Leftists Eschew Troublesome Process of Intellectual Engagement
In his Welcome to Obamaland: I Have Seen Your Future and It Doesn’t Work, James Delingpole anticipated how Obama’s Democrats would respond to Administration critics:
When leftists wish to destroy a conservative’s arguments, they invariably circumvent the troublesome process of actually engaging with them by caricaturing them as “right-wing rant.” If right-wingers do more than their share of ranting though, there’s probably one very good reason for it. It’s because they’re in a perpetual state of hair-tearing despair that a counter-ideology of such manifest illogicality and conter-productivity can yet have been able to exert so powerful a grip on society.
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Anyone else noted the irony of Democrats who have never read the bill, and claim they don’t have time to read the bill… attacking constituents who can cite specific sections of the bill as ignorant and ill-informed?
Comment by V the K — August 11, 2009 @ 12:21 pm - August 11, 2009
V the K – I just saw this yesterday. A friend of mine ranting about crazy right wingers who think the bill will bring about socialism, and yet he didn’t read the bill and was claiming those who did were crazy.
Ann Coulter has some very good arguments similar to this in her book. She makes the point that when the left wants to destroy someone, they go after their person, and not their arguments. This is demonstrated anytime. Sarah Palin most recently comes to mind, but even Boxer saying teabaggers were white trash rednecks who dress badly and Pelosi claiming we’re “astroturf” or even the CNN reporter who wondered (seriously) why people who were getting tax cuts would ever protest Obama! *retch*
Comment by Tim — August 11, 2009 @ 12:28 pm - August 11, 2009
Ha!
The argument is, liberals too often call us a bunch of zany nutters. But if a repub acts like a nut, its not their fault because of liberal ideology.
So the people who say “death panel”, other insane charges and disrupt town hall meeting with screams are not responsible for their actions but instead it’s the liberal’s fault!
How wonderful for you to not take any personal responsibility for the way you act in public or the crazy charges you send out!
Comment by gillie — August 11, 2009 @ 12:29 pm - August 11, 2009
GPW,
I don’t quite follow the logic of your post.
You title your piece “Leftists Eschew….Intellectual Engagement” but then the whole rest of the post is a quote which basically admits that all right-wingers seem capable of doing is ranting. In fact the quote tries to justify ranting as somehow the only available response in the face of such a (insert some insults here) ideology being successful with average, normal people – i.e. voters.
Insults and ranting. You give us a justification for it. In other words, the quote actually proves that Democrats are correct when they refer to “right wing rants”.
So how does this all add up to “leftists eschewing intellectual engagement”????
I think ranting is a disease – a chronic case of constricted imagination combined with emotional instability. Someone on the right should start an anti-ranting movement – make some effort to establish a high standard for conservative discourse. Maybe then you’ll have a chance to get back in the game…
Comment by Tano — August 11, 2009 @ 12:58 pm - August 11, 2009
It’s looking like Obama’s third favorite leftist thug, Zelaya, won’t be returning to power after all. Between this development and Congress backing down on the luxury jet purchase, In both cases, because of angry, loud people who didn’t just sit quietly and let the Obamunist left have their way … this must be a real bummer of a day for them.
Comment by V the K — August 11, 2009 @ 1:06 pm - August 11, 2009
Note how gillie tries to operate:
He keeps parroting points while ignoring that the President himself said that rather than a pacemaker prolonging life for 6 years a pill to make death less painful might be an option.
Note also how he can’t reply to this post where administration advisors are cited as rationing people to death is a viable option.
Likewise Tano ignores when his statements are reposted for shredding here or questions he refuses to answer are reposted here.
But hey, maybe they both believe if they tell their lies enough and never change their tune, it will magically come true.
“Eschewing process of Intellectual Engagement”? You have a pair of examples here.
Comment by The Livewire — August 11, 2009 @ 1:22 pm - August 11, 2009
Actual post:
No, this doesn’t “…basically admit[s] that all right-wingers seem capable of doing is ranting.” Not even close.
Comment by Ignatius — August 11, 2009 @ 1:45 pm - August 11, 2009
Well done!!!
Comment by V the K — August 11, 2009 @ 1:52 pm - August 11, 2009
So how does this all add up to “leftists eschewing intellectual engagement”????
So where’s the intellectual engagement in unleashing union thugs to assault “niggers” and seasoned citizens?
Where’s the intellectual engagement in calling American voters “Nazis” and “unpatriotic”?
Where’s the intellectual engagement in lying your sorry asses off about insurance companies and “special interests” paying people to attend meetings and providing ZERO evidence to support your claims?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — August 11, 2009 @ 1:56 pm - August 11, 2009
A prime example of leftists eschewing the troublesome process of intellectual engagement is, of course, the SEIU union thugs who called Kenneth Gladney “n—–”, then physically attacked him..
Gateway Pundit brings us the news: Gladney plans to sue his attackers and to urge prosecutors to treat the matter as a hate crime. Watch the video of Gladney on Fox and Friends. The whole thing is teh awesome!!!1! Fighting back!
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 11, 2009 @ 2:10 pm - August 11, 2009
And Rasmussen reports support for Obamacare falling to a new low. Yes, it’s a good news day.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I still think Obamacare will pass. The Dems have the votes. If they don’t steel their own nerve with all of their lies and bashing this time, they will simply wait for the storm to pass, then make us eat the crap sandwich another way. But it’s fun to watch them, for once, getting the hard questions and challenges they deserve so richly.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 11, 2009 @ 2:13 pm - August 11, 2009
Whoops, sorry about not closing the link tag.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 11, 2009 @ 2:13 pm - August 11, 2009
If ObamaCare does pass, the backlash is going to be substantial. If it doesn’t pass, it’s a political defeat. It’s a lose-lose for Democrats regardless of the outcome.
Comment by V the K — August 11, 2009 @ 2:18 pm - August 11, 2009
Dumbest remark in Obama’s hand-picked, pre-screened, invitation-only “townhall meeting:”
Dear Leader’s best example of how he wants Government Health Care to work is the Post Office, which he admits is having problems. I’ll say. Taking two months to deliver a small package from my home in Maryland to Seattle Washington gives me warm fuzzies about government-run health care.
Not to mention, UPS and FedEx don’t compete with the post office for mail delivery. They are not legally allowed to. And the subsidized post office is billions and billions in the red.
The Government can’t handle a basic task like delivering the mail, but they’re going to run health care like a Swiss clock… you betcha!
Comment by V the K — August 11, 2009 @ 3:05 pm - August 11, 2009
VtK, I noticed that as well. I guess he was trying to say that even though we have an ineffectual government run post office, there are still private options.
thins is he hasn’t declared war on Fedex (big union) but he has on the insurance companies.
Meanwhile, a small victory, he has backed off Honduras and isn’t pushing so hard for Zelaya. May this be a sign of things to come here with this awful medical overhaul – that is socialism.
Comment by Leah — August 11, 2009 @ 3:56 pm - August 11, 2009
In other words: All Americans are forced to put up with the Post Office for normal mail delivery. For very special and expensive mail, aka packages, they may choose from a tiny number (grand total of 2) of expensive alternative providers.
That is exactly where Obama wants to take health insurance. His “public option” will not be an option! Because, having the overwhelming price advantage of its costs defrayed by government deficit spending, there is no reason anyone in their right minds should want to take on the thankless, profitless job of competing with it, no matter how bad it sux. The insurance industry will be instantly gutted, FORCING the vast majority of Americans onto Obamacare. All that will be left is a couple specialty providers that only Congresspersons and Goldman-Sachs executives can afford.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 11, 2009 @ 4:00 pm - August 11, 2009
Leah said:
Actually, he has. I can’t recall the specifics if the Dems in the House recently introduced a bill or the Labor Department ruled that Fed Ex would be bound by the same federal labor regulations that govern railroads and UPS (since it uses RRs to move trailers). UPS supported Obama in 2008 and this is how they are being repaid – by tilting the field to hamstring Fed Ex more.
Comment by in_awe — August 11, 2009 @ 9:23 pm - August 11, 2009
I love how “intellectualism” was derided by conservatives during the Bush years (ie: intellectual = elitist). Now however, your perception of the lack of intellectual arguments in the health care debate is now the target of derision by conservatives. Make up your mind – are you for or against intelligence, or does that only matter based on the party in power at the time?
Comment by Kevin — August 11, 2009 @ 10:16 pm - August 11, 2009
Now however, your perception of the lack of intellectual arguments in the health care debate is now the target of derision by conservatives.
Yup.
Mainly because it’s hilarious to watch people like you, Kevin, who have claimed for years that you’re “smarter”, make arguments saying that anyone who disagrees with Barack Obama is a swastika-carrying un-American Nazi racist.
What we see now is how the “intellectualism” of the left is really just emotional immaturity.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — August 11, 2009 @ 11:53 pm - August 11, 2009