.  Either way, you’re only gonna get one question, if you’re lucky, so make it worth your effort.

Any more advice?  Meet me in the comments…

Bohannon had another wingnut on his show last night, this one from the American Enterprise Institute. As it happens, earlier today I got an email from a friend that alerted me to a piece in AEI’s magazine, The American.

In it, the author bemoans that white collar criminals are being treated like common criminals these days. No longer can they get out for a round of golf, some gourmet food or the occasional use of a prostitute… And… oh my… they actually have to live with blacks and hispanics. Well, y’all know I had a few things to say….

First, go watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGFVCgI15_Y

As many of you know, right now I live in Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s a unique state – you can’t help but to feel connected to the land and to other Virginians, even if you are somewhat of an interloper from New York. There’s a certain sense of being a part of the “Commonwealth” – you connect with the land, the air and the ghost of Thomas Jefferson…

So when the Hokies suffered their loss two weeks ago, a cold and thick blanket of mourning fell across the whole state. Birds didn’t chirp as loudly, flowers didn’t bloom as brightly and it was cloudier than usual…

As Virginians worked to rationalize their way to emotional equilibrium, hundreds of thousands of us were confronted with a particularly odious grief-merchant that sought to profit by dancing on the graves of our fallen. Neil Boortz, the conservative shock-jock out of Atlanta, is broadcast on AM stations across the Commonwealth. On April 17^th, the day after the shootings, at a time nobody really knew yet what had happened - and some parents were still wondering if their child was among the slain - Boortz used his platform to wonder, “How the hell do 25 students allow themselves to be lined up against the wall in a classroom and picked off one by one? How does that happen, when they could have rushed the gunman, the shooter, and most of them would have survived?”

Soon thereafter, Boortz boorish and insulting musings earned him the wrath of thousands of listeners, Virginian and otherwise. As the the state exploded with indignation, Boortz got busy composing his response: a blog entry, posted the next day, entitled “The Wussification of America.”

Now, by clear implication, according to Boortz, the slain Hokies were wussies. Classy guy, that Boortz.

By the third day, a message had been sent to Boortz’s syndicators. Evidently, his bosses had a little talk with him, because on his show that day, Boortz apologized for his insensitive rantings. This apology seemed to assuage some of his affiliates and the issue seemed to blow over for a few days.

Until last Tuesday – a full week after the massacre – when Boortz wrote this on his blog: “At the center of this controversy are some of the thoughts I expressed last week in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. Since I first uttered my politically incorrect thoughts I have apologized; not for what I said, but for how I said it.”

So he’s not sorry for what he said… He meant to call Virginians, and Americans, wussies and cowards in a less “politically incorrect” manner.

This was finally enough for the political establishment in Virginia. Governor Tom Kaine weighed in. He was followed soon thereafter by three Virginia legislators. Virginia Tech’s student paper got involved. Then the media picked it up. Letters to the editor poured in. And now, Blacksburg’s Boortz carrier is reconsidering.

There are six other Virinia stations that carry Boortz.

Boortz’s continued contempt for Virginians prompted me to call the Virginia radio stations that carry his show. I spoke with General Managers and Program Directors in seven different cities. Some of these folks were pretty reasonable. Others not so much… In the end, I’ve compiled a fairly interesting window on the heartbeat of conservative talk radio in Virginia. I thought it incredible that he could say this - in a state that suffered through the most horrible gun shooting in Unites States history - and the state’s radio stations wouldn’t respond. Here’s a window on one of my conversations.

This is a bit of my call to Boortz’s Martinsville, VA carrier. I spoke with Jason Wyatt, the sone of the station’s owner.

Listen in - you’ll be shocked.

He talks tough, but he’s chickenshit - and a chicken hawk.

He was berating anti-war folks for cheering on the new Democratic legislation that reflects the will (by a 2 to 1 margin) of the American people.  Michael Ware, one of the best reporters in Iraq, recently said that if we leave Iraq, we leave it to Al Qaeda and Iran…  At the same time, he’s consistently said that what we are doing isn’t even close to working.  The surge is a joke.

So…  Gibson was playing Ware’s most recent comments for all they were worth, but not recognizing that those comments aren’t inconsistent with Ware’s earlier comments.  In other words, everything Ware has said - that we are losing the war and that if we leave, we’ll leave Iraq in bad shape - can be true at the same time.  If that’s the case, the only solution is dumping 5-600,000 troops into the country and developing some kind of expensive Iraqi Marshall Plan…  This approach would necessitate a draft.

So I called to tell him he’s a chickenhawk and he even lacks the courage to call for what it takes to win the war.  Then things got fun…  listen…

I can’t get these stupid things to embed, so just click the url: http://www.youtube.com/v/HVvnWZtAJss